Path Integrals for Electronic Densities, Reactivity Indices, and Localization Functions in Quantum Systems

PubMed Central

Putz, Mihai V.

2009-01-01

The density matrix theory, the ancestor of density functional theory, provides the immediate framework for Path Integral (PI) development, allowing the canonical density be extended for the many-electronic systems through the density functional closure relationship. Yet, the use of path integral formalism for electronic density prescription presents several advantages: assures the inner quantum mechanical description of the system by parameterized paths; averages the quantum fluctuations; behaves as the propagator for time-space evolution of quantum information; resembles Schrödinger equation; allows quantum statistical description of the system through partition function computing. In this framework, four levels of path integral formalism were presented: the Feynman quantum mechanical, the semiclassical, the Feynman-Kleinert effective classical, and the Fokker-Planck non-equilibrium ones. In each case the density matrix or/and the canonical density were rigorously defined and presented. The practical specializations for quantum free and harmonic motions, for statistical high and low temperature limits, the smearing justification for the Bohr’s quantum stability postulate with the paradigmatic Hydrogen atomic excursion, along the quantum chemical calculation of semiclassical electronegativity and hardness, of chemical action and Mulliken electronegativity, as well as by the Markovian generalizations of Becke-Edgecombe electronic focalization functions – all advocate for the reliability of assuming PI formalism of quantum mechanics as a versatile one, suited for analytically and/or computationally modeling of a variety of fundamental physical and chemical reactivity concepts characterizing the (density driving) many-electronic systems. PMID:20087467

Path integrals for electronic densities, reactivity indices, and localization functions in quantum systems.

PubMed

Putz, Mihai V

2009-11-10

The density matrix theory, the ancestor of density functional theory, provides the immediate framework for Path Integral (PI) development, allowing the canonical density be extended for the many-electronic systems through the density functional closure relationship. Yet, the use of path integral formalism for electronic density prescription presents several advantages: assures the inner quantum mechanical description of the system by parameterized paths; averages the quantum fluctuations; behaves as the propagator for time-space evolution of quantum information; resembles Schrödinger equation; allows quantum statistical description of the system through partition function computing. In this framework, four levels of path integral formalism were presented: the Feynman quantum mechanical, the semiclassical, the Feynman-Kleinert effective classical, and the Fokker-Planck non-equilibrium ones. In each case the density matrix or/and the canonical density were rigorously defined and presented. The practical specializations for quantum free and harmonic motions, for statistical high and low temperature limits, the smearing justification for the Bohr's quantum stability postulate with the paradigmatic Hydrogen atomic excursion, along the quantum chemical calculation of semiclassical electronegativity and hardness, of chemical action and Mulliken electronegativity, as well as by the Markovian generalizations of Becke-Edgecombe electronic focalization functions - all advocate for the reliability of assuming PI formalism of quantum mechanics as a versatile one, suited for analytically and/or computationally modeling of a variety of fundamental physical and chemical reactivity concepts characterizing the (density driving) many-electronic systems.

Simulation study of 2D spectrum of molecular aggregates coupled to correlated vibrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abramavicius, Darius; Butkus, Vytautas; Valkunas, Leonas; Mukamel, Shaul

2011-03-01

Oscillatory dynamics of two-dimensional (2D) spectra of photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes raise the questions of how to disentangle various origins of these oscillations, which may include quantum beats, quantum transport, or molecular vibrations. We study the effects of correlated overdamped fluctuations and under-damped vibrations on the 2D spectra of Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) aggregate, which has well-resolved exciton resonances, and a circular porphyrin aggregate (P6), whose absorption shows vibrational progression. We use a generic exciton Hamiltonian coupled to a bath, characterized by a spectral density. Fluctuations have smooth, while vibtations have δ -type spectral densities. We show how various scenarios of correlated molecular fluctuations lead to some highly oscillatory crosspeaks. Molecular vibrations cause progression of diagonal peaks in the 2D spectrum and make their corresponding cross-peaks highly oscillatory. We, thus, demonstrate that bath fluctuations and molecular vibrations of realistic molecular aggregates are highly entangled in 2D spectroscopy. DA acknowledges grant VP1-3.1-SMM-07-V, SM - the grants CHE0745892 (NSF), DRPA BAA-10-40 QUBE.

Electronic structure and quantum spin fluctuations at the magnetic phase transition in MnSi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Povzner, A. A.; Volkov, A. G.; Nogovitsyna, T. A.

2018-05-01

The effect of spin fluctuations on the heat capacity and homogeneous magnetic susceptibility of the chiral magnetic MnSi in the vicinity of magnetic transition has been investigated by using the free energy functional of the coupled electron and spin subsystems and taking into account the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction. For helical ferromagnetic ordering, we found that zero-point fluctuations of the spin density are large and comparable with fluctuations of the non-uniform magnetization. The amplitude of zero-point spin fluctuations shows a sharp decrease in the region of the magnetic phase transition. It is shown that sharp decrease of the amplitude of the quantum spin fluctuations results in the lambda-like maxima of the heat capacity and the homogeneous magnetic susceptibility. Above the temperature of the lambda anomaly, the spin correlation radius becomes less than the period of the helical structure and chiral fluctuations of the local magnetization appear. It is shown that formation of a "shoulder" on the temperature dependence of the heat capacity is due to disappearance of the local magnetization. Our finding allows to explain the experimentally observed features of the magnetic phase transition of MnSi as a result of the crossover of quantum and thermodynamic phase transitions.

Perturbatively deformed defects in Pöschl-Teller-driven scenarios for quantum mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernardini, Alex E.; da Rocha, Roldão

2016-07-01

Pöschl-Teller-driven solutions for quantum mechanical fluctuations are triggered off by single scalar field theories obtained through a systematic perturbative procedure for generating deformed defects. The analytical properties concerning the quantum fluctuations in one-dimension, zero-mode states, first- and second-excited states, and energy density profiles are all obtained from deformed topological and non-topological structures supported by real scalar fields. Results are firstly derived from an integrated λϕ4 theory, with corresponding generalizations applied to starting λχ4 and sine-Gordon theories. By focusing our calculations on structures supported by the λϕ4 theory, the outcome of our study suggests an exact quantitative correspondence to Pöschl-Teller-driven systems. Embedded into the perturbative quantum mechanics framework, such a correspondence turns into a helpful tool for computing excited states and continuous mode solutions, as well as their associated energy spectrum, for quantum fluctuations of perturbatively deformed structures. Perturbative deformations create distinct physical scenarios in the context of exactly solvable quantum systems and may also work as an analytical support for describing novel braneworld universes embedded into a 5-dimensional gravity bulk.

Non scale-invariant density perturbations from chaotic extended inflation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mollerach, Silvia; Matarrese, Sabino

1991-01-01

Chaotic inflation is analyzed in the frame of scalar-tensor theories of gravity. Fluctuations in the energy density arise from quantum fluctuations of the Brans-Dicke field and of the inflation field. The spectrum of perturbations is studied for a class of models: it is non scale-invarient and, for certain values of the parameters, it has a peak. If the peak appears at astrophysically interesting scales, it may help to reconcile the Cold Dark Matter scenario for structure formation with large scale observations.

Ground-state-entanglement bound for quantum energy teleportation of general spin-chain models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hotta, Masahiro

2013-03-01

Many-body quantum systems in the ground states have zero-point energy due to the uncertainty relation. In many cases, the system in the ground state accompanies spatially entangled energy density fluctuation via the noncommutativity of the energy density operators, though the total energy takes a fixed value, i.e., the lowest eigenvalue of the Hamiltonian. Quantum energy teleportation (QET) is a protocol for the extraction of the zero-point energy out of one subsystem using information of a remote measurement of another subsystem. From an operational viewpoint of protocol users, QET can be regarded as an effective rapid energy transportation without breaking all physical laws, including causality and local energy conservation. In the protocol, the ground-state entanglement plays a crucial role. In this paper, we show analytically for a general class of spin-chain systems that the entanglement entropy is lower bounded by a positive quadratic function of the teleported energy between the regions of a QET protocol. This supports a general conjecture that ground-state entanglement is an evident physical resource for energy transportation in the context of QET. The result may also deepen our understanding of the energy density fluctuation in condensed-matter systems from a perspective of quantum information theory.

Zero-Point Spin-Fluctuations of Single Adatoms.

PubMed

Ibañez-Azpiroz, Julen; Dos Santos Dias, Manuel; Blügel, Stefan; Lounis, Samir

2016-07-13

Stabilizing the magnetic signal of single adatoms is a crucial step toward their successful usage in widespread technological applications such as high-density magnetic data storage devices. The quantum mechanical nature of these tiny objects, however, introduces intrinsic zero-point spin-fluctuations that tend to destabilize the local magnetic moment of interest by dwindling the magnetic anisotropy potential barrier even at absolute zero temperature. Here, we elucidate the origins and quantify the effect of the fundamental ingredients determining the magnitude of the fluctuations, namely, the (i) local magnetic moment, (ii) spin-orbit coupling, and (iii) electron-hole Stoner excitations. Based on a systematic first-principles study of 3d and 4d adatoms, we demonstrate that the transverse contribution of the fluctuations is comparable in size to the magnetic moment itself, leading to a remarkable ≳50% reduction of the magnetic anisotropy energy. Our analysis gives rise to a comprehensible diagram relating the fluctuation magnitude to characteristic features of adatoms, providing practical guidelines for designing magnetically stable nanomagnets with minimal quantum fluctuations.

Low-dimensional quantum magnetism in Cu (NCS) 2: A molecular framework material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cliffe, Matthew J.; Lee, Jeongjae; Paddison, Joseph A. M.; Schott, Sam; Mukherjee, Paromita; Gaultois, Michael W.; Manuel, Pascal; Sirringhaus, Henning; Dutton, Siân E.; Grey, Clare P.

2018-04-01

Low-dimensional magnetic materials with spin-1/2 moments can host a range of exotic magnetic phenomena due to the intrinsic importance of quantum fluctuations to their behavior. Here, we report the structure, magnetic structure, and magnetic properties of copper ii thiocyanate, Cu(NCS ) 2, a one-dimensional coordination polymer which displays low-dimensional quantum magnetism. Magnetic susceptibility, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, 13C magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and density functional theory investigations indicate that Cu(NCS ) 2 behaves as a two-dimensional array of weakly coupled antiferromagnetic spin chains [J2=133 (1 ) K , α =J1/J2=0.08 ] . Powder neutron-diffraction measurements confirm that Cu(NCS ) 2 orders as a commensurate antiferromagnet below TN=12 K , with a strongly reduced ordered moment (0.3 μB ) due to quantum fluctuations.

Nonequilibrium Green's functions theory for the alpha factor of quantum cascade lasers (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, Mauro F.; Winge, David O.; Wacker, Andreas; Jumpertz, Louise; Michel, Florian; Pawlus, Robert; Elsaesser, Wolfgang E.; Schires, Kevin; Carras, Mathieu; Grillot, Frédéric

2016-10-01

The linewidth of a conventional laser is due to fluctuations in the laser field due to spontaneous emission and described by the Schalow-Townes formula. In addition to that, in a semiconductor laser there is a contribution arising from fluctuations in the refractive index induced by carrier density fluctuations. The later are quantitatively described by the linewidth enhancement or alpha factor [C. H. Henry, IEEE J. Quantum Electron. 18 (2), 259 (1982), W. W. Chow, S. W. Koch and M. Sargent III, Semiconductor-Laser Physics, Springer-Verlag (1994), M.F. Pereira Jr et al, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B10, 765 (1993). In this paper we investigate the alpha factor of quantum cascade lasers under actual operating conditions using the Nonequilibrium Greens Functions approach [A. Wacker et a, IEEE Journal of Sel. Top. in Quantum Electron.,19 1200611, (2013), T. Schmielau and M.F. Pereira, Appl. Phys. Lett. 95 231111, (2009)]. The simulations are compared with recent results obtained with different optical feedback techniques [L. Jumpertz et al, AIP ADVANCES 6, 015212 (2016)].

Real-time observation of fluctuations in a driven-dissipative quantum many-body system undergoing a phase transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donner, Tobias

2015-03-01

A Bose-Einstein condensate whose motional degrees of freedom are coupled to a high-finesse optical cavity via a transverse pump beam constitutes a dissipative quantum many-body system with long range interactions. These interactions can induce a structural phase transition from a flat to a density-modulated state. The transverse pump field simultaneously represents a probe of the atomic density via cavity- enhanced Bragg scattering. By spectrally analyzing the light field leaking out of the cavity, we measure non-destructively the dynamic structure factor of the fluctuating atomic density while the system undergoes the phase transition. An observed asymmetry in the dynamic structure factor is attributed to the coupling to dissipative baths. Critical exponents for both sides of the phase transition can be extracted from the data. We further discuss our progress in adding strong short-range interactions to this system, in order to explore Bose-Hubbard physics with cavity-mediated long-range interactions and self-organization in lower dimensions.

Effect of Oxide Interface Roughness on the Threshold Voltage Fluctuations in Decanano MOSFETs with Ultrathin Gate Oxides

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asenov, Asen; Kaya, S.

2000-01-01

In this paper we use the Density Gradient (DG) simulation approach to study, in 3-D, the effect of local oxide thickness fluctuations on the threshold voltage of decanano MOSFETs on a statistical scale. The random 2-D surfaces used to represent the interface are constructed using the standard assumptions for the auto-correlation function of the interface. The importance of the Quantum Mechanical effects when studying oxide thickness fluctuations are illustrated in several simulation examples.

Decoherence, discord, and the quantum master equation for cosmological perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollowood, Timothy J.; McDonald, Jamie I.

2017-05-01

We examine environmental decoherence of cosmological perturbations in order to study the quantum-to-classical transition and the impact of noise on entanglement during inflation. Given an explicit interaction between the system and environment, we derive a quantum master equation for the reduced density matrix of perturbations, drawing parallels with quantum Brownian motion, where we see the emergence of fluctuation and dissipation terms. Although the master equation is not in Lindblad form, we see how typical solutions exhibit positivity on super-horizon scales, leading to a physically meaningful density matrix. This allows us to write down a Langevin equation with stochastic noise for the classical trajectories which emerge from the quantum system on super-horizon scales. In particular, we find that environmental decoherence increases in strength as modes exit the horizon, with the growth driven essentially by white noise coming from local contributions to environmental correlations. Finally, we use our master equation to quantify the strength of quantum correlations as captured by discord. We show that environmental interactions have a tendency to decrease the size of the discord and that these effects are determined by the relative strength of the expansion rate and interaction rate of the environment. We interpret this in terms of the competing effects of particle creation versus environmental fluctuations, which tend to increase and decrease the discord respectively.

Quantum Fluctuations in Quasi-One-Dimensional Dipolar Bose-Einstein Condensates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edler, D.; Mishra, C.; Wächtler, F.; Nath, R.; Sinha, S.; Santos, L.

2017-08-01

Recent experiments have revealed that beyond-mean-field corrections are much more relevant in weakly interacting dipolar condensates than in their nondipolar counterparts. We show that in quasi-one-dimensional geometries quantum corrections in dipolar and nondipolar condensates are strikingly different due to the peculiar momentum dependence of the dipolar interactions. The energy correction of the condensate presents not only a modified density dependence, but it may even change from attractive to repulsive at a critical density due to the surprising role played by the transversal directions. The anomalous quantum correction translates into a strongly modified physics for quantum-stabilized droplets and dipolar solitons. Moreover, and for similar reasons, quantum corrections of three-body correlations, and hence of three-body losses, are strongly modified by the dipolar interactions. This intriguing physics can be readily probed in current experiments with magnetic atoms.

Quantum Fluctuations in Quasi-One-Dimensional Dipolar Bose-Einstein Condensates.

PubMed

Edler, D; Mishra, C; Wächtler, F; Nath, R; Sinha, S; Santos, L

2017-08-04

Recent experiments have revealed that beyond-mean-field corrections are much more relevant in weakly interacting dipolar condensates than in their nondipolar counterparts. We show that in quasi-one-dimensional geometries quantum corrections in dipolar and nondipolar condensates are strikingly different due to the peculiar momentum dependence of the dipolar interactions. The energy correction of the condensate presents not only a modified density dependence, but it may even change from attractive to repulsive at a critical density due to the surprising role played by the transversal directions. The anomalous quantum correction translates into a strongly modified physics for quantum-stabilized droplets and dipolar solitons. Moreover, and for similar reasons, quantum corrections of three-body correlations, and hence of three-body losses, are strongly modified by the dipolar interactions. This intriguing physics can be readily probed in current experiments with magnetic atoms.

SNW 2000 Proceedings. Oxide Thickness Variation Induced Threshold Voltage Fluctuations in Decanano MOSFETs: a 3D Density Gradient Simulation Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Asenov, Asen; Kaya, S.; Davies, J. H.; Saini, S.

2000-01-01

We use the density gradient (DG) simulation approach to study, in 3D, the effect of local oxide thickness fluctuations on the threshold voltage of decanano MOSFETs in a statistical manner. A description of the reconstruction procedure for the random 2D surfaces representing the 'atomistic' Si-SiO2 interface variations is presented. The procedure is based on power spectrum synthesis in the Fourier domain and can include either Gaussian or exponential spectra. The simulations show that threshold voltage variations induced by oxide thickness fluctuation become significant when the gate length of the devices become comparable to the correlation length of the fluctuations. The extent of quantum corrections in the simulations with respect to the classical case and the dependence of threshold variations on the oxide thickness are examined.

Bipolaronic charge density waves, polaronic spin density waves and high Tc superconductivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aubry, S.

1992-01-01

At large enough electron phonon coupling, the existence of bipolaronic, polaronic and mixed states is rigorously proven for the adiabatic Holstein model at any dimension and any band filling. The ground-state is one of them which then prove the existence of insulating Bipolaronic Charge Density Waves. The role of the quantum lattice fluctuations is analysed and found to be neglegible in that regime but to become essential in case of phonon softening then favoring the occurence of superconductivity. When a strong Hubbard term is also present, the bipolarons break into polorons and the ground state is expected to be amore » polaronic spin density wave. If the repulsive Hubbard term is comparable to the electron-phonon coupling, the energy for breaking a bipoloron into two polarons can become small and we get instead of these two degenerate structures, a pait of polarons bounded by a spin resonance which we call spin resonant bipolaron''. This resonant bipolaron is still strongly bound, but the role of the quantum lattice fluctuations becomes now very important and yields a sharp broadening of the bandwidth of this resonant bipolarona. Thus, the strong quantum character of these resonant bipolarons could prevent their localization into real space structures which could be insulating bipolaronic CDWs or polaronic SDWS, then favoring the formation of a superconducting coherent state with a possible high {Tc}.« less

Bipolaronic charge density waves, polaronic spin density waves and high {Tc} superconductivity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Aubry, S.

1992-09-01

At large enough electron phonon coupling, the existence of bipolaronic, polaronic and mixed states is rigorously proven for the adiabatic Holstein model at any dimension and any band filling. The ground-state is one of them which then prove the existence of insulating Bipolaronic Charge Density Waves. The role of the quantum lattice fluctuations is analysed and found to be neglegible in that regime but to become essential in case of phonon softening then favoring the occurence of superconductivity. When a strong Hubbard term is also present, the bipolarons break into polorons and the ground state is expected to be amore » polaronic spin density wave. If the repulsive Hubbard term is comparable to the electron-phonon coupling, the energy for breaking a bipoloron into two polarons can become small and we get instead of these two degenerate structures, a pait of polarons bounded by a spin resonance which we call ``spin resonant bipolaron``. This resonant bipolaron is still strongly bound, but the role of the quantum lattice fluctuations becomes now very important and yields a sharp broadening of the bandwidth of this resonant bipolarona. Thus, the strong quantum character of these resonant bipolarons could prevent their localization into real space structures which could be insulating bipolaronic CDWs or polaronic SDWS, then favoring the formation of a superconducting coherent state with a possible high {Tc}.« less

Injection current dependences of electroluminescence transition energy in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells light emitting diodes under pulsed current conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Feng; Ikeda, Masao, E-mail: mikeda2013@sinano.ac.cn; Liu, Jianping

2015-07-21

Injection current dependences of electroluminescence transition energy in blue InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells light emitting diodes (LEDs) with different quantum barrier thicknesses under pulsed current conditions have been analyzed taking into account the related effects including deformation caused by lattice strain, quantum confined Stark effects due to polarization field partly screened by carriers, band gap renormalization, Stokes-like shift due to compositional fluctuations which are supposed to be random alloy fluctuations in the sub-nanometer scale, band filling effect (Burstein-Moss shift), and quantum levels in finite triangular wells. The bandgap renormalization and band filling effect occurring at high concentrations oppose one another,more » however, the renormalization effect dominates in the concentration range studied, since the band filling effect arising from the filling in the tail states in the valence band of quantum wells is much smaller than the case in the bulk materials. In order to correlate the carrier densities with current densities, the nonradiative recombination rates were deduced experimentally by curve-fitting to the external quantum efficiencies. The transition energies in LEDs both with 15 nm quantum barriers and 5 nm quantum barriers, calculated using full strengths of theoretical macroscopic polarization given by Barnardini and Fiorentini [Phys. Status Solidi B 216, 391 (1999)] are in excellent accordance with experimental results. The LED with 5 nm barriers has been shown to exhibit a higher transition energy and a smaller blue shift than those of LED with 15 nm barriers, which is mainly caused by the smaller internal polarization field in the quantum wells.« less

Electronic Noise and Fluctuations in Solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kogan, Sh.

2008-07-01

Preface; Part I. Introduction. Some Basic Concepts of the Theory of Random Processes: 1. Probability density functions. Moments. Stationary processes; 2. Correlation function; 3. Spectral density of noise; 4. Ergodicity and nonergodicity of random processes; 5. Random pulses and shot noise; 6. Markov processes. General theory; 7. Discrete Markov processes. Random telegraph noise; 8. Quasicontinuous (Diffusion-like) Markov processes; 9. Brownian motion; 10. Langevin approach to the kinetics of fluctuations; Part II. Fluctuation-Dissipation Relations in Equilibrium Systems: 11. Derivation of fluctuation-dissipation relations; 12. Equilibrium noise in quasistationary circuits. Nyquist theorem; 13. Fluctuations of electromagnetic fields in continuous media; Part III. Fluctuations in Nonequilibrium Gases: 14. Some basic concepts of hot-electrons' physics; 15. Simple model of current fluctuations in a semiconductor with hot electrons; 16. General kinetic theory of quasiclassical fluctuations in a gas of particles. The Boltzmann-Langevin equation; 17. Current fluctuations and noise temperature; 18. Current fluctuations and diffusion in a gas of hot electrons; 19. One-time correlation in nonequilibrium gases; 20. Intervalley noise in multivalley semiconductors; 21. Noise of hot electrons emitting optical phonons in the streaming regime; 22. Noise in a semiconductor with a postbreakdown stable current filament; Part IV. Generation-recombination noise: 23. G-R noise in uniform unipolar semiconductors; 24. Noise produced by recombination and diffusion; Part V. Noise in quantum ballistic systems: 25. Introduction; 26. Equilibrium noise and shot noise in quantum conductors; 27. Modulation noise in quantum point contacts; 28. Transition from a ballistic conductor to a macroscopic one; 29. Noise in tunnel junctions; Part VI. Resistance noise in metals: 30. Incoherent scattering of electrons by mobile defects; 31. Effect of mobile scattering centers on the electron interference pattern; 32. Fluctuations of the number of diffusing scattering centers; 33. Temperature fluctuations and the corresponding noise; Part VII. Noise in strongly disordered conductors: 34. Basic ideas of the percolation theory; 35. Resistance fluctuations in percolation systems. 36. Experiments; Part VIII. Low-frequency noise with an 1/f-type spectrum and random telegraph noise: 37. Introduction; 38. Some general properties of 1/f noise; 39. Basic models of 1/f noise; 40./f noise in metals; 41. Low-frequency noise in semiconductors; 42. Magnetic noise in spin glasses and some other magnetic systems; 43. Temperature fluctuations as a possible source of 1/f noise; 44. Random telegraph noise; 45. Fluctuations with 1/f spectrum in other systems; 46. General conclusions on 1/f noise; Part IX. Noise in Superconductors and Superconducting Structures: 47. Noise in Josephson junctions; 48. Noise in type II superconductors; References; Subject index.

A Next-Generation Apparatus for Lithium Optical Lattice Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keshet, Aviv

Quantum simulation is emerging as an ambitious and active subfield of atomic physics. This thesis describes progress towards the goal of simulating condensed matter systems, in particular the physics of the Fermi-Hubbard model, using ultracold Lithium atoms in an optical lattice. A major goal of the quantum simulation program is to observe phase transitions of the Hubbard model, into Neal antiferromagnetic phases and d-wave superfluid phases. Phase transitions are generally accompanied by a change in an underlying correlation in a physical system. Such correlations may be most amenable to probing by looking at fluctuations in the system. Experimental techniques for probing density and magnetization fluctuations in a variety of atomic Fermi systems are developed. The suppression of density fluctuations (or atom "shot noise") in an ideal degenerate Fermi gas is observed by absorption imaging of time-of-flight expanded clouds. In-trap measurements of density and magnetization fluctuations are not easy to probe with absorption imaging, due to their extremely high attenuation. A method to probe these fluctuations based on speckle patterns, caused by fluctuations in the index of refraction for a detuned illumination beam, is developed and applied first to weakly interacting and then to strongly interacting in-trap gases. Fluctuation probes such as these will be a crucial tool in future quantum simulation of condensed matter systems. The quantum simulation experiments that we want to perform require a complex sequence of precisely timed computer controlled events. A distributed GUI-based control system designed with such experiments in mind, The Cicero Word Generator, is described. The system makes use of a client-server separation between a user interface for sequence design and a set of output hardware servers. Output hardware servers are designed to use standard National Instruments output cards, but the client-server nature allows this to be extended to other output hardware. Output sequences running on multiple servers and output cards can be synchronized using a shared clock. By using an FPGA-generated variable frequency clock, redundant buffers can be dramatically shortened, and a time resolution of 100ns achieved over effectively arbitrary sequence lengths. Experimental set-ups for producing, manipulating, and probing ultracold atomic gases can be quite complicated. To move forward with a quantum simulation program, it is necessary to have an apparatus that operates with a reliability that is not easily achieved in the face of this complexity. The design of a new apparatus is discussed. This Sodium-Lithium ultracold gas production machine has been engineered to incorporate as much experimental experience as possible to enhance its reliability. Particular attention has been paid to maximizing optical access and the utilization of this optical access, controlling the ambient temperature of the experiment, achieving a high vacuum, and simplifying subsystems where possible. The apparatus is now on the verge of producing degenerate gases, and should serve as a stable platform on which to perform future lattice quantum simulation experiments. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, libraries.mit.edu/docs - docs mit.edu)

De Sitter Space Without Dynamical Quantum Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boddy, Kimberly K.; Carroll, Sean M.; Pollack, Jason

2016-06-01

We argue that, under certain plausible assumptions, de Sitter space settles into a quiescent vacuum in which there are no dynamical quantum fluctuations. Such fluctuations require either an evolving microstate, or time-dependent histories of out-of-equilibrium recording devices, which we argue are absent in stationary states. For a massive scalar field in a fixed de Sitter background, the cosmic no-hair theorem implies that the state of the patch approaches the vacuum, where there are no fluctuations. We argue that an analogous conclusion holds whenever a patch of de Sitter is embedded in a larger theory with an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space, including semiclassical quantum gravity with false vacua or complementarity in theories with at least one Minkowski vacuum. This reasoning provides an escape from the Boltzmann brain problem in such theories. It also implies that vacuum states do not uptunnel to higher-energy vacua and that perturbations do not decohere while slow-roll inflation occurs, suggesting that eternal inflation is much less common than often supposed. On the other hand, if a de Sitter patch is a closed system with a finite-dimensional Hilbert space, there will be Poincaré recurrences and dynamical Boltzmann fluctuations into lower-entropy states. Our analysis does not alter the conventional understanding of the origin of density fluctuations from primordial inflation, since reheating naturally generates a high-entropy environment and leads to decoherence, nor does it affect the existence of non-dynamical vacuum fluctuations such as those that give rise to the Casimir effect.

Quantum fluctuations and CMB anisotropies in one-bubble open inflation models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Kazuhiro; Sasaki, Misao; Tanaka, Takahiro

1996-10-01

We first develop a method to calculate a complete set of mode functions that describe the quantum fluctuations generated in one-bubble open inflation models. We consider two classes of models. One is a single scalar field model proposed by Bucher, Goldhaber, and Turok and by us as an example of the open inflation scenario, and the other is a two-field model such as the ``supernatural'' inflation proposed by Linde and Mezhlumian. In both cases we assume the difference in the vacuum energy density between inside and outside the bubble is negligible. There are two kinds of mode functions. One kind has the usual continuous spectrum and the other has a discrete spectrum with characteristic wavelengths exceeding the spatial curvature scale. The latter can be further divided into two classes in terms of its origin. One is called the de Sitter supercurvature mode, which arises due to the global spacetime structure of de Sitter space, and the other is due to fluctuations of the bubble wall. We calculate the spectrum of quantum fluctuations in these models and evaluate the resulting large angular scale CMB anisotropies. We find there are ranges of model parameters that are consistent with observed CMB anisotropies.

Modeling Electronic-Nuclear Interactions for Excitation Energy Transfer Processes in Light-Harvesting Complexes.

PubMed

Lee, Mi Kyung; Coker, David F

2016-08-18

An accurate approach for computing intermolecular and intrachromophore contributions to spectral densities to describe the electronic-nuclear interactions relevant for modeling excitation energy transfer processes in light harvesting systems is presented. The approach is based on molecular dynamics (MD) calculations of classical correlation functions of long-range contributions to excitation energy fluctuations and a separate harmonic analysis and single-point gradient quantum calculations for electron-intrachromophore vibrational couplings. A simple model is also presented that enables detailed analysis of the shortcomings of standard MD-based excitation energy fluctuation correlation function approaches. The method introduced here avoids these problems, and its reliability is demonstrated in accurate predictions for bacteriochlorophyll molecules in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson pigment-protein complex, where excellent agreement with experimental spectral densities is found. This efficient approach can provide instantaneous spectral densities for treating the influence of fluctuations in environmental dissipation on fast electronic relaxation.

