6,202 research outputs found
A rotating disk around the very young massive star AFGL 490
We observed the embedded, young 8--10 Msun star AFGL 490 at subarcsecond
resolution with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer in the C17O (2--1)
transition and found convincing evidence that AFGL 490 is surrounded by a
rotating disk. Using two-dimensional modeling of the physical and chemical disk
structure coupled to line radiative transfer, we constrain its basic
parameters. We obtain a relatively high disk mass of 1 Msun and a radius of ~
1500 AU. A plausible explanation for the apparent asymmetry of the disk
morphology is given.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Phonon-mediated electron spin phase diffusion in a quantum dot
An effective spin relaxation mechanism that leads to electron spin
decoherence in a quantum dot is proposed. In contrast to the common
calculations of spin-flip transitions between the Kramers doublets, we take
into account a process of phonon-mediated fluctuation in the electron spin
precession and subsequent spin phase diffusion. Specifically, we consider
modulations in the longitudinal g-factor and hyperfine interaction induced by
the phonon-assisted transitions between the lowest electronic states. Prominent
differences in the temperature and magnetic field dependence between the
proposed mechanisms and the spin-flip transitions are expected to facilitate
its experimental verification. Numerical estimation demonstrates highly
efficient spin relaxation in typical semiconductor quantum dots.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur
Unusual magnetoresistance in a topological insulator with a single ferromagnetic barrier
Tunneling surface current through a thin ferromagnetic barrier in a
three-dimensional topological insulator is shown to possess an extraordinary
response to the orientation of barrier magnetization. In contrast to
conventional magnetoresistance devices that are sensitive to the relative
alignment of two magnetic layers, a drastic change in the transmission current
is achieved by a single layer when its magnetization rotates by 90 degrees.
Numerical estimations predict a giant magnetoresistance as large as 800 % at
room temperature and the proximate exchange interaction of 40 meV in the
barrier. When coupled with electrical control of magnetization direction, this
phenomenon may be used to enhance the gating function with potentially sharp
turn-on/off for low power applications
Thermal budget of superconducting digital circuits at sub-kelvin temperatures
Superconducting single-flux-quantum (SFQ) circuits have so far been developed
and optimized for operation at or above helium temperatures. The SFQ approach,
however, should also provide potentially viable and scalable control and
read-out circuits for Josephson-junction qubits and other applications with
much lower, milli-kelvin, operating temperatures. This paper analyzes the
overheating problem which becomes important in this new temperature range. We
suggest a thermal model of the SFQ circuits at sub-kelvin temperatures and
present experimental results on overheating of electrons and silicon substrate
which support this model. The model establishes quantitative limitations on the
dissipated power both for "local" electron overheating in resistors and
"global" overheating due to ballistic phonon propagation along the substrate.
Possible changes in the thermal design of SFQ circuits in view of the
overheating problem are also discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, submitted to J. Appl. Phy
First Time-dependent Study of H2 and H3+ Ortho-Para Chemistry in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium: Observations Meet Theoretical Predictions
The chemistry in the diffuse interstellar medium initiates the gradual
increase of molecular complexity during the life cycle of matter. A key
molecule that enables build-up of new molecular bonds and new molecules via
proton-donation is H3+. Its evolution is tightly related to molecular hydrogen
and thought to be well understood. However, recent observations of ortho and
para lines of H2 and H3+ in the diffuse ISM showed a puzzling discrepancy in
nuclear spin excitation temperatures and populations between these two key
species. H3+, unlike H2, seems to be out of thermal equilibrium, contrary to
the predictions of modern astrochemical models. We conduct the first
time-dependent modeling of the para-fractions of H2 and H3+ in the diffuse ISM
and compare our results to a set of line-of-sight observations, including new
measurements presented in this study. We isolate a set of key reactions for H3+
and find that the destruction of the lowest rotational states of H3+ by
dissociative recombination largely control its ortho/para ratio. A plausible
agreement with observations cannot be achieved unless a ratio larger than 1:5
for the destruction of (1,1)- and (1,0)-states of H3+ is assumed. Additionally,
an increased CR ionization rate to 10(-15) 1/s further improves the fit whereas
variations of other individual physical parameters, such as density and
chemical age, have only a minor effect on the predicted ortho/para ratios. Thus
our study calls for new laboratory measurements of the dissociative
recombination rate and branching ratio of the key ion H3+ under interstellar
conditions.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures, 3 table
Free-space quantum links under diverse weather conditions
Free-space optical communication links are promising channels for
establishing secure quantum communication. Here we study the transmission of
nonclassical light through a turbulent atmospheric link under diverse weather
conditions, including rain or haze. To include these effects, the theory of
light transmission through atmospheric links in the elliptic-beam approximation
presented by Vasylyev et al. [D. Vasylyev et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 090501
(2016); arXiv:1604.01373] is further generalized.It is demonstrated, with good
agreement between theory and experiment, that low-intensity rain merely
contributes additional deterministic losses, whereas haze also introduces
additional beam deformations of the transmitted light. Based on these results,
we study theoretically the transmission of quadrature squeezing and Gaussian
entanglement under these weather conditions.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure
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