Phase structure tuned electrocaloric effect and pyroelectric energy harvesting performance of (Pb0.97La0.02)(Zr,Sn,Ti)O3 antiferroelectric thick films

In present work, (100)-oriented (Pb0.97La0.02)(Zr0.95-xSnxTi0.05)O3 antiferroelectric thick films with x=0.08, 0.20 and 0.38, were successfully fabricated. These compositions are located in orthorhombic phase region, the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), and tetragonal phase region, respectively. The effects of their phase structure on the electrocaloric effect and the pyroelectric energy harvesting behavior were investigated. A considerable temperature reduction of ∆T=13, 33, and 27 oC, due to the ferroelectric-antiferroelectric phase transition, was obtained at 25 oC in these thick films for x=0.08, 0.20, and 0.38, respectively. Moreover, a huge harvested energy density per cycle of W= 3.6, 6.8, and 4.0 J/cm3 was also realized under the experimental condition in the thick films with x=0.08, 0.20, and 0.38, respectively. These results indicated that both the cooling performance and the pyroelectric energy harvesting in antiferroelectrics could be optimized by the proper phase structure control

Quantum-classical transition for an analog of double-slit experiment in complex collisions: Dynamical decoherence in quantum many-body systems

We study coherent superpositions of clockwise and anti-clockwise rotating intermediate complexes with overlapping resonances formed in bimolecular chemical reactions. Disintegration of such complexes represents an analog of famous double-slit experiment. The time for disappearance of the interference fringes is estimated from heuristic arguments related to fingerprints of chaotic dynamics of a classical counterpart of the coherently rotating complex. Validity of this estimate is confirmed numerically for the H+D$_2$ chemical reaction. Thus we demonstrate the quantum--classical transition in temporal behavior of highly excited quantum many-body systems in the absence of external noise and coupling to an environment.Comment: 5 pages, 2 ps color figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Weyl points and topological nodal superfluids in a face-centered cubic optical lattice

We point out that a face-centered cubic (FCC) optical lattice, which can be realised by a simple scheme using three lasers, provides one a highly controllable platform for creating Weyl points and topological nodal superfluids in ultracold atoms. In non-interacting systems, Weyl points automatically arise in the Floquet band structure when shaking such FCC lattices, and sophisticated design of the tunnelling is not required. More interestingly, in the presence of attractive interaction between two hyperfine spin states, which experience the same shaken FCC lattice, a three-dimensional topological nodal superfluid emerges, and Weyl points show up as the gapless points in the quasiparticle spectrum. One could either create a double Weyl point of charge 2, or split it to two Weyl points of charge 1, which can be moved in the momentum space by tuning the interactions. Correspondingly, the Fermi arcs at the surface may be linked with each other or separated as individual ones.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures in the main text; 2 pages, 2 figures in the supplemental materia

Opportunities for weed manipulation using GMHT row crops

The herbicides and cultivation systems available in most non-GM crops allow farmers little flexibility as to when they control weeds. However, glyphosate and glufosinate-ammonium, as used in GM herbicide tolerant crops, offer the opportunity to control large weeds and weed control can be timed according to the agronomic and environmental aims of the user. This paper will use sugar beet as a model crop and report results where different approaches to weed control have been used and discuss their relevance in the wider agricultural and environmental contextNon peer reviewe

Gamma-ray burst contributions to constraining the evolution of dark energy

We explore the gamma-ray bursts' (GRBs') contributions in constraining the dark energy equation of state (EOS) at high ($1.8 < z < 7$) and at middle redshifts ($0.5 < z < 1.8$) and estimate how many GRBs are needed to get substantial constraints at high redshifts. We estimate the constraints with mock GRBs and mock type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) for comparisons. When constraining the dark energy EOS in a certain redshift range, we allow the dark energy EOS parameter to vary only in that redshift bin and fix EOS parameters elsewhere to -1. We find that it is difficult to constrain the dark energy EOS beyond the redshifts of SNe Ia with GRBs unless some new luminosity relations for GRBs with smaller scatters are discovered. However, at middle redshifts, GRBs have comparable contributions with SNe Ia in constraining the dark energy EOS.Comment: 3 pages, 5 figures. Published in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Corrected referenc

An edge index for the Quantum Spin-Hall effect

Quantum Spin-Hall systems are topological insulators displaying dissipationless spin currents flowing at the edges of the samples. In contradistinction to the Quantum Hall systems where the charge conductance of the edge modes is quantized, the spin conductance is not and it remained an open problem to find the observable whose edge current is quantized. In this paper, we define a particular observable and the edge current corresponding to this observable. We show that this current is quantized and that the quantization is given by the index of a certain Fredholm operator. This provides a new topological invariant that is shown to take same values as the Spin-Chern number previously introduced in the literature. The result gives an effective tool for the investigation of the edge channels' structure in Quantum Spin-Hall systems. Based on a reasonable assumption, we also show that the edge conducting channels are not destroyed by a random edge.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Electromagnetically induced transparency in an inverted Y-type four-level system

The interaction of a weak probe laser with an inverted-Y type four-level atomic system driven by two additional coherent fields is investigated theoretically. Under the influence of the coherent coupling fields, the steady-state linear susceptibility of the probe laser shows that the system can have single or double electromagnetically induced transparency windows depending on the amplitude and the detuning of the coupling lasers. The corresponding index of refraction associated with the group velocity of the probe laser can be controlled at both transparency windows by the coupling fields. The propagation of the probe field can be switched from superluminal near the resonance to subluminal on resonance within the single transparency window when two coupling lasers are on resonance. This provides a potential application in quantum information processing. We propose an atomic $^{87}Rb$ system for experimental observation

Spontaneous Relaxation of a Charge Qubit under Electrical Measurement

In this work we first derive a generalized conditional master equation for quantum measurement by a mesoscopic detector, then study the readout characteristics of qubit measurement where a number of new features are found. The work would in particular highlight the qubit spontaneous relaxation effect induced by the measurement itself rather than an external thermal bath.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; an error in Eq.(8) is correcte