4,850 research outputs found
Cooper pair splitting in a nanoSQUID geometry at high transparency
We describe a Josephson device composed of two superconductors separated by
two interacting quantum dots in parallel, as a probe for Cooper pair splitting.
In addition to sequential tunneling of electrons through each dot, an
additional transport channel exists in this system: crossed Andreev reflection,
where a Cooper pair from the source is split between the two dots and
recombined in the drain superconductor. Unlike non-equilibrium scenarios for
Cooper pair splitting which involves superconducting/normal metal "forks", our
proposal relies on an Aharonov-Bohm measurement of the DC Josephson current
when a flux is inserted between the two dots. We provide a path integral
approach to treat arbitrary transparencies, and we explore all contributions
for the individual phases ( or ) of the quantum dots. We propose a
definition of the Cooper pair splitting efficiency for arbitrary
transparencies, which allows us to find the phase associations which favor the
crossed Andreev process. Possible applications to experiments using nanowires
as quantum dots are discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figure
Cardinality heterogeneities in Web service composition: Issues and solutions
Data exchanges between Web services engaged in a composition raise several
heterogeneities. In this paper, we address the problem of data cardinality
heterogeneity in a composition. Firstly, we build a theoretical framework to
describe different aspects of Web services that relate to data cardinality, and
secondly, we solve this problem by developing a solution for cardinality
mediation based on constraint logic programming
Distinguished non-Archimedean representations
For a symmetric space (G,H), one is interested in understanding the vector
space of H-invariant linear forms on a representation \pi of G. In particular
an important question is whether or not the dimension of this space is bounded
by one. We cover the known results for the pair (G=R_{E/F}GL(n),H=GL(n)), and
then discuss the corresponding SL(n) case. In this paper, we show that
(G=R_{E/F}SL(n),H=SL(n)) is a Gelfand pair when n is odd. When is even, the
space of H-invariant forms on \pi can have dimension more than one even when
\pi is supercuspidal. The latter work is joint with Dipendra Prasad
The control of partitioning between protein and fat during human starvation: its internal determinants and biological significance
Human subjects vary in the extent to which their body's protein and fat compartments are mobilized for fuel during starvation. Although an inverse association between the initial adiposity and the contribution of protein as fuel during starvation has been known for nearly a century, interest in the quantitative importance and functional significance of the initial percentage fat as a determinant of biological variation in energy-partitioning between protein and fat (and hence in determining the partitioning characteristic of the individual) is relatively recent. The present paper addresses these issues by revisiting the classic Minnesota experiment of semi-starvation and refeeding from a standpoint of system physiology. In a quantitative analysis of the relationship between the initial body composition (ratio FAT0:fat-free mass (FFM)0) and the composition of weight loss (ratio ΔFAT:ΔFFM) in the thirty-two men in the Minnesota study, the arguments are put forward that the fraction of FFM lost when the fat stores reach total depletion is independent of the initial percentage fat, and that this fraction represents the ‘dispensible' component of the protein compartment that is compatible with life (i.e. the protein energy-reserve, rp). The concepts are developed that (1) the initial percentage body fat (which reflects the initial ratio FAT0:FFM0) provides a ‘memory of partitioning' which dictates the control of partitioning between protein and fat in such a way that both the protein energy-reserve (rp) and the fat energy-reserve (rf) reach complete depletion simultaneously, a strategy that would ensure maximum length of survival during long-term food scarcity, and that (2) variability in the relative sizes of these two energy reserves (i.e. in rf:rp) could, in addition to the initial percentage fat, also contribute to human variability in energy-partitioning. The basic assumptions underlying this re-analysis of the Minnesota data, and the concepts that are derived from it, have been integrated in the simple mathematical model for predicting the partitioning characteristic of the individual. This model is used to explain how variability in the fraction of the protein compartment that could function as an energy reserve (rp) can be as important as the initial percentage fat in determining inter-individual variability in protein-sparing during the early phase of starvation, in fuel partitioning during prolonged starvation, or in the maximum percentage weight loss during starvation. The elucidation of factors underlying variability in the size of the protein energy-reserve may have important implications for our understanding of the pathophysiology of starvation and age-associated susceptibility to muscle wasting, and in the clinical management of cachexia and obesit
Mid-infrared sub-wavelength grating mirror design: tolerance and influence of technological constraints
High polarization selective Si/SiO2 mid-infrared sub-wavelength grating
mirrors with large bandwidth adapted to VCSEL integration are compared. These
mirrors have been automatically designed for operation at \lambda = 2.3 m
by an optimization algorithm which maximizes a specially defined quality
factor. Several technological constraints in relation with the grating
manufacturing process have been imposed within the optimization algorithm and
their impact on the optical properties of the mirror have been evaluated.
Furthermore, through the tolerance computation of the different dimensions of
the structure, the robustness with respect to fabrication errors has been
tested. Finally, it appears that the increase of the optical performances of
the mirror imposes a less tolerant design with severer technological
constraints resulting in a more stringent control of the manufacturing process.Comment: The final publication is available at
http://iopscience.iop.org/2040-8986/13/12/125502
Analogue gravity and the Hawking effect: historical perspective and literature review
Reasoning by analogies permeates theoretical developments in physics and
astrophysics, motivated by the unreachable nature of many phenomena at play.
For example, analogies have been used to understand black hole physics, leading
to the development of a thermodynamic theory for these objects and the
discovery of the Hawking effect. The latter, which results from quantum field
theory on black hole space-times, changed the way physicists approached this
subject: what had started as a mere aid to understanding becomes a possible
source of evidence via the research programme of `analogue gravity' that builds
on analogue models for field effects. Some of these analogue models may and can
be realised in the laboratory, allowing experimental tests of field effects.
Here, we present a historical perspective on the connection between the Hawking
effect and analogue models. We also present a literature review of current
research, bringing history and contemporary physics together. We argue that the
history of analogue gravity and the Hawking effect is divided into three
distinct phases based on how and why analogue models have been used to
investigate fields in the vicinity of black holes. Furthermore, we find that
modern research signals a transition to a new phase, where the impetus for the
use of analogue models has surpassed the problem they were originally designed
to solve.Comment: Version accepted for publication in special issue of EPJH on modern
developments in quantum theor
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