4,415 research outputs found
Quantum gravitational optics: the induced phase
The geometrical approximation of the extended Maxwell equation in curved
spacetime incorporating interactions induced by the vacuum polarization effects
is considered. Taking into account these QED interactions and employing the
analogy between eikonal equation in geometrical optics and Hamilton-Jacobi
equation for the particle motion, we study the phase structure of the modified
theory. There is a complicated, local induced phase which is believed to be
responsible for the modification of the classical picture of light ray. The
main features of QGO could be obtained through the study of this induced phase.
We discuss initial principles in conventional and modified geometrical optics
and compare the results.Comment: 10 pages, REVTex forma
Fermat's principle in quantum gravitational optics
Interactions incorporating the vacuum polarization effects in curved
backgrounds modify the null cone structure in such a way that the photon
trajectories would not be the space-time geodesics anymore. The gravitational
birefringence introduced as a direct consequence of these effects, will allow
shifts in the photon velocities leading to polarization dependent superluminal
propagation. Taking these effects into account we study Fermat's principle in
the context of the 1+3 (threading) formulation of the space-time decomposition.
We find an expression for the modified spacetime refractive index and show it
is proportional to the light cone correction to the first order. Consequences
of this modification on polarization sum rules and spatial light paths are
considered.Comment: 13 Pages, REVTex format, section on gravitomagnetic monopoles is
removed along with its references, new references adde
Three new infrared bands of the He-OCS complex
Three new infrared bands of the weakly-bound He-OCS complex are studied,
using tunable lasers to probe a pulsed supersonic slit jet expansion. They
correspond to the (0400) <-- (0000), (1001)<-- (0000), and (0401) <-- (0000)
transitions of OCS at 2105, 2918, and 2937 cm-1, respectively. The latter band
is about 7900 times weaker than the previously studied OCS nu1 fundamental.
Vibrational shifts relative to the free OCS monomer are found to be additive.
Since carbonyl sulfide has previously been shown to be a valuable probe of
superfluid quantum solvation effects in helium clusters and droplets, the
present results could be useful for future studies of vibrational effects in
such systems.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figure, 4 table
Pump-Enhanced Continuous-Wave Magnetometry using Nitrogen-Vacancy Ensembles
Ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond are a highly promising
platform for high-sensitivity magnetometry, whose efficacy is often based on
efficiently generating and monitoring magnetic-field dependent infrared
fluorescence. Here we report on an increased sensing efficiency with the use of
a 532-nm resonant confocal cavity and a microwave resonator antenna for
measuring the local magnetic noise density using the intrinsic nitrogen-vacancy
concentration of a chemical-vapor deposited single-crystal diamond. We measure
a near-shot-noise-limited magnetic noise floor of 200 pT/
spanning a bandwidth up to 159 Hz, and an extracted sensitivity of
approximately 3 nT/, with further enhancement limited by the
noise floor of the lock-in amplifier and the laser damage threshold of the
optical components. Exploration of the microwave and optical pump-rate
parameter space demonstrates a linewidth-narrowing regime reached by virtue of
using the optical cavity, allowing an enhanced sensitivity to be achieved,
despite an unoptimized collection efficiency of <2 %, and a low
nitrogen-vacancy concentration of about 0.2 ppb.Comment: 10 pages and 5 figure
Shear flow induced isotropic to nematic transition in a suspension of active filaments
We study the effects of externally applied shear flow on a model of
suspensions of motors and filaments, via the equations of active hydrodynamics
[PRL {\bf 89} (2002) 058101; {\bf 92} (2004) 118101]. In the absence of shear,
the orientationally ordered phase of {\it both} polar and apolar active
particles is always unstable at zero-wavenumber. An imposed steady shear large
enough to overcome the active stresses stabilises both apolar and moving polar
phases. Our work is relevant to {\it in vitro} studies of active filaments, the
reorientation of endothelial cells subject to shear flow and shear-induced
motility of attached cells.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures submitted to Europhysics Letter
Nitrogen-Vacancy Ensemble Magnetometry Based on Pump Absorption
We demonstrate magnetic field sensing using an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy
centers by recording the variation in the pump-light absorption due to the
spin-polarization dependence of the total ground state population. Using a 532
nm pump laser, we measure the absorption of native nitrogen-vacancy centers in
a chemical vapor deposited diamond placed in a resonant optical cavity. For a
laser pump power of 0.4 W and a cavity finesse of 45, we obtain a noise floor
of 100 nT/ spanning a bandwidth up to 125 Hz. We
project a photon shot-noise-limited sensitivity of 1
pT/ by optimizing the nitrogen-vacancy concentration and
the detection method.Comment: 7 pages and 5 figure
- …