348 research outputs found
Slip Model Performance for Micro-scale Gas Flows
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/76108/1/AIAA-2003-4050-903.pd
Quantum open systems and turbulence
We show that the problem of non conservation of energy found in the
spontaneous localization model developed by Ghirardi, Rimini and Weber is very
similar to the inconsistency between the stochastic models for turbulence and
the Navier-Stokes equation. This sort of analogy may be useful in the
development of both areas.Comment: to appear in Physical Review
Master-equations for the study of decoherence
Different structures of master-equation used for the description of
decoherence of a microsystem interacting through collisions with a surrounding
environment are considered and compared. These results are connected to the
general expression of the generator of a quantum dynamical semigroup in
presence of translation invariance recently found by Holevo.Comment: 10 pages, latex, no figures, to appear in Int. J. Theor. Phy
On the Asymptotic Dynamics of a Quantum System Composed by Heavy and Light Particles
We consider a non relativistic quantum system consisting of heavy and
light particles in dimension three, where each heavy particle interacts with
the light ones via a two-body potential . No interaction is assumed
among particles of the same kind. Choosing an initial state in a product form
and assuming sufficiently small we characterize the asymptotic
dynamics of the system in the limit of small mass ratio, with an explicit
control of the error. In the case K=1 the result is extended to arbitrary
. The proof relies on a perturbative analysis and exploits a
generalized version of the standard dispersive estimates for the
Schr\"{o}dinger group. Exploiting the asymptotic formula, it is also outlined
an application to the problem of the decoherence effect produced on a heavy
particle by the interaction with the light ones.Comment: 38 page
Two Derivations of the Master Equation of Quantum Brownian Motion
Central to many discussion of decoherence is a master equation for the
reduced density matrix of a massive particle experiencing scattering from its
surrounding environment, such as that of Joos and Zeh. Such master equations
enjoy a close relationship with spontaneous localization models, like the GRW
model. This aim of this paper is to present two derivations of the master
equation. The first derivation is a pedagogical model designed to illustrate
the origins of the master equation as simply as possible, focusing on physical
principles and without the complications of S-matrix theory. This derivation
may serve as a useful tutorial example for students attempting to learn this
subject area. The second is the opposite: a very general derivation using
non-relativistic many body field theory. It reduces to the equation of the type
given by Joos and Zeh in the one-particle sector, but correcting certain
numerical factors which have recently become significant in connection with
experimental tests of decoherence. This master equation also emphasizes the
role of local number density as the ``preferred basis'' for decoherence in this
model.Comment: 19 pages, RevTe
Atom Lasers, Coherent States, and Coherence:II. Maximally Robust Ensembles of Pure States
As discussed in Wiseman and Vaccaro [quant-ph/9906125], the stationary state
of an optical or atom laser far above threshold is a mixture of coherent field
states with random phase, or, equivalently, a Poissonian mixture of number
states. We are interested in which, if either, of these descriptions of
, is more natural. In the preceding paper we concentrated upon
whether descriptions such as these are physically realizable (PR). In this
paper we investigate another relevant aspect of these ensembles, their
robustness. A robust ensemble is one for which the pure states that comprise it
survive relatively unchanged for a long time under the system evolution. We
determine numerically the most robust ensembles as a function of the parameters
in the laser model: the self-energy of the bosons in the laser mode, and
the excess phase noise . We find that these most robust ensembles are PR
ensembles, or similar to PR ensembles, for all values of these parameters. In
the ideal laser limit (), the most robust states are coherent
states. As the phase noise or phase dispersion is increased, the
most robust states become increasingly amplitude-squeezed. We find scaling laws
for these states. As the phase diffusion or dispersion becomes so large that
the laser output is no longer quantum coherent, the most robust states become
so squeezed that they cease to have a well-defined coherent amplitude. That is,
the quantum coherence of the laser output is manifest in the most robust PR
states having a well-defined coherent amplitude. This lends support to the idea
that robust PR ensembles are the most natural description of the state of the
laser mode. It also has interesting implications for atom lasers in particular,
for which phase dispersion due to self-interactions is expected to be large.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures included. To be published in Phys. Rev. A, as
Part II of a two-part paper. The original version of quant-ph/9906125 is
shortly to be replaced by a new version which is Part I of the two-part
paper. This paper (Part II) also contains some material from the original
version of quant-ph/990612
Environment-Induced Decoherence and the Transition From Quantum to Classical
We study dynamics of quantum open systems, paying special attention to those
aspects of their evolution which are relevant to the transition from quantum to
classical. We begin with a discussion of the conditional dynamics of simple
systems. The resulting models are straightforward but suffice to illustrate
basic physical ideas behind quantum measurements and decoherence. To discuss
decoherence and environment-induced superselection einselection in a more
general setting, we sketch perturbative as well as exact derivations of several
master equations valid for various systems. Using these equations we study
einselection employing the general strategy of the predictability sieve.
