Opposite Thermodynamic Arrows of Time

A model in which two weakly coupled systems maintain opposite running thermodynamic arrows of time is exhibited. Each experiences its own retarded electromagnetic interaction and can be seen by the other. The possibility of opposite-arrow systems at stellar distances is explored and a relation to dark matter suggested.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Violation of the zeroth law of thermodynamics for a non-ergodic interaction

The phenomenon described by our title should surprise no one. What may be surprising though is how easy it is to produce a quantum system with this feature; moreover, that system is one that is often used for the purpose of showing how systems equilibrate. The violation can be variously manifested. In our detailed example, bringing a detuned 2-level system into contact with a monochromatic reservoir does not cause it to relax to the reservoir temperature; rather, the system acquires the reservoir's level-occupation-ratio

Semiclassical Electron Correlation in Density-Matrix Time-Propagation

Lack of memory (locality in time) is a major limitation of almost all present time-dependent density functional approximations. By using semiclassical dynamics to compute correlation effects within a density-matrix functional approach, we incorporate memory, including initial-state dependence, as well as changing occupation numbers, and predict more observables in strong-field applications.Comment: 4.5 pages, 1 figur

Type II superlattices for infrared detectors and devices

Superlattices consisting of combinations of III-V semiconductors with type II band alignments are of interest for infrared applications because their energy gaps can be made smaller than those of any 'natural' III-V compounds. Specifically, it has been demonstrated that both InSb/InAsxSb1-x superlattices and Ga1-xInxSb/InAs superlattices can possess energy gaps in the 8-14 mu m range. The efforts have focused on the Ga1-xInxSb/InAs system because of its extreme broken gap band alignment, which results in narrow energy gaps for very short superlattice periods. The authors report the use of in situ chemical doping of Ga1-xInxSb/InAs superlattices to fabricate p-n photodiodes. These diodes display a clear photovoltaic response with a threshold near 12 mu m. They have also attained outstanding structural quality in Ga1-xInxSb/InAs superlattices grown on radiatively heated GaSb substrates. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscope images of these superlattices display no dislocations, while high resolution X-ray diffraction scans reveal sharp high-order superlattice satellites and strong Pendellosung fringes

Theory for nucleation at an interface and magnetization reversal of a two-layer nanowire

Nucleation at the interface between two adjoining regions with dissimilar physical properties is investigated using a model for magnetization reversal of a two-layer ferromagnetic nanowire. Each layer of the nanowire is considered to have a different degree of magnetic anisotropy, representing a hard magnetic layer exchange-coupled to a softer layer. A magnetic field applied along the easy axis causes the softer layer to reverse, forming a domain wall close to the interface. For small applied fields this state is metastable and complete reversal of the nanowire takes place via activation over a barrier. A reversal mechanism involving nucleation at an interface is proposed, whereby a domain wall changes in width as it passes from the soft layer to the hard layer during activation. Langer’s statistical theory for the decay of a metastable state is used to derive rates of magnetization reversal, and simple formulas are found in limiting cases for the activation energy, rate of reversal, and critical field at which the metastable state becomes unstable. These formulas depend on the anisotropy difference between each layer, and the behavior of the reversal rate prefactor is interpreted in terms of activation entropy and domain-wall dynamics

Topological quenching of the tunnel splitting for a particle in a double-well potential on a planar loop

The motion of a particle along a one-dimensional closed curve in a plane is considered. The only restriction on the shape of the loop is that it must be invariant under a twofold rotation about an axis perpendicular to the plane of motion. Along the curve a symmetric double-well potential is present leading to a twofold degeneracy of the classical ground state. In quantum mechanics, this degeneracy is lifted: the energies of the ground state and the first excited state are separated from each other by a slight difference ¿E, the tunnel splitting. Although a magnetic field perpendicular to the plane of the loop does not influence the classical motion of the charged particle, the quantum-mechanical separation of levels turns out to be a function of its strength B. The dependence of ¿E on the field B is oscillatory: for specific discrete values Bn the splitting drops to zero, indicating a twofold degeneracy of the ground state. This result is obtained within the path-integral formulation of quantum mechanics; in particular, the semiclassical instanton method is used. The origin of the quenched splitting is intuitively obvious: it is due to the fact that the configuration space of the system is not simply connected, thus allowing for destructive interference of quantum-mechanical amplitudes. From an abstract point of view this phenomenon can be traced back to the existence of a topological term in the Lagrangian and a nonsimply connected configuration space. In principle, it should be possible to observe the splitting in appropriately fabricated mesoscopic rings consisting of normally conducting metal

Polarization Requirements for Ensemble Implementations of Quantum Algorithms with a Single Bit Output

We compare the failure probabilities of ensemble implementations of quantum algorithms which use pseudo-pure initial states, quantified by their polarization, to those of competing classical probabilistic algorithms. Specifically we consider a class algorithms which require only one bit to output the solution to problems. For large ensemble sizes, we present a general scheme to determine a critical polarization beneath which the quantum algorithm fails with greater probability than its classical competitor. We apply this to the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm and show that the critical polarization is 86.6%.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Decay of Quantum Accelerator Modes

Experimentally observable Quantum Accelerator Modes are used as a test case for the study of some general aspects of quantum decay from classical stable islands immersed in a chaotic sea. The modes are shown to correspond to metastable states, analogous to the Wannier-Stark resonances. Different regimes of tunneling, marked by different quantitative dependence of the lifetimes on 1/hbar, are identified, depending on the resolution of KAM substructures that is achieved on the scale of hbar. The theory of Resonance Assisted Tunneling introduced by Brodier, Schlagheck, and Ullmo [9], is revisited, and found to well describe decay whenever applicable.Comment: 16 pages, 11 encapsulated postscript figures (figures with a better resolution are available upon request to the authors); added reference for section

Nexus between quantum criticality and the chemical potential pinning in high-TcT_c cuprates

For strongly correlated electrons the relation between total number of charge carriers $n_e$ and the chemical potential $\mu$ reveals for large Coulomb energy the apparently paradoxical pinning of $\mu$ within the Mott gap, as observed in high-$T_c$ cuprates. By unravelling consequences of the non-trivial topology of the charge gauge U(1) group and the associated ground state degeneracy we found a close kinship between the pinning of $\mu$ and the zero-temperature divergence of the charge compressibility $\kappa\sim\partial n_e/\partial\mu$, which marks a novel quantum criticality governed by topological charges rather than Landau principle of the symmetry breaking.Comment: 4+ pages, 2 figures, typos corrected, version as publishe

Noncommutative Geometry and Geometric Phases

We have studied particle motion in generalized forms of noncommutative phase space, that simulate monopole and other forms of Berry curvature, that can be identified as effective internal magnetic fields, in coordinate and momentum space. The Ahranov-Bohm effect has been considered in this form of phase space, with operatorial structures of noncommutativity. Physical significance of our results are also discussed.Comment: Revised version, Reference added, to appear in Euro.Phys.Let