969 research outputs found
Mechanical On-Chip Microwave Circulator
Nonreciprocal circuit elements form an integral part of modern measurement
and communication systems. Mathematically they require breaking of
time-reversal symmetry, typically achieved using magnetic materials and more
recently using the quantum Hall effect, parametric permittivity modulation or
Josephson nonlinearities. Here, we demonstrate an on-chip magnetic-free
circulator based on reservoir engineered optomechanical interactions.
Directional circulation is achieved with controlled phase-sensitive
interference of six distinct electro-mechanical signal conversion paths. The
presented circulator is compact, its silicon-on-insulator platform is
compatible with both superconducting qubits and silicon photonics, and its
noise performance is close to the quantum limit. With a high dynamic range, a
tunable bandwidth of up to 30 MHz and an in-situ reconfigurability as beam
splitter or wavelength converter, it could pave the way for superconducting
qubit processors with integrated and multiplexed on-chip signal processing and
readout.Comment: References have been update
Some remarks on the spectral functions of the Abelian Higgs Model
We consider the unitary Abelian Higgs model and investigate its spectral
functions at one-loop order. This analysis allows to disentangle what is
physical and what is not at the level of the elementary particle propagators,
in conjunction with the Nielsen identities. We highlight the role of the
tadpole graphs and the gauge choices to get sensible results. We also introduce
an Abelian Curci-Ferrari action coupled to a scalar field to model a massive
photon which, like the non-Abelian Curci-Ferarri model, is left invariant by a
modified non-nilpotent BRST symmetry. We clearly illustrate its non-unitary
nature directly from the spectral function viewpoint. This provides a
functional analogue of the Ojima observation in the canonical formalism: there
are ghost states with nonzero norm in the BRST-invariant states of the
Curci-Ferrari model.Comment: 32 pages, 12 figure
Resposta a nitrogênio de trigo cultivado após soja e milho, em solos com diferentes teores de matéria orgânica, no Rio Grande do Sul.
I was not born cubic, said low-temperature metamorphic garnet
Garnet is the paradigmatic cubic mineral of metamorphic and igneous rocks, and is generally regarded as optically isotropic. Nonetheless, evident birefringence is observed, particularly in the rare Ca-Fe3+ hydrogarnets, which is attributed to the coexistence of two or more cubic phases. A weak birefringence, with rare examples of optical sector zoning, has also been documented in much more common Fe2+-Mg-Mn garnets, but an adequate explanation for its cause is, so far, lacking.
Here we show that optically anisotropic garnets are much more widespread than previously thought, both in blueschists and blueschist-facies rocks, as well as in lower greenschist-facies phyllites, but they are frequently overlooked when working with conventional, 30-µm-thick thin sections.
Utilizing a multi-technique approach including optical microstructural analysis, BSEM, EMPA, EBSD, FTIR, TEM, EDT and single-crystal XRD, we demonstrate here that the birefringence in these garnets is related to their tetragonal symmetry, that it is not due to strain, and that crystals are twinned according to a merohedral law.
We also show that the birefringent garnets from blueschists and phyllites are anhydrous, lacking any hydrogarnet component, and have compositions dominated by almandine (58-79%) and grossular (19-30%) with variable spessartine (0-21%) and very low pyrope (1-7%).
Considering the widespread occurrence of optically anisotropic OH-free garnets in blueschists and phyllites, their common low-grade metamorphic origin, and the occurrence of optically isotropic garnets with similar Ca-rich almandine composition in higher-grade rocks, we conclude that garnet does not grow with cubic symmetry in low-temperature rocks (< 400 â—¦C). The tetragonal structure appears to be typical of Fe-Ca-rich compositions, with very low Mg contents.
Cubic but optically sector-zoned garnet in a lower amphibolite-facies metapelite from the eastern Alps suggests that preservation of tetragonal garnet is favored in rocks which did not progress to T> ≈500 ◦C, where transition to the cubic form, accompanied by change of stable chemical composition, would take place.
