2,681 research outputs found
Soliton creation during a Bose-Einstein condensation
We use stochastic Gross-Pitaevskii equation to study dynamics of
Bose-Einstein condensation. We show that cooling into a Bose-Einstein
condensate (BEC) can create solitons with density given by the cooling rate and
by the critical exponents of the transition. Thus, counting solitons left in
its wake should allow one to determine the critical exponents z and nu for a
BEC phase transition. The same information can be extracted from two-point
correlation functions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, improved version to appear in PRL: scalings
discussed more extensively, fitting scheme for determination of z and nu
critical exponents is explaine
Unconditional Pointer States from Conditional Master Equations
When part of the environment responsible for decoherence is used to extract
information about the decohering system, the preferred {\it pointer states}
remain unchanged. This conclusion -- reached for a specific class of models --
is investigated in a general setting of conditional master equations using
suitable generalizations of predictability sieve. We also find indications that
the einselected states are easiest to infer from the measurements carried out
on the environment.Comment: 4 pages, 3 .eps figures; final version to appear in Phys.Rev.Let
Topological Schr\"odinger cats: Non-local quantum superpositions of topological defects
Topological defects (such as monopoles, vortex lines, or domain walls) mark
locations where disparate choices of a broken symmetry vacuum elsewhere in the
system lead to irreconcilable differences. They are energetically costly (the
energy density in their core reaches that of the prior symmetric vacuum) but
topologically stable (the whole manifold would have to be rearranged to get rid
of the defect). We show how, in a paradigmatic model of a quantum phase
transition, a topological defect can be put in a non-local superposition, so
that - in a region large compared to the size of its core - the order parameter
of the system is "undecided" by being in a quantum superposition of conflicting
choices of the broken symmetry. We demonstrate how to exhibit such a
"Schr\"odinger kink" by devising a version of a double-slit experiment suitable
for topological defects. Coherence detectable in such experiments will be
suppressed as a consequence of interaction with the environment. We analyze
environment-induced decoherence and discuss its role in symmetry breaking.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Decoherence, Re-coherence, and the Black Hole Information Paradox
We analyze a system consisting of an oscillator coupled to a field. With the
field traced out as an environment, the oscillator loses coherence on a very
short {\it decoherence timescale}; but, on a much longer {\it relaxation
timescale}, predictably evolves into a unique, pure (ground) state. This
example of {\it re-coherence} has interesting implications both for the
interpretation of quantum theory and for the loss of information during black
hole evaporation. We examine these implications by investigating the
intermediate and final states of the quantum field, treated as an open system
coupled to an unobserved oscillator.Comment: 23 pages, 2 figures included, figures 3.1 - 3.3 available at
http://qso.lanl.gov/papers/Papers.htm
Decoherence, Chaos, and the Second Law
We investigate implications of decoherence for quantum systems which are
classically chaotic. We show that, in open systems, the rate of von Neumann
entropy production quickly reaches an asymptotic value which is: (i)
independent of the system-environment coupling, (ii) dictated by the dynamics
of the system, and (iii) dominated by the largest Lyapunov exponent. These
results shed a new light on the correspondence between quantum and classical
dynamics as well as on the origins of the ``arrow of time.''Comment: 13 Pages, 2 Figures available upon request, Preprint LA-UR-93-, The
new version contains the text, the previous one had only the Macros: sorry
Probabilities from envariance?
Zurek claims to have derived Born's rule noncircularly in the context of an
ontological no-collapse interpretation of quantum states, without any "deus ex
machina imposition of the symptoms of classicality." After a brief review of
Zurek's derivation it is argued that this claim is exaggerated if not wholly
unjustified. In order to demonstrate that Born's rule arises noncircularly from
deterministically evolving quantum states, it is not sufficient to assume that
quantum states are somehow associated with probabilities and then prove that
these probabilities are given by Born's rule. One has to show how irreducible
probabilities can arise in the context of an ontological no-collapse
interpretation of quantum states. It is argued that the reason why all attempts
to do this have so far failed is that quantum states are fundamentally
algorithms for computing correlations between possible measurement outcomes,
rather than evolving ontological states.Comment: To appear in IJQI; 9 pages, LaTe
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