Complex Obtuse Random Walks and their Continuous-Time Limits

We study a particular class of complex-valued random variables and their associated random walks: the complex obtuse random variables. They are the generalization to the complex case of the real-valued obtuse random variables which were introduced in \cite{A-E} in order to understand the structure of normal martingales in \RR^n.The extension to the complex case is mainly motivated by considerations from Quantum Statistical Mechanics, in particular for the seek of a characterization of those quantum baths acting as classical noises. The extension of obtuse random variables to the complex case is far from obvious and hides very interesting algebraical structures. We show that complex obtuse random variables are characterized by a 3-tensor which admits certain symmetries which we show to be the exact 3-tensor analogue of the normal character for 2-tensors (i.e. matrices), that is, a necessary and sufficient condition for being diagonalizable in some orthonormal basis. We discuss the passage to the continuous-time limit for these random walks and show that they converge in distribution to normal martingales in \CC^N. We show that the 3-tensor associated to these normal martingales encodes their behavior, in particular the diagonalization directions of the 3-tensor indicate the directions of the space where the martingale behaves like a diffusion and those where it behaves like a Poisson process. We finally prove the convergence, in the continuous-time limit, of the corresponding multiplication operators on the canonical Fock space, with an explicit expression in terms of the associated 3-tensor again

Entanglement of Bipartite Quantum Systems driven by Repeated Interactions

We consider a non-interacting bipartite quantum system $\mathcal H_S^A\otimes\mathcal H_S^B$ undergoing repeated quantum interactions with an environment modeled by a chain of independant quantum systems interacting one after the other with the bipartite system. The interactions are made so that the pieces of environment interact first with $\mathcal H_S^A$ and then with $\mathcal H_S^B$. Even though the bipartite systems are not interacting, the interactions with the environment create an entanglement. We show that, in the limit of short interaction times, the environment creates an effective interaction Hamiltonian between the two systems. This interaction Hamiltonian is explicitly computed and we show that it keeps track of the order of the successive interactions with $\mathcal H_S^A$ and $\mathcal H_S^B$. Particular physical models are studied, where the evolution of the entanglement can be explicitly computed. We also show the property of return of equilibrium and thermalization for a family of examples

Dynamical Semigroups for Unbounded Repeated Perturbation of Open System

We consider dynamical semigroups with unbounded Kossakowski-Lindblad-Davies generators which are related to evolution of an open system with a tuned repeated harmonic perturbation. Our main result is the proof of existence of uniquely determined minimal trace-preserving strongly continuous dynamical semigroups on the space of density matrices. The corresponding dual W *-dynamical system is shown to be unital quasi-free and completely positive automorphisms of the CCR-algebra. We also comment on the action of dynamical semigroups on quasi-free states

Conservation laws in Skyrme-type models

The zero curvature representation of Zakharov and Shabat has been generalized recently to higher dimensions and has been used to construct non-linear field theories which either are integrable or contain integrable submodels. The Skyrme model, for instance, contains an integrable subsector with infinitely many conserved currents, and the simplest Skyrmion with baryon number one belongs to this subsector. Here we use a related method, based on the geometry of target space, to construct a whole class of theories which are either integrable or contain integrable subsectors (where integrability means the existence of infinitely many conservation laws). These models have three-dimensional target space, like the Skyrme model, and their infinitely many conserved currents turn out to be Noether currents of the volume-preserving diffeomorphisms on target space. Specifically for the Skyrme model, we find both a weak and a strong integrability condition, where the conserved currents form a subset of the algebra of volume-preserving diffeomorphisms in both cases, but this subset is a subalgebra only for the weak integrable submodel.Comment: Latex file, 22 pages. Two (insignificant) errors in Eqs. 104-106 correcte

Steady state fluctuations of the dissipated heat for a quantum stochastic model

We introduce a quantum stochastic dynamics for heat conduction. A multi-level subsystem is coupled to reservoirs at different temperatures. Energy quanta are detected in the reservoirs allowing the study of steady state fluctuations of the entropy dissipation. Our main result states a symmetry in its large deviation rate function.Comment: 41 pages, minor changes, published versio

