9,713 research outputs found
On the Quantum Phase Operator for Coherent States
In papers by Lynch [Phys. Rev. A41, 2841 (1990)] and Gerry and Urbanski
[Phys. Rev. A42, 662 (1990)] it has been argued that the phase-fluctuation
laser experiments of Gerhardt, B\"uchler and Lifkin [Phys. Lett. 49A, 119
(1974)] are in good agreement with the variance of the Pegg-Barnett phase
operator for a coherent state, even for a small number of photons. We argue
that this is not conclusive. In fact, we show that the variance of the phase in
fact depends on the relative phase between the phase of the coherent state and
the off-set phase of the Pegg-Barnett phase operator. This off-set
phase is replaced with the phase of a reference beam in an actual experiment
and we show that several choices of such a relative phase can be fitted to the
experimental data. We also discuss the Noh, Foug\`{e}res and Mandel [Phys.Rev.
A46, 2840 (1992)] relative phase experiment in terms of the Pegg-Barnett phase
taking post-selection conditions into account.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures. Typographical errors and misprints have been
corrected. The outline of the paper has also been changed. Physica Scripta
(in press
Nano-Scale Hydroxyapatite: Synthesis, Two-Dimensional Transport Experiments, and Application for Uranium Remediation
Synthetic nano-scale hydroxyapatite (NHA) was prepared and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods. The XRD data confirmed that the crystalline structure and chemical composition of NHA correspond to Ca5OH(PO4)3. The SEM data confirmed the size of NHA to be less than 50 nm. A two-dimensional physical model packed with saturated porous media was used to study the transport characteristics of NHA under constant flow conditions. The data show that the transport patterns of NHA were almost identical to tracer transport patterns. This result indicates that the NHA material can move with water like a tracer, and its movement was neither retarded nor influenced by any physicochemical interactions and/or density effects. We have also tested the reactivity of NHA with 1 mg/L hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) and found that complete removal of U(VI) is possible using 0.5 g/L NHA at pH 5 to 6. Our results demonstrate that NHA has the potential to be injected as a dilute slurry for in situ treatment of U(VI)-contaminated groundwater systems
Nano-Scale Hydroxyapatite: Synthesis, Two-Dimensional Transport Experiments, and Application for Uranium Remediation
Synthetic nano-scale hydroxyapatite (NHA) was prepared and characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods. The XRD data confirmed that the crystalline structure and chemical composition of NHA correspond to Ca5OH(PO4)3. The SEM data confirmed the size of NHA to be less than 50 nm. A two-dimensional physical model packed with saturated porous media was used to study the transport characteristics of NHA under constant flow conditions. The data show that the transport patterns of NHA were almost identical to tracer transport patterns. This result indicates that the NHA material can move with water like a tracer, and its movement was neither retarded nor influenced by any physicochemical interactions and/or density effects. We have also tested the reactivity of NHA with 1 mg/L hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) and found that complete removal of U(VI) is possible using 0.5 g/L NHA at pH 5 to 6. Our results demonstrate that NHA has the potential to be injected as a dilute slurry for in situ treatment of U(VI)-contaminated groundwater systems
Fidelity and the communication of quantum information
We compare and contrast the error probability and fidelity as measures of the quality of the receiver's measurement strategy for a quantum communications system. The error probability is a measure of the ability to retrieve classical information and the fidelity measures the retrieval of quantum information. We present the optimal measurement strategies for maximizing the fidelity given a source that encodes information on the symmetric qubit-states
Some considerations concerning the challenge of incorporating social variables into epidemiological models of infectious disease transmission
Incorporation of ‘social’ variables into epidemiological models remains a challenge. Too much detail and models cease to be useful; too little and the very notion of infection —a highly social process in human populations—may be considered with little reference to the social. The French sociologist Emile Durkheim proposed that the scientific study of society required identification and study of ‘social currents.’ Such ‘currents’ are what we might today describe as ‘emergent properties,’ specifiable variables appertaining to individuals and groups, which represent the perspectives of social actors as they experience the environment in which they live their lives. Here we review the ways in which one particular emergent property, hope, relevant to a range of epidemiological situations, might be used in epidemiological modelling of infectious diseases in human populations. We also indicate how such an approach might be extended to include a range of other potential emergent properties to repre
Lyapunov exponent of the random frequency oscillator: cumulant expansion approach
We consider a one-dimensional harmonic oscillator with a random frequency,
focusing on both the standard and the generalized Lyapunov exponents,
and respectively. We discuss the numerical difficulties that
arise in the numerical calculation of in the case of strong
intermittency. When the frequency corresponds to a Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process,
we compute analytically by using a cumulant expansion including
up to the fourth order. Connections with the problem of finding an analytical
estimate for the largest Lyapunov exponent of a many-body system with smooth
interactions are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in J. Phys. Conf. Series - LAWNP0
Arrays of Cooper Pair Boxes Coupled to a Superconducting Reservoir: `Superradiance' and `Revival.'
