Stress correlations in glasses

We rigorously establish that, in disordered three-dimensional (3D) isotropic solids, the stress autocorrelation function presents anisotropic terms that decay as $1/r^3$ at long-range, with $r$ the distance, as soon as either pressure or shear stress fluctuations are normal. By normal, we mean that the fluctuations of stress, as averaged over spherical domains, decay as the inverse domain volume. Since this property is required for macroscopic stress to be self-averaging, it is expected to hold generically in all glasses and we thus conclude that the presence of $1/r^3$ stress correlation tails is the rule in these systems. Our proof follows from the observation that, in an infinite medium, when both material isotropy and mechanical balance hold, (i) the stress autocorrelation matrix is completely fixed by just two radial functions: the pressure autocorrelation and the trace of the autocorrelation of stress deviators; furthermore, these two functions (ii) fix the decay of the fluctuations of sphere-averaged pressure and deviatoric stresses for windows of increasing volume. Our conclusion is reached because, due to the precise analytic relation (i) fixed by isotropy and mechanical balance, the constraints arising via (ii) from the normality of stress fluctuations demand the spatially anisotropic stress correlation terms to decay as $1/r^3$ at long-range. For the sake of generality, we also examine situations when stress fluctuations are not normal

Is nonrelativistic gravity possible?

We study nonrelativistic gravity using the Hamiltonian formalism. For the dynamics of general relativity (relativistic gravity) the formalism is well known and called the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner (ADM) formalism. We show that if the lapse function is constrained correctly, then nonrelativistic gravity is described by a consistent Hamiltonian system. Surprisingly, nonrelativistic gravity can have solutions identical to relativistic gravity ones. In particular, (anti-)de Sitter black holes of Einstein gravity and IR limit of Horava gravity are locally identical.Comment: 4 pages, v2, typos corrected, published in Physical Review

Cavity polariton optomechanics: Polariton path to fully resonant dispersive coupling in optomechanical resonators

Resonant photoelastic coupling in semiconductor nanostructures opens new perspectives for strongly enhanced light-sound interaction in optomechanical resonators. One potential problem, however, is the reduction of the cavity Q-factor induced by dissipation when the resonance is approached. We show in this letter that cavity-polariton mediation in the light-matter process overcomes this limitation allowing for a strongly enhanced photon-phonon coupling without significant lifetime reduction in the strongly-coupled regime. Huge optomechanical coupling factors in the PetaHz/nm range are envisaged, three orders of magnitude larger than the backaction produced by the mechanical displacement of the cavity mirrors.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Microscopic nanomechanical dissipation in gallium arsenide resonators

We report on a systematic study of nanomechanical dissipation in high-frequency (approximatively 300 MHz) gallium arsenide optomechanical disk resonators, in conditions where clamping and fluidic losses are negligible. Phonon-phonon interactions are shown to contribute with a loss background fading away at cryogenic temperatures (3 K). Atomic layer deposition of alumina at the surface modifies the quality factor of resonators, pointing towards the importance of surface dissipation. The temperature evolution is accurately fitted by two-level systems models, showing that nanomechanical dissipation in gallium arsenide resonators directly connects to their microscopic properties. Two-level systems, notably at surfaces, appear to rule the damping and fluctuations of such high-quality crystalline nanomechanical devices, at all temperatures from 3 to 300K

Effect of picosecond strain pulses on thin layers of the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)(As,P)

The effect of picosecond acoustic strain pulses (ps-ASP) on a thin layer of (Ga,Mn)As co-doped with phosphorus was probed using magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). A transient MOKE signal followed by low amplitude oscillations was evidenced, with a strong dependence on applied magnetic field, temperature and ps-ASP amplitude. Careful interferometric measurement of the layer's thickness variation induced by the ps-ASP allowed us to model very accurately the resulting signal, and interpret it as the strain modulated reflectivity (differing for $\sigma_{\pm}$ probe polarizations), independently from dynamic magnetization effects.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

An acoustic black hole in a stationary hydrodynamic flow of microcavity polaritons

We report an experimental study of superfluid hydrodynamic effects in a one-dimensional polariton fluid flowing along a laterally patterned semiconductor microcavity and hitting a micron-sized engineered defect. At high excitation power, superfluid propagation effects are observed in the polariton dynamics, in particular, a sharp acoustic horizon is formed at the defect position, separating regions of sub- and super-sonic flow. Our experimental findings are quantitatively reproduced by theoretical calculations based on a generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Promising perspectives to observe Hawking radiation via photon correlation measurements are illustrated.Comment: 5 pages Main + 5 pages Supplementary, 8 figure