1,084 research outputs found
Hyperfine Spin-Two (F=2) Atoms in Three-Dimensional Optical Lattices: Phase Diagrams and Phase Transitions
We consider ultracold matter of spin-2 atoms in optical lattices. We derive
an effective Hamiltonian for the studies of spin ordering in Mott states and
investigate hyperfine spin correlations. Particularly, we diagonalize the
Hamiltonian in an on-site Hilbert space taking into account spin-dependent
interactions and exchange between different sites. We obtain phase diagrams and
quantum phase transitions between various magnetic phases.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, published versio
Tunable Quantum Fluctuation-Controlled Coherent Spin Dynamics
Temporal evolution of a macroscopic condensate of ultra cold atoms is usually
driven by mean field potentials, either due to scattering between atoms or due
to coupling to external fields; and coherent quantum dynamics have been
observed in various cold-atom experiments. In this article, we report results
of studies of a class of quantum spin dynamics which are purely driven by zero
point quantum fluctuations of spin collective coordinates. Unlike the usual
mean-field coherent dynamics, quantum fluctuation-controlled spin dynamics or
QFCSD studied here are very sensitive to variation of quantum fluctuations and
can be tuned by four to five order of magnitude using optical lattices. They
have unique dependence on optical lattice potential depths and quadratic Zeeman
fields. QFCSD can be potentially used to calibrate quantum fluctuations and
investigate correlated fluctuations and various universal scaling properties
near quantum critical points.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures included; including detailed discussions on
thermal effects, trapping potentials and spin exchange losses. (To appear in
PRA
Quantum fluctuation-induced uniaxial and biaxial spin nematics
It is shown that zero point quantum fluctuations (ZPQFs) completely lift the
accidental continuous degeneracy that is found in mean field analysis of
quantum spin nematic phases of hyperfine spin 2 cold atoms. The result is two
distinct ground states which have higher symmetries: a uniaxial spin nematic
and a biaxial spin nematic with dihedral symmetry . There is a novel
first order quantum phase transition between the two phases as atomic
scattering lengths are varied. We find that the ground state of atoms
should be a uniaxial spin nematic. We note that the energy barrier between the
phases could be observable in dynamical experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures included; published versio
Dynamical Creation of Fractionalized Vortices and Vortex Lattices
We investigate dynamic creation of fractionalized half-quantum vortices in
Bose-Einstein condensates of sodium atoms. Our simulations show that both
individual half-quantum vortices and vortex lattices can be created in rotating
optical traps when additional pulsed magnetic trapping potentials are applied.
We also find that a distinct periodically modulated spin-density-wave spatial
structure is always embedded in square half-quantum vortex lattices; this
structure can be conveniently probed by taking absorption images of
ballistically expanding cold atoms in a Stern-Gerlach field.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; published versio
Fermi-Bose Mixtures Near Broad Interspecies Feshbach Resonances
In this Letter we have studied dressed bound states in Fermi-Bose mixtures
near broad interspecies resonance, and implications on many-body correlations.
We present the evidence for a first order phase transition between a mixture of
Fermi gas and condensate, and a fully paired mixture where extended fermionic
molecules occupy a single pairing channel instead of forming a molecular Fermi
surface. We have further investigated the effect of Fermi surface dynamics,
pair fluctuations and discussed the validity of our results.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Engineering properties of vertical cutoff walls consisting of reactive magnesia-activated slag and bentonite: workability, strength and hydraulic conductivity
Soil–cement–bentonite (SCB) vertical cutoff walls are commonly used to control the flow of contaminated groundwater at polluted sites. However, conventional backfill consisting of ordinary portland cement (OPC) is associated with a relatively high CO2 footprint. Potential chemical interactions between OPC and bentonite could also undermine the long-term durability of SCB materials. This paper proposes an innovative backfill material for cutoff walls that is composed of MgO-activated ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS), bentonite, and soil. The OPC–soil, OPC–bentonite–soil, and OPC–GGBS–bentonite–soil backfill materials are also tested for comparison purposes. The workability of fresh backfills and unconfined compressive strength of aged backfills are investigated. The hydraulic conductivities of aged backfills permeated with tap water, Na2SO4, and Pb–Zn solutions are assessed. The unconfined compressive strength and hydraulic conductivity of the proposed backfill permeated with tap water are in the range of 230–520 kPa and 1.1×10−10  to  6.3×10−10  m/s after 90 days of curing, respectively, depending on the mix composition. The hydraulic conductivity of the proposed MgO–GGBS–bentonite–soil backfill permeated with sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) or lead–zinc (Pb–Zn) solution is well below the commonly used limit, while the OPC–bentonite–soil backfill shows a significant loss in impermeability. Environmental and economic analyses indicate that, compared with conventional backfill made from OPC–bentonite–soil mixtures, the proposed backfill reduces CO2 emissions by approximately 84.7%–85.1% and costs by 15.3%–16.9%. The environmental and economic advantages will promote the use of MgO-activated GGBS–bentonite mixtures in cutoff walls and lead to their increased application in land remediation projects
Leaching and microstructural properties of lead contaminated kaolin stabilized by GGBS-MgO in semi-dynamic leaching tests
Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) is widely used to stabilize soils due to its environmental and economic merits. The strength and durability of reactive MgO activated GGBS (GGBS-MgO) stabilized lead (Pb)-contaminated soils have been explored by previous studies. However, the effects of simulated acid rain (SAR) on the leachability and micro-properties of GGBS-MgO stabilized Pb-contaminated soils are hardly investigated. This research studies the leachability and microstructural properties of GGBS-MgO stabilized Pb-contaminated kaolin clay exposed to SAR with initial pH values of 2.0, 4.0 and 7.0. A series of tests are performed including the semi-dynamic leaching tests using SAR as the extraction liquid, acid neutralization capacity (ANC), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests. The results demonstrate that as the SAR pH decreases from 7.0 to 4.0, the Pb cumulative fraction leached (CFL) and observed diffusion coefficient (Dobs) increases significantly whereas the leachate pH decreases. Meanwhile, increasing the GGBS-MgO content from 12% to 18% results in the decrease of CFL and Dobs. Further decreasing the SAR pH to 2.0 results in the dissolution-controlled leaching mechanism regardless of the binder dosage. The differences in the leaching properties under different pH conditions are interpreted based on the cemented soil acid buffering capacity, hydration products and pore size distributions obtained from the ANC, MIP, and XRD tests, respectively
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