928 research outputs found
Quantum random walks in optical lattices
We propose an experimental realization of discrete quantum random walks using
neutral atoms trapped in optical lattices. The random walk is taking place in
position space and experimental implementation with present day technology
--even using existing set-ups-- seems feasible. We analyze the influence of
possible imperfections in the experiment and investigate the transition from a
quantum random walk to the classical random walk for increasing errors and
decoherence.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
The Oldest Operating Wetland Mitigation Bank In The U.S. A Review of the Goose Creek Wetland Bank in Chesapeake, Virginia; It\u27s Development and Utilization
Testing systems of identical components
We consider the problem of testing sequentially the components of a multi-component reliability system in order to figure out the state of the system via costly tests. In particular, systems with identical components are considered. The notion of lexicographically large binary decision trees is introduced and a heuristic algorithm based on that notion is proposed. The performance of the heuristic algorithm is demonstrated by computational results, for various classes of functions. In particular, in all 200 random cases where the underlying function is a threshold function, the proposed heuristic produces optimal solutions
Insulator-Superfluid transition of spin-1 bosons in an optical lattice in magnetic field
We study the insulator-superfluid transition of spin-1 bosons in an optical
lattice in a uniform magnetic field. Based on a mean-field approximation we
obtained a zero-temperature phase diagram. We found that depending on the
particle number the transition for bosons with antiferromagnetic interaction
may occur into different superfluid phases with spins aligned along or opposite
to the field direction. This is qualitatively different from the field-free
transition for which the mean-field theory predicts a unique (polar) superfluid
state for any particle number.Comment: 10 pages, 2 eps figure
Evidence for Superfluidity of Ultracold Fermions in an Optical Lattice
The study of superfluid fermion pairs in a periodic potential has important
ramifications for understanding superconductivity in crystalline materials.
Using cold atomic gases, various condensed matter models can be studied in a
highly controllable environment. Weakly repulsive fermions in an optical
lattice could undergo d-wave pairing at low temperatures, a possible mechanism
for high temperature superconductivity in the cuprates. The lattice potential
could also strongly increase the critical temperature for s-wave superfluidity.
Recent experimental advances in the bulk include the observation of fermion
pair condensates and high-temperature superfluidity. Experiments with fermions
and bosonic bound pairs in optical lattices have been reported, but have not
yet addressed superfluid behavior. Here we show that when a condensate of
fermionic atom pairs was released from an optical lattice, distinct
interference peaks appear, implying long range order, a property of a
superfluid. Conceptually, this implies that strong s-wave pairing and
superfluidity have now been established in a lattice potential, where the
transport of atoms occurs by quantum mechanical tunneling and not by simple
propagation. These observations were made for unitarity limited interactions on
both sides of a Feshbach resonance. For larger lattice depths, the coherence
was lost in a reversible manner, possibly due to a superfluid to insulator
transition. Such strongly interacting fermions in an optical lattice can be
used to study a new class of Hamiltonians with interband and atom-molecule
couplings.Comment: accepted for publication in Natur
Signatures of Superfluidity in Dilute Fermi Gases near a Feshbach Resonance
We present a brief account of the most salient properties of vortices in
dilute atomic Fermi superfluids near a Feshbach resonance.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figure, and jltp.cls. Several typos and a couple of
inaccuracies have been correcte
Coherent spinor dynamics in a spin-1 Bose condensate
Collisions in a thermal gas are perceived as random or incoherent as a
consequence of the large numbers of initial and final quantum states accessible
to the system. In a quantum gas, e.g. a Bose-Einstein condensate or a
degenerate Fermi gas, the phase space accessible to low energy collisions is so
restricted that collisions be-come coherent and reversible. Here, we report the
observation of coherent spin-changing collisions in a gas of spin-1 bosons.
Starting with condensates occupying two spin states, a condensate in the third
spin state is coherently and reversibly created by atomic collisions. The
observed dynamics are analogous to Josephson oscillations in weakly connected
superconductors and represent a type of matter-wave four-wave mixing. The
spin-dependent scattering length is determined from these oscillations to be
-1.45(18) Bohr. Finally, we demonstrate coherent control of the evolution of
the system by applying differential phase shifts to the spin states using
magnetic fields.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figure
Thomas-Fermi scaling in the energy spectra of atomic ions
The energy spectra of atomic ions are re-examined from the point of view of
Thomas-Fermi scaling relations. For the first ionization potential, which sets
the energy scale for the true discrete spectrum, Thomas-Fermi theory predicts
the following relation: E_{ioniz}=Z^2 N^{-2/3} g(N/Z), where Z is the nuclear
charge, N is the number of electrons, and g is a function of N/Z. This relation
does not hold for neutral atoms, but works extremely well in the cationic
domain, Z>N. We provide an analytic expression for g, with two adjustable
parameters, which fits the available experimental data for more than 380 ions.
In addition, we show that a rough fit to the integrated density of states with
a single exponential: N_{states}=exp (Delta E/Theta), where Delta E is the
excitation energy, leads to a parameter, Theta, exhibiting a universal scaling
a la Thomas-Fermi: Theta=Z^2 N^{-4/3} h(N/Z), where h is approximately linear
near N/Z=1.Comment: published versio
Observation of the Dynamical Casimir Effect in a Superconducting Circuit
One of the most surprising predictions of modern quantum theory is that the
vacuum of space is not empty. In fact, quantum theory predicts that it teems
with virtual particles flitting in and out of existence. While initially a
curiosity, it was quickly realized that these vacuum fluctuations had
measurable consequences, for instance producing the Lamb shift of atomic
spectra and modifying the magnetic moment for the electron. This type of
renormalization due to vacuum fluctuations is now central to our understanding
of nature. However, these effects provide indirect evidence for the existence
of vacuum fluctuations. From early on, it was discussed if it might instead be
possible to more directly observe the virtual particles that compose the
quantum vacuum. 40 years ago, Moore suggested that a mirror undergoing
relativistic motion could convert virtual photons into directly observable real
photons. This effect was later named the dynamical Casimir effect (DCE). Using
a superconducting circuit, we have observed the DCE for the first time. The
circuit consists of a coplanar transmission line with an electrical length that
can be changed at a few percent of the speed of light. The length is changed by
modulating the inductance of a superconducting quantum interference device
(SQUID) at high frequencies (~11 GHz). In addition to observing the creation of
real photons, we observe two-mode squeezing of the emitted radiation, which is
a signature of the quantum character of the generation process.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
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