Tunneling conductance in semiconductor-superconductor hybrid structures

We study the differential conductance for charge tunneling into a semiconductor wire--superconductor hybrid structure, which is actively investigated as a possible scheme for realizing topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes. The calculations are done based on a tight-binding model of the heterostructure using both a Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk approach and a Keldysh non-equilibrium Green's function method. The dependence of various tunneling conductance features on the coupling strength between the semiconductor and the superconductor, the tunnel barrier height, and temperature is systematically investigated. We find that treating the parent superconductor as an active component of the system, rather than a passive source of Cooper pairs, has qualitative consequences regarding the low-energy behavior of the differential conductance. In particular, the presence of sub-gap states in the parent superconductor, due to disorder and finite magnetic fields, leads to characteristic particle-hole asymmetric features and to the breakdown of the quantization of the zero-bias peak associated with the presence of Majorana zero modes localized at the ends of the wire. The implications of these findings for the effort toward the realization of Majorana bound states with true non-Abelian properties are discussed.Comment: published version, 15+ pages, 12 figure

Static properties and spin dynamics of the ferromagnetic spin-1 Bose gas in magnetic field

Properties of spin-1 Bose gases with ferromagnetic interaction in the presence of a nonzero magnetic field are studied. The equation of state and thermodynamic quantities are worked out with the help of a mean-field approximation. The phase diagram besides Bose-Einstein condensation contains a first order transition where two values of the magnetization coexist. The dynamics is investigated with the help of the Random Phase Approximation. The soft mode corresponding to the critical point of the magnetic phase transition is found to behave like in conventional theory.Comment: 8 pages and 3 figures included in text, submitted to Physical Review

Symmetry and inert states of spin Bose Condensates

We construct the list of all possible inert states of spin Bose condensates for $S \le 4$. In doing so, we also obtain their symmetry properties. These results are applied to classify line defects of these spin condensates at zero magnetic field.Comment: an error in Sec III C correcte

Ultra-precise measurement of optical frequency ratios

We developed a novel technique for frequency measurement and synthesis, based on the operation of a femtosecond comb generator as transfer oscillator. The technique can be used to measure frequency ratios of any optical signals throughout the visible and near-infrared part of the spectrum. Relative uncertainties of $10^{-18}$ for averaging times of 100 s are possible. Using a Nd:YAG laser in combination with a nonlinear crystal we measured the frequency ratio of the second harmonic $\nu_{SH}$ at 532 nm to the fundamental $\nu_0$ at 1064 nm, $\nu_{SH}/\nu_0 = 2.000 000 000 000 000 001 \times (1 \pm 7 \times 10^{-19})$.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Variational collocation on finite intervals

In this paper we study a new family of sinc--like functions, defined on an interval of finite width. These functions, which we call ``little sinc'', are orthogonal and share many of the properties of the sinc functions. We show that the little sinc functions supplemented with a variational approach enable one to obtain accurate results for a variety of problems. We apply them to the interpolation of functions on finite domain and to the solution of the Schr\"odinger equation, and compare the performance of present approach with others.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl

Managing Information in a Service Industry to Enhance Buyer/Supplier Relationships

Information technology has allowed motor carriers to enhance the visibility of the service process to provide shippers an incentive for shipper/carrier partnerships. In today’s business environment, information technology offers customers the ability to take an active part in the service process, without actually being present in the service setting. Since the transportation industry represents a service characterized by low customer contact, little information exchange and a lack of influence over the production process; marketing challenges are great and high sales opportunities are minimal. In an attempt to overcome these problems, motor carriers have installed satellite communications systems to increase customer contact and interaction that will lead to greater customer satisfaction and long term relationships. A number of case studies of shippers that currently use carriers employing satellite communications are examined and the potential benefits discussed. An inventory-theoretic model of transportation choice is developed and future research directions are discussed

Apollo to Artemis: Mining 50-Year Old Records to Inform Future Human Lunar Landing Systems

Under the Artemis lunar exploration program, NASA is committed to landing American astronauts on the moon by 2024. While NASAs new Space Launch System rocket and Orion capsule will carry astronauts from Earth to the Gateway, the human lunar landing system has not yet been fully defined. As in the Apollo program, there are concerns for vehicle weight and internal volume such that seats may not be desirable, and standing during lunar descent and ascent may be a preferred engineering solution. With such a design, astronauts will experience +GZ (head-to-foot) accelerations during capsule accelerations, and it is unclear whether spaceflight deconditioned astronauts can tolerate these. Apollo astronauts stood during lunar descent and ascent, and the data contained in the early program records for those missions represent a unique resource that may provide insights to the cardiovascular stress associated with this human landing system design

A New Bound on Excess Frequency Noise in Second Harmonic Generation in PPKTP at the 10^-19 Level

We report a bound on the relative frequency fluctuations in nonlinear second harmonic generation. A 1064nm Nd:YAG laser is used to read out the phase of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer while PPKTP, a nonlinear crystal, is placed in each arm to generate second harmonic light. By comparing the arm length difference of the Mach Zehnder as read out by the fundamental 1064 nm light, and its second harmonic at 532 nm, we can bound the excess frequency noise introduced in the harmonic generation process. We report an amplitude spectral density of frequency noise with total RMS frequency deviation of 3mHz and a minimum value of 20 {\mu}Hz/rtHz over 250 seconds with a measurement bandwidth of 128 Hz, corresponding to an Allan deviation of 10^-19 at 20 seconds.Comment: Submitted to Optics Express June 201