1,367 research outputs found
Stability of Few-Charge Systems in Quantum Mechanics
We consider non-relativistic systems in quantum mechanics interacting through
the Coulomb potential, and discuss the existence of bound states which are
stable against spontaneous dissociation into smaller atoms or ions. We review
the studies that have been made of specific mass configurations and also the
properties of the domain of stability in the space of masses or inverse masses.
These rigorous results are supplemented by numerical investigations using
accurate variational methods. A section is devoted to systems of three
arbitrary charges and another to molecules in a world with two
space-dimensions.Comment: 101 pages, review articl
Three flavors of radiative feedbacks and their implications for estimating equilibrium climate sensitivity
Abstract The realization that atmospheric radiative feedbacks depend on the underlying patterns of surface warming and global temperature, and thus, change over time has lead to a proliferation of feedback definitions and methods to estimate equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS). We contrast three flavors of radiative feedbacks ? equilibrium, effective, and differential feedback ? and discuss their physical interpretations and applications. We show that their values at any given time can differ more than 1Â and their implied equilibrium or effective climate sensitivity can differ several degrees. With ten (quasi) equilibrated climate models, we show that 400Â years might be enough to estimate the true ECS within a 5% error using a simple regression method utilizing the differential feedback parameter. We argue that a community-wide agreement on the interpretation of the different feedback definitions would advance the quest to narrow the estimate of climate sensitivity
The reversibility of sea ice loss in a state-of-the-art climate model
Rapid Arctic sea ice retreat has fueled speculation about the possibility of threshold (or âtipping pointâ) behavior and irreversible loss of the sea ice cover. We test sea ice reversibility within a state-of-the-art atmosphereâocean global climate model by increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide until the Arctic Ocean becomes ice-free throughout the year and subsequently decreasing it until the initial ice cover returns. Evidence for irreversibility in the form of hysteresis outside the envelope of natural variability is explored for the loss of summer and winter ice in both hemispheres. We find no evidence of irreversibility or multiple ice-cover states over the full range of simulated sea ice conditions between the modern climate and that with an annually ice-free Arctic Ocean. Summer sea ice area recovers as hemispheric temperature cools along a trajectory that is indistinguishable from the trajectory of summer sea ice loss, while the recovery of winter ice area appears to be slowed due to the long response times of the ocean near the modern winter ice edge. The results are discussed in the context of previous studies that assess the plausibility of sea ice tipping points by other methods. The findings serve as evidence against the existence of threshold behavior in the summer or winter ice cover in either hemisphere
Noise properties of two single electron transistors coupled by a nanomechanical resonator
We analyze the noise properties of two single electron transistors (SETs)
coupled via a shared voltage gate consisting of a nanomechanical resonator.
Working in the regime where the resonator can be treated as a classical system,
we find that the SETs act on the resonator like two independent heat baths. The
coupling to the resonator generates positive correlations in the currents
flowing through each of the SETs as well as between the two currents. In the
regime where the dynamics of the resonator is dominated by the back-action of
the SETs, these positive correlations can lead to parametrically large
enhancements of the low frequency current noise. These noise properties can be
understood in terms of the effects on the SET currents of fluctuations in the
state of a resonator in thermal equilibrium which persist for times of order
the resonator damping time.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Proof that the Hydrogen-antihydrogen Molecule is Unstable
In the framework of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics we derive a necessary
condition for four Coulomb charges ,
where all masses are assumed finite, to form the stable system. The obtained
stability condition is physical and is expressed through the required minimal
ratio of Jacobi masses. In particular this provides the rigorous proof that the
hydrogen-antihydrogen molecule is unstable. This is the first result of this
sort for four particles.Comment: Submitted to Phys.Rev.Let
Dissipation due to tunneling two-level systems in gold nanomechanical resonators
We present measurements of the dissipation and frequency shift in
nanomechanical gold resonators at temperatures down to 10 mK. The resonators
were fabricated as doubly-clamped beams above a GaAs substrate and actuated
magnetomotively. Measurements on beams with frequencies 7.95 MHz and 3.87 MHz
revealed that from 30 mK to 500 mK the dissipation increases with temperature
as , with saturation occurring at higher temperatures. The relative
frequency shift of the resonators increases logarithmically with temperature up
to at least 400 mK. Similarities with the behavior of bulk amorphous solids
suggest that the dissipation in our resonators is dominated by two-level
systems
Peculiar Features of the Interaction Potential between Hydrogen and Antihydrogen at Intermediate Separations
We evaluate the interaction potential between a hydrogen and an antihydrogen
using the second-order perturbation theory within the framework of the
four-body system in a separable two-body basis. We find that the H-Hbar
interaction potential possesses the peculiar features of a shallow local
minimum located around interatomic separations of r ~ 6 a.u. and a barrier
rising at r~5 a.u. Additional theoretical and experimental investigations on
the nature of these peculiar features will be of great interest.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure
Entanglement and decoherence of a micromechanical resonator via coupling to a Cooper box
We analyse the quantum dynamics of a micromechanical resonator capacitively
coupled to a Cooper box. With appropriate quantum state control of the Cooper
box, the resonator can be driven into a superposition of spatially separated
states. The Cooper box can also be used to probe the environmentally-induced
decoherence of the resonator superposition state.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Nonlinear modal coupling in a high-stress doubly-clamped nanomechanical resonator
We present results from a study of the nonlinear intermodal coupling between
different flexural vibrational modes of a single high-stress, doubly-clamped
silicon nitride nanomechanical beam. The measurements were carried out at 100
mK and the beam was actuated using the magnetomotive technique. We observed the
nonlinear behavior of the modes individually and also measured the coupling
between them by driving the beam at multiple frequencies. We demonstrate that
the different modes of the resonator are coupled to each other by the
displacement induced tension in the beam, which also leads to the well known
Duffing nonlinearity in doubly-clamped beams.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure
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