Quantum Markov chains associated with open quantum random walks

In this paper we construct (nonhomogeneous) quantum Markov chains associated with open quantum random walks. The quantum Markov chain, like the classical Markov chain, is a fundamental tool for the investigation of the basic properties such as reducibility/irreducibility, recurrence/transience, accessibility, ergodicity, etc, of the underlying dynamics. Here we focus on the discussion of the reducibility and irreducibility of open quantum random walks via the corresponding quantum Markov chains. Particularly we show that the concept of reducibility/irreducibility of open quantum random walks in this approach is equivalent to the one previously done by Carbone and Pautrat. We provide with some examples. We will see also that the classical Markov chains can be reconstructed as quantum Markov chains.Comment: 30 page

Sennacherib’s third campaign and Hezekiah: A discourse analysis

This paper examines the Assyrian records of Sennacherib’s third campaign from a literary perspective by investigating the structure of the text, the means of participant reference, and terms and expressions with ideological connotations. It focuses especially on the representation of the Assyrian king and other participants for or against his rule, elucidating how the author portrays the participants through the use of literary structure as well as particular forms, terms or expressions. It also shows how the author makes use of these devices to paint the Judean king Hezekiah as an archenemy and the target of the third campaign

Fabricating functionally graded films with designed gradient profiles using pulsed laser deposition

A novel picosecond-laser pulsed laser deposition method has been developed for fabricating functionally graded films with pre-designed gradient profiles. Theoretically, the developed method is capable of precisely fabricating films with any thicknesses and any gradient profiles by controlling the laser beam powers for the two different targets based on the film composition profiles. As an implementation example, we have successfully constructed functionally graded diamond-like carbon films with six different gradient profiles: linear, quadratic, cubic, square root, cubic root, and sinusoidal. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy is employed for investigating the chemical composition along the thickness of the film, and the deposition profile and thickness errors are found to be less than 3% and 1.04%, respectively. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first method for fabricating films with designed gradient profiles and has huge potential in many areas of coatings and films, including multifunctional optical films. We believe that this method is not only limited to the example considered in this study, but also can be applied to all material combinations as long as they can be deposited using the pulsed laser deposition technique.open0