45,794 research outputs found
Coherent phenomena in semiconductors
A review of coherent phenomena in photoexcited semiconductors is presented.
In particular, two classes of phenomena are considered: On the one hand the
role played by optically-induced phase coherence in the ultrafast spectroscopy
of semiconductors; On the other hand the Coulomb-induced effects on the
coherent optical response of low-dimensional structures.
All the phenomena discussed in the paper are analyzed in terms of a
theoretical framework based on the density-matrix formalism. Due to its
generality, this quantum-kinetic approach allows a realistic description of
coherent as well as incoherent, i.e. phase-breaking, processes, thus providing
quantitative information on the coupled ---coherent vs. incoherent--- carrier
dynamics in photoexcited semiconductors.
The primary goal of the paper is to discuss the concept of quantum-mechanical
phase coherence as well as its relevance and implications on semiconductor
physics and technology. In particular, we will discuss the dominant role played
by optically induced phase coherence on the process of carrier photogeneration
and relaxation in bulk systems. We will then review typical field-induced
coherent phenomena in semiconductor superlattices such as Bloch oscillations
and Wannier-Stark localization. Finally, we will discuss the dominant role
played by Coulomb correlation on the linear and non-linear optical spectra of
realistic quantum-wire structures.Comment: Topical review in Semiconductor Science and Technology (in press)
(Some of the figures are not available in electronic form
Protecting, Enhancing and Reviving Entanglement
We propose a strategies not only to protect but also to enhance and revive
the entanglement in a double Jaynes-Cummings model. We show that such
surprising features arises when Zeno-like measurements are performed during the
dynamical process
Quantized vortices in two dimensional solid 4He
Diagonal and off-diagonal properties of 2D solid 4He systems doped with a
quantized vortex have been investigated via the Shadow Path Integral Ground
State method using the fixed-phase approach. The chosen approximate phase
induces the standard Onsager-Feynman flow field. In this approximation the
vortex acts as a static external potential and the resulting Hamiltonian can be
treated exactly with Quantum Monte Carlo methods. The vortex core is found to
sit in an interstitial site and a very weak relaxation of the lattice positions
away from the vortex core position has been observed. Also other properties
like Bragg peaks in the static structure factor or the behavior of vacancies
are very little affected by the presence of the vortex. We have computed also
the one-body density matrix in perfect and defected 4He crystals finding that
the vortex has no sensible effect on the off-diagonal long range tail of the
density matrix. Within the assumed Onsager Feynman phase, we find that a
quantized vortex cannot auto-sustain itself unless a condensate is already
present like when dislocations are present. It remains to be investigated if
backflow can change this conclusion.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, LT26 proceedings, accepted for publication in
Journal of Physics: Conference Serie
Trichothecenes NIV and DON modulate the maturation of murinedendritic cells
Nivalenol (NIV) and Deoxynivalenol (DON), mycotoxins of the trichothecene family are considered very common food contaminants. In this work, we investigated whether the immunotoxic effects ascribed to these trichothecenes may be mediated by perturbations in the activity of dendritic cells (DCs). Murine bone marrow-derived DCs were used to evaluate the effects of NIV and DON on the LPS-induced maturation process.We found that the expression of the class II MHC and of the accessory CD11c molecules, but not of the costimulatory CD86 marker, was down-regulated by NIV and DON exposure in LPS-treated DCs, as well as nitric oxide (NO) production. Interestingly, NIV, but not DON, induced DC necrosis. Moreover, the analysis of the cytokine pattern showed that IL-12 and IL-10 expressions induced by LPS exposure were suppressed by both trichothecenes in a dose-dependent fashion. On the other hand, the secretion of the proinflammatory cytokine TNFa was increased as a direct consequence of DON and NIV exposure. Taken together, our data indicated that the immunotoxicity of NIV and DON was related to the capacity of both trichothecenes to interfere with phenotypic and functional features of maturing DCs
Strong coupling expansion of chiral models
A general precedure is outlined for an algorithmic implementation of the
strong coupling expansion of lattice chiral models on arbitrary lattices. A
symbolic character expansion in terms of connected values of group integrals on
skeleton diagrams may be obtained by a fully computerized approach.Comment: 2 pages, PostScript file, contribution to conference LATTICE '9
Quantum Properties of a Which-Way Detector
We explore quantum properties of a which-way detector using three versions of
an idealized two slit arrangements. Firstly we derive complementarity relations
for the detector; secondly we show how the "experiment" may be altered in such
a way that using single position measurement on the screen we can obtain
quantum erasure. Finally we show how to construct a superposition of "wave" and
"particle" components
Control of large space structures
The control of large space structures was studied to determine what, if any, limitations are imposed on the size of spacecraft which may be controlled using current control system design technology. Using a typical structure in the 35 to 70 meter size category, a control system design that used actuators that are currently available was designed. The amount of control power required to maintain the vehicle in a stabilized gravity gradient pointing orientation that also damped various structural motions was determined. The moment of inertia and mass properties of this structure were varied to verify that stability and performance were maintained. The study concludes that the structure's size is required to change by at least a factor of two before any stability problems arise. The stability margin that is lost is due to the scaling of the gravity gradient torques (the rigid body control) and as such can easily be corrected by changing the control gains associated with the rigid body control. A secondary conclusion from the study is that the control design that accommodates the structural motions (to damp them) is a little more sensitive than the design that works on attitude control of the rigid body only
Improving predictive power of physically based rainfall-induced shallow landslide models: a probabilistic approach
Distributed models to forecast the spatial and temporal occurrence of
rainfall-induced shallow landslides are based on deterministic laws. These
models extend spatially the static stability models adopted in geotechnical
engineering, and adopt an infinite-slope geometry to balance the resisting and
the driving forces acting on the sliding mass. An infiltration model is used to
determine how rainfall changes pore-water conditions, modulating the local
stability/instability conditions. A problem with the operation of the existing
models lays in the difficulty in obtaining accurate values for the several
variables that describe the material properties of the slopes. The problem is
particularly severe when the models are applied over large areas, for which
sufficient information on the geotechnical and hydrological conditions of the
slopes is not generally available. To help solve the problem, we propose a
probabilistic Monte Carlo approach to the distributed modeling of
rainfall-induced shallow landslides. For the purpose, we have modified the
Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-Based Regional Slope-Stability
Analysis (TRIGRS) code. The new code (TRIGRS-P) adopts a probabilistic approach
to compute, on a cell-by-cell basis, transient pore-pressure changes and
related changes in the factor of safety due to rainfall infiltration.
Infiltration is modeled using analytical solutions of partial differential
equations describing one-dimensional vertical flow in isotropic, homogeneous
materials. Both saturated and unsaturated soil conditions can be considered.
TRIGRS-P copes with the natural variability inherent to the mechanical and
hydrological properties of the slope materials by allowing values of the TRIGRS
model input parameters to be sampled randomly from a given probability
distribution. [..]Comment: 25 pages, 14 figures, 9 tables. Revised version; accepted for
publication in Geoscientific Model Development on 13 February 201
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