Quantum Field Energy Sensor based on the Casimir Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ludwig, Thorsten

The Casimir effect converts vacuum fluctuations into a measurable force. Some new energy technologies aim to utilize these vacuum fluctuations in commonly used forms of energy like electricity or mechanical motion. In order to study these energy technologies it is helpful to have sensors for the energy density of vacuum fluctuations. In today's scientific instrumentation and scanning microscope technologies there are several common methods to measure sub-nano Newton forces. While the commercial atomic force microscopes (AFM) mostly work with silicon cantilevers, there are a large number of reports on the use of quartz tuning forks to get high-resolution force measurements or to create new force sensors. Both methods have certain advantages and disadvantages over the other. In this report the two methods are described and compared towards their usability for Casimir force measurements. Furthermore a design for a quantum field energy sensor based on the Casimir force measurement will be described. In addition some general considerations on extracting energy from vacuum fluctuations will be given.

Real-time observation of fluctuations at the driven-dissipative Dicke phase transition

PubMed Central

Brennecke, Ferdinand; Mottl, Rafael; Baumann, Kristian; Landig, Renate; Donner, Tobias; Esslinger, Tilman

2013-01-01

We experimentally study the influence of dissipation on the driven Dicke quantum phase transition, realized by coupling external degrees of freedom of a Bose–Einstein condensate to the light field of a high-finesse optical cavity. The cavity provides a natural dissipation channel, which gives rise to vacuum-induced fluctuations and allows us to observe density fluctuations of the gas in real-time. We monitor the divergence of these fluctuations over two orders of magnitude while approaching the phase transition, and observe a behavior that deviates significantly from that expected for a closed system. A correlation analysis of the fluctuations reveals the diverging time scale of the atomic dynamics and allows us to extract a damping rate for the external degree of freedom of the atoms. We find good agreement with our theoretical model including dissipation via both the cavity field and the atomic field. Using a dissipation channel to nondestructively gain information about a quantum many-body system provides a unique path to study the physics of driven-dissipative systems. PMID:23818599

Value of the Cosmological Constant in Emergent Quantum Gravity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hogan, Craig

It is suggested that the exact value of the cosmological constant could be derived from first principles, based on entanglement of the Standard Model field vacuum with emergent holographic quantum geometry. For the observed value of the cosmological constant, geometrical information is shown to agree closely with the spatial information density of the QCD vacuum, estimated in a free-field approximation. The comparison is motivated by a model of exotic rotational fluctuations in the inertial frame that can be precisely tested in laboratory experiments. Cosmic acceleration in this model is always positive, but fluctuates with characteristic coherence lengthmore » $$\\approx 100$$km and bandwidth $$\\approx 3000$$ Hz.« less

Dephasing rates for weak localization and universal conductance fluctuations in two dimensional Si:P and Ge:P δ-layers.

PubMed

Shamim, Saquib; Mahapatra, S; Scappucci, G; Klesse, W M; Simmons, M Y; Ghosh, Arindam

2017-05-04

We report quantum transport measurements on two dimensional (2D) Si:P and Ge:P δ-layers and compare the inelastic scattering rates relevant for weak localization (WL) and universal conductance fluctuations (UCF) for devices of various doping densities (0.3-2.5 × 10 18 m -2 ) at low temperatures (0.3-4.2 K). The phase breaking rate extracted experimentally from measurements of WL correction to conductivity and UCF agree well with each other within the entire temperature range. This establishes that WL and UCF, being the outcome of quantum interference phenomena, are governed by the same dephasing rate.

Development and study of charge sensors for fast charge detection in quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thalakulam, Madhu

Charge detection at microsecond time-scales has far reaching consequences in both technology and in our understanding of electron dynamics in nanoscale devices such as quantum dots. Radio-frequency superconducting single electron transistors (RF-SET) and quantum point contacts (QPC) are ultra sensitive charge sensors operating near the quantum limit. The operation of RF-SETs outside the superconducting gap has been a topic of study; the sub-gap operation, especially in the presence of large quantum fluctuations of quasiparticles remains largely unexplored, both theoretically and experimentally. We have investigated the effects of quantum fluctuations of quasiparticles on the operation of RF-SETs for large values of the quasiparticle cotunneling parameter alpha = 8EJ/Ec, where EJ and Ec are the Josephson and charging energies. We find that, for alpha > 1, sub-gap RF-SET operation is still feasible despite quantum fluctuations that wash out quasiparticle tunneling thresholds. Such RF-SETs show linearity and signal-to-noise ratio superior to those obtained when quantum fluctuations are weak, while still demonstrating excellent charge sensitivity. We have operated a QPC charge detector in a radio frequency mode that allows fast charge detection in a bandwidth of several megahertz. The noise limiting the sensitivity of the charge detector is not the noise of a secondary amplifier, but the non-equilibrium device noise of the QPC itself. The noise power averaged over a measurement bandwidth of about 10MHz around the carrier frequency is in agreement with the theory of photon-assisted shot noise. Frequency-resolved measurements, however show several significant discrepancies with the theoretical predictions. The measurement techniques developed can also be used to investigate the noise of other semiconductor nanostructures such as quantum dots in the Kondo regime. A study of the noise characteristics alone can not determine whether the device is operating at the quantum limit; a characterization of back action is also necessary. The inelastic current through a double quantum dot system (DQD) is sensitive to the spectral density of voltage fluctuations in its electromagnetic environment. Electrical transport studies on a DQD system electrostatically coupled to an SET shows qualitative evidence of back-action of SET. The design and fabrication of a few electron DQD device with integrated RF-SET and QPC charge sensors for the study of back action of the sensors and real-time electron dynamics in the DQD are also discussed.

Universal Low-energy Behavior in a Quantum Lorentz Gas with Gross-Pitaevskii Potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basti, Giulia; Cenatiempo, Serena; Teta, Alessandro

2018-06-01

We consider a quantum particle interacting with N obstacles, whose positions are independently chosen according to a given probability density, through a two-body potential of the form N 2 V ( N x) (Gross-Pitaevskii potential). We show convergence of the N dependent one-particle Hamiltonian to a limiting Hamiltonian where the quantum particle experiences an effective potential depending only on the scattering length of the unscaled potential and the density of the obstacles. In this sense our Lorentz gas model exhibits a universal behavior for N large. Moreover we explicitely characterize the fluctuations around the limit operator. Our model can be considered as a simplified model for scattering of slow neutrons from condensed matter.

Free-energy analysis of the electron-density fluctuation in the quantum-mechanical/molecular-mechanical simulation combined with the theory of energy representation.

PubMed

Matubayasi, Nobuyuki; Takahashi, Hideaki

2012-01-28

The relationship is investigated for QM/MM (quantum-mechanical/molecular-mechanical) systems between the fluctuations of the electronic state of the QM subsystem and of the solvation effect due to the QM-MM interaction. The free-energy change due to the electron-density fluctuation around its average is highlighted, and is evaluated through an approximate functional formulated in terms of distribution functions of the many-body coupling (pairwise non-additive) part of the QM-MM interaction energy. A set of QM/MM simulations are conducted in MM water solvent for QM water solute in ambient and supercritical conditions and for QM glycine solute in the neutral and zwitterionic forms. The variation of the electronic distortion energy of the QM solute in the course of QM/MM simulation is then shown to be compensated by the corresponding variation of the free energy of solvation. The solvation free energy conditioned by the electronic distortion energy is further analyzed with its components. It is found that the many-body contribution is essentially equal between the free energy and the average sum of solute-solvent interaction energy. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

Vacuum energy density fluctuations in Minkowski and Casimir states via smeared quantum fields and point separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phillips, Nicholas G.; Hu, B. L.

2000-10-01

We present calculations of the variance of fluctuations and of the mean of the energy momentum tensor of a massless scalar field for the Minkowski and Casimir vacua as a function of an intrinsic scale defined by a smeared field or by point separation. We point out that, contrary to prior claims, the ratio of variance to mean-squared being of the order unity is not necessarily a good criterion for measuring the invalidity of semiclassical gravity. For the Casimir topology we obtain expressions for the variance to mean-squared ratio as a function of the intrinsic scale (defined by a smeared field) compared to the extrinsic scale (defined by the separation of the plates, or the periodicity of space). Our results make it possible to identify the spatial extent where negative energy density prevails which could be useful for studying quantum field effects in worm holes and baby universes, and for examining the design feasibility of real-life ``time machines.'' For the Minkowski vacuum we find that the ratio of the variance to the mean-squared, calculated from the coincidence limit, is identical to the value of the Casimir case at the same limit for spatial point separation while identical to the value of a hot flat space result with a temporal point separation. We analyze the origin of divergences in the fluctuations of the energy density and discuss choices in formulating a procedure for their removal, thus raising new questions about the uniqueness and even the very meaning of regularization of the energy momentum tensor for quantum fields in curved or even flat spacetimes when spacetime is viewed as having an extended structure.

Probing density and spin correlations in two-dimensional Hubbard model with ultracold fermions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Chun Fai; Drewes, Jan Henning; Gall, Marcell; Wurz, Nicola; Cocchi, Eugenio; Miller, Luke; Pertot, Daniel; Brennecke, Ferdinand; Koehl, Michael

2017-04-01

Quantum gases of interacting fermionic atoms in optical lattices is a promising candidate to study strongly correlated quantum phases of the Hubbard model such as the Mott-insulator, spin-ordered phases, or in particular d-wave superconductivity. We experimentally realise the two-dimensional Hubbard model by loading a quantum degenerate Fermi gas of 40 K atoms into a three-dimensional optical lattice geometry. High-resolution absorption imaging in combination with radiofrequency spectroscopy is applied to spatially resolve the atomic distribution in a single 2D layer. We investigate in local measurements of spatial correlations in both the density and spin sector as a function of filling, temperature and interaction strength. In the density sector, we compare the local density fluctuations and the global thermodynamic quantities, and in the spin sector, we observe the onset of non-local spin correlation, signalling the emergence of the anti-ferromagnetic phase. We would report our recent experimental endeavours to investigate further down in temperature in the spin sector.

Non-Gaussianity in a quasiclassical electronic circuit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Takafumi J.; Hayakawa, Hisao

2017-05-01

We study the non-Gaussian dynamics of a quasiclassical electronic circuit coupled to a mesoscopic conductor. Non-Gaussian noise accompanying the nonequilibrium transport through the conductor significantly modifies the stationary probability density function (PDF) of the flux in the dissipative circuit. We incorporate weak quantum fluctuation of the dissipative LC circuit with a stochastic method and evaluate the quantum correction of the stationary PDF. Furthermore, an inverse formula to infer the statistical properties of the non-Gaussian noise from the stationary PDF is derived in the classical-quantum crossover regime. The quantum correction is indispensable to correctly estimate the microscopic transfer events in the QPC with the quasiclassical inverse formula.

Quantum-state anomaly detection for arbitrary errors using a machine-learning technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hara, Satoshi; Ono, Takafumi; Okamoto, Ryo; Washio, Takashi; Takeuchi, Shigeki

2016-10-01

The accurate detection of small deviations in given density matrice is important for quantum information processing, which is a difficult task because of the intrinsic fluctuation in density matrices reconstructed using a limited number of experiments. We previously proposed a method for decoherence error detection using a machine-learning technique [S. Hara, T. Ono, R. Okamoto, T. Washio, and S. Takeuchi, Phys. Rev. A 89, 022104 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevA.89.022104]. However, the previous method is not valid when the errors are just changes in phase. Here, we propose a method that is valid for arbitrary errors in density matrices. The performance of the proposed method is verified using both numerical simulation data and real experimental data.

Fluctuations and instabilities of a holographic metal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jokela, Niko; Järvinen, Matti; Lippert, Matthew

2013-02-01

We analyze the quasinormal modes of the D2-D8' model of 2+1-dimensional, strongly-coupled, charged fermions in a background magnetic field and at non-zero density. The model is known to include a quantum Hall phase with integer filling fraction. As expected, we find a hydrodynamical diffusion mode at small momentum and the nonzero-temperature holographic zero sound, which becomes massive above a critical magnetic field. We confirm the previously-known thermodynamic instability. In addition, we discover an instability at low temperature, large mass, and in a charge density and magnetic field range near the quantum Hall phase to an inhomogeneous striped phase.

Simple and exact approach to the electronic polarization effect on the solvation free energy: formulation for quantum-mechanical/molecular-mechanical system and its applications to aqueous solutions.

PubMed

Takahashi, Hideaki; Omi, Atsushi; Morita, Akihiro; Matubayasi, Nobuyuki

2012-06-07

We present a simple and exact numerical approach to compute the free energy contribution δμ in solvation due to the electron density polarization and fluctuation of a quantum-mechanical solute in the quantum-mechanical/molecular-mechanical (QM/MM) simulation combined with the theory of the energy representation (QM/MM-ER). Since the electron density fluctuation is responsible for the many-body QM-MM interactions, the standard version of the energy representation method cannot be applied directly. Instead of decomposing the QM-MM polarization energy into the pairwise additive and non-additive contributions, we take sum of the polarization energies in the QM-MM interaction and adopt it as a new energy coordinate for the method of energy representation. Then, it is demonstrated that the free energy δμ can be exactly formulated in terms of the energy distribution functions for the solution and reference systems with respect to this energy coordinate. The benchmark tests were performed to examine the numerical efficiency of the method with respect to the changes in the individual properties of the solvent and the solute. Explicitly, we computed the solvation free energy of a QM water molecule in ambient and supercritical water, and also the free-energy change associated with the isomerization reaction of glycine from neutral to zwitterionic structure in aqueous solution. In all the systems examined, it was demonstrated that the computed free energy δμ agrees with the experimental value, irrespective of the choice of the reference electron density of the QM solute. The present method was also applied to a prototype reaction of adenosine 5'-triphosphate hydrolysis where the effect of the electron density fluctuation is substantial due to the excess charge. It was demonstrated that the experimental free energy of the reaction has been accurately reproduced with the present approach.

Dynamics of a Two-Dimensional System of Quantum Dipoles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mazzanti, F.; Astrakharchik, G. E.; Boronat, J.

2009-03-20

A detailed microscopic analysis of the dynamic structure function S(k,{omega}) of a two-dimensional Bose system of dipoles polarized along the direction perpendicular to the plane is presented and discussed. Starting from ground-state quantities obtained using a quantum diffusion Monte Carlo algorithm, the density-density response is evaluated in the context of the correlated basis functions (CBF) theory. CBF predicts a sharp peak and a multiexcitation component at higher energies produced by the decay of excitations. We discuss the structure of the phonon-roton peak and show that the Feynman and Bogoliubov predictions depart from the CBF result already at low densities. Wemore » finally discuss the emergence of a roton in the spectrum, but find the roton energy not low enough to make the system unstable under density fluctuations up to the highest density considered that is close to the freezing point.« less

Entanglement and magnetism in high-spin graphene nanodisks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagymási, I.; Legeza, Ö.

2018-01-01

We investigate the ground-state properties of triangular graphene nanoflakes with zigzag edge configurations. The description of zero-dimensional nanostructures requires accurate many-body techniques since the widely used density-functional theory with local density approximation or Hartree-Fock methods cannot handle the strong quantum fluctuations. Applying the unbiased density-matrix renormalization group algorithm we calculate the magnetization and entanglement patterns with high accuracy for different interaction strengths and compare them to the mean-field results. With the help of quantum information analysis and subsystem density matrices we reveal that the edges are strongly entangled with each other. We also address the effect of electron and hole doping and demonstrate that the magnetic properties of triangular nanoflakes can be controlled by an electric field, which reveals features of flat-band ferromagnetism. This may open up new avenues in graphene based spintronics.

Dark matter and cosmology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schramm, D.N.

1992-03-01

The cosmological dark matter problem is reviewed. The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints on the baryon density are compared with the densities implied by visible matter, dark halos, dynamics of clusters, gravitational lenses, large-scale velocity flows, and the {Omega} = 1 flatness/inflation argument. It is shown that (1) the majority of baryons are dark; and (2) non-baryonic dark matter is probably required on large scales. It is also noted that halo dark matter could be either baryonic or non-baryonic. Descrimination between ``cold`` and ``hot`` non-baryonic candidates is shown to depend on the assumed ``seeds`` that stimulate structure formation. Gaussian density fluctuations,more » such as those induced by quantum fluctuations, favor cold dark matter, whereas topological defects such as strings, textures or domain walls may work equally or better with hot dark matter. A possible connection between cold dark matter, globular cluster ages and the Hubble constant is mentioned. Recent large-scale structure measurements, coupled with microwave anisotropy limits, are shown to raise some questions for the previously favored density fluctuation picture. Accelerator and underground limits on dark matter candidates are also reviewed.« less

Dark matter and cosmology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schramm, D.N.

1992-03-01

The cosmological dark matter problem is reviewed. The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints on the baryon density are compared with the densities implied by visible matter, dark halos, dynamics of clusters, gravitational lenses, large-scale velocity flows, and the {Omega} = 1 flatness/inflation argument. It is shown that (1) the majority of baryons are dark; and (2) non-baryonic dark matter is probably required on large scales. It is also noted that halo dark matter could be either baryonic or non-baryonic. Descrimination between cold'' and hot'' non-baryonic candidates is shown to depend on the assumed seeds'' that stimulate structure formation. Gaussian density fluctuations,more » such as those induced by quantum fluctuations, favor cold dark matter, whereas topological defects such as strings, textures or domain walls may work equally or better with hot dark matter. A possible connection between cold dark matter, globular cluster ages and the Hubble constant is mentioned. Recent large-scale structure measurements, coupled with microwave anisotropy limits, are shown to raise some questions for the previously favored density fluctuation picture. Accelerator and underground limits on dark matter candidates are also reviewed.« less

Dark matter and cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schramm, David N.

1992-07-01

The cosmological dark matter problem is reviewed. The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis constraints on the baryon density are compared with the densities implied by visible matter, dark halos, dynamics of clusters, gravitational lenses, large-scale velocity flows, and the Ω = 1 flatness/inflation argument. It is shown that (1) the majority of baryons are dark; and (2) non-baryonic dark matter is probably required on large scales. It is also noted that halo dark matter could be either baryonic or non-baryonic. Descrimination between ``cold'' and ``hot'' non-baryonic candidates is shown to depend on the assumed ``seeds'' that stimulate structure formation. Gaussian density fluctuations, such as those induced by quantum fluctuations, favor cold dark matter, whereas topological defects such as strings, textures or domain walls may work equally or better with hot dark matter. A possible connection between cold dark matter, globular cluster ages and the Hubble constant is mentioned. Recent large-scale structure measurements, coupled with microwave anisotropy limits, are shown to raise some questions for the previously favored density fluctuation picture. Accelerator and underground limits on dark matter candidates are also reviewed.

Dark matter and cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schramm, D. N.

1992-03-01

The cosmological dark matter problem is reviewed. The Big Bang nucleosynthesis constraints on the baryon density are compared with the densities implied by visible matter, dark halos, dynamics of clusters, gravitational lenses, large-scale velocity flows, and the omega = 1 flatness/inflation argument. It is shown that (1) the majority of baryons are dark; and (2) non-baryonic dark matter is probably required on large scales. It is also noted that halo dark matter could be either baryonic or non-baryonic. Descrimination between 'cold' and 'hot' non-baryonic candidates is shown to depend on the assumed 'seeds' that stimulate structure formation. Gaussian density fluctuations, such as those induced by quantum fluctuations, favor cold dark matter, whereas topological defects such as strings, textures or domain walls may work equally or better with hot dark matter. A possible connection between cold dark matter, globular cluster ages, and the Hubble constant is mentioned. Recent large-scale structure measurements, coupled with microwave anisotropy limits, are shown to raise some questions for the previously favored density fluctuation picture. Accelerator and underground limits on dark matter candidates are also reviewed.

Universal broadening of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer coherence peak of disordered superconducting films.

PubMed

Feigel'man, M V; Skvortsov, M A

2012-10-05

In disordered superconductors, the local pairing field fluctuates in space, leading to the smearing of the BCS peak in the density of states and the appearance of the subgap tail states. We analyze the universal mesoscopic contributions to these effects and show that they are enhanced by the Coulomb repulsion. In the vicinity of the quantum critical point, where superconductivity is suppressed by the "fermionic mechanism," strong smearing of the peak due to mesoscopic fluctuations is predicted.

Random dopant fluctuations and statistical variability in n-channel junctionless FETs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akhavan, N. D.; Umana-Membreno, G. A.; Gu, R.; Antoszewski, J.; Faraone, L.

2018-01-01

The influence of random dopant fluctuations on the statistical variability of the electrical characteristics of n-channel silicon junctionless nanowire transistor (JNT) has been studied using three dimensional quantum simulations based on the non-equilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) formalism. Average randomly distributed body doping densities of 2 × 1019, 6 × 1019 and 1 × 1020 cm-3 have been considered employing an atomistic model for JNTs with gate lengths of 5, 10 and 15 nm. We demonstrate that by properly adjusting the doping density in the JNT, a near ideal statistical variability and electrical performance can be achieved, which can pave the way for the continuation of scaling in silicon CMOS technology.

Stimulated scattering of electromagnetic waves carrying orbital angular momentum in quantum plasmas.

PubMed

Shukla, P K; Eliasson, B; Stenflo, L

2012-07-01

We investigate stimulated scattering instabilities of coherent circularly polarized electromagnetic (CPEM) waves carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) in dense quantum plasmas with degenerate electrons and nondegenerate ions. For this purpose, we employ the coupled equations for the CPEM wave vector potential and the driven (by the ponderomotive force of the CPEM waves) equations for the electron and ion plasma oscillations. The electrons are significantly affected by the quantum forces (viz., the quantum statistical pressure, the quantum Bohm potential, as well as the electron exchange and electron correlations due to electron spin), which are included in the framework of the quantum hydrodynamical description of the electrons. Furthermore, our investigation of the stimulated Brillouin instability of coherent CPEM waves uses the generalized ion momentum equation that includes strong ion coupling effects. The nonlinear equations for the coupled CPEM and quantum plasma waves are then analyzed to obtain nonlinear dispersion relations which exhibit stimulated Raman, stimulated Brillouin, and modulational instabilities of CPEM waves carrying OAM. The present results are useful for understanding the origin of scattered light off low-frequency density fluctuations in high-energy density plasmas where quantum effects are eminent.

Quantum liquid droplets in a mixture of Bose-Einstein condensates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cabrera, C. R.; Tanzi, L.; Sanz, J.; Naylor, B.; Thomas, P.; Cheiney, P.; Tarruell, L.

2018-01-01

Quantum droplets are small clusters of atoms self-bound by the balance of attractive and repulsive forces. Here, we report on the observation of droplets solely stabilized by contact interactions in a mixture of two Bose-Einstein condensates. We demonstrate that they are several orders of magnitude more dilute than liquid helium by directly measuring their size and density via in situ imaging. We show that the droplets are stablized against collapse by quantum fluctuations and that they require a minimum atom number to be stable. Below that number, quantum pressure drives a liquid-to-gas transition that we map out as a function of interaction strength. These ultradilute isotropic liquids remain weakly interacting and constitute an ideal platform to benchmark quantum many-body theories.

Influence of broadening and high-injection effects on GaAs-AlGaAs quantum well lasers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blood, P.; Colak, S.; Kucharska, A.I.

1988-08-01

The authors have calculated gain spectra and gain-current relations for GaAs-AlGaAs quantum well lasers using a model which incorporates a phenomenological description of bandgap narrowing due to many-body effects at high injection, transmission broadening by a carrier-density-dependent intraband scattering process, and broadening of the density of states function by fluctuations in the well width. The justification for including all these phenomena is made by examining spontaneous emission spectra observed through contact windows on quantum well layers. Using reasonable values of the parameters describing these effects, the model predicts correctly the observed lengthening of the laser emission wavelength with respect tomore » the absorption edge and correctly describes the variation of this wavelength, which they have observed for a set of devices with different numbers of quantum wells and the same well width. For a single GaAs quantum well laser 25 A wide, with the same parameters, the model predicts an increase in threshold current by a factor of 2.5 compared to an ideal quantum well without these effects.« less

Quasistatic antiferromagnetism in the quantum wells of SmTiO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Need, Ryan F.; Marshall, Patrick B.; Kenney, Eric; Suter, Andreas; Prokscha, Thomas; Salman, Zaher; Kirby, Brian J.; Stemmer, Susanne; Graf, Michael J.; Wilson, Stephen D.

2018-03-01

High carrier density quantum wells embedded within a Mott insulating matrix present a rich arena for exploring unconventional electronic phase behavior ranging from non-Fermi-liquid transport and signatures of quantum criticality to pseudogap formation. Probing the proposed connection between unconventional magnetotransport and incipient electronic order within these quantum wells has however remained an enduring challenge due to the ultra-thin layer thicknesses required. Here we address this challenge by exploring the magnetic properties of high-density SrTiO3 quantum wells embedded within the antiferromagnetic Mott insulator SmTiO3 via muon spin relaxation and polarized neutron reflectometry measurements. The one electron per planar unit cell acquired by the nominal d0 band insulator SrTiO3 when embedded within a d1 Mott SmTiO3 matrix exhibits slow magnetic fluctuations that begin to freeze into a quasistatic spin state below a critical temperature T*. The appearance of this quasistatic well magnetism coincides with the previously reported opening of a pseudogap in the tunneling spectra of high carrier density wells inside this film architecture. Our data suggest a common origin of the pseudogap phase behavior in this quantum critical oxide heterostructure with those observed in bulk Mott materials close to an antiferromagnetic instability.

Brownian Emitters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsekov, Roumen

2016-06-01

A Brownian harmonic oscillator, which dissipates energy either by friction or via emission of electromagnetic radiation, is considered. This Brownian emitter is driven by the surrounding thermo-quantum fluctuations, which are theoretically described by the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. It is shown how the Abraham-Lorentz force leads to dependence of the half-width on the peak frequency of the oscillator amplitude spectral density. It is found that for the case of a charged particle moving in vacuum at zero temperature, its root-mean-square velocity fluctuation is a universal constant, equal to roughly 1/18 of the speed of light. The relevant Fokker-Planck and Smoluchowski equations are also derived.

Verifying detailed fluctuation relations for discrete feedback-controlled quantum dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camati, Patrice A.; Serra, Roberto M.

2018-04-01

Discrete quantum feedback control consists of a managed dynamics according to the information acquired by a previous measurement. Energy fluctuations along such dynamics satisfy generalized fluctuation relations, which are useful tools to study the thermodynamics of systems far away from equilibrium. Due to the practical challenge to assess energy fluctuations in the quantum scenario, the experimental verification of detailed fluctuation relations in the presence of feedback control remains elusive. We present a feasible method to experimentally verify detailed fluctuation relations for discrete feedback control quantum dynamics. Two detailed fluctuation relations are developed and employed. The method is based on a quantum interferometric strategy that allows the verification of fluctuation relations in the presence of feedback control. An analytical example to illustrate the applicability of the method is discussed. The comprehensive technique introduced here can be experimentally implemented at a microscale with the current technology in a variety of experimental platforms.

Vertex functions at finite momentum: Application to antiferromagnetic quantum criticality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wölfle, Peter; Abrahams, Elihu

2016-02-01

We analyze the three-point vertex function that describes the coupling of fermionic particle-hole pairs in a metal to spin or charge fluctuations at nonzero momentum. We consider Ward identities, which connect two-particle vertex functions to the self-energy, in the framework of a Hubbard model. These are derived using conservation laws following from local symmetries. The generators considered are the spin density and particle density. It is shown that at certain antiferromagnetic critical points, where the quasiparticle effective mass is diverging, the vertex function describing the coupling of particle-hole pairs to the spin density Fourier component at the antiferromagnetic wave vector is also divergent. Then we give an explicit calculation of the irreducible vertex function for the case of three-dimensional antiferromagnetic fluctuations, and show that it is proportional to the diverging quasiparticle effective mass.

Testing quantum gravity through dumb holes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pourhassan, Behnam, E-mail: b.pourhassan@du.ac.ir; Faizal, Mir, E-mail: f2mir@uwaterloo.ca; Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, University of British Columbia - Okanagan, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7

We propose a method to test the effects of quantum fluctuations on black holes by analyzing the effects of thermal fluctuations on dumb holes, the analogs for black holes. The proposal is based on the Jacobson formalism, where the Einstein field equations are viewed as thermodynamical relations, and so the quantum fluctuations are generated from the thermal fluctuations. It is well known that all approaches to quantum gravity generate logarithmic corrections to the entropy of a black hole and the coefficient of this term varies according to the different approaches to the quantum gravity. It is possible to demonstrate thatmore » such logarithmic terms are also generated from thermal fluctuations in dumb holes. In this paper, we claim that it is possible to experimentally test such corrections for dumb holes, and also obtain the correct coefficient for them. This fact can then be used to predict the effects of quantum fluctuations on realistic black holes, and so it can also be used, in principle, to experimentally test the different approaches to quantum gravity.« less

Quantum heating as an alternative of reheating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akhmedov, Emil T.; Bascone, Francesco

2018-02-01

To model a realistic situation for the beginning we consider massive real scalar ϕ4 theory in a (1 +1 )-dimensional asymptotically static Minkowski spacetime with an intermediate stage of expansion. To have an analytic headway we assume that scalars have a big mass. At past and future infinities of the background we have flat Minkowski regions which are joint by the inflationary expansion region. We use the tree-level Keldysh propagator in the theory in question to calculate the expectation value of the stress-energy tensor which is, thus, due to the excitations of the zero-point fluctuations. Then we show that even for large mass, if the de Sitter expansion stage is long enough, the quantum loop corrections to the expectation value of the stress-energy tensor are not negligible in comparison with the tree-level contribution. That is revealed itself via the excitation of the higher-point fluctuations of the exact modes: during the expansion stage a nonzero particle number density for the exact modes is generated. This density is not Planckian and serves as a quench which leads to a thermalization in the out Minkowski stage.

