866 research outputs found
Molecular Feshbach dissociation as a source for motionally entangled atoms
We describe the dissociation of a diatomic Feshbach molecule due to a
time-varying external magnetic field in a realistic trap and guide setting. An
analytic expression for the asymptotic state of the two ultracold atoms is
derived, which can serve as a basis for the analysis of dissociation protocols
to generate motionally entangled states. For instance, the gradual dissociation
by sequences of magnetic field pulses may delocalize the atoms into
macroscopically distinct wave packets, whose motional entanglement can be
addressed interferometrically. The established relation between the applied
magnetic field pulse and the generated dissociation state reveals that
square-shaped magnetic field pulses minimize the momentum spread of the atoms.
This is required to control the detrimental influence of dispersion in a
recently proposed experiment to perform a Bell test in the motion of the two
atoms [C. Gneiting and K. Hornberger, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 260503 (2008)].Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures; corresponds to published versio
Emergence of pointer states in a non-perturbative environment
We show that the pointer basis distinguished by collisional decoherence
consists of exponentially localized, solitonic wave packets. Based on the
orthogonal unraveling of the quantum master equation, we characterize their
formation and dynamics, and we demonstrate that the statistical weights arising
from an initial superposition state are given by the required projection. Since
the spatial width of the pointer states can be obtained by accounting for the
gas environment in a microscopically realistic fashion, one may thus calculate
the coherence length of a strongly interacting gas.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure; corresponds to published versio
Hormone replacement therapy is associated with improved cognition and larger brain volumes in at-risk APOE4 women:results from the European Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease (EPAD) cohort
The boundary integral method for magnetic billiards
We introduce a boundary integral method for two-dimensional quantum billiards
subjected to a constant magnetic field. It allows to calculate spectra and wave
functions, in particular at strong fields and semiclassical values of the
magnetic length. The method is presented for interior and exterior problems
with general boundary conditions. We explain why the magnetic analogues of the
field-free single and double layer equations exhibit an infinity of spurious
solutions and how these can be eliminated at the expense of dealing with
(hyper-)singular operators. The high efficiency of the method is demonstrated
by numerical calculations in the extreme semiclassical regime.Comment: 28 pages, 12 figure
A ballistic motion disrupted by quantum reflections
I study a Lindblad dynamics modeling a quantum test particle in a Dirac comb
that collides with particles from a background gas. The main result is a
homogenization theorem in an adiabatic limiting regime involving large initial
momentum for the test particle. Over the time interval considered, the particle
would exhibit essentially ballistic motion if either the singular periodic
potential or the kicks from the gas were removed. However, the particle behaves
diffusively when both sources of forcing are present. The conversion of the
motion from ballistic to diffusive is generated by occasional quantum
reflections that result when the test particle's momentum is driven through a
collision near to an element of the half-spaced reciprocal lattice of the Dirac
comb.Comment: 54 pages. I rewrote the introduction and simplified some of the
presentatio
Therapists’ perceptions and acceptability of providing internet-delivered guided self-help Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for family carers of people with dementia (iACT4CARERS): a qualitative study
Internet-delivered guided self-help Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for family carers of people with dementia (iACT4CARERS): A qualitative study of carer views and acceptability
PURPOSE: To explore carers’ views and acceptability of internet-delivered, therapist-guided, self-help Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for family carers of people with dementia (iACT4CARERS). METHODS: A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews was employed with family carers (N = 23) taking part in a feasibility study of iACT4CARERS. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Four overarching themes were identified: 1) usefulness and relevance of the content of the sessions, 2) sense of connectedness, 3) the impact of the intervention on participants and 4) acceptability of the online delivery. Positive carer experiences and intervention acceptability were facilitated by learning helpful ACT skills, perceiving the content of the session as relatable to the carers’ needs, feeling connected to other carers and the therapist during the intervention, noticing the benefits of the intervention and the user-friendliness of the online platform. Recommendations for a full-scale trial were identified, such as the inclusion of some “face-to-face” interactions (e.g., via video call) between carers and therapists to facilitate a bidirectional interaction and the provision of an additional aide-memoire to improve the learning experiences. CONCLUSION: Overall, the intervention was acceptable to the family carers. The proposed recommendations should be considered in a full-scale trial
Intermixture of extended edge and localized bulk energy levels in macroscopic Hall systems
We study the spectrum of a random Schroedinger operator for an electron
submitted to a magnetic field in a finite but macroscopic two dimensional
system of linear dimensions equal to L. The y direction is periodic and in the
x direction the electron is confined by two smooth increasing boundary
potentials. The eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian are classified according to
their associated quantum mechanical current in the y direction. Here we look at
an interval of energies inside the first Landau band of the random operator for
the infinite plane. In this energy interval, with large probability, there
exist O(L) eigenvalues with positive or negative currents of O(1). Between each
of these there exist O(L^2) eigenvalues with infinitesimal current
O(exp(-cB(log L)^2)). We explain what is the relevance of this analysis to the
integer quantum Hall effect.Comment: 29 pages, no figure
Introduction to decoherence theory
This is an introduction to the theory of decoherence with an emphasis on its
microscopic origins and on a dynamic description. The text corresponds to a
chapter soon to be published in: A. Buchleitner, C. Viviescas, and M. Tiersch
(Eds.), Entanglement and Decoherence. Foundations and Modern Trends, Lecture
Notes in Physics, Vol 768, Springer, Berlin (2009)Comment: 57 pages, 2 figures; some new material added and typos corrected.
This corresponds to the published versio
Contrasting prefrontal cortex contributions to episodic memory dysfunction in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia and alzheimer's disease
Recent evidence has questioned the integrity of episodic memory in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), where recall performance is impaired to the same extent as in Alzheimer's disease (AD). While these deficits appear to be mediated by divergent patterns of brain atrophy, there is evidence to suggest that certain prefrontal regions are implicated across both patient groups. In this study we sought to further elucidate the dorsolateral (DLPFC) and ventromedial (VMPFC) prefrontal contributions to episodic memory impairment in bvFTD and AD. Performance on episodic memory tasks and neuropsychological measures typically tapping into either DLPFC or VMPFC functions was assessed in 22 bvFTD, 32 AD patients and 35 age- and education-matched controls. Behaviourally, patient groups did not differ on measures of episodic memory recall or DLPFC-mediated executive functions. BvFTD patients were significantly more impaired on measures of VMPFC-mediated executive functions. Composite measures of the recall, DLPFC and VMPFC task scores were covaried against the T1 MRI scans of all participants to identify regions of atrophy correlating with performance on these tasks. Imaging analysis showed that impaired recall performance is associated with divergent patterns of PFC atrophy in bvFTD and AD. Whereas in bvFTD, PFC atrophy covariates for recall encompassed both DLPFC and VMPFC regions, only the DLPFC was implicated in AD. Our results suggest that episodic memory deficits in bvFTD and AD are underpinned by divergent prefrontal mechanisms. Moreover, we argue that these differences are not adequately captured by existing neuropsychological measures
- …