Goldstone Bosons in Josephson Junctions

For a microscopic model of a Josephson junction the normal coordinates of the two junction Goldstone bosons are constructed and their dynamical spectrum is computed. The explicit dependence on the phase difference of the two superconductors is calculated

Quantum measurements without macroscopic superpositions

We study a class of quantum measurement models. A microscopic object is entangled with a macroscopic pointer such that each eigenvalue of the measured object observable is tied up with a specific pointer deflection. Different pointer positions mutually decohere under the influence of a bath. Object-pointer entanglement and decoherence of distinct pointer readouts proceed simultaneously. Mixtures of macroscopically distinct object-pointer states may then arise without intervening macroscopic superpositions. Initially, object and apparatus are statistically independent while the latter has pointer and bath correlated according to a metastable local thermal equilibrium. We obtain explicit results for the object-pointer dynamics with temporal coherence decay in general neither exponential nor Gaussian. The decoherence time does not depend on details of the pointer-bath coupling if it is smaller than the bath correlation time, whereas in the opposite Markov regime the decay depends strongly on whether that coupling is Ohmic or super-Ohmic.Comment: 50 pages, 5 figures, changed conten

Bethe Ansatz calculation of the spectral gap of the asymmetric exclusion process

We present a new derivation of the spectral gap of the totally asymmetric exclusion process on a half-filled ring of size L by using the Bethe Ansatz. We show that, in the large L limit, the Bethe equations reduce to a simple transcendental equation involving the polylogarithm, a classical special function. By solving that equation, the gap and the dynamical exponent are readily obtained. Our method can be extended to a system with an arbitrary density of particles. Keywords: ASEP, Bethe Ansatz, Dynamical Exponent, Spectral Gap

Estimation of Hydrodynamical Model Parameters from the Invariant Spectrum and the Bose-Einstein Correlations of pi-mesons Produced in (pi+/K+)p Interactions at 250 GeV/c

The invariant spectra of pi- mesons produced in (pi+/K+)p interactions at 250 GeV/c are analysed in the framework of the hydrodynamical model of three-dimensionally expanding cylindrically symmetric finite systems. A satisfactory description of experimental data is achieved. The data favour the pattern according to which the hadron matter undergoes predominantly longitudinal expansion and non-relativistic transverse expansion with mean transverse velocity = 0.20(7), and is characterized by a large temperature inhomogeneity in the transverse direction: the extracted freeze-out temperature at the center of the tube and at the transverse rms radius are 140(3) MeV and 82(7) MeV, respectively. The width of the (longitudinal) space-time rapidity distribution of the pion source is found to be Delta eta = 1.36(2). Combining this estimate with results of the Bose-Einstein correlation analysis in the same experiment, one extracts a mean freeze-out time of the source of = 1.4(1) fm/c and its transverse geometrical rms radius, R_G (rms)=1.2(2) fm.Comment: latex, 14 pages, 5 figure

Some Exact Results for the Exclusion Process

The asymmetric simple exclusion process (ASEP) is a paradigm for non-equilibrium physics that appears as a building block to model various low-dimensional transport phenomena, ranging from intracellular traffic to quantum dots. We review some recent results obtained for the system on a periodic ring by using the Bethe Ansatz. We show that this method allows to derive analytically many properties of the dynamics of the model such as the spectral gap and the generating function of the current. We also discuss the solution of a generalized exclusion process with $N$-species of particles and explain how a geometric construction inspired from queuing theory sheds light on the Matrix Product Representation technique that has been very fruitful to derive exact results for the ASEP.Comment: 21 pages; Proceedings of STATPHYS24 (Cairns, Australia, July 2010

The asymmetric simple exclusion process: an integrable model for non-equilibrium statistical mechanics

