Hypercyclic operators on countably dimensional spaces

According to Grivaux, the group $GL(X)$ of invertible linear operators on a separable infinite dimensional Banach space $X$ acts transitively on the set $\Sigma(X)$ of countable dense linearly independent subsets of $X$. As a consequence, each $A\in \Sigma(X)$ is an orbit of a hypercyclic operator on $X$. Furthermore, every countably dimensional normed space supports a hypercyclic operator. We show that for a separable infinite dimensional Fr\'echet space $X$, $GL(X)$ acts transitively on $\Sigma(X)$ if and only if $X$ possesses a continuous norm. We also prove that every countably dimensional metrizable locally convex space supports a hypercyclic operator

Dynamics of Nanometer-Scale Foil Targets Irradiated with Relativistically Intense Laser Pulses

In this letter we report on an experimental study of high harmonic radiation generated in nanometer-scale foil targets irradiated under normal incidence. The experiments constitute the first unambiguous observation of odd-numbered relativistic harmonics generated by the $\vec{v}\times\vec{B}$ component of the Lorentz force verifying a long predicted property of solid target harmonics. Simultaneously the observed harmonic spectra allow in-situ extraction of the target density in an experimental scenario which is of utmost interest for applications such as ion acceleration by the radiation pressure of an ultraintense laser.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Supernovae and radio transients in M 82

We present optical and near-infrared (IR) photometry and near-IR spectroscopy of SN 2004am, the only optically detected supernova (SN) in M 82. These demonstrate that SN 2004am was a highly reddened type II-P SN similar to the low luminosity type II-P events such as SNe 1997D and 2005cs. We show that SN 2004am was located coincident with the obscured super star cluster M 82-L, and from the cluster age infer a progenitor mass of 12 +7/-3 Msun. In addition to this, we present a high spatial resolution Gemini-N K-band adaptive optics image of the site of SN 2008iz and a second transient of uncertain nature, both detected so far only at radio wavelengths. Using image subtraction techniques together with archival data from the Hubble Space Telescope, we are able to recover a near-IR transient source co-incident with both objects. We find the likely extinction towards SN 2008iz to be not more than Av ~ 10. The nature of the second transient remains elusive and we regard an extremely bright microquasar in M 82 as the most plausible scenario.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

An ultraviolet-optical flare from the tidal disruption of a helium-rich stellar core

The flare of radiation from the tidal disruption and accretion of a star can be used as a marker for supermassive black holes that otherwise lie dormant and undetected in the centres of distant galaxies. Previous candidate flares have had declining light curves in good agreement with expectations, but with poor constraints on the time of disruption and the type of star disrupted, because the rising emission was not observed. Recently, two `relativistic' candidate tidal disruption events were discovered, each of whose extreme X-ray luminosity and synchrotron radio emission were interpreted as the onset of emission from a relativistic jet. Here we report the discovery of a luminous ultraviolet-optical flare from the nuclear region of an inactive galaxy at a redshift of 0.1696. The observed continuum is cooler than expected for a simple accreting debris disk, but the well-sampled rise and decline of its light curve follows the predicted mass accretion rate, and can be modelled to determine the time of disruption to an accuracy of two days. The black hole has a mass of about 2 million solar masses, modulo a factor dependent on the mass and radius of the star disrupted. On the basis of the spectroscopic signature of ionized helium from the unbound debris, we determine that the disrupted star was a helium-rich stellar core.Comment: To appear in Nature on May 10, 201

Probing magnetic order in ultracold lattice gases

A forthcoming challenge in ultracold lattice gases is the simulation of quantum magnetism. That involves both the preparation of the lattice atomic gas in the desired spin state and the probing of the state. Here we demonstrate how a probing scheme based on atom-light interfaces gives access to the order parameters of nontrivial quantum magnetic phases, allowing us to characterize univocally strongly correlated magnetic systems produced in ultracold gases. This method, which is also nondemolishing, yields spatially resolved spin correlations and can be applied to bosons or fermions. As a proof of principle, we apply this method to detect the complete phase diagram displayed by a chain of (rotationally invariant) spin-1 bosons.Comment: published versio

D-outcome measurement for a nonlocality test

For the purpose of the nonlocality test, we propose a general correlation observable of two parties by utilizing local $d$-outcome measurements with SU($d$) transformations and classical communications. Generic symmetries of the SU($d$) transformations and correlation observables are found for the test of nonlocality. It is shown that these symmetries dramatically reduce the number of numerical variables, which is important for numerical analysis of nonlocality. A linear combination of the correlation observables, which is reduced to the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) Bell's inequality for two outcome measurements, is led to the Collins-Gisin-Linden-Massar-Popescu (CGLMP) nonlocality test for $d$-outcome measurement. As a system to be tested for its nonlocality, we investigate a continuous-variable (CV) entangled state with $d$ measurement outcomes. It allows the comparison of nonlocality based on different numbers of measurement outcomes on one physical system. In our example of the CV state, we find that a pure entangled state of any degree violates Bell's inequality for $d(\ge 2)$ measurement outcomes when the observables are of SU($d$) transformations.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figure

Enhanced dynamical entanglement transfer with multiple qubits

We present two strategies to enhance the dynamical entanglement transfer from continuous variable (CV) to finite dimensional systems by employing multiple qubits. First, we consider the entanglement transfer to a composite finite dimensional system of many qubits simultaneously interacting with a bipartite CV field. We show that, considering realistic conditions in the generation of CV entanglement, a small number of qubits resonantly coupled to the CV system is sufficient for an almost complete dynamical transfer of the entanglement. Our analysis also sheds further light on the transition between microscopic and macroscopic behaviours of composite finite dimensional systems coupled to bosonic fields (like atomic clouds interacting with light). Furthermore, we present a protocol based on sequential interactions of the CV system with some ancillary qubit systems and on subsequent measurements, allowing to probabilistically convert CV entanglement into `almost perfect' Bell pairs of two qubits. Our proposals are suited for realizations in various experimental settings, ranging from cavity-QED to cavity-integrated superconducting devices.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, RevTeX4; terminology revised; accepted for publicatio

Tuning non-Markovianity by spin-dynamics control

We study the interplay between forgetful and memory-keeping evolution enforced on a two-level system by a multi-spin environment whose elements are coupled to local bosonic baths. Contrarily to the expectation that any non-Markovian effect would be buried by the forgetful mechanism induced by the spin-bath coupling, one can actually induce a full Markovian-to-non-Markovian transition of the two-level system's dynamics, controllable by parameters such as the mismatch between the energy of the two-level system and of the spin environment. For a symmetric coupling, the amount of non-Markovianity surprisingly grows with the number of decoherence channels.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, PRA versio

A frequency measure robust to linear filtering

A definition of frequency (cycles per unit-time) based on an approximate reconstruction of the phase-space trajectory of an oscillator from a signal is introduced. It is shown to be invariant under linear filtering, and therefore inaccessible by spectral methods. The effect of filtering on frequency in cases where this definition does not perfectly apply is quantified.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure

Free energy and molecular dynamics calculations for the cubic-tetragonal phase transition in zirconia

The high-temperature cubic-tetragonal phase transition of pure stoichiometric zirconia is studied by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and within the framework of the Landau theory of phase transformations. The interatomic forces are calculated using an empirical, self-consistent, orthogonal tight-binding (SC-TB) model, which includes atomic polarizabilities up to the quadrupolar level. A first set of standard MD calculations shows that, on increasing temperature, one particular vibrational frequency softens. The temperature evolution of the free energy surfaces around the phase transition is then studied with a second set of calculations. These combine the thermodynamic integration technique with constrained MD simulations. The results seem to support the thesis of a second-order phase transition but with unusual, very anharmonic behaviour above the transition temperature