35 research outputs found
A modern review of the two-level approximation
The paradigm of the two-level atom is revisited and its perturbative analysis
is discussed in view of the principle of duality in perturbation theory. The
models we consider are a two-level atom and an ensemble of two-level atoms both
interacting with a single radiation mode. The aim is to see how the latter can
be actually used as an amplifier of quantum fluctuations to the classical level
through the thermodynamic limit of a very large ensemble of two-level atoms [M.
Frasca, Phys. Lett. A {\bf 283}, 271 (2001)] and how can remove Schr\"odinger
cat states. The thermodynamic limit can be very effective for producing both
classical states and decoherence on a quantum system that evolves without
dissipation. Decoherence without dissipation is indeed an effect of a single
two-level atom interacting with an ensemble of two-level atoms, a situation
that proves to be useful to understand recent experiments on nanoscale devices
showing unexpected disappearance of quantum coherence at very low temperatures.Comment: 20 pages, no figures. Revised version accepted for publication in
Annals of Physic
Tunneling in a cavity
The mechanism of coherent destruction of tunneling found by Grossmann et al.
[Phys. Rev. Lett. 67, 516 (1991)] is studied from the viewpoint of quantum
optics by considering the photon statistics of a single mode cavity field which
is strongly coupled to a two-level tunneling system (TS). As a function of the
interaction time between TS and cavity the photon statistics displays the
tunneling dynamics. In the semi-classical limit of high photon occupation
number , coherent destruction of tunneling is exhibited in a slowing down of
an amplitude modulation for certain parameter ratios of the field. The
phenomenon is explained as arising from interference between displaced number
states in phase space which survives the large limit due to identical
scaling between orbit width and displacement.Comment: 4 pages Revtex, 2 PS-figures, appears in The Physical Review
Driving-Induced Symmetry Breaking in the Spin-Boson System
A symmetric dissipative two-state system is asymptotically completely
delocalized independent of the initial state. We show that driving-induced
localization at long times can take place when both the bias and tunneling
coupling energy are harmonically modulated. Dynamical symmetry breaking on
average occurs when the driving frequencies are odd multiples of some reference
frequency. This effect is universal, as it is independent of the dissipative
mechanism. Possible candidates for an experimental observation are flux
tunneling in the variable barrier rf SQUID and magnetization tunneling in
magnetic molecular clusters.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in PR
Terahertz wave generation from hyper-Raman lines in two-level quantum systems driven by two-color lasers
Based on spatial-temporal symmetry breaking mechanism, we propose a novel
scheme for terahertz (THz) wave generation from hyper-Raman lines associated
with the 0th harmonic (a particular even harmonic) in a two-level quantum
system driven by two-color laser fields. With the help of analysis of
quasi-energy, the frequency of THz wave can be tuned by changing the field
amplitude of the driving laser. By optimizing the parameters of the laser
fields, we are able to obtain arbitrary frequency radiation in the THz regime
with appreciable strength (as strong as the typical harmonics). Our proposal
can be realized in experiment in view of the recent experimental progress of
even-harmonics generation by two-color laser fields.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Driven Tunneling Dynamics: Bloch-Redfield Theory versus Path Integral Approach
In the regime of weak bath coupling and low temperature we demonstrate
numerically for the spin-boson dynamics the equivalence between two widely used
but seemingly different roads of approximation, namely the path integral
approach and the Bloch-Redfield theory. The excellent agreement between these
two methods is corroborated by a novel efficient analytical high-frequency
approach: it well approximates the decay of quantum coherence via a series of
damped coherent oscillations. Moreover, a suitably tuned control field can
selectively enhance or suppress quantum coherence.Comment: 4 pages including 3 figures, submitted for publicatio
Non-perturbative electron dynamics in crossed fields
Intense AC electric fields on semiconductor structures have been studied in
photon-assisted tunneling experiments with magnetic field applied either
parallel (B_par) or perpendicular (B_per) to the interfaces. We examine here
the electron dynamics in a double quantum well when intense AC electric fields
F, and tilted magnetic fields are applied simultaneously. The problem is
treated non-perturbatively by a time-dependent Hamiltonian in the effective
mass approximation, and using a Floquet-Fourier formalism. For B_par=0, the
quasi-energy spectra show two types of crossings: those related to different
Landau levels, and those associated to dynamic localization (DL), where the
electron is confined to one of the wells, despite the non-negligible tunneling
between wells. B_par couples parallel and in-plane motions producing
anti-crossings in the spectrum. However, since our approach is
non-perturbative, we are able to explore the entire frequency range. For high
frequencies, we reproduce the well known results of perfect DL given by zeroes
of a Bessel function. We find also that the system exhibits DL at the same
values of the field F, even as B_par non-zero, suggesting a hidden dynamical
symmetry in the system which we identify with different parity operations. The
return times for the electron at various values of field exhibit interesting
and complex behavior which is also studied in detail. We find that smaller
frequencies shifts the DL points to lower field F, and more importantly, yields
poorer localization by the field. We analyze the explicit time evolution of the
system, monitoring the elapsed time to return to a given well for each Landau
level, and find non-monotonic behavior for decreasing frequencies.Comment: REVTEX4 + 11 eps figs, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Analytical solutions to the third-harmonic generation in trans-polyacetylene: Application of dipole-dipole correlation on the single electron models
The analytical solutions for the third-harmonic generation (THG) on infinite
chains in both Su-Shrieffer-Heeger (SSH) and Takayama-Lin-Liu-Maki (TLM) models
of trans-polyacetylene are obtained through the scheme of dipole-dipole ()
correlation. They are not equivalent to the results obtained through static
current-current () correlation or under polarization operator
. The van Hove singularity disappears exactly in the analytical forms,
showing that the experimentally observed two-photon absorption peak (TPA) in
THG may not be directly explained by the single electron models.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Brownian motors: noisy transport far from equilibrium
Transport phenomena in spatially periodic systems far from thermal
equilibrium are considered. The main emphasize is put on directed transport in
so-called Brownian motors (ratchets), i.e. a dissipative dynamics in the
presence of thermal noise and some prototypical perturbation that drives the
system out of equilibrium without introducing a priori an obvious bias into one
or the other direction of motion. Symmetry conditions for the appearance (or
not) of directed current, its inversion upon variation of certain parameters,
and quantitative theoretical predictions for specific models are reviewed as
well as a wide variety of experimental realizations and biological
applications, especially the modeling of molecular motors. Extensions include
quantum mechanical and collective effects, Hamiltonian ratchets, the influence
of spatial disorder, and diffusive transport.Comment: Revised version (Aug. 2001), accepted for publication in Physics
Report