Cosmological implications of quantum entanglement in the multiverse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanno, Sugumi

2015-12-01

We explore the cosmological implications of quantum entanglement between two causally disconnected universes in the multiverse. We first consider two causally separated de Sitter spaces with a state which is initially entangled. We derive the reduced density matrix of our universe and compute the spectrum of vacuum fluctuations. We then consider the same system with an initially non-entangled state. We find that due to quantum interference scale dependent modulations may enter the spectrum for the case of initially non-entangled state. This gives rise to the possibility that the existence of causally disconnected universes may be experimentally tested by analyzing correlators in detail.

Quantum gravitational contributions to the cosmic microwave background anisotropy spectrum.

PubMed

Kiefer, Claus; Krämer, Manuel

2012-01-13

We derive the primordial power spectrum of density fluctuations in the framework of quantum cosmology. For this purpose we perform a Born-Oppenheimer approximation to the Wheeler-DeWitt equation for an inflationary universe with a scalar field. In this way, we first recover the scale-invariant power spectrum that is found as an approximation in the simplest inflationary models. We then obtain quantum gravitational corrections to this spectrum and discuss whether they lead to measurable signatures in the cosmic microwave background anisotropy spectrum. The nonobservation so far of such corrections translates into an upper bound on the energy scale of inflation.

Electron-acoustic solitary waves in dense quantum electron-ion plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Misra, A. P.; Shukla, P. K.; Bhowmik, C.

2007-08-15

A quantum hydrodynamic (QHD) model is used to investigate the propagation characteristics of nonlinear electron-acoustic solitary waves (EASWs) in a dense quantum plasma whose constituents are two groups of electrons: one inertial cold electrons and other inertialess hot electrons, and the stationary ions which form the neutralizing background. By using the standard reductive perturbation technique, a Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (KP) equation, which governs the dynamics of EASWs, is derived in both spherical and cylindrical geometry. The effects of cold electrons and the density correlations due to quantum fluctuations on the profiles of the amplitudes and widths of the solitary structures are examinedmore » numerically. The nondimensional parameter {delta}=n{sub c0}/n{sub h0}, which is the equilibrium density ratio of the cold to hot electron component, is shown to play a vital role in the formation of both bright and dark solitons. It is also found that the angular dependence of the physical quantities and the presence of cold electrons in a quantum plasma lead to the coexistence of some new interesting novel solitary structures quite distinctive from the classical ones.« less

Generation of density perturbations by inflation in scalar-tensor gravity theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seshadri, T. R.

1992-02-01

Density perturbations arising out of the quantum fluctuations in a Brans-Dicke field in the context of extended inflation have been studied. We have used a model in which the Brans-Dicke parameter varies with time. We find that the density perturbations are large in magnitude and have a scale invariant spectrum. The origin of these is discussed and it is shown that these place further constraints on the model. Address after 15 Octobr 1991: Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi 110 007, India.

Application of the quantum spin glass theory to image restoration.

PubMed

Inoue, J I

2001-04-01

Quantum fluctuation is introduced into the Markov random-field model for image restoration in the context of a Bayesian approach. We investigate the dependence of the quantum fluctuation on the quality of a black and white image restoration by making use of statistical mechanics. We find that the maximum posterior marginal (MPM) estimate based on the quantum fluctuation gives a fine restoration in comparison with the maximum a posteriori estimate or the thermal fluctuation based MPM estimate.

Quantum Multicriticality near the Dirac-Semimetal to Band-Insulator Critical Point in Two Dimensions: A Controlled Ascent from One Dimension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Bitan; Foster, Matthew S.

2018-01-01

We compute the effects of generic short-range interactions on gapless electrons residing at the quantum critical point separating a two-dimensional Dirac semimetal and a symmetry-preserving band insulator. The electronic dispersion at this critical point is anisotropic (Ek=±√{v2kx2+b2ky2 n } with n =2 ), which results in unconventional scaling of thermodynamic and transport quantities. Because of the vanishing density of states [ϱ (E )˜|E |1 /n ], this anisotropic semimetal (ASM) is stable against weak short-range interactions. However, for stronger interactions, the direct Dirac-semimetal to band-insulator transition can either (i) become a fluctuation-driven first-order transition (although unlikely in a particular microscopic model considered here, the anisotropic honeycomb lattice extended Hubbard model) or (ii) get avoided by an intervening broken-symmetry phase. We perform a controlled renormalization group analysis with the small parameter ɛ =1 /n , augmented with a 1 /n expansion (parametrically suppressing quantum fluctuations in the higher dimension) by perturbing away from the one-dimensional limit, realized by setting ɛ =0 and n →∞ . We identify charge density wave (CDW), antiferromagnet (AFM), and singlet s -wave superconductivity as the three dominant candidates for broken symmetry. The onset of any such order at strong coupling (˜ɛ ) takes place through a continuous quantum phase transition across an interacting multicritical point, where the ordered phase, band insulator, Dirac, and anisotropic semimetals meet. We also present the phase diagram of an extended Hubbard model for the ASM, obtained via the controlled deformation of its counterpart in one dimension. The latter displays spin-charge separation and instabilities to CDW, spin density wave, and Luther-Emery liquid phases at arbitrarily weak coupling. The spin density wave and Luther-Emery liquid phases deform into pseudospin SU(2)-symmetric quantum critical points separating the ASM from the AFM and superconducting orders, respectively. Our phase diagram shows an intriguing interplay among CDW, AFM, and s -wave paired states that can be germane for a uniaxially strained optical honeycomb lattice for ultracold fermion atoms, or the organic compound α -(BEDT -TTF )2I3 .

Direct evaluation of boson dynamics via finite-temperature time-dependent variation with multiple Davydov states.

PubMed

Fujihashi, Yuta; Wang, Lu; Zhao, Yang

2017-12-21

Recent advances in quantum optics allow for exploration of boson dynamics in dissipative many-body systems. However, the traditional descriptions of quantum dissipation using reduced density matrices are unable to capture explicit information of bath dynamics. In this work, efficient evaluation of boson dynamics is demonstrated by combining the multiple Davydov Ansatz with finite-temperature time-dependent variation, going beyond what state-of-the-art density matrix approaches are capable to offer for coupled electron-boson systems. To this end, applications are made to excitation energy transfer in photosynthetic systems, singlet fission in organic thin films, and circuit quantum electrodynamics in superconducting devices. Thanks to the multiple Davydov Ansatz, our analysis of boson dynamics leads to clear revelation of boson modes strongly coupled to electronic states, as well as in-depth description of polaron creation and destruction in the presence of thermal fluctuations.

Cyclotron resonance of interacting quantum Hall droplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Widmann, M.; Merkt, U.; Cortés, M.; Häusler, W.; Eberl, K.

1998-06-01

The line shape and position of cyclotron resonance in gated GaAs/GaAlAs heterojunctions with δ-doped layers of negatively charged beryllium acceptors, that provide strong potential fluctuations in the channels of the quasi-two-dimensional electron systems, are examined. Specifically, the magnetic quantum limit is considered when the electrons are localized in separate quantum Hall droplets in the valleys of the disorder potential. A model treating disorder and electron-electron interaction on an equal footing accounts for all of the principal experimental findings: blue shifts from the unperturbed cyclotron frequency that decrease when the electron density is reduced, surprisingly narrow lines in the magnetic quantum limit, and asymmetric lines due to additional oscillator strength on their high-frequency sides.

Topological Defects and Structures in the Early Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Yong

1997-08-01

This thesis discusses the topological defects generated in the early universe and their contributions to cosmic structure formation. First, we investigate non-Gaussian isocurvature perturbations generated by the evolution of Goldstone modes during inflation. If a global symmetry is broken before inflation, the resulting Goldstone modes are disordered during inflation in a precise and predictable way. After inflation these Goldstone modes order themselves in a self-similar way, much as Goldstone modes in field ordering scenarios based on the Kibble mechanism. For (Hi2/Mpl2)~10- 6, through their gravitational interaction these Goldstone modes generate density perturbations of approximately the right magnitude to explain the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy and seed the structure seen in the universe today. In such a model non-Gaussian perturbations result because to lowest order density perturbations are sourced by products of Gaussian fields. We explore the issue of phase dispersion and conclude that this non-Gaussian model predicts Doppler peaks in the CMB anisotropy. Topological defects generated from quantum fluctuations during inflation are studied in chapter four. We present a calculation of the power spectrum generated in a classically symmetry-breaking O(N) scalar field through inflationary quantum fluctuations, using the large-N limit. The effective potential of the theory in de Sitter space is obtained from a gap equation which is exact at large N. Quantum fluctuations restore the O(N) symmetry in de Sitter space, but for the finite values of N of interest, there is symmetry breaking and phase ordering after inflation, described by the classical nonlinear sigma model. The scalar field power spectrum is obtained as a function of the scalar field self-coupling. In the second part of the thesis, we investigate non-Abelian topological worm-holes, obtained when winding number one texture field is coupled to Einstein gravity with a conserved global charge. This topological wormhole has the same Euclidean action as axion wormholes and charged scalar wormholes. We find that free topological wormholes are spontaneously generated in the Euclidean space-time with finite density. It is then shown that wormholes with finite density might destroy any long range order in the global fields.

Analysis of fluctuations in semiconductor devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrei, Petru

The random nature of ion implantation and diffusion processes as well as inevitable tolerances in fabrication result in random fluctuations of doping concentrations and oxide thickness in semiconductor devices. These fluctuations are especially pronounced in ultrasmall (nanoscale) semiconductor devices when the spatial scale of doping and oxide thickness variations become comparable with the geometric dimensions of devices. In the dissertation, the effects of these fluctuations on device characteristics are analyzed by using a new technique for the analysis of random doping and oxide thickness induced fluctuations. This technique is universal in nature in the sense that it is applicable to any transport model (drift-diffusion, semiclassical transport, quantum transport etc.) and it can be naturally extended to take into account random fluctuations of the oxide (trapped) charges and channel length. The technique is based on linearization of the transport equations with respect to the fluctuating quantities. It is computationally much (a few orders of magnitude) more efficient than the traditional Monte-Carlo approach and it yields information on the sensitivity of fluctuations of parameters of interest (e.g. threshold voltage, small-signal parameters, cut-off frequencies, etc.) to the locations of doping and oxide thickness fluctuations. For this reason, it can be very instrumental in the design of fluctuation-resistant structures of semiconductor devices. Quantum mechanical effects are taken into account by using the density-gradient model as well as through self-consistent Poisson-Schrodinger computations. Special attention is paid to the presenting of the technique in a form that is suitable for implementation on commercial device simulators. The numerical implementation of the technique is discussed in detail and numerous computational results are presented and compared with those previously published in literature.

Resolving the vacuum fluctuations of an optomechanical system using an artificial atom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lecocq, F.; Teufel, J. D.; Aumentado, J.; Simmonds, R. W.

2015-08-01

Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle results in one of the strangest quantum behaviours: a mechanical oscillator can never truly be at rest. Even at a temperature of absolute zero, its position and momentum are still subject to quantum fluctuations. However, direct energy detection of the oscillator in its ground state makes it seem motionless, and in linear position measurements detector noise can masquerade as mechanical fluctuations. Thus, how can we resolve quantum fluctuations? Here, we parametrically couple a micromechanical oscillator to a microwave cavity to prepare the system in its quantum ground state and then amplify the remaining vacuum fluctuations into real energy quanta. We monitor the photon/phonon-number distributions using a superconducting qubit, allowing us to resolve the quantum vacuum fluctuations of the macroscopic oscillator’s motion. Our results further demonstrate the ability to control a long-lived mechanical oscillator using a non-Gaussian resource, directly enabling applications in quantum information processing and enhanced detection of displacement and forces.

Quantum noise in a transversely-pumped-cavity Bose-Hubbard model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagy, Dávid; Kónya, Gábor; Domokos, Peter; Szirmai, Gergely

2018-06-01

We investigate the quantum measurement noise effects on the dynamics of an atomic Bose lattice gas inside an optical resonator. We describe the dynamics by means of a hybrid model consisting of a Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian for the atoms and a Heisenberg-Langevin equation for the lossy cavity-field mode. We assume that the atoms are prepared initially in the ground state of the lattice Hamiltonian and then start to interact with the cavity mode. We show that the cavity-field fluctuations originating from the dissipative outcoupling of photons from the resonator lead to vastly different effects in the different possible ground-state phases, i.e., the superfluid, the supersolid, the Mott and charge-density-wave phases. In the former two phases with the presence of a superfluid wavefunction, the quantum measurement noise appears as a driving term leading to depletion of the ground state. The timescale for the system to leave the ground state is presented in a simple analytical form. For the latter two incompressible phases, the quantum noise results in the fluctuation of the chemical potential. We derive an analytical expression for the corresponding broadening of the quasiparticle resonances.

Asymmetrical quantum well degradation of InGaN/GaN blue laser diodes characterized by photoluminescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Pengyan; Liu, Jianping; Zhang, Shuming; Zhang, Liqun; Ikeda, Masao; Li, Deyao; Tian, Aiqin; Zhang, Feng; Cheng, Yang; Zhou, Wei; Yang, Hui

2017-11-01

The temperature, power, and voltage dependent photoluminescence spectra are studied in InGaN/GaN double quantum well blue laser diodes. Emissions from the two quantum wells can be distinguished at low temperature at low excitation power density due to the different built-in electric field in the two quantum wells. This finding is utilized to study the degradation of InGaN/GaN blue laser diodes. Two peaks are observed for the non-aged laser diode (LD), while one peak for the aged LD which performed 3200 h until no laser output is detected. The disappearance of the high energy peak in the photoluminescence spectra indicates a heavier degradation of the quantum well on the p-side, which agrees with our previous observation that both the linewidth and the potential fluctuation of InGaN quantum wells (QWs) reduced for the aged LDs.

Nonrelativistic Quantum Mechanics with Fundamental Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gevorkyan, Ashot S.

2011-03-01

Spontaneous transitions between bound states of an atomic system, "Lamb Shift" of energy levels and many other phenomena in real nonrelativistic quantum systems are connected within the influence of the quantum vacuum fluctuations ( fundamental environment (FE)) which are impossible to consider in the limits of standard quantum-mechanical approaches. The joint system "quantum system (QS) + FE" is described in the framework of the stochastic differential equation (SDE) of Langevin-Schrödinger (L-Sch) type, and is defined on the extended space R 3 ⊗ R { ξ}, where R 3 and R { ξ} are the Euclidean and functional spaces, respectively. The density matrix for single QS in FE is defined. The entropy of QS entangled with FE is defined and investigated in detail. It is proved that as a result of interaction of QS with environment there arise structures of various topologies which are a new quantum property of the system.

Quantum to classical transition in the Hořava-Lifshitz quantum cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernardini, A. E.; Leal, P.; Bertolami, O.

2018-02-01

A quasi-Gaussian quantum superposition of Hořava-Lifshitz (HL) stationary states is built in order to describe the transition of the quantum cosmological problem to the related classical dynamics. The obtained HL phase-space superposed Wigner function and its associated Wigner currents describe the conditions for the matching between classical and quantum phase-space trajectories. The matching quantum superposition parameter is associated to the total energy of the classical trajectory which, at the same time, drives the engendered Wigner function to the classical stationary regime. Through the analysis of the Wigner flows, the quantum fluctuations that distort the classical regime can be quantified as a measure of (non)classicality. Finally, the modifications to the Wigner currents due to the inclusion of perturbative potentials are computed in the HL quantum cosmological context. In particular, the inclusion of a cosmological constant provides complementary information that allows for connecting the age of the Universe with the overall stiff matter density profile.

Tuning Single Quantum Dot Emission with a Micromirror.

PubMed

Yuan, Gangcheng; Gómez, Daniel; Kirkwood, Nicholas; Mulvaney, Paul

2018-02-14

The photoluminescence of single quantum dots fluctuates between bright (on) and dark (off) states, also termed fluorescence intermittency or blinking. This blinking limits the performance of quantum dot-based devices such as light-emitting diodes and solar cells. However, the origins of the blinking remain unresolved. Here, we use a movable gold micromirror to determine both the quantum yield of the bright state and the orientation of the excited state dipole of single quantum dots. We observe that the quantum yield of the bright state is close to unity for these single QDs. Furthermore, we also study the effect of a micromirror on blinking, and then evaluate excitation efficiency, biexciton quantum yield, and detection efficiency. The mirror does not modify the off-time statistics, but it does change the density of optical states available to the quantum dot and hence the on times. The duration of the on times can be lengthened due to an increase in the radiative recombination rate.

Revealing missing charges with generalised quantum fluctuation relations.

PubMed

Mur-Petit, J; Relaño, A; Molina, R A; Jaksch, D

2018-05-22

The non-equilibrium dynamics of quantum many-body systems is one of the most fascinating problems in physics. Open questions range from how they relax to equilibrium to how to extract useful work from them. A critical point lies in assessing whether a system has conserved quantities (or 'charges'), as these can drastically influence its dynamics. Here we propose a general protocol to reveal the existence of charges based on a set of exact relations between out-of-equilibrium fluctuations and equilibrium properties of a quantum system. We apply these generalised quantum fluctuation relations to a driven quantum simulator, demonstrating their relevance to obtain unbiased temperature estimates from non-equilibrium measurements. Our findings will help guide research on the interplay of quantum and thermal fluctuations in quantum simulation, in studying the transition from integrability to chaos and in the design of new quantum devices.

Bipartite charge fluctuations in one-dimensional Z2 superconductors and insulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herviou, Loïc; Mora, Christophe; Le Hur, Karyn

2017-09-01

Bipartite charge fluctuations (BCFs) have been introduced to provide an experimental indication of many-body entanglement. They have proved themselves to be a very efficient and useful tool to characterize quantum phase transitions in a variety of quantum models conserving the total number of particles (or magnetization for spin systems) and can be measured experimentally. We study the BCFs in generic one-dimensional Z2 (topological) models including the Kitaev superconducting wire model, the Ising chain, or various topological insulators such as the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model. The considered charge (either the fermionic number or the relative density) is no longer conserved, leading to macroscopic fluctuations of the number of particles. We demonstrate that at phase transitions characterized by a linear dispersion, the BCFs probe the change in a winding number that allows one to pinpoint the transition and corresponds to the topological invariant for standard models. Additionally, we prove that a subdominant logarithmic contribution is still present at the exact critical point. Its quantized coefficient is universal and characterizes the critical model. Results are extended to the Rashba topological nanowires and to the X Y Z model.

Nuclear quantum effects on structure and transport properties of dense liquid helium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Dongdong; Dai, Jiayu; Yuan, Jianmin

2015-11-01

Transport properties of dense liquid helium under the conditions of planet's core and cool atmosphere of white dwarfs are important for determining the structure and evolution of these astrophysical objects. We have investigated these properties of dense liquid helium by using the improved centroid path-integral simulations combined with density functional theory. The results show that with the inclusion of nuclear quantum effects (NQEs), the self-diffusion is largely higher while the shear viscosity is notably lower than the results of without the inclusion of NQEs due to the lower collision cross sections even when the NQEs have little effects on the static structures. The potential surface of helium atom along the simulation trajectory is quite different between MD and PIMD simulations. We have shown that the quantum nuclear character induces complex behaviors for ionic transport properties of dense liquid helium. NQEs bring more fluctuations of local electronic density of states than the classical treatment. Therefore, in order to construct more reasonable structure and evolution model for the planets and WDs, NQEs must be reconsidered when calculating the transport properties at certain temperature and density conditions.

Coherent and conventional gravidynamic quantum 1/f noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handel, Peter H.; George, Thomas F.

2008-04-01

Quantum 1/f noise is a fundamental fluctuation of currents, physical cross sections or process rates, caused by infrared coupling of the current carriers to very low frequency (soft) quanta, also known as infraquanta. The latter are soft gravitons in the gravidynamic case with the coupling constant g= pGM2/Nch considered here -- soft photons in the electrodynamic case and soft transversal piezo-phonons in the lattice-dynamical case. Here p=3.14 and F=psi. Quantum 1/f noise is a new aspect of quantum mechanics expressed mainly through the coherent quantum 1/f effect 2g/pf derived here for large systems, and mainly through the conventional quantum 1/f effect for small systems or individual particles. Both effects are present in general, and their effects are superposed in a first approximation with the help of a coherence (weight) parameter s" that will be derived elsewhere for the gravitational case. The spectral density of fractional fluctuations S(dj/j,f) for j=e(hk/2pm)|F|2 is S(F2,f)/<|F|2> = S(j,f)/2 = [4ps"/(1+s")]GM2/pfNch = 4.4 10E9 M2/(pfNgram2). Here s" = 2N'GM/c2=N'rs, where N' is the number of particles of mass M per unit length of the current, rs their Schwarzschild radius, and s" is our coherence (weight) parameter giving the ratio of coherent to conventional quantum 1/f contributions.

Graviton creation by small scale factor oscillations in an expanding universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiappacasse, Enrico D.; Ford, L. H.

2016-10-01

We treat quantum creation of gravitons by small scale factor oscillations around the average of an expanding universe. Such oscillations can arise in standard general relativity due to oscillations of a homogeneous, minimally coupled scalar field. They can also arise in modified gravity theories with a term proportional to the square of the Ricci scalar in the gravitational action. The graviton wave equation is different in the two cases, leading to somewhat different creation rates. Both cases are treated using a perturbative method due to Birrell and Davies, involving an expansion in a conformal coupling parameter to calculate the number density and energy density of the created gravitons. Cosmological constraints on the present graviton energy density and the dimensionless amplitude of the oscillations are discussed. We also discuss decoherence of quantum systems produced by the spacetime geometry fluctuations due to such a graviton bath.

Itinerant density wave instabilities at classical and quantum critical points

DOE PAGES

Feng, Yejun; van Wezel, Jasper; Wang, Jiyang; ...

2015-07-27

Charge ordering in metals is a fundamental instability of the electron sea, occurring in a host of materials and often linked to other collective ground states such as superconductivity. What is difficult to parse, however, is whether the charge order originates among the itinerant electrons or whether it arises from the ionic lattice. Here in this study we employ high-resolution X-ray diffraction, combined with high-pressure and low-temperature techniques and theoretical modelling, to trace the evolution of the ordering wavevector Q in charge and spin density wave systems at the approach to both thermal and quantum phase transitions. The non-monotonic behaviourmore » of Q with pressure and the limiting sinusoidal form of the density wave point to the dominant role of the itinerant instability in the vicinity of the critical points, with little influence from the lattice. Fluctuations rather than disorder seem to disrupt coherence.« less

Geometrical Description of fractional quantum Hall quasiparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Yeje; Yang, Bo; Haldane, F. D. M.

2012-02-01

We examine a description of fractional quantum Hall quasiparticles and quasiholes suggested by a recent geometrical approach (F. D. M. Haldane, Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 116801 (2011)) to FQH systems, where the local excess electric charge density in the incompressible state is given by a topologically-quantized ``guiding-center spin'' times the Gaussian curvature of a ``guiding-center metric tensor'' that characterizes the local shape of the correlation hole around electrons in the fluid. We use a phenomenological energy function with two ingredients: the shear distortion energy of area-preserving distortions of the fluid, and a local (short-range) approximation to the Coulomb energy of the fluctuation of charge density associated with the Gaussian curvature. Quasiparticles and quasiholes of the 1/3 Laughlin state are modeled as ``punctures'' in the incompressible fluid which then relax by geometric distortion which generates Gaussian curvature, giving rise to the charge-density profile around the topological excitation.

Evidence for a Cosmological Phase Transition on the TeVScale

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lindesay, James V.; Noyes, H.Pierre; /SLAC

Examining the reverse evolution of the universe from the present, long before reaching Planck density dynamics one expects major modifications from the de-coherent thermal equations of state, suggesting a prior phase that has macroscopic coherence properties. The assumption that the phase transition occurs during the radiation dominated epoch, and that zero-point motions drive the fluctuations associated with this transition, specifies a class of cosmological models in which the cosmic microwave background fluctuation amplitude at last scattering is approximately 10{sup -5}. Quantum measurability constraints (e.g. uncertainly relations) define cosmological scales whose expansion rates can be at most luminal.

Coherent wave transmission in quasi-one-dimensional systems with Lévy disorder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amanatidis, Ilias; Kleftogiannis, Ioannis; Falceto, Fernando; Gopar, Víctor A.

2017-12-01

We study the random fluctuations of the transmission in disordered quasi-one-dimensional systems such as disordered waveguides and/or quantum wires whose random configurations of disorder are characterized by density distributions with a long tail known as Lévy distributions. The presence of Lévy disorder leads to large fluctuations of the transmission and anomalous localization, in relation to the standard exponential localization (Anderson localization). We calculate the complete distribution of the transmission fluctuations for a different number of transmission channels in the presence and absence of time-reversal symmetry. Significant differences in the transmission statistics between disordered systems with Anderson and anomalous localizations are revealed. The theoretical predictions are independently confirmed by tight-binding numerical simulations.

Generalized non-equilibrium vertex correction method in coherent medium theory for quantum transport simulation of disordered nanoelectronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Jiawei; Ke, Youqi

In realistic nanoelectronics, disordered impurities/defects are inevitable and play important roles in electron transport. However, due to the lack of effective quantum transport method, the important effects of disorders remain poorly understood. Here, we report a generalized non-equilibrium vertex correction (NVC) method with coherent potential approximation to treat the disorder effects in quantum transport simulation. With this generalized NVC method, any averaged product of two single-particle Green's functions can be obtained by solving a set of simple linear equations. As a result, the averaged non-equilibrium density matrix and various important transport properties, including averaged current, disordered induced current fluctuation and the averaged shot noise, can all be efficiently computed in a unified scheme. Moreover, a generalized form of conditionally averaged non-equilibrium Green's function is derived to incorporate with density functional theory to enable first-principles simulation. We prove the non-equilibrium coherent potential equals the non-equilibrium vertex correction. Our approach provides a unified, efficient and self-consistent method for simulating non-equilibrium quantum transport through disorder nanoelectronics. Shanghaitech start-up fund.

Semiclassical dynamics of spin density waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chern, Gia-Wei; Barros, Kipton; Wang, Zhentao; Suwa, Hidemaro; Batista, Cristian D.

2018-01-01

We present a theoretical framework for equilibrium and nonequilibrium dynamical simulation of quantum states with spin-density-wave (SDW) order. Within a semiclassical adiabatic approximation that retains electron degrees of freedom, we demonstrate that the SDW order parameter obeys a generalized Landau-Lifshitz equation. With the aid of an enhanced kernel polynomial method, our linear-scaling quantum Landau-Lifshitz dynamics (QLLD) method enables dynamical SDW simulations with N ≃105 lattice sites. Our real-space formulation can be used to compute dynamical responses, such as the dynamical structure factor, of complex and even inhomogeneous SDW configurations at zero or finite temperatures. Applying the QLLD to study the relaxation of a noncoplanar topological SDW under the excitation of a short pulse, we further demonstrate the crucial role of spatial correlations and fluctuations in the SDW dynamics.

Quantum many-body dynamics of dark solitons in optical lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishmash, R. V.; Danshita, I.; Clark, Charles W.; Carr, L. D.

2009-11-01

We present a fully quantum many-body treatment of dark solitons formed by ultracold bosonic atoms in one-dimensional optical lattices. Using time-evolving block decimation to simulate the single-band Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian, we consider the quantum dynamics of density and phase engineered dark solitons as well as the quantum evolution of mean-field dark solitons injected into the quantum model. The former approach directly models how one may create quantum entangled dark solitons in experiment. While we have already presented results regarding the latter approach elsewhere [R. V. Mishmash and L. D. Carr, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 140403 (2009)], we expand upon those results in this work. In both cases, quantum fluctuations cause the dark soliton to fill in and may induce an inelasticity in soliton-soliton collisions. Comparisons are made to the Bogoliubov theory which predicts depletion into an anomalous mode that fills in the soliton. Our many-body treatment allows us to go beyond the Bogoliubov approximation and calculate explicitly the dynamics of the system’s natural orbitals.

Ensemble Density Functional Approach to the Quantum Hall Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinonen, O.

1997-03-01

The fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) occurs in a two-dimensional electron gas of density n when a strong magnetic field perpendicular to the plane of the electron gas takes on certain strengths B(n). At these magnetic field strengths the system is incompressible, i.e., there is a finite cost in energy for creating charge density fluctuations in the bulk. Even so the boundary of the electron gas supports gapless modes of density waves. The bulk energy gap arises because of the strong electron-electron interactions. There are very good models for infinite homogeneous systems and for the gapless excitations of the boundary of the electron gas. But in order to explain experiments on quantum Hall systems, including Hall bars and quantum dots, new approaches are needed which can accurately describe inhomogeneous systems, including Landau level mixing and the spin degree of freedom. One possibility is an ensemble density functional theory approach that we have developed.(O. Heinonen, M.I. Lubin, and M.D. Johnson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75), 4110 (1995)(O. Heinonen, M.I. Lubin, and M.D. Johnson, Int. J. Quant. Chem, December 1996) We have applied this to study edge reconstructions of spin-polarized quantum dots. The results for a six-electron test case are in excellent agreement with numerical diagonalizations. For larger systems, compressible and incompressible strips appear as the magnetic field is increased from the region in which a dot forms a compact so-called maximum density droplet. We have recently included spin degree of freedom to study the stability of a maximum density droplet, and charge-spin textures in inhomogeneous systems. As an example, when the Zeeman coupling is decreased, we find that the maximum density droplet develops a spin-structured edge instability. This implies that the spin degree of freedom may play a significant role in the study of edge modes at low or moderate magnetic fields.

Quantum fluctuation theorems and generalized measurements during the force protocol.

PubMed

Watanabe, Gentaro; Venkatesh, B Prasanna; Talkner, Peter; Campisi, Michele; Hänggi, Peter

2014-03-01

Generalized measurements of an observable performed on a quantum system during a force protocol are investigated and conditions that guarantee the validity of the Jarzynski equality and the Crooks relation are formulated. In agreement with previous studies by M. Campisi, P. Talkner, and P. Hänggi [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 140601 (2010); Phys. Rev. E 83, 041114 (2011)], we find that these fluctuation relations are satisfied for projective measurements; however, for generalized measurements special conditions on the operators determining the measurements need to be met. For the Jarzynski equality to hold, the measurement operators of the forward protocol must be normalized in a particular way. The Crooks relation additionally entails that the backward and forward measurement operators depend on each other. Yet, quite some freedom is left as to how the two sets of operators are interrelated. This ambiguity is removed if one considers selective measurements, which are specified by a joint probability density function of work and measurement results of the considered observable. We find that the respective forward and backward joint probabilities satisfy the Crooks relation only if the measurement operators of the forward and backward protocols are the time-reversed adjoints of each other. In this case, the work probability density function conditioned on the measurement result satisfies a modified Crooks relation. The modification appears as a protocol-dependent factor that can be expressed by the information gained by the measurements during the forward and backward protocols. Finally, detailed fluctuation theorems with an arbitrary number of intervening measurements are obtained.

Quantum Glass of Interacting Bosons with Off-Diagonal Disorder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piekarska, A. M.; Kopeć, T. K.

2018-04-01

We study disordered interacting bosons described by the Bose-Hubbard model with Gaussian-distributed random tunneling amplitudes. It is shown that the off-diagonal disorder induces a spin-glass-like ground state, characterized by randomly frozen quantum-mechanical U(1) phases of bosons. To access criticality, we employ the "n -replica trick," as in the spin-glass theory, and the Trotter-Suzuki method for decomposition of the statistical density operator, along with numerical calculations. The interplay between disorder, quantum, and thermal fluctuations leads to phase diagrams exhibiting a glassy state of bosons, which are studied as a function of model parameters. The considered system may be relevant for quantum simulators of optical-lattice bosons, where the randomness can be introduced in a controlled way. The latter is supported by a proposition of experimental realization of the system in question.

Quantum Entanglement of Matter and Geometry in Large Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hogan, Craig J.

2014-12-04

Standard quantum mechanics and gravity are used to estimate the mass and size of idealized gravitating systems where position states of matter and geometry become indeterminate. It is proposed that well-known inconsistencies of standard quantum field theory with general relativity on macroscopic scales can be reconciled by nonstandard, nonlocal entanglement of field states with quantum states of geometry. Wave functions of particle world lines are used to estimate scales of geometrical entanglement and emergent locality. Simple models of entanglement predict coherent fluctuations in position of massive bodies, of Planck scale origin, measurable on a laboratory scale, and may account formore » the fact that the information density of long lived position states in Standard Model fields, which is determined by the strong interactions, is the same as that determined holographically by the cosmological constant.« less

Role of Quantum Vibrations on the Structural, Electronic, and Optical Properties of 9-Methylguanine.

PubMed

Law, Yu Kay; Hassanali, Ali A

2015-11-05

In this work, we report theoretical predictions of the UV-absorption spectra of 9-methylguanine using time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). Molecular dynamics simulations of the hydrated DNA base are peformed using an empirical force field, Born-Oppenheimer ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD), and finally path-integral AIMD to understand the role of the underlying electronic potential, solvation, and nuclear quantum vibrations on the absorption spectra. It is shown that the conformational distributions, including hydrogen bonding interactions, are perturbed by the inclusion of nuclear quantum effects, leading to significant changes in the total charge and dipole fluctuations of the DNA base. The calculated absorption spectra using the different sampling protocols shows that the inclusion of nuclear quantum effects causes a significant broadening and red shift of the spectra bringing it into closer agreement with experiments.

Role of quantum fluctuations in structural dynamics of liquids of light molecules

DOE PAGES

Agapov, A.; Novikov, V. N.; Kisliuk, A.; ...

2016-12-16

A possible role of quantum effects, such as tunneling and zero-point energy, in the structural dynamics of supercooled liquids is studied by dielectric spectroscopy. Our results demonstrate that the liquids, bulk 3-methyl pentane and confined normal and deuterated water, have low glass transition temperature and unusually low for their class of materials steepness of the temperature dependence of structural relaxation (fragility). Although we do not find any signs of tunneling in the structural relaxation of these liquids, their unusually low fragility can be well described by the influence of the quantum fluctuations. Confined water presents an especially interesting case inmore » comparison to the earlier data on bulk low-density amorphous and vapor deposited water. Confined water exhibits a much weaker isotope effect than bulk water, although the effect is still significant. Here, we show that it can be ascribed to the change of the energy barrier for relaxation due to a decrease in the zeropoint energy upon D/H substitution. We observed a difference in the behavior of confined and bulk water demonstrates high sensitivity of quantum effects to the barrier heights and structure of water. Moreover, these results demonstrate that extrapolation of confined water properties to the bulk water behavior is questionable.« less

The origin of density fluctuations in the 'new inflationary universe'

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, M. S.

1983-01-01

Cosmological mysteries which are not explained by the Big Bang hypothesis but may be approached by a revamped inflationary universe model are discussed. Attention is focused on the isotropy, the large-scale homogeneity, small-scale inhomogeneity, the oldness/flatness of the universe, and the baryon asymmetry. The universe is assumed to start in the lowest energy state, be initially dominated by false vacuum energy, enter a de Sitter phase, and then cross a barrier which is followed by the formation of fluctuation regions that lead to structure. The scalar fields (perturbation regions) experience quantum fluctuations which produce spontaneous symmetry breaking on a large scale. The scalar field value would need to be much greater than the expansion rate during the de Sitter epoch. A supersymmetric (flat) potential which satisfies the requirement, yields fluctuations of the right magnitude, and allows inflation to occur is described.

First principle study of transport properties of a graphene nano structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Naveen; Sharma, Munish; Sharma, Jyoti Dhar; Ahluwalia, P. K.

2013-06-01

The first principle quantum transport calculations have been performed for graphene using Tran SIESTA which calculates transport properties using nonequilibrium Green's function method in conjunction with density-functional theory. Transmission functions, electron density of states and current-voltage characteristic have been calculated for a graphene nano structure using graphene electrodes. Transmission function, density of states and projected density of states show a discrete band structure which varies with applied voltage. The value of current is very low for applied voltage between 0.0 V to 5.0 V and lies in the range of pico ampere. In the V-I characteristic current shows non-linear fluctuating pattern with increase in voltage.

Code-division multiple-access multiuser demodulator by using quantum fluctuations.

PubMed

Otsubo, Yosuke; Inoue, Jun-Ichi; Nagata, Kenji; Okada, Masato

2014-07-01

We examine the average-case performance of a code-division multiple-access (CDMA) multiuser demodulator in which quantum fluctuations are utilized to demodulate the original message within the context of Bayesian inference. The quantum fluctuations are built into the system as a transverse field in the infinite-range Ising spin glass model. We evaluate the performance measurements by using statistical mechanics. We confirm that the CDMA multiuser modulator using quantum fluctuations achieve roughly the same performance as the conventional CDMA multiuser modulator through thermal fluctuations on average. We also find that the relationship between the quality of the original information retrieval and the amplitude of the transverse field is somehow a "universal feature" in typical probabilistic information processing, viz., in image restoration, error-correcting codes, and CDMA multiuser demodulation.

Code-division multiple-access multiuser demodulator by using quantum fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otsubo, Yosuke; Inoue, Jun-ichi; Nagata, Kenji; Okada, Masato

2014-07-01

We examine the average-case performance of a code-division multiple-access (CDMA) multiuser demodulator in which quantum fluctuations are utilized to demodulate the original message within the context of Bayesian inference. The quantum fluctuations are built into the system as a transverse field in the infinite-range Ising spin glass model. We evaluate the performance measurements by using statistical mechanics. We confirm that the CDMA multiuser modulator using quantum fluctuations achieve roughly the same performance as the conventional CDMA multiuser modulator through thermal fluctuations on average. We also find that the relationship between the quality of the original information retrieval and the amplitude of the transverse field is somehow a "universal feature" in typical probabilistic information processing, viz., in image restoration, error-correcting codes, and CDMA multiuser demodulation.

Quantum Feynman Ratchet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goyal, Ketan; Kawai, Ryoichi

As nanotechnology advances, understanding of the thermodynamic properties of small systems becomes increasingly important. Such systems are found throughout physics, biology, and chemistry manifesting striking properties that are a direct result of their small dimensions where fluctuations become predominant. The standard theory of thermodynamics for macroscopic systems is powerless for such ever fluctuating systems. Furthermore, as small systems are inherently quantum mechanical, influence of quantum effects such as discreteness and quantum entanglement on their thermodynamic properties is of great interest. In particular, the quantum fluctuations due to quantum uncertainty principles may play a significant role. In this talk, we investigate thermodynamic properties of an autonomous quantum heat engine, resembling a quantum version of the Feynman Ratchet, in non-equilibrium condition based on the theory of open quantum systems. The heat engine consists of multiple subsystems individually contacted to different thermal environments.

Fluctuation Theorem for Many-Body Pure Quantum States.

PubMed

Iyoda, Eiki; Kaneko, Kazuya; Sagawa, Takahiro

2017-09-08

We prove the second law of thermodynamics and the nonequilibrium fluctuation theorem for pure quantum states. The entire system obeys reversible unitary dynamics, where the initial state of the heat bath is not the canonical distribution but is a single energy eigenstate that satisfies the eigenstate-thermalization hypothesis. Our result is mathematically rigorous and based on the Lieb-Robinson bound, which gives the upper bound of the velocity of information propagation in many-body quantum systems. The entanglement entropy of a subsystem is shown connected to thermodynamic heat, highlighting the foundation of the information-thermodynamics link. We confirmed our theory by numerical simulation of hard-core bosons, and observed dynamical crossover from thermal fluctuations to bare quantum fluctuations. Our result reveals a universal scenario that the second law emerges from quantum mechanics, and can be experimentally tested by artificial isolated quantum systems such as ultracold atoms.

Chaotic Dynamical Ferromagnetic Phase Induced by Nonequilibrium Quantum Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lerose, Alessio; Marino, Jamir; Žunkovič, Bojan; Gambassi, Andrea; Silva, Alessandro

2018-03-01

We investigate the robustness of a dynamical phase transition against quantum fluctuations by studying the impact of a ferromagnetic nearest-neighbor spin interaction in one spatial dimension on the nonequilibrium dynamical phase diagram of the fully connected quantum Ising model. In particular, we focus on the transient dynamics after a quantum quench and study the prethermal state via a combination of analytic time-dependent spin wave theory and numerical methods based on matrix product states. We find that, upon increasing the strength of the quantum fluctuations, the dynamical critical point fans out into a chaotic dynamical phase within which the asymptotic ordering is characterized by strong sensitivity to the parameters and initial conditions. We argue that such a phenomenon is general, as it arises from the impact of quantum fluctuations on the mean-field out of equilibrium dynamics of any system which exhibits a broken discrete symmetry.

Fluctuation Theorem for Many-Body Pure Quantum States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iyoda, Eiki; Kaneko, Kazuya; Sagawa, Takahiro

2017-09-01

We prove the second law of thermodynamics and the nonequilibrium fluctuation theorem for pure quantum states. The entire system obeys reversible unitary dynamics, where the initial state of the heat bath is not the canonical distribution but is a single energy eigenstate that satisfies the eigenstate-thermalization hypothesis. Our result is mathematically rigorous and based on the Lieb-Robinson bound, which gives the upper bound of the velocity of information propagation in many-body quantum systems. The entanglement entropy of a subsystem is shown connected to thermodynamic heat, highlighting the foundation of the information-thermodynamics link. We confirmed our theory by numerical simulation of hard-core bosons, and observed dynamical crossover from thermal fluctuations to bare quantum fluctuations. Our result reveals a universal scenario that the second law emerges from quantum mechanics, and can be experimentally tested by artificial isolated quantum systems such as ultracold atoms.

Chaotic Dynamical Ferromagnetic Phase Induced by Nonequilibrium Quantum Fluctuations.

PubMed

Lerose, Alessio; Marino, Jamir; Žunkovič, Bojan; Gambassi, Andrea; Silva, Alessandro

2018-03-30

We investigate the robustness of a dynamical phase transition against quantum fluctuations by studying the impact of a ferromagnetic nearest-neighbor spin interaction in one spatial dimension on the nonequilibrium dynamical phase diagram of the fully connected quantum Ising model. In particular, we focus on the transient dynamics after a quantum quench and study the prethermal state via a combination of analytic time-dependent spin wave theory and numerical methods based on matrix product states. We find that, upon increasing the strength of the quantum fluctuations, the dynamical critical point fans out into a chaotic dynamical phase within which the asymptotic ordering is characterized by strong sensitivity to the parameters and initial conditions. We argue that such a phenomenon is general, as it arises from the impact of quantum fluctuations on the mean-field out of equilibrium dynamics of any system which exhibits a broken discrete symmetry.

Rectifying full-counting statistics in a spin Seebeck engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Gaomin; Chen, Xiaobin; Ren, Jie; Wang, Jian

2018-02-01

In terms of the nonequilibrium Green's function framework, we formulate the full-counting statistics of conjugate thermal spin transport in a spin Seebeck engine, which is made by a metal-ferromagnet insulator interface driven by a temperature bias. We obtain general expressions of scaled cumulant generating functions of both heat and spin currents that hold special fluctuation symmetry relations, and demonstrate intriguing properties, such as rectification and negative differential effects of high-order fluctuations of thermal excited spin current, maximum output spin power, and efficiency. The transport and noise depend on the strongly fluctuating electron density of states at the interface. The results are relevant for designing an efficient spin Seebeck engine and can broaden our view in nonequilibrium thermodynamics and the nonlinear phenomenon in quantum transport systems.

Intrinsic retrieval efficiency for quantum memories: A three-dimensional theory of light interaction with an atomic ensemble

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gujarati, Tanvi P.; Wu, Yukai; Duan, Luming

2018-03-01

Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller quantum repeater protocol, which was proposed to realize long distance quantum communication, requires usage of quantum memories. Atomic ensembles interacting with optical beams based on off-resonant Raman scattering serve as convenient on-demand quantum memories. Here, a complete free space, three-dimensional theory of the associated read and write process for this quantum memory is worked out with the aim of understanding intrinsic retrieval efficiency. We develop a formalism to calculate the transverse mode structure for the signal and the idler photons and use the formalism to study the intrinsic retrieval efficiency under various configurations. The effects of atomic density fluctuations and atomic motion are incorporated by numerically simulating this system for a range of realistic experimental parameters. We obtain results that describe the variation in the intrinsic retrieval efficiency as a function of the memory storage time for skewed beam configuration at a finite temperature, which provides valuable information for optimization of the retrieval efficiency in experiments.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boche, H., E-mail: boche@tum.de; Janßen, G., E-mail: gisbert.janssen@tum.de

We consider one-way quantum state merging and entanglement distillation under compound and arbitrarily varying source models. Regarding quantum compound sources, where the source is memoryless, but the source state an unknown member of a certain set of density matrices, we continue investigations begun in the work of Bjelaković et al. [“Universal quantum state merging,” J. Math. Phys. 54, 032204 (2013)] and determine the classical as well as entanglement cost of state merging. We further investigate quantum state merging and entanglement distillation protocols for arbitrarily varying quantum sources (AVQS). In the AVQS model, the source state is assumed to vary inmore » an arbitrary manner for each source output due to environmental fluctuations or adversarial manipulation. We determine the one-way entanglement distillation capacity for AVQS, where we invoke the famous robustification and elimination techniques introduced by Ahlswede. Regarding quantum state merging for AVQS we show by example that the robustification and elimination based approach generally leads to suboptimal entanglement as well as classical communication rates.« less

Equilibrium finite-frequency noise of an interacting mesoscopic capacitor studied in time-dependent density functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dittmann, Niklas; Splettstoesser, Janine; Helbig, Nicole

2018-03-01

We calculate the frequency-dependent equilibrium noise of a mesoscopic capacitor in time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). The capacitor is modeled as a single-level quantum dot with on-site Coulomb interaction and tunnel coupling to a nearby reservoir. The noise spectra are derived from linear-response conductances via the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. Thereby, we analyze the performance of a recently derived exchange-correlation potential with time-nonlocal density dependence in the finite-frequency linear-response regime. We compare our TDDFT noise spectra with real-time perturbation theory and find excellent agreement for noise frequencies below the reservoir temperature.

Spontaneous time reversal symmetry breaking in atomically confined two-dimensional impurity bands in silicon and germanium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Arindam

Three-dimensional bulk-doped semiconductors, in particular phosphorus (P)-doped silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge), are among the best studied systems for many fundamental concepts in solid state physics, ranging from the Anderson metal-insulator transition to the many-body Coulomb interaction effects on quantum transport. Recent advances in material engineering have led to vertically confined doping of phosphorus (P) atoms inside bulk crystalline silicon and germanium, where the electron transport occurs through one or very few atomic layers, constituting a new and unique platform to investigate many of these phenomena at reduced dimensions. In this talk I shall present results of extensive quantum transport experiments in delta-doped silicon and germanium epilayers, over a wide range of doping density that allow independent tuning of the on-site Coulomb interaction and hopping energy scales. We find that low-frequency flicker noise, or the 1 / f noise, in the electrical conductance of these systems is exceptionally low, and in fact among the lowest when compared with other low-dimensional materials. This is attributed to the physical separation of the conduction electrons, embedded inside the crystalline semiconductor matrix, from the charged fluctuators at the surface. Most importantly, we find a remarkable suppression of weak localization effects, including the quantum correction to conductivity and universal conductance fluctuations, with decreasing doping density or, equivalently, increasing effective on-site Coulomb interaction. In-plane magneto-transport measurements indicate the presence of intrinsic local spin fluctuations at low doping although no signatures of long range magnetic order could be identified. We argue that these results indicate a spontaneous breakdown of time reversal symmetry, which is one of the most fundamental and robust symmetries of nonmagnetic quantum systems. While the microscopic origin of this spontaneous time reversal symmetry breaking remains unknown, we believe this indicates a new many-body electronic phase in two-dimensionally doped silicon and germanium with a half-filled impurity band. We acknowledge financial support from Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, and Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF).

Universal characteristics of fractal fluctuations in prime number distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selvam, A. M.

2014-11-01

The frequency of occurrence of prime numbers at unit number spacing intervals exhibits self-similar fractal fluctuations concomitant with inverse power law form for power spectrum generic to dynamical systems in nature such as fluid flows, stock market fluctuations and population dynamics. The physics of long-range correlations exhibited by fractals is not yet identified. A recently developed general systems theory visualizes the eddy continuum underlying fractals to result from the growth of large eddies as the integrated mean of enclosed small scale eddies, thereby generating a hierarchy of eddy circulations or an inter-connected network with associated long-range correlations. The model predictions are as follows: (1) The probability distribution and power spectrum of fractals follow the same inverse power law which is a function of the golden mean. The predicted inverse power law distribution is very close to the statistical normal distribution for fluctuations within two standard deviations from the mean of the distribution. (2) Fractals signify quantum-like chaos since variance spectrum represents probability density distribution, a characteristic of quantum systems such as electron or photon. (3) Fractal fluctuations of frequency distribution of prime numbers signify spontaneous organization of underlying continuum number field into the ordered pattern of the quasiperiodic Penrose tiling pattern. The model predictions are in agreement with the probability distributions and power spectra for different sets of frequency of occurrence of prime numbers at unit number interval for successive 1000 numbers. Prime numbers in the first 10 million numbers were used for the study.

Quantum criticality among entangled spin chains

DOE PAGES

Blanc, N.; Trinh, J.; Dong, L.; ...

2017-12-11

Here, an important challenge in magnetism is the unambiguous identification of a quantum spin liquid, of potential importance for quantum computing. In such a material, the magnetic spins should be fluctuating in the quantum regime, instead of frozen in a classical long-range-ordered state. While this requirement dictates systems wherein classical order is suppressed by a frustrating lattice, an ideal system would allow tuning of quantum fluctuations by an external parameter. Conventional three-dimensional antiferromagnets can be tuned through a quantum critical point—a region of highly fluctuating spins—by an applied magnetic field. Such systems suffer from a weak specific-heat peak at themore » quantum critical point, with little entropy available for quantum fluctuations. Here we study a different type of antiferromagnet, comprised of weakly coupled antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 chains as realized in the molecular salt K 2PbCu(NO 2) 6. Across the temperature–magnetic field boundary between three-dimensional order and the paramagnetic phase, the specific heat exhibits a large peak whose magnitude approaches a value suggestive of the spinon Sommerfeld coefficient of isolated quantum spin chains. These results demonstrate an alternative approach for producing quantum matter via a magnetic-field-induced shift of entropy from one-dimensional short-range order to a three-dimensional quantum critical point.« less

Quantum criticality among entangled spin chains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blanc, N.; Trinh, J.; Dong, L.

Here, an important challenge in magnetism is the unambiguous identification of a quantum spin liquid, of potential importance for quantum computing. In such a material, the magnetic spins should be fluctuating in the quantum regime, instead of frozen in a classical long-range-ordered state. While this requirement dictates systems wherein classical order is suppressed by a frustrating lattice, an ideal system would allow tuning of quantum fluctuations by an external parameter. Conventional three-dimensional antiferromagnets can be tuned through a quantum critical point—a region of highly fluctuating spins—by an applied magnetic field. Such systems suffer from a weak specific-heat peak at themore » quantum critical point, with little entropy available for quantum fluctuations. Here we study a different type of antiferromagnet, comprised of weakly coupled antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 chains as realized in the molecular salt K 2PbCu(NO 2) 6. Across the temperature–magnetic field boundary between three-dimensional order and the paramagnetic phase, the specific heat exhibits a large peak whose magnitude approaches a value suggestive of the spinon Sommerfeld coefficient of isolated quantum spin chains. These results demonstrate an alternative approach for producing quantum matter via a magnetic-field-induced shift of entropy from one-dimensional short-range order to a three-dimensional quantum critical point.« less

Quantum criticality among entangled spin chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanc, N.; Trinh, J.; Dong, L.; Bai, X.; Aczel, A. A.; Mourigal, M.; Balents, L.; Siegrist, T.; Ramirez, A. P.

2018-03-01

An important challenge in magnetism is the unambiguous identification of a quantum spin liquid1,2, of potential importance for quantum computing. In such a material, the magnetic spins should be fluctuating in the quantum regime, instead of frozen in a classical long-range-ordered state. While this requirement dictates systems3,4 wherein classical order is suppressed by a frustrating lattice5, an ideal system would allow tuning of quantum fluctuations by an external parameter. Conventional three-dimensional antiferromagnets can be tuned through a quantum critical point—a region of highly fluctuating spins—by an applied magnetic field. Such systems suffer from a weak specific-heat peak at the quantum critical point, with little entropy available for quantum fluctuations6. Here we study a different type of antiferromagnet, comprised of weakly coupled antiferromagnetic spin-1/2 chains as realized in the molecular salt K2PbCu(NO2)6. Across the temperature-magnetic field boundary between three-dimensional order and the paramagnetic phase, the specific heat exhibits a large peak whose magnitude approaches a value suggestive of the spinon Sommerfeld coefficient of isolated quantum spin chains. These results demonstrate an alternative approach for producing quantum matter via a magnetic-field-induced shift of entropy from one-dimensional short-range order to a three-dimensional quantum critical point.

Relation between quantum fluctuations and the performance enhancement of quantum annealing in a nonstoquastic Hamiltonian

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Susa, Yuki; Jadebeck, Johann F.; Nishimori, Hidetoshi

2017-04-01

We study the relation between quantum fluctuations and the significant enhancement of the performance of quantum annealing in a mean-field Hamiltonian. First-order quantum phase transitions were shown to be reduced to second order by antiferromagnetic transverse interactions in a mean-field-type many-body-interacting Ising spin system in a transverse field, which means an exponential speedup of quantum annealing by adiabatic quantum computation. We investigate if and how quantum effects manifest themselves around these first- and second-order phase transitions to understand if the antiferromagnetic transverse interactions appended to the conventional transverse-field Ising model induce notable quantum effects. By measuring the proximity of the semiclassical spin-coherent state to the true ground state as well as the magnitude of the concurrence representing entanglement, we conclude that significant quantum fluctuations exist around second-order transitions, whereas quantum effects are much less prominent at first-order transitions. Although the location of the transition point can be predicted by the classical picture, system properties near the transition need quantum-mechanical descriptions for a second-order transition but not necessarily for first order. It is also found that quantum fluctuations are large within the ferromagnetic phase after a second-order transition from the paramagnetic phase. These results suggest that the antiferromagnetic transverse interactions induce marked quantum effects, and this fact would be related to closely to the significant enhancement of the performance of quantum annealing.

Frequency characterization of a swept- and fixed-wavelength external-cavity quantum cascade laser by use of a frequency comb.

PubMed

Knabe, Kevin; Williams, Paul A; Giorgetta, Fabrizio R; Armacost, Chris M; Crivello, Sam; Radunsky, Michael B; Newbury, Nathan R

2012-05-21

The instantaneous optical frequency of an external-cavity quantum cascade laser (QCL) is characterized by comparison to a near-infrared frequency comb. Fluctuations in the instantaneous optical frequency are analyzed to determine the frequency-noise power spectral density for the external-cavity QCL both during fixed-wavelength and swept-wavelength operation. The noise performance of a near-infrared external-cavity diode laser is measured for comparison. In addition to providing basic frequency metrology of external-cavity QCLs, this comb-calibrated swept QCL system can be applied to rapid, precise broadband spectroscopy in the mid-infrared spectral region.

A Guess about light quantum model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yongquan, Han

2016-03-01

Photon is a ring, the diameter of the ring is the quantum fluctuated wave length. The linear movement of the ring, namely, the transmission of light, is reflected in the particle of light. A plurality of light quantum interactions or through a very narrow gap, the shape of quantum would temporarily be changed. The motion of photons to interference and diffraction phenomena occurs is determined by the structure of light quantum, the quantum ring radius and light quantum mass squared product is a constant. The smaller the light quantum ring radius is, the bigger the quality is, just consistent as the modern scientific experimental results, the energy of the purple is bigger than the red. This conclusion can be extrapolated to all of the electromagnetic wave. The shorter the photon wavelength is, the bigger the quality and density is , when the wavelength is less than 10-15 meters, it will convergence to atomic or subatomic composition material entity due to the gravity. In fact, the divergence and convergence of quantum is reversible, that is, the phenomenon of radiate ``light'' quantum occurs due to the energy exchange or other external energy. Author: hanyongquan TEL: 15611860790.

Quantum dynamics in strong fluctuating fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goychuk, Igor; Hänggi, Peter

A large number of multifaceted quantum transport processes in molecular systems and physical nanosystems, such as e.g. nonadiabatic electron transfer in proteins, can be treated in terms of quantum relaxation processes which couple to one or several fluctuating environments. A thermal equilibrium environment can conveniently be modelled by a thermal bath of harmonic oscillators. An archetype situation provides a two-state dissipative quantum dynamics, commonly known under the label of a spin-boson dynamics. An interesting and nontrivial physical situation emerges, however, when the quantum dynamics evolves far away from thermal equilibrium. This occurs, for example, when a charge transferring medium possesses nonequilibrium degrees of freedom, or when a strong time-dependent control field is applied externally. Accordingly, certain parameters of underlying quantum subsystem acquire stochastic character. This may occur, for example, for the tunnelling coupling between the donor and acceptor states of the transferring electron, or for the corresponding energy difference between electronic states which assume via the coupling to the fluctuating environment an explicit stochastic or deterministic time-dependence. Here, we review the general theoretical framework which is based on the method of projector operators, yielding the quantum master equations for systems that are exposed to strong external fields. This allows one to investigate on a common basis, the influence of nonequilibrium fluctuations and periodic electrical fields on those already mentioned dynamics and related quantum transport processes. Most importantly, such strong fluctuating fields induce a whole variety of nonlinear and nonequilibrium phenomena. A characteristic feature of such dynamics is the absence of thermal (quantum) detailed balance.ContentsPAGE1. Introduction5262. Quantum dynamics in stochastic fields531 2.1. Stochastic Liouville equation531 2.2. Non-Markovian vs. Markovian discrete state fluctuations531 2.3. Averaging the quantum propagator533  2.3.1. Kubo oscillator535  2.3.2. Averaged dynamics of two-level quantum systems exposed to two-state stochastic fields537 2.4. Projection operator method: a primer5403. Two-state quantum dynamics in periodic fields542 3.1. Coherent destruction of tunnelling542 3.2. Driving-induced tunnelling oscillations (DITO)5434. Dissipative quantum dynamics in strong time-dependent fields544 4.1. General formalism544  4.1.1. Weak-coupling approximation545  4.1.2. Markovian approximation: Generalised Redfield Equations5475. Application I: Quantum relaxation in driven, dissipative two-level systems548 5.1. Decoupling approximation for fast fluctuating energy levels550  5.1.1. Control of quantum rates551  5.1.2. Stochastic cooling and inversion of level populations552  5.1.3. Emergence of an effective energy bias553 5.2. Quantum relaxation in strong periodic fields554 5.3. Approximation of time-dependent rates554 5.4. Exact averaging for dichotomous Markovian fluctuations5556. Application II: Driven electron transfer within a spin-boson description557 6.1. Curve-crossing problems with dissipation558 6.2. Weak system-bath coupling559 6.3. Beyond weak-coupling theory: Strong system-bath coupling563  6.3.1. Fast fluctuating energy levels565  6.3.2. Exact averaging over dichotomous fluctuations of the energy levels566  6.3.3. Electron transfer in fast oscillating periodic fields567  6.3.4. Dichotomously fluctuating tunnelling barrier5687. Quantum transport in dissipative tight-binding models subjected tostrong external fields569 7.1. Noise-induced absolute negative mobility571 7.2. Dissipative quantum rectifiers573 7.3. Limit of vanishing dissipation575 7.4. Case of harmonic mixing drive5758. Summary576Acknowledgements578References579

Mass density fluctuations in quantum and classical descriptions of liquid water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galib, Mirza; Duignan, Timothy T.; Misteli, Yannick; Baer, Marcel D.; Schenter, Gregory K.; Hutter, Jürg; Mundy, Christopher J.

2017-06-01

First principles molecular dynamics simulation protocol is established using revised functional of Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (revPBE) in conjunction with Grimme's third generation of dispersion (D3) correction to describe the properties of water at ambient conditions. This study also demonstrates the consistency of the structure of water across both isobaric (NpT) and isothermal (NVT) ensembles. Going beyond the standard structural benchmarks for liquid water, we compute properties that are connected to both local structure and mass density fluctuations that are related to concepts of solvation and hydrophobicity. We directly compare our revPBE results to the Becke-Lee-Yang-Parr (BLYP) plus Grimme dispersion corrections (D2) and both the empirical fixed charged model (SPC/E) and many body interaction potential model (MB-pol) to further our understanding of how the computed properties herein depend on the form of the interaction potential.

Mass density fluctuations in quantum and classical descriptions of liquid water

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Galib, Mirza; Duignan, Timothy T.; Misteli, Yannick

First principles molecular dynamics simulation protocol is established using revised functional of Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (revPBE) in conjunction with Grimme's third generation of dispersion (D3) correction to describe properties of water at ambient conditions. This study also demonstrates the consistency of the structure of water across both isobaric (NpT) and isothermal (NVT) ensembles. Going beyond the standard structural benchmarks for liquid water, we compute properties that are connected to both local structure and mass density fluctuations that are related to concepts of solvation and hydrophobicity. We directly compare our revPBE results to the Becke-Lee-Yang-Parr (BLYP) plus Grimme dispersion corrections (D2) and bothmore » the empirical fixed charged model (SPC/E) and many body interaction potential model (MB-pol) to further our understanding of how the computed properties herein depend on the form of the interaction potential.« less

Atom transistor from the point of view of nonequilibrium dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Z.; Dunjko, V.; Olshanii, M.

2015-12-01

We analyze the atom field-effect transistor scheme (Stickney et al 2007 Phys. Rev. A 75 013608) using the standard tools of quantum and classical nonequlilibrium dynamics. We first study the correspondence between the quantum and the mean-field descriptions of this system by computing, both ab initio and by using their mean-field analogs, the deviations from the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis, quantum fluctuations, and the density of states. We find that, as far as the quantities that interest us, the mean-field model can serve as a semi-classical emulator of the quantum system. Then, using the mean-field model, we interpret the point of maximal output signal in our transistor as the onset of ergodicity—the point where the system becomes, in principle, able to attain the thermal values of the former integrals of motion, albeit not being fully thermalized yet.

Random Resistor Network Model of Minimal Conductivity in Graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheianov, Vadim V.; Fal'Ko, Vladimir I.; Altshuler, Boris L.; Aleiner, Igor L.

2007-10-01

Transport in undoped graphene is related to percolating current patterns in the networks of n- and p-type regions reflecting the strong bipolar charge density fluctuations. Finite transparency of the p-n junctions is vital in establishing the macroscopic conductivity. We propose a random resistor network model to analyze scaling dependencies of the conductance on the doping and disorder, the quantum magnetoresistance and the corresponding dephasing rate.

Anomalous proximity effect in an inhomogeneous disordered superconductor.

PubMed

Escoffier, W; Chapelier, C; Hadacek, N; Villégier, J-C

2004-11-19

By combining very low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy on a TiN film we have observed a nonuniform state comprising of superconducting (S) and normal (N) areas. The local density of states displays a spatial dependence between S and N different from the usual proximity effect. We conclude that mesoscopic fluctuations might play a major role in accordance with recent theories describing superconductor-normal-metal quantum transition.

Quantum corrections of the truncated Wigner approximation applied to an exciton transport model.

PubMed

Ivanov, Anton; Breuer, Heinz-Peter

2017-04-01

We modify the path integral representation of exciton transport in open quantum systems such that an exact description of the quantum fluctuations around the classical evolution of the system is possible. As a consequence, the time evolution of the system observables is obtained by calculating the average of a stochastic difference equation which is weighted with a product of pseudoprobability density functions. From the exact equation of motion one can clearly identify the terms that are also present if we apply the truncated Wigner approximation. This description of the problem is used as a basis for the derivation of a new approximation, whose validity goes beyond the truncated Wigner approximation. To demonstrate this we apply the formalism to a donor-acceptor transport model.

Long-Range Repulsion Between Spatially Confined van der Waals Dimers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadhukhan, Mainak; Tkatchenko, Alexandre

2017-05-01

It is an undisputed textbook fact that nonretarded van der Waals (vdW) interactions between isotropic dimers are attractive, regardless of the polarizability of the interacting systems or spatial dimensionality. The universality of vdW attraction is attributed to the dipolar coupling between fluctuating electron charge densities. Here, we demonstrate that the long-range interaction between spatially confined vdW dimers becomes repulsive when accounting for the full Coulomb interaction between charge fluctuations. Our analytic results are obtained by using the Coulomb potential as a perturbation over dipole-correlated states for two quantum harmonic oscillators embedded in spaces with reduced dimensionality; however, the long-range repulsion is expected to be a general phenomenon for spatially confined quantum systems. We suggest optical experiments to test our predictions, analyze their relevance in the context of intermolecular interactions in nanoscale environments, and rationalize the recent observation of anomalously strong screening of the lateral vdW interactions between aromatic hydrocarbons adsorbed on metal surfaces.

Dynamics of quantum correlation and coherence for two atoms coupled with a bath of fluctuating massless scalar field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Zhiming, E-mail: 465609785@qq.com; Situ, Haozhen, E-mail: situhaozhen@gmail.com

In this article, the dynamics of quantum correlation and coherence for two atoms interacting with a bath of fluctuating massless scalar field in the Minkowski vacuum is investigated. We firstly derive the master equation that describes the system evolution with initial Bell-diagonal state. Then we discuss the system evolution for three cases of different initial states: non-zero correlation separable state, maximally entangled state and zero correlation state. For non-zero correlation initial separable state, quantum correlation and coherence can be protected from vacuum fluctuations during long time evolution when the separation between the two atoms is relatively small. For maximally entangledmore » initial state, quantum correlation and coherence overall decrease with evolution time. However, for the zero correlation initial state, quantum correlation and coherence are firstly generated and then drop with evolution time; when separation is sufficiently small, they can survive from vacuum fluctuations. For three cases, quantum correlation and coherence first undergo decline and then fluctuate to relatively stable values with the increasing distance between the two atoms. Specially, for the case of zero correlation initial state, quantum correlation and coherence occur periodically revival at fixed zero points and revival amplitude declines gradually with increasing separation of two atoms.« less

Resource cost results for one-way entanglement distillation and state merging of compound and arbitrarily varying quantum sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boche, H.; Janßen, G.

2014-08-01

We consider one-way quantum state merging and entanglement distillation under compound and arbitrarily varying source models. Regarding quantum compound sources, where the source is memoryless, but the source state an unknown member of a certain set of density matrices, we continue investigations begun in the work of Bjelaković et al. ["Universal quantum state merging," J. Math. Phys. 54, 032204 (2013)] and determine the classical as well as entanglement cost of state merging. We further investigate quantum state merging and entanglement distillation protocols for arbitrarily varying quantum sources (AVQS). In the AVQS model, the source state is assumed to vary in an arbitrary manner for each source output due to environmental fluctuations or adversarial manipulation. We determine the one-way entanglement distillation capacity for AVQS, where we invoke the famous robustification and elimination techniques introduced by Ahlswede. Regarding quantum state merging for AVQS we show by example that the robustification and elimination based approach generally leads to suboptimal entanglement as well as classical communication rates.

Interferometers as probes of Planckian quantum geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogan, Craig J.

2012-03-01

A theory of position of massive bodies is proposed that results in an observable quantum behavior of geometry at the Planck scale, tP. Departures from classical world lines in flat spacetime are described by Planckian noncommuting operators for position in different directions, as defined by interactions with null waves. The resulting evolution of position wave functions in two dimensions displays a new kind of directionally coherent quantum noise of transverse position. The amplitude of the effect in physical units is predicted with no parameters, by equating the number of degrees of freedom of position wave functions on a 2D space-like surface with the entropy density of a black hole event horizon of the same area. In a region of size L, the effect resembles spatially and directionally coherent random transverse shear deformations on time scale ≈L/c with typical amplitude ≈ctPL. This quantum-geometrical “holographic noise” in position is not describable as fluctuations of a quantized metric, or as any kind of fluctuation, dispersion or propagation effect in quantum fields. In a Michelson interferometer the effect appears as noise that resembles a random Planckian walk of the beam splitter for durations up to the light-crossing time. Signal spectra and correlation functions in interferometers are derived, and predicted to be comparable with the sensitivities of current and planned experiments. It is proposed that nearly colocated Michelson interferometers of laboratory scale, cross-correlated at high frequency, can test the Planckian noise prediction with current technology.

Statistical Mechanics and Applications in Condensed Matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di Castro, Carlo; Raimondi, Roberto

2015-08-01

Preface; 1. Thermodynamics: a brief overview; 2. Kinetics; 3. From Boltzmann to Gibbs; 4. More ensembles; 5. The thermodynamic limit and its thermodynamic stability; 6. Density matrix and quantum statistical mechanics; 7. The quantum gases; 8. Mean-field theories and critical phenomena; 9. Second quantization and Hartree-Fock approximation; 10. Linear response and fluctuation-dissipation theorem in quantum systems: equilibrium and small deviations; 11. Brownian motion and transport in disordered systems; 12. Fermi liquids; 13. The Landau theory of the second order phase transitions; 14. The Landau-Wilson model for critical phenomena; 15. Superfluidity and superconductivity; 16. The scaling theory; 17. The renormalization group approach; 18. Thermal Green functions; 19. The microscopic foundations of Fermi liquids; 20. The Luttinger liquid; 21. Quantum interference effects in disordered electron systems; Appendix A. The central limit theorem; Appendix B. Some useful properties of the Euler Gamma function; Appendix C. Proof of the second theorem of Yang and Lee; Appendix D. The most probable distribution for the quantum gases; Appendix E. Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein integrals; Appendix F. The Fermi gas in a uniform magnetic field: Landau diamagnetism; Appendix G. Ising and gas-lattice models; Appendix H. Sum over discrete Matsubara frequencies; Appendix I. Hydrodynamics of the two-fluid model of superfluidity; Appendix J. The Cooper problem in the theory of superconductivity; Appendix K. Superconductive fluctuations phenomena; Appendix L. Diagrammatic aspects of the exact solution of the Tomonaga Luttinger model; Appendix M. Details on the theory of the disordered Fermi liquid; References; Author index; Index.

The influence of random indium alloy fluctuations in indium gallium nitride quantum wells on the device behavior

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Tsung-Jui; Wu, Yuh-Renn, E-mail: yrwu@ntu.edu.tw; Shivaraman, Ravi

2014-09-21

In this paper, we describe the influence of the intrinsic indium fluctuation in the InGaN quantum wells on the carrier transport, efficiency droop, and emission spectrum in GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs). Both real and randomly generated indium fluctuations were used in 3D simulations and compared to quantum wells with a uniform indium distribution. We found that without further hypothesis the simulations of electrical and optical properties in LEDs such as carrier transport, radiative and Auger recombination, and efficiency droop are greatly improved by considering natural nanoscale indium fluctuations.

Quantum fluctuation theorems and generalized measurements during the force protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Gentaro; Venkatesh, B. Prasanna; Talkner, Peter; Campisi, Michele; Hänggi, Peter

2014-03-01

Generalized measurements of an observable performed on a quantum system during a force protocol are investigated and conditions that guarantee the validity of the Jarzynski equality and the Crooks relation are formulated. In agreement with previous studies by M. Campisi, P. Talkner, and P. Hänggi [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 140601 (2010), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.140601; Phys. Rev. E 83, 041114 (2011), 10.1103/PhysRevE.83.041114], we find that these fluctuation relations are satisfied for projective measurements; however, for generalized measurements special conditions on the operators determining the measurements need to be met. For the Jarzynski equality to hold, the measurement operators of the forward protocol must be normalized in a particular way. The Crooks relation additionally entails that the backward and forward measurement operators depend on each other. Yet, quite some freedom is left as to how the two sets of operators are interrelated. This ambiguity is removed if one considers selective measurements, which are specified by a joint probability density function of work and measurement results of the considered observable. We find that the respective forward and backward joint probabilities satisfy the Crooks relation only if the measurement operators of the forward and backward protocols are the time-reversed adjoints of each other. In this case, the work probability density function conditioned on the measurement result satisfies a modified Crooks relation. The modification appears as a protocol-dependent factor that can be expressed by the information gained by the measurements during the forward and backward protocols. Finally, detailed fluctuation theorems with an arbitrary number of intervening measurements are obtained.

Coherent inflationary dynamics for Bose-Einstein condensates crossing a quantum critical point

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Lei; Clark, Logan W.; Gaj, Anita; Chin, Cheng

2018-03-01

Quantum phase transitions, transitions between many-body ground states, are of extensive interest in research ranging from condensed-matter physics to cosmology1-4. Key features of the phase transitions include a stage with rapidly growing new order, called inflation in cosmology5, followed by the formation of topological defects6-8. How inflation is initiated and evolves into topological defects remains a hot topic of debate. Ultracold atomic gas offers a pristine and tunable platform to investigate quantum critical dynamics9-21. We report the observation of coherent inflationary dynamics across a quantum critical point in driven Bose-Einstein condensates. The inflation manifests in the exponential growth of density waves and populations in well-resolved momentum states. After the inflation stage, extended coherent dynamics is evident in both real and momentum space. We present an intuitive description of the quantum critical dynamics in our system and demonstrate the essential role of phase fluctuations in the formation of topological defects.

Bogoliubov theory of acoustic Hawking radiation in Bose-Einstein condensates

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Recati, A.; Physik-Department, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, D-85748 Garching; Pavloff, N.

2009-10-15

We apply the microscopic Bogoliubov theory of dilute Bose-Einstein condensates to analyze quantum and thermal fluctuations in a flowing atomic condensate in the presence of a sonic horizon. For the simplest case of a step-like horizon, closed-form analytical expressions are found for the spectral distribution of the analog Hawking radiation and for the density correlation function. The peculiar long-distance density correlations that appear as a consequence of the Hawking emission features turns out to be reinforced by a finite initial temperature of the condensate. The analytical results are in good quantitative agreement with first principle numerical calculations.

Quantum Order-by-Disorder in Strongly Correlated Metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Andrew G.; Conduit, Gareth; Krüger, Frank

2018-03-01

Entropic forces in classical many-body systems, e.g., colloidal suspensions, can lead to the formation of new phases. Quantum fluctuations can have similar effects: spin fluctuations drive the superfluidity of helium-3, and a similar mechanism operating in metals can give rise to superconductivity. It is conventional to discuss the latter in terms of the forces induced by the quantum fluctuations. However, focusing directly upon the free energy provides a useful alternative perspective in the classical case and can also be applied to study quantum fluctuations. Villain first developed this approach for insulating magnets and coined the term order-by-disorder to describe the observed effect. We discuss the application of this idea to metallic systems, recent progress made in doing so, and the broader prospects for the future.

Limited Quantum Helium Transportation through Nano-channels by Quantum Fluctuation

PubMed Central

Ohba, Tomonori

2016-01-01

Helium at low temperatures has unique quantum properties such as superfluidity, which causes it to behave differently from a classical fluid. Despite our deep understanding of quantum mechanics, there are many open questions concerning the properties of quantum fluids in nanoscale systems. Herein, the quantum behavior of helium transportation through one-dimensional nanopores was evaluated by measuring the adsorption of quantum helium in the nanopores of single-walled carbon nanohorns and AlPO4-5 at 2–5 K. Quantum helium was transported unimpeded through nanopores larger than 0.7 nm in diameter, whereas quantum helium transportation was significantly restricted through 0.4-nm and 0.6-nm nanopores. Conversely, nitrogen molecules diffused through the 0.4-nm nanopores at 77 K. Therefore, quantum helium behaved as a fluid comprising atoms larger than 0.4–0.6 nm. This phenomenon was remarkable, considering that helium is the smallest existing element with a (classical) size of approximately 0.27 nm. This finding revealed the presence of significant quantum fluctuations. Quantum fluctuation determined the behaviors of quantum flux and is essential to understanding unique quantum behaviors in nanoscale systems. PMID:27363671

Field-Driven Quantum Criticality in the Spinel Magnet ZnCr2 Se4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, C. C.; Zhao, Z. Y.; Chen, X. L.; Lee, M.; Choi, E. S.; Han, Y. Y.; Ling, L. S.; Pi, L.; Zhang, Y. H.; Chen, G.; Yang, Z. R.; Zhou, H. D.; Sun, X. F.

2018-04-01

We report detailed dc and ac magnetic susceptibilities, specific heat, and thermal conductivity measurements on the frustrated magnet ZnCr2 Se4 . At low temperatures, with an increasing magnetic field, this spinel material goes through a series of spin state transitions from the helix spin state to the spiral spin state and then to the fully polarized state. Our results indicate a direct quantum phase transition from the spiral spin state to the fully polarized state. As the system approaches the quantum criticality, we find strong quantum fluctuations of the spins with behaviors such as an unconventional T2 -dependent specific heat and temperature-independent mean free path for the thermal transport. We complete the full phase diagram of ZnCr2 Se4 under the external magnetic field and propose the possibility of frustrated quantum criticality with extended densities of critical modes to account for the unusual low-energy excitations in the vicinity of the criticality. Our results reveal that ZnCr2 Se4 is a rare example of a 3D magnet exhibiting a field-driven quantum criticality with unconventional properties.

Critical fluctuations and the rates of interstate switching near the excitation threshold of a quantum parametric oscillator.

PubMed

Lin, Z R; Nakamura, Y; Dykman, M I

2015-08-01

We study the dynamics of a nonlinear oscillator near the critical point where period-two vibrations are first excited with the increasing amplitude of parametric driving. Above the threshold, quantum fluctuations induce transitions between the period-two states over the quasienergy barrier. We find the effective quantum activation energies for such transitions and their scaling with the difference of the driving amplitude from its critical value. We also find the scaling of the fluctuation correlation time with the quantum noise parameters in the critical region near the threshold. The results are extended to oscillators with nonlinear friction.

Experimental investigation of the intensity fluctuation joint probability and conditional distributions of the twin-beam quantum state.

PubMed

Zhang, Yun; Kasai, Katsuyuki; Watanabe, Masayoshi

2003-01-13

We give the intensity fluctuation joint probability of the twin-beam quantum state, which was generated with an optical parametric oscillator operating above threshold. Then we present what to our knowledge is the first measurement of the intensity fluctuation conditional probability distributions of twin beams. The measured inference variance of twin beams 0.62+/-0.02, which is less than the standard quantum limit of unity, indicates inference with a precision better than that of separable states. The measured photocurrent variance exhibits a quantum correlation of as much as -4.9+/-0.2 dB between the signal and the idler.

Exact Critical Exponents for the Antiferromagnetic Quantum Critical Metal in Two Dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlief, Andres; Lunts, Peter; Lee, Sung-Sik

2017-04-01

Unconventional metallic states which do not support well-defined single-particle excitations can arise near quantum phase transitions as strong quantum fluctuations of incipient order parameters prevent electrons from forming coherent quasiparticles. Although antiferromagnetic phase transitions occur commonly in correlated metals, understanding the nature of the strange metal realized at the critical point in layered systems has been hampered by a lack of reliable theoretical methods that take into account strong quantum fluctuations. We present a nonperturbative solution to the low-energy theory for the antiferromagnetic quantum critical metal in two spatial dimensions. Being a strongly coupled theory, it can still be solved reliably in the low-energy limit as quantum fluctuations are organized by a new control parameter that emerges dynamically. We predict the exact critical exponents that govern the universal scaling of physical observables at low temperatures.

Generalized entropy production fluctuation theorems for quantum systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rana, Shubhashis; Lahiri, Sourabh; Jayannavar, A. M.

2013-02-01

Based on trajectory dependent path probability formalism in state space, we derive generalized entropy production fluctuation relations for a quantum system in the presence of measurement and feedback. We have obtained these results for three different cases: (i) the system is evolving in isolation from its surroundings; (ii) the system being weakly coupled to a heat bath; and (iii) system in contact with reservoir using quantum Crooks fluctuation theorem. In case (iii), we build on the treatment carried out in [H. T. Quan and H. Dong, arxiv/cond-mat: 0812.4955], where a quantum trajectory has been defined as a sequence of alternating work and heat steps. The obtained entropy production fluctuation theorems retain the same form as in the classical case. The inequality of second law of thermodynamics gets modified in the presence of information. These fluctuation theorems are robust against intermediate measurements of any observable performed with respect to von Neumann projective measurements as well as weak or positive operator valued measurements.

Principle of minimal work fluctuations.

PubMed

Xiao, Gaoyang; Gong, Jiangbin

2015-08-01

Understanding and manipulating work fluctuations in microscale and nanoscale systems are of both fundamental and practical interest. For example, in considering the Jarzynski equality 〈e-βW〉=e-βΔF, a change in the fluctuations of e-βW may impact how rapidly the statistical average of e-βW converges towards the theoretical value e-βΔF, where W is the work, β is the inverse temperature, and ΔF is the free energy difference between two equilibrium states. Motivated by our previous study aiming at the suppression of work fluctuations, here we obtain a principle of minimal work fluctuations. In brief, adiabatic processes as treated in quantum and classical adiabatic theorems yield the minimal fluctuations in e-βW. In the quantum domain, if a system initially prepared at thermal equilibrium is subjected to a work protocol but isolated from a bath during the time evolution, then a quantum adiabatic process without energy level crossing (or an assisted adiabatic process reaching the same final states as in a conventional adiabatic process) yields the minimal fluctuations in e-βW, where W is the quantum work defined by two energy measurements at the beginning and at the end of the process. In the classical domain where the classical work protocol is realizable by an adiabatic process, then the classical adiabatic process also yields the minimal fluctuations in e-βW. Numerical experiments based on a Landau-Zener process confirm our theory in the quantum domain, and our theory in the classical domain explains our previous numerical findings regarding the suppression of classical work fluctuations [G. Y. Xiao and J. B. Gong, Phys. Rev. E 90, 052132 (2014)].

Real-Time Nanoscopy by Using Blinking Enhanced Quantum Dots

PubMed Central

Watanabe, Tomonobu M.; Fukui, Shingo; Jin, Takashi; Fujii, Fumihiko; Yanagida, Toshio

2010-01-01

Superresolution optical microscopy (nanoscopy) is of current interest in many biological fields. Superresolution optical fluctuation imaging, which utilizes higher-order cumulant of fluorescence temporal fluctuations, is an excellent method for nanoscopy, as it requires neither complicated optics nor illuminations. However, it does need an impractical number of images for real-time observation. Here, we achieved real-time nanoscopy by modifying superresolution optical fluctuation imaging and enhancing the fluctuation of quantum dots. Our developed quantum dots have higher blinking than commercially available ones. The fluctuation of the blinking improved the resolution when using a variance calculation for each pixel instead of a cumulant calculation. This enabled us to obtain microscopic images with 90-nm and 80-ms spatial-temporal resolution by using a conventional fluorescence microscope without any optics or devices. PMID:20923631

Influences of Quantum Mechanically Mixed Electronic and Vibrational Pigment States in 2D Electronic Spectra of Photosynthetic Systems: Strong Electronic Coupling Cases

DOE PAGES

Fujihashi, Yuta; Fleming, Graham R.; Ishizaki, Akihito

2015-09-07

In 2D electronic spectroscopy studies, long-lived quantum beats have recently been observed in photosynthetic systems, and several theoretical studies have suggested that the beats are produced by quantum mechanically mixed electronic and vibrational states. Concerning the electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures, the impact of protein-induced fluctuations was examined by calculating the 2D electronic spectra of a weakly coupled dimer with the Franck-Condon active vibrational modes in the resonant condition. This analysis demonstrated that quantum mixtures of the vibronic resonance are rather robust under the influence of the fluctuations at cryogenic temperatures, whereas the mixtures are eradicated by the fluctuations at physiological temperatures.more » However, this conclusion cannot be generalized because the magnitude of the coupling inducing the quantum mixtures is proportional to the inter-pigment electronic coupling. In this paper, we explore the impact of the fluctuations on electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures in a strongly coupled dimer with an off-resonant vibrational mode. Toward this end, we calculate energy transfer dynamics and 2D electronic spectra of a model dimer that corresponds to the most strongly coupled bacteriochlorophyll molecules in the Fenna-Matthews-Olson complex in a numerically accurate manner. The quantum mixtures are found to be robust under the exposure of protein-induced fluctuations at cryogenic temperatures, irrespective of the resonance. At 300 K, however, the quantum mixing is disturbed more strongly by the fluctuations, and therefore, the beats in the 2D spectra become obscure even in a strongly coupled dimer with a resonant vibrational mode. Further, the overall behaviors of the energy transfer dynamics are demonstrated to be dominated by the environment and coupling between the 0 0 vibronic transitions as long as the Huang-Rhys factor of the vibrational mode is small. Finally, the electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures do not necessarily play a significant role in electronic energy transfer dynamics despite contributing to the enhancement of long-lived quantum beating in the 2D spectra.« less

Spin-state transfer in laterally coupled quantum-dot chains with disorders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang Song; Key Laboratory of Quantum Information, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026; Bayat, Abolfazl

2010-08-15

Quantum dot arrays are a promising medium for transferring quantum information between two distant points without resorting to mobile qubits. Here we study the two most common disorders, namely hyperfine interaction and exchange coupling fluctuations, in quantum dot arrays and their effects on quantum communication through these chains. Our results show that the hyperfine interaction is more destructive than the exchange coupling fluctuations. The average optimal time for communication is not affected by any disorder in the system and our simulations show that antiferromagnetic chains are much more resistive than the ferromagnetic ones against both kind of disorders. Even whenmore » time modulation of a coupling and optimal control is employed to improve the transmission, the antiferromagnetic chain performs much better. We have assumed the quasistatic approximation for hyperfine interaction and time-dependent fluctuations in the exchange couplings. Particularly for studying exchange coupling fluctuations we have considered the static disorder, white noise, and 1/f noise.« less

Applications of stochastic mechanics to polyatomic lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beumée, J. G. B.; Vilallonga, E.; Rabitz, H.

1990-03-01

Stochastic quantization in the sense of Nelson provides an alternative interpretation of some aspects of quantum mechanics in the coordinate representation, and it was combined recently with the Ford, Kac, and Mazur (FKM) approximation [J. Math. Phys. 6, 504 (1965)] for large lattices to construct a quantum analog to the Brownian motion process. In this paper a similar approach is applied to model the effect of temperature fluctuations in a one-dimensional ordered chain of atoms with nearest-neighbor linear forces. However, we do not make use of the FKM approximation, and as a consequence the statistical properties of the involved processes are exactly determined by the lattice force field. In particular, we evaluate the covariance matrix for the fluctuations, and we examine its high- and low-temperature behavior. Because of the translation invariance of the interaction potential, the covariance matrix for the fluctuations becomes singular implying that the associated probability density has equal density along the zero eigenvector of the interaction matrix. This behavior is readily interpreted in terms of the motion of the center of mass of the system, which corresponds to a stochastically perturbed translation, while all other modes are bounded with a probability of 1. As is well known, the transformation to internal (bondlength) coordinates leads to a Hamiltonian specified by a nonsingular interaction matrix. We examine the variance of the fluctuations for the internal coordinates, and we show that in the high-temperature limit the result agrees with that of classical statistical mechanics. Both the position and bondlength of the surface atom decrease with time as is expected for a semi-infinite lattice. However, the position of the surface atom is less dependent on substrate-atom positions than is the surface bondlength on substrate bondlengths. Finally, the autocorrelation function of the surface bondlength in the case of a semi-infinite lattice limit is investigated for low- and high-temperature limits.

Pairing versus phase coherence of doped holes in distinct quantum spin backgrounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zheng; Sheng, D. N.; Weng, Zheng-Yu

2018-03-01

We examine the pairing structure of holes injected into two distinct spin backgrounds: a short-range antiferromagnetic phase versus a symmetry protected topological phase. Based on density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) simulation, we find that although there is a strong binding between two holes in both phases, phase fluctuations can significantly influence the pair-pair correlation depending on the spin-spin correlation in the background. Here the phase fluctuation is identified as an intrinsic string operator nonlocally controlled by the spins. We show that while the pairing amplitude is generally large, the coherent Cooper pairing can be substantially weakened by the phase fluctuation in the symmetry-protected topological phase, in contrast to the short-range antiferromagnetic phase. It provides an example of a non-BCS mechanism for pairing, in which the paring phase coherence is determined by the underlying spin state self-consistently, bearing an interesting resemblance to the pseudogap physics in the cuprate.

