Multi-stage quantum absorption heat pumps

It is well known that heat pumps, while being all limited by the same basic thermodynamic laws, may find realization on systems as "small" and "quantum" as a three-level maser. In order to quantitatively assess how the performance of these devices scales with their size, we design generalized $N$-dimensional ideal heat pumps by merging $N-2$ elementary three-level stages. We set them to operate in the absorption chiller mode between given hot and cold baths, and study their maximum achievable cooling power and the corresponding efficiency as a function of $N$. While the efficiency at maximum power is roughly size-independent, the power itself slightly increases with the dimension, quickly saturating to a constant. Thus, interestingly, scaling up autonomous quantum heat pumps does not render a significant enhancement beyond the optimal double-stage configuration.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

On the study of oscillons in scalar field theories: A new approach

In this work we study configurations in one-dimensional scalar field theory, which are time-dependent, localized in space and extremely long-lived called oscillons. It is investigated how the action of changing the minimum value of the field configuration representing the oscillon affects its behavior. We find that one of the consequences of this procedure, is the appearance of a pair of oscillon-like structures presenting different amplitudes and frequencies of oscillation. We also compare our analytical results to numerical ones, showing excellent agreement

Surface Waves and Forced Oscillations in QHE Planar Samples

Dispersion relations and polarizations for surface waves in infinite planar samples in the QHE regime are explicitly determined in the small wavevector limit in which the dielectric tensor can be considered as local. The wavelength and frequency regions of applicability of the results extends to the infrared region for typical experimental conditions. Then, standard samples with millimetric sizes seem to be able to support such excitations. Forced oscillations are also determined which should be generated in the 2DEG by external electromagnetic sources. They show an almost frequency independent wavevelength which decreases with the magnetic field. A qualitative model based in these solutions is also presented to describe a recently found new class of resonances appearing near the edge of a 2DEG in the QHE regime.Comment: latex file, 18 pages, 3 figures, spelling correcte

Dilatation operator and the Super Yang-Mills duals of open strings on AdS Giant Gravitons

We study the one-loop anomalous dimensions of the Super Yang-Mills dual operators to open strings ending on AdS giant gravitons. AdS giant gravitons have no upper bound for their angular momentum and we represent them by the contraction of scalar fields, carrying the appropriate R-charge, with a totally symmetric tensor. We represent the open string motion along AdS directions by appending to the giant graviton operator a product of fields including covariant derivatives. We derive a bosonic lattice Hamiltonian that describes the mixing of these excited AdS giants operators under the action of the one-loop dilatation operator of N=4 SYM. This Hamiltonian captures several intuitive differences with respect to the case of sphere giant gravitons. A semiclassical analysis of the Hamiltonian allows us to give a geometrical interpretation for the labeling used to describe the fields products appended to the AdS giant operators. It also allows us to show evidence for the existence of continuous bands in the Hamiltonian spectrum.Comment: 28 page

Coupled scalar fields Oscillons and Breathers in some Lorentz Violating Scenarios

In this work we discuss the impact of the breaking of the Lorentz symmetry on the usual oscillons, the so-called flat-top oscillons, and the breathers. Our analysis is performed by using a Lorentz violation scenario rigorously derived in the literature. We show that the Lorentz violation is responsible for the origin of a kind of deformation of the configuration, where the field configuration becomes oscillatory in a localized region near its maximum value. Furthermore, we show that the Lorentz breaking symmetry produces a displacement of the oscillon along the spatial direction, the same feature is present in the case of breathers. We also show that the effect of a Lorentz violation in the flat-top oscillon solution is responsible by the shrinking of the flat-top. Furthermore, we find analytically the outgoing radiation, this result indicates that the amplitude of the outgoing radiation is controlled by the Lorentz breaking parameter, in such away that this oscillon becomes more unstable than its symmetric counterpart, however, it still has a long living nature

Gaussian tripartite entanglement out of equilibrium

The stationary multipartite entanglement between three interacting harmonic oscillators subjected to decoherence is analyzed in the largely unexplored non-equilibrium strong dissipation regime. We compute the exact asymptotic Gaussian state of the system and elucidate its separability properties, qualitatively assessing the regions of the space of parameters in which fully inseparable states are generated. Interestingly, the sharing structure of bipartite entanglement is seen to degrade as dissipation increases even for very low temperatures, at which the system approaches its ground state. We also find that establishing stationary energy currents across the harmonic chain does not correspond with the build-up of biseparable steady states, which relates instead just to the relative intensity of thermal fluctuations.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures; accepte

Predation risk reduces a female preference for heterospecific males in the green swordtail

The presence of a predator can result in the alteration, loss or reversal of a mating preference. Under predation risk, females often change their initial preference for conspicuous males, favouring less flashy males to reduce the risk of being detected by predators. Previous studies on predator-induced plasticity in mate preferences have given females a choice between more and less conspicuous conspecific males. However, in species that naturally hybridize, it is also possible that females might choose an inconspicuous heterospecific male over a conspicuous conspecific male under predation risk. Our study addresses this question using the green swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri) and the southern platyfish (Xiphophorus maculatus), which are sympatric in the wild. We hypothesized that X. helleri females would prefer the sworded conspecific males in the absence of a predator but favour the less conspicuous, swordless, heterospecific males in the presence of a predator. Contrary to our expectation, females associated more with the heterospecific male than the conspecific male in the control (no predator) treatment, and they were non-choosy in the predator treatment. This might reflect that females were attracted to the novel male phenotype when there was no risk of predation but became more neophobic after predator exposure. Regardless of the underlying mechanism, our results suggest that predation pressure may affect female preferences for conspecific versus heterospecific males. We also found striking within-population, between-individual variation in behavioural plasticity: females differed in the strength and direction of their preferences, as well as in the extent to which they altered their preferences in response to changes in perceived predation risk. Such variation in female preferences for heterospecific males could potentially lead to temporal and spatial variation in hybridization rates in the wild