Dynamics of a two-level system strongly coupled to a high-frequency quantum oscillator

Recent experiments on quantum behavior in microfabricated solid-state systems suggest tantalizing connections to quantum optics. Several of these experiments address the prototypical problem of cavity quantum electrodynamics: a two-level system coupled to a quantum harmonic oscillator. Such devices may allow the exploration of parameter regimes outside the near-resonance and weak-coupling assumptions of the ubiquitous rotating-wave approximation (RWA), necessitating other theoretical approaches. One such approach is an adiabatic approximation in the limit that the oscillator frequency is much larger than the characteristic frequency of the two-level system. A derivation of the approximation is presented and the time evolution of the two-level-system occupation probability is calculated using both thermal- and coherent-state initial conditions for the oscillator. Closed-form evaluation of the time evolution in the weak-coupling limit provides insight into the differences between the thermal- and coherent-state models. Finally, potential experimental observations in solid-state systems, particularly the Cooper-pair box--nanomechanical resonator system, are discussed and found to be promising.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures; revised abstract; some text revisions; added two figures and combined others; added references. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Effect of positron-atom interactions on the annihilation gamma spectra of molecules

Calculations of gamma spectra for positron annihilation on a selection of molecules, including methane and its fluoro-substitutes, ethane, propane, butane and benzene are presented. The annihilation gamma spectra characterise the momentum distribution of the electron-positron pair at the instant of annihilation. The contribution to the gamma spectra from individual molecular orbitals is obtained from electron momentum densities calculated using modern computational quantum chemistry density functional theory tools. The calculation, in its simplest form, effectively treats the low-energy (thermalised, room-temperature) positron as a plane wave and gives annihilation gamma spectra that are about 40% broader than experiment, although the main chemical trends are reproduced. We show that this effective "narrowing" of the experimental spectra is due to the action of the molecular potential on the positron, chiefly, due to the positron repulsion from the nuclei. It leads to a suppression of the contribution of small positron-nuclear separations where the electron momentum is large. To investigate the effect of the nuclear repulsion, as well as that of short-range electron-positron and positron-molecule correlations, a linear combination of atomic orbital description of the molecular orbitals is employed. It facilitates the incorporation of correction factors which can be calculated from atomic many-body theory and account for the repulsion and correlations. Their inclusion in the calculation gives gamma spectrum linewidths that are in much better agreement with experiment. Furthermore, it is shown that the effective distortion of the electron momentum density, when it is observed through positron annihilation gamma spectra, can be approximated by a relatively simple scaling factor.Comment: 26 pages, 12 figure

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci from two inbreeding bark beetle species (Coccotrypes)

We developed 14 microsatellite markers in Coccotrypes carpophagus and 14 in C. dactyliperda. These loci will be used for studying genetic structure and the level of inbreeding in populations in the Canary Islands and Madeira. As a result of long-term inbreeding, genetic variability is relatively low in these bark beetle species. We found one to five alleles per locus in 29 C. carpophagus and 41 C. dactyliperda from various localities. Eleven of the markers developed for C. carpophagus amplified in C. dactyliperda and seven of the markers developed for C. dactyliperda amplified in C. carpophagus

Not Just Efficiency: Insolvency Law in the EU and Its Political Dimension

Certain insolvency law rules, like creditors’ priorities and set-off rights, have a distributive impact on creditors. Distributional rules reflect the hierarchies of values and interests in each jurisdiction and, as a result, have high political relevance and pose an obstacle to reforming the EU Insolvency Regulation. This paper will show the difficulty of reform by addressing two alternative options to regulate cross-border insolvencies in the European Union. The first one is the ‘choice model’, under which companies can select the insolvency law they prefer. Although such a model would allow distressed firms to select the most efficient insolvency law, it would also displace Member States’ power to protect local constituencies. The choice model therefore produces negative externalities and raises legitimacy concerns. The opposite solution is full harmonisation of insolvency law at EU level, including distributional rules. Full harmonisation would have the advantage of internalising all externalities produced by cross-border insolvencies. However, the EU legislative process, which is still based on negotiations between states, is not apt to decide on distributive insolvency rules; additionally, if harmonisation includes such rules, it will indirectly modify national social security strategies and equilibria. This debate shows that the choice regarding power allocation over bankruptcies in the EU depends on the progress of European integration and is mainly a matter of political legitimacy, not only of efficiency