Maximum one-shot dissipated work from Rényi divergences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yunger Halpern, Nicole; Garner, Andrew J. P.; Dahlsten, Oscar C. O.; Vedral, Vlatko

2018-05-01

Thermodynamics describes large-scale, slowly evolving systems. Two modern approaches generalize thermodynamics: fluctuation theorems, which concern finite-time nonequilibrium processes, and one-shot statistical mechanics, which concerns small scales and finite numbers of trials. Combining these approaches, we calculate a one-shot analog of the average dissipated work defined in fluctuation contexts: the cost of performing a protocol in finite time instead of quasistatically. The average dissipated work has been shown to be proportional to a relative entropy between phase-space densities, to a relative entropy between quantum states, and to a relative entropy between probability distributions over possible values of work. We derive one-shot analogs of all three equations, demonstrating that the order-infinity Rényi divergence is proportional to the maximum possible dissipated work in each case. These one-shot analogs of fluctuation-theorem results contribute to the unification of these two toolkits for small-scale, nonequilibrium statistical physics.

Maximum one-shot dissipated work from Rényi divergences.

PubMed

Yunger Halpern, Nicole; Garner, Andrew J P; Dahlsten, Oscar C O; Vedral, Vlatko

2018-05-01

Thermodynamics describes large-scale, slowly evolving systems. Two modern approaches generalize thermodynamics: fluctuation theorems, which concern finite-time nonequilibrium processes, and one-shot statistical mechanics, which concerns small scales and finite numbers of trials. Combining these approaches, we calculate a one-shot analog of the average dissipated work defined in fluctuation contexts: the cost of performing a protocol in finite time instead of quasistatically. The average dissipated work has been shown to be proportional to a relative entropy between phase-space densities, to a relative entropy between quantum states, and to a relative entropy between probability distributions over possible values of work. We derive one-shot analogs of all three equations, demonstrating that the order-infinity Rényi divergence is proportional to the maximum possible dissipated work in each case. These one-shot analogs of fluctuation-theorem results contribute to the unification of these two toolkits for small-scale, nonequilibrium statistical physics.

Entanglement negativity and sudden death in the toric code at finite temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hart, O.; Castelnovo, C.

2018-04-01

We study the fate of quantum correlations at finite temperature in the two-dimensional toric code using the logarithmic entanglement negativity. We are able to obtain exact results that give us insight into how thermal excitations affect quantum entanglement. The toric code has two types of elementary excitations (defects) costing different energies. We show that an O (1 ) density of the lower energy defect is required to degrade the zero-temperature entanglement between two subsystems in contact with one another. However, one type of excitation alone is not sufficient to kill all quantum correlations, and an O (1 ) density of the higher energy defect is required to cause the so-called sudden death of the negativity. Interestingly, if the energy cost of one of the excitations is taken to infinity, quantum correlations survive up to arbitrarily high temperatures, a feature that is likely shared with other quantum spin liquids and frustrated systems in general, when projected down to their low-energy states. We demonstrate this behavior both for small subsystems, where we can prove that the negativity is a necessary and sufficient condition for separability, as well as for extended subsystems, where it is only a necessary condition. We further observe that the negativity per boundary degree of freedom at a given temperature increases (parametrically) with the size of the boundary, and that quantum correlations between subsystems with extended boundaries are more robust to thermal fluctuations.

Quantum fluctuations of radiation in a ring Nd : YAG chip laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lariontsev, E G; Firsov, V V

2015-07-31

We report theoretical and experimental investigation of intensity fluctuations in a travelling-wave ring Nd : YAG chip laser, caused by the noise of spontaneous emission. In accordance with theory and experiment, quantum intensity fluctuations in the laser under study decrease dramatically with increasing pump over the threshold. As a result of the research performed, the factor β is found, which determines the ratio of the rate of spontaneous emission into the generated mode to the total rate of spontaneous emission into all modes. The effect of the relaxation rate from the lower laser level on quantum fluctuations of the radiationmore » intensity is found. (control of radiation parameters)« less

Quantum fluctuations increase the self-diffusive motion of para-hydrogen in narrow carbon nanotubes.

PubMed

Kowalczyk, Piotr; Gauden, Piotr A; Terzyk, Artur P; Furmaniak, Sylwester

2011-05-28

Quantum fluctuations significantly increase the self-diffusive motion of para-hydrogen adsorbed in narrow carbon nanotubes at 30 K comparing to its classical counterpart. Rigorous Feynman's path integral calculations reveal that self-diffusive motion of para-hydrogen in a narrow (6,6) carbon nanotube at 30 K and pore densities below ∼29 mmol cm(-3) is one order of magnitude faster than the classical counterpart. We find that the zero-point energy and tunneling significantly smoothed out the free energy landscape of para-hydrogen molecules adsorbed in a narrow (6,6) carbon nanotube. This promotes a delocalization of the confined para-hydrogen at 30 K (i.e., population of unclassical paths due to quantum effects). Contrary the self-diffusive motion of classical para-hydrogen molecules in a narrow (6,6) carbon nanotube at 30 K is very slow. This is because classical para-hydrogen molecules undergo highly correlated movement when their collision diameter approached the carbon nanotube size (i.e., anomalous diffusion in quasi-one dimensional pores). On the basis of current results we predict that narrow single-walled carbon nanotubes are promising nanoporous molecular sieves being able to separate para-hydrogen molecules from mixtures of classical particles at cryogenic temperatures. This journal is © the Owner Societies 2011

Quantum Prisoners' Dilemma in Fluctuating Massless Scalar Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Zhiming

2017-12-01

Quantum systems are easily affected by external environment. In this paper, we investigate the influences of external massless scalar field to quantum Prisoners' Dilemma (QPD) game. We firstly derive the master equation that describes the system evolution with initial maximally entangled state. Then, we discuss the effects of a fluctuating massless scalar field on the game's properties such as payoff, Nash equilibrium, and symmetry. We find that for different game strategies, vacuum fluctuation has different effects on payoff. Nash equilibrium is broken but the symmetry of the game is not violated.

Quantum gap and spin-wave excitations in the Kitaev model on a triangular lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avella, Adolfo; Di Ciolo, Andrea; Jackeli, George

2018-05-01

We study the effects of quantum fluctuations on the dynamical generation of a gap and on the evolution of the spin-wave spectra of a frustrated magnet on a triangular lattice with bond-dependent Ising couplings, analog of the Kitaev honeycomb model. The quantum fluctuations lift the subextensive degeneracy of the classical ground-state manifold by a quantum order-by-disorder mechanism. Nearest-neighbor chains remain decoupled and the surviving discrete degeneracy of the ground state is protected by a hidden model symmetry. We show how the four-spin interaction, emergent from the fluctuations, generates a spin gap shifting the nodal lines of the linear spin-wave spectrum to finite energies.

Generalized nonequilibrium vertex correction method in coherent medium theory for quantum transport simulation of disordered nanoelectronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Jiawei; Ke, Youqi

2016-07-01

Electron transport properties of nanoelectronics can be significantly influenced by the inevitable and randomly distributed impurities/defects. For theoretical simulation of disordered nanoscale electronics, one is interested in both the configurationally averaged transport property and its statistical fluctuation that tells device-to-device variability induced by disorder. However, due to the lack of an effective method to do disorder averaging under the nonequilibrium condition, the important effects of disorders on electron transport remain largely unexplored or poorly understood. In this work, we report a general formalism of Green's function based nonequilibrium effective medium theory to calculate the disordered nanoelectronics. In this method, based on a generalized coherent potential approximation for the Keldysh nonequilibrium Green's function, we developed a generalized nonequilibrium vertex correction method to calculate the average of a two-Keldysh-Green's-function correlator. We obtain nine nonequilibrium vertex correction terms, as a complete family, to express the average of any two-Green's-function correlator and find they can be solved by a set of linear equations. As an important result, the averaged nonequilibrium density matrix, averaged current, disorder-induced current fluctuation, and averaged shot noise, which involve different two-Green's-function correlators, can all be derived and computed in an effective and unified way. To test the general applicability of this method, we applied it to compute the transmission coefficient and its fluctuation with a square-lattice tight-binding model and compared with the exact results and other previously proposed approximations. Our results show very good agreement with the exact results for a wide range of disorder concentrations and energies. In addition, to incorporate with density functional theory to realize first-principles quantum transport simulation, we have also derived a general form of conditionally averaged nonequilibrium Green's function for multicomponent disorders.

Auxiliary-fermion approach to critical fluctuations in the two-dimensional quantum antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brinckmann, Jan; Woelfle, Peter

2004-11-01

The nearest-neighbor quantum antiferromagnetic (AF) Heisenberg model for spin-1/2 on a two-dimensional square lattice is studied in the auxiliary-fermion representation. Expressing spin operators by canonical fermionic particles requires a constraint on the fermion charge Q{sub i}=1 on each lattice site i, which is imposed approximately through the thermal average. The resulting interacting fermion system is first treated in mean-field theory (MFT), which yields an AF ordered ground state and spin waves in quantitative agreement with conventional spin-wave theory. At finite temperature a self-consistent approximation beyond mean field is required in order to fulfill the Mermin-Wagner theorem. We first discuss amore » fully self-consistent approximation, where fermions are renormalized due to fluctuations of their spin density, in close analogy to FLEX. While static properties like the correlation length, {xi}(T){proportional_to}exp(aJ/T), come out correctly, the dynamical response lacks the magnon-like peaks which would reflect the appearance of short-range order at low T. This drawback, which is caused by overdamping, is overcome in a 'minimal self-consistent approximation' (MSCA), which we derive from the equations of motion. The MSCA features dynamical scaling at small energy and temperature and is qualitatively correct both in the regime of order-parameter relaxation at long wavelengths {lambda}>{xi} and in the short-range-order regime at {lambda}<{xi}. We also discuss the impact of vertex corrections and the problem of pseudo-gap formation in the single-particle density of states due to long-range fluctuations. Finally we show that the (short-range) magnetic order in MFT and MSCA helps to fulfill the constraint on the local fermion occupancy.« less

Zero Thermal Noise in Resistors at Zero Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kish, Laszlo B.; Niklasson, Gunnar A.; Granqvist, Claes-Göran

2016-06-01

The bandwidth of transistors in logic devices approaches the quantum limit, where Johnson noise and associated error rates are supposed to be strongly enhanced. However, the related theory — asserting a temperature-independent quantum zero-point (ZP) contribution to Johnson noise, which dominates the quantum regime — is controversial and resolution of the controversy is essential to determine the real error rate and fundamental energy dissipation limits of logic gates in the quantum limit. The Callen-Welton formula (fluctuation-dissipation theorem) of voltage and current noise for a resistance is the sum of Nyquist’s classical Johnson noise equation and a quantum ZP term with a power density spectrum proportional to frequency and independent of temperature. The classical Johnson-Nyquist formula vanishes at the approach of zero temperature, but the quantum ZP term still predicts non-zero noise voltage and current. Here, we show that this noise cannot be reconciled with the Fermi-Dirac distribution, which defines the thermodynamics of electrons according to quantum-statistical physics. Consequently, Johnson noise must be nil at zero temperature, and non-zero noise found for certain experimental arrangements may be a measurement artifact, such as the one mentioned in Kleen’s uncertainty relation argument.

Quantum-like model of processing of information in the brain based on classical electromagnetic field.

PubMed

Khrennikov, Andrei

2011-09-01

We propose a model of quantum-like (QL) processing of mental information. This model is based on quantum information theory. However, in contrast to models of "quantum physical brain" reducing mental activity (at least at the highest level) to quantum physical phenomena in the brain, our model matches well with the basic neuronal paradigm of the cognitive science. QL information processing is based (surprisingly) on classical electromagnetic signals induced by joint activity of neurons. This novel approach to quantum information is based on representation of quantum mechanics as a version of classical signal theory which was recently elaborated by the author. The brain uses the QL representation (QLR) for working with abstract concepts; concrete images are described by classical information theory. Two processes, classical and QL, are performed parallely. Moreover, information is actively transmitted from one representation to another. A QL concept given in our model by a density operator can generate a variety of concrete images given by temporal realizations of the corresponding (Gaussian) random signal. This signal has the covariance operator coinciding with the density operator encoding the abstract concept under consideration. The presence of various temporal scales in the brain plays the crucial role in creation of QLR in the brain. Moreover, in our model electromagnetic noise produced by neurons is a source of superstrong QL correlations between processes in different spatial domains in the brain; the binding problem is solved on the QL level, but with the aid of the classical background fluctuations. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic correlations in the highly dilute 2D electron liquid: Loss function, critical wave vector and analytic plasmon dispersion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drachta, Jürgen T.; Kreil, Dominik; Hobbiger, Raphael; Böhm, Helga M.

2018-03-01

Correlations, highly important in low-dimensional systems, are known to decrease the plasmon dispersion of two-dimensional electron liquids. Here we calculate the plasmon properties, applying the 'Dynamic Many-Body Theory', accounting for correlated two-particle-two-hole fluctuations. These dynamic correlations are found to significantly lower the plasmon's energy. For the data obtained numerically, we provide an analytic expression that is valid across a wide range both of densities and of wave vectors. Finally, we demonstrate how this can be invoked in determining the actual electron densities from measurements on an AlGaAs quantum well.

Trapped Inflation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Green, Daniel; Horn, Bart; /SLAC /Stanford U., Phys. Dept.

2009-06-19

We analyze a distinctive mechanism for inflation in which particle production slows down a scalar field on a steep potential, and show how it descends from angular moduli in string compactifications. The analysis of density perturbations - taking into account the integrated effect of the produced particles and their quantum fluctuations - requires somewhat new techniques that we develop. We then determine the conditions for this effect to produce sixty e-foldings of inflation with the correct amplitude of density perturbations at the Gaussian level, and show that these requirements can be straightforwardly satisfied. Finally, we estimate the amplitude of themore » non-Gaussianity in the power spectrum and find a significant equilateral contribution.« less

Noise, gain, and capture probability of p-type InAs-GaAs quantum-dot and quantum dot-in-well infrared photodetectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolde, Seyoum; Lao, Yan-Feng; Unil Perera, A. G.; Zhang, Y. H.; Wang, T. M.; Kim, J. O.; Schuler-Sandy, Ted; Tian, Zhao-Bing; Krishna, S.

2017-06-01

We report experimental results showing how the noise in a Quantum-Dot Infrared photodetector (QDIP) and Quantum Dot-in-a-well (DWELL) varies with the electric field and temperature. At lower temperatures (below ˜100 K), the noise current of both types of detectors is dominated by generation-recombination (G-R) noise which is consistent with a mechanism of fluctuations driven by the electric field and thermal noise. The noise gain, capture probability, and carrier life time for bound-to-continuum or quasi-bound transitions in DWELL and QDIP structures are discussed. The capture probability of DWELL is found to be more than two times higher than the corresponding QDIP. Based on the analysis, structural parameters such as the numbers of active layers, the surface density of QDs, and the carrier capture or relaxation rate, type of material, and electric field are some of the optimization parameters identified to improve the gain of devices.

Information flow and quantum cryptography using statistical fluctuations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Home, D.; Whitaker, M.A.B.

2003-02-01

A procedure is formulated, using the quantum teleportation arrangement, that communicates knowledge of an apparatus setting between the wings of the experiment, using statistical fluctuations in a sequence of measurement results. It requires an entangled state, and transmission of classical information totally unrelated to the apparatus setting actually communicated. Our procedure has conceptual interest, and has applications to quantum cryptography.

Bifurcation-based adiabatic quantum computation with a nonlinear oscillator network.

PubMed

Goto, Hayato

2016-02-22

The dynamics of nonlinear systems qualitatively change depending on their parameters, which is called bifurcation. A quantum-mechanical nonlinear oscillator can yield a quantum superposition of two oscillation states, known as a Schrödinger cat state, via quantum adiabatic evolution through its bifurcation point. Here we propose a quantum computer comprising such quantum nonlinear oscillators, instead of quantum bits, to solve hard combinatorial optimization problems. The nonlinear oscillator network finds optimal solutions via quantum adiabatic evolution, where nonlinear terms are increased slowly, in contrast to conventional adiabatic quantum computation or quantum annealing, where quantum fluctuation terms are decreased slowly. As a result of numerical simulations, it is concluded that quantum superposition and quantum fluctuation work effectively to find optimal solutions. It is also notable that the present computer is analogous to neural computers, which are also networks of nonlinear components. Thus, the present scheme will open new possibilities for quantum computation, nonlinear science, and artificial intelligence.

Bifurcation-based adiabatic quantum computation with a nonlinear oscillator network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goto, Hayato

2016-02-01

The dynamics of nonlinear systems qualitatively change depending on their parameters, which is called bifurcation. A quantum-mechanical nonlinear oscillator can yield a quantum superposition of two oscillation states, known as a Schrödinger cat state, via quantum adiabatic evolution through its bifurcation point. Here we propose a quantum computer comprising such quantum nonlinear oscillators, instead of quantum bits, to solve hard combinatorial optimization problems. The nonlinear oscillator network finds optimal solutions via quantum adiabatic evolution, where nonlinear terms are increased slowly, in contrast to conventional adiabatic quantum computation or quantum annealing, where quantum fluctuation terms are decreased slowly. As a result of numerical simulations, it is concluded that quantum superposition and quantum fluctuation work effectively to find optimal solutions. It is also notable that the present computer is analogous to neural computers, which are also networks of nonlinear components. Thus, the present scheme will open new possibilities for quantum computation, nonlinear science, and artificial intelligence.

Quantum principle of sensing gravitational waves: From the zero-point fluctuations to the cosmological stochastic background of spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quiñones, Diego A.; Oniga, Teodora; Varcoe, Benjamin T. H.; Wang, Charles H.-T.

2017-08-01

We carry out a theoretical investigation on the collective dynamics of an ensemble of correlated atoms, subject to both vacuum fluctuations of spacetime and stochastic gravitational waves. A general approach is taken with the derivation of a quantum master equation capable of describing arbitrary confined nonrelativistic matter systems in an open quantum gravitational environment. It enables us to relate the spectral function for gravitational waves and the distribution function for quantum gravitational fluctuations and to indeed introduce a new spectral function for the zero-point fluctuations of spacetime. The formulation is applied to two-level identical bosonic atoms in an off-resonant high-Q cavity that effectively inhibits undesirable electromagnetic delays, leading to a gravitational transition mechanism through certain quadrupole moment operators. The overall relaxation rate before reaching equilibrium is found to generally scale collectively with the number N of atoms. However, we are also able to identify certain states of which the decay and excitation rates with stochastic gravitational waves and vacuum spacetime fluctuations amplify more significantly with a factor of N2. Using such favorable states as a means of measuring both conventional stochastic gravitational waves and novel zero-point spacetime fluctuations, we determine the theoretical lower bounds for the respective spectral functions. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings on future observations of gravitational waves of a wider spectral window than currently accessible. Especially, the possible sensing of the zero-point fluctuations of spacetime could provide an opportunity to generate initial evidence and further guidance of quantum gravity.

Metallic phases from disordered (2+1)-dimensional quantum electrodynamics

DOE PAGES

Goswami, Pallab; Goldman, Hart; Raghu, S.

2017-06-15

Metallic phases have been observed in several disordered two-dimensional (2D) systems, including thin films near superconductor-insulator transitions and quantum Hall systems near plateau transitions. The existence of 2D metallic phases at zero temperature generally requires an interplay of disorder and interaction effects. Consequently, experimental observations of 2D metallic behavior have largely defied explanation. We formulate a general stability criterion for strongly interacting, massless Dirac fermions against disorder, which describe metallic ground states with vanishing density of states. We show that (2+1)-dimensional quantum electrodynamics (QED 3) with a large, even number of fermion flavors remains metallic in the presence of weakmore » scalar potential disorder due to the dynamic screening of disorder by gauge fluctuations. In conclusion, we also show that QED 3 with weak mass disorder exhibits a stable, dirty metallic phase in which both interactions and disorder play important roles.« less

Metallic phases from disordered (2+1)-dimensional quantum electrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goswami, Pallab; Goldman, Hart; Raghu, S.

2017-06-01

Metallic phases have been observed in several disordered two-dimensional (2D) systems, including thin films near superconductor-insulator transitions and quantum Hall systems near plateau transitions. The existence of 2D metallic phases at zero temperature generally requires an interplay of disorder and interaction effects. Consequently, experimental observations of 2D metallic behavior have largely defied explanation. We formulate a general stability criterion for strongly interacting, massless Dirac fermions against disorder, which describe metallic ground states with vanishing density of states. We show that (2+1)-dimensional quantum electrodynamics (QED3) with a large, even number of fermion flavors remains metallic in the presence of weak scalar potential disorder due to the dynamic screening of disorder by gauge fluctuations. We also show that QED3 with weak mass disorder exhibits a stable, dirty metallic phase in which both interactions and disorder play important roles.

Quantum statistical mechanics of nonrelativistic membranes: crumpling transition at finite temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borelli, M. E. S.; Kleinert, H.; Schakel, Adriaan M. J.

2000-03-01

The effect of quantum fluctuations on a nearly flat, nonrelativistic two-dimensional membrane with extrinsic curvature stiffness and tension is investigated. The renormalization group analysis is carried out in first-order perturbative theory. In contrast to thermal fluctuations, which soften the membrane at large scales and turn it into a crumpled surface, quantum fluctuations are found to stiffen the membrane, so that it exhibits a Hausdorff dimension equal to two. The large-scale behavior of the membrane is further studied at finite temperature, where a nontrivial fixed point is found, signaling a crumpling transition.

A Local Quantum Phase Transition in YFe 2Al 10

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gannon, W J.; Zaliznyak, Igor A.; Wu, L. S.

Here, a phase transition occurs when correlated regions of a new phase grow to span the system and the fluctuations within the correlated regions become long-lived. Here we present neutron scattering measurements showing that this conventional picture must be replaced by a new paradigm in YFe 2Al 10, a compound that forms naturally very close to a T = 0 quantum phase transition. Fully quantum mechanical fluctuations of localized moments are found to diverge at low energies and temperatures, however the fluctuating moments are entirely without spatial correlations. Zero temperature order in YFe 2Al 10 is achieved by a newmore » and entirely local type of quantum phase transition that may originate with the creation of the moments themselves.« less

A Local Quantum Phase Transition in YFe 2Al 10

DOE PAGES

Gannon, W J.; Zaliznyak, Igor A.; Wu, L. S.; ...

2018-06-29

Here, a phase transition occurs when correlated regions of a new phase grow to span the system and the fluctuations within the correlated regions become long-lived. Here we present neutron scattering measurements showing that this conventional picture must be replaced by a new paradigm in YFe 2Al 10, a compound that forms naturally very close to a T = 0 quantum phase transition. Fully quantum mechanical fluctuations of localized moments are found to diverge at low energies and temperatures, however the fluctuating moments are entirely without spatial correlations. Zero temperature order in YFe 2Al 10 is achieved by a newmore » and entirely local type of quantum phase transition that may originate with the creation of the moments themselves.« less

Current algebra, statistical mechanics and quantum models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vilela Mendes, R.

2017-11-01

Results obtained in the past for free boson systems at zero and nonzero temperatures are revisited to clarify the physical meaning of current algebra reducible functionals which are associated to systems with density fluctuations, leading to observable effects on phase transitions. To use current algebra as a tool for the formulation of quantum statistical mechanics amounts to the construction of unitary representations of diffeomorphism groups. Two mathematical equivalent procedures exist for this purpose. One searches for quasi-invariant measures on configuration spaces, the other for a cyclic vector in Hilbert space. Here, one argues that the second approach is closer to the physical intuition when modelling complex systems. An example of application of the current algebra methodology to the pairing phenomenon in two-dimensional fermion systems is discussed.

Active linewidth-narrowing of a mid-infrared quantum cascade laser without optical reference.

PubMed

Tombez, L; Schilt, S; Hofstetter, D; Südmeyer, T

2013-12-01

We report on a technique for frequency noise reduction and linewidth-narrowing of a distributed-feedback mid-IR quantum cascade laser (QCL) that does not involve any optical frequency reference. The voltage fluctuations across the QCL are sensed, amplified and fed back to the temperature of the QCL at a fast rate using a near-IR laser illuminating the top of the QCL chip. A locking bandwidth of 300 kHz and a reduction of the frequency noise power spectral density by a factor of 10 with respect to the free-running laser are achieved. From 2 MHz for the free-running QCL, the linewidth is narrowed below 700 kHz (10 ms observation time).

Demonstration of entanglement of electrostatically coupled singlet-triplet qubits.

PubMed

Shulman, M D; Dial, O E; Harvey, S P; Bluhm, H; Umansky, V; Yacoby, A

2012-04-13

Quantum computers have the potential to solve certain problems faster than classical computers. To exploit their power, it is necessary to perform interqubit operations and generate entangled states. Spin qubits are a promising candidate for implementing a quantum processor because of their potential for scalability and miniaturization. However, their weak interactions with the environment, which lead to their long coherence times, make interqubit operations challenging. We performed a controlled two-qubit operation between singlet-triplet qubits using a dynamically decoupled sequence that maintains the two-qubit coupling while decoupling each qubit from its fluctuating environment. Using state tomography, we measured the full density matrix of the system and determined the concurrence and the fidelity of the generated state, providing proof of entanglement.

Flux and Hall states in ABJM with dynamical flavors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bea, Yago; Jokela, Niko; Lippert, Matthew; Ramallo, Alfonso V.; Zoakos, Dimitrios

2015-03-01

We study the physics of probe D6-branes with quantized internal worldvolume flux in the ABJM background with unquenched massless flavors. This flux breaks parity in the (2+1)-dimensional gauge theory and allows quantum Hall states. Parity breaking is also explicitly demonstrated via the helicity dependence of the meson spectrum. We obtain general expressions for the conductivities, both in the gapped Minkowski embeddings and in the compressible black hole ones. These conductivities depend on the flux and contain a contribution from the dynamical flavors which can be regarded as an effect of intrinsic disorder due to quantum fluctuations of the fundamentals. We present an explicit, analytic family of supersymmetric solutions with nonzero charge density, electric, and magnetic fields.

Temperature dependence of threshold current in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well lasers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blood, P.; Colak, S.; Kucharska, A.I.

1988-02-22

We have calculated the threshold current and its temperature (T) dependence in the range 200--400 K for AlGaAs quantum well lasers with 25-A-wide GaAs wells using a model which includes lifetime broadening of the transitions and broadening of the density of states function by fluctuations in the well width. The threshold current varies approximately linearly with T and the principal effect of broadening is to increase the threshold current causing a reduction in the fractional change of current with temperature. The apparent value of the parameter T/sub 0/ is increased to approx. =400 K, compared with approx. =320 K withoutmore » broadening. The calculations are compared with experimental data.« less

Stochastic mechanics of reciprocal diffusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levy, Bernard C.; Krener, Arthur J.

1996-02-01

The dynamics and kinematics of reciprocal diffusions were examined in a previous paper [J. Math. Phys. 34, 1846 (1993)], where it was shown that reciprocal diffusions admit a chain of conservation laws, which close after the first two laws for two disjoint subclasses of reciprocal diffusions, the Markov and quantum diffusions. For the case of quantum diffusions, the conservation laws are equivalent to Schrödinger's equation. The Markov diffusions were employed by Schrödinger [Sitzungsber. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Phys. Math Kl. 144 (1931); Ann. Inst. H. Poincaré 2, 269 (1932)], Nelson [Dynamical Theories of Brownian Motion (Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 1967); Quantum Fluctuations (Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 1985)], and other researchers to develop stochastic formulations of quantum mechanics, called stochastic mechanics. We propose here an alternative version of stochastic mechanics based on quantum diffusions. A procedure is presented for constructing the quantum diffusion associated to a given wave function. It is shown that quantum diffusions satisfy the uncertainty principle, and have a locality property, whereby given two dynamically uncoupled but statistically correlated particles, the marginal statistics of each particle depend only on the local fields to which the particle is subjected. However, like Wigner's joint probability distribution for the position and momentum of a particle, the finite joint probability densities of quantum diffusions may take negative values.

Non-classical light generated by quantum-noise-driven cavity optomechanics.

PubMed

Brooks, Daniel W C; Botter, Thierry; Schreppler, Sydney; Purdy, Thomas P; Brahms, Nathan; Stamper-Kurn, Dan M

2012-08-23

Optomechanical systems, in which light drives and is affected by the motion of a massive object, will comprise a new framework for nonlinear quantum optics, with applications ranging from the storage and transduction of quantum information to enhanced detection sensitivity in gravitational wave detectors. However, quantum optical effects in optomechanical systems have remained obscure, because their detection requires the object’s motion to be dominated by vacuum fluctuations in the optical radiation pressure; so far, direct observations have been stymied by technical and thermal noise. Here we report an implementation of cavity optomechanics using ultracold atoms in which the collective atomic motion is dominantly driven by quantum fluctuations in radiation pressure. The back-action of this motion onto the cavity light field produces ponderomotive squeezing. We detect this quantum phenomenon by measuring sub-shot-noise optical squeezing. Furthermore, the system acts as a low-power, high-gain, nonlinear parametric amplifier for optical fluctuations, demonstrating a gain of 20 dB with a pump corresponding to an average of only seven intracavity photons. These findings may pave the way for low-power quantum optical devices, surpassing quantum limits on position and force sensing, and the control and measurement of motion in quantum gases.