The asymmetric simple exclusion process (ASEP) plays the role of a paradigm in non-equilibrium statistical mechanics. We review exact results for the ASEP obtained by Bethe ansatz and put emphasis on the algebraic properties of this model. The Bethe equations for the eigenvalues of the Markov matrix of the ASEP are derived from the algebraic Bethe ansatz. Using these equations we explain how to calculate the spectral gap of the model and how global spectral properties such as the existence of multiplets can be predicted. An extension of the Bethe ansatz leads to an analytic expression for the large deviation function of the current in the ASEP that satisfies the Gallavotti-Cohen relation. Finally, we describe some variants of the ASEP that are also solvable by Bethe ansatz. Keywords: ASEP, integrable models, Bethe ansatz, large deviations.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures, published in the "special issue on recent advances in low-dimensional quantum field theories", P. Dorey, G. Dunne and J. Feinberg editor

Effect of the natural sweetener xylitol on gut hormone secretion and gastric emptying in humans:A pilot dose-ranging study

Sugar consumption is associated with a whole range of negative health effects and should be reduced and the natural sweetener xylitol might be helpful in achieving this goal. The present study was conducted as a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over trial. Twelve healthy, lean volunteers received intragastric solutions with 7, 17 or 35 g xylitol or tap water on four separate days. We examined effects on: gut hormones, glucose, insulin, glucagon, uric acid, lipid profile, as well as gastric emptying rates, appetite-related sensations and gastrointestinal symptoms. We found: (i) a dose-dependent stimulation of cholecystokinin (CCK), active glucagon-like peptide-1 (aGLP-1), peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY)-release, and decelerated gastric emptying rates, (ii) a dose-dependent increase in blood glucose and insulin, (iii) no effect on motilin, glucagon, or glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP)-release, (iv) no effect on blood lipids, but a rise in uric acid, and (v) increased bowel sounds as only side effects. In conclusion, low doses of xylitol stimulate the secretion of gut hormones and induce a deceleration in gastric emptying rates. There is no effect on blood lipids and only little effect on plasma glucose and insulin. This combination of properties (low-glycemic sweetener which stimulates satiation hormone release) makes xylitol an attractive candidate for sugar replacement

Estimation of hydrodynamical model parameters from the invariant spectrum and the Bose-Einstein correlations of π\pi-mesons produced in (π+/K+)p\pi^{+}/K^{+})p interactions at 250 GeV/c

The invariant spectra of pi- mesons produced in (pi+/K+)p interactions at 250 GeV/c are analysed in the framework of the hydrodynamical model of three-dimensionally expanding cylindrically symmetric finite systems. A satisfactory description of experimental data is achieved. The data favour the pattern according to which the hadron matter undergoes predominantly longitudinal expansion and non-relativistic transverse expansion with mean transverse velocity = 0.20(7), and is characterized by a large temperature inhomogeneity in the transverse direction: the extracted freeze-out temperature at the center of the tube and at the transverse rms radius are 140(3) MeV and 82(7) MeV, respectively. The width of the (longitudinal) space-time rapidity distribution of the pion source is found to be Delta eta = 1.36(2). Combining this estimate with results of the Bose-Einstein correlation analysis in the same experiment, one extracts a mean freeze-out time of the source of = 1.4(1) fm/c and its transverse geometrical rms radius, R_G (rms)=1.2(2) fm.The invariant spectra of pi- mesons produced in (pi+/K+)p interactions at 250 GeV/c are analysed in the framework of the hydrodynamical model of three-dimensionally expanding cylindrically symmetric finite systems. A satisfactory description of experimental data is achieved. The data favour the pattern according to which the hadron matter undergoes predominantly longitudinal expansion and non-relativistic transverse expansion with mean transverse velocity = 0.20(7), and is characterized by a large temperature inhomogeneity in the transverse direction: the extracted freeze-out temperature at the center of the tube and at the transverse rms radius are 140(3) MeV and 82(7) MeV, respectively. The width of the (longitudinal) space-time rapidity distribution of the pion source is found to be Delta eta = 1.36(2). Combining this estimate with results of the Bose-Einstein correlation analysis in the same experiment, one extracts a mean freeze-out time of the source of = 1.4(1) fm/c and its transverse geometrical rms radius, R_G (rms)=1.2(2) fm