Our data show that the crystal-chemistry of garnet, its thermodynamics and, in turn, its use in unravelling petrogenetic processes in cold metamorphic environments need to be re-assessed
Garnet, the archetypal cubic mineral, grows tetragonal
Garnet is the archetypal cubic mineral, occurring in a wide variety of rock types in Earth’s crust and upper mantle. Owing to its prevalence, durability and compositional diversity, garnet is used to investigate a broad range of geological processes. Although birefringence is a characteristic feature of rare Ca–Fe3+ garnet and Ca-rich hydrous garnet, the optical anisotropy that has occasionally been documented in common (that is, anhydrous Ca–Fe2+–Mg–Mn) garnet is generally attributed to internal strain of the cubic structure. Here we show that common garnet with a non-cubic (tetragonal) crystal structure is much more widespread than previously thought, occurring in low-temperature, high-pressure metamorphosed basalts (blueschists) from subduction zones and in low-grade metamorphosed mudstones (phyllites and schists) from orogenic belts. Indeed, a non-cubic symmetry appears to be typical of common garnet that forms at low temperatures (<450 °C), where it has a characteristic Fe–Ca-rich composition with very low Mg contents. We propose that, in most cases, garnet does not initially grow cubic. Our discovery indicates that the crystal chemistry and thermodynamic properties of garnet at low-temperature need to be re-assessed, with potential consequences for the application of garnet as an investigative tool in a broad range of geological environments
Gauge-invariant spectral description of the U (1) Higgs model from local composite operators
The spectral properties of a set of local gauge-invariant composite operators are investigated in the U(1) Higgs model quantized in the 't Hooft R-xi gauge. These operators enable us to give a gauge-invariant description of the spectrum of the theory, thereby surpassing certain incommodities when using the standard elementary fields. The corresponding two-point correlation functions are evaluated at one-loop order and their spectral functions are obtained explicitly. As expected, the above mentioned correlation functions are independent from the gauge parameter xi, while exhibiting positive spectral densities as well as gauge-invariant pole masses corresponding to the massive photon and Higgs physical excitations
The MAGIC Experiment and Its First Results
With its diameter of 17m, the MAGIC telescope is the largest Cherenkov
detector for gamma ray astrophysics. It is sensitive to photons above an energy
of 30 GeV. MAGIC started operations in October 2003 and is currently taking
data. This report summarizes its main characteristics, its rst results and its
potential for physics.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to be published in the Proceedings of the 6th
International Symposium ''Frontiers of Fundamental and Computational
Physics'' (FFP6), Udine (Italy), Sep. 26-29, 200
A novel background reduction strategy for high level triggers and processing in gamma-ray Cherenkov detectors
Gamma ray astronomy is now at the leading edge for studies related both to
fundamental physics and astrophysics. The sensitivity of gamma detectors is
limited by the huge amount of background, constituted by hadronic cosmic rays
(typically two to three orders of magnitude more than the signal) and by the
accidental background in the detectors. By using the information on the
temporal evolution of the Cherenkov light, the background can be reduced. We
will present here the results obtained within the MAGIC experiment using a new
technique for the reduction of the background. Particle showers produced by
gamma rays show a different temporal distribution with respect to showers
produced by hadrons; the background due to accidental counts shows no
dependence on time. Such novel strategy can increase the sensitivity of present
instruments.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Proc. of the 9th Int. Syposium "Frontiers of
Fundamental and Computational Physics" (FFP9), (AIP, Melville, New York,
2008, in press
Observation of collapse and revival in a superconducting atomic frequency comb
Recent advancements in superconducting circuits have enabled the experimental
study of collective behavior of precisely controlled intermediate-scale
ensembles of qubits. In this work, we demonstrate an atomic frequency comb
formed by individual artificial atoms strongly coupled to a single resonator
mode. We observe periodic microwave pulses that originate from a single
coherent excitation dynamically interacting with the multi-qubit ensemble. We
show that this revival dynamics emerges as a consequence of the constructive
and periodic rephasing of the five superconducting qubits forming the vacuum
Rabi split comb. In the future, similar devices could be used as a memory with
in-situ tunable storage time or as an on-chip periodic pulse generator with
non-classical photon statistics
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