Spin-1/2 geometric phase driven by decohering quantum fields

We calculate the geometric phase of a spin-1/2 system driven by a one and two mode quantum field subject to decoherence. Using the quantum jump approach, we show that the corrections to the phase in the no-jump trajectory are different when considering an adiabatic and non-adiabatic evolution. We discuss the implications of our results from both the fundamental as well as quantum computational perspective.Comment: 4 page

Ion backflow studies with a triple-GEM stack with increasing hole pitch

Gas Electron Multipliers have undergone a very consistent development since their invention in 1997. Their production procedures have been tuned in such a way that nowadays it is possible to produce foils with areas of the order of the square meter that can operate at a reasonable gain, uniform over large areas and with a good stability in what concerns electrical discharges. For the third run of LHC, they will be included in the CMS and ALICE experiments after significant upgrades of the detectors, confirming that these structures are suitable for very large experiments. In the special case of Time Projection Chambers, the ion backflow and the energy resolution are sensitive issues that must be addressed and the GEM has shown to be able to deal with both of them. In this work, a stack of three GEMs with different pitches has been studied as a possible future approach for ion-backflow suppression to be used in TPCs and other detection concepts. With this approach, an ion backflow of 1 % with an energy resolution of 12 % at 5.9 keV has been achieved with the detector operating in an Ar/CO2 (90/10) mixture at a gain of ~ 2000.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figure

BIODIESEL PRODUCTION FROM MICROWAVE IRRADIATED REACTOR USING HOMOGENEOUS AND HETEROGENEOUS CATALYSIS

Biodiesel was successful produced in a microwave irradiation reactor using homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis. The biodiesel was production by the trasesterification reaction of soybean oil using metanol. Sodium methylate (30% solution in metanol) was used for the homogeneous catalyst and the heterogeneous catalyst was developed using wasted eggshells. The eggshells were calcined and tested pure and doped with potassium hydroxide in 10, 30 and 50% of weight. The power and temperature of the microwave were kept constant in every reaction being 800W and 200º Celsius, respectively. The reaction time was significantly reduced using microwave compared to the conventional process. In only one minute of reaction, the methyl ester (FAME) conversion obtained was 98.9% with the homogeneous catalyst and within 15 minutes, the heterogeneous catalysis accomplished 100%. For heterogeneous catalyst, the best results were acquired when the doped catalyst contained 50% of KOH. The results indicated that the eggshells treated with KOH has a great potential to be used for microwave-assisted transesterification reactions of oils with mild operations conditions: molar ratio oil/alcochol 1:6 and just 5% of catalyst. In addition, the heterogenous catalyst was recovered and reused in other reactions with a relatively satisfying results. The physico-chemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction and thermogravimectric analysis

Direct measurement of finite-time disentanglement induced by a reservoir

We propose a method for directly probing the dynamics of disentanglement of an initial two-qubit entangled state, under the action of a reservoir. We show that it is possible to detect disentanglement, for experimentally realizable examples of decaying systems, through the measurement of a single observable, which is invariant throughout the decay. The systems under consideration may lead to either finite-time or asymptotic disentanglement. A general prescription for measuring this observable, which yields an operational meaning to entanglement measures, is proposed, and exemplified for cavity quantum electrodynamics and trapped ions.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Coherent evolution via reservoir driven holonomy

We show that in the limit of strongly interacting environment a system initially prepared in a Decoherence Free Subspace (DFS) coherently evolves in time, adiabatically following the changes of the DFS. If the reservoir cyclicly evolves in time, the DFS states acquire an holonomy.Comment: 4 page

Otimização de protocolo para o enraizamento in vitro de jalapa (Mandevilla illustris) (Vell.) R. E. Woodson.

Suplemento. Edição dos Trabalhos do 49 Congresso Brasileiro de Olericultura, Águas de Lindóia, ago. 2009

Emergence of classicality in small number entangled systems

We show the transition from a fully quantized interaction to a semiclassical one in entangled small number quantum systems using the quantum trajectories approach. In particular, we simulate the microwave Ramsey zones used in Rydberg atom interferometry, filling in the gap between the strongly entangling Jaynes Cummings evolution and the semiclassical rotation of the atomic internal states. We also correlate the information flowing with leaking photons to the entanglement generation between cavity field and flying atom and detail the roles played by the strong dissipation and the external driving force in preserving atomic coherence through the interaction.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

Eikonal representation in the momentum-transfer space

By means of empirical fits to the differential cross section data on pp and p(bar)p elastic scattering, above 10 GeV (center-of-mass energy), we determine the eikonal in the momentum - transfer space (q^2- space). We make use of a numerical method and a novel semi-analytical method, through which the uncertainties from the fit parameters can be propagated up to the eikonal in the $q^2$- space. A systematic study of the effect of the experimental information at large values of the momentum transfer is developed and discussed in detail. We present statistical evidence that the imaginary part of the eikonal changes sign in the q^2- space and that the position of the zero decreases as the energy increases; after the position of the zero, the eikonal presents a minimum and then goes to zero through negative values. We discuss the applicability of our results in the phenomenological context, outlining some connections with nonperturbative QCD. A short review and a critical discussion on the main results concerning "model-independent" analyses are also presented.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures, 4 tables, svjour.cls. Revised discussion on the proton's electromagnetic form factor and references added. To appear in Eur. Phys. J.