Speed of sound in disordered Bose-Einstein condensates

Disorder modifies the sound-wave excitation spectrum of Bose-Einstein condensates. We consider the classical hydrodynamic limit, where the disorder correlation length is much longer than the condensate healing length. By perturbation theory, we compute the phonon lifetime and correction to the speed of sound. This correction is found to be negative in all dimensions, with universal asymptotics for smooth correlations. Considering in detail optical speckle potentials, we find a quite rich intermediate structure. This has consequences for the average density of states, particularly in one dimension, where we find a "boson dip" next to a sharp "boson peak" as function of frequency. In one dimension, our prediction is verified in detail by a numerical integration of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation.Comment: final, extended version with 2 new figure

Spin foam model from canonical quantization

We suggest a modification of the Barrett-Crane spin foam model of 4-dimensional Lorentzian general relativity motivated by the canonical quantization. The starting point is Lorentz covariant loop quantum gravity. Its kinematical Hilbert space is found as a space of the so-called projected spin networks. These spin networks are identified with the boundary states of a spin foam model and provide a generalization of the unique Barrette-Crane intertwiner. We propose a way to modify the Barrett-Crane quantization procedure to arrive at this generalization: the B field (bi-vectors) should be promoted not to generators of the gauge algebra, but to their certain projection. The modification is also justified by the canonical analysis of Plebanski formulation. Finally, we compare our construction with other proposals to modify the Barret-Crane model.Comment: 26 pages; presentation improved, important changes concerning the closure constraint and the vertex amplitude; minor correctio

Optimization of the neutron yield in fusion plasmas produced by Coulomb explosions of deuterium clusters irradiated by a petawatt laser

The kinetic energy of hot (multi-keV) ions from the laser-driven Coulomb explosion of deuterium clusters and the resulting fusion yield in plasmas formed from these exploding clusters has been investigated under a variety of conditions using the Texas Petawatt laser. An optimum laser intensity was found for producing neutrons in these cluster fusion plasmas with corresponding average ion energies of 14 keV. The substantial volume (1-10 mm(3)) of the laser-cluster interaction produced by the petawatt peak power laser pulse led to a fusion yield of 1.6x10(7) neutrons in a single shot with a 120 J, 170 fs laser pulse. Possible effects of prepulses are discussed. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.87.023106Glenn Focht Memorial FellowshipNNSA DE-FC52-08NA28512DOE Office of Basic Energy SciencesPhysic

A generalized Hamiltonian Constraint Operator in Loop Quantum Gravity and its simplest Euclidean Matrix Elements

We study a generalized version of the Hamiltonian constraint operator in nonperturbative loop quantum gravity. The generalization is based on admitting arbitrary irreducible SU(2) representations in the regularization of the operator, in contrast to the original definition where only the fundamental representation is taken. This leads to a quantization ambiguity and to a family of operators with the same classical limit. We calculate the action of the Euclidean part of the generalized Hamiltonian constraint on trivalent states, using the graphical notation of Temperley-Lieb recoupling theory. We discuss the relation between this generalization of the Hamiltonian constraint and crossing symmetry.Comment: 35 pp, 20 eps figures; minor corrections, references added; version to appear in Class. Quant. Gra