Accurate, high-throughput typing of copy number variation using paralogue ratios from dispersed repeats

Recent work has demonstrated an unexpected prevalence of copy number variation in the human genome, and has highlighted the part this variation may play in predisposition to common phenotypes. Some important genes vary in number over a high range (e.g. DEFB4, which commonly varies between two and seven copies), and have posed formidable technical challenges for accurate copy number typing, so that there are no simple, cheap, high-throughput approaches suitable for large-scale screening. We have developed a simple comparative PCR method based on dispersed repeat sequences, using a single pair of precisely designed primers to amplify products simultaneously from both test and reference loci, which are subsequently distinguished and quantified via internal sequence differences. We have validated the method for the measurement of copy number at DEFB4 by comparison of results from >800 DNA samples with copy number measurements by MAPH/REDVR, MLPA and array-CGH. The new Paralogue Ratio Test (PRT) method can require as little as 10 ng genomic DNA, appears to be comparable in accuracy to the other methods, and for the first time provides a rapid, simple and inexpensive method for copy number analysis, suitable for application to typing thousands of samples in large case-control association studies

How hosts control worms

No abstract available

Josephson photonics with a two-mode superconducting circuit

We analyze the quantum dynamics of two electromagnetic oscillators coupled in series to a voltage-biased Josephson junction. When the applied voltage leads to a Josephson frequency across the junction which matches the sum of the two mode frequencies, tunneling Cooper pairs excite photons in both modes simultaneously leading to far-from-equilibrium states. These states display highly nonclassical features including strong antibunching, violation of Cauchy-Schwartz inequalities, and number squeezing. We obtain approximate analytic results for both the regimes of low and high photon occupancies which are supported by a full numerical treatment. The impact of asymmetries between the two modes is explored, revealing a pronounced enhancement of number squeezing when the modes are damped at different rates

Search for Flavoured Multiquarks in a Simple Bag Model

We use a bag model to study flavoured mesonic $(Qq\bar q\bar q)$ and baryonic $({\overline Q}qqqq)$ states, where one heavy quark $Q$ is associated with light quarks or antiquarks, and search for possible stable multiquarks. No bound state is found. However some states lie not too high above their dissociation threshold, suggesting the possibility of resonances, or perhaps bound states in improved models.Comment: REVTEX, VERSION 3.

Shallow BF2 implants in Xe-bombardment-preamorphized Si: the interaction between Xe and F

Si(100) samples, preamorphized to a depth of ~30 nm using 20 keV Xe ions to a nominal fluence of 2×1014 cm-2 were implanted with 1 and 3 keV BF2 ions to fluences of 7×1014 cm-2. Following annealing over a range of temperatures (from 600 to 1130 °C) and times the implant redistribution was investigated using medium-energy ion scattering (MEIS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), and energy filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM). MEIS studies showed that for all annealing conditions leading to solid phase epitaxial regrowth, approximately half of the Xe had accumulated at depths of 7 nm for the 1 keV and at 13 nm for the 3 keV BF2 implant. These depths correspond to the end of range of the B and F within the amorphous Si. SIMS showed that in the preamorphized samples, approximately 10% of the F migrates into the bulk and is trapped at the same depths in a ~1:1 ratio to Xe. These observations indicate an interaction between the Xe and F implants and a damage structure that becomes a trapping site. A small fraction of the implanted B is also trapped at this depth. EXTEM micrographs suggest the development of Xe agglomerates at the depths determined by MEIS. The effect is interpreted in terms of the formation of a volume defect structure within the amorphized Si, leading to F stabilized Xe agglomerates or XeF precipitates