Generation Engineering of Heralded Narrowband Colour Entangled States

Efficient heralded generation of entanglement together with its manipulation is of great importance for quantum communications. In addition, states generated with bandwidths naturally compatible with atomic transitions allow a more efficient mapping of light into matter which is an essential requirement for long distance quantum communications. Here we propose a scheme where the indistinguishability between two spontaneous four-wave mixing processes is engineered to herald generation of single-photon frequency-bin entangled states, i.e., single-photons shared by two distinct frequency modes. We show that entanglement can be optimised together with the generation probability, while maintaining absorption negligible. Besides, the scheme illustrated for cold rubidium atoms is versatile and can be implemented in several other physical systems

Radiation 'damping' in atomic photonic crystals

The force exerted on a material by an incident beam of light is dependent upon the material's velocity in the laboratory frame of reference. This velocity dependence is known to be diffcult to measure, as it is proportional to the incident optical power multiplied by the ratio of the material velocity to the speed of light. Here we show that this typically tiny effect is greatly amplified in multilayer systems composed of resonantly absorbing atoms (e.g. optically trapped 87Rb), which may exhibit ultra-narrow photonic band gaps. The amplification of the effect is shown to be three orders of magnitude greater than previous estimates for conventional photonic-band-gap materials, and significant for material velocities of a few ms/s.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Large Phase-by-Phase Modulations in Atomic Interfaces

Phase-resonant closed-loop optical transitions can be engineered to achieve broadly tunable light phase shifts. Such a novel phase-by-phase control mechanism does not require a cavity and is illustrated here for an atomic interface where a classical light pulse undergoes radian level phase modulations all-optically controllable over a few micron scale. It works even at low intensities and hence may be relevant to new applications of all-optical weak-light signal processing

Nonclassical phase of the electromagnetic field in a nonstationary dielectric

4 págs.; 2 figs.; PACS number~s!: 42.50.Lc, 12.20.2mThe quantum state of the electromagnetic field propagating in a nonstationary dielectric can acquire a phase shift that arises from modifications in the quantum fluctuations of the field. The shift could be observed, even for quite weak modifications, as a fringe displacement in an interference experiment. © 1998 The American Physical SocietyMinisterio de Educación y Cultura of Spain for partial support.Peer Reviewe

Effective boundary conditions for dense granular flows

We derive an effective boundary condition for granular flow taking into account the effect of the heterogeneity of the force network on sliding friction dynamics. This yields an intermediate boundary condition which lies in the limit between no-slip and Coulomb friction; two simple functions relating wall stress, velocity, and velocity variance are found from numerical simulations. Moreover, we show that this effective boundary condition corresponds to Navier slip condition when GDR MiDi's model is assumed to be valid, and that the slip length depends on the length scale that characterises the system, \emph{viz} the particle diameter.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Shear bands in granular flow through a mixing length model

We discuss the advantages and results of using a mixing-length, compressible model to account for shear banding behaviour in granular flow. We formulate a general approach based on two function of the solid fraction to be determined. Studying the vertical chute flow, we show that shear band thickness is always independent from flowrate in the quasistatic limit, for Coulomb wall boundary conditions. The effect of bin width is addressed using the functions developed by Pouliquen and coworkers, predicting a linear dependence of shear band thickness by channel width, while literature reports contrasting data. We also discuss the influence of wall roughness on shear bands. Through a Coulomb wall friction criterion we show that our model correctly predicts the effect of increasing wall roughness on the thickness of shear bands. Then a simple mixing-length approach to steady granular flows can be useful and representative of a number of original features of granular flow.Comment: submitted to EP

Alluvial gravel sedimentation in a contractional growth fold setting, Sant Llorenc de Morunys, southeastern Pyrenees

This paper is included in the Special Publication entitled 'Cenozoic foreland basins of Western Europe' edited by A. Mascle, C. Puigdefabregas, H.P. Luterbacher and M. Fernandez. New data are presented on the classic growth structure at Sant Llorenc de Morunys (NE Ebro Basin, Spain). During the late Eocene to Oligocene thick alluvial-fan gravel sediments accumulated principally by repetitive sub-aerial mass flow (cohesionless debris flow and fluidal sediment flow) events, with smaller volumes of fan-stream flows. Subaerial, high-viscosity (cohesive) debris flows contributed comparatively small volumes of sediment to the succession. These sediments constructed a complex architecture of conglomeratic and sandstone-bearing lithosomes that were affected by stratal thickening and erosion across a growth fold pair and genetically related internal unconformities, which formed a long-lived thrust-related structure in the immediate footwall of the SE Pyrenean mountain front. Four periods of evolution for the Sant Llorenc growth structure are defined on the basis of distintive stratigraphical architecture. These describe a gross evolution from onlapping to overlapping growth strata, related to the ultimate demise of growth folding. In detail complex erosional and offlapping events punctuated the growth history, which shows extreme variation parallel to the axis of the structure. Patterns of palaeoflow were highly complex, showing distinct axial and transverse directions relatable to growth fold evolutionary periods. Palaeocurrents are considered to have been deflected and diverted by surficial differential subsidence and areas of relative uplift and erosion generated by fold growth. The complexity of sediment dispersal is compounded by variables intrinsic to alluvial fan environments. The Sant Llorenc de Morunys growth strata provide information on how sediments are reorganized by syndepositionally-growing structures and on the nature of sediment distribution between external fold-and-thrust belts and foreland basins