Assumptions that are usually made in the discussion of decoherence are
critically reexamined along with the ``standard lore'' to which they lead.
Restoration of quantum-classical correspondence in systems that are classically
chaotic is discussed. The dynamical second law -it is shown- can be traced to
the same phenomena that allow for the restoration of the correspondence
principle in decohering chaotic systems (where it is otherwise lost on a very
short time-scale). Quantum error correction is discussed as an example of an
anti-decoherence strategy. Implications of decoherence and einselection for the
interpretation of quantum theory are briefly pointed out.Comment: 80 pages, 7 figures included, Lectures given by both authors at the
72nd Les Houches Summer School on "Coherent Matter Waves", July-August 199
Rhinocerebral mucormycosis treated with 32 gram liposomal amphotericin B and incomplete surgery: a case report
BACKGROUND: Mucormycosis (or zygomycosis) is the term for infection caused by fungi of the order Mucorales. Mucoraceae may produce severe disease in susceptible individuals, notably patients with diabetes and leukemia. Rhinocerebral mucormycosis most commonly manifests itself in the setting of poorly controlled diabetes, especially with ketoacidosis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 31-year-old diabetic man presented to the outpatient clinic with the following signs and symptoms: headache, periorbital pain, swelling and loss of vision in the right eye. On physical examination his right eye was red and swollen. There was periorbital cellulitis and the conjunctiva was edematous. KOH preparation of purulent discharge showed broad, ribbonlike, aseptate hyphae when examined under a fluorescence microscope. Cranial MRI showed involvement of the right orbit, thrombosis in cavernous sinus and infiltrates at ethmoid and maxillary sinuses. Mucormycosis was diagnosed based on these findings. Amphotericin B (AmBisome(®); 2 mg/kg.d) was initiated after the test doses. Right orbitectomy and right partial maxillectomy were performed; the lesions in ethmoid and maxillary sinuses were removed. The duration of the liposomal amphotericin B therapy was approximately 6 months and the total dose of liposomal amphotericin B used was 32 grams. Liposomal amphotericin B therapy was stopped six months later and oral fluconazole was started. CONCLUSIONS: Although a total surgical debridement of the lesions could not be performed, it is remarkable that regression of the disease could be achieved with medical therapy alone
Apparent wave function collapse caused by scattering
Some experimental implications of the recent progress on wave function
collapse are calculated. Exact results are derived for the center-of-mass wave
function collapse caused by random scatterings and applied to a range of
specific examples. The results show that recently proposed experiments to
measure the GRW effect are likely to fail, since the effect of naturally
occurring scatterings is of the same form as the GRW effect but generally much
stronger. The same goes for attempts to measure the collapse caused by quantum
gravity as suggested by Hawking and others. The results also indicate that
macroscopic systems tend to be found in states with (Delta-x)(Delta-p) =
hbar/sqrt(2), but microscopic systems in highly tiltedly squeezed states with
(Delta-x)(Delta-p) >> hbar.Comment: Final published version. 20 pages, Plain TeX, no figures. Online at
http://astro.berkeley.edu/~max/collapse.html (faster from the US), from
http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de/~max/collapse.html (faster from Europe) or
from [email protected]
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