1,983 research outputs found
General limit to non-destructive optical detection of atoms
We demonstrate that there is a fundamental limit to the sensitivity of
phase-based detection of atoms with light for a given maximum level of
allowable spontaneous emission. This is a generalisation of previous results
for two-level and three-level atoms. The limit is due to an upper bound on the
phase shift that can be imparted on a laser beam for a given excited state
population. Specifially, we show that no single-pass optical technique using
classical light, based on any number of lasers or coherences between any number
of levels, can exceed the limit imposed by the two-level atom. This puts
significant restrictions on potential non-destructive optical measurement
schemes.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur
Spin-dependent Parton Distributions from Polarized Structure Function Data
In the past year, polarized deep inelastic scattering experiments at CERN and
SLAC have obtained structure function measurements off proton, neutron and
deuteron targets at a level of precision never before achieved. The
measurements can be used to test the Bjorken and Ellis-Jaffe sum rules, and
also to obtain information on the parton distributions in polarized nucleons.
We perform a global leading-order QCD fit to the proton deep inelastic data in
order to extract the spin-dependent parton distributions. By using parametric
forms which are consistent with theoretical expectations at large and small
, we find that the quark distributions are now rather well constrained. We
assume that there is no significant intrinsic polarization of the strange quark
sea. The data are then consistent with a modest amount of the proton's spin
carried by the gluon, although the shape of the gluon distribution is not well
constrained, and several qualitatively different shapes are suggested. The
spin-dependent distributions we obtain can be used as input to phenomenological
studies for future polarized hadron-hadron and lepton-hadron colliders.Comment: 23 pages, DTP/94/3
Single Atom Detection With Optical Cavities
We present a thorough analysis of single atom detection using optical
cavities. The large set of parameters that influence the signal-to-noise ratio
for cavity detection is considered, with an emphasis on detunings, probe power,
cavity finesse and photon detection schemes. Real device operating restrictions
for single photon counting modules and standard photodiodes are included in our
discussion, with heterodyne detection emerging as the clearly favourable
technique, particularly for detuned detection at high power.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, submitted to PRA, minor changes in Secs. I and
IVD.2, and revised Fig.
Radiative decays: a new flavour filter
Radiative decays of the orbital excitations of the ,
and to the scalars , and are shown to
provide a flavour filter, clarifying the extent of glueball mixing in the
scalar states. A complementary approach to the latter is provided by the
radiative decays of the scalar mesons to the ground-state vectors ,
and . Discrimination among different mixing scenarios is strong.Comment: 12 pages, 1 table, 0 figure
Epsilon Indi Ba/Bb: the nearest binary brown dwarf
We have carried out high angular resolution near-infrared imaging and
low-resolution (R~1000) spectroscopy of the nearest known brown dwarf, Eps Indi
B, using the ESO VLT NAOS/CONICA adaptive optics system. We find it to be a
close binary (as also noted by Volk et al. 2003) with an angular separation of
0.732 arcsec, corresponding to 2.65AU at the 3.626pc distance of the Eps Indi
system. In our discovery paper (Scholz et al. 2003), we concluded that Eps Indi
B was a ~50Mjup T2.5 dwarf: our revised finding is that the two system
components (Eps Indi Ba and Eps Indi Bb) have spectral types of T1 and T6,
respectively, and estimated masses of 47 and 28Mjup, respectively, assuming an
age of 1.3Gyr. Errors in the masses are +/-10 and +/-7Mjup, respectively,
dominated by the uncertainty in the age determination (0.8-2Gyr range). This
uniquely well-characterised T dwarf binary system should prove important in the
study of low-mass, cool brown dwarfs. The two components are bright and
relatively well-resolved: Eps Indi B is the only T dwarf binary in which
spectra have been obtained for both components. They have a well-established
distance and age. Finally, their orbital motion can be measured on a fairly
short timescale (nominal orbital period 15 yrs), permitting an accurate
determination of the true total system mass, helping to calibrate brown dwarf
evolutionary models.Comment: Accepted for publication by Astronomy & Astrophysics main journal.
This replacement version includes minor changes made following comments by
the referee, along with a reworking of the photometric data and derived
quantities using 2MASS catalogue photometry as the basis, with only a minor
impact on the final result
Quantum projection noise limited interferometry with coherent atoms in a Ramsey type setup
Every measurement of the population in an uncorrelated ensemble of two-level
systems is limited by what is known as the quantum projection noise limit.
Here, we present quantum projection noise limited performance of a Ramsey type
interferometer using freely propagating coherent atoms. The experimental setup
is based on an electro-optic modulator in an inherently stable Sagnac
interferometer, optically coupling the two interfering atomic states via a
two-photon Raman transition. Going beyond the quantum projection noise limit
requires the use of reduced quantum uncertainty (squeezed) states. The
experiment described demonstrates atom interferometry at the fundamental noise
level and allows the observation of possible squeezing effects in an atom
laser, potentially leading to improved sensitivity in atom interferometers.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, published in Phys. Rev.
Local gauge invariance implies Siegert's hypothesis
The nonrelativistic Ward-Takahashi identity, a consequence of local gauge
invariance in quantum mechanics, shows the necessity of exchange current
contributions in case of nonlocal and/or isospin-dependent potentials. It also
implies Siegert's hypothesis: in the nonrelativistic limit, two-body charge
densities identically vanish. Neither current conservation, which follows from
global gauge invariance, nor the constraints of (lowest order) relativity are
sufficient to arrive at this result. Furthermore, a low-energy theorem for
exchange contributions is established.Comment: 5 pages, REVTE
Quantum-field dynamics of expanding and contracting Bose-Einstein condensates
We analyze the dynamics of quantum statistics in a harmonically trapped
Bose-Einstein condensate, whose two-body interaction strength is controlled via
a Feshbach resonance. From an initially non-interacting coherent state, the
quantum field undergoes Kerr squeezing, which can be qualitatively described
with a single mode model. To render the effect experimentally accessible, we
propose a homodyne scheme, based on two hyperfine components, which converts
the quadrature squeezing into number squeezing. The scheme is numerically
demonstrated using a two-component Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov formalism.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
1.5 million pound load cell calibration and H-area thrust measuring system Technology report
System for calibration of load cells and design and development of thrust measuring syste
The very nearby M/T dwarf binary SCR 1845-6357
The recently discovered star SCR 1845-6357 is the first late M/T dwarf binary
discovered. SCR 1845 is a particular object due to its tight orbit (currently
around 4 AU) and its proximity to the Sun (3.85 pc). We present spatially
resolved VLT/NACO images and low resolution spectra of SCR 1845 in the J, H and
K near-infrared bands. Since the T dwarf companion, SCR 1845B, is so close to
the primary SCR 1845A, orbital motion is evident even within a year. Following
the orbital motion, the binary's mass can be measured accurately within a
decade, making SCR 1845B a key T-dwarf mass-luminosity calibrator. The NIR
spectra allow for accurate determination of spectral type and also for rough
estimates of the object's physical parameters. The spectral type of SCR 1845B
is determined by direct comparison of the flux calibrated JHK spectra with T
dwarf standard template spectra and also by NIR spectral indices obtained from
synthetic photometry. Constrained values for surface gravity, effective
temperature and metallicity are derived by comparison with model spectra. Our
data prove that SCR 1845B is a brown dwarf of spectral type T6 that is
co-moving with and therefore gravitationally bound to the M8.5 primary. Fitting
the NIR spectrum of SCR 1845B to model spectra yields an effective temperature
of about 950K and a surface gravity log(g)=5.1 (cgs) assuming solar
metallicity. Mass and age of SCR 1845B are in the range 40 to 50 Jupiter masses
and 1.8 to 3.1 Gyr.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
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