9,973 research outputs found
Rejuvenation and overaging in a colloidal glass under shear
We report the modifications of the microscopic dynamics of a colloidal glass
submitted to shear. We use multispeckle diffusing wave spectroscopy to monitor
the evolution of the spontaneous slow relaxation processes after the sample
have been submitted to various straining. We show that high shear rejuvenates
the system and accelerates its dynamics whereas moderate shear overage the
system. We analyze this phenomena within the frame of the Bouchaud's trap
model.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in PR
Thermal annealing study of swift heavy-ion irradiated zirconia
Sintered samples of monoclinic zirconia (alpha-ZrO2) have been irradiated at
room temperature with 6.0-GeV Pb ions in the electronic slowing down regime.
X-ray diffraction (XRD) and micro-Raman spectroscopy measurements showed
unambiguously that a transition to the 'metastable' tetragonal phase
(beta-ZrO2) occurred at a fluence of 6.5x10^12 cm-2 for a large electronic
stopping power value (approx 32.5 MeV m-1). At a lower fluence of
1.0x10^12 cm-2, no such phase transformation was detected. The
back-transformation from beta- to alpha-ZrO2 induced by isothermal or
isochronal thermal annealing was followed by XRD analysis. The
back-transformation started at an onset temperature around 500 K and was
completed by 973 K. Plots of the residual tetragonal phase fraction deduced
from XRD measurements versus annealing temperature or time are analyzed with
first- or second-order kinetic models. An activation energy close to 1 eV for
the back-transformation process is derived either from isothermal annealing
curves, using the so-called "cross-cut" method, or from the isochronal
annealing curve, using a second-order kinetic law. Correlation with the thermal
recovery of ion-induced paramagnetic centers monitored by EPR spectroscopy is
discussed. Effects of crystallite size evolution and oxygen migration upon
annealing are also addressed
The theory of quantum levitators
We develop a unified theory for clocks and gravimeters using the
interferences of multiple atomic waves put in levitation by traveling light
pulses. Inspired by optical methods, we exhibit a propagation invariant, which
enables to derive analytically the wave function of the sample scattering on
the light pulse sequence. A complete characterization of the device sensitivity
with respect to frequency or to acceleration measurements is obtained. These
results agree with previous numerical simulations and confirm the conjecture of
sensitivity improvement through multiple atomic wave interferences. A realistic
experimental implementation for such clock architecture is discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 6 Figures. Minor typos corrected. Final versio
Spin-polarized stable phases of the 2-D electron fluid at finite temperatures
The Helmholtz free energy F of the interacting 2-D electron fluid is
calculated nonperturbatively using a mapping of the quantum fluid to a
classical Coulomb fluid [Phys. Rev. Letters, vol. 87, 206404 (2001)]. For
density parameters rs such that rs<~25, the fluid is unpolarized at all
temperatures t=T/EF where EF is the Fermi energy. For lower densities, the
system becomes fully spin polarized for t<~0.35, and partially polarized for
0.35<t< 2, depending on the density. At rs ~25-30, and t ~0.35, an ''ambispin''
phase where F is almost independent of the spin polarization is found. These
results support recent claims, based on quantum Monte Carlo results, for a
stable, fully spin-polarized fluid phase at T = 0 for rs larger than about
25-26.Comment: Latex manuscript (4-5 pages) and two postscript figures; see also
http://nrcphy1.phy.nrc.ca/ims/qp/chandre/chnc
Yield stress and shear-banding in granular suspensions
We study the emergence of a yield stress in dense suspensions of non-Brownian
particles, by combining local velocity and concentration measurements using
Magnetic Resonance Imaging with macroscopic rheometric experiments. We show
that the competition between gravity and viscous stresses is at the origin of
the development of a yield stress in these systems at relatively low volume
fractions. Moreover, it is accompanied by a shear banding phenomenon that is
the signature of this competition. However, if the system is carefully density
matched, no yield stress is encountered until a volume fraction of 62.7 0.3%
NP-hardness of decoding quantum error-correction codes
Though the theory of quantum error correction is intimately related to the
classical coding theory, in particular, one can construct quantum error
correction codes (QECCs) from classical codes with the dual containing
property, this does not necessarily imply that the computational complexity of
decoding QECCs is the same as their classical counterparts. Instead, decoding
QECCs can be very much different from decoding classical codes due to the
degeneracy property. Intuitively, one expect degeneracy would simplify the
decoding since two different errors might not and need not be distinguished in
order to correct them. However, we show that general quantum decoding problem
is NP-hard regardless of the quantum codes being degenerate or non-degenerate.
This finding implies that no considerably fast decoding algorithm exists for
the general quantum decoding problems, and suggests the existence of a quantum
cryptosystem based on the hardness of decoding QECCs.Comment: 5 pages, no figure. Final version for publicatio
The Chao Phraya delta : historical development, dynamics and challenges of Thailand's rice bowl
The Chao Phraya basin has long been a water-deficity basin. Water stored in the Bhumipol and Sirikit dams only allow the irrigation of half of the delta, in average. The share of water available for agriculture in the delta is declining because of higher water abstraction both within the upper reaches of the basin and in Bangkok Metropolitan Area. The question of where, to whom, when and how this scarce resource is allocated is therefore of paramount importance. The paper first reviews the sectoral and spatial pattern of allocation in the last 25 years and assesses the efficiency and the equity of this allocation. It subsequently investigates all the options offered to increase management efficiency and proposes some guidelines for achieving higher equity and more even sustainability of farming systems. This includes technical, socio-institutional and economic issues. (Résumé d'auteur
Shortcuts to adiabaticity for trapped ultracold gases
We study, experimentally and theoretically, the controlled transfer of
harmonically trapped ultracold gases between different quantum states. In
particular we experimentally demonstrate a fast decompression and displacement
of both a non-interacting gas and an interacting Bose-Einstein condensate which
are initially at equilibrium. The decompression parameters are engineered such
that the final state is identical to that obtained after a perfectly adiabatic
transformation despite the fact that the fast decompression is performed in the
strongly non-adiabatic regime. During the transfer the atomic sample goes
through strongly out-of-equilibrium states while the external confinement is
modified until the system reaches the desired stationary state. The scheme is
theoretically based on the invariants of motion and scaling equations
techniques and can be generalized to decompression trajectories including an
arbitrary deformation of the trap. It is also directly applicable to arbitrary
initial non-equilibrium states.Comment: 36 pages, 14 figure
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