Chiral bound states in the continuum

We present a distinct mechanism for the formation of bound states in the continuum (BICs). In chiral quantum systems there appear zero-energy states in which the wave function has finite amplitude only in one of the subsystems defined by the chiral symmetry. When the system is coupled to leads with a continuum energy band, part of these states remain bound. We derive some algebraic rules for the number of these states depending on the dimensionality and rank of the total Hamiltonian. We examine the transport properties of such systems including the appearance of Fano resonances in some limiting cases. Finally, we discuss experimental setups based on microwave dielectric resonators and atoms in optical lattices where these predictions can be tested.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures. v2: includes results specific to honeycomb lattice; matches published versio

Spectral statistics of molecular resonances in erbium isotopes: How chaotic are they?

We perform a comprehensive analysis of the spectral statistics of the molecular resonances in $^{166}$Er and $^{168}$Er observed in recent ultracold collision experiments [Frisch et al., Nature {\bf 507}, 475 (2014)] with the aim of determining the chaoticity of this system. We calculate different independent statistical properties to check their degree of agreement with random matrix theory (RMT), and analyze if they are consistent with the possibility of having missing resonances. The analysis of the short-range fluctuations as a function of the magnetic field points to a steady increase of chaoticity until $B \sim 30$ G. The repulsion parameter decreases for higher magnetic fields, an effect that can be interpreted as due to missing resonances. The analysis of long-range fluctuations allows us to be more quantitative and estimate a $20-25\%$ fraction of missing levels. Finally, a study of the distribution of resonance widths provides additional evidence supporting missing resonances of small width compared with the experimental magnetic field resolution. We conclude that further measurements with increased resolution will be necessary to give a final answer to the problem of missing resonances and the agreement with RMT.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Density functional study of two-dimensional He-4 clusters

Binding energies and density profiles of two-dimensional systems of liquid He-4 with different geometries are studied by means of a zero-range density functional adjusted to reproduce the line tension obtained in a previous diffusion Monte Carlo calculation (lambda_{DMC}=0.121 K/A). It is shown that this density functional provides accurate results for the binding energy of large clusters with a reasonable computational effort.Comment: RevTeX4, 11 pages + 2 tables + 6 figure

Spin mixing in colliding spinor condensates: formation of an effective barrier

The dynamics of F=1 spinor condensates initially prepared in a double-well potential is studied in the mean field approach. It is shown that a small seed of $m=0$ atoms on a system with initially well separated m=1 and m=-1 condensates has a dramatic effect on their mixing dynamics, acting as an effective barrier for a remarkably long time. We show that this effect is due to the spinor character of the system, and provides an observable example of the interplay between the internal spin dynamics and the macroscopic evolution of the magnetization in a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate.Comment: Accepted for publication at the Europhysics Letter

Predicting spinor condensate dynamics from simple principles

We study the spin dynamics of quasi-one-dimensional F=1 condensates both at zero and finite temperatures for arbitrary initial spin configurations. The rich dynamical evolution exhibited by these non-linear systems is explained by surprisingly simple principles: minimization of energy at zero temperature, and maximization of entropy at high temperature. Our analytical results for the homogeneous case are corroborated by numerical simulations for confined condensates in a wide variety of initial conditions. These predictions compare qualitatively well with recent experimental observations and can, therefore, serve as a guidance for on-going experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. v3: matches version appeared in PR

Spherical model of the Stark effect in external scalar and vector fields

The Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization rule and the Gamow formula for the width of quasistationary level are generalized by taking into account the relativistic effects, spin and Lorentz structure of interaction potentials. The relativistic quasi-classical theory of ionization of the Coulomb system (V_{Coul}=-\xi/r) by radial-constant long-range scalar (S_{l.r.}=(1-\lambda)(\sigma r+V_0)) and vector (V_{l.r.}=\lambda(\sigma r+V_0)) fields is constructed. In the limiting cases the approximated analytical expressions for the position E_r and width \Gamma of below-barrier resonances are obtained. The strong dependence of the width \Gamma of below-barrier resonances on both the bound level energy and the mixing constant \lambda is detected. The simple analytical formulae for asymptotic coefficients of the Dirac radial wave functions at zero and infinity are also obtained.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to Int. J. Mod. Phys.

The quasiclassical theory of the Dirac equation with a scalar-vector interaction and its applications in the theory of heavy-light mesons

We construct a relativistic potential quark model of $D$, $D_s$, $B$, and $B_s$ mesons in which the light quark motion is described by the Dirac equation with a scalar-vector interaction and the heavy quark is considered a local source of the gluon field. The effective interquark interaction is described by a combination of the perturbative one-gluon exchange potential $V_{\mathrm{Coul}}(r)=-\xi/r$ and the long-range Lorentz-scalar and Lorentz-vector linear potentials $S_{\mathrm{l.r.}}(r)=(1-\lambda)(\sigma r+V_0)$ and $V_{\mathrm{l.r.}}(r)=\lambda(\sigma r+V_0)$, where $0\leqslant\lambda<1/2$. Within the quasiclassical approximation, we obtain simple asymptotic formulas for the energy and mass spectra and for the mean radii of $D$, $D_s$, $B$, and $B_s$ mesons, which ensure a high accuracy of calculations even for states with the radial quantum number $n_r\sim 1$. We show that the fine structure of P-wave states in heavy-light mesons is primarily sensitive to the choice of two parameters: the strong-coupling constant $\alpha_s$ and the coefficient $\lambda$ of mixing of the long-range scalar and vector potentials $S_{\mathrm{l.r.}}(r)$ and $V_{\mathrm{l.r.}}(r)$. The quasiclassical formulas for asymptotic coefficients of wave function at zero and infinity are obtained.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure