45,418 research outputs found
Optical Resonator Analog of a Two-Dimensional Topological Insulator
A lattice of optical ring resonators can exhibit a topological insulator
phase, with the role of spin played by the direction of propagation of light
within each ring. Unlike the system studied by Hafezi et al., topological
protection is achieved without fine-tuning the inter-resonator couplings, which
are given the same periodicity as the underlying lattice. The topological
insulator phase occurs for strong couplings, when the tight-binding method is
inapplicable. Using the transfer matrix method, we derive the bandstructure and
phase diagram, and demonstrate the existence of robust edge states. When gain
and loss are introduced, the system functions as a diode for coupled resonator
modes.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
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An investigation of nanoindentation tests on the single crystal copper thin film via an AFM and MD simulation
Nanoindentation tests performed in an atomic force microscope have been utilized to directly measure the mechanical properties of single crystal metal thin films fabricated by the vacuum vapor deposition technique. Nanoindentation tests were conducted at various indentation depths to study the effect of indentation depths on the mechanical properties of thin films. The results were interpreted by using the Oliver-Pharr method with which direct observation and measurement of the contact area are not required. The elastic modulus of the single crystal copper film at various indentation depths was determined as 67.0±6.9GPa on average which is in reasonable agreement with the results reported by others. The indentation hardness constantly increases with decreasing indentation depth, indicating a strong size effect. In addition to the experimental work, a three-dimensional nanoindentation model of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with embedded atom method (EAM) potential is proposed to elucidate the mechanics and mechanisms of nanoindentation of thin films from the atomistic point of view. MD simulations results also show that due to the size effect the plastic deformation via amorphous transformation is more favorable than via the generation and propagation of dislocations in nanoindentation of single crystal copper thin films
Effective Field Theory for Rydberg Polaritons
We develop an effective field theory (EFT) to describe the few- and many-body
propagation of one dimensional Rydberg polaritons. We show that the photonic
transmission through the Rydberg medium can be found by mapping the propagation
problem to a non-equilibrium quench, where the role of time and space are
reversed. We include effective range corrections in the EFT and show that they
dominate the dynamics near scattering resonances in the presence of deep bound
states. Finally, we show how the long-range nature of the Rydberg-Rydberg
interactions induces strong effective -body interactions between Rydberg
polaritons. These results pave the way towards studying non-perturbative
effects in quantum field theories using Rydberg polaritons.Comment: 5+ pages main text, 3 figures; 5 pages supplemental, 1 figure; v2 -
replaced discussion of N-body bound state preparation with discussion of
effective range corrections and made other minor correction
All Maximal Independent Sets and Dynamic Dominance for Sparse Graphs
We describe algorithms, based on Avis and Fukuda's reverse search paradigm,
for listing all maximal independent sets in a sparse graph in polynomial time
and delay per output. For bounded degree graphs, our algorithms take constant
time per set generated; for minor-closed graph families, the time is O(n) per
set, and for more general sparse graph families we achieve subquadratic time
per set. We also describe new data structures for maintaining a dynamic vertex
set S in a sparse or minor-closed graph family, and querying the number of
vertices not dominated by S; for minor-closed graph families the time per
update is constant, while it is sublinear for any sparse graph family. We can
also maintain a dynamic vertex set in an arbitrary m-edge graph and test the
independence of the maintained set in time O(sqrt m) per update. We use the
domination data structures as part of our enumeration algorithms.Comment: 10 page
Topological Bose-Mott Insulators in a One-Dimensional Optical Superlattice
We study topological properties of the Bose-Hubbard model with repulsive
interactions in a one-dimensional optical superlattice. We find that the Mott
insulator states of the single-component (two-component) Bose-Hubbard model
under fractional fillings are topological insulators characterized by a nonzero
charge (or spin) Chern number with nontrivial edge states. For ultracold atomic
experiments, we show that the topological Chern number can be detected through
