Transport of quantum noise through random media

We present an experimental study of the propagation of quantum noise in a multiple scattering random medium. Both static and dynamic scattering measurements are performed: the total transmission of noise is related to the mean free path for scattering, while the noise frequency correlation function determines the diffusion constant. The quantum noise observables are found to scale markedly differently with scattering parameters compared to classical noise observables. The measurements are explained with a full quantum model of multiple scattering

Substrate effects on quasiparticles and excitons in graphene nanoflakes

The effects of substrate on electronic and optical properties of triangular and hexagonal graphene nanoflakes with armchair edges are investigated by using a configuration interaction approach beyond double excitation scheme. The quasiparticle correction to the energy gap and exciton binding energy are found to be dominated by the long-range Coulomb interactions and exhibit similar dependence on the dielectric constant of the substrate, which leads to a cancellation of their contributions to the optical gap. As a result, the optical gaps are shown to be insensitive to the dielectric environment and unexpectedly close to the single-particle gaps.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Single-input and single-output (SISO) controller reduction based on the L1L_1-norm

This paper proposes a new method to solve the controller-reduction problem based on the $L_1$-norm. This method uses a reduced-order closed-loop system to deduce reduced-order controllers. The problem of obtaining the required lower-order closed-loop system was formulated as an $L_1$-norm optimization, and the conditions were provided for guaranteeing the internal stability and the existence of lower-order controllers from the obtained reduced-order closed-loop system. In addition, the particle swarm optimization and sequence linear programming were adopted to solve the resultant $L_1$-norm optimization. Two numerical examples demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method

Finite-volume effects on octet-baryon masses in covariant baryon chiral perturbation theory

We study finite-volume effects on the masses of the ground-state octet baryons using covariant baryon chiral perturbation theory (ChPT) up to next-to-leading order by analyzing the latest $n_f=2+1$ lattice Quantum ChromoDynamics (LQCD) results from the NPLQCD collaboration. Contributions of virtual decuplet baryons are taken into account using the "consistent" coupling scheme. We compare our results with those obtained from heavy baryon ChPT and show that, although both approaches can describe well the lattice data, the underlying physics is different: In HBChPT, virtual decuplet baryons play a more important role than they do in covariant ChPT. This is because the virtual octet baryon contributions to finite-volume corrections are larger in covariant ChPT than in HBChPT, while the contributions of intermediate decuplet baryons are smaller, because of relativistic effects. We observe that for the octet baryon masses, at fixed $m_\pi L$ ($\gg1$) finite-volume corrections decrease as $m_\pi$ approaches its physical value, provided that the strange quark mass is at or close to its physical value, as in most LQCD setups.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Anisotropic hole spins in single and coupled self-assembled quantum dots

Anisotropy of hole spins in single and coupled self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots is studied theoretically by means of an effective bond-orbital method. Compared with isotropic electron spins within the growth plane, it is found that the hole spins, although with much smaller positive g factors, can be highly anisotropic in single quantum dots. It is shown that the in-plane anisotropy of the hole spins can even reverse its sign as the height of the dots varies. In vertically coupled quantum dots, the in-plane hole g factors become comparable to the electrons, almost one order of magnitude larger than those in the single dots. Our result agrees qualitatively with the recent experiment [S. A. Crooker et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 036601 (2010)].published_or_final_versio

Building a 3.5 m prototype interferometer for the Q & A vacuum birefringence experiment and high precision ellipsometry

We have built and tested a 3.5 m high-finesse Fabry-Perot prototype inteferometer with a precision ellipsometer for the QED test and axion search (Q & A) experiment. We use X-pendulum-double-pendulum suspension designs and automatic control schemes developed by the gravitational-wave detection community. Verdet constant and Cotton-Mouton constant of the air are measured as a test. Double modulation with polarization modulation 100 Hz and magnetic-field modulation 0.05 Hz gives 10^{-7} rad phase noise for a 44-minute integration.Comment: This draft has been presented in the 5th Edoardo Amaldi Conference on Gravitational Wave

Neutrino masses and mixings

We propose a novel theoretical understanding of neutrino masses and mixings, which is attributed to the intrinsic vector-like feature of the regularized Standard Model at short distances. We try to explain the smallness of Dirac neutrino masses and the decoupling of the right-handed neutrino as a free particle. Neutrino masses and mixing angles are completely related to each other in the Schwinger-Dyson equations for their self-energy functions. The solutions to these equations and a possible pattern of masses and mixings are discussed.Comment: LaTex 11 page

Laser opacity in underdense preplasma of solid targets due to quantum electrodynamics effects

We investigate how next-generation laser pulses at 10 PW $-$ 200 PW interact with a solid target in the presence of a relativistically underdense preplasma produced by amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). Laser hole boring and relativistic transparency are strongly restrained due to the generation of electron-positron pairs and $\gamma$-ray photons via quantum electrodynamics (QED) processes. A pair plasma with a density above the initial preplasma density is formed, counteracting the electron-free channel produced by the hole boring. This pair-dominated plasma can block the laser transport and trigger an avalanche-like QED cascade, efficiently transfering the laser energy to photons. This renders a 1-$\rm\mu m$-scalelength, underdense preplasma completely opaque to laser pulses at this power level. The QED-induced opacity therefore sets much higher contrast requirements for such pulse in solid-target experiments than expected by classical plasma physics. Our simulations show for example, that proton acceleration from the rear of a solid with a preplasma would be strongly impaired.Comment: 5 figure