Experimental measurement of efficiency and transport coherence of a cold atom Brownian motor in optical lattices

The rectification of noise into directed movement or useful energy is utilized by many different systems. The peculiar nature of the energy source and conceptual differences between such Brownian motor systems makes a characterization of the performance far from straightforward. In this work, where the Brownian motor consists of atoms interacting with dissipative optical lattices, we adopt existing theory and present experimental measurements for both the efficiency and the transport coherence. We achieve up to 0.3% for the efficiency and 0.01 for the P\'eclet number

A model for luminescence of localized state ensemble

A distribution function for localized carriers, $f(E,T)=\frac{1}{e^{(E-E_a)/k_BT}+\tau_{tr}/\tau_r}$, is proposed by solving a rate equation, in which, electrical carriers' generation, thermal escape, recapture and radiative recombination are taken into account. Based on this distribution function, a model is developed for luminescence from localized state ensemble with a Gaussian-type density of states. The model reproduces quantitatively all the anomalous temperature behaviors of localized state luminescence. It reduces to the well-known band-tail and luminescence quenching models under certain approximations.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

Infrared phonon dynamics of multiferroic BiFeO3 single crystal

We discuss the first infrared reflectivity measurement on a BiFeO3 single crystal between 5 K and room temperature. The 9 predicted ab-plane E phonon modes are fully and unambiguously determined. The frequencies of the 4 A1 c-axis phonons are found. These results settle issues between theory and data on ceramics. Our findings show that the softening of the lowest frequency E mode is responsible for the temperature dependence of the dielectric constant, indicating that the ferroelectric transition in BiFeO3 is soft-mode driven.Comment: 5 pages (figures included

Demonstration of a controllable three-dimensional Brownian motor in symmetric potentials

We demonstrate a Brownian motor, based on cold atoms in optical lattices, where isotropic random fluctuations are rectified in order to induce controlled atomic motion in arbitrary directions. In contrast to earlier demonstrations of ratchet effects, our Brownian motor operates in potentials that are spatially and temporally symmetric, but where spatiotemporal symmetry is broken by a phase shift between the potentials and asymmetric transfer rates between them. The Brownian motor is demonstrated in three dimensions and the noise-induced drift is controllable in our system.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Influence of the lattice topography on a three-dimensional, controllable Brownian motor

We study the influence of the lattice topography and the coupling between motion in different directions, for a three-dimensional Brownian motor based on cold atoms in a double optical lattice. Due to controllable relative spatial phases between the lattices, our Brownian motor can induce drifts in arbitrary directions. Since the lattices couple the different directions, the relation between the phase shifts and the directionality of the induced drift is non trivial. Here is therefore this relation investigated experimentally by systematically varying the relative spatial phase in two dimensions, while monitoring the vertically induced drift and the temperature. A relative spatial phase range of 2pi x 2pi is covered. We show that a drift, controllable both in speed and direction, can be achieved, by varying the phase both parallel and perpendicular to the direction of the measured induced drift. The experimental results are qualitatively reproduced by numerical simulations of a simplified, classical model of the system

Slow Relaxation and Phase Space Properties of a Conservative System with Many Degrees of Freedom

We study the one-dimensional discrete $\Phi^4$ model. We compare two equilibrium properties by use of molecular dynamics simulations: the Lyapunov spectrum and the time dependence of local correlation functions. Both properties imply the existence of a dynamical crossover of the system at the same temperature. This correlation holds for two rather different regimes of the system - the displacive and intermediate coupling regimes. Our results imply a deep connection between slowing down of relaxations and phase space properties of complex systems.Comment: 14 pages, LaTeX, 10 Figures available upon request (SF), Phys. Rev. E, accepted for publicatio

Thermodynamic basis of the concept of "recombination resistances"

The concept of "recombination resistance" introduced by Shockley and Read (Phys. Rev. 87, 835 (1952)) is discussed within the framework of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes ruled by the principle of the minimum rate of entropy production. It is shown that the affinities of recombination processes represent "voltages" in a thermodynamic Ohm-like law where the net rates of recombinations represent the "currents". The quantities thus found allow for the definition of the "dissipated power" which is to be related to the rate of entropy production of the recombination processes dealt with.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Radioactive decays at limits of nuclear stability

The last decades brought an impressive progress in synthesizing and studying properties of nuclides located very far from the beta stability line. Among the most fundamental properties of such exotic nuclides, usually established first, is the half-life, possible radioactive decay modes, and their relative probabilities. When approaching limits of nuclear stability, new decay modes set in. First, beta decays become accompanied by emission of nucleons from highly excited states of daughter nuclei. Second, when the nucleon separation energy becomes negative, nucleons start to be emitted from the ground state. Here, we present a review of the decay modes occurring close to the limits of stability. The experimental methods used to produce, identify and detect new species and their radiation are discussed. The current theoretical understanding of these decay processes is overviewed. The theoretical description of the most recently discovered and most complex radioactive process - the two-proton radioactivity - is discussed in more detail.Comment: Review, 68 pages, 39 figure

The Free Will Theorem

On the basis of three physical axioms, we prove that if the choice of a particular type of spin 1 experiment is not a function of the information accessible to the experimenters, then its outcome is equally not a function of the information accessible to the particles. We show that this result is robust, and deduce that neither hidden variable theories nor mechanisms of the GRW type for wave function collapse can be made relativistic. We also establish the consistency of our axioms and discuss the philosophical implications.Comment: 31 pages, 6figure

Phenomenological approach to the critical dynamics of the QCD phase transition revisited

The phenomenological dynamics of the QCD critical phenomena is revisited. Recently, Son and Stephanov claimed that the dynamical universality class of the QCD phase transition belongs to model H. In their discussion, they employed a time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation for the net baryon number density, which is a conserved quantity. We derive the Langevin equation for the net baryon number density, i.e., the Cahn-Hilliard equation. Furthermore, they discussed the mode coupling induced through the {\it irreversible} current. Here, we show the {\it reversible} coupling can play a dominant role for describing the QCD critical dynamics and that the dynamical universality class does not necessarily belong to model H.Comment: 13 pages, the Curie principle is discussed in S.2, to appear in J.Phys.