measuring the density profiles of the bosonic atoms in a harmonic trap.Comment: 5 pages, published versio
On Dust Extinction of Gamma-ray Burst Host Galaxies
Although it is well recognized that gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows are
obscured and reddened by dust in their host galaxies, the wavelength-dependence
and quantity of dust extinction are still poorly known. Current studies on this
mostly rely on fitting the afterglow spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with
template extinction models. The inferred extinction (both quantity and
wavelength-dependence) and dust-to-gas ratios are often in disagreement with
that obtained from dust depletion and X-ray spectroscopy studies. We argue that
this discrepancy could result from the prior assumption of a template
extinction law. We propose an analytical formula to approximate the GRB host
extinction law. With the template extinction laws self-contained, and the
capability of revealing extinction laws differing from the conventional ones,
it is shown that this is a powerful approach in modeling the afterglow SEDs to
derive GRB host extinction.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures; The Astrophysical Journal, in press (2008 Oct 1
issue
Enhancement of Quantum Tunneling for Excited States in Ferromagnetic Particles
A formula suitable for a quantitative evaluation of the tunneling effect in a
ferromagnetic particle is derived with the help of the instanton method. The
tunneling between n-th degenerate states of neighboring wells is dominated by a
periodic pseudoparticle configuration. The low-lying level-splitting previously
obtained with the LSZ method in field theory in which the tunneling is viewed
as the transition of n bosons induced by the usual (vacuum) instanton is
recovered. The observation made with our new result is that the tunneling
effect increases at excited states. The results should be useful in analyzing
results of experimental tests of macroscopic quantum coherence in ferromagnetic
particles.Comment: 18 pages, LaTex, 1 figur
Spin-dependent transport in a quasiballistic quantum wire
We describe the transport properties of a 5 m long one-dimensional (1D)
quantum wire. Reduction of conductance plateaux due to the introduction of
weakly disorder scattering are observed. In an in-plane magnetic field, we
observe spin-splitting of the reduced conductance steps. Our experimental
results provide evidence that deviation from conductance quantisation is very
small for electrons with spin parallel and is about 1/3 for electrons with spin
anti-parallel. Moreover, in a high in-plane magnetic field, a spin-polarised 1D
channel shows a plateau-like structure close to which
strengthens with {\em increasing} temperatures. It is suggested that these
results arise from the combination of disorder and the electron-electron
interactions in the 1D electron gas.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, latex to be published in Phys. Rev. B (15/3/2000
A comprehensive analysis of Swift/XRT data: I. Apparent spectral evolution of GRB X-ray tails
An early steep decay component following the prompt GRBs is commonly observed
in {\em Swift} XRT light curves, which is regarded as the tail emission of the
prompt gamma-rays. Prompted by the observed strong spectral evolution in the
tails of GRBs 060218 and 060614, we present a systematic time-resolved spectral
analysis for the {\em Swift} GRB tails detected between 2005 February and 2007
January. We select a sample of 44 tails that are bright enough to perform
time-resolved spectral analyses. Among them 11 tails are smooth and without
superimposing significant flares, and their spectra have no significant
temporal evolution. We suggest that these tails are dominated by the curvature
effect of the prompt gamma-rays due to delay of propagation of photons from
large angles with respect to the line of sight . More interestingly, 33 tails
show clear hard-to-soft spectral evolution, with 16 of them being smooth tails
directly following the prompt GRBs,while the others being superimposed with
large flares. We focus on the 16 clean, smooth tails and consider three toy
models to interpret the spectral evolution. The curvature effect of a
structured jet and a model invoking superposition of the curvature effect tail
and a putative underlying soft emission component cannot explain all the data.
The third model, which invokes an evolving exponential spectrum, seems to
reproduce both the lightcurve and the spectral evolution of all the bursts,
including GRBs 060218 and 060614. More detailed physical models are called for
to understand the apparent evolution effect.Comment: 13 pages in emulateapj style,6 figures, 1 table, expanded version,
matched to published version, ApJ, 2007, in press. This is the first paper of
a series. Paper II see arXiv:0705.1373 (ApJ,2007, in press
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