Disordered asymmetric simple exclusion process: mean-field treatment

We provide two complementary approaches to the treatment of disorder in a fundamental nonequilibrium model, the asymmetric simple exclusion process. Firstly, a mean-field steady state mapping is generalized to the disordered case, where it provides a mapping of probability distributions and demonstrates how disorder results in a new flat regime in the steady state current--density plot for periodic boundary conditions. This effect was earlier observed by Tripathy and Barma but we provide treatment for more general distributions of disorder, including both numerical results and analytic expressions for the width $2\Delta_C$ of the flat section. We then apply an argument based on moving shock fronts to show how this leads to an increase in the high current region of the phase diagram for open boundary conditions. Secondly, we show how equivalent results can be obtained easily by taking the continuum limit of the problem and then using a disordered version of the well-known Cole--Hopf mapping to linearize the equation. Within this approach we show that adding disorder induces a localization transformation (verified by numerical scaling), and $\Delta_C$ maps to an inverse localization length, helping to give a new physical interpretation to the problem.Comment: 13 pages, 16 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Thermal and bias cycling stabilizes planar silicon devices

Terminal burn-in or baking step time in the processing of planar silicon devices is extended to reduce their inversion tendencies. The collector-base junction of the device is also cyclically biased during the burn-in

A design procedure for the weight optimization of straight finned radiators

Design technique evaluates optimum weight of space radiator consisting of finned, right circular cylinder

Fourier's law on a one-dimensional optical random lattice

We study the transport properties of a one-dimensional hard-core bosonic lattice gas coupled to two particle reservoirs at different chemical potentials which generate a current flow through the system. In particular, the influence of random fluctuations of the underlying lattice on the stationary-state properties is investigated. We show analytically that the steady-state density presents a linear profile. The local steady-state current obeys the Fourier law $j=-\kappa(\tau)\nabla n$ where $\tau$ is a typical timescale of the lattice fluctuations and $\nabla n$ the density gradient imposed by the reservoirs.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

Three-by-three bound entanglement with general unextendible product bases

We discuss the subject of Unextendible Product Bases with the orthogonality condition dropped and we prove that the lowest rank non-separable positive-partial-transpose states, i.e. states of rank 4 in 3 x 3 systems are always locally equivalent to a projection onto the orthogonal complement of a linear subspace spanned by an orthogonal Unextendible Product Basis. The product vectors in the kernels of the states belong to a non-zero measure subset of all general Unextendible Product Bases, nevertheless they can always be locally transformed to the orthogonal form. This fully confirms the surprising numerical results recently reported by Leinaas et al. Parts of the paper rely heavily on the use of Bezout's Theorem from algebraic geometry.Comment: 36 page