522 research outputs found
Quantum Fluctuations of a Single Trapped Atom: Transient Rabi Oscillations and Magnetic Bistability
Isolation of a single atomic particle and monitoring its resonance
fluorescence is a powerful tool for studies of quantum effects in
radiation-matter interaction. Here we present observations of quantum dynamics
of an isolated neutral atom stored in a magneto-optical trap. By means of
photon correlations in the atom's resonance fluorescence we demonstrate the
well-known phenomenon of photon antibunching which corresponds to transient
Rabi oscillations in the atom. Through polarization-sensitive photon
correlations we show a novel example of resolved quantum fluctuations:
spontaneous magnetic orientation of an atom. These effects can only be observed
with a single atom.Comment: LaTeX 2e, 14 pages, 7 Postscript figure
Optical Control of Field-Emission Sites by Femtosecond Laser Pulses
We have investigated field emission patterns from a clean tungsten tip apex
induced by femtosecond laser pulses. Strongly asymmetric modulations of the
field emission intensity distributions are observed depending on the
polarization of the light and the laser incidence direction relative to the
azimuthal orientation of tip apex. In effect, we have realized an ultrafast
pulsed field-emission source with site selectivity on the 10 nm scale.
Simulations of local fields on the tip apex and of electron emission patterns
based on photo-excited nonequilibrium electron distributions explain our
observations quantitatively.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to Physical Review Letter
Hydrogen adsorption on Pd(133) surface
In this study used is an approach based on measurements of the total energy
distribution (TED) of field emitted electrons in order to examine the
properties of Pd (133) from the aspect of both hydrogen adsorption and surface
hydrides formation. The most favourable sites offered to a hydrogen atom to be
adsorbed have been indicated and an attempt to describe the peaks of the
enhancement factor R spectrum to the specific adsorption sites has also been
made.Comment: to be submitted to the Centr. Eur. J. Phy
Spreading of a density front in the K\"untz-Lavall\'ee model of porous media
We analyze spreading of a density front in the K\"untz-Lavall\'ee model of
porous media. In contrast to previous studies, where unusual properties of the
front were attributed to anomalous diffusion, we find that the front evolution
is controlled by normal diffusion and hydrodynamic flow, the latter being
responsible for apparent enhancement of the front propagation speed. Our
finding suggests that results of several recent experiments on porous media,
where anomalous diffusion was reported based on the density front propagation
analysis, should be reconsidered to verify the role of a fluid flow
Dynamic correlations in an ordered c(22) lattice gas
We obtain the dynamic correlation function of two-dimensional lattice gas
with nearest-neighbor repulsion in ordered c(22) phase
(antiferromagnetic ordering) under the condition of low concentration of
structural defects. It is shown that displacements of defects of the ordered
state are responsible for the particle number fluctuations in the probe area.
The corresponding set of kinetic equations is derived and solved in linear
approximation on the defect concentration. Three types of strongly correlated
complex jumps are considered and their contribution to fluctuations is
analysed. These are jumps of excess particles, vacancies and flip-flop jumps.
The kinetic approach is more general than the one based on diffusion-like
equations used in our previous papers. Thus, it becomes possible to adequately
describe correlations of fluctuations at small times, where our previous theory
fails to give correct results. Our new analytical results for fluctuations of
particle number in the probe area agree well with those obtained by Monte Carlo
simulations.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure
The Discovery and Broad-band Follow-up of the Transient Afterglow of GRB 980703
We report on the discovery of the radio, infrared and optical transient
coincident with an X-ray transient proposed to be the afterglow of GRB 980703.
At later times when the transient has faded below detection, we see an
underlying galaxy with R=22.6; this galaxy is the brightest host galaxy (by
nearly 2 magnitudes) of any cosmological GRB thus far. In keeping with an
established trend, the GRB is not significantly offset from the host galaxy.
Interpreting the multi-wavelength data in the framework of the popular fireball
model requires that the synchrotron cooling break was between the optical and
X-ray bands on July 8.5 UT and that the intrinsic extinction of the transient
is Av=0.9. This is somewhat higher than the extinction for the galaxy as a
whole, as estimated from spectroscopy.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, and 2 tables. Submitted to the Astrophysical
Journal Letters on 27 August 199
Non-Arrhenius Behavior of Surface Diffusion Near a Phase Transition Boundary
We study the non-Arrhenius behavior of surface diffusion near the
second-order phase transition boundary of an adsorbate layer. In contrast to
expectations based on macroscopic thermodynamic effects, we show that this
behavior can be related to the average microscopic jump rate which in turn is
determined by the waiting-time distribution W(t) of single-particle jumps at
short times. At long times, W(t) yields a barrier that corresponds to the
rate-limiting step in diffusion. The microscopic information in W(t) should be
accessible by STM measurements.Comment: 4 pages, Latex with RevTeX macro
Safety-related operator actions: methodology for developing criteria
This report presents a methodology for developing criteria for design evaluation of safety-related actions by nuclear power plant reactor operators, and identifies a supporting data base. It is the eleventh and final NUREG/CR Report on the Safety-Related Operator Actions Program, conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The operator performance data were developed from training simulator experiments involving operator responses to simulated scenarios of plant disturbances; from field data on events with similar scenarios; and from task analytic data. A conceptual model to integrate the data was developed and a computer simulation of the model was run, using the SAINT modeling language. Proposed is a quantitative predictive model of operator performance, the Operator Personnel Performance Simulation (OPPS) Model, driven by task requirements, information presentation, and system dynamics. The model output, a probability distribution of predicted time to correctly complete safety-related operator actions, provides data for objective evaluation of quantitative design criteria
Force-velocity relation and density profiles for biased diffusion in an adsorbed monolayer
In this paper, which completes our earlier short publication [Phys. Rev.
Lett. 84, 511 (2000)], we study dynamics of a hard-core tracer particle (TP)
performing a biased random walk in an adsorbed monolayer, composed of mobile
hard-core particles undergoing continuous exchanges with a vapor phase. In
terms of an approximate approach, based on the decoupling of the third-order
correlation functions, we obtain the density profiles of the monolayer
particles around the TP and derive the force-velocity relation, determining the
TP terminal velocity, V_{tr}, as the function of the magnitude of external bias
and other system's parameters. Asymptotic forms of the monolayer particles
density profiles at large separations from the TP, and behavior of V_{tr} in
the limit of small external bias are found explicitly.Comment: Latex, 31 pages, 3 figure
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