303 research outputs found
Non universality of entanglement convertibility
Recently, it has been suggested that operational properties connected to
quantum computation can be alternative indicators of quantum phase transitions.
In this work we systematically study these operational properties in 1D systems
that present phase transitions of different orders. For this purpose, we
evaluate the local convertibility between bipartite ground states. Our results
suggest that the operational properties, related to non-analyticities of the
entanglement spectrum, are good detectors of explicit symmetries of the model,
but not necessarily of phase transitions. We also show that thermodynamically
equivalent phases, such as Luttinger liquids, may display different
convertibility properties depending on the underlying microscopic model.Comment: 5 pages + references, 4 figures - improved versio
Work and Quantum Phase Transitions: Is there Quantum Latency?
We study the physics of quantum phase transitions from the perspective of
non-equilibrium thermodynamics. For first order quantum phase transitions, we
find that the average work done per quench in crossing the critical point is
discontinuous. This leads us to introduce the quantum latent work in analogy
with the classical latent heat of first order classical phase transitions. For
second order quantum phase transitions the irreversible work is closely related
to the fidelity susceptibility for weak sudden quenches of the system
Hamiltonian. We demonstrate our ideas with numerical simulations of first,
second, and infinite order phase transitions in various spin chain models.Comment: accepted in PR
Mechanisms limiting the coherence time of spontaneous magnetic oscillations driven by DC spin-polarized currents
The spin-transfer torque from a DC spin-polarized current can generate
highly-coherent magnetic precession in nanoscale magnetic-multilayer devices.
By measuring linewidths of spectra from the resulting resistance oscillations,
we argue that the coherence time can be limited at low temperature by thermal
deflections about the equilibrium magnetic trajectory, and at high temperature
by thermally-activated transitions between dynamical modes. Surprisingly, the
coherence time can be longer than predicted by simple macrospin simulations.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
Radial abundance gradients in the outer Galactic disk as traced by main-sequence OB stars
Using a sample of 31 main-sequence OB stars located between galactocentric
distances 8.4 - 15.6 kpc, we aim to probe the present-day radial abundance
gradients of the Galactic disk. The analysis is based on high-resolution
spectra obtained with the MIKE spectrograph on the Magellan Clay 6.5-m
telescope on Las Campanas. We used a non-NLTE analysis in a self-consistent
semi-automatic routine based on TLUSTY and SYNSPEC to determine atmospheric
parameters and chemical abundances. Stellar parameters (effective temperature,
surface gravity, projected rotational velocity, microturbulence, and
macroturbulence) and silicon and oxygen abundances are presented for 28 stars
located beyond 9 kpc from the Galactic centre plus three stars in the solar
neighborhood. The stars of our sample are mostly on the main-sequence, with
effective temperatures between 20800 - 31300 K, and surface gravities between
3.23 - 4.45 dex. The radial oxygen and silicon abundance gradients are negative
and have slopes of -0.07 dex/kpc and -0.09 dex/kpc, respectively, in the region
\,kpc. The obtained gradients are compatible with the
present-day oxygen and silicon abundances measured in the solar neighborhood
and are consistent with radial metallicity gradients predicted by
chemodynamical models of Galaxy Evolution for a subsample of young stars
located close to the Galactic plane.Comment: Accepted for publication in the A&
Range of motion and between-measurement variation of spinal kinematics in sound horses at trot on the straight line and on the lunge
Clinical assessment of spinal motion in horses is part of many routine clinical exams but remains highly subjective. A prerequisite for the quantification of spinal motion is the assessment of the expected normal range of motion and variability of back kinematics. The aim of this study was to objectively quantify spinal kinematics and between-measurement,-surface and-day variation in owner-sound horses. In an observational study, twelve ownersound horses were trotted 12 times on four different paths (hard/soft straight line, soft lunge left and right). Measurements were divided over three days, with five repetitions on day one and two, and two repetitions on day three (recheck) which occurred 28-55 days later. Optical motion capture was used to collect kinematic data. Elements of the outcome were: 1) Ranges of Motion (ROM) with confidence intervals per path and surface, 2) a variability model to calculate between-measurement variation and test the effect of time, surface and path, 3) intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) to determine repeatability. ROM was lowest on the hard straight line. Cervical lateral bending was doubled on the left compared to the right lunge. Mean variation for the flexion-extension and lateral bending of the whole back were 0.8 and 1 degrees. Pelvic motion showed a variation of 1.0 (pitch), 0.7 (yaw) and 1.3 (roll) degrees. For these five parameters, a tendency for more variation on the hard surface and reduced variation with increased repetitions was observed. More variation was seen on the recheck (p<0.001). ICC values for pelvic rotations were between 0.76 and 0.93, for the whole back flexion-extension and lateral bending between 0.51 and 0.91. Between-horse variation was substantially higher than within-horse variation. In conclusion, ROM and variation in spinal biomechanics are horse-specific and small, necessitating individual analysis and making subjective and objective clinical assessment of spinal kinematics challenging
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