Factorization of quantum charge transport for non-interacting fermions

We show that the statistics of the charge transfer of non-interacting fermions through a two-lead contact is generalized binomial, at any temperature and for any form of the scattering matrix: an arbitrary charge-transfer process can be decomposed into independent single-particle events. This result generalizes previous studies of adiabatic pumping at zero temperature and of transport induced by bias voltage.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, typos corrected, references adde

Controlling the quantum number distribution and yield of Rydberg states via the duration of the laser pulse

We show that the distribution of quantum numbers of Rydberg states does not only depend on the field strength and wavelength of the laser which the atom is exposed to, but that it also changes significantly with the duration of the laser pulse. We provide an intuitive explanation for the underlying mechanism and derive a scaling law for the position of the peak in the quantum number distribution on the pulse duration. The new analytic description for the electron's movement in the superposed laser and Coulomb field (applied in the study of quantum numbers) is then used to explain the decrease of the Rydberg yield with longer pulse durations. This description stands in contrast to the concepts that explained the decrease so far and also reveals that approximations which neglect Coulomb effects during propagation are not sufficient in cases such as this.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Vortex solitons in dispersive nonlinear Kerr type media

We have investigated the nonlinear amplitude vector equation governing the evolution of optical pulses in optical and UV region. We are normalizing this equation for the cases of different and equal transverse and longitudinal size of optical pulses, of week and strong dispersion. This gives us the possibility to reduce the amplitude equation to different nonlinear evolution equations in the partial cases. For some of these nonlinear equations exact vortex solutions are found. Conditions for experimental observations of these vortices are determined.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figures, Late

Relaxation time of the topological T1 process in a two-dimensional foam

The elementary topological T1 process in a two-dimensional foam corresponds to the "flip" of one soap film with respect to the geometrical constraints. From a mechanical point of view, this T1 process is an elementary relaxation process through which the entire structure of an out-of-equilibrium foam evolves. The dynamics of this elementary relaxation process has been poorly investigated and is generally neglected during simulations of foams. We study both experimentally and theoretically the T1 dynamics in a dry two-dimensional foam. We show that the dynamics is controlled by the surface viscoelastic properties of the soap films (surface shear plus dilatational viscosity, ms+k, and Gibbs elasticity e), and is independent of the shear viscosity of the bulk liquid. Moreover, our approach illustrates that the dynamics of T1 relaxation process provides a convenient tool for measuring the surface rheological properties: we obtained e = 32+/-8 mN/m and ms+k = 1.3+/-0.7 mPa.m.s for SDS, and e = 65+/-12 mN/m and ms+k = 31+/-12 mPa.m.s for BSA, in good agreement with values reported in the literature