Prepotential and the Seiberg-Witten Theory

Some basic facts about the prepotential in the SW/Whitham theory are presented. Consideration begins from the abstract theory of quasiclassical $\tau$-functions , which uses as input a family of complex spectral curves with a meromorphic differential $dS$, subject to the constraint $\partial dS/\partial(moduli)= \ holomorphic$, and gives as an output a homogeneous prepotential on extended moduli space. Then reversed construction is discussed, which is straightforwardly generalizable from spectral {\it curves} to certain complex manifolds of dimension $d >1$ (like $K3$ and $CY$ families). Finally, examples of particular $N=2$ SUSY gauge models are considered from the point of view of this formalism. At the end we discuss similarity between the $WP^{12}_{1,1,2,2,6}$ -\-Calabi-\-Yau model with $h_{21}=2$ and the $1d$ $SL(2)$ Calogero/Ruijsenaars model, but stop short of the claim that they belong to the same Whitham universality class beyond the conifold limit.Comment: 50 pages, Late

Integrability and Seiberg-Witten Theory: Curves and Periods

Interpretation of exact results on the low-energy limit of $4d$ $N=2$ SUSY YM in the language of $1d$ integrability theory is reviewed. The case of elliptic Calogero system, associated with the flow between $N=4$ and $N=2$ SUSY in $4d$, is considered in some detail.Comment: 26 page

Nonequilibrium stabilization of charge states in double quantum dots

We analyze the decoherence of charge states in double quantum dots due to cotunneling. The system is treated using the Bloch-Redfield generalized master equation for the Schrieffer-Wolff transformed Hamiltonian. We show that the decoherence, characterized through a relaxation $\tau_{r}$ and a dephasing time $\tau_{\phi}$, can be controlled through the external voltage and that the optimum point, where these times are maximum, is not necessarily in equilibrium. We outline the mechanism of this nonequilibrium-induced enhancement of lifetime and coherence. We discuss the relevance of our results for recent charge qubit experiments.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Nonlinear cotunneling through an artificial molecule

We study electron transport through a system of two lateral quantum dots coupled in series. We consider the case of weak coupling to the leads and a bias point in the Coulomb blockade. After a generalized Schrieffer-Wolf transformation, cotunneling through this system is described using methods from lowest-order perturbation theory. We study the system for arbitrary bias voltages below the Coulomb energy. We observe a rich, non-monotonic behavior of the stationary current depending on the internal degrees of freedom. In particular, it turns out that at fixed transport voltage, the current through the system is largest at weak-to-intermediate inter-dot coupling.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure