Phase transitions, entanglement and quantum noise interferometry in cold atoms

We show that entanglement monotones can characterize the pronounced enhancement of entanglement at a quantum phase transition if they are sensitive to long-range high order correlations. These monotones are found to develop a sharp peak at the critical point and to exhibit universal scaling. We demonstrate that similar features are shared by noise correlations and verify that these experimentally accessible quantities indeed encode entanglement information and probe separability.Comment: 4 pages 4 figure

Gravitational collapse of a magnetized fermion gas with finite temperature

We examine the dynamics of a self--gravitating magnetized electron gas at finite temperature near the collapsing singularity of a Bianchi-I spacetime. Considering a general and appropriate and physically motivated initial conditions, we transform Einstein--Maxwell field equations into a complete and self--consistent dynamical system amenable for numerical work. The resulting numerical solutions reveal the gas collapsing into both, isotropic ("point-like") and anisotropic ("cigar-like") singularities, depending on the initial intensity of the magnetic field. We provide a thorough study of the near collapse behavior and interplay of all relevant state and kinematic variables: temperature, expansion scalar, shear scalar, magnetic field, magnetization and energy density. A significant qualitative difference in the behavior of the gas emerges in the temperature range $\hbox{T} sim10^{4}\hbox{K}$ and $\hbox{T}\sim 10^{7}\hbox{K}$.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1211.598

The influence of holes in the mechanical properties of EWT solar cells

EWT back contact solar cells are manufactured from very thin silicon wafers. These wafers are drilled by means of a laser process creating a matrix of tiny holes with a density of approximately 125 holes per square centimeter. Their influence in the stiffness and mechanical strength has been studied. To this end, both wafers with and without holes have been tested with the ring on ring test. Numerical simulations of the tests have been carried out through the Finite Element Method taking into account the non-linearities present in the tests. It's shown that one may use coarse meshes without holes to simulate the test and after that sub models are used for the estimation of the stress concentration around the holes

Preparation and detection of magnetic quantum phases in optical superlattices

We describe a novel approach to prepare, detect and characterize magnetic quantum phases in ultra-cold spinor atoms loaded in optical superlattices. Our technique makes use of singlet-triplet spin manipulations in an array of isolated double well potentials in analogy to recently demonstrated quantum control in semiconductor quantum dots. We also discuss the many-body singlet-triplet spin dynamics arising from coherent coupling between nearest neighbor double wells and derive an effective description for such system. We use it to study the generation of complex magnetic states by adiabatic and non-equilibrium dynamics.Comment: 5 pages, 2 Figures, reference adde

Hanbury Brown-Twiss Interferometry for Fractional and Integer Mott Phases

Hanbury-Brown-Twiss interferometry (HBTI) is used to study integer and fractionally filled Mott Insulator (MI) phases in period-2 optical superlattices. In contrast to the quasimomentum distribution, this second order interferometry pattern exhibits high contrast fringes in the it insulating phases. Our detailed study of HBTI suggests that this interference pattern signals the various superfluid-insulator transitions and therefore can be used as a practical method to determine the phase diagram of the system. We find that in the presence of a confining potential the insulating phases become robust as they exist for a finite range of atom numbers. Furthermore, we show that in the trapped case the HBTI interferogram signals the formation of the MI domains and probes the shell structure of the system.Comment: 13 pages, 15 figure

Divergencia genética en especies crípticas de agua subterránea: primeras secuencias COI obtenidas de la familia Bathynellidae (Crustacea, Syncarida, Bathynellacea)

The biodiversity of groundwater fauna remains poorly known and understood. Groundwater biodiversity studies are strongly affected by habitat inaccessibility and taxonomic crisis. The objective of this work was to investigate levels of genetic divergence across populations of Bathynellacea, a small crustacean group that lives exclusively in groundwater, in order to evaluate the extent of cryptic speciation in morphologically constrained clades. Partial sequences of cytochrome oxidase I (COI) have been obtained, for the first time in Bathynellidae. Specimens analyzed of the genus Vejdovskybathynella were obtained from six populations morphologically assignable to a single species; all of them are located in different areas of one of the largest karst systems (110 km of galleries topographied) known in Spain. The analyses of molecular data demonstrate the presence of three highly divergent genetic units, possibly corresponding to undescribed new species. The results of this study provide the first molecular data that complement morphological knowledge in order to address phylogenetic studies to try to resolve the relations between genera and species of the Bathynellidae family. We conclude that the evolutionary scenario of this special group of subterranean crustaceans cannot be revealed only by using morphological information due to the presence of very old lineages of cryptic species, as has been brought to light with the molecular data obtained here.La biodiversidad de la fauna de las aguas subterráneas sigue siendo poco conocida. Los estudios de diversidad biológica de las aguas subterráneas se ven negativamente afectados por la inaccesibilidad del hábitat y la crisis taxonómica. El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar los niveles de divergencia genética de poblaciones de Bathynellacea, un pequeño grupo de crustáceos que viven exclusivamente en las aguas subterráneas, para evaluar la extensión de la especiación críptica en clados morfológicamente constreñidos. Las secuencias parciales de citocromo oxidasa I (COI) se han obtenido, por primera vez, de varios ejemplares de la familia Bathynellidae. Los ejemplares analizados del género Vejdovskybathynella proceden de seis poblaciones, morfológicamente asignables a una única especie, de uno de los sistemas kársticos más grandes de España (110 km de galerías topografiadas). El análisis de datos moleculares demuestra la presencia de tres unidades con elevada divergencia genética, dos de ellas posiblemente correspondientes a nuevas especies sin describir. Los resultados de este estudio proporcionan los primeros datos moleculares que permiten complementar el conocimiento morfológico para abordar estudios filogenéticos que ayuden a resolver las relaciones de parentesco de las especies de diferentes géneros de la familia Bathynellidae. Podemos concluir que el escenario evolutivo de este grupo de crustáceos subterráneos no se puede revelar sólo con información morfológica debido a la presencia de linajes muy antiguos de especies crípticas que parecen salir a la luz sólo con datos moleculares como los obtenidos en este trabajo

Signal of Bose condensation in an optical lattice at finite temperature

We discuss the experimental signal for the Bose condensation of cold atoms in an optical lattice at finite temperature. Instead of using the visibility of the interference pattern via the time-of-flight imaging, we show that the momentum space density profile in the first Brillouin zone, in particular its bimodal distribution, provides an unambiguous signal for the Bose condensation. We confirm this point with detailed calculation of the change in the atomic momentum distribution across the condensation phase transition, taking into account both the global trapping potential and the atomic interaction effects.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, replaced with the published versio

Cultivating diversity and food quality. Proceedings of Diversifood EU Forum, Brussels, 11 April 2018

To tackle this issue, Diversifood team organised a forum with policy makers and stakeholders on the 11th of April 2018, in Brussels. Diversifood’s aim is to share results and key lessons including new approaches for the management of cultivated biodiversity, for plant breeding for sustainable farming systems, and new relationships among actors of food systems. In the afternoon, there was time for discussion, knowledge sharing, collecting feedback and extending current policies to include cultivating diversity and food quality (for FP9, CAP 2020, The outputs of this workshop will feed Diversifood’s final recommendations. The forum was kindly hosted by the European Committee of the Regions (Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat 101, 1040 Brussels)