5,556 research outputs found
Quantum Kinetic Theory VI: The Growth of a Bose-Einstein Condensate
A detailed analysis of the growth of a BEC is given, based on quantum kinetic
theory, in which we take account of the evolution of the occupations of lower
trap levels, and of the full Bose-Einstein formula for the occupations of
higher trap levels, as well as the Bose stimulated direct transfer of atoms to
the condensate level introduced by Gardiner et al. We find good agreement with
experiment at higher temperatures, but at lower temperatures the experimentally
observed growth rate is somewhat more rapid. We also confirm the picture of the
``kinetic'' region of evolution, introduced by Kagan et al., for the time up to
the initiation of the condensate. The behavior after initiation essentially
follows our original growth equation, but with a substantially increased rate
coefficient.
Our modelling of growth implicitly gives a model of the spatial shape of the
condensate vapor system as the condensate grows, and thus provides an
alternative to the present phenomenological fitting procedure, based on the sum
of a zero-chemical potential vapor and a Thomas-Fermi shaped condensate. Our
method may give substantially different results for condensate numbers and
temperatures obtained from phenomentological fits, and indicates the need for
more systematic investigation of the growth dynamics of the condensate from a
supersaturated vapor.Comment: TeX source; 29 Pages including 26 PostScript figure
Emergent classicality in continuous quantum measurements
We develop a classical theoretical description for nonlinear many-body
dynamics that incorporates the back-action of a continuous measurement process.
The classical approach is compared with the exact quantum solution in an
example with an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate in a double-well potential
where the atom numbers in both potential wells are monitored by light
scattering. In the classical description the back-action of the measurements
appears as diffusion of the relative phase of the condensates on each side of
the trap. When the measurements are frequent enough to resolve the system
dynamics, the system behaves classically. This happens even deep in the quantum
regime, and demonstrates how classical physics emerges from quantum mechanics
as a result of measurement back-action
Tripartite entanglement and threshold properties of coupled intracavity downconversion and sum-frequency generation
The process of cascaded downconversion and sum-frequency generation inside an
optical cavity has been predicted to be a potential source of three-mode
continuous-variable entanglement. When the cavity is pumped by two fields, the
threshold properties have been analysed, showing that these are more
complicated than in well-known processes such as optical parametric
oscillation. When there is only a single pumping field, the entanglement
properties have been calculated using a linearised fluctuation analysis, but
without any consideration of the threshold properties or critical operating
points of the system. In this work we extend this analysis to demonstrate that
the singly pumped system demonstrates a rich range of threshold behaviour when
quantisation of the pump field is taken into account and that asymmetric
polychromatic entanglement is available over a wide range of operational
parameters.Comment: 24 pages, 15 figure
Quadripartite continuous-variable entanglement via quadruply concurrent downconversion
We investigate an intra-cavity coupled down-conversion scheme to generate
quadripartite entanglement using concurrently resonant nonlinearities. We
verify that quadripartite entanglement is present in this system by calculating
the output fluctuation spectra and then considering violations of optimized
inequalities of the van Loock-Furusawa type. The entanglement characteristics
both above and below the oscillation threshold are considered. We also present
analytic solutions for the quadrature operators and the van Loock-Furusawa
correlations in the undepleted pump approximation.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
Analysis of a continuous-variable quadripartite cluster state from a single optical parametric oscillator
We examine the feasibility of generating continuous-variable multipartite
entanglement in an intra-cavity quadruply concurrent downconversion scheme that
has been proposed for the generation of cluster states by Menicucci \textit{et
al.} [Physical Review Letters \textbf{101}, 130501 (2008)]. By calculating
optimized versions of the van Loock-Furusawa correlations we demonstrate
genuine quadripartite entanglement and investigate the degree of entanglement
present. Above the oscillation threshold the basic cluster state geometry under
consideration suffers from phase diffusion. We alleviate this problem by
incorporating a small injected signal into our analysis. Finally, we
investigate squeezed joint operators. While the squeezed joint operators
approach zero in the undepleted regime, we find that this is not the case when
we consider the full interaction Hamiltonian and the presence of a cavity. In
fact, we find that the decay of these operators is minimal in a cavity, and
even depletion alone inhibits cluster state formation.Comment: 26 pages, 12 figure
Commuting Heisenberg operators as the quantum response problem: Time-normal averages in the truncated Wigner representation