Superconductivity from a non-Fermi-liquid metal: Kondo fluctuation mechanism in slave-fermion theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Ki-Seok

2010-03-01

We propose Kondo fluctuation mechanism of superconductivity, differentiated from the spin-fluctuation theory as the standard model for unconventional superconductivity in the weak-coupling approach. Based on the U(1) slave-fermion representation of an effective Anderson lattice model, where localized spins are described by the Schwinger boson theory and hybridization or Kondo fluctuations weaken antiferromagnetic correlations of localized spins, we found an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point from an antiferromagnetic metal to a heavy-fermion metal in our recent study. The Kondo-induced antiferromagnetic quantum critical point was shown to be described by both conduction electrons and fermionic holons interacting with critical spin fluctuations given by deconfined bosonic spinons with a spin quantum number 1/2. Surprisingly, such critical modes turned out to be described by the dynamical exponent z=3 , giving rise to the well-known non-Fermi-liquid physics such as the divergent Grüneisen ratio with an exponent 2/3 and temperature-linear resistivity in three dimensions. We find that the z=3 antiferromagnetic quantum critical point becomes unstable against superconductivity, where critical spinon excitations give rise to pairing correlations between conduction electrons and between fermionic holons, respectively, via hybridization fluctuations. Such two kinds of pairing correlations result in multigap unconventional superconductivity around the antiferromagnetic quantum critical point of the slave-fermion theory, where s -wave pairing is not favored generically due to strong correlations. We show that the ratio between each superconducting gap for conduction electrons Δc and holons Δf and the transition temperature Tc is 2Δc/Tc˜9 and 2Δf/Tc˜O(10-1) , remarkably consistent with CeCoIn5 . A fingerprint of the Kondo mechanism is emergence of two kinds of resonance modes in not only spin but also charge fluctuations, where the charge resonance mode at an antiferromagnetic wave vector originates from d -wave pairing of spinless holons. We discuss how the Kondo fluctuation theory differs from the spin-fluctuation approach.

QUANTUM MECHANICS. Quantum squeezing of motion in a mechanical resonator.

PubMed

Wollman, E E; Lei, C U; Weinstein, A J; Suh, J; Kronwald, A; Marquardt, F; Clerk, A A; Schwab, K C

2015-08-28

According to quantum mechanics, a harmonic oscillator can never be completely at rest. Even in the ground state, its position will always have fluctuations, called the zero-point motion. Although the zero-point fluctuations are unavoidable, they can be manipulated. Using microwave frequency radiation pressure, we have manipulated the thermal fluctuations of a micrometer-scale mechanical resonator to produce a stationary quadrature-squeezed state with a minimum variance of 0.80 times that of the ground state. We also performed phase-sensitive, back-action evading measurements of a thermal state squeezed to 1.09 times the zero-point level. Our results are relevant to the quantum engineering of states of matter at large length scales, the study of decoherence of large quantum systems, and for the realization of ultrasensitive sensing of force and motion. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Spatial charge inhomogeneity and defect states in topological Dirac semimetal thin films of Na3Bi

PubMed Central

Edmonds, Mark T.; Collins, James L.; Hellerstedt, Jack; Yudhistira, Indra; Gomes, Lídia C.; Rodrigues, João N. B.; Adam, Shaffique; Fuhrer, Michael S.

2017-01-01

Topological Dirac semimetals (TDSs) are three-dimensional analogs of graphene, with carriers behaving like massless Dirac fermions in three dimensions. In graphene, substrate disorder drives fluctuations in Fermi energy, necessitating construction of heterostructures of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) to minimize the fluctuations. Three-dimensional TDSs obviate the substrate and should show reduced EF fluctuations due to better metallic screening and higher dielectric constants. We map the potential fluctuations in TDS Na3Bi using a scanning tunneling microscope. The rms potential fluctuations are significantly smaller than the thermal energy room temperature (ΔEF,rms = 4 to 6 meV = 40 to 70 K) and comparable to the highest-quality graphene on h-BN. Surface Na vacancies produce a novel resonance close to the Dirac point with surprisingly large spatial extent and provide a unique way to tune the surface density of states in a TDS thin-film material. Sparse defect clusters show bound states whose occupation may be changed by applying a bias to the scanning tunneling microscope tip, offering an opportunity to study a quantum dot connected to a TDS reservoir. PMID:29291249

Quantum foam, gravitational thermodynamics, and the dark sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, Y. Jack

2017-05-01

Is it possible that the dark sector (dark energy in the form of an effective dynamical cosmological constant, and dark matter) has its origin in quantum gravity? This talk sketches a positive response. Here specifically quantum gravity refers to the combined effect of quantum foam (or spacetime foam due to quantum fluctuations of spacetime) and gravitational thermodynamics. We use two simple independent gedankan experiments to show that the holographic principle can be understood intuitively as having its origin in the quantum fluctuations of spacetime. Applied to cosmology, this consideration leads to a dynamical cosmological constant of the observed magnitude, a result that can also be obtained for the present and recent cosmic eras by using unimodular gravity and causal set theory. Next we generalize the concept of gravitational thermodynamics to a spacetime with positive cosmological constant (like ours) to reveal the natural emergence, in galactic dynamics, of a critical acceleration parameter related to the cosmological constant. We are then led to construct a phenomenological model of dark matter which we call “modified dark matter” (MDM) in which the dark matter density profile depends on both the cosmological constant and ordinary matter. We provide observational tests of MDM by fitting the rotation curves to a sample of 30 local spiral galaxies with a single free parameter and by showing that the dynamical and observed masses agree in a sample of 93 galactic clusters. We also give a brief discussion of the possibility that quanta of both dark energy and dark matter are non-local, obeying quantum Boltzmann statistics (also called infinite statistics) as described by a curious average of the bosonic and fermionic algebras. If such a scenario is correct, we can expect some novel particle phenomenology involving dark matter interactions. This may explain why so far no dark matter detection experiments have been able to claim convincingly to have detected dark matter.

Coarse-Grained Theory of Biological Charge Transfer with Spatially and Temporally Correlated Noise.

PubMed

Liu, Chaoren; Beratan, David N; Zhang, Peng

2016-04-21

System-environment interactions are essential in determining charge-transfer (CT) rates and mechanisms. We developed a computationally accessible method, suitable to simulate CT in flexible molecules (i.e., DNA) with hundreds of sites, where the system-environment interactions are explicitly treated with numerical noise modeling of time-dependent site energies and couplings. The properties of the noise are tunable, providing us a flexible tool to investigate the detailed effects of correlated thermal fluctuations on CT mechanisms. The noise is parametrizable by molecular simulation and quantum calculation results of specific molecular systems, giving us better molecular resolution in simulating the system-environment interactions than sampling fluctuations from generic spectral density functions. The spatially correlated thermal fluctuations among different sites are naturally built-in in our method but are not readily incorporated using approximate spectral densities. Our method has quantitative accuracy in systems with small redox potential differences (

Charge-induced fluctuation forces in graphitic nanostructures

DOE PAGES

Drosdoff, D.; Bondarev, Igor V.; Widom, Allan; ...

2016-01-21

Charge fluctuations in nanocircuits with capacitor components are shown to give rise to a novel type of long-ranged interaction, which coexist with the regular Casimir–van derWaals force. The developed theory distinguishes between thermal and quantum mechanical effects, and it is applied to capacitors involving graphene nanostructures. The charge fluctuations mechanism is captured via the capacitance of the system with geometrical and quantum mechanical components. The dependence on the distance separation, temperature, size, and response properties of the system shows that this type of force can have a comparable and even dominant effect to the Casimir interaction. Lastly, our results stronglymore » indicate that fluctuation-induced interactions due to various thermodynamic quantities can have important thermal and quantum mechanical contributions at the microscale and the nanoscale.« less

Stochastic dark energy from inflationary quantum fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glavan, Dražen; Prokopec, Tomislav; Starobinsky, Alexei A.

2018-05-01

We study the quantum backreaction from inflationary fluctuations of a very light, non-minimally coupled spectator scalar and show that it is a viable candidate for dark energy. The problem is solved by suitably adapting the formalism of stochastic inflation. This allows us to self-consistently account for the backreaction on the background expansion rate of the Universe where its effects are large. This framework is equivalent to that of semiclassical gravity in which matter vacuum fluctuations are included at the one loop level, but purely quantum gravitational fluctuations are neglected. Our results show that dark energy in our model can be characterized by a distinct effective equation of state parameter (as a function of redshift) which allows for testing of the model at the level of the background.

Controlling charge quantization with quantum fluctuations.

PubMed

Jezouin, S; Iftikhar, Z; Anthore, A; Parmentier, F D; Gennser, U; Cavanna, A; Ouerghi, A; Levkivskyi, I P; Idrisov, E; Sukhorukov, E V; Glazman, L I; Pierre, F

2016-08-04

In 1909, Millikan showed that the charge of electrically isolated systems is quantized in units of the elementary electron charge e. Today, the persistence of charge quantization in small, weakly connected conductors allows for circuits in which single electrons are manipulated, with applications in, for example, metrology, detectors and thermometry. However, as the connection strength is increased, the discreteness of charge is progressively reduced by quantum fluctuations. Here we report the full quantum control and characterization of charge quantization. By using semiconductor-based tunable elemental conduction channels to connect a micrometre-scale metallic island to a circuit, we explore the complete evolution of charge quantization while scanning the entire range of connection strengths, from a very weak (tunnel) to a perfect (ballistic) contact. We observe, when approaching the ballistic limit, that charge quantization is destroyed by quantum fluctuations, and scales as the square root of the residual probability for an electron to be reflected across the quantum channel; this scaling also applies beyond the different regimes of connection strength currently accessible to theory. At increased temperatures, the thermal fluctuations result in an exponential suppression of charge quantization and in a universal square-root scaling, valid for all connection strengths, in agreement with expectations. Besides being pertinent for the improvement of single-electron circuits and their applications, and for the metal-semiconductor hybrids relevant to topological quantum computing, knowledge of the quantum laws of electricity will be essential for the quantum engineering of future nanoelectronic devices.

Field-induced reentrant superconductivity driven by quantum tricritical fluctuations in URhGe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tokunaga, Y.; Aoki, D.; Mayaffre, H.; Krämer, S.; Julien, M.-H.; Berthier, C.; Horvatić, M.; Sakai, H.; Hattori, T.; Kambe, S.; Araki, S.

2018-05-01

We review our 59Co NMR study in a URhGe single crystal doped with 10% cobalt. The spin-spin relaxation time (T2) measurements have revealed a divergence of electronic spin fluctuations in the vicinity of a field-induced tricritical point (TCP) locating around 13 T. The fluctuations is developed in the same limited field region around the TCP as that where a reentrant superconductivity (RSC) is observed in URhGe. The finding strongly suggests these quantum fluctuations as the pairing glue responsible for the RSC.

Quantum-like dynamics of decision-making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asano, Masanari; Basieva, Irina; Khrennikov, Andrei; Ohya, Masanori; Tanaka, Yoshiharu

2012-03-01

In cognitive psychology, some experiments for games were reported, and they demonstrated that real players did not use the “rational strategy” provided by classical game theory and based on the notion of the Nasch equilibrium. This psychological phenomenon was called the disjunction effect. Recently, we proposed a model of decision making which can explain this effect (“irrationality” of players) Asano et al. (2010, 2011) [23,24]. Our model is based on the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics, because psychological fluctuations inducing the irrationality are formally represented as quantum fluctuations Asano et al. (2011) [55]. In this paper, we reconsider the process of quantum-like decision-making more closely and redefine it as a well-defined quantum dynamics by using the concept of lifting channel, which is an important concept in quantum information theory. We also present numerical simulation for this quantum-like mental dynamics. It is non-Markovian by its nature. Stabilization to the steady state solution (determining subjective probabilities for decision making) is based on the collective effect of mental fluctuations collected in the working memory of a decision maker.

Magnification of signatures of a topological phase transition by quantum zero point motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopes, Pedro L. e. S.; Ghaemi, Pouyan

2015-08-01

We show that the zero point motion of a vortex in superconducting doped topological insulators leads to significant changes in the electronic spectrum at the topological phase transition in this system. This topological phase transition is tuned by the doping level, and the corresponding effects are manifest in the density of states at energies which are on the order of the vortex fluctuation frequency. Although the electronic energy gap in the spectrum generated by a stationary vortex is but a small fraction of the bulk superconducting gap, the vortex fluctuation frequency may be much larger. As a result, this quantum zero point motion can induce a discontinuous change in the spectral features of the system at the topological vortex phase transition to energies which are well within the resolution of scanning tunneling microscopy. This discontinuous change is exclusive to superconducting systems in which we have a topological phase transition. Moreover, the phenomena studied in this paper present effects of Magnus forces on the vortex spectrum which are not present in the ordinary s -wave superconductors. Finally, we demonstrate explicitly that the vortex in this system is equivalent to a Kitaev chain. This allows for the mapping of the vortex fluctuating scenario in three dimensions into similar one-dimensional situations in which one may search for other novel signatures of topological phase transitions.

Quantum work in the Bohmian framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sampaio, R.; Suomela, S.; Ala-Nissila, T.; Anders, J.; Philbin, T. G.

2018-01-01

At nonzero temperature classical systems exhibit statistical fluctuations of thermodynamic quantities arising from the variation of the system's initial conditions and its interaction with the environment. The fluctuating work, for example, is characterized by the ensemble of system trajectories in phase space and, by including the probabilities for various trajectories to occur, a work distribution can be constructed. However, without phase-space trajectories, the task of constructing a work probability distribution in the quantum regime has proven elusive. Here we use quantum trajectories in phase space and define fluctuating work as power integrated along the trajectories, in complete analogy to classical statistical physics. The resulting work probability distribution is valid for any quantum evolution, including cases with coherences in the energy basis. We demonstrate the quantum work probability distribution and its properties with an exactly solvable example of a driven quantum harmonic oscillator. An important feature of the work distribution is its dependence on the initial statistical mixture of pure states, which is reflected in higher moments of the work. The proposed approach introduces a fundamentally different perspective on quantum thermodynamics, allowing full thermodynamic characterization of the dynamics of quantum systems, including the measurement process.

Impact of Silicon Doping on Low-Frequency Charge Noise and Conductance Drift in GaAs/AlxGa1 -xAs Nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fallahi, S.; Nakamura, J. R.; Gardner, G. C.; Yannell, M. M.; Manfra, M. J.

2018-03-01

We present measurements of low-frequency charge noise and conductance drift in modulation-doped GaAs /AlxGa1 -xAs heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy in which the silicon doping density is varied from 2.4 ×1018 (critically doped) to 6.0 ×1018 cm-3 (overdoped). Quantum point contacts are used to detect charge fluctuations. A clear reduction of both short-time-scale telegraphic noise and long-time-scale conductance drift with decreased doping density is observed. These measurements indicate that the neutral doping region plays a significant role in charge noise and conductance drift.

Bifurcation-based adiabatic quantum computation with a nonlinear oscillator network

PubMed Central

Goto, Hayato

2016-01-01

The dynamics of nonlinear systems qualitatively change depending on their parameters, which is called bifurcation. A quantum-mechanical nonlinear oscillator can yield a quantum superposition of two oscillation states, known as a Schrödinger cat state, via quantum adiabatic evolution through its bifurcation point. Here we propose a quantum computer comprising such quantum nonlinear oscillators, instead of quantum bits, to solve hard combinatorial optimization problems. The nonlinear oscillator network finds optimal solutions via quantum adiabatic evolution, where nonlinear terms are increased slowly, in contrast to conventional adiabatic quantum computation or quantum annealing, where quantum fluctuation terms are decreased slowly. As a result of numerical simulations, it is concluded that quantum superposition and quantum fluctuation work effectively to find optimal solutions. It is also notable that the present computer is analogous to neural computers, which are also networks of nonlinear components. Thus, the present scheme will open new possibilities for quantum computation, nonlinear science, and artificial intelligence. PMID:26899997

On the motion of classical three-body system with consideration of quantum fluctuations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gevorkyan, A. S., E-mail: g-ashot@sci.am

2017-03-15

We obtained the systemof stochastic differential equations which describes the classicalmotion of the three-body system under influence of quantum fluctuations. Using SDEs, for the joint probability distribution of the total momentum of bodies system were obtained the partial differential equation of the second order. It is shown, that the equation for the probability distribution is solved jointly by classical equations, which in turn are responsible for the topological peculiarities of tubes of quantum currents, transitions between asymptotic channels and, respectively for arising of quantum chaos.

A fluctuating quantum model of the CO vibration in carboxyhemoglobin.

PubMed

Falvo, Cyril; Meier, Christoph

2011-06-07

In this paper, we present a theoretical approach to construct a fluctuating quantum model of the CO vibration in heme-CO proteins and its interaction with external laser fields. The methodology consists of mixed quantum-classical calculations for a restricted number of snapshots, which are then used to construct a parametrized quantum model. As an example, we calculate the infrared absorption spectrum of carboxy-hemoglobin, based on a simplified protein model, and found the absorption linewidth in good agreement with the experimental results. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Fluctuation theorems in feedback-controlled open quantum systems: Quantum coherence and absolute irreversibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murashita, Yûto; Gong, Zongping; Ashida, Yuto; Ueda, Masahito

2017-10-01

The thermodynamics of quantum coherence has attracted growing attention recently, where the thermodynamic advantage of quantum superposition is characterized in terms of quantum thermodynamics. We investigate the thermodynamic effects of quantum coherent driving in the context of the fluctuation theorem. We adopt a quantum-trajectory approach to investigate open quantum systems under feedback control. In these systems, the measurement backaction in the forward process plays a key role, and therefore the corresponding time-reversed quantum measurement and postselection must be considered in the backward process, in sharp contrast to the classical case. The state reduction associated with quantum measurement, in general, creates a zero-probability region in the space of quantum trajectories of the forward process, which causes singularly strong irreversibility with divergent entropy production (i.e., absolute irreversibility) and hence makes the ordinary fluctuation theorem break down. In the classical case, the error-free measurement ordinarily leads to absolute irreversibility, because the measurement restricts classical paths to the region compatible with the measurement outcome. In contrast, in open quantum systems, absolute irreversibility is suppressed even in the presence of the projective measurement due to those quantum rare events that go through the classically forbidden region with the aid of quantum coherent driving. This suppression of absolute irreversibility exemplifies the thermodynamic advantage of quantum coherent driving. Absolute irreversibility is shown to emerge in the absence of coherent driving after the measurement, especially in systems under time-delayed feedback control. We show that absolute irreversibility is mitigated by increasing the duration of quantum coherent driving or decreasing the delay time of feedback control.

Observation of dark pulses in 10 nm thick YBCO nanostrips presenting hysteretic current voltage characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ejrnaes, M.; Parlato, L.; Arpaia, R.; Bauch, T.; Lombardi, F.; Cristiano, R.; Tafuri, F.; Pepe, G. P.

2017-12-01

We have fabricated several 10 nm thick and 65 nm wide YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) nanostrips. The nanostrips with the highest critical current densities are characterized by hysteretic current voltage characteristics (IVCs) with a direct bistable switch from the zero-voltage to the finite voltage state. The presence of hysteretic IVCs allowed the observation of dark pulses due to fluctuations phenomena. The key role of the bistable behavior is its ability to transform a small disturbance (e.g. an intrinsic fluctuation) into a measurable transient signal, i.e. a dark pulse. On the contrary, in devices characterized by lower critical current density values, the IVCs are non-hysteretic and dark pulses have not been observed. To investigate the physical origin of the dark pulses, we have measured the bias current dependence of the dark pulse rate: the observed exponential increase with the bias current is compatible with mechanisms based on thermal activation of magnetic vortices in the nanostrip. We believe that the successful amplification of small fluctuation events into measurable signals in nanostrips of ultrathin YBCO is a milestone for further investigation of YBCO nanostrips for superconducting nanostrip single photon detectors and other quantum detectors for operation at higher temperatures.

The dynamic behavior of a liquid ethanol-water mixture: a perspective from quantum chemical topology.

PubMed

Mejía, Sol M; Mills, Matthew J L; Shaik, Majeed S; Mondragon, Fanor; Popelier, Paul L A

2011-05-07

Quantum Chemical Topology (QCT) is used to reveal the dynamics of atom-atom interactions in a liquid. A molecular dynamics simulation was carried out on an ethanol-water liquid mixture at its azeotropic concentration (X(ethanol)=0.899), using high-rank multipolar electrostatics. A thousand (ethanol)(9)-water heterodecamers, respecting the water-ethanol ratio of the azeotropic mixture, were extracted from the simulation. Ab initio electron densities were computed at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d) level for these molecular clusters. A video shows the dynamical behavior of a pattern of bond critical points and atomic interaction lines, fluctuating over 1 ns. A bond critical point distribution revealed the fluctuating behavior of water and ethanol molecules in terms of O-H···O, C-H···O and H···H interactions. Interestingly, the water molecule formed one to six C-H···O and one to four O-H···O interactions as a proton acceptor. We found that the more localized a dynamical bond critical point distribution, the higher the average electron density at its bond critical points. The formation of multiple C-H···O interactions affected the shape of the oxygen basin of the water molecule, which is shown in three dimensions. The hydrogen atoms of water strongly preferred to form H···H interactions with ethanol's alkyl hydrogen atoms over its hydroxyl hydrogen. This journal is © the Owner Societies 2011

Protecting quantum coherence of two-level atoms from vacuum fluctuations of electromagnetic field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Xiaobao; Tian, Zehua; Wang, Jieci

In the framework of open quantum systems, we study the dynamics of a static polarizable two-level atom interacting with a bath of fluctuating vacuum electromagnetic field and explore under which conditions the coherence of the open quantum system is unaffected by the environment. For both a single-qubit and two-qubit systems, we find that the quantum coherence cannot be protected from noise when the atom interacts with a non-boundary electromagnetic field. However, with the presence of a boundary, the dynamical conditions for the insusceptible of quantum coherence are fulfilled only when the atom is close to the boundary and is transverselymore » polarizable. Otherwise, the quantum coherence can only be protected in some degree in other polarizable direction. -- Highlights: •We study the dynamics of a two-level atom interacting with a bath of fluctuating vacuum electromagnetic field. •For both a single and two-qubit systems, the quantum coherence cannot be protected from noise without a boundary. •The insusceptible of the quantum coherence can be fulfilled only when the atom is close to the boundary and is transversely polarizable. •Otherwise, the quantum coherence can only be protected in some degree in other polarizable direction.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luis, Alfredo

The use of Renyi entropy as an uncertainty measure alternative to variance leads to the study of states with quantum fluctuations below the levels established by Gaussian states, which are the position-momentum minimum uncertainty states according to variance. We examine the quantum properties of states with exponential wave functions, which combine reduced fluctuations with practical feasibility.

Work extraction from quantum systems with bounded fluctuations in work.

PubMed

Richens, Jonathan G; Masanes, Lluis

2016-11-25

In the standard framework of thermodynamics, work is a random variable whose average is bounded by the change in free energy of the system. This average work is calculated without regard for the size of its fluctuations. Here we show that for some processes, such as reversible cooling, the fluctuations in work diverge. Realistic thermal machines may be unable to cope with arbitrarily large fluctuations. Hence, it is important to understand how thermodynamic efficiency rates are modified by bounding fluctuations. We quantify the work content and work of formation of arbitrary finite dimensional quantum states when the fluctuations in work are bounded by a given amount c. By varying c we interpolate between the standard and minimum free energies. We derive fundamental trade-offs between the magnitude of work and its fluctuations. As one application of these results, we derive the corrected Carnot efficiency of a qubit heat engine with bounded fluctuations.

Work extraction from quantum systems with bounded fluctuations in work

PubMed Central

Richens, Jonathan G.; Masanes, Lluis

2016-01-01

In the standard framework of thermodynamics, work is a random variable whose average is bounded by the change in free energy of the system. This average work is calculated without regard for the size of its fluctuations. Here we show that for some processes, such as reversible cooling, the fluctuations in work diverge. Realistic thermal machines may be unable to cope with arbitrarily large fluctuations. Hence, it is important to understand how thermodynamic efficiency rates are modified by bounding fluctuations. We quantify the work content and work of formation of arbitrary finite dimensional quantum states when the fluctuations in work are bounded by a given amount c. By varying c we interpolate between the standard and minimum free energies. We derive fundamental trade-offs between the magnitude of work and its fluctuations. As one application of these results, we derive the corrected Carnot efficiency of a qubit heat engine with bounded fluctuations. PMID:27886177

Work extraction from quantum systems with bounded fluctuations in work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richens, Jonathan G.; Masanes, Lluis

2016-11-01

In the standard framework of thermodynamics, work is a random variable whose average is bounded by the change in free energy of the system. This average work is calculated without regard for the size of its fluctuations. Here we show that for some processes, such as reversible cooling, the fluctuations in work diverge. Realistic thermal machines may be unable to cope with arbitrarily large fluctuations. Hence, it is important to understand how thermodynamic efficiency rates are modified by bounding fluctuations. We quantify the work content and work of formation of arbitrary finite dimensional quantum states when the fluctuations in work are bounded by a given amount c. By varying c we interpolate between the standard and minimum free energies. We derive fundamental trade-offs between the magnitude of work and its fluctuations. As one application of these results, we derive the corrected Carnot efficiency of a qubit heat engine with bounded fluctuations.

Observing single quantum trajectories of a superconducting quantum bit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murch, K. W.; Weber, S. J.; Macklin, C.; Siddiqi, I.

2013-10-01

The length of time that a quantum system can exist in a superposition state is determined by how strongly it interacts with its environment. This interaction entangles the quantum state with the inherent fluctuations of the environment. If these fluctuations are not measured, the environment can be viewed as a source of noise, causing random evolution of the quantum system from an initially pure state into a statistical mixture--a process known as decoherence. However, by accurately measuring the environment in real time, the quantum system can be maintained in a pure state and its time evolution described by a `quantum trajectory' determined by the measurement outcome. Here we use weak measurements to monitor a microwave cavity containing a superconducting quantum bit (qubit), and track the individual quantum trajectories of the system. In this set-up, the environment is dominated by the fluctuations of a single electromagnetic mode of the cavity. Using a near-quantum-limited parametric amplifier, we selectively measure either the phase or the amplitude of the cavity field, and thereby confine trajectories to either the equator or a meridian of the Bloch sphere. We perform quantum state tomography at discrete times along the trajectory to verify that we have faithfully tracked the state of the quantum system as it diffuses on the surface of the Bloch sphere. Our results demonstrate that decoherence can be mitigated by environmental monitoring, and validate the foundation of quantum feedback approaches based on Bayesian statistics. Moreover, our experiments suggest a new means of implementing `quantum steering'--the harnessing of action at a distance to manipulate quantum states through measurement.

Observing single quantum trajectories of a superconducting quantum bit.

PubMed

Murch, K W; Weber, S J; Macklin, C; Siddiqi, I

2013-10-10

The length of time that a quantum system can exist in a superposition state is determined by how strongly it interacts with its environment. This interaction entangles the quantum state with the inherent fluctuations of the environment. If these fluctuations are not measured, the environment can be viewed as a source of noise, causing random evolution of the quantum system from an initially pure state into a statistical mixture--a process known as decoherence. However, by accurately measuring the environment in real time, the quantum system can be maintained in a pure state and its time evolution described by a 'quantum trajectory' determined by the measurement outcome. Here we use weak measurements to monitor a microwave cavity containing a superconducting quantum bit (qubit), and track the individual quantum trajectories of the system. In this set-up, the environment is dominated by the fluctuations of a single electromagnetic mode of the cavity. Using a near-quantum-limited parametric amplifier, we selectively measure either the phase or the amplitude of the cavity field, and thereby confine trajectories to either the equator or a meridian of the Bloch sphere. We perform quantum state tomography at discrete times along the trajectory to verify that we have faithfully tracked the state of the quantum system as it diffuses on the surface of the Bloch sphere. Our results demonstrate that decoherence can be mitigated by environmental monitoring, and validate the foundation of quantum feedback approaches based on Bayesian statistics. Moreover, our experiments suggest a new means of implementing 'quantum steering'--the harnessing of action at a distance to manipulate quantum states through measurement.

Impact of Alloy Fluctuations on Radiative and Auger Recombination in InGaN Quantum Wells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Christina; Teng, Chu-Hsiang; Yan, Qimin; Ku, Pei-Cheng; Kioupakis, Emmanouil

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on indium gallium nitride (InGaN) are important for efficient solid-state lighting (2014 Nobel Prize in Physics). Despite its many successes, InGaN suffers from issues that reduce the efficiency of devices at high power, such as the green gap and efficiency droop. The origin of the droop has been attributed to Auger recombination, mediated by carrier scattering due to phonons and alloy disorder. Additionally, InGaN exhibits atomic-scale composition fluctuations that localize carriers and may affect the efficiency. In this work, we study the effect of local composition fluctuations on the radiative recombination rate, Auger recombination rate, and efficiency of InGaN/GaN quantum wells. We apply k.p calculations to simulate band edges and wave functions of quantum wells with fluctuating alloy distributions based on atom probe tomography data, and we evaluate double and triple overlaps of electron and hole wave functions. We compare results for quantum wells with fluctuating alloy distributions to those with uniform alloy compositions and to published work. Our results demonstrate that alloy-composition fluctuations aggravate the efficiency-droop and green-gap problems and further reduce LED efficiency at high power. We acknowledge the NSF CAREER award DMR-1254314, the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program DGE-1256260, and the DOE NERSC facility (DE-AC02-05CH11231).

Exploring quantum thermodynamics in continuous measurement of superconducting qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murch, Kater

The extension of thermodynamics into the realm of quantum mechanics, where quantum fluctuations dominate and systems need not occupy definite states, poses unique challenges. Superconducting quantum circuits offer exquisite control over the environment of simple quantum systems allowing the exploration of thermodynamics at the quantum level through measurement and feedback control. We use a superconducting transmon qubit that is resonantly coupled to a waveguide cavity as an effectively one-dimensional quantum emitter. By driving the emitter and detecting the fluorescence with a near-quantum-limited Josephson parametric amplifier, we track the evolution of the quantum state and characterize the work and heat along single quantum trajectories. By using quantum feedback control to compensate for heat exchanged with the emitter's environment we are able to extract the work statistics associated with the quantum evolution and examine fundamental fluctuation theorems in non-equilibrium thermodynamics. This work was supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research.

