An open--quantum--system formulation of particle decay

We consider an open quantum system which contains unstable states. The time evolution of the system can be described by an effective non-hermitian Hamiltonian H_{eff}, in accord with the Wigner--Weisskopf approximation, and an additional term of the Lindblad form, the socalled dissipator. We show that, after enlarging the original Hilbert space by states which represent the decay products of the unstable states, the non-hermitian part of H_{eff} --the ``particle decay''-- can be incorporated into the dissipator of the enlarged space via a specific Lindblad operator. Thus the new formulation of the time evolution on the enlarged space has a hermitian Hamiltonian and is probability conserving. The equivalence of the new formulation with the original one demonstrates that the time evolution which is governed by a non-hermitian Hamiltonian and a dissipator of the Lindblad form is nevertheless completely positive, just as systems with hermitian Hamiltonians.Comment: 8 page

A Tableaux Calculus for Reducing Proof Size

A tableau calculus is proposed, based on a compressed representation of clauses, where literals sharing a similar shape may be merged. The inferences applied on these literals are fused when possible, which reduces the size of the proof. It is shown that the obtained proof procedure is sound, refutationally complete and allows to reduce the size of the tableau by an exponential factor. The approach is compatible with all usual refinements of tableaux.Comment: Technical Repor

Optical observation of the 3sσgF³Πu Rydberg state of N₂

Using ultrahigh-resolution 1 XUV+1 UV two-photon ionization laser spectroscopy, the F (3)Pi(u)<--X (1)Sigma(g) (+)(0,0) transition of N(2) has been optically observed for the first time, and the 3s sigma(g)F (3)Pi(u)(upsilon=0) Rydberg level fully characterized with rotational resolution. The experimental spectroscopic parameters and predissociation level widths suggest strong interactions between the F state and the 3p pi(u)G (3)Pi(u) Rydberg and C(') (3)Pi(u) valence states, analogous to those well known in the case of the isoconfigurational (1)Pi(u) states.The Molecular Atmospheric Physics MAP Program of the Netherlands Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter FOM, and the Discovery Program of the Australian Research Council are gratefully acknowledged for their support

On the fundamental representation of Borcherds algebras with one imaginary simple root

Borcherds algebras represent a new class of Lie algebras which have almost all the properties that ordinary Kac-Moody algebras have, and the only major difference is that these generalized Kac-Moody algebras are allowed to have imaginary simple roots. The simplest nontrivial examples one can think of are those where one adds ``by hand'' one imaginary simple root to an ordinary Kac-Moody algebra. We study the fundamental representation of this class of examples and prove that an irreducible module is given by the full tensor algebra over some integrable highest weight module of the underlying Kac-Moody algebra. We also comment on possible realizations of these Lie algebras in physics as symmetry algebras in quantum field theory.Comment: 8 page

Excitation of weakly bound Rydberg electrons by half-cycle pulses

The interaction of a weakly bound Rydberg electron with an electromagnetic half-cycle pulse (HCP) is described with the help of a multidimensional semiclassical treatment. This approach relates the quantum evolution of the electron to its underlying classical dynamics. The method is nonperturbative and is valid for arbitrary spatial and temporal shapes of the applied HCP. On the basis of this approach angle- and energy-resolved spectra resulting from the ionization of Rydberg atoms by HCPs are analyzed. The different types of spectra obtainable in the sudden-impact approximation are characterized in terms of the appearing semiclassical scattering phenomena. Typical modifications of the spectra originating from finite pulse effects are discussed.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Ion Collisions in Very Strong Electric Fields

A Classical Trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) simulation has been made of processes of charge exchange and ionization between an hydrogen atom and fully stripped ions embedded in very strong static electric fields ($O(10^{10}$ V/m$)$), which are thought to exist in cosmic and laser--produced plasmas. Calculations show that the presence of the field affects absolute values of the cross sections, enhancing ionization and reducing charge exchange. Moreover, the overall effect depends upon the relative orientation between the field and the nuclear motion. Other features of a null-field situation, such as scaling laws, are revisited.Comment: Latex, 13 pages, 11 figures (available upon request), to be published in Journal of Physics

Electroneutrality and the Friedel sum rule in a Luttinger liquid

Screening in one-dimensional metals is studied for arbitrary electron-electron interactions. It is shown that for finite-range interactions (Luttinger liquid) electroneutrality is violated. This apparent inconsistency can be traced to the presence of external screening gates responsible for the effectively short-ranged Coulomb interactions. We also draw attention to the breakdown of linear screening for wavevectors close to 2 K_f.Comment: 4 pages REVTeX, incl one figure, to appear in Phys.Rev.Let

Decoherence modes of entangled qubits within neutron interferometry

We study two different decoherence modes for entangled qubits by considering a Liouville - von Neumann master equation. Mode A is determined by projection operators onto the eigenstates of the Hamiltonian and mode B by projectors onto rotated states. We present solutions for general and for Bell diagonal states and calculate for the later the mixedness and the amount of entanglement given by the concurrence. We propose a realization of the decoherence modes within neutron interferometry by applying fluctuating magnetic fields. An experimental test of the Kraus operator decomposition describing the evolution of the system for each mode is presented.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure