Thermalized non-equilibrated matter and high temperature superconducting state in quantum many-body systems

A characteristic feature of thermalized non-equilibrated matter is that, in spite of energy relaxation--equilibration, a phase memory of the way the many-body system was excited remains. As an example, we analyze data on a strong forward peaking of thermal proton yield in the Bi($\gamma$,p) photonuclear reaction. New analysis shows that the phase relaxation in highly-excited heavy nuclei can be 8 orders of magnitude or even much longer than the energy relaxation. We argue that thermalized non-equilibrated matter resembles a high temperature superconducting state in quantum many-body systems. We briefly present results on the time-dependent correlation function of the many-particle density fluctuations for such a superconducting state. It should be of interest to experimentally search for manifestations of thermalized non-equilibrated matter in many-body mesoscopic systems and nanostructures.Comment: 12 pages, 1 eps figure. To be published in Radiation Effects and Defects in Solid

Anomalously Slow Cross Symmetry Phase Relaxation, Thermalized Non-Equilibrated Matter and Quantum Computing Beyond the Quantum Chaos Border

Thermalization in highly excited quantum many-body system does not necessarily mean a complete memory loss of the way the system was formed. This effect may pave a way for a quantum computing, with a large number of qubits $n\simeq 100$--1000, far beyond the quantum chaos border. One of the manifestations of such a thermalized non-equilibrated matter is revealed by a strong asymmetry around 90$^\circ$ c.m. of evaporating proton yield in the Bi($\gamma$,p) photonuclear reaction. The effect is described in terms of anomalously slow cross symmetry phase relaxation in highly excited quantum many-body systems with exponentially large Hilbert space dimensions. In the above reaction this phase relaxation is about eight orders of magnitude slower than energy relaxation (thermalization).Comment: Published in SIGMA (Symmetry, Integrability and Geometry: Methods and Applications) at http://www.emis.de/journals/SIGMA

Inelastic scattering of light by a cold trapped atom: Effects of the quantum center-of-mass motion

The light scattered by a cold trapped ion, which is in the stationary state of laser cooling, presents features due to the mechanical effects of atom-photon interaction. These features appear as additional peaks (sidebands) in the spectrum of resonance fluorescence. Among these sidebands the literature has discussed the Stokes and anti-Stokes components, namely the sidebands of the elastic peak. In this manuscript we show that the motion also gives rise to sidebands of the inelastic peaks. These are not always visible, but, as we show, can be measured in parameter regimes which are experimentally accessible.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Effect of phase relaxation on quantum superpositions in complex collisions

We study the effect of phase relaxation on coherent superpositions of rotating clockwise and anticlockwise wave packets in the regime of strongly overlapping resonances of the intermediate complex. Such highly excited deformed complexes may be created in binary collisions of heavy ions, molecules and atomic clusters. It is shown that phase relaxation leads to a reduction of the interference fringes, thus mimicking the effect of decoherence. This reduction is crucial for the determination of the phase--relaxation width from the data on the excitation function oscillations in heavy--ion collisions and bimolecular chemical reactions. The difference between the effects of phase relaxation and decoherence is discussed.Comment: Extended revised version; 9 pages and 3 colour ps figure

Quantum jumps induced by the center-of-mass motion of a trapped atom

We theoretically study the occurrence of quantum jumps in the resonance fluorescence of a trapped atom. Here, the atom is laser cooled in a configuration of level such that the occurrence of a quantum jump is associated to a change of the vibrational center-of-mass motion by one phonon. The statistics of the occurrence of the dark fluorescence period is studied as a function of the physical parameters and the corresponding features in the spectrum of resonance fluorescence are identified. We discuss the information which can be extracted on the atomic motion from the observation of a quantum jump in the considered setup

Stable isotope fractionation of metals and metalloids in plants: a review

This work critically reviews stable isotope fractionation of essential (B, Mg, K, Ca, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mo), beneficial (Si), and non-essential (Cd, Tl) metals and metalloids in plants. The review (i) provides basic principles and methodologies for non-traditional isotope analyses, (ii) compiles isotope fractionation for uptake and translocation for each element and connects them to physiological processes, and (iii) interlinks knowledge from different elements to identify common and contrasting drivers of isotope fractionation. Different biological and physico-chemical processes drive isotope fractionation in plants. During uptake, Ca and Mg fractionate through root apoplast adsorption, Si through diffusion during membrane passage, Fe and Cu through reduction prior to membrane transport in strategy I plants, and Zn, Cu, and Cd through membrane transport. During translocation and utilization, isotopes fractionate through precipitation into insoluble forms, such as phytoliths (Si) or oxalate (Ca), structural binding to cell walls (Ca), and membrane transport and binding to soluble organic ligands (Zn, Cd). These processes can lead to similar (Cu, Fe) and opposing (Ca vs. Mg, Zn vs. Cd) isotope fractionation patterns of chemically similar elements in plants. Isotope fractionation in plants is influenced by biotic factors, such as phenological stages and plant genetics, as well as abiotic factors. Different nutrient supply induced shifts in isotope fractionation patterns for Mg, Cu, and Zn, suggesting that isotope process tracing can be used as a tool to detect and quantify different uptake pathways in response to abiotic stresses. However, the interpretation of isotope fractionation in plants is challenging because many isotope fractionation factors associated with specific processes are unknown and experiments are often exploratory. To overcome these limitations, fundamental geochemical research should expand the database of isotope fractionation factors and disentangle kinetic and equilibrium fractionation. In addition, plant growth studies should further shift toward hypothesis-driven experiments, for example, by integrating contrasting nutrient supplies, using established model plants, genetic approaches, and by combining isotope analyses with complementary speciation techniques. To fully exploit the potential of isotope process tracing in plants, the interdisciplinary expertise of plant and isotope geochemical scientists is required

Slow cross-symmetry phase relaxation in complex collisions

We discuss the effect of slow phase relaxation and the spin off-diagonal $S$-matrix correlations on the cross section energy oscillations and the time evolution of the highly excited intermediate systems formed in complex collisions. Such deformed intermediate complexes with strongly overlapping resonances can be formed in heavy ion collisions, bimolecular chemical reactions and atomic cluster collisions. The effects of quasiperiodic energy dependence of the cross sections, coherent rotation of the hyperdeformed $\simeq (3:1)$ intermediate complex, Schr\"odinger cat states and quantum-classical transition are studied for $^{24}$Mg+$^{28}$Si heavy ion scattering.Comment: 10 pages including 2 color ps figures. To be published in Physics of Atomic Nuclei (Yadernaya fizika