Interlayer Pairing Symmetry of Composite Fermions in Quantum Hall Bilayers

DOE PAGES

Isobe, Hiroki; Fu, Liang

2017-04-17

Here, we study the pairing symmetry of the interlayer paired state of composite fermions in quantum Hall bilayers. Based on the Halperin-Lee-Read (HLR) theory, the effect of the long-range Coulomb interaction and the internal Chern-Simons gauge fluctuation is analyzed with the random-phase approximation beyond the leading order contribution in small momentum expansion, and we observe that the interlayer paired states with a relative angular momentummore » $l=+1$ are energetically favored for filling ν=$$\\frac{1}2$$+$$\\frac{1}2$$ and $$\\frac{1}4$$+$$\\frac{1}4$$. The degeneracy between states with $±l$ is lifted by the interlayer density-current interaction arising from the interplay of the long-range Coulomb interaction and the Chern-Simons term in the HLR theory.« less

Energy flow in non-equilibrium conformal field theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernard, Denis; Doyon, Benjamin

2012-09-01

We study the energy current and its fluctuations in quantum gapless 1d systems far from equilibrium modeled by conformal field theory, where two separated halves are prepared at distinct temperatures and glued together at a point contact. We prove that these systems converge towards steady states, and give a general description of such non-equilibrium steady states in terms of quantum field theory data. We compute the large deviation function, also called the full counting statistics, of energy transfer through the contact. These are universal and satisfy fluctuation relations. We provide a simple representation of these quantum fluctuations in terms of classical Poisson processes whose intensities are proportional to Boltzmann weights.

A DMFT+CTQMC Investigation of Strange Metallicity in Local Quantum Critical Scenario

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acharya, Swagata; Laad, M. S.; Taraphder, A.

2016-10-01

“Strange” metallicity is now a pseudonym for a novel metallic state exhibiting anomalous infra-red (branch-cut) continuum features in one- and two-particle responses. Here, we employ dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) using low-temperature continuous-time- quantum Monte-Carlo (CTQMC) solver for an extended periodic Anderson model (EPAM) model to investigate unusual magnetic fluctuations in the strange metal. We show how extinction of Landau quasiparticles in the orbital selective Mott phase (OSMP) leads to (i) qualitative explication of strange transport features and (ii) anomalous quantum critical magnetic fluctuations due to critical liquid-like features in dynamical spin fluctuations, in excellent accord with data in some f-electron systems.

Quantum random bit generation using energy fluctuations in stimulated Raman scattering.

PubMed

Bustard, Philip J; England, Duncan G; Nunn, Josh; Moffatt, Doug; Spanner, Michael; Lausten, Rune; Sussman, Benjamin J

2013-12-02

Random number sequences are a critical resource in modern information processing systems, with applications in cryptography, numerical simulation, and data sampling. We introduce a quantum random number generator based on the measurement of pulse energy quantum fluctuations in Stokes light generated by spontaneously-initiated stimulated Raman scattering. Bright Stokes pulse energy fluctuations up to five times the mean energy are measured with fast photodiodes and converted to unbiased random binary strings. Since the pulse energy is a continuous variable, multiple bits can be extracted from a single measurement. Our approach can be generalized to a wide range of Raman active materials; here we demonstrate a prototype using the optical phonon line in bulk diamond.

Out-of-time-order fluctuation-dissipation theorem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuji, Naoto; Shitara, Tomohiro; Ueda, Masahito

2018-01-01

We prove a generalized fluctuation-dissipation theorem for a certain class of out-of-time-ordered correlators (OTOCs) with a modified statistical average, which we call bipartite OTOCs, for general quantum systems in thermal equilibrium. The difference between the bipartite and physical OTOCs defined by the usual statistical average is quantified by a measure of quantum fluctuations known as the Wigner-Yanase skew information. Within this difference, the theorem describes a universal relation between chaotic behavior in quantum systems and a nonlinear-response function that involves a time-reversed process. We show that the theorem can be generalized to higher-order n -partite OTOCs as well as in the form of generalized covariance.

Electronic zero-point fluctuation forces inside circuit components

PubMed Central

Leonhardt, Ulf

2018-01-01

One of the most intriguing manifestations of quantum zero-point fluctuations are the van der Waals and Casimir forces, often associated with vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. We study generalized fluctuation potentials acting on internal degrees of freedom of components in electrical circuits. These electronic Casimir-like potentials are induced by the zero-point current fluctuations of any general conductive circuit. For realistic examples of an electromechanical capacitor and a superconducting qubit, our results reveal the possibility of tunable forces between the capacitor plates, or the level shifts of the qubit, respectively. Our analysis suggests an alternative route toward the exploration of Casimir-like fluctuation potentials, namely, by characterizing and measuring them as a function of parameters of the environment. These tunable potentials may be useful for future nanoelectromechanical and quantum technologies. PMID:29719863

Analysis of decoherence mechanisms in a single-atom quantum memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koerber, Matthias; Langenfeld, Stefan; Morin, Olivier; Neuzner, Andreas; Ritter, Stephan; Rempe, Gerhard

2017-04-01

While photons are ideal for the transmission of quantum information, they require dedicated memories for long-term storage. The challenge for such a photonic quantum memory is the combination of an efficient light-matter interface with a low-decoherence encoding. To increase the time before the quantum information is lost, a thorough analysis of the relevant decoherence mechanisms is indispensable. Our optical quantum memory consists of a single rubidium atom trapped in a two dimensional optical lattice in a high-finesse Fabry-Perot-type optical resonator. The qubit is initially stored in a superposition of Zeeman states, making magnetic field fluctuations the dominant source of decoherence. The impact to this type of noise is greatly reduced by transferring the qubit into a subspace less susceptible to magnetic field fluctuations. In this configuration, the achievable coherence times are no longer limited by those fluctuations, but decoherence mechanisms induced by the trapping beams pose a new limit. We will discuss the origin and magnitude of the relevant effects and strategies for possible resolutions.

Quantum-Critical Dynamics of the Skyrmion Lattice.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Andrew G.

2002-03-01

Slightly away from exact filling of the lowest Landau level, the quantum Hall ferromagnet contains a finite density of magnetic vortices or Skyrmions[1,2]. These Skyrmions are expected to form a square lattice[3], the low energy excitations of which (translation/phonon modes and rotation/breathing modes) lead to dramatically enhanced nuclear relaxation[4,5]. Upon changing the filling fraction, the rotational modes undergo a quantum phase transition where zero-point fluctuations destroy the orientational order of the Skyrmions[4,6]. I will discuss the effect of this quantum critical point upon nuclear spin relaxation[7]. [1]S. L. Sondhi et al., Phys. Rev. B47, 16419 (1993). [2]S. E. Barrett et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 5112 (1995), A. Schmeller et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 4290 (1995). [3]L. Brey et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 2562 (1995). [4]R. Côté et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 4825 (1997). [5]R. Tycko et al., Science 268, 1460 (1995). [6]Yu V. Nazarov and A. V. Khaetskii, Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 576 (1998). [7]A. G. Green, Phys. Rev. B61, R16 299 (2000).

Phase diagram of the quantum Ising model with long-range interactions on an infinite-cylinder triangular lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saadatmand, S. N.; Bartlett, S. D.; McCulloch, I. P.

2018-04-01

Obtaining quantitative ground-state behavior for geometrically-frustrated quantum magnets with long-range interactions is challenging for numerical methods. Here, we demonstrate that the ground states of these systems on two-dimensional lattices can be efficiently obtained using state-of-the-art translation-invariant variants of matrix product states and density-matrix renormalization-group algorithms. We use these methods to calculate the fully-quantitative ground-state phase diagram of the long-range interacting triangular Ising model with a transverse field on six-leg infinite-length cylinders and scrutinize the properties of the detected phases. We compare these results with those of the corresponding nearest neighbor model. Our results suggest that, for such long-range Hamiltonians, the long-range quantum fluctuations always lead to long-range correlations, where correlators exhibit power-law decays instead of the conventional exponential drops observed for short-range correlated gapped phases. Our results are relevant for comparisons with recent ion-trap quantum simulator experiments that demonstrate highly-controllable long-range spin couplings for several hundred ions.

Magnetism in Na-filled Fe-based skutterudites

DOE PAGES

Xing, Guangzong; Fan, Xiaofeng; Zheng, Weitao; ...

2015-06-01

The interplay of superconductivity and magnetism is a subject of ongoing interest, stimulated most recently by the discovery of Fe-based superconductivity and the recognition that spin-fluctuations near a magnetic quantum critical point may provide an explanation for the superconductivity and the order parameter. We investigate magnetism in the Na filled Fe-based skutterudites using first principles calculations. NaFe 4Sb 12 is a known ferromagnet near a quantum critical point. We find a ferromagnetic metallic state for this compound driven by a Stoner type instability, consistent with prior work. In accord with prior work, the magnetization is overestimated, as expected for amore » material near an itinerant ferromagnetic quantum critical point. NaFe 4P 12 also shows a ferromagnetic instability at the density functional level, but this instability is much weaker than that of NaFe 4Sb 12, possibly placing it on the paramagnetic side of the quantum critical point. NaFe 4As 12 shows intermediate behavior. We also present results for skutterudite FeSb 3, which is a metastable phase that has been reported in thin film form.« less

Singular Valence Fluctuations at a Kondo Destroyed Quantum Critical Point

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pixley, Jedediah; Kirchner, Stefan; Ingersent, Kevin; Si, Qimiao

2012-02-01

Recent experiments on the heavy fermion superconductor beta-YbAlB4 have indicated that this compound satisfies quantum critical scaling [1]. Motivated by the observation of mixed valency in this material [2], we study the Kondo destruction physics in the mixed-valence regime [3] of a particle-hole asymmetric Anderson impurity model with a pseudogapped density of states. In the vicinity of the quantum critical point we determine the finite temperature spin and charge susceptibilities by utilizing a continuous time quantum Monte Carlo method [4] and the numerical renormalization group. We show that this mixed-valence quantum critical point displays a Kondo breakdown effect. Furthermore, we find that both dynamic spin and charge susceptibilities obey frequency over temperature scaling, and that the static charge susceptibility diverges with a universal exponent. Possible implications of our results for beta-YbAlB4 are discussed. [1] Matsumoto et al, Science 331, 316 (2011). [2] Okawaet al, Physical Review Letters 104, 247201 (2010). [3] J. H. Pixley, S. Kirchner, Kevin Ingersent and Q. Si, arXiv:1108.5227v1 (2011). [4] M. Glossop, S. Kirchner, J. H. Pixley and Q. Si, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 076404 (2011).

Understanding the influence of solvent field and fluctuations on the stability of photo-induced charge-separated state in molecular triad

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balamurugan, D.; Aquino, Adelia; Lischka, Hans; Dios, Francis; Flores, Lionel; Cheung, Margaret

2013-03-01

Molecular triad composed of fullerene, porphyrin, and carotene is an artificial analogue of natural photosynthetic system and is considered for applications in solar energy conversion because of its ability to produce long-lived photo-induced charge separated state. The goal of the present multiscale simulation is to understand how the stability of photo-induced charge-separated state in molecular triad is influenced by a polar organic solvent, namely tetrahydrofuran (THF). The multiscale approach is based on combined quantum, classical molecular dynamics, and statistical physics calculations. The quantum chemical calculations were performed on the triad using the second order algebraic diagrammatic perturbation and time-dependent density functional theory. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed on triad in a box of THF solvent with the replica exchange method. The two methods on different length and time scales are bridged through an important sampling technique. We have analyzed the free energy landscape, structural fluctuations, and the long- range electrostatic interactions between triad and solvent molecules. The results suggest that the polarity and re-organization of the solvent is critical in stabilization of charge-separated state in triad. Supported by DOE (DE-FG02-10ER16175)

Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution with correlated source-light-intensity errors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Cong; Yu, Zong-Wen; Wang, Xiang-Bin

2018-04-01

We present an analysis for measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution with correlated source-light-intensity errors. Numerical results show that the results here can greatly improve the key rate especially with large intensity fluctuations and channel attenuation compared with prior results if the intensity fluctuations of different sources are correlated.

Ericson fluctuations in an open deterministic quantum system: theory meets experiment.

PubMed

Madroñero, Javier; Buchleitner, Andreas

2005-12-31

We provide numerically exact photoexcitation cross sections of rubidium Rydberg states in crossed, static electric, and magnetic fields, in quantitative agreement with recent experimental results. Their spectral backbone underpins a clear transition towards the Ericson regime, associated with a universal, fluctuating behavior of the cross section of strongly coupled, fragmenting quantum systems.

Spin dynamics near a putative antiferromagnetic quantum critical point in Cu-substituted BaFe 2 As 2 and its relation to high-temperature superconductivity

DOE PAGES

Kim, M. G.; Wang, M.; Tucker, G. S.; ...

2015-12-02

We present the results of elastic and inelastic neutron scattering measurements on nonsuperconducting Ba(Fe 0.957Cu 0.043) 2As 2, a composition close to a quantum critical point between antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordered and paramagnetic phases. By comparing these results with the spin fluctuations in the low-Cu composition as well as the parent compound BaFe 2As 2 and superconducting Ba(Fe 1–xNi x) 2As 2 compounds, we demonstrate that paramagnon-like spin fluctuations are evident in the antiferromagnetically ordered state of Ba(Fe 0.957Cu 0.043) 2As 2, which is distinct from the AFM-like spin fluctuations in the superconducting compounds. Our observations suggest that Cu substitution decouplesmore » the interaction between quasiparticles and the spin fluctuations. In addition, we show that the spin-spin correlation length ξ(T) increases rapidly as the temperature is lowered and find ω/T scaling behavior, the hallmark of quantum criticality, at an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point.« less

Rotational symmetry breaking toward a string-valence bond solid phase in frustrated J1 -J2 transverse field Ising model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadrzadeh, M.; Langari, A.

2018-06-01

We study the effect of quantum fluctuations by means of a transverse magnetic field (Γ) on the highly degenerate ground state of antiferromagnetic J1 -J2 Ising model on the square lattice, at the limit J2 /J1 = 0.5 . We show that harmonic quantum fluctuations based on single spin flips can not lift such degeneracy, however an-harmonic quantum fluctuations based on multi spin cluster flip excitations lift the degeneracy toward a unique ground state with string-valence bond solid (VBS) nature. A cluster operator formalism has been implemented to incorporate an-harmonic quantum fluctuations. We show that cluster-type excitations of the model lead not only to lower the excitation energy compared with a single-spin flip but also to lift the extensive degeneracy in favor of a string-VBS state, which breaks lattice rotational symmetry with only two fold degeneracy. The tendency toward the broken symmetry state is justified by numerical exact diagonalization. Moreover, we introduce a map to find the relation between the present model on the checkerboard and square lattices.

A proof of the Biswas-Mitra-Bhattacharyya conjecture for the ideal quantum gas trapped under the generic power law potential U=\\sum\

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehedi Faruk, Mir; Muktadir Rahman, Md

2016-03-01

The well known relation for ideal classical gas $\\Delta \\epsilon^2=kT^2 C_V$ which does not remain valid for quantum system is revisited. A new connection is established between energy fluctuation and specific heat for quantum gases, valid in the classical limit and the degenerate quantum regime as well. Most importantly the proposed Biswas-Mitra-Bhattacharyya (BMB) conjecture (Biswas $et.$ $al.$, J. Stat. Mech. P03013, 2015.) relating hump in energy fluctuation and discontinuity of specific heat is proved and precised in this manuscript.

Quantum Spin Stabilized Magnetic Levitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusconi, C. C.; Pöchhacker, V.; Kustura, K.; Cirac, J. I.; Romero-Isart, O.

2017-10-01

We theoretically show that, despite Earnshaw's theorem, a nonrotating single magnetic domain nanoparticle can be stably levitated in an external static magnetic field. The stabilization relies on the quantum spin origin of magnetization, namely, the gyromagnetic effect. We predict the existence of two stable phases related to the Einstein-de Haas effect and the Larmor precession. At a stable point, we derive a quadratic Hamiltonian that describes the quantum fluctuations of the degrees of freedom of the system. We show that, in the absence of thermal fluctuations, the quantum state of the nanomagnet at the equilibrium point contains entanglement and squeezing.

Quantum Spin Stabilized Magnetic Levitation.

PubMed

Rusconi, C C; Pöchhacker, V; Kustura, K; Cirac, J I; Romero-Isart, O

2017-10-20

We theoretically show that, despite Earnshaw's theorem, a nonrotating single magnetic domain nanoparticle can be stably levitated in an external static magnetic field. The stabilization relies on the quantum spin origin of magnetization, namely, the gyromagnetic effect. We predict the existence of two stable phases related to the Einstein-de Haas effect and the Larmor precession. At a stable point, we derive a quadratic Hamiltonian that describes the quantum fluctuations of the degrees of freedom of the system. We show that, in the absence of thermal fluctuations, the quantum state of the nanomagnet at the equilibrium point contains entanglement and squeezing.

Quantum fluctuations of the superconducting cosmic string

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Shoucheng

1987-01-01

Quantum fluctuations of the proposed superconducting string with Bose charge carriers are studied in terms of the vortices on the string world sheet. In the thermodynamical limit, it is found that they appear in the form of free vortices rather than as bound pairs. This fluctuation mode violates the topological conservation law on which superconductivity is based. However, this limit may not be reached. The critical size of the superconducting string is estimated as a function of the coupling constants involved.

Bistability and displacement fluctuations in a quantum nanomechanical oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avriller, R.; Murr, B.; Pistolesi, F.

2018-04-01

Remarkable features have been predicted for the mechanical fluctuations at the bistability transition of a classical oscillator coupled capacitively to a quantum dot [Micchi et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 206802 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.206802]. These results have been obtained in the regime ℏ ω0≪kBT ≪ℏ Γ , where ω0, T , and Γ are the mechanical resonating frequency, the temperature, and the tunneling rate, respectively. A similar behavior could be expected in the quantum regime of ℏ Γ ≪kBT ≪ℏ ω0 . We thus calculate the energy- and displacement-fluctuation spectra and study their behavior as a function of the electromechanical coupling constant when the system enters the Frank-Condon regime. We find that in analogy with the classical case, the energy-fluctuation spectrum and the displacement spectrum widths show a maximum for values of the coupling constant at which a mechanical bistability is established.

Quantum phase slip phenomenon in ultra-narrow superconducting nanorings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arutyunov, Konstantin Yu.; Hongisto, Terhi T.; Lehtinen, Janne S.; Leino, Leena I.; Vasiliev, Alexander L.

2012-02-01

The smaller the system, typically - the higher is the impact of fluctuations. In narrow superconducting wires sufficiently close to the critical temperature Tc thermal fluctuations are responsible for the experimentally observable finite resistance. Quite recently it became possible to fabricate sub-10 nm superconducting structures, where the finite resistivity was reported within the whole range of experimentally obtainable temperatures. The observation has been associated with quantum fluctuations capable to quench zero resistivity in superconducting nanowires even at temperatures T-->0. Here we demonstrate that in tiny superconducting nanorings the same phenomenon is responsible for suppression of another basic attribute of superconductivity - persistent currents - dramatically affecting their magnitude, the period and the shape of the current-phase relation. The effect is of fundamental importance demonstrating the impact of quantum fluctuations on the ground state of a macroscopically coherent system, and should be taken into consideration in various nanoelectronic applications.

Infinite order quantum-gravitational correlations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knorr, Benjamin

2018-06-01

A new approximation scheme for nonperturbative renormalisation group equations for quantum gravity is introduced. Correlation functions of arbitrarily high order can be studied by resolving the full dependence of the renormalisation group equations on the fluctuation field (graviton). This is reminiscent of a local potential approximation in O(N)-symmetric field theories. As a first proof of principle, we derive the flow equation for the ‘graviton potential’ induced by a conformal fluctuation and corrections induced by a gravitational wave fluctuation. Indications are found that quantum gravity might be in a non-metric phase in the deep ultraviolet. The present setup significantly improves the quality of previous fluctuation vertex studies by including infinitely many couplings, thereby testing the reliability of schemes to identify different couplings to close the equations, and represents an important step towards the resolution of the Nielsen identity. The setup further allows one, in principle, to address the question of putative gravitational condensates.

Isocurvature constraints and anharmonic effects on QCD axion dark matter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kobayashi, Takeshi; Kurematsu, Ryosuke; Takahashi, Fuminobu, E-mail: takeshi@cita.utoronto.ca, E-mail: rkurematsu@tuhep.phys.tohoku.ac.jp, E-mail: fumi@tuhep.phys.tohoku.ac.jp

2013-09-01

We revisit the isocurvature density perturbations induced by quantum fluctuations of the axion field by extending a recently developed analytic method and approximations to a time-dependent scalar potential, which enables us to follow the evolution of the axion until it starts to oscillate. We find that, as the initial misalignment angle approaches the hilltop of the potential, the isocurvature perturbations become significantly enhanced, while the non-Gaussianity parameter increases slowly but surely. As a result, the isocurvature constraint on the inflation scale is tightened as H{sub inf}∼

Helical Spin Order from Topological Dirac and Weyl Semimetals

DOE PAGES

Sun, Xiao-Qi; Zhang, Shou-Cheng; Wang, Zhong

2015-08-14

In this paper, we study dynamical mass generation and the resultant helical spin orders in topological Dirac and Weyl semimetals, including the edge states of quantum spin Hall insulators, the surface states of weak topological insulators, and the bulk materials of Weyl semimetals. In particular, the helical spin textures of Weyl semimetals manifest the spin-momentum locking of Weyl fermions in a visible manner. Finally, the spin-wave fluctuations of the helical order carry electric charge density; therefore, the spin textures can be electrically controlled in a simple and predictable manner.

Zero-index structures as an alternative platform for quantum optics

PubMed Central

Liberal, Iñigo

2017-01-01

Vacuum fluctuations are one of the most distinctive aspects of quantum optics, being the trigger of multiple nonclassical phenomena. Thus, platforms like resonant cavities and photonic crystals that enable the inhibition and manipulation of vacuum fluctuations have been key to our ability to control light–matter interactions (e.g., the decay of quantum emitters). Here, we theoretically demonstrate that vacuum fluctuations may be naturally inhibited within bodies immersed in epsilon-and-mu-near-zero (EMNZ) media, while they can also be selectively excited via bound eigenmodes. Therefore, zero-index structures are proposed as an alternative platform to manipulate the decay of quantum emitters, possibly leading to the exploration of qualitatively different dynamics. For example, a direct modulation of the vacuum Rabi frequency is obtained by deforming the EMNZ region without detuning a bound eigenmode. Ideas for the possible implementation of these concepts using synthetic implementations based on structural dispersion are also proposed. PMID:28096367

Zero-index structures as an alternative platform for quantum optics.

PubMed

Liberal, Iñigo; Engheta, Nader

2017-01-31

Vacuum fluctuations are one of the most distinctive aspects of quantum optics, being the trigger of multiple nonclassical phenomena. Thus, platforms like resonant cavities and photonic crystals that enable the inhibition and manipulation of vacuum fluctuations have been key to our ability to control light-matter interactions (e.g., the decay of quantum emitters). Here, we theoretically demonstrate that vacuum fluctuations may be naturally inhibited within bodies immersed in epsilon-and-mu-near-zero (EMNZ) media, while they can also be selectively excited via bound eigenmodes. Therefore, zero-index structures are proposed as an alternative platform to manipulate the decay of quantum emitters, possibly leading to the exploration of qualitatively different dynamics. For example, a direct modulation of the vacuum Rabi frequency is obtained by deforming the EMNZ region without detuning a bound eigenmode. Ideas for the possible implementation of these concepts using synthetic implementations based on structural dispersion are also proposed.

Phenomenology with fluctuating quantum geometries in loop quantum cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agullo, Ivan; Ashtekar, Abhay; Gupt, Brajesh

2017-04-01

The goal of this paper is to probe phenomenological implications of large fluctuations of quantum geometry in the Planck era, using cosmology of the early universe. For the background (Friedmann, Lemaître, Robertson, Walker) quantum geometry, we allow ‘widely spread’ states in which the relative dispersions are as large as 168 % in the Planck regime. By introducing suitable methods to overcome the ensuing conceptual and computational issues, we calculate the power spectrum {{P}R}(k) and the spectral index n s (k) of primordial curvature perturbations. These results generalize the previous work in loop quantum cosmology which focused on those states which were known to remain sharply peaked throughout the Planck regime. Surprisingly, even though the fluctuations we now consider are large, their presence does not add new features to the final {{P}R}(k) and n s (k): within observational error bars, their effect is degenerate with a different freedom in the theory, namely the number of pre-inflationary e-folds {{N}\\text{B\\star}} between the bounce and the onset of inflation. Therefore, with regard to observational consequences, one can simulate the freedom in the choice of states with large fluctuations in the Planck era using the simpler, sharply peaked states, simply by allowing for different values of {{N}\\text{B \\star}} .

Inelastic Light Scattering Measurements of a Pressure-Induced Quantum Liquid in KCuF3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, S.; Kim, M.; Seeley, J. T.; Lee, J. C. T.; Lal, S.; Abbamonte, P.; Cooper, S. L.

2012-11-01

Pressure-dependent, low-temperature inelastic light (Raman) scattering measurements of KCuF3 show that applied pressure above P*˜7kbar suppresses a previously observed structural phase transition temperature to zero temperature in KCuF3, resulting in the development of a fluctuational (quasielastic) response near T˜0K. This pressure-induced fluctuational response—which we associate with slow fluctuations of the CuF6 octahedral orientation—is temperature independent and exhibits a characteristic fluctuation rate that is much larger than the temperature, consistent with quantum fluctuations of the CuF6 octahedra. A model of pseudospin-phonon coupling provides a qualitative description of both the temperature- and pressure-dependent evolution of the Raman spectra of KCuF3.

Gravitational Thermodynamics for Interstellar Gas and Weakly Degenerate Quantum Gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Ding Yu; Shen, Jian Qi

2016-03-01

The temperature distribution of an ideal gas in gravitational fields has been identified as a longstanding problem in thermodynamics and statistical physics. According to the principle of entropy increase (i.e., the principle of maximum entropy), we apply a variational principle to the thermodynamical entropy functional of an ideal gas and establish a relationship between temperature gradient and gravitational field strength. As an illustrative example, the temperature and density distributions of an ideal gas in two simple but typical gravitational fields (i.e., a uniform gravitational field and an inverse-square gravitational field) are considered on the basis of entropic and hydrostatic equilibrium conditions. The effect of temperature inhomogeneity in gravitational fields is also addressed for a weakly degenerate quantum gas (e.g., Fermi and Bose gas). The present gravitational thermodynamics of a gas would have potential applications in quantum fluids, e.g., Bose-Einstein condensates in Earth’s gravitational field and the temperature fluctuation spectrum in cosmic microwave background radiation.

Deuteration as a Means to Tune Crystallinity of Conducting Polymers

DOE PAGES

Jakowski, Jacek; Huang, Jingsong; Garashchuk, Sophya; ...

2017-08-25

The effects of deuterium isotope substitution on conjugated polymer chain stacking of poly(3-hexylthiophene) is studied in this paper experimentally by X-ray diffraction (XRD) in combination with gel permeation chromatography and theoretically using density functional theory and quantum molecular dynamics. For four P3HT materials with different levels of deuteration (pristine, main-chain deuterated, side-chain deuterated, and fully deuterated), the XRD measurements show that main-chain thiophene deuteration significantly reduces crystallinity, regardless of the side-chain deuteration. The reduction of crystallinity due to the main-chain deuteration is a quantum nuclear effect resulting from a static zero-point vibrational energy combined with a dynamic correlation of themore » dipole fluctuations. The quantum molecular dynamics simulations confirm the interchain correlation of the proton–proton and deuteron–deuteron motions but not of the proton–deuteron motion. Thus and finally, isotopic purity is an important factor affecting stability and properties of conjugated polymer crystals, which should be considered in the design of electronic and spintronic devices.« less

Deuteration as a Means to Tune Crystallinity of Conducting Polymers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jakowski, Jacek; Huang, Jingsong; Garashchuk, Sophya

The effects of deuterium isotope substitution on conjugated polymer chain stacking of poly(3-hexylthiophene) is studied in this paper experimentally by X-ray diffraction (XRD) in combination with gel permeation chromatography and theoretically using density functional theory and quantum molecular dynamics. For four P3HT materials with different levels of deuteration (pristine, main-chain deuterated, side-chain deuterated, and fully deuterated), the XRD measurements show that main-chain thiophene deuteration significantly reduces crystallinity, regardless of the side-chain deuteration. The reduction of crystallinity due to the main-chain deuteration is a quantum nuclear effect resulting from a static zero-point vibrational energy combined with a dynamic correlation of themore » dipole fluctuations. The quantum molecular dynamics simulations confirm the interchain correlation of the proton–proton and deuteron–deuteron motions but not of the proton–deuteron motion. Thus and finally, isotopic purity is an important factor affecting stability and properties of conjugated polymer crystals, which should be considered in the design of electronic and spintronic devices.« less

Photon Statistics of Propagating Thermal Microwaves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deppe, F.; Goetz, J.; Eder, P.; Fischer, M.; Pogorzalek, S.; Xie, E.; Fedorov, K. G.; Marx, A.; Gross, R.

In experiments with superconducting quantum circuits, characterizing the photon statistics of propagating microwave fields is a fundamental task. This task is in particular relevant for thermal fields, which are omnipresent noise sources in superconducting quantum circuits covering all relevant frequency regimes. We quantify the n2 + n photon number variance of thermal microwave photons emitted from a black-body radiator for mean photon numbers 0 . 05 <= n <= 1 . 5. In addition, we also use the fields as a sensitive probe for second-order decoherence effects of the qubit. Specifically, we investigate the influence of thermal fields on the low-frequency spectrum of the qubit parameter fluctuations. We find an enhacement of the white noise contribution of the noise power spectral density. Our data confirms a model of thermally activated two-level states interacting with the qubit. Supported by the German Research Foundation through FE 1564/1-1, the doctorate programs ExQM of the Elite Network of Bavaria, and the IMPRS Quantum Science and Technology.

Anharmonic and Quantum Fluctuations in Molecular Crystals from Ab Initio Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, Mariana; Gasparotto, Piero; Ceriotti, Michele

Molecular crystals often exist in multiple competing polymorphs which are challenging to be predicted computationally, but show significantly different physicochemical properