344 research outputs found
Photon polarization and Wigner's little group
To discuss one-photon polarization states we find an explicit form of the
Wigner's little group element in the massless case for arbitrary Lorentz
transformation. As is well known, when analyzing the transformation properties
of the physical states, only the value of the phase factor is relevant. We show
that this phase factor depends only on the direction of the momentum
and does not depend on the frequency . Finally, we use
this observation to discuss the transformation properties of the linearly
polarized photons and the corresponding reduced density matrix. We find that
they transform properly under Lorentz group.Comment: Version published in Phys. Rev. A, few typos correcte
Lorentz-covariant reduced spin density matrix and EPR-Bohm correlations
We show that it is possible to define a Lorentz-covariant reduced spin
density matrix for massive particles. Such a matrix allows one to calculate the
mean values of observables connected with spin measurements (average
polarizations). Moreover, it contains not only information about polarization
of the particle but also information about its average kinematical state. We
also use our formalism to calculate the correlation function in the
Einstein--Podolsky--Rosen--Bohm type experiment with massive relativistic
particles.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur
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
Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen correlations of Dirac particles - quantum field theory approach
We calculate correlation function in the Einstein--Podolsky--Rosen type of
experiment with massive relativistic Dirac particles in the framework of the
quantum field theory formalism. We perform our calculations for states which
are physically interesting and transforms covariantly under the full Lorentz
group action, i.e. for pseudoscalar and vector state.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures. Published versio
Unstable particles as open quantum systems
We present the probability preserving description of the decaying particle
within the framework of quantum mechanics of open systems taking into account
the superselection rule prohibiting the superposition of the particle and
vacuum. In our approach the evolution of the system is given by a family of
completely positive trace preserving maps forming one-parameter dynamical
semigroup. We give the Kraus representation for the general evolution of such
systems which allows one to write the evolution for systems with two or more
particles. Moreover, we show that the decay of the particle can be regarded as
a Markov process by finding explicitly the master equation in the Lindblad
form. We also show that there are remarkable restrictions on the possible
strength of decoherence.Comment: 11 pp, 2 figs (published version
Lorentz-covariant quantum mechanics and preferred frame
In this paper the relativistic quantum mechanics is considered in the
framework of the nonstandard synchronization scheme for clocks. Such a
synchronization preserves Poincar{\'e} covariance but (at least formally)
distinguishes an inertial frame. This enables to avoid the problem of a
noncausal transmision of information related to breaking of the Bell's
inequalities in QM. Our analysis has been focused mainly on the problem of
existence of a proper position operator for massive particles. We have proved
that in our framework such an operator exists for particles with arbitrary
spin. It fulfills all the requirements: it is Hermitean and covariant, it has
commuting components and moreover its eigenvectors (localised states) are also
covariant. We have found the explicit form of the position operator and have
demonstrated that in the preferred frame our operator coincides with the
Newton--Wigner one. We have also defined a covariant spin operator and have
constructed an invariant spin square operator. Moreover, full algebra of
observables consisting of position operators, fourmomentum operators and spin
operators is manifestly Poincar\'e covariant in this framework. Our results
support expectations of other authors (Bell, Eberhard) that a consistent
formulation of quantum mechanics demands existence of a preferred frame.Comment: 21 pages, LaTeX file, no figure
Factors Associated with Unmet Needs among African-American Dementia Care Providers
Racial and ethnic minorities currently comprise 20% of the U.S. population; in 2050, this figure is expected to rise to 42%. As a result, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the 5th leading cause of death for people aged 65 and older, is likely to increase in these groups. Most dementia caregiving for these populations comes from family and friends, especially among families with lower socioeconomic status. A convenience sample of 30 African-American dementia caregivers was interviewed to determine unmet needs. Participants expressed a limited desire for formal services, such as support groups, legal advice, case management, and homemaker services. Instead, commonly expressed needs were daytime respite care and especially a desire for family and social support. Many caregivers expressed a need for other family members to share responsibility in the process; therefore, methods for caregiver support that address multiple family members in care provision may be beneficial for this group
Casimir effect for tachyonic fields
In this paper we examine Casimir effect in the case of tachyonic field, which
is connected with particles with negative four-momentum square. We consider
here only the case of one dimensional, scalar field. In order to describe
tachyonic field, we use the absolute synchronization scheme preserving Lorentz
invariance. The renormalized vacuum energy is calculated by means of Abel-Plana
formula. Finaly, the Casimir energy and Casimir force as the functions of
distance are obtained. In order to compare the resulting formula with the
standard one, we calculate the Casimir energy and Casimir force for massive,
scalar field.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figure
The effects of a psychosocial dimension of socioeconomic position on survival: occupational prestige and mortality among US working adults
The association between education or income and mortality has been explored in great detail. These measures capture both the effects of material disadvantage on health and the psychosocial impacts of a low socioeconomic position on health. When explored independently of educational attainment and income, occupational prestige – a purely perceptual measure – serves as a measure of the impact of a psychosocial phenomenon on health. For instance, a fire-fighter, academician or schoolteacher may carry the social benefits of a higher social status without actually having the income (in all cases) or the educational credentials (in the case of the fire-fighter) to match. We explored the independent influence of occupational prestige on mortality. We applied Cox proportional hazards models to a nationally representative sample of over 380,000 US workers who had worked at any time between 1986 and 1994 with mortality follow up through 2002. We found that occupational prestige is associated with a decrease in the risk of all-cause, cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory-related mortality after controlling for household income and educational attainment. We further investigated the question of whether the effects of prestige are moderated by sex and broader occupational groupings. Prestige effects operate in white-collar occupations for men only and within service occupations for all workers
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