Origin of the excitonic recombinations in hexagonal boron nitride by spatially resolved cathodoluminescence spectroscopy

The excitonic recombinations in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) are investigated with spatially resolved cathodoluminescence spectroscopy in the UV range. Cathodoluminescence images of an individual hBN crystallite reveals that the 215 nm free excitonic line is quite homogeneously emitted along the crystallite whereas the 220 nm and 227 nm excitonic emissions are located in specific regions of the crystallite. Transmission electron microscopy images show that these regions contain a high density of crystalline defects. This suggests that both the 220 nm and 227 nm emissions are produced by the recombination of excitons bound to structural defects

Quantum Stochastic Processes: A Case Study

We present a detailed study of a simple quantum stochastic process, the quantum phase space Brownian motion, which we obtain as the Markovian limit of a simple model of open quantum system. We show that this physical description of the process allows us to specify and to construct the dilation of the quantum dynamical maps, including conditional quantum expectations. The quantum phase space Brownian motion possesses many properties similar to that of the classical Brownian motion, notably its increments are independent and identically distributed. Possible applications to dissipative phenomena in the quantum Hall effect are suggested.Comment: 35 pages, 1 figure

Assessment of Irradiation Damage on Stainless Steel by Acoustic Miroscopy

The plan to increase the life cycle of nuclear power stations opens up a new field of investigation for methods of characterizing materials. One of the main problems encountered by the operator is knowing how to evaluate the remaining useful life of components in its generating unit to prevent critical parts from suddenly breaking in service [1]. The aim is to end up with indicators of the degree of damage suffered by metal structures using nondestructive measurement tests whose effectiveness will have been proved in an industrial environment

Fluctuations of Quantum Currents and Unravelings of Master Equations

The very notion of a current fluctuation is problematic in the quantum context. We study that problem in the context of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, both in a microscopic setup and in a Markovian model. Our answer is based on a rigorous result that relates the weak coupling limit of fluctuations of reservoir observables under a global unitary evolution with the statistics of the so-called quantum trajectories. These quantum trajectories are frequently considered in the context of quantum optics, but they remain useful for more general nonequilibrium systems. In contrast with the approaches found in the literature, we do not assume that the system is continuously monitored. Instead, our starting point is a relatively realistic unitary dynamics of the full system.Comment: 18 pages, v1-->v2, Replaced the former Appendix B by a (thematically) different one. Mainly changes in the introductory Section 2+ added reference

Impact of recycling and lateral sediment input on grain size fining trends – implications for reconstructing tectonic and climate forcings in ancient sedimentary systems

Grain size trends in basin stratigraphy are thought to preserve a rich record of the climatic and tectonic controls on landscape evolution. Stratigraphic models assume that over geological timescales, the downstream profile of sediment deposition is in dynamic equilibrium with the spatial distribution of tectonic subsidence in the basin, sea level and the flux and calibre of sediment supplied from mountain catchments. Here, we demonstrate that this approach in modelling stratigraphic responses to environmental change is missing a key ingredient: the dynamic geomorphology of the sediment routing system. For three large alluvial fans in the Iglesia basin, Argentine Andes we measured the grain size of modern river sediment from fan apex to toe and characterise the spatial distribution of differential subsidence for each fan by constructing a 3D model of basin stratigraphy from seismic data. We find, using a self-similar grain size fining model, that the profile of grain size fining on all three fans cannot be reproduced given the subsidence profile measured and for any sediment supply scenario. However, by adapting the self-similar model, we demonstrate that the grain size trends on each fan can be effectively reproduced when sediment is not only sourced from a single catchment at the apex of the system, but also laterally, from tributary catchments and through fan surface recycling. Without constraint on the dynamic geomorphology of these large alluvial systems, signals of tectonic and climate forcing in grain size data are masked and would be indecipherable in the geological record. This has significant implications for our ability to make sensitive, quantitative reconstructions of external boundary conditions from the sedimentary record