Bosons Doubling

It is shown that next-nearest-neighbor interactions may lead to unusual paramagnetic or ferromagnetic phases which physical content is radically different from the standard phases. Actually there are several particles described by the same quantum field in a manner similar to the species doubling of the lattice fermions. We prove the renormalizability of the theory at the one loop level.Comment: 12 page

Semiclassical Dynamics of Electrons in Magnetic Bloch Bands: a Hamiltonian Approach

y formally diagonalizing with accuracy $\hbar$ the Hamiltonian of electrons in a crystal subject to electromagnetic perturbations, we resolve the debate on the Hamiltonian nature of semiclassical equations of motion with Berry-phase corrections, and therefore confirm the validity of the Liouville theorem. We show that both the position and momentum operators acquire a Berry-phase dependence, leading to a non-canonical Hamiltonian dynamics. The equations of motion turn out to be identical to the ones previously derived in the context of electron wave-packets dynamics.Comment: 4 page

Development of UHF measurements

Collector gauge and orbitron gauge for ultrahigh vacuum measurement

From Feynman Proof of Maxwell Equations to Noncommutative Quantum Mechanics

In 1990, Dyson published a proof due to Feynman of the Maxwell equations assuming only the commutation relations between position and velocity. With this minimal assumption, Feynman never supposed the existence of Hamiltonian or Lagrangian formalism. In the present communication, we review the study of a relativistic particle using ``Feynman brackets.'' We show that Poincar\'e's magnetic angular momentum and Dirac magnetic monopole are the consequences of the structure of the Lorentz Lie algebra defined by the Feynman's brackets. Then, we extend these ideas to the dual momentum space by considering noncommutative quantum mechanics. In this context, we show that the noncommutativity of the coordinates is responsible for a new effect called the spin Hall effect. We also show its relation with the Berry phase notion. As a practical application, we found an unusual spin-orbit contribution of a nonrelativistic particle that could be experimentally tested. Another practical application is the Berry phase effect on the propagation of light in inhomogeneous media.Comment: Presented at the 3rd Feynman Festival (Collage Park, Maryland, U.S.A., August 2006

Berry Curvature in Graphene: A New Approach

In the present paper we have directly computed the Berry curvature terms relevant for Graphene in the presence of an \textit{inhomogeneous} lattice distortion. We have employed the generalized Foldy Wouthuysen framework, developed by some of us \cite{ber0,ber1,ber2}. We show that a non-constant lattice distortion leads to a valley-orbit coupling which is responsible to a valley-Hall effect. This is similar to the valley-Hall effect induced by an electric field proposed in \cite{niu2} and is the analogue of the spin-Hall effect in semiconductors \cite{MURAKAMI, SINOVA}. Our general expressions for Berry curvature, for the special case of homogeneous distortion, reduce to the previously obtained results \cite{niu2}. We also discuss the Berry phase in the quantization of cyclotron motion.Comment: Slightly modified version, to appear in EPJ

Noncommutative Quantum Mechanics Viewed from Feynman Formalism

Dyson published in 1990 a proof due to Feynman of the Maxwell equations. This proof is based on the assumption of simple commutation relations between position and velocity. We first study a nonrelativistic particle using Feynman formalism. We show that Poincar\'{e}'s magnetic angular momentum and Dirac magnetic monopole are the direct consequences of the structure of the sO(3) Lie algebra in Feynman formalism. Then we show how to extend this formalism to the dual momentum space with the aim of introducing Noncommutative Quantum Mechanics which was recently the subject of a wide range of works from particle physics to condensed matter physics.Comment: 11 pages, To appear in the Proceedings of the Lorentz Workshop "Beyond the Quantum", eds. Th.M. Nieuwenhuizen et al., World Scientific, Singapore, 2007. Added reference

Renormalization Group in Quantum Mechanics

We establish the renormalization group equation for the running action in the context of a one quantum particle system. This equation is deduced by integrating each fourier mode after the other in the path integral formalism. It is free of the well known pathologies which appear in quantum field theory due to the sharp cutoff. We show that for an arbitrary background path the usual local form of the action is not preserved by the flow. To cure this problem we consider a more general action than usual which is stable by the renormalization group flow. It allows us to obtain a new consistent renormalization group equation for the action.Comment: 20 page

Kinematic design of a finger abduction mechanism for an anthropomorphic robotic hand

This paper presents the kinematic design of an abduction mechanism for the fingers of an underactuated anthropomorphic robotic hand. This mechanism will enhance the range of feasible grasps of the underactuated hand without significantly increasing its complexity. The analysis of the link between the index finger and the third finger is first assessed, where the parameters are studied in order to follow the amplitude constraint and to minimize the coordination error. Then, the study of the mechanism joining the third finger and the little finger is summarized. Finally, a prototype of the finger's abduction system is presented. <br><br> <i>This paper was presented at the IFToMM/ASME International Workshop on Underactuated Grasping (UG2010), 19 August 2010, Montréal, Canada.</i&gt

Characterisation of the transmissivity field of a fractured and karstic aquifer, Southern France

International audienceGeological and hydrological data collected at the Terrieu experimental site north of Montpellier, in a confined carbonate aquifer indicates that both fracture clusters and a major bedding plane form the main flow paths of this highly heterogeneous karst aquifer. However, characterising the geometry and spatial location of the main flow channels and estimating their flow properties remain difficult. These challenges can be addressed by solving an inverse problem using the available hydraulic head data recorded during a set of interference pumping tests.We first constructed a 2D equivalent porous medium model to represent the test site domain and then employed regular zoning parameterisation, on which the inverse modelling was performed. Because we aim to resolve the fine-scale characteristics of the transmissivity field, the problem undertaken is essentially a large-scale inverse model, i.e. the dimension of the unknown parameters is high. In order to deal with the high computational demands in such a large-scale inverse problem, a gradient-based, non-linear algorithm (SNOPT) was used to estimate the transmissivity field on the experimental site scale through the inversion of steady-state, hydraulic head measurements recorded at 22 boreholes during 8 sequential cross-hole pumping tests. We used the data from outcrops, borehole fracture measurements and interpretations of inter-well connectivities from interference test responses as initial models to trigger the inversion. Constraints for hydraulic conductivities, based on analytical interpretations of pumping tests, were also added to the inversion models. In addition, the efficiency of the adopted inverse algorithm enables us to increase dramatically the number of unknown parameters to investigate the influence of elementary discretisation on the reconstruction of the transmissivity fields in both synthetic and field studies.By following the above approach, transmissivity fields that produce similar hydrodynamic behaviours to the real head measurements were obtained. The inverted transmissivity fields show complex, spatial heterogeneities with highly conductive channels embedded in a low transmissivity matrix region. The spatial trend of the main flow channels is in a good agreement with that of the main fracture sets mapped on outcrops in the vicinity of the Terrieu site suggesting that the hydraulic anisotropy is consistent with the structural anisotropy. These results from the inverse modelling enable the main flow paths to be located and their hydrodynamic properties to be estimated