16,430 research outputs found
Pluto and the Platypus: An Odd Ball and an Odd Duck — On Classificatory Norms
Some astronomers believe that we have discovered that Pluto is not a planet. I contest this assessment. Recent discoveries of trans-Neptunian Pluto-sized objects do not require that we exclude Pluto from the planets. But the obvious alternative, that classificatory revision is a matter of arbitrary choice, is also unpalatable. I argue that this classificatory controversy — which I compare to the controversy about the classification of the platypus — illustrates how our classificatory practices are laden with normative commitments of a distinctive kind. I argue that the “norm-ladenness” of classification has philosophically significant ramifications for how we think about scientific disputes and debates in the metaphysics of classification such as the monism/pluralism debate
Two-Qubit Separabilities as Piecewise Continuous Functions of Maximal Concurrence
The generic real (b=1) and complex (b=2) two-qubit states are 9-dimensional
and 15-dimensional in nature, respectively. The total volumes of the spaces
they occupy with respect to the Hilbert-Schmidt and Bures metrics are
obtainable as special cases of formulas of Zyczkowski and Sommers. We claim
that if one could determine certain metric-independent 3-dimensional
"eigenvalue-parameterized separability functions" (EPSFs), then these formulas
could be readily modified so as to yield the Hilbert-Schmidt and Bures volumes
occupied by only the separable two-qubit states (and hence associated
separability probabilities). Motivated by analogous earlier analyses of
"diagonal-entry-parameterized separability functions", we further explore the
possibility that such 3-dimensional EPSFs might, in turn, be expressible as
univariate functions of some special relevant variable--which we hypothesize to
be the maximal concurrence (0 < C <1) over spectral orbits. Extensive numerical
results we obtain are rather closely supportive of this hypothesis. Both the
real and complex estimated EPSFs exhibit clearly pronounced jumps of magnitude
roughly 50% at C=1/2, as well as a number of additional matching
discontinuities.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, new abstract, revised for J. Phys.
Advances in delimiting the Hilbert-Schmidt separability probability of real two-qubit systems
We seek to derive the probability--expressed in terms of the Hilbert-Schmidt
(Euclidean or flat) metric--that a generic (nine-dimensional) real two-qubit
system is separable, by implementing the well-known Peres-Horodecki test on the
partial transposes (PT's) of the associated 4 x 4 density matrices). But the
full implementation of the test--requiring that the determinant of the PT be
nonnegative for separability to hold--appears to be, at least presently,
computationally intractable. So, we have previously implemented--using the
auxiliary concept of a diagonal-entry-parameterized separability function
(DESF)--the weaker implied test of nonnegativity of the six 2 x 2 principal
minors of the PT. This yielded an exact upper bound on the separability
probability of 1024/{135 pi^2} =0.76854$. Here, we piece together
(reflection-symmetric) results obtained by requiring that each of the four 3 x
3 principal minors of the PT, in turn, be nonnegative, giving an
improved/reduced upper bound of 22/35 = 0.628571. Then, we conclude that a
still further improved upper bound of 1129/2100 = 0.537619 can be found by
similarly piecing together the (reflection-symmetric) results of enforcing the
simultaneous nonnegativity of certain pairs of the four 3 x 3 principal minors.
In deriving our improved upper bounds, we rely repeatedly upon the use of
certain integrals over cubes that arise. Finally, we apply an independence
assumption to a pair of DESF's that comes close to reproducing our numerical
estimate of the true separability function.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, a few inadvertent misstatements made near the
end are correcte
Method of reducing temperature in high-speed photography
A continuing problem in high-speed motion picture photography is adequate lighting and the associated temperature rise. Large temperature rises can damage subject matter and make recording of the desired images impossible. The problem is more severe in macrophotography because of bellows extension and the necessary increase in light. This report covers one approach to reducing the initial temperature rise: the use of filters and heat-absorbing materials. The accompanying figures provide the starting point for selecting distance as a function of light intensity and determining the associated temperature rise. Using these figures will allow the photographer greater freedom in meeting different photographic situations
Extending the calibration in the Underwater Sound Reference Division (USRD) reciprocity coupler to incorporate phase
In this report, a phase measurement is added to the Underwater Sound Reference Division (USRD) reciprocity coupler primary calibration procedure for an H48 reference hydrophone. Data acquisition equipment is added to record time-series data from the hydrophone under test and from the reciprocal transducers. The complex-valued hydrophone sensitivity is calculated. The sensitivity magnitude is compared to measurements from the standard coupler calibration procedure, and the complex sensitivity data are also fitted to a simple high-pass circuit model. The model is used to estimate the low-frequency cutoff of H48 hydrophone SN4. The low-frequency cutoff measured in this report is about 0.2 Hz higher than that originally measured and specified when the H48 hydrophones were first built. The new results show significant roll-off in phase below 10-20 Hz, a range where the phase is typically assumed flat during the standard calibration. By 1 Hz the phase roll-off is about 20°. The error analysis of the original coupler is summarized and error and uncertainty due to new data acquisition equipment and phase measurement added. Some errors due to simplifications in the acoustics of the coupler are left to future work.http://archive.org/details/extendingcalibra1094550486Civilian, Department of the NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited
Quantum-Dot Cellular Automata using Buried Dopants
The use of buried dopants to construct quantum-dot cellular automata is
investigated as an alternative to conventional electronic devices for
information transport and elementary computation. This provides a limit in
terms of miniaturisation for this type of system as each potential well is
formed by a single dopant atom. As an example, phosphorous donors in silicon
are found to have good energy level separation with incoherent switching times
of the order of microseconds. However, we also illustrate the possibility of
ultra-fast quantum coherent switching via adiabatic evolution. The switching
speeds are numerically calculated and found to be 10's of picoseconds or less
for a single cell. The effect of decoherence is also simulated in the form of a
dephasing process and limits are estimated for operation with finite dephasing.
The advantages and limitations of this scheme over the more conventional
quantum-dot based scheme are discussed. The use of a buried donor cellular
automata system is also discussed as an architecture for testing several
aspects of buried donor based quantum computing schemes.Comment: Minor changes in response to referees comments. Improved section on
scaling and added plot of incoherent switching time
Microscopic thickness determination of thin graphite films formed on SiC from quantized oscillation in reflectivity of low-energy electrons
Low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) was used to measure the reflectivity of
low-energy electrons from graphitized SiC(0001). The reflectivity shows
distinct quantized oscillations as a function of the electron energy and
graphite thickness. Conduction bands in thin graphite films form discrete
energy levels whose wave vectors are normal to the surface. Resonance of the
incident electrons with these quantized conduction band states enhances
electrons to transmit through the film into the SiC substrate, resulting in
dips in the reflectivity. The dip positions are well explained using
tight-binding and first-principles calculations. The graphite thickness
distribution can be determined microscopically from LEEM reflectivity
measurements.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
Role of electronic localization in the phosphorescence of iridium sensitizing dyes
In this work we present a systematic study of three representative iridium
dyes, namely, Ir(ppy)3, FIrpic and PQIr, which are commonly used as sensitizers
in organic optoelectronic devices. We show that electronic correlations play a
crucial role in determining the excited-state energies in these systems, due to
localization of electrons on Ir d orbitals. Electronic localization is captured
by employing hybrid functionals within time-dependent density-functional theory
(TDDFT) and with Hubbard-model corrections within the delta-SCF approach. The
performance of both methods are studied comparatively and shown to be in good
agreement with experiment. The Hubbard-corrected functionals provide further
insight into the localization of electrons and on the charge-transfer character
of excited-states. The gained insight allows us to comment on envisioned
functionalization strategies to improve the performance of these systems.
Complementary discussions on the delta-SCF method are also presented in order
to fill some of the gaps in the literature.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figure
A priori probability that a qubit-qutrit pair is separable
We extend to arbitrarily coupled pairs of qubits (two-state quantum systems)
and qutrits (three-state quantum systems) our earlier study (quant-ph/0207181),
which was concerned with the simplest instance of entangled quantum systems,
pairs of qubits. As in that analysis -- again on the basis of numerical
(quasi-Monte Carlo) integration results, but now in a still higher-dimensional
space (35-d vs. 15-d) -- we examine a conjecture that the Bures/SD (statistical
distinguishability) probability that arbitrarily paired qubits and qutrits are
separable (unentangled) has a simple exact value, u/(v Pi^3)= >.00124706, where
u = 2^20 3^3 5 7 and v = 19 23 29 31 37 41 43 (the product of consecutive
primes). This is considerably less than the conjectured value of the Bures/SD
probability, 8/(11 Pi^2) = 0736881, in the qubit-qubit case. Both of these
conjectures, in turn, rely upon ones to the effect that the SD volumes of
separable states assume certain remarkable forms, involving "primorial"
numbers. We also estimate the SD area of the boundary of separable qubit-qutrit
states, and provide preliminary calculations of the Bures/SD probability of
separability in the general qubit-qubit-qubit and qutrit-qutrit cases.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, LaTeX, we utilize recent exact
computations of Sommers and Zyczkowski (quant-ph/0304041) of "the Bures
volume of mixed quantum states" to refine our conjecture
Transition state method and Wannier functions
We propose a computational scheme for materials where standard Local Density
Approximation (LDA) fails to produce a satisfactory description of excitation
energies. The method uses Slater's "transition state" approximation and Wannier
functions basis set. We define a correction to LDA functional in such a way
that its variation produces one-electron energies for Wannier functions equal
to the energies obtained in "transition state" constrained LDA calculations. In
the result eigenvalues of the proposed functional could be interpreted as
excitation energies of the system under consideration. The method was applied
to MgO, Si, NiO and BaBiO and gave an improved agreement with experimental
data of energy gap values comparing with LDA.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl
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