96 research outputs found
An instability criterion for a finite amplitude localized disturbance in a shear flow of electrically conducting fluids
The stability of shear flows of electrically conducting fluids, with respect
to finite amplitude three-dimensional localized disturbances is considered. The
time evolution of the fluid impulse integral, characterizing such disturbances,
for the case of low magnetic Reynolds number is obtained by integrating
analytically the vorticity equation. Analysis of the resulted equation reveals
a new instability criterion.Comment: 10 pages in LaTex, no figures, accepted in Phys. Fluid
Optomechanical cooling of levitated spheres with doubly-resonant fields
Optomechanical cooling of levitated dielectric particles represents a
promising new approach in the quest to cool small mechanical resonators towards
their quantum ground state. We investigate two-mode cooling of levitated
nanospheres in a self-trapping regime. We identify a rich structure of split
sidebands (by a mechanism unrelated to usual strong-coupling effects) and
strong cooling even when one mode is blue detuned. We show the best regimes
occur when both optical fields cooperatively cool and trap the nanosphere,
where cooling rates are over an order of magnitude faster compared to
corresponding single-sideband cooling rates.Comment: 8 Pages, 7 figure
Simultaneous readout of two charge qubits
We consider a system of two solid state charge qubits, coupled to a single
read-out device, consisting of a single-electron transistor (SET). The
conductance of each tunnel junction is influenced by its neighboring qubit, and
thus the current through the transistor is determined by the qubits' state. The
full counting statistics of the electrons passing the transistor is calculated,
and we discuss qubit dephasing, as well as the quantum efficiency of the
readout. The current measurement is then compared to readout using real-time
detection of the SET island's charge state. For the latter method we show that
the quantum efficiency is always unity. Comparing the two methods a simple
geometrical interpretation of the quantum efficiency of the current measurement
appears. Finally, we note that full quantum efficiency in some cases can be
achieved measuring the average charge of the SET island, in addition to the
average current.Comment: 11 pages with 5 figure
Quantum limits in interferometric measurements
Quantum noise limits the sensitivity of interferometric measurements. It is
generally admitted that it leads to an ultimate sensitivity, the ``standard
quantum limit''. Using a semi-classical analysis of quantum noise, we show that
a judicious use of squeezed states allows one in principle to push the
sensitivity beyond this limit. This general method could be applied to large
scale interferometers designed for gravitational wave detection.Comment: 4 page
Propagation of Light in the Field of Stationary and Radiative Gravitational Multipoles
Extremely high precision of near-future radio/optical interferometric
observatories like SKA, Gaia, SIM and the unparalleled sensitivity of LIGO/LISA
gravitational-wave detectors demands more deep theoretical treatment of
relativistic effects in the propagation of electromagnetic signals through
variable gravitational fields of the solar system, oscillating and precessing
neutron stars, coalescing binary systems, exploding supernova, and colliding
galaxies. Especially important for future gravitational-wave observatories is
the problem of propagation of light rays in the field of multipolar
gravitational waves emitted by a localized source of gravitational radiation.
Present paper suggests physically-adequate and consistent mathematical solution
of this problem in the first post-Minkowskian approximation of General
Relativity which accounts for all time-dependent multipole moments of an
isolated astronomical system.Comment: 36 pages, no figure
Cooling of a mirror by radiation pressure
We describe an experiment in which a mirror is cooled by the radiation
pressure of light. A high-finesse optical cavity with a mirror coated on a
mechanical resonator is used as an optomechanical sensor of the Brownian motion
of the mirror. A feedback mechanism controls this motion via the radiation
pressure of a laser beam reflected on the mirror. We have observed either a
cooling or a heating of the mirror, depending on the gain of the feedback loop.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, RevTe
Nonlinear Electron Oscillations in a Viscous and Resistive Plasma
New non-linear, spatially periodic, long wavelength electrostatic modes of an
electron fluid oscillating against a motionless ion fluid (Langmuir waves) are
given, with viscous and resistive effects included. The cold plasma
approximation is adopted, which requires the wavelength to be sufficiently
large. The pertinent requirement valid for large amplitude waves is determined.
The general non-linear solution of the continuity and momentum transfer
equations for the electron fluid along with Poisson's equation is obtained in
simple parametric form. It is shown that in all typical hydrogen plasmas, the
influence of plasma resistivity on the modes in question is negligible. Within
the limitations of the solution found, the non-linear time evolution of any
(periodic) initial electron number density profile n_e(x, t=0) can be
determined (examples). For the modes in question, an idealized model of a
strictly cold and collisionless plasma is shown to be applicable to any real
plasma, provided that the wavelength lambda >> lambda_{min}(n_0,T_e), where n_0
= const and T_e are the equilibrium values of the electron number density and
electron temperature. Within this idealized model, the minimum of the initial
electron density n_e(x_{min}, t=0) must be larger than half its equilibrium
value, n_0/2. Otherwise, the corresponding maximum n_e(x_{max},t=tau_p/2),
obtained after half a period of the plasma oscillation blows up. Relaxation of
this restriction on n_e(x, t=0) as one decreases lambda, due to the increase of
the electron viscosity effects, is examined in detail. Strong plasma viscosity
is shown to change considerably the density profile during the time evolution,
e.g., by splitting the largest maximum in two.Comment: 16 one column pages, 11 figures, Abstract and Sec. I, extended, Sec.
VIII modified, Phys. Rev. E in pres
Stochastic Flux-Freezing and Magnetic Dynamo
We argue that magnetic flux-conservation in turbulent plasmas at high
magnetic Reynolds numbers neither holds in the conventional sense nor is
entirely broken, but instead is valid in a novel statistical sense associated
to the "spontaneous stochasticity" of Lagrangian particle tra jectories. The
latter phenomenon is due to the explosive separation of particles undergoing
turbulent Richardson diffusion, which leads to a breakdown of Laplacian
determinism for classical dynamics. We discuss empirical evidence for
spontaneous stochasticity, including our own new numerical results. We then use
a Lagrangian path-integral approach to establish stochastic flux-freezing for
resistive hydromagnetic equations and to argue, based on the properties of
Richardson diffusion, that flux-conservation must remain stochastic at infinite
magnetic Reynolds number. As an important application of these results we
consider the kinematic, fluctuation dynamo in non-helical, incompressible
turbulence at unit magnetic Prandtl number. We present results on the
Lagrangian dynamo mechanisms by a stochastic particle method which demonstrate
a strong similarity between the Pr = 1 and Pr = 0 dynamos. Stochasticity of
field-line motion is an essential ingredient of both. We finally consider
briefly some consequences for nonlinear MHD turbulence, dynamo and reconnectionComment: 29 pages, 10 figure
Testing the Principle of Equivalence by Solar Neutrinos
We discuss the possibility of testing the principle of equivalence with solar
neutrinos. If there exists a violation of the equivalence principle quarks and
leptons with different flavors may not universally couple with gravity. The
method we discuss employs a quantum mechanical phenomenon of neutrino
oscillation to probe into the non-universality of the gravitational couplings
of neutrinos. We develop an appropriate formalism to deal with neutrino
propagation under the weak gravitational fields of the sun in the presence of
the flavor mixing. We point out that solar neutrino observation by the next
generation water Cherenkov detectors can improve the existing bound on
violation of the equivalence principle by 3-4 orders of magnitude if the
nonadiabatic Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein mechanism is the solution to the
solar neutrino problem.Comment: Latex, 17 pages + 6 uuencoded postscript figures, KEK-TH-396,
TMUP-HEL-9402 (unnecessary one reference was removed
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