7,045 research outputs found
Decays in Quantum Hierarchical Models
We study the dynamics of a simple model for quantum decay, where a single
state is coupled to a set of discrete states, the pseudo continuum, each
coupled to a real continuum of states. We find that for constant matrix
elements between the single state and the pseudo continuum the decay occurs via
one state in a certain region of the parameters, involving the Dicke and
quantum Zeno effects. When the matrix elements are random several cases are
identified. For a pseudo continuum with small bandwidth there are weakly damped
oscillations in the probability to be in the initial single state. For
intermediate bandwidth one finds mesoscopic fluctuations in the probability
with amplitude inversely proportional to the square root of the volume of the
pseudo continuum space. They last for a long time compared to the non-random
case
Recent Extreme Ultraviolet Solar Spectra and Spectroheliograms
Extreme ultraviolet solar spectra and spectroheliogram analyse
Current noise of a quantum dot p-i-n junction in a photonic crystal
The shot-noise spectrum of a quantum dot p-i-n junction embedded inside a
three-dimensional photonic crystal is investigated. Radiative decay properties
of quantum dot excitons can be obtained from the observation of the current
noise. The characteristic of the photonic band gap is revealed in the current
noise with discontinuous behavior. Applications of such a device in
entanglement generation and emission of single photons are pointed out, and may
be achieved with current technologies.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. B (2005
Magnetic field induced lattice anomaly inside the superconducting state of CeCoIn: evidence of the proposed Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state
We report high magnetic field linear magnetostriction experiments on
CeCoIn single crystals. Two features are remarkable: (i) a sharp
discontinuity in all the crystallographic axes associated with the upper
superconducting critical field that becomes less pronounced as the
temperature increases; (ii) a distinctive second order-like feature observed
only along the c-axis in the high field (10 T ) low
temperature ( 0.35 K) region. This second order transition is
observed only when the magnetic field lies within 20 of the ab-planes and
there is no signature of it above , which raises questions regarding
its interpretation as a field induced magnetically ordered phase. Good
agreement with previous results suggests that this anomaly is related to the
transition to the Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov superconducting state.Comment: 3 figures, 5 page
Interacting Large-Scale Magnetic Fields and Ionised Gas in the W50/SS433 System
The W50/SS433 system is an unusual Galactic outflow-driven object of
debatable origin. We have used the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) to
observe a new 198 pointing mosaic, covering , and
present the highest-sensitivity full-Stokes data of W50 to date using
wide-field, wide-band imaging over a 2 GHz bandwidth centred at 2.1 GHz. We
also present a complementary H mosaic created using the Isaac Newton
Telescope Photometric H Survey of the Northern Galactic Plane (IPHAS).
The magnetic structure of W50 is found to be consistent with the prevailing
hypothesis that the nebula is a reanimated shell-like supernova remnant (SNR),
that has been re-energised by the jets from SS433. We observe strong
depolarization effects that correlate with diffuse H emission, likely
due to spatially-varying Faraday rotation measure (RM) fluctuations of
to 61 rad m on scales to 6 pc. We also report the discovery of
numerous, faint, H filaments that are unambiguously associated with the
central region of W50. These thin filaments are suggestive of a SNR's shock
emission, and almost all have a radio counterpart. Furthermore, an RM-gradient
is detected across the central region of W50, which we interpret as a loop
magnetic field with a symmetry axis offset by to the
east-west jet-alignment axis, and implying that the evolutionary processes of
both the jets and the SNR must be coupled. A separate RM-gradient is associated
with the termination shock in the Eastern ear, which we interpret as a
ring-like field located where the shock of the jet interacts with the
circumstellar medium. Future optical observations will be able to use the new
H filaments to probe the kinematics of the shell of W50, potentially
allowing for a definitive experiment on W50's formation history.Comment: Submitted to MNRA
Is the electrostatic force between a point charge and a neutral metallic object always attractive?
We give an example of a geometry in which the electrostatic force between a
point charge and a neutral metallic object is repulsive. The example consists
of a point charge centered above a thin metallic hemisphere, positioned concave
up. We show that this geometry has a repulsive regime using both a simple
analytical argument and an exact calculation for an analogous two-dimensional
geometry. Analogues of this geometry-induced repulsion can appear in many other
contexts, including Casimir systems.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Interrelations Between the Neutron's Magnetic Interactions and the Magnetic Aharonov-Bohm Effect
It is proved that the phase shift of a polarized neutron interacting with a
spatially uniform time-dependent magnetic field, demonstrates the same physical
principles as the magnetic Aharonov-Bohm effect. The crucial role of inert
objects is explained, thereby proving the quantum mechanical nature of the
effect. It is also proved that the nonsimply connectedness of the field-free
region is not a profound property of the system and that it cannot be regarded
as a sufficient condition for a nonzero phase shift.Comment: 18 pages, 1 postscript figure, Late
Electric dipole moments and disalignment of interstellar dust grains
The degree to which interstellar grains align with respect to the
interstellar magnetic field depends on disaligning as well as aligning
mechanisms. For decades, it was assumed that disalignment was due primarily to
the random angular impulses a grain receives when colliding with gas-phase
atoms. Recently, a new disalignment mechanism has been considered, which may be
very potent for a grain that has a time-varying electric dipole moment and
drifts across the magnetic field. We provide quantitative estimates of the
disalignment times for silicate grains with size > approximately 0.1 micron.
These appear to be shorter than the time-scale for alignment by radiative
torques, unless the grains contain superparamagnetic inclusions.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, submitted to MNRA
A radio-polarisation and rotation measure study of the Gum Nebula and its environment
The Gum Nebula is 36 degree wide shell-like emission nebula at a distance of
only 450 pc. It has been hypothesised to be an old supernova remnant, fossil
HII region, wind-blown bubble, or combination of multiple objects. Here we
investigate the magneto-ionic properties of the nebula using data from recent
surveys: radio-continuum data from the NRAO VLA and S-band Parkes All Sky
Surveys, and H-alpha data from the Southern H-Alpha Sky Survey Atlas. We model
the upper part of the nebula as a spherical shell of ionised gas expanding into
the ambient medium. We perform a maximum-likelihood Markov chain Monte-Carlo
fit to the NVSS rotation measure data, using the H-halpha data to constrain
average electron density in the shell . Assuming a latitudinal background
gradient in RM we find , angular radius
, shell thickness
, ambient magnetic field strength
and warm gas filling factor
. We constrain the local, small-scale (~260 pc)
pitch-angle of the ordered Galactic magnetic field to
, which represents a significant
deviation from the median field orientation on kiloparsec scales
(~-7.2). The moderate compression factor X=6.0\,^{+5.1}_{-2.5} at
the edge of the H-alpha shell implies that the 'old supernova remnant' origin
is unlikely. Our results support a model of the nebula as a HII region around a
wind-blown bubble. Analysis of depolarisation in 2.3 GHz S-PASS data is
consistent with this hypothesis and our best-fitting values agree well with
previous studies of interstellar bubbles.Comment: 33 pages, 16 figures. Accepted by The Astrophysical Journa
Overcoming phonon-induced dephasing for indistinguishable photon sources
Reliable single photon sources constitute the basis of schemes for quantum
communication and measurement based quantum computing. Solid state single
photon sources based on quantum dots are convenient and versatile but the
electronic transitions that generate the photons are subject to interactions
with lattice vibrations. Using a microscopic model of electron-phonon
interactions and a quantum master equation, we here examine phonon-induced
decoherence and assess its impact on the rate of production, and
indistinguishability, of single photons emitted from an optically driven
quantum dot system. We find that, above a certain threshold of desired
indistinguishability, it is possible to mitigate the deleterious effects of
phonons by exploiting a three-level Raman process for photon production
- …