1,163 research outputs found
Phase Transition in a One-Dimensional Extended Peierls-Hubbard Model with a Pulse of Oscillating Electric Field: III. Interference Caused by a Double Pulse
In order to study consequences of the differences between the
ionic-to-neutral and neutral-to-ionic transitions in the one-dimensional
extended Peierls-Hubbard model with alternating potentials for the TTF-CA
complex, we introduce a double pulse of oscillating electric field in the
time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation and vary the interval between the two
pulses as well as their strengths. When the dimerized ionic phase is
photoexcited, the interference effect is clearly observed owing to the
coherence of charge density and lattice displacements. Namely, the two pulses
constructively interfere with each other if the interval is a multiple of the
period of the optical lattice vibration, while they destructively interfere if
the interval is a half-odd integer times the period, in the processes toward
the neutral phase. The interference is strong especially when the pulse is
strong and short because the coherence is also strong. Meanwhile, when the
neutral phase is photoexcited, the interference effect is almost invisible or
weakly observed when the pulse is weak. The photoinduced lattice oscillations
are incoherent due to random phases. The strength of the interference caused by
a double pulse is a key quantity to distinguish the two transitions and to
evaluate the coherence of charge density and lattice displacements.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure
Cold atoms at unitarity and inverse square interaction
Consider two identical atoms in a spherical harmonic oscillator interacting
with a zero-range interaction which is tuned to produce an s-wave zero-energy
bound state. The quantum spectrum of the system is known to be exactly
solvable. We note that the same partial wave quantum spectrum is obtained by
the one-dimensional scale-invariant inverse square potential. Long known as the
Calogero-Sutherland-Moser (CSM) model, it leads to Fractional Exclusion
Statistics (FES) of Haldane and Wu. The statistical parameter is deduced from
the analytically calculated second virial coefficient. When FES is applied to a
Fermi gas at unitarity, it gives good agreement with experimental data without
the use of any free parameter.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, To appear in J. Phys. B. Atomic, Molecular and
Optical Physic
On the topology of adiabatic passage
We examine the topology of eigenenergy surfaces characterizing the population
transfer processes based on adiabatic passage. We show that this topology is
the essential feature for the analysis of the population transfers and the
prediction of its final result. We reinterpret diverse known processes, such as
stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP), frequency-chirped adiabatic
passage and Stark-chirped rapid adiabatic passage (SCRAP). Moreover, using this
picture, we display new related possibilities of transfer. In particular, we
show that we can selectively control the level which will be populated in
STIRAP process in Lambda or V systems by the choice of the peak amplitudes or
the pulse sequence
Tribological properties of room temperature fluorinated graphite heat-treated under fluorine atmosphere
This work is concerned with the study of the tribologic properties of room temperature fluorinated graphite heat-treated under fluorine atmosphere. The fluorinated compounds all present good intrinsic friction properties (friction coefficient in the range 0.05–0.09). The tribologic performances are optimized if the materials present remaining graphitic domains (influenced by the presence of intercalated fluorinated species) whereas the perfluorinated compounds, where the fluorocarbon layers are corrugated (armchair configuration of the saturated carbon rings) present higher friction coefficients. Raman analyses reveal that the friction process induces severe changes in the materials structure especially the partial re-building of graphitic domains in the case of perfluorinated compounds which explains the improvement of μ during the friction tests for these last materials
Effects of Lattice and Molecular Phonons on Photoinduced Neutral-to-Ionic Transition Dynamics in Tetrathiafulvalene--Chloranil
For electronic states and photoinduced charge dynamics near the neutral-ionic
transition in the mixed-stack charge-transfer complex
tetrathiafulvalene--chloranil (TTF-CA), we review the effects of Peierls
coupling to lattice phonons modulating transfer integrals and Holstein
couplings to molecular vibrations modulating site energies. The former
stabilizes the ionic phase and reduces discontinuities in the phase transition,
while the latter stabilizes the neutral phase and enhances the discontinuities.
To reproduce the experimentally observed ionicity, optical conductivity and
photoinduced charge dynamics, both couplings are quantitatively important. In
particular, strong Holstein couplings to form the highly-stabilized neutral
phase are necessary for the ionic phase to be a Mott insulator with large
ionicity. A comparison with the observed photoinduced charge dynamics indicates
the presence of strings of lattice dimerization in the neutral phase above the
transition temperature.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jp
Mean first-passage times of non-Markovian random walkers in confinement
The first-passage time (FPT), defined as the time a random walker takes to
reach a target point in a confining domain, is a key quantity in the theory of
stochastic processes. Its importance comes from its crucial role to quantify
the efficiency of processes as varied as diffusion-limited reactions, target
search processes or spreading of diseases. Most methods to determine the FPT
properties in confined domains have been limited to Markovian (memoryless)
processes. However, as soon as the random walker interacts with its
environment, memory effects can not be neglected. Examples of non Markovian
dynamics include single-file diffusion in narrow channels or the motion of a
tracer particle either attached to a polymeric chain or diffusing in simple or
complex fluids such as nematics \cite{turiv2013effect}, dense soft colloids or
viscoelastic solution. Here, we introduce an analytical approach to calculate,
in the limit of a large confining volume, the mean FPT of a Gaussian
non-Markovian random walker to a target point. The non-Markovian features of
the dynamics are encompassed by determining the statistical properties of the
trajectory of the random walker in the future of the first-passage event, which
are shown to govern the FPT kinetics.This analysis is applicable to a broad
range of stochastic processes, possibly correlated at long-times. Our
theoretical predictions are confirmed by numerical simulations for several
examples of non-Markovian processes including the emblematic case of the
Fractional Brownian Motion in one or higher dimensions. These results show, on
the basis of Gaussian processes, the importance of memory effects in
first-passage statistics of non-Markovian random walkers in confinement.Comment: Submitted version. Supplementary Information can be found on the
Nature website :
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v534/n7607/full/nature18272.htm
Phase Transition in a One-Dimensional Extended Peierls-Hubbard Model with a Pulse of Oscillating Electric Field: I. Threshold Behavior in Ionic-to-Neutral Transition
Photoinduced dynamics of charge density and lattice displacements is
calculated by solving the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation for a
one-dimensional extended Peierls-Hubbard model with alternating potentials for
the mixed-stack organic charge-transfer complex, TTF-CA. A pulse of oscillating
electric field is incorporated into the Peierls phase of the transfer integral.
The frequency, the amplitude, and the duration of the pulse are varied to study
the nonlinear and cooperative character of the photoinduced transition. When
the dimerized ionic phase is photoexcited, the threshold behavior is clearly
observed by plotting the final ionicity as a function of the increment of the
total energy. Above the threshold photoexcitation, the electronic state reaches
the neutral one with equidistant molecules after the electric field is turned
off. The transition is initiated by nucleation of a metastable neutral domain,
for which an electric field with frequency below the linear absorption peak is
more effective than that at the peak. When the pulse is strong and short, the
charge transfer takes place on the same time scale with the disappearance of
dimerization. As the pulse becomes weak and long, the dimerization-induced
polarization is disordered to restore the inversion symmetry on average before
the charge transfer takes place to bring the system neutral. Thus, a
paraelectric ionic phase is transiently realized by a weak electric field. It
is shown that infrared light also induces the ionic-to-neutral transition,
which is characterized by the threshold behavior.Comment: 24 pages, 11 figure
Chiral molecules split light: Reflection and refraction in a chiral liquid
A light beam changes direction as it enters a liquid at an angle from another
medium, such as air. Should the liquid contain molecules that lack mirror
symmetry, then it has been predicted by Fresnel that the light beam will not
only change direction, but will actually split into two separate beams with a
small difference in the respective angles of refraction. Here we report the
observation of this phenomenon. We also demonstrate that the angle of
reflection does not equal the angle of incidence in a chiral medium. Unlike
conventional optical rotation, which depends on the path-length through the
sample, the reported reflection and refraction phenomena arise within a few
wavelengths at the interface and thereby suggest a new approach to polarimetry
that can be used in microfluidic volumes
Neurological and respiratory effects of lung protective ventilation in acute brain injury patients without lung injury: brain vent, a single centre randomized interventional study
Introduction - Lung protective ventilation (LPV) comprising low tidal volume (VT) and high positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) may compromise cerebral perfusion in acute brain injury (ABI). In patients with ABI, we investigated whether LPV is associated with increased intracranial pressure (ICP) and/or deranged cerebral autoregulation (CA), brain compensatory reserve and oxygenation.
Methods - In a prospective, crossover study, 30 intubated ABI patients with normal ICP and no lung injury were randomly assigned to receive low VT [6 ml/kg/predicted (pbw)]/at either low (5 cmH2O) or high PEEP (12 cmH2O). Between each intervention, baseline ventilation (VT 9 ml/kg/pbw and PEEP 5 cmH2O) were resumed. The safety limit for interruption of the intervention was ICP above 22 mmHg for more than 5 min. Airway and transpulmonary pressures were continuously monitored to assess respiratory mechanics. We recorded ICP by using external ventricular drainage or a parenchymal probe. CA and brain compensatory reserve were derived from ICP waveform analysis.
Results - We included 27 patients (intracerebral haemorrhage, traumatic brain injury, subarachnoid haemorrhage), of whom 6 reached the safety limit, which required interruption of at least one intervention. For those without intervention interruption, the ICP change from baseline to “low VT/low PEEP” and “low VT/high PEEP” were 2.2 mmHg and 2.3 mmHg, respectively, and considered clinically non-relevant. None of the interventions affected CA or oxygenation significantly. Interrupted events were associated with high baseline ICP (p
The transpulmonary driving pressure was 5 ± 2 cmH2O in both interventions. Partial arterial pressure of carbon dioxide was kept in the range 34–36 mmHg by adjusting the respiratory rate, hence, changes in carbon dioxide were not associated with the increase in ICP.
Conclusions - The present study found that most patients did not experience any adverse effects of LPV, neither on ICP nor CA. However, in almost a quarter of patients, the ICP rose above the safety limit for interrupting the interventions. Baseline ICP, brain compensatory reserve, and mechanical power can predict a potentially deleterious effect of LPV and can be used to personalize ventilator settings
- …