833 research outputs found
Quantum dynamics in strong fluctuating fields
A large number of multifaceted quantum transport processes in molecular
systems and physical nanosystems can be treated in terms of quantum relaxation
processes which couple to one or several fluctuating environments. A thermal
equilibrium environment can conveniently be modelled by a thermal bath of
harmonic oscillators. An archetype situation provides a two-state dissipative
quantum dynamics, commonly known under the label of a spin-boson dynamics. An
interesting and nontrivial physical situation emerges, however, when the
quantum dynamics evolves far away from thermal equilibrium. This occurs, for
example, when a charge transferring medium possesses nonequilibrium degrees of
freedom, or when a strong time-dependent control field is applied externally.
Accordingly, certain parameters of underlying quantum subsystem acquire
stochastic character. Herein, we review the general theoretical framework which
is based on the method of projector operators, yielding the quantum master
equations for systems that are exposed to strong external fields. This allows
one to investigate on a common basis the influence of nonequilibrium
fluctuations and periodic electrical fields on quantum transport processes.
Most importantly, such strong fluctuating fields induce a whole variety of
nonlinear and nonequilibrium phenomena. A characteristic feature of such
dynamics is the absence of thermal (quantum) detailed balance.Comment: review article, Advances in Physics (2005), in pres
Tail probabilities of St. Petersburg sums, trimmed sums, and their limit
We provide exact asymptotics for the tail probabilities as , for fix , where is the -trimmed
partial sum of i.i.d. St. Petersburg random variables. In particular, we prove
that although the St. Petersburg distribution is only O-subexponential, the
subexponential property almost holds. We also determine the exact tail behavior
of the -trimmed limits.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figure
Conditional Acceptability for Random Variables
Acceptable random variables introduced by Giuliano Antonini et al. (J. Math. Anal. Appl. 338:1188-1203, 2008) form a class of dependent random variables that contains negatively dependent random variables as a particular case. The concept of
acceptability has been studied by authors under various versions of the definition, such as extended acceptability or wide acceptability. In this paper, we combine the concept of acceptability with the concept of conditioning, which has been the
subject of current research activity. For conditionally acceptable random variables, we provide a number of probability inequalities that can be used to obtain asymptotic results
Fluctuations, dissipation and the dynamical Casimir effect
Vacuum fluctuations provide a fundamental source of dissipation for systems
coupled to quantum fields by radiation pressure. In the dynamical Casimir
effect, accelerating neutral bodies in free space give rise to the emission of
real photons while experiencing a damping force which plays the role of a
radiation reaction force. Analog models where non-stationary conditions for the
electromagnetic field simulate the presence of moving plates are currently
under experimental investigation. A dissipative force might also appear in the
case of uniform relative motion between two bodies, thus leading to a new kind
of friction mechanism without mechanical contact. In this paper, we review
recent advances on the dynamical Casimir and non-contact friction effects,
highlighting their common physical origin.Comment: 39 pages, 4 figures. Review paper to appear in Lecture Notes in
Physics, Volume on Casimir Physics, edited by Diego Dalvit, Peter Milonni,
David Roberts, and Felipe da Rosa. Minor changes, a reference adde
Gender-Kompetenz fĂŒr die Erwachsenenbildung
Der vorliegende Beitrag betrachtet EQF und DQR als Herausforderung und Chance, auch fĂŒr BeschĂ€ftigte in der Weiterbildung zu einem kompetenzorientierten Qualifikationsrahmen zu kommen. Gerade in Bezug auf die Lehrenden könnte ein solcher Bezugsrahmen Klarheit schaffen und vielfĂ€ltig Nutzen stiften. Ein erstes Referenzmodell wurde im Rahmen einer Expertise fĂŒr das BMBF erarbeitet, es orientiert sich an hiesigen Vorarbeiten und nimmt auch Anleihen bei auslĂ€ndischen Modellen. Die Ausarbeitung ist letztlich dem Interesse an mehr Professionalisierung und QualitĂ€t in der Weiterbildung geschuldet.This article presents a specific qualifications framework for the sector of further education, consisting of a two-stage model (basic and advanced certificates). This touches on the discussion about the EQF and DQR as a motivation and opportunity for the professionalisation of further education. The model takes up examples from Austria and Switzerland and is aligned toward preliminary work in Germany
Strong interface-induced spin-orbit coupling in graphene on WS2
Interfacial interactions allow the electronic properties of graphene to be
modified, as recently demonstrated by the appearance of satellite Dirac cones
in the band structure of graphene on hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) substrates.
Ongoing research strives to explore interfacial interactions in a broader class
of materials in order to engineer targeted electronic properties. Here we show
that at an interface with a tungsten disulfide (WS2) substrate, the strength of
the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) in graphene is very strongly enhanced. The
induced SOI leads to a pronounced low-temperature weak anti-localization (WAL)
effect, from which we determine the spin-relaxation time. We find that
spin-relaxation time in graphene is two-to-three orders of magnitude smaller on
WS2 than on SiO2 or hBN, and that it is comparable to the intervalley
scattering time. To interpret our findings we have performed first-principle
electronic structure calculations, which both confirm that carriers in
graphene-on-WS2 experience a strong SOI and allow us to extract a
spin-dependent low-energy effective Hamiltonian. Our analysis further shows
that the use of WS2 substrates opens a possible new route to access topological
states of matter in graphene-based systems.Comment: Originally submitted version in compliance with editorial guidelines.
Final version with expanded discussion of the relation between theory and
experiments to be published in Nature Communication
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