1,730 research outputs found
Amplitude-mode dynamics of polariton condensates
We study the stability of collective amplitude excitations in non-equilibrium
polariton condensates. These excitations correspond to renormalized upper
polaritons and to the collective amplitude modes of atomic gases and
superconductors. They would be present following a quantum quench or could be
created directly by resonant excitation. We show that uniform amplitude
excitations are unstable to the production of excitations at finite
wavevectors, leading to the formation of density-modulated phases. The physical
processes causing the instabilities can be understood by analogy to optical
parametric oscillators and the atomic Bose supernova.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
The spiritual revolution and suicidal ideation: an empirical enquiry among 13- to 15-year-old adolescents in England and Wales
The association between conventional religiosity and suicide inhibition has been well explored and documented since the pioneering work of Durkheim. Commentators like Heelas and Woodhead point to ways in which conventional religiosity is giving way in England and Wales to a range of alternative spiritualities, including renewed interest in paranormal phenomena. Taking a sample of 3095 13- to 15-year-old adolescents, the present study examines the association between suicidal ideation and both conventional religiosity and paranormal beliefs, after controlling for individual differences in sex, age and personality (extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism). The data demonstrate that, while conventional religiosity is slightly associated with lower levels of suicidal ideation, paranormal beliefs are strongly associated with higher levels of suicidal ideation
On the Impossibility to Extend Triples of Mutually Unbiased Product Bases in Dimension Six
An analytic proof is given which shows that it is impossible to extend any
triple of mutually unbiased (MU) product bases in dimension six by a single MU
vector. Furthermore, the 16 states obtained by removing two orthogonal states
from any MU product triple cannot figure in a (hypothetical) complete set of
seven MU bases. These results follow from exploiting the structure of MU
product bases in a novel fashion, and they are among the strongest ones
obtained for MU bases in dimension six without recourse to computer algebra.Comment: 12 pages, identical to published versio
Creation of entangled states in coupled quantum dots via adiabatic rapid passage
Quantum state preparation through external control is fundamental to
established methods in quantum information processing and in studies of
dynamics. In this respect, excitons in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are of
particular interest since their coupling to light allows them to be driven into
a specified state using the coherent interaction with a tuned optical field
such as an external laser pulse. We propose a protocol, based on adiabatic
rapid passage, for the creation of entangled states in an ensemble of pairwise
coupled two-level systems, such as an ensemble of QD molecules. We show by
quantitative analysis using realistic parameters for semiconductor QDs that
this method is feasible where other approaches are unavailable. Furthermore,
this scheme can be generically transferred to some other physical systems
including circuit QED, nuclear and electron spins in solid-state environments,
and photonic coupled cavities.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures. Added reference, minor changes. Discussion,
results and conclusions unchange
Finite momentum condensation in a pumped microcavity
We calculate the absorption spectra of a semiconductor microcavity into which
a non-equilibrium exciton population has been pumped. We predict strong peaks
in the spectrum corresponding to collective modes analogous to the Cooper modes
in superconductors and fermionic atomic gases. These modes can become unstable,
leading to the formation of off-equilibrium quantum condensates. We calculate a
phase diagram for condensation, and show that the dominant instabilities can be
at a finite momentum. Thus we predict the formation of inhomogeneous
condensates, similar to Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov states.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, updated to accepted versio
Christianity, paranormal belief and personality: a study among 13- to 16-year-old pupils in England and Wales
Studies concerning the changing landscapes of religiosity and spirituality in the lives of young people in England and Wales draw attention to decline in traditional religiosity and to growth in alternative spiritualities. The present study examined whether such alternative spiritualities occupy the same personality space as traditional religiosity. A sample of 2,950 13- to 16-year-old pupils attending 11 secondary schools in England and Wales completed the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity and an index of paranormal belief, alongside the abbreviated-form Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised. The data demonstrated that these two forms of belief were related in different ways to Eysenck's dimensional model of personality space. While attitude toward Christianity occupied the space defined by low psychoticism scores (tendermindedness) and high lie scale scores (social conformity), paranormal belief was related to high psychoticism scores (toughmindedness) and was independent of lie scale scores. These findings support the view that alternative spiritualities may be associated with different personalities
Constructing Mutually Unbiased Bases in Dimension Six
The density matrix of a qudit may be reconstructed with optimal efficiency if
the expectation values of a specific set of observables are known. In dimension
six, the required observables only exist if it is possible to identify six
mutually unbiased complex 6x6 Hadamard matrices. Prescribing a first Hadamard
matrix, we construct all others mutually unbiased to it, using algebraic
computations performed by a computer program. We repeat this calculation many
times, sampling all known complex Hadamard matrices, and we never find more
than two that are mutually unbiased. This result adds considerable support to
the conjecture that no seven mutually unbiased bases exist in dimension six.Comment: As published version. Added discussion of the impact of numerical
approximations and corrected the number of triples existing for non-affine
families (cf Table 3
Quantifying Global Drivers of Zoonotic Bat Viruses: A Process-based Perspective
Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), particularly zoonoses, represent a significant threat to global health. Emergence is often driven by anthropogenic activity (e.g. travel, land use change). Although disease emergence frameworks suggest multiple steps from initial zoonotic transmission to human-to-human spread, there have been few attempts to empirically model specific steps. We create a process-based framework to separate out components of individual emergence steps. We focus on early emergence and expand the first step, zoonotic transmission, into processes of generation of pathogen richness, transmission opportunity and establishment, each with their own hypothesised drivers. Using this structure, we build a spatial empirical model of these drivers, taking bat viruses shared with humans as a case study. We show that drivers of both viral richness (host diversity and climatic variability) and transmission opportunity (human population density, bushmeat hunting and livestock production) are associated with virus sharing between humans and bats. We also show spatial heterogeneity between the global patterns of these two processes, suggesting high priority locations for pathogen discovery and surveillance in wildlife may not necessarily coincide with those for public health intervention. Finally, we offer direction for future studies of zoonotic EIDs by highlighting the importance of the processes underlying their emergence
Affine Constellations Without Mutually Unbiased Counterparts
It has been conjectured that a complete set of mutually unbiased bases in a
space of dimension d exists if and only if there is an affine plane of order d.
We introduce affine constellations and compare their existence properties with
those of mutually unbiased constellations, mostly in dimension six. The
observed discrepancies make a deeper relation between the two existence
problems unlikely.Comment: 8 page
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