2,066 research outputs found
Partial Transmutation of Singularities in Optical Instruments
Some interesting optical instruments such as the Eaton lens and the Invisible
Sphere require singularities of the refractive index for their implementation.
We show how to transmute those singularities into harmless topological defects
in anisotropic media without the need for anomalous material properties
Quantum levitation by left-handed metamaterials
Left-handed metamaterials make perfect lenses that image classical
electromagnetic fields with significantly higher resolution than the
diffraction limit. Here we consider the quantum physics of such devices. We
show that the Casimir force of two conducting plates may turn from attraction
to repulsion if a perfect lens is sandwiched between them. For optical
left-handed metamaterials this repulsive force of the quantum vacuum may
levitate ultra-thin mirrors
General Relativistic Contributions in Transformation Optics
One potentially realistic specification for devices designed with
transformation optics is that they operate with high precision in curved
space-time, such as Earth orbit. This raises the question of what, if any, role
does space-time curvature play in determining transformation media?
Transformation optics has been based on a three-vector representation of
Maxwell's equations in flat Minkowski space-time. I discuss a completely
covariant, manifestly four-dimensional approach that enables transformations in
arbitrary space-times, and demonstrate this approach for stable circular orbits
in the spherically symmetric Schwarzschild geometry. Finally, I estimate the
magnitude of curvature induced contributions to satellite-borne transformation
media in Earth orbit and comment on the level of precision required for
metamaterial fabrication before such contributions become important.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures. Latest version has expanded analysis,
corresponds to published versio
The influence of phase-modulation on femtosecond time-resolved coherent Raman spectroscopy
The influence of phase-modulation on femtosecond time-resolved coherent Raman scattering is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The coherent Raman signal taken as a function of the spectral position shows unexpected temporal oscillations close to time zero. A theoretical analysis of the coherent Raman scattering process indicates that the femtosecond light pulses are amplitude and phase modulated. The pulses are asymmetric in time with more slowly decaying trailing wings. The phase of the pulse amplitude contains quadratic and higher-order contributions
Aharonov-Bohm scattering of charged particles and neutral atoms: the role of absorption
The Aharonov-Bohm scattering of charged particles by the magnetic field of an
infinitely long and infinitely thin solenoid (magnetic string) in an absorbing
medium is studied. We discuss the partial-wave approach to this problem and
show that standard partial-wave method can be adjusted to this case. The effect
of absorption leads to oscillations of the AB cross section.
Based on this we investigate the scattering of neutral atoms with induced
electric dipole moments by a charge wire of finite radius which is placed in an
uniform magnetic field. The physical realistic and practically important case
that all atoms which collide with the wire are totally absorbed at its surface,
is studied in detail. The dominating terms of the scattering amplitude are
evaluated analytically for different physical constellations. The rest terms
are written in a form suitable for a numerical computation. We show that if the
magnetic field is absent, the absorbing charged wire causes oscillations of the
cross section. In the presence of the magnetic field the cross section
increases and the dominating Aharonov--Bohm peak appears in the forward
direction, suppressing the oscillations.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeXfile, 2 figure
General Relativity in Electrical Engineering
In electrical engineering metamaterials have been developed that offer
unprecedented control over electromagnetic fields. Here we show that general
relativity lends the theoretical tools for designing devices made of such
versatile materials. Given a desired device function, the theory describes the
electromagnetic properties that turn this function into fact. We consider media
that facilitate space-time transformations and include negative refraction. Our
theory unifies the concepts operating behind the scenes of perfect invisibility
devices, perfect lenses, the optical Aharonov-Bohm effect and electromagnetic
analogs of the event horizon, and may lead to further applications
Analog black holes in flowing dielectrics
We show that a flowing dielectric medium with a linear response to an
external electric field can be used to generate an analog geometry that has
many of the formal properties of a Schwarzschild black hole for light rays, in
spite of birefringence. We also discuss the possibility of generating these
analog black holes in the laboratory.Comment: Revtex4 file, 7 pages, 4 eps figures, a few changes in presentation,
some references added, conclusions unchange
Perfect imaging with positive refraction in three dimensions
Maxwell's fish eye has been known to be a perfect lens within the validity
range of ray optics since 1854. Solving Maxwell's equations we show that the
fish-eye lens in three dimensions has unlimited resolution for electromagnetic
waves
Experimental Verification of 3D Plasmonic Cloaking in Free-Space
We report the experimental verification of metamaterial cloaking for a 3D
object in free space. We apply the plasmonic cloaking technique, based on
scattering cancellation, to suppress microwave scattering from a finite-length
dielectric cylinder. We verify that scattering suppression is obtained all
around the object in the near- and far-field and for different incidence
angles, validating our measurements with analytical results and full-wave
simulations. Our near-field and far-field measurements confirm that realistic
and robust plasmonic metamaterial cloaks may be realized for elongated 3D
objects with moderate transverse cross-section at microwave frequencies.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, published in NJ
Reconstruction of Liouvillian Superoperators
We show how to determine (reconstruct) a master equation governing the time
evolution of an open quantum system.
We present a general algorithm for the reconstruction of the corresponding
Liouvillian superoperators. Dynamics of a two-level atom in various
environments is discussed in detail.Comment: 4 pages, revtex, 1 eps figure, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
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