149,629 research outputs found
Resonance Transport and Kinetic Entropy
Within the real-time formulation of nonequilibrium field theory, generalized
transport equations are derived avoiding the standard quasiparticle
approximation. They permit to include unstable particles into the transport
scheme. In order to achieve a self-consistent, conserving and thermodynamically
consistent description, we generalize the Baym's -functional method to
genuine nonequilibrium processes. The developed transport description naturally
includes all those quantum features already inherent in the corresponding
equilibrium limit. Memory effects appearing in collision term diagrams of
higher order are discussed. The variational properties of -functional
permit to derive a generalized expression for the non-equilibrium kinetic
entropy flow, which includes fluctuations and mass width effects. In special
cases an -theorem is demonstrated implying that the entropy can only
increase with time. Memory effects in the kinetic terms provide corrections to
the kinetic entropy flow that in equilibrium limit recover the famous bosonic
type correction to the specific heat of Fermi liquids like
Helium-3.Comment: 50 pages, submitted to Nucl. Phys.
Pulsed quantum optomechanics
Studying mechanical resonators via radiation pressure offers a rich avenue
for the exploration of quantum mechanical behavior in a macroscopic regime.
However, quantum state preparation and especially quantum state reconstruction
of mechanical oscillators remains a significant challenge. Here we propose a
scheme to realize quantum state tomography, squeezing and state purification of
a mechanical resonator using short optical pulses. The scheme presented allows
observation of mechanical quantum features despite preparation from a thermal
state and is shown to be experimentally feasible using optical microcavities.
Our framework thus provides a promising means to explore the quantum nature of
massive mechanical oscillators and can be applied to other systems such as
trapped ions.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Revealing correlations between a system and an inaccessible environment
How can we detect that our local, controllable quantum system is correlated
with some other inaccessible environmental system? The local detection method
developed in recent years allows to realize a dynamical witness for
correlations without requiring knowledge of or access to the environment that
is correlated with the local accessible quantum system. Here, we provide a
brief summary of the theoretical method and recent experimental studies with
single photons and trapped ions coupled to increasingly complex environments.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
Near-Optimal Adversarial Policy Switching for Decentralized Asynchronous Multi-Agent Systems
A key challenge in multi-robot and multi-agent systems is generating
solutions that are robust to other self-interested or even adversarial parties
who actively try to prevent the agents from achieving their goals. The
practicality of existing works addressing this challenge is limited to only
small-scale synchronous decision-making scenarios or a single agent planning
its best response against a single adversary with fixed, procedurally
characterized strategies. In contrast this paper considers a more realistic
class of problems where a team of asynchronous agents with limited observation
and communication capabilities need to compete against multiple strategic
adversaries with changing strategies. This problem necessitates agents that can
coordinate to detect changes in adversary strategies and plan the best response
accordingly. Our approach first optimizes a set of stratagems that represent
these best responses. These optimized stratagems are then integrated into a
unified policy that can detect and respond when the adversaries change their
strategies. The near-optimality of the proposed framework is established
theoretically as well as demonstrated empirically in simulation and hardware
Information-flux approach to multiple-spin dynamics
We introduce and formalize the concept of information flux in a many-body
register as the influence that the dynamics of a specific element receive from
any other element of the register. By quantifying the information flux in a
protocol, we can design the most appropriate initial state of the system and,
noticeably, the distribution of coupling strengths among the parts of the
register itself. The intuitive nature of this tool and its flexibility, which
allow for easily manageable numerical approaches when analytic expressions are
not straightforward, are greatly useful in interacting many-body systems such
as quantum spin chains. We illustrate the use of this concept in quantum
cloning and quantum state transfer and we also sketch its extension to
non-unitary dynamics.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX
Communicative Competencies and the Structuration of Expectations: The creative tension between Habermas' critical theory and Luhmann's social systems theory
I elaborate on the tension between Luhmann's social systems theory and
Habermas' theory of communicative action, and argue that this tension can be
resolved by focusing on language as the interhuman medium of the communication
which enables us to develop symbolically generalized media of communication
such as truth, love, power, etc. Following Luhmann, the layers of
self-organization among the differently codified subsystems of communication
versus organization of meaning at contingent interfaces can analytically be
distinguished as compatible, yet empirically researchable alternatives to
Habermas' distinction between "system" and "lifeworld." Mediation by a
facilitator can then be considered as a special case of organizing historically
contingent translations among the evolutionarily developing fluxes of
intentions and expectations. Accordingly, I suggest modifying Giddens'
terminology into "a theory of the structuration of expectations.
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