Dephasing of a Qubit due to Quantum and Classical Noise

The qubit (or a system of two quantum dots) has become a standard paradigm for studying quantum information processes. Our focus is Decoherence due to interaction of the qubit with its environment, leading to noise. We consider quantum noise generated by a dissipative quantum bath. A detailed comparative study with the results for a classical noise source such as generated by a telegraph process, enables us to set limits on the applicability of this process vis a vis its quantum counterpart, as well as lend handle on the parameters that can be tuned for analyzing decoherence. Both Ohmic and non-Ohmic dissipations are treated and appropriate limits are analyzed for facilitating comparison with the telegraph process.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

Landau diamagnetism revisited

The problem of diamagnetism, solved by Landau, continues to pose fascinating issues which have relevance even today. These issues relate to inherent quantum nature of the problem, the role of boundary and dissipation, the meaning of thermodynamic limits, and above all, the quantum-classical crossover occasioned by environment-induced decoherence. The Landau Diamagnetism provides a unique paradigm for discussing these issues, the significance of which are far-reaching. Our central result is a remarkable one as it connects the mean orbital magnetic moment, a thermodynamic property, with the electrical resistivity, which characterizes transport properties of materials.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Memory in nanomagnetic systems: Superparamagnetism versus Spinglass behavior

The slow dynamics and concomitant memory (aging) effects seen in nanomagnetic systems are analyzed on the basis of two separate paradigms : superparamagnets and spinglasses. It is argued that in a large class of aging phenomena it suffices to invoke superparamagnetic relaxation of individual single domain particles but with a distribution of their sizes. Cases in which interactions and randomness are important in view of distinctive experimental signatures, are also discussed.Comment: 11 pages and 19 figure

Domain Growth in Random Magnets

We study the kinetics of domain growth in ferromagnets with random exchange interactions. We present detailed Monte Carlo results for the nonconserved random-bond Ising model, which are consistent with power-law growth with a variable exponent. These results are interpreted in the context of disorder barriers with a logarithmic dependence on the domain size. Further, we clarify the implications of logarithmic barriers for both nonconserved and conserved domain growth.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Hysteresis in a magnetic bead and its applications

We study hysteresis in a micron-sized bead: a non-magnetic matrix embedded with super- paramagnetic nanoparticles. These hold tremendous promise in therapeutic applications as heat generating machines. The theoretical formulation uses a mean-field theory to account for dipolar interactions between the supermoments. The study enables manipulation of heat dissipation by a compatible selection of commercially available beads and the frequency f and amplitude ho of the applied oscillating field in the labortory. We also introduce the possibility of utilizing return point memory for gradual heating of a local region.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure