Bound state and Localization of excitation in many-body open systems

Bound state and time evolution for single excitation in one dimensional XXZ spin chain within non-Markovian reservoir are studied exactly. As for bound state, a common feature is the localization of single excitation, which means the spontaneous emission of excitation into reservoir is prohibited. Exceptionally the pseudo-bound state can always be found, for which the single excitation has a finite probability emitted into reservoir. We argue that under limit $N\rightarrow \infty$ the pseudo-bound bound state characterizes an equilibrium between the localization in spin chain and spontaneous emission into reservoir. In addition, a critical energy scale for bound states is also identified, below which only one bound state exists and it also is pseudo-bound state. The effect of quasirandom disorder is also discussed. It is found in this case that the single excitation is more inclined to locate at some spin sites. Thus a many-body-localization like behavior can be found. In order to display the effect of bound state and disorder on the preservation of quantum information, the time evolution of single excitation in spin chain studied exactly by numerically solving the evolution equation. A striking observation is that the excitation can be stayed at its initial location with a probability more than 0.9 when the bound state and disorder coexist. However if any one of the two issues is absent, the information of initial state can be erased completely or becomes mixed. Our finding shows that the combination of bound state and disorder can provide an ideal mechanism for quantum memory.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

Pumped spin-current and shot noise spectra in a single quantum dot

We exploit the pumped spin-current and current noise spectra under equilibrium condition in a single quantum dot connected to two normal leads, as an electrical scheme for detection of the electron spin resonance (ESR) and decoherence. We propose spin-resolved quantum rate equations with correlation functions in Laplace-space for the analytical derivation of the zero-frequency atuo- and cross-shot noise spectra of charge- and spin-current. Our results show that in the strong Coulomb blockade regime, ESR-induced spin flip generates a finite spin-current and the quantum partition noises in the absence of net charge transport. Moreover, spin shot noise is closely related to the magnetic Rabi frequency and decoherence and would be a sensitive tool to measure them.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. Lette

On model selection criteria for climate change impact studies

Climate change impact studies inform policymakers on the estimated damages of future climate change on economic, health and other outcomes. In most studies, an annual outcome variable is observed, e.g. annual mortality rate, along with higher-frequency regressors, e.g. daily temperature and precipitation. Practitioners use summaries of the higher-frequency regressors in fixed effects panel models. The choice over summary statistics amounts to model selection. Some practitioners use Monte Carlo cross-validation (MCCV) to justify a particular specification. However, conventional implementation of MCCV with fixed testing-to-full sample ratios tends to select over-fit models. This paper presents conditions under which MCCV, and also information criteria, can deliver consistent model selection. Previous work has established that the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) can be inconsistent for non-nested selection. We illustrate that the BIC can also be inconsistent in our framework, when all candidate models are misspecified. Our results have practical implications for empirical conventions in climate change impact studies. Specifically, they highlight the importance of a priori information provided by the scientific literature to guide the models considered for selection. We emphasize caution in interpreting model selection results in settings where the scientific literature does not specify the relationship between the outcome and the weather variables.Comment: Additional simulation results available from authors by reques

Entropy and specific heat for open systems in steady states

The fundamental assumption of statistical mechanics is that the system is equally likely in any of the accessible microstates. Based on this assumption, the Boltzmann distribution is derived and the full theory of statistical thermodynamics can be built. In this paper, we show that the Boltzmann distribution in general can not describe the steady state of open system. Based on the effective Hamiltonian approach, we calculate the specific heat, the free energy and the entropy for an open system in steady states. Examples are illustrated and discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figure