1,054 research outputs found
Random projections and the optimization of an algorithm for phase retrieval
Iterative phase retrieval algorithms typically employ projections onto
constraint subspaces to recover the unknown phases in the Fourier transform of
an image, or, in the case of x-ray crystallography, the electron density of a
molecule. For a general class of algorithms, where the basic iteration is
specified by the difference map, solutions are associated with fixed points of
the map, the attractive character of which determines the effectiveness of the
algorithm. The behavior of the difference map near fixed points is controlled
by the relative orientation of the tangent spaces of the two constraint
subspaces employed by the map. Since the dimensionalities involved are always
large in practical applications, it is appropriate to use random matrix theory
ideas to analyze the average-case convergence at fixed points. Optimal values
of the gamma parameters of the difference map are found which differ somewhat
from the values previously obtained on the assumption of orthogonal tangent
spaces.Comment: 15 page
Dynamics of immersed molecules in superfluids
The dynamics of a molecule immersed in a superfluid medium are considered.
Results are derived using a classical hydrodynamic approach followed by
canonical quantization. The classical model, a rigid body immersed in
incompressible fluid, permits a thorough analysis; its effective Hamiltonian
generalizes the usual rigid-rotor Hamiltonian. In contrast to the free rigid
rotor, the immersed body is shown to have chaotic dynamics. Quantization of the
classical model leads to new and experimentally verifiable features. It is
shown, for instance, that chiral molecules can behave as "quantum propellers":
the rotational-translational coupling induced by the superfluid leads to a
nonzero linear momentum in the ground state. Hydrogen peroxide is a strong
candidate for experimental detection of this effect. The signature is a
characteristic splitting of rotational absorption lines. The 1_{01} --> 1_{10}
line in hydrogen peroxide, for example, is predicted to split into three lines
separated by as much as 0.01 cm^{-1}, which is about the experimental
linewidth.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Scattering-free plasmonic optics with anisotropic metamaterials
We develop an approach to utilize anisotropic metamaterials to solve one of
the fundamental problems of modern plasmonics -- parasitic scattering of
surface waves into free-space modes, opening the road to truly two-dimensional
plasmonic optics. We illustrate the developed formalism on examples of
plasmonic refractor and plasmonic crystal, and discuss limitations of the
developed technique and its possible applications for sensing and imaging
structures, high-performance mode couplers, optical cloaking structures, and
dynamically reconfigurable electro-plasmonic circuits
A method for dense packing discovery
The problem of packing a system of particles as densely as possible is
foundational in the field of discrete geometry and is a powerful model in the
material and biological sciences. As packing problems retreat from the reach of
solution by analytic constructions, the importance of an efficient numerical
method for conducting \textit{de novo} (from-scratch) searches for dense
packings becomes crucial. In this paper, we use the \textit{divide and concur}
framework to develop a general search method for the solution of periodic
constraint problems, and we apply it to the discovery of dense periodic
packings. An important feature of the method is the integration of the unit
cell parameters with the other packing variables in the definition of the
configuration space. The method we present led to improvements in the
densest-known tetrahedron packing which are reported in [arXiv:0910.5226].
Here, we use the method to reproduce the densest known lattice sphere packings
and the best known lattice kissing arrangements in up to 14 and 11 dimensions
respectively (the first such numerical evidence for their optimality in some of
these dimensions). For non-spherical particles, we report a new dense packing
of regular four-dimensional simplices with density
and with a similar structure to the densest known tetrahedron packing.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure
Stability of the hard-sphere icosahedral quasilattice
The stability of the hard-sphere icosahedral quasilattice is analyzed using
the differential formulation of the generalized effective liquid approximation.
We find that the icosahedral quasilattice is metastable with respect to the
hard-sphere crystal structures. Our results agree with recent findings by
McCarley and Ashcroft [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 49}, 15600 (1994)] carried out using
the modified weighted density approximation.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures available from authors upon request, (revtex),
submitted to Phys. Rev.
Device calibration impacts security of quantum key distribution
Characterizing the physical channel and calibrating the cryptosystem hardware
are prerequisites for establishing a quantum channel for quantum key
distribution (QKD). Moreover, an inappropriately implemented calibration
routine can open a fatal security loophole. We propose and experimentally
demonstrate a method to induce a large temporal detector efficiency mismatch in
a commercial QKD system by deceiving a channel length calibration routine. We
then devise an optimal and realistic strategy using faked states to break the
security of the cryptosystem. A fix for this loophole is also suggested.Comment: 4 pages + 1 page of supplementary information. Considerable
modification of Eve's attack strategy and QBER minimization technique. All
figures have also been improve
Highly Confined Optical Modes in Nanoscale Metal-Dielectric Multilayers
We show that a stack of metal-dielectric nanolayers, in addition to the long-
and short-range plasmons, guides also an entire family of modes strongly
confined within the multilayer - the bulk plasmon modes. We propose the
classification scheme that reflects specific properties of these modes. We
report experimental verification of the bulk plasmon modes by measuring modal
indices in a structure made of three pairs of silica(29nm)/gold(25nm) layers.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Magnetic Properties of Undoped
The Heisenberg antiferromagnet, which arises from the large Hubbard
model, is investigated on the molecule and other fullerenes. The
connectivity of leads to an exotic classical ground state with
nontrivial topology. We argue that there is no phase transition in the Hubbard
model as a function of , and thus the large solution is relevant for
the physical case of intermediate coupling. The system undergoes a first order
metamagnetic phase transition. We also consider the S=1/2 case using
perturbation theory. Experimental tests are suggested.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures (included
Rules for Computing Symmetry, Density and Stoichiometry in a Quasi-Unit-Cell Model of Quasicrystals
The quasi-unit cell picture describes the atomic structure of quasicrystals
in terms of a single, repeating cluster which overlaps neighbors according to
specific overlap rules. In this paper, we discuss the precise relationship
between a general atomic decoration in the quasi-unit cell picture atomic
decorations in the Penrose tiling and in related tiling pictures. Using these
relations, we obtain a simple, practical method for determining the density,
stoichiometry and symmetry of a quasicrystal based on the atomic decoration of
the quasi-unit cell taking proper account of the sharing of atoms between
clusters.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure
Proliferation of anomalous symmetries in colloidal monolayers subjected to quasiperiodic light fields
Quasicrystals provide a fascinating class of materials with intriguing
properties. Despite a strong potential for numerous technical applications, the
conditions under which quasicrystals form are still poorly understood.
Currently, it is not clear why most quasicrystals hold 5- or 10-fold symmetry
but no single example with 7 or 9-fold symmetry has ever been observed. Here we
report on geometrical constraints which impede the formation of quasicrystals
with certain symmetries in a colloidal model system. Experimentally, colloidal
quasicrystals are created by subjecting micron-sized particles to
two-dimensional quasiperiodic potential landscapes created by n=5 or seven
laser beams. Our results clearly demonstrate that quasicrystalline order is
much easier established for n = 5 compared to n = 7. With increasing laser
intensity we observe that the colloids first adopt quasiperiodic order at local
areas which then laterally grow until an extended quasicrystalline layer forms.
As nucleation sites where quasiperiodicity originates, we identify highly
symmetric motifs in the laser pattern. We find that their density strongly
varies with n and surprisingly is smallest exactly for those quasicrystalline
symmetries which have never been observed in atomic systems. Since such high
symmetry motifs also exist in atomic quasicrystals where they act as
preferential adsorption sites, this suggests that it is indeed the deficiency
of such motifs which accounts for the absence of materials with e.g. 7-fold
symmetry
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