Compact Toroidal Ion Trap Design and Optimization

We present the design of a new type of compact toroidal, or "halo", ion trap. Such traps may be useful for mass spectrometry, studying small Coulomb cluster rings, quantum information applications, or other quantum simulations where a ring topology is of interest. We present results from a Monte Carlo optimization of the trap design parameters using finite-element analysis simulations that minimizes higher-order anharmonic terms in the trapping pseudopotential, while maintaining complete control over ion placement at the pseudopotential node in 3D using static bias fields. These simulations are based on a practical electrode design using readily-available parts, yet can be easily scaled to any size trap with similar electrode spacings. We also derive the conditions for a crystal phase transition for two ions in the compact halo trap, the first non-trivial phase transition for Coulomb crystals in this geometry.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure

Panel Discussion - Management of Eurasian watermilfoil in the United States using native insects: State regulatory and management issues

While researchers have evaluated the potential of native insect herbivores to manage nonindigenous aquatic plant species such as Eurasian watermilfoil ( Myriophyllum spicatum L.), the practical matters of regulatory compliance and implementation have been neglected. A panel of aquatic nuisance species program managers from three state natural resource management agencies (Minnesota, Vermont and Washington) discussed their regulatory and policy concerns. In addition, one ecological consultant attempting to market one of the native insects to manage Eurasian watermilfoil added his perspective on the special challenges of distributing a native biological control agent for management of Eurasian watermilfoil

Magnetoresistence engineering and singlet/triplet switching in InAs nanowire quantum dots with ferromagnetic sidegates

We present magnetoresistance (MR) experiments on an InAs nanowire quantum dot device with two ferromagnetic sidegates (FSGs) in a split-gate geometry. The wire segment can be electrically tuned to a single dot or to a double dot regime using the FSGs and a backgate. In both regimes we find a strong MR and a sharp MR switching of up to 25\% at the field at which the magnetizations of the FSGs are inverted by the external field. The sign and amplitude of the MR and the MR switching can both be tuned electrically by the FSGs. In a double dot regime close to pinch-off we find {\it two} sharp transitions in the conductance, reminiscent of tunneling MR (TMR) between two ferromagnetic contacts, with one transition near zero and one at the FSG switching fields. These surprisingly rich characteristics we explain in several simple resonant tunneling models. For example, the TMR-like MR can be understood as a stray-field controlled transition between singlet and a triplet double dot states. Such local magnetic fields are the key elements in various proposals to engineer novel states of matter and may be used for testing electron spin-based Bell inequalities.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Colour-singlet strangelets at finite temperature

Considering massless $u$ and $d$ quarks, and massive (150 MeV) $s$ quarks in a bag with the bag pressure constant $B^{1/4} = 145$ MeV, a colour-singlet grand canonical partition function is constructed for temperatures $T = 1-30$ MeV. Then the stability of finite size strangelets is studied minimizing the free energy as a function of the radius of the bag. The colour-singlet restriction has several profound effects when compared to colour unprojected case: (1) Now bulk energy per baryon is increased by about $250$ MeV making the strange quark matter unbound. (2) The shell structures are more pronounced (deeper). (3) Positions of the shell closure are shifted to lower $A$-values, the first deepest one occuring at $A=2$, famous $H$-particle ! (4) The shell structure at $A=2$ vanishes only at $T\sim 30$ MeV, though for higher $A$-values it happens so at $T\sim 20$ MeV.Comment: Revtex file(8 pages)+6 figures(ps files) available on request from first Autho

How to identify a Strange Star

Contrary to young neutron stars, young strange stars are not subject to the r-mode instability which slows rapidly rotating, hot neutron stars to rotation periods near 10 ms via gravitational wave emission. Young millisecond pulsars are therefore likely to be strange stars rather than neutron stars, or at least to contain significant quantities of quark matter in the interior.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Charge and critical density of strange quark matter

The electric charge of strange quark matter is of vital importance to experiments. A recent investigation shows that strangelets are most likely highly negatively charged, rather than slightly positively charged as previously believed. Our present study indicates that negative charges can indeed lower the critical density, and thus be favorable to the experimental searches in heavy ion collisions. However, too much negative charges can make it impossible to maintain flavor equilibrium.Comment: 4 pages, LATeX with REVTeX style, one PS figure. To be published in Phys. Rev. C 59(6), 199

Physics and Astrophysics of Strange Quark Matter

3-flavor quark matter (strange quark matter; SQM) can be stable or metastable for a wide range of strong interaction parameters. If so, SQM can play an important role in cosmology, neutron stars, cosmic ray physics, and relativistic heavy-ion collisions. As an example of the intimate connections between astrophysics and heavy-ion collision physics, this Chapter gives an overview of the physical properties of SQM in bulk and of small-baryon number strangelets; discusses the possible formation, destruction, and implications of lumps of SQM (quark nuggets) in the early Universe; and describes the structure and signature of strange stars, as well as formation and detection of strangelets in cosmic rays. It is concluded, that astrophysical and laboratory searches are complementary in many respects, and that both should be pursued to test the intriguing possibility of a strange ground state for hadronic matter, and (more generally) to improve our knowledge of the strong interactions.Comment: 45 pages incl. figures. To appear in "Hadrons in Dense Matter and Hadrosynthesis", Lecture Notes in Physics, Springer Verlag (ed. J.Cleymans

Manipulating the torsion of molecules by strong laser pulses

A proof-of-principle experiment is reported, where torsional motion of a molecule, consisting of a pair of phenyl rings, is induced by strong laser pulses. A nanosecond laser pulse spatially aligns the carbon-carbon bond axis, connecting the two phenyl rings, allowing a perpendicularly polarized, intense femtosecond pulse to initiate torsional motion accompanied by an overall rotation about the fixed axis. The induced motion is monitored by femtosecond time-resolved Coulomb explosion imaging. Our theoretical analysis accounts for and generalizes the experimental findings.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PRL; Major revision of the presentation of the material; Correction of ion labels in Fig. 2(a