360 research outputs found
The one-dimensional Coulomb Problem
One-dimensional scattering by a Coulomb potential V(x)=lambda/|x| is studied
for both repulsive (c>0) and attractive (c<0) cases. Two methods of
regularizing the singularity at x=0 are used, yielding the same conclusion,
namely, that the transmission vanishes. For an attractive potential (c<0), two
groups of bound states are found. The first one consists of "regular" (Rydberg)
bound states, respecting standard orthogonality relations. The second set
consists of "anomalous"} bound states (in a sense to be clarified), which
always relax as coherent states.Comment: 29 pages, accepted in J. Phys.
Magnetic field induced singlet - triplet phase transition in quasi one-dimensional organic superconductors
We propose a theoretical model of quasi-one-dimensional superconductors, with
attractive electron-electron interactions dominant in the singlet d-wave
channel and sub-dominant in the p-wave channel. We discuss, in the mean field
approximation, the effect of a magnetic field applied perpendicularly to the
direction of the lowest conductivity. The lowest free energy phase corresponds
to a singlet d-wave symmetry in low fields, but to a triplet symmetry in high
fields. A first order singlet-triplet phase transition is expected at moderate
applied fields of a few teslas. We propose to ascribe the recent critical field
and NMR experimental data, observed in superconducting (TMTSF)2ClO4 to such an
effect.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, accepted in EP
Charge and Spin Density Waves observed through their spatial fluctuations by coherent and simultaneous X-ray diffraction
Spatial uctuations of spin density wave (SDW) and charge density wave (CDW)
in chromium have been compared by combining coherent and simultaneous X-ray
diffraction experiments. Despite their close relationship, spatial fluctuations
of the spin and of the charge density waves display a very different behavior:
the satellite reflection associated to the charge density displays speckles
while the spin one displays an impressive long-range order. This observation is
hardly compatible with the commonly accepted magneto-elastic origin of CDW in
chromium and is more consistent with a purely electronic scenario where CDW is
the second harmonic of SDW. A BCS model taking into account a second order
nesting predicts correctly the existence of a CDW and explains why the CDW is
more sensitive to punctual defects.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; Accepted in Phys. Rev.
Suspensions Thermal Noise in the LIGO Gravitational Wave Detector
We present a calculation of the maximum sensitivity achievable by the LIGO
Gravitational wave detector in construction, due to limiting thermal noise of
its suspensions. We present a method to calculate thermal noise that allows the
prediction of the suspension thermal noise in all its 6 degrees of freedom,
from the energy dissipation due to the elasticity of the suspension wires. We
show how this approach encompasses and explains previous ways to approximate
the thermal noise limit in gravitational waver detectors. We show how this
approach can be extended to more complicated suspensions to be used in future
LIGO detectors.Comment: 28 pages, 13 figure
Gravitational Wave Astrometry for Rapidly Rotating Neutron Stars and Estimation of Their Distances
We discuss an astrometric timing effect on data analysis of continuous
gravitational waves from rapidly rotating isolated neutron stars. Special
attention is directed to the possibility of determining their distances by
measuring the curvature of the wave fronts. We predict that if continuous
gravitational waves from an unknown neutron star with a stable rotation are
detected around 1kHz within 1/3yr by initial LIGO detectors and the ellipticity
parameter epsilon is smaller than 10^{-6}, the distance r to the source can be
estimated with relative error \Delta r/r of \sim 10% by using the broad band
configuration of advanced LIGO detectors over 3 years. By combining the
observed amplitude of the waves with the estimated distance, information on the
parameter can be obtained purely through gravitational wave
measurements.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, to appear in PR
Alignment procedure for the VIRGO Interferometer: experimental results from the Frascati prototype
A small fixed-mirror Michelson interferometer has been built in Frascati to
experimentally study the alignment method that has been suggested for VIRGO.
The experimental results fully confirm the adequacy of the method. The minimum
angular misalignment that can be detected in the present set-up is 10
nrad/sqrt{Hz}Comment: 10 pages, LaTex2e, 4 figures, 5 tables. Submitted to Phys. Lett.
A phenomenological description of quantum-gravity-induced space-time noise
I propose a phenomenological description of space-time foam and discuss the
experimental limits that are within reach of forthcoming experiments.Comment: 10 pages, LaTex, 1 figure. Short paper, omitting most technical
details. More detailed analysis was reported in gr-qc/010400
Constraint Likelihood analysis for a network of gravitational wave detectors
We propose a coherent method for the detection and reconstruction of
gravitational wave signals for a network of interferometric detectors. The
method is derived using the likelihood functional for unknown signal waveforms.
In the standard approach, the global maximum of the likelihood over the space
of waveforms is used as the detection statistic. We identify a problem with
this approach. In the case of an aligned pair of detectors, the detection
statistic depends on the cross-correlation between the detectors as expected,
but this dependence dissappears even for infinitesimally small misalignments.
We solve the problem by applying constraints on thelikelihood functional and
obtain a new class of statistics. The resulting method can be applied to the
data from a network consisting of any number of detectors with arbitrary
detector orientations. The method allows us reconstruction of the source
coordinates and the waveforms of two polarization components of a gravitational
wave. We study the performance of the method with numerical simulation and find
the reconstruction of the source coordinates to be more accurate than in the
standard approach.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
Toward Quantum-Limited Position Measurements Using Optically Levitated Microspheres
We describe the use of optically levitated microspheres as test masses in
experiments aimed at reaching and potentially exceeding the standard quantum
limit for position measurements. Optically levitated microspheres have low mass
and are essentially free of suspension thermal noise, making them well suited
for reaching the quantum regime. Table-top experiments using microspheres can
bridge the gap between quantum-limited position measurements of single atoms
and measurements with multi-kg test masses like those being used in
interferometric gravitational wave detectors
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