The applicability of the so-called truncated Wigner approximation (-W) is
extended to multitime averages of Heisenberg field operators. This task splits
naturally in two. Firstly, what class of multitime averages the -W
approximates, and, secondly, how to proceed if the average in question does not
belong to this class. To answer the first question we develop an (in principle,
exact) path-integral approach in phase-space based on the symmetric (Weyl)
ordering of creation and annihilation operators. These techniques calculate a
new class of averages which we call time-symmetric. The -W equations emerge as
an approximation within this path-integral techniques. We then show that the
answer to the second question is associated with response properties of the
system. In fact, for two-time averages Kubo's renowned formula relating the
linear response function to two-time commutators suffices. The -W is trivially
generalised to the response properties of the system allowing one to calculate
approximate time-normally ordered two-time correlation functions with
surprising ease. The techniques we develop are demonstrated for the
Bose-Hubbard model.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figure
Decoherence of number states in phase-sensitive reservoirs
The non-unitary evolution of initial number states in general Gaussian
environments is solved analytically. Decoherence in the channels is quantified
by determining explicitly the purity of the state at any time. The influence of
the squeezing of the bath on decoherence is discussed. The behavior of coherent
superpositions of number states is addressed as well.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, minor changes, references adde
Intensity fluctuations in steady state superradiance
Alkaline-earth like atoms with ultra-narrow optical transitions enable
superradiance in steady state. The emitted light promises to have an
unprecedented stability with a linewidth as narrow as a few millihertz. In
order to evaluate the potential usefulness of this light source as an
ultrastable oscillator in clock and precision metrology applications it is
crucial to understand the noise properties of this device. In this paper we
present a detailed analysis of the intensity fluctuations by means of
Monte-Carlo simulations and semi-classical approximations. We find that the
light exhibits bunching below threshold, is to a good approximation coherent in
the superradiant regime, and is chaotic above the second threshold.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Asymmetric Gaussian harmonic steering in second-harmonic generation
Intracavity second-harmonic generation is one of the simplest of the quantum optical processes and is well within the expertise of most optical laboratories. It is well understood and characterized, both theoretically and experimentally. We show that it can be a source of continuous-variable asymmetric Gaussian harmonic steering with fields which have a coherent excitation, hence combining the important effects of harmonic entanglement and asymmetric steering in one easily controllable device, adjustable by the simple means of tuning the cavity loss rates at the fundamental and harmonic frequencies. We find that whether quantum steering is available via the standard measurements of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen correlations can depend on which quadrature measurements are inferred from output spectral measurements of the fundamental and the harmonic. Altering the ratios of the cavity loss rates can be used to tune the regions where symmetric steering is available, with the results becoming asymmetric over all frequencies as the cavity damping at the fundamental frequency becomes significantly greater than at the harmonic. This asymmetry and its functional dependence on frequency is a potential new tool for experimental quantum information science, with possible utility for quantum key distribution. Although we show the effect here for Gaussian measurements of the quadratures, and cannot rule out a return of the steering symmetry for some class of non-Gaussian measurements, we note here that the system obeys Gaussian statistics in the operating regime investigated and Gaussian inference is at least as accurate as any other method for calculating the necessary correlations. Perhaps most importantly, this system is simpler than any other methods we are aware of which have been used or proposed to create asymmetric steering
Isospin fluctuations in spinodal decomposition
We study the isospin dynamics in fragment formation within the framework of
an analytical model based on the spinodal decomposition scenario. We calculate
the probability to obtain fragments with given charge and neutron number,
focussing on the derivation of the width of the isotopic distributions. Within
our approach this is determined by the dispersion of N/Z among the leading
unstable modes, due to the competition between Coulomb and symmetry energy
effects, and by isovector-like fluctuations present in the matter that
undergoes the spinodal decomposition. Hence the widths exhibit a clear
dependence on the properties of the Equation of State. By comparing two systems
with different values of the charge asymmetry we find that the isotopic
distributions reproduce an isoscaling relationship.Comment: 18 RevTex4 pages, 6 eps figure
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