3,237 research outputs found
Observation of decoherence with a movable mirror
Recently it has been proposed to use parity as a measure of the mechanism
behind decoherence or the transformation from quantum to classical. Here, we
show that the proposed experiment is more feasible than previously thought, as
even an initial thermal state would exhibit the hypothesized symmetry breaking.Comment: Proceedings of the Lake Garda "quantum puzzles" conferenc
A model independent approach to non dissipative decoherence
We consider the case when decoherence is due to the fluctuations of some
classical variable or parameter of a system and not to its entanglement with
the environment. Under few and quite general assumptions, we derive a
model-independent formalism for this non-dissipative decoherence, and we apply
it to explain the decoherence observed in some recent experiments in cavity QED
and on trapped ions.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
Wear rates in urban rail systems
A significant part of maintenance costs in urban rail systems (metro, tram, light rapid transit/light metro) is due to wheel-rail wear. Wear rates - measured for example as depth of wear per kilometre run (rolling stock) or per train passage (rails) - depend in a complex manner on several influence factors. Among
the most important are key design factors of the rolling stock (wheel profiles, suspension characteristics), of the track (distribution of curve radii, characteristics of switches and crossings, rail profiles), of the wheel-rail interface (lubrication, materials in contact, ambient characteristics), and of
operations (frequency of traction and braking, trainset inversion policy, maintenance policy etc.). When designing an urban rail system, all of these factors have to be under control in order to limit the costs due to wheel/rail reprofiling/grinding and replacement. The state of the art allows the calculation of
wear rates given quantitative input regarding the above factors. However, it is difficult to find in the literature experimental values for calibration of wear models and indications on what is a reasonable state-of-the-art wear rate for any given type of urban rail system. In this paper we present a structured
analysis of flange wear rates found in the literature and derived from the experience of the authors, for a variety of cases, including metros and mainline rail systems. We compare the wear rates and explain their relationship with the influence factors. We then relate the wear rates with the needs in terms of
wheel reprofiling/replacement. We estimate ranges for the calibration coefficients of wear models. We present the results in a way as to allow the designer of urban rail systems to derive values for target wear rates according to their specific conditions without the need for complex simulations
Systematic Field-Theory for the Hard-Core One-Component Plasma
An accurate and systematic equation of state for the hard-core one-component
plasma (HCOCP) is obtained. The result is based on the Hubbard-Schofield
transformation which yields the field-theoretical Hamiltonian, with
coefficients expressed in terms of equilibrium correlation functions of the
reference hard-core fluid. Explicit calculations were performed using the
Gaussian approximation for the effective Hamiltonian and known thermodynamic
and structural properties of the reference hard-core fluid. For small values of
the plasma parameter G and packing fraction the Debye-Huckel result is
recovered, while for G>>1, the excess free energy F_ex and internal U_{ex}
energy depend linearly on G. The obtained expression for U_ex is in a good
agreement with the available Monte Carlo data for the HCOCP. We also analyse
the validity of the widely used approximation, which represents the free energy
as a sum of the hard-core and electrostatic part.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure
Synchronization dynamics of two nanomechanical membranes within a Fabry-Perot cavity
Spontaneous synchronization is a significant collective behavior of weakly
coupled systems. Due to their inherent nonlinear nature, optomechanical systems
can exhibit self-sustained oscillations which can be exploited for
synchronizing different mechanical resonators. In this paper, we explore the
synchronization dynamics of two membranes coupled to a common optical field
within a cavity, and pumped with a strong blue-detuned laser drive. We focus on
the system quantum dynamics in the parameter regime corresponding to
synchronization of the classical motion of the two membranes. With an
appropriate definition of the phase difference operator for the resonators, we
study synchronization in the quantum case through the covariance matrix
formalism. We find that for sufficiently large driving, quantum synchronization
is robust with respect to quantum fluctuations and to thermal noise up to not
too large temperatures. Under synchronization, the two membranes are never
entangled, while quantum discord behaves similarly to quantum synchronization,
that is, it is larger when the variance of the phase difference is smaller
Sensitivity-bandwidth limit in a multi-mode opto-electro-mechanical transducer
An opto--electro--mechanical system formed by a nanomembrane capacitively
coupled to an LC resonator and to an optical interferometer has been recently
employed for the high--sensitive optical readout of radio frequency (RF)
signals [T. Bagci, \emph{et~al.}, Nature {\bf 507}, 81 (2013)]. Here we propose
and experimentally demonstrate how the bandwidth of such kind of transducer can
be increased by controlling the interference between two--electromechanical
interaction pathways of a two--mode mechanical system. With a
proof--of--principle device \new{operating at room temperature, we achieve a
sensitivity of 300 nV/Hz^(1/2) over a bandwidth of 15 kHz in the presence of
radiofrequency noise, and an optimal shot-noise limited sensitivity of 10
nV/Hz^(1/2) over a bandwidth of 5 kHz. We discuss strategies for improving the
performance of the device, showing that, for the same given sensitivity, a
mechanical multi--mode transducer can achieve a bandwidth} significantly larger
than that of a single-mode one
Quantum theory of a polarization phase-gate in an atomic tripod configuration
We present the quantum theory of a polarization phase-gate that can be
realized in a sample of ultracold rubidium atoms driven into a tripod
configuration. The main advantages of this scheme are in its relative
simplicity and inherent symmetry. It is shown that the conditional phase shifts
of order can be attained.Comment: X International Conference on Quantum Optics, Minsk, Belaru
Quantum dynamics of a high-finesse optical cavity coupled with a thin semi-transparent membrane
We study the quantum dynamics of the cavity optomechanical system formed by a
Fabry-Perot cavity with a thin vibrating membrane at its center. We first
derive the general multimode Hamiltonian describing the radiation pressure
interaction between the cavity modes and the vibrational modes of the membrane.
We then restrict the analysis to the standard case of a single cavity mode
interacting with a single mechanical resonator and we determine to what extent
optical absorption by the membrane hinder reaching a quantum regime for the
cavity-membrane system. We show that membrane absorption does not pose serious
limitations and that one can simultaneously achieve ground state cooling of a
vibrational mode of the membrane and stationary optomechanical entanglement
with state-of-the-art apparatuses.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure
Quantum dynamics of a vibrational mode of a membrane within an optical cavity
Optomechanical systems are a promising candidate for the implementation of
quantum interfaces for storing and redistributing quantum information. Here we
focus on the case of a high-finesse optical cavity with a thin vibrating
semitransparent membrane in the middle. We show that robust and stationary
optomechanical entanglement could be achieved in the system, even in the
presence of nonnegligible optical absorption in the membrane. We also present
some preliminary experimental data showing radiation-pressure induced optical
bistability.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Work presented at the conference QCMC 2010 held
on 19-23 July 2010 at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australi
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