2,401 research outputs found
Nonextensive thermodynamic functions in the Schr\"odinger-Gibbs ensemble
Schr\"odinger suggested that thermodynamical functions cannot be based on the
gratuitous allegation that quantum-mechanical levels (typically the orthogonal
eigenstates of the Hamiltonian operator) are the only allowed states for a
quantum system [E. Schr\"odinger, Statistical Thermodynamics (Courier Dover,
Mineola, 1967)]. Different authors have interpreted this statement by
introducing density distributions on the space of quantum pure states with
weights obtained as functions of the expectation value of the Hamiltonian of
the system.
In this work we focus on one of the best known of these distributions, and we
prove that, when considered in composite quantum systems, it defines partition
functions that do not factorize as products of partition functions of the
noninteracting subsystems, even in the thermodynamical regime. This implies
that it is not possible to define extensive thermodynamical magnitudes such as
the free energy, the internal energy or the thermodynamic entropy by using
these models. Therefore, we conclude that this distribution inspired by
Schr\"odinger's idea can not be used to construct an appropriate quantum
equilibrium thermodynamics.Comment: 32 pages, revtex 4.1 preprint style, 5 figures. Published version
with several changes with respect to v2 in text and reference
Experimental observation of oscillating and interacting matter wave dark solitons
We report on the generation, subsequent oscillation and interaction of a pair
of matter wave dark solitons. These are created by releasing a Bose-Einstein
condensate from a double well potential into a harmonic trap in the crossover
regime between one dimension (1D) and three dimensions (3D). The oscillation of
the solitons is observed and the frequency is in quantitative agreement with
simulations using the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. An effective particle picture
is developed and reveals that the deviation of the observed frequencies from
the asymptotic prediction , where is the
longitudinal trapping frequency, results from the dimensionality of the system
and the interaction between the solitons.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Electron transport through a metal-molecule-metal junction
Molecules of bisthiolterthiophene have been adsorbed on the two facing gold
electrodes of a mechanically controllable break junction in order to form
metal-molecule(s)-metal junctions. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics have
been recorded at room temperature. Zero bias conductances were measured in the
10-100 nS range and different kinds of non-linear I-V curves with step-like
features were reproducibly obtained. Switching between different kinds of I-V
curves could be induced by varying the distance between the two metallic
electrodes. The experimental results are discussed within the framework of
tunneling transport models explicitly taking into account the discrete nature
of the electronic spectrum of the molecule.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures to appear in Phys. Rev. B 59(19) 199
Fluctuation-Dissipation Relations of a Tunnel Junction Driven by a Quantum Circuit
We derive fluctuation-dissipation relations for a tunnel junction driven by a
high impedance microwave resonator, displaying strong quantum fluctuations. We
find that the fluctuation-dissipation relations derived for classical forces
hold, provided the effect of the circuit's quantum fluctuations is incorporated
into a modified non-linear curve. We also demonstrate that all
quantities measured under a coherent time dependent bias can be reconstructed
from their dc counterpart with a photo-assisted tunneling relation. We confirm
these predictions by implementing the circuit and measuring the dc current
through the junction, its high frequency admittance and its current noise at
the frequency of the resonator.Comment: Publisehd as Physical Review Letters, 114, 12680
Estimation of the mechanical properties of the eye through the study of its vibrational modes
Measuring the eye's mechanical properties in vivo and with minimally invasive
techniques can be the key for individualized solutions to a number of eye
pathologies. The development of such techniques largely relies on a
computational modelling of the eyeball and, it optimally requires the synergic
interplay between experimentation and numerical simulation. In Astrophysics and
Geophysics the remote measurement of structural properties of the systems of
their realm is performed on the basis of (helio-)seismic techniques. As a
biomechanical system, the eyeball possesses normal vibrational modes
encompassing rich information about its structure and mechanical properties.
However, the integral analysis of the eyeball vibrational modes has not been
performed yet. Here we develop a new finite difference method to compute both
the spheroidal and, specially, the toroidal eigenfrequencies of the human eye.
