462 research outputs found
Note: a dual temperature closed loop batch reactor for determining the partitioning of trace gases within CO2-water systems
An experimental approach is presented which can be used to determine partitioning of trace gases within CO2-water systems. The key advantages of this system are (1) The system can be isolated with no external exchange, making it ideal for experiments with conservative tracers. (2) Both phases can be sampled concurrently to give an accurate composition at each phase at any given time. (3) Use of a lower temperature flow loop outside of the reactor removes contamination and facilitates sampling. (4) Rapid equilibration at given pressure/temperature conditions is significantly aided by stirring and circulating the water phase using a magnetic stirrer and high-pressureliquid chromatography pump, respectively
Lightweight ducts fabricated from reinforced plastics and elastomers
Method has been developed for fabrication of lightweight ducts that are three times stronger than aluminum ducts. Method can be used to produce either flexible or rigid ducts
Spin-dependent electron-impurity scattering in two-dimensional electron systems
We present a theoretical study of elastic spin-dependent electron scattering
caused by a charged impurity in the vicinity of a two-dimensional electron gas.
We find that the symmetry properties of the spin-dependent differential
scattering cross section are different for an impurity located in the plane of
the electron gas and for one at a finite distance from the plane. We show that
in the latter case asymmetric (`skew') scattering can arise if the polarization
of the incident electron has a finite projection on the plane spanned by the
normal vector of the two-dimensional electron gas and the initial propagation
direction. In specially preparated samples this scattering mechanism may give
rise to a Hall-like effect in the presence of an in-plane magnetic field.Comment: 4.1 pages, 2 figure
EPR before EPR: a 1930 Einstein-Bohr thought experiment revisited
In 1930 Einstein argued against consistency of the time-energy uncertainty
relation by discussing a thought experiment involving a measurement of mass of
the box which emitted a photon. Bohr seemingly triumphed over Einstein by
arguing that the Einstein's own general theory of relativity saves the
consistency of quantum mechanics. We revisit this thought experiment from a
modern point of view at a level suitable for undergraduate readership and find
that neither Einstein nor Bohr was right. Instead, this thought experiment
should be thought of as an early example of a system demonstrating nonlocal
"EPR" quantum correlations, five years before the famous
Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paper.Comment: 11 pages, revised, accepted for publication in Eur. J. Phy
Archaeological Geophysical Prospection in Peatland Environments: case studies and suggestions for future practice
Peatland environments, in contrast to ‘dry-land’ sites, preserve organic material, including anthropogenic objects, because they are anaerobic, and are therefore of great importance to archaeology. Peat also preserves macro- and micro- paleoenvironmental evidence and is the primary resource for understanding past climates and ecology. Archaeological sites often lie within or at the base of wet, deep, homogenous peat rendering them invisible to surface observers. As a result, they most often c..
Optimal Monitoring of Position in Nonlinear Quantum Systems
We discuss a model of repeated measurements of position in a quantum system
which is monitored for a finite amount of time with a finite instrumental
error. In this framework we recover the optimum monitoring of a harmonic
oscillator proposed in the case of an instantaneous collapse of the
wavefunction into an infinite-accuracy measurement result. We also establish
numerically the existence of an optimal measurement strategy in the case of a
nonlinear system. This optimal strategy is completely defined by the spectral
properties of the nonlinear system.Comment: 4 pages, REVTeX 3.0, 4 PostScript figure
Destruction of states in quantum mechanics
A description of destruction of states on the grounds of quantum mechanics
rather than quantum field theory is proposed. Several kinds of maps called
supertraces are defined and used to describe the destruction procedure. The
introduced algorithm can be treated as a supplement to the von Neumann-Lueders
measurement. The discussed formalism may be helpful in a description of EPR
type experiments and in quantum information theory.Comment: 14 pp, 1 eps figure, LaTeX2e using iopart class. Final version, will
be published in J. Phys. A: Math. Ge
Quantum Mechanics Another Way
Deformation quantization (sometimes called phase-space quantization) is a
formulation of quantum mechanics that is not usually taught to undergraduates.
It is formally quite similar to classical mechanics: ordinary functions on
phase space take the place of operators, but the functions are multiplied in an
exotic way, using the star product. Here we attempt a brief, pedagogical
discussion of deformation quantization, that is suitable for inclusion in an
undergraduate course.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Eur. J. Phy
Can Gravity Distinguish Between Dirac and Majorana Neutrinos?
We show that spin-gravity interaction can distinguish between Dirac and
Majorana neutrino wave packets propagating in a Lense-Thirring background.
Using time-independent perturbation theory and gravitational phase to generate
a perturbation Hamiltonian with spin-gravity coupling, we show that the
associated matrix element for the Majorana neutrino differs significantly from
its Dirac counterpart. This difference can be demonstrated through significant
gravitational corrections to the neutrino oscillation length for a two-flavour
system, as shown explicitly for SN1987A.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; minor changes of text; typo corrected; accepted
in Physical Review Letter
A back-to-front derivation: the equal spacing of quantum levels is a proof of simple harmonic oscillator physics
The dynamical behaviour of simple harmonic motion can be found in numerous natural phenomena. Within the quantum realm of atomic, molecular and optical systems, two main features are associated with harmonic oscillations: a finite ground-state energy and equally spaced quantum energy levels. Here it is shown that there is in fact a one-to-one mapping between the provision of equally spaced quantum energy levels and simple harmonic motion. The analysis establishes that the Hamiltonian of any system featuring quantized energy levels in an evenly spaced, infinite set must have a quadratic dependence on a pair of canonically conjugate variables. Moreover, specific physical inferences can be drawn. For example, exploiting this 'back-to-front' derivation, and based on the known existence of photons, it can be proved that an electromagnetic energy density is quadratic in both the electric and magnetic fields
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