We consider an array of Cooper Pair Boxes, each of which is coupled to a
superconducting reservoir by a capacitive tunnel junction. We discuss two
effects that probe not just the quantum nature of the islands, but also of the
superconducting reservoir coupled to them. These are analogues to the
well-known quantum optical effects `superradiance,' and `revival.' When revival
is extended to multiple systems, we find that `entanglement revival' can also
be observed. In order to study the above effects, we utilise a highly
simplified model for these systems in which all the single-electron energy
eigenvalues are set to be the same (the strong coupling limit), as are the
charging energies of the Cooper Pair Boxes, allowing the whole system to be
represented by two large coupled quantum spins. Although this simplification is
drastic, the model retains the main features necessary to capture the phenomena
of interest. Given the progress in superconducting box experiments over recent
years, it is possible that experiments to investigate both of these interesting
quantum coherent phenomena could be performed in the forseeable future.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures Clarifications made as recommended by refere
Multivariate Granger Causality and Generalized Variance
Granger causality analysis is a popular method for inference on directed
interactions in complex systems of many variables. A shortcoming of the
standard framework for Granger causality is that it only allows for examination
of interactions between single (univariate) variables within a system, perhaps
conditioned on other variables. However, interactions do not necessarily take
place between single variables, but may occur among groups, or "ensembles", of
variables. In this study we establish a principled framework for Granger
causality in the context of causal interactions among two or more multivariate
sets of variables. Building on Geweke's seminal 1982 work, we offer new
justifications for one particular form of multivariate Granger causality based
on the generalized variances of residual errors. Taken together, our results
support a comprehensive and theoretically consistent extension of Granger
causality to the multivariate case. Treated individually, they highlight
several specific advantages of the generalized variance measure, which we
illustrate using applications in neuroscience as an example. We further show
how the measure can be used to define "partial" Granger causality in the
multivariate context and we also motivate reformulations of "causal density"
and "Granger autonomy". Our results are directly applicable to experimental
data and promise to reveal new types of functional relations in complex
systems, neural and otherwise.Comment: added 1 reference, minor change to discussion, typos corrected; 28
pages, 3 figures, 1 table, LaTe
Charge-Induced Fragmentation of Sodium Clusters
The fission of highly charged sodium clusters with fissilities X>1 is studied
by {\em ab initio} molecular dynamics. Na_{24}^{4+} is found to undergo
predominantly sequential Na_{3}^{+} emission on a time scale of 1 ps, while
Na_{24}^{Q+} (5 \leq Q \leq 8) undergoes multifragmentation on a time scale
\geq 0.1 ps, with Na^{+} increasingly the dominant fragment as Q increases. All
singly-charged fragments Na_{n}^{+} up to size n=6 are observed. The observed
fragment spectrum is, within statistical error, independent of the temperature
T of the parent cluster for T \leq 1500 K. These findings are consistent with
and explain recent trends observed experimentally.Comment: To appear in Physical Review Letter
Interference in dielectrics and pseudo-measurements
Inserting a lossy dielectric into one arm of an interference experiment acts
in many ways like a measurement. If two entangled photons are passed through
the interferometer, a certain amount of information is gained about which path
they took, and the interference pattern in a coincidence count measurement is
suppressed. However, by inserting a second dielectric into the other arm of the
interferometer, one can restore the interference pattern. Two of these
pseudo-measurements can thus cancel each other out. This is somewhat analogous
to the proposed quantum eraser experiments.Comment: 7 pages RevTeX 3.0 + 2 figures (postscript). Submitted to Phys. Rev.
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