Using this numerical model, we show that the vibrational eigenfrequencies of
the human eye fall in the interval 100 Hz - 10 MHz. We find that compressible
vibrational modes may release a trace on high frequency changes of the
intraocular pressure, while incompressible normal modes could be registered
analyzing the scattering pattern that the motions of the vitreous humour leave
on the retina. Existing contact lenses with embebed devices operating at high
sampling frequency could be used to register the microfluctuations of the
eyeball shape we obtain. We advance that an inverse problem to obtain the
mechanical properties of a given eye (e.g., Young's modulus, Poisson ratio)
measuring its normal frequencies is doable. These measurements can be done
using non-invasive techniques, opening very interesting perspectives to
estimate the mechanical properties of eyes in vivo. Future research might
relate various ocular pathologies with anomalies in measured vibrational
frequencies of the eye.Comment: Published in PLoS ONE as Open Access Research Article. 17 pages, 5
color figure
Multi-mode storage and retrieval of microwave fields in a spin ensemble
A quantum memory at microwave frequencies, able to store the state of
multiple superconducting qubits for long times, is a key element for quantum
information processing. Electronic and nuclear spins are natural candidates for
the storage medium as their coherence time can be well above one second.
Benefiting from these long coherence times requires to apply the refocusing
techniques used in magnetic resonance, a major challenge in the context of
hybrid quantum circuits. Here we report the first implementation of such a
scheme, using ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond coupled to
a superconducting resonator, in a setup compatible with superconducting qubit
technology. We implement the active reset of the NV spins into their ground
state by optical pumping and their refocusing by Hahn echo sequences. This
enables the storage of multiple microwave pulses at the picoWatt level and
their retrieval after up to s, a three orders of magnitude improvement
compared to previous experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures + Supplementary information (text and 6 figures
First anatomical network analysis of fore- and hindlimb musculoskeletal modularity in bonobos, common chimpanzees, and humans
Studies of morphological integration and modularity, and of anatomical complexity in human evolution typically focus on skeletal tissues. Here we provide the first network analysis of the musculoskeletal anatomy of both the fore- and hindlimbs of the two species of chimpanzee and humans. Contra long-accepted ideas, network analysis reveals that the hindlimb displays a pattern opposite to that of the forelimb: Pan big toe is typically seen as more independently mobile, but humans are actually the ones that have a separate module exclusively related to its movements. Different fore- vs hindlimb patterns are also seen for anatomical network complexity (i.e., complexity in the arrangement of bones and muscles). For instance, the human hindlimb is as complex as that of chimpanzees but the human forelimb is less complex than in Pan. Importantly, in contrast to the analysis of morphological integration using morphometric approaches, network analyses do not support the prediction that forelimb and hindlimb are more dissimilar in species with functionally divergent limbs such as bipedal humans
Storage and Retrieval of a Microwave Field in a Spin Ensemble
We report the storage and retrieval of a small microwave field from a
superconducting resonator into collective excitations of a spin ensemble. The
spins are nitrogen-vacancy centers in a diamond crystal. The storage time of
the order of 30 ns is limited by inhomogeneous broadening of the spin ensemble.Comment: 4 pages + supplementary material. Submitted to PR
Distributed coherent manipulation of qutrits by virtual excitation processes
We propose a scheme for the deterministic coherent manipulation of two atomic
qutrits, trapped in separate cavities coupled through a short optical fibre or
optical resonator. We study such a system in the regime of dispersive
atom-field interactions, where the dynamics of atoms, cavities and fibre
operates through virtual population of both the atomic excited states and
photonic states in the cavities and fibre. We show that the resulting effective
dynamics allows for the creation of robust qutrit entanglement, and thoroughly
investigate the influence of imperfections and dissipation, due to atomic
spontaneous emission and photon leakage, on the entanglement of the two qutrits
state.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure
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