Exchange interaction effects in inter-Landau level Auger scattering in a two-dimensional electron gas

We consider the influence of spin effects on the inter-Landau level electron-electron scattering rate in a two-dimensional electron gas. Due to the exchange spin splitting, the Landau levels are not equidistant. This leads to the suppresion of Auger processes and a nonlinear dependence of the lifetime on the concentration of the excited electrons even at very low excitation levels.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Quantum Decoherence of Two Qubits

It is commonly stated that decoherence in open quantum systems is due to growing entanglement with an environment. In practice, however, surprisingly often decoherence may equally well be described by random unitary dynamics without invoking a quantum environment at all. For a single qubit, for instance, pure decoherence (or phase damping) is always of random unitary type. Here, we construct a simple example of true quantum decoherence of two qubits: we present a feasible phase damping channel of which we show that it cannot be understood in terms of random unitary dynamics. We give a very intuitive geometrical measure for the positive distance of our channel to the convex set of random unitary channels and find remarkable agreement with the so-called Birkhoff defect based on the norm of complete boundedness.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Measurement of miniband parameters of a doped superlattice by photoluminescence in high magnetic fields

We have studied a 50/50\AA superlattice of GaAs/Al$_{0.21}$Ga$_{0.79}$As composition, modulation-doped with Si, to produce $n=1.4\times 10^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ electrons per superlattice period. The modulation-doping was tailored to avoid the formation of Tamm states, and photoluminescence due to interband transitions from extended superlattice states was detected. By studying the effects of a quantizing magnetic field on the superlattice photoluminescence, the miniband energy width, the reduced effective mass of the electron-hole pair, and the band gap renormalization could be deduced.Comment: minor typing errors (minus sign in eq. (5)

Optical study of superconducting Ga-rich layers in silicon

We performed phase-sensitive terahertz (0.12 - 1.2 THz) transmission measurements of Ga-enriched layers in silicon. Below the superconducting transition, T_{c} = 6.7 K, we find clear signatures of the formation of a superconducting condensate and of the opening of an energy gap in the optical spectra. The London penetration depth, \lambda(T), and the condensate density, n_{s} = \lambda^{2} 0)/\lambda^{2}(T), as functions of temperature demonstrate behavior, typical for conventional superconductors with \lambda(0) = 1.8 \mu m. The terahertz spectra can be well described within the framework of Eliashberg theory with strong electron-phonon coupling: the zero-temperature energy gap is 2\Delta(0) = 2.64 meV and 2\Delta(0)/k_{B}T_{c} = 4.6 \pm 0.1, consistent with the amorphous state of Ga. At temperatures just above T_{c}, the optical spectra demonstrate Drude behavior.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Disparity of superconducting and pseudogap scales in low-Tc Bi-2201 cuprates

We experimentally study transport and intrinsic tunneling characteristics of a single-layer cuprate Bi(2+x)Sr(2-y)CuO(6+delta) with a low superconducting critical temperature Tc < 4 K. It is observed that the superconducting energy, critical field and fluctuation temperature range are scaling down with Tc, while the corresponding pseudogap characteristics have the same order of magnitude as for high-Tc cuprates with 20 to 30 times higher Tc. The observed disparity of the superconducting and pseudogap scales clearly reveals their different origins.Comment: 5 page

Correlation between Fermi surface transformations and superconductivity in the electron-doped high-TcT_c superconductor Nd2−x_{2-x}Cex_xCuO4_4

Two critical points have been revealed in the normal-state phase diagram of the electron-doped cuprate superconductor Nd$_{2-x}$Ce$_x$CuO$_4$ by exploring the Fermi surface properties of high quality single crystals by high-field magnetotransport. First, the quantitative analysis of the Shubnikov-de Haas effect shows that the weak superlattice potential responsible for the Fermi surface reconstruction in the overdoped regime extrapolates to zero at the doping level $x_c = 0.175$ corresponding to the onset of superconductivity. Second, the high-field Hall coefficient exhibits a sharp drop right below optimal doping $x_{\mathrm{opt}} = 0.145$ where the superconducting transition temperature is maximum. This drop is most likely caused by the onset of long-range antiferromagnetic ordering. Thus, the superconducting dome appears to be pinned by two critical points to the normal state phase diagram.Comment: 9 pages; 7 figures; 1 tabl

Parameterizing anisotropic reflectance of snow surfaces from airborne digital camera observations in Antarctica

The surface reflection of solar radiation comprises an important boundary condition for solar radiative transfer simulations. In polar regions above snow surfaces, the surface reflection is particularly anisotropic due to low Sun elevations and the highly anisotropic scattering phase function of the snow crystals. The characterization of this surface reflection anisotropy is essential for satellite remote sensing over both the Arctic and Antarctica. To quantify the angular snow reflection properties, the hemispherical-directional reflectance factor (HDRF) of snow surfaces was derived from airborne measurements in Antarctica during austral summer in 2013/14. For this purpose, a digital 180∘ fish-eye camera (green channel, 490–585 nm wavelength band) was used. The HDRF was measured for different surface roughness conditions, optical-equivalent snow grain sizes, and solar zenith angles. The airborne observations covered an area of around 1000 km × 1000 km in the vicinity of Kohnen Station (75∘0′ S, 0∘4′ E) at the outer part of the East Antarctic Plateau. The observations include regions with higher (coastal areas) and lower (inner Antarctica) precipitation amounts and frequencies. The digital camera provided upward, angular-dependent radiance measurements from the lower hemisphere. The comparison of the measured HDRF derived for smooth and rough snow surfaces (sastrugi) showed significant differences, which are superimposed on the diurnal cycle. By inverting a semi-empirical kernel-driven bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model, the measured HDRF of snow surfaces was parameterized as a function of solar zenith angle, surface roughness, and optical-equivalent snow grain size. This allows a direct comparison of the HDRF measurements with the BRDF derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite product MCD43. For the analyzed cases, MODIS observations (545–565 nm wavelength band) generally underestimated the anisotropy of the surface reflection. The largest deviations were found for the volumetric model weight fvol (average underestimation by a factor of 10). These deviations are likely linked to short-term changes in snow properties

System-environment correlations and Non-Markovian dynamics

We determine the total state dynamics of a dephasing open quantum system using the standard environment of harmonic oscillators. Of particular interest are random unitary approaches to the same reduced dynamics and system-environment correlations in the full model. Concentrating on a model with an at times negative dephasing rate, the issue of "non-Markovianity" will also be addressed. Crucially, given the quantum environment, the appearance of non-Markovian dynamics turns out to be accompanied by a loss of system-environment correlations. Depending on the initial purity of the qubit state, these system-environment correlations may be purely classical over the whole relevant time scale, or there may be intervals of genuine system-environment entanglement. In the latter case, we see no obvious relation between the build-up or decay of these quantum correlations and "Non-Markovianity"