2,941 research outputs found
Exploring out-of-equilibrium quantum magnetism and thermalization in a spin-3 many-body dipolar lattice system
Understanding quantum thermalization through entanglement build-up in
isolated quantum systems addresses fundamental questions on how unitary
dynamics connects to statistical physics. Here, we study the spin dynamics and
approach towards local thermal equilibrium of a macroscopic ensemble of S = 3
spins prepared in a pure coherent spin state, tilted compared to the magnetic
field, under the effect of magnetic dipole-dipole interactions. The experiment
uses a unit filled array of 104 chromium atoms in a three dimensional optical
lattice, realizing the spin-3 XXZ Heisenberg model. The buildup of quantum
correlation during the dynamics, especially as the angle approaches pi/2, is
supported by comparison with an improved numerical quantum phase-space method
and further confirmed by the observation that our isolated system thermalizes
under its own dynamics, reaching a steady state consistent with the one
extracted from a thermal ensemble with a temperature dictated from the system's
energy. This indicates a scenario of quantum thermalization which is tied to
the growth of entanglement entropy. Although direct experimental measurements
of the Renyi entropy in our macroscopic system are unfeasible, the excellent
agreement with the theory, which can compute this entropy, does indicate
entanglement build-up.Comment: 12 figure
Optical Properties of Deep Ice at the South Pole - Absorption
We discuss recent measurements of the wavelength-dependent absorption
coefficients in deep South Pole ice. The method uses transit time distributions
of pulses from a variable-frequency laser sent between emitters and receivers
embedded in the ice. At depths of 800 to 1000 m scattering is dominated by
residual air bubbles, whereas absorption occurs both in ice itself and in
insoluble impurities. The absorption coefficient increases approximately
exponentially with wavelength in the measured interval 410 to 610 nm. At the
shortest wavelength our value is about a factor 20 below previous values
obtained for laboratory ice and lake ice; with increasing wavelength the
discrepancy with previous measurements decreases. At around 415 to 500 nm the
experimental uncertainties are small enough for us to resolve an extrinsic
contribution to absorption in ice: submicron dust particles contribute by an
amount that increases with depth and corresponds well with the expected
increase seen near the Last Glacial Maximum in Vostok and Dome C ice cores. The
laser pulse method allows remote mapping of gross structure in dust
concentration as a function of depth in glacial ice.Comment: 26 pages, LaTex, Accepted for publication in Applied Optics. 9
figures, not included, available on request from [email protected]
Computational Indistinguishability between Quantum States and Its Cryptographic Application
We introduce a computational problem of distinguishing between two specific
quantum states as a new cryptographic problem to design a quantum cryptographic
scheme that is "secure" against any polynomial-time quantum adversary. Our
problem, QSCDff, is to distinguish between two types of random coset states
with a hidden permutation over the symmetric group of finite degree. This
naturally generalizes the commonly-used distinction problem between two
probability distributions in computational cryptography. As our major
contribution, we show that QSCDff has three properties of cryptographic
interest: (i) QSCDff has a trapdoor; (ii) the average-case hardness of QSCDff
coincides with its worst-case hardness; and (iii) QSCDff is computationally at
least as hard as the graph automorphism problem in the worst case. These
cryptographic properties enable us to construct a quantum public-key
cryptosystem, which is likely to withstand any chosen plaintext attack of a
polynomial-time quantum adversary. We further discuss a generalization of
QSCDff, called QSCDcyc, and introduce a multi-bit encryption scheme that relies
on similar cryptographic properties of QSCDcyc.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figures. We improved presentation, and added more detail
proofs and follow-up of recent wor
A First Search for Cosmogenic Neutrinos with the ARIANNA Hexagonal Radio Array
The ARIANNA experiment seeks to observe the diffuse flux of neutrinos in the
10^8 - 10^10 GeV energy range using a grid of radio detectors at the surface of
the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica. The detector measures the coherent Cherenkov
radiation produced at radio frequencies, from about 100 MHz to 1 GHz, by
charged particle showers generated by neutrino interactions in the ice. The
ARIANNA Hexagonal Radio Array (HRA) is being constructed as a prototype for the
full array. During the 2013-14 austral summer, three HRA stations collected
radio data which was wirelessly transmitted off site in nearly real-time. The
performance of these stations is described and a simple analysis to search for
neutrino signals is presented. The analysis employs a set of three cuts that
reject background triggers while preserving 90% of simulated cosmogenic
neutrino triggers. No neutrino candidates are found in the data and a
model-independent 90% confidence level Neyman upper limit is placed on the all
flavor neutrino+antineutrino flux in a sliding decade-wide energy bin. The
limit reaches a minimum of 1.9x10^-23 GeV^-1 cm^-2 s^-1 sr^-1 in the 10^8.5 -
10^9.5 GeV energy bin. Simulations of the performance of the full detector are
also described. The sensitivity of the full ARIANNA experiment is presented and
compared with current neutrino flux models.Comment: 22 pages, 22 figures. Published in Astroparticle Physic
The AMANDA Neutrino Telescope: Principle of Operation and First Results
AMANDA is a high-energy neutrino telescope presently under construction at
the geographical South Pole. In the Antarctic summer 1995/96, an array of 80
optical modules (OMs) arranged on 4 strings (AMANDA-B4) was deployed at depths
between 1.5 and 2 km. In this paper we describe the design and performance of
the AMANDA-B4 prototype, based on data collected between February and November
1996. Monte Carlo simulations of the detector response to down-going
atmospheric muon tracks show that the global behavior of the detector is
understood. We describe the data analysis method and present first results on
atmospheric muon reconstruction and separation of neutrino candidates. The
AMANDA array was upgraded with 216 OMs on 6 new strings in 1996/97
(AMANDA-B10), and 122 additional OMs on 3 strings in 1997/98.Comment: 36 pages, 23 figures, submitted to Astroparticle Physic
Advantages of a Modular Mars Surface Habitat Approach
Early crewed Mars mission concepts developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) assumed a single, large habitat would house six crew members for a 500-day Mars surface stay. At the end of the first mission, all surface equipment, including the habitat, -would be abandoned and the process would be repeated at a different Martian landing site. This work was documented in a series of NASA publications culminating with the Mars Design Reference Mission 5.0 (NASA-SP-2009-566). The Evolvable Mars Campaign (EMC) explored whether re-using surface equipment at a single landing site could be more affordable than the Apollo-style explore-abandon-repeat mission cadence. Initial EMC assumptions preserved the single, monolithic habitat, the only difference being a new requirement to reuse the surface habitat for multiple expedition crews. A trade study comparing a single large habitat versus smaller, modular habitats leaned towards the monolithic approach as more mass-efficient. More recent work has focused on the operational aspects of building up Mars surface infrastructure over multiple missions, and has identified compelling advantages of the modular approach that should be considered before making a final decision. This paper explores Mars surface mission operational concepts and integrated system analysis, and presents an argument for the modular habitat approach
Limits on diffuse fluxes of high energy extraterrestrial neutrinos with the AMANDA-B10 detector
Data from the AMANDA-B10 detector taken during the austral winter of 1997
have been searched for a diffuse flux of high energy extraterrestrial
muon-neutrinos, as predicted from, e.g., the sum of all active galaxies in the
universe. This search yielded no excess events above those expected from the
background atmospheric neutrinos, leading to upper limits on the
extraterrestrial neutrino flux. For an assumed E^-2 spectrum, a 90% classical
confidence level upper limit has been placed at a level E^2 Phi(E) = 8.4 x
10^-7 GeV cm^-2 s^-1 sr^-1 (for a predominant neutrino energy range 6-1000 TeV)
which is the most restrictive bound placed by any neutrino detector. When
specific predicted spectral forms are considered, it is found that some are
excluded.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review Letter
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