Collective Motion of Polarized Dipolar Fermi Gases in the Hydrodynamic Regime

Recently, a seminal STIRAP experiment allowed the creation of 40K-87Rb molecules in the rovibrational ground state [K.-K. Ni et al., Science 322, 231 (2008)]. In order to describe such a polarized dipolar Fermi gas in the hydrodynamic regime, we work out a variational time-dependent Hartree-Fock approach. With this we calculate dynamical properties of such a system as, for instance, the frequencies of the low-lying excitations and the time-of-flight expansion. We find that the dipole-dipole interaction induces anisotropic breathing oscillations in momentum space. In addition, after release from the trap, the momentum distribution becomes asymptotically isotropic, while the particle density becomes anisotropic

Charge migration mechanisms in the DNA at finite temperature revisited; from quasi-ballistic to subdiffusive transport

Various charge migration mechanisms in the DNA are studied within the framework of the Peyrard-Bishop-Holstein model which has been widely used to address charge dynamics in this macromolecule. To analyze these mechanisms we consider characteristic size and time scales of the fluctuations of the electronic and vibrational subsystems. It is shown, in particular, that due to substantial differences in these timescales polaron formation is unlikely within a broad range of temperatures. We demonstrate that at low temperatures electronic transport can be quasi-ballistic. For high temperatures, we propose an alternative to polaronic charge migration mechanism: the fluctuation-assisted one, in which the electron dynamics is governed by relatively slow fluctuations of the vibrational subsystem. We argue also that the discussed methods and mechanisms can be relevant for other organic macromolecular systems, such as conjugated polymers and molecular aggregates

Modulated phases and devil's staircases in a layered mean-field version of the ANNNI model

We investigate the phase diagram of a spin-$1/2$ Ising model on a cubic lattice, with competing interactions between nearest and next-nearest neighbors along an axial direction, and fully connected spins on the sites of each perpendicular layer. The problem is formulated in terms of a set of noninteracting Ising chains in a position-dependent field. At low temperatures, as in the standard mean-feild version of the Axial-Next-Nearest-Neighbor Ising (ANNNI) model, there are many distinct spatially commensurate phases that spring from a multiphase point of infinitely degenerate ground states. As temperature increases, we confirm the existence of a branching mechanism associated with the onset of higher-order commensurate phases. We check that the ferromagnetic phase undergoes a first-order transition to the modulated phases. Depending on a parameter of competition, the wave number of the striped patterns locks in rational values, giving rise to a devil's staircase. We numerically calculate the Hausdorff dimension $D_{0}$ associated with these fractal structures, and show that $D_{0}$ increases with temperature but seems to reach a limiting value smaller than $D_{0}=1$.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure

Mimicking Nanoribbon Behavior Using a Graphene Layer on SiC

We propose a natural way to create quantum-confined regions in graphene in a system that allows large-scale device integration. We show, using first-principles calculations, that a single graphene layer on a trenched region of $[000\bar{1}]$ $SiC$ mimics i)the energy bands around the Fermi level and ii) the magnetic properties of free-standing graphene nanoribbons. Depending on the trench direction, either zigzag or armchair nanoribbons are mimicked. This behavior occurs because a single graphene layer over a $SiC$ surface loses the graphene-like properties, which are restored solely over the trenches, providing in this way a confined strip region.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure