2,829 research outputs found
Entanglement, fidelity, and quantum-classical correlations with an atom walking in a quantized cavity field
Stability and instability of quantum evolution are studied in the interaction
between a two-level atom with photon recoil and a quantized field mode in an
ideal cavity, the basic model of cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED). It is
shown that the Jaynes-Cummings dynamics can be unstable in the regime of
chaotic walking of the atomic center-of-mass in the quantized field of a
standing wave in the absence of any kind of interaction with environment. This
kind of quantum instability manifests itself in strong variations of reduced
quantum purity and entropy, correlating with the respective classical Lyapunov
exponent, and in exponential sensitivity of fidelity of quantum states to small
variations in the atom-field detuning. The connection between quantum
entanglement and fidelity and the center-of-mass motion is clarified
analytically and numerically for a few regimes of that motion. The results are
illustrated with two specific initial field states: the Fock and coherent ones.
Numerical experiments demonstrate various manifestations of the
quantum-classical correspondence, including dynamical chaos and fractals, which
can be, in principle, observed in real experiments with atoms and photons in
high finesse cavities
Ideal kink instability of a magnetic loop equilibrium
The force-free coronal loop model by Titov & D\'emoulin (1999} is found to be
unstable with respect to the ideal kink mode, which suggests this instability
as a mechanism for the initiation of flares. The long-wavelength () mode
grows for average twists \Phi\ga3.5\pi (at a loop aspect ratio of
5). The threshold of instability increases with increasing major loop radius,
primarily because the aspect ratio then also increases. Numerically obtained
equilibria at subcritical twist are very close to the approximate analytical
equilibrium; they do not show indications of sigmoidal shape. The growth of
kink perturbations is eventually slowed down by the surrounding potential
field, which varies only slowly with radius in the model. With this field a
global eruption is not obtained in the ideal MHD limit. Kink perturbations with
a rising loop apex lead to the formation of a vertical current sheet below the
apex, which does not occur in the cylindrical approximation.Comment: Astron. Astrophys. Lett., accepte
The use of ICT in the assessment of modern languages: the English context and European viewpoints
The ever increasing explosion of highly attractive multimedia resources on offer has boosted the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the teaching and learning of modern languages. The use of ICT to assess languages is less frequent, however, although online testing is starting to develop. This paper examines the national context for the assessment of modern foreign language proficiency in England, outlines the kinds of assessment currently available and the development of electronic forms of assessment and compares the above with the survey results of a European Union (EU) funded project on current good practice in online assessment of languages in other European countries. The findings indicate that speaking is inadequately served by online testing as tests currently focus primarily on receptive language skills. The implications for future successful online testing include the incorporation of interactive skills and effective formative feedback
A Multi-Functional View of Moral Disengagement: Exploring the Effects of Learning the Consequences
This paper takes us beyond the unethical act and explores the use of moral disengagement as a multi-stage, multi-functional regulatory, and coping mechanism that not only allows individuals to engage in unethical behavior, but also manage the negative emotions (i.e., guilt and shame) from learning the consequences of such behavior. A resource-based lens is applied to the moral disengagement process, suggesting that individuals not only morally disengage prior to committing an unethical act in order to conserve their own resources, but also morally disengage as a coping mechanism to reduce emotional duress upon learning of the consequences of their actions, which we describe as post-moral disengagement. These assertions are tested using a scenario-based laboratory study consisting of 182 respondents. Findings indicate that individuals will morally disengage in order to commit an unethical act, will experience negative emotions from having learned of the consequences, and then will engage in post-moral disengagement as a coping mechanism. In addition, the findings suggest that guilt and shame relate differently to moral disengagement
On Signatures of Twisted Magnetic Flux Tube Emergence
Recent studies of NOAA active region 10953, by Okamoto {\it et al.} ({\it
Astrophys. J. Lett.} {\bf 673}, 215, 2008; {\it Astrophys. J.} {\bf 697}, 913,
2009), have interpreted photospheric observations of changing widths of the
polarities and reversal of the horizontal magnetic field component as
signatures of the emergence of a twisted flux tube within the active region and
along its internal polarity inversion line (PIL). A filament is observed along
the PIL and the active region is assumed to have an arcade structure. To
investigate this scenario, MacTaggart and Hood ({\it Astrophys. J. Lett.} {\bf
716}, 219, 2010) constructed a dynamic flux emergence model of a twisted
cylinder emerging into an overlying arcade. The photospheric signatures
observed by Okamoto {\it et al.} (2008, 2009) are present in the model although
their underlying physical mechanisms differ. The model also produces two
additional signatures that can be verified by the observations. The first is an
increase in the unsigned magnetic flux in the photosphere at either side of the
PIL. The second is the behaviour of characteristic photospheric flow profiles
associated with twisted flux tube emergence. We look for these two signatures
in AR 10953 and find negative results for the emergence of a twisted flux tube
along the PIL. Instead, we interpret the photospheric behaviour along the PIL
to be indicative of photospheric magnetic cancellation driven by flows from the
dominant sunspot. Although we argue against flux emergence within this
particular region, the work demonstrates the important relationship between
theory and observations for the successful discovery and interpretation of
signatures of flux emergence.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Solar Physic
A three-dimensional study of reconnection, current sheets and jets resulting from magnetic flux emergence in the Sun
We present the results of a set of three-dimensional numerical simulations of
magnetic flux emergence from below the photosphere into the corona that include
a uniform and horizontal coronal magnetic field mimicking a pre-existing
large-scale coronal magnetic system. Cases with different relative orientations
of the upcoming and coronal fields are studied. Upon contact, a concentrated
current sheet with the shape of an arch or bridge is formed at the interface
which marks the positions of maximum jump in the field vector between the two
systems. Relative angles above 90 degrees yield abundant magnetic reconnection
and plasma heating. The reconnection is seen to be intrisincally
three-dimensional in nature, except at singular positions along the current
sheet. It drives collimated high-speed and high-temperature outflows only a
short distance from the reconnection site that propagate along the ambient
magnetic field lines as jets. Due to the low plasma density in the corona,
these jets may propagate over large distances and, therefore help distribute
high-density and high-temperature plasma along these newly reconnected field
lines. The experiments permit to discern and visualize the three-dimensional
shape and relative position of the upcoming plasma hill, high-speed jets and
subphotospheric flux system. As a result of the reconnection, magnetic field
lines from the magnetized plasma below the surface end up as coronal field
lines, thus causing a profound change in the connectivity of the magnetic
regions in the corona. The experiments presented here thus yield a number of
features repeatedly observed with the TRACE satellite and the YOHKOH-SXT
detector, like the establishment of connectivity between emergent and
pre-existing active regions, local heating and high-velocity outflows.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, inpress ApJ
Polydisperse Adsorption: Pattern Formation Kinetics, Fractal Properties, and Transition to Order
We investigate the process of random sequential adsorption of polydisperse
particles whose size distribution exhibits a power-law dependence in the small
size limit, . We reveal a relation between pattern
formation kinetics and structural properties of arising patterns. We propose a
mean-field theory which provides a fair description for sufficiently small
. When , highly ordered structures locally identical
to the Apollonian packing are formed. We introduce a quantitative criterion of
the regularity of the pattern formation process. When , a sharp
transition from irregular to regular pattern formation regime is found to occur
near the jamming coverage of standard random sequential adsorption with
monodisperse size distribution.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX, 5 figures, to appear in Phys.Rev.
Trapping of Single Atoms with Single Photons in Cavity QED
Two recent experiments have reported the trapping of individual atoms inside
optical resonators by the mechanical forces associated with single photons
[Hood et al., Science 287, 1447 (2000) and Pinkse et al., Nature 404, 365
(2000)]. Here we analyze the trapping dynamics in these settings, focusing on
two points of interest. Firstly, we investigate the extent to which
light-induced forces in these experiments are distinct from their free-space
counterparts. Secondly, we explore the quantitative features of the resulting
atomic motion and how these dynamics are mapped onto variations of the
intracavity field. Not surprisingly, qualitatively distinct atomic dynamics
arise as the coupling and dissipative rates are varied. For the experiment of
Hood et al., we show that atomic motion is largely conservative and is
predominantly in radial orbits transverse to the cavity axis. A comparison with
the free-space theory demonstrates that the fluctuations of the dipole force
are suppressed by an order of magnitude. This effect is based upon the
Jaynes-Cummings eigenstates of the atom-cavity system and represents
qualitatively new physics for optical forces at the single-photon level. By
contrast, even in a regime of strong coupling in the experiment of Pinkse et
al., there are only small quantitative distinctions between the free-space
theory and the quantum theory, so it is not clear that description of this
experiment as a novel single-quantum trapping effect is necessary. The atomic
motion is strongly diffusive, leading to an average localization time
comparable to the time for an atom to transit freely through the cavity and to
a reduction in the ability to infer aspects of the atomic motion from the
intracavity photon number.Comment: 19 pages, 22 figure files, REVTEX, corrected spelling, LaTeX now
produces postscript which includes figures, minor changes to figures. Final
version to be published in Physical Review A, expanded summary of results in
introduction, minor changes to figures and tex
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