6,912 research outputs found
Topological Phase Transitions and Holonomies in the Dimer Model
We demonstrate that the classical dimer model defined on a toroidal hexagonal
lattice acquires holonomy phases in the thermodynamic limit. When all
activities are equal the lattice sizes must be considered mod 6 in which case
the finite size corrections to the bulk partition function correspond to a
massless Dirac Fermion in the presence of a flat connection with nontrivial
holonomy. For general bond activities we find that the phase transition in this
model is a topological one, where the torus degenerates and its modular
parameter becomes real at the critical temperature. We argue that these
features are generic to bipartite dimer models and we present a more general
lattice whose continuum partition function is that of a massive Dirac Fermion.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. Minor corrections with additional figure
Josephson junctions in thin and narrow rectangular superconducting strips
I consider a Josephson junction crossing the middle of a thin rectangular
superconducting strip of length L and width W subjected to a perpendicular
magnetic induction B. I calculate the spatial dependence of the gauge-invariant
phase difference across the junction and the resulting B dependence of the
critical current Ic(B).Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, revised following referee's comment
The Omega Deformation From String and M-Theory
We present a string theory construction of Omega-deformed four-dimensional
gauge theories with generic values of \epsilon_1 and \epsilon_2. Our solution
gives an explicit description of the geometry in the core of Nekrasov and
Witten's realization of the instanton partition function, far from the
asymptotic region of their background. This construction lifts naturally to
M-theory and corresponds to an M5-brane wrapped on a Riemann surface with a
selfdual flux. Via a 9-11 flip, we finally reinterpret the Omega deformation in
terms of non-commutative geometry. Our solution generates all modified
couplings of the \Omega-deformed gauge theory, and also yields a geometric
origin for the quantum spectral curve of the associated quantum integrable
system.Comment: LaTeX, 35 pages, 1 figure. Appendix on couplings of hypermultiplets
in N=4 SYM adde
Notes on Matter in Horava-Lifshitz Gravity
We investigate the dynamics of a scalar field governed by the Lifshitz-type
action which should appear naturally in Horava-Lifshitz gravity. The wave of
the scalar field may propagate with any speed without an upper bound. To
preserve the causality, the action cannot have a generic form. Due to the
superluminal propagation, a formation of a singularity may cause the breakdown
of the predictability of the theory. To check whether such a catastrophe could
occur in Horava-Lifshitz gravity, we investigate the dynamics of a dust. It
turns out that the dust does not collapse completely to form a singularity in a
generic situation, but expands again after it attains a maximum energy density.Comment: 14 pages, references adde
Electromagnetically induced transparency in superconducting quantum circuits : Effects of decoherence, tunneling and multi-level cross-talk
We explore theoretically electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) in a
superconducting quantum circuit (SQC). The system is a persistent-current flux
qubit biased in a configuration. Previously [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93,
087003 (2004)], we showed that an ideally-prepared EIT system provides a
sensitive means to probe decoherence. Here, we extend this work by exploring
the effects of imperfect dark-state preparation and specific decoherence
mechanisms (population loss via tunneling, pure dephasing, and incoherent
population exchange). We find an initial, rapid population loss from the
system for an imperfectly prepared dark state. This is followed by a
slower population loss due to both the detuning of the microwave fields from
the EIT resonance and the existing decoherence mechanisms. We find analytic
expressions for the slow loss rate, with coefficients that depend on the
particular decoherence mechanisms, thereby providing a means to probe,
identify, and quantify various sources of decoherence with EIT. We go beyond
the rotating wave approximation to consider how strong microwave fields can
induce additional off-resonant transitions in the SQC, and we show how these
effects can be mitigated by compensation of the resulting AC Stark shifts
Silicon Superconducting Quantum Interference Device
We have studied a Superconducting Quantum Interference SQUID device made from
a single layer thin film of superconducting silicon. The superconducting layer
is obtained by heavily doping a silicon wafer with boron atoms using the Gas
Immersion Laser Doping (GILD) technique. The SQUID device is composed of two
nano-bridges (Dayem bridges) in a loop and shows magnetic flux modulation at
low temperature and low magnetic field. The overall behavior shows very good
agreement with numerical simulations based on the Ginzburg-Landau equations.Comment: Published in Applied Physics Letters (August 2015
Long Josephson Tunnel Junctions with Doubly Connected Electrodes
In order to mimic the phase changes in the primordial Big Bang, several
"cosmological" solid-state experiments have been conceived, during the last
decade, to investigate the spontaneous symmetry breaking in superconductors and
superfluids cooled through their transition temperature. In one of such
experiments the number of magnetic flux quanta spontaneously trapped in a
superconducting loop was measured by means of a long Josephson tunnel junction
built on top of the loop itself. We have analyzed this system and found a
number of interesting features not occurring in the conventional case with
simply connected electrodes. In particular, the fluxoid quantization results in
a frustration of the Josephson phase, which, in turn, reduces the junction
critical current. Further, the possible stable states of the system are
obtained by a self-consistent application of the principle of minimum energy.Comment: 34 pages, 9 figures, Phys. Rev. B April 201
Equilibrium properties of a Josephson junction ladder with screening effects
In this paper we calculate the ground state phase diagram of a Josephson
Junction ladder when screening field effects are taken into account. We study
the ground state configuration as a function of the external field, the
penetration depth and the anisotropy of the ladder, using different
approximations to the calculation of the induced fields. A series of tongues,
characterized by the vortex density , is obtained. The vortex density
of the ground state, as a function of the external field, is a Devil's
staircase, with a plateau for every rational value of . The width of
each of these steps depends strongly on the approximation made when calculating
the inductance effect: if the self-inductance matrix is considered, the
phase tends to occupy all the diagram as the penetration depth
decreases. If, instead, the whole inductance matrix is considered, the width of
any step tends to a non-zero value in the limit of very low penetration depth.
We have also analyzed the stability of some simple metastable phases: screening
fields are shown to enlarge their stability range.Comment: 16 pp, RevTex. Figures available upon request at
[email protected] To be published in Physical Review B (01-Dec-96
Impact of time-ordered measurements of the two states in a niobium superconducting qubit structure
Measurements of thermal activation are made in a superconducting, niobium
Persistent-Current (PC) qubit structure, which has two stable classical states
of equal and opposite circulating current. The magnetization signal is read out
by ramping the bias current of a DC SQUID. This ramping causes time-ordered
measurements of the two states, where measurement of one state occurs before
the other. This time-ordering results in an effective measurement time, which
can be used to probe the thermal activation rate between the two states.
Fitting the magnetization signal as a function of temperature and ramp time
allows one to estimate a quality factor of 10^6 for our devices, a value
favorable for the observation of long quantum coherence times at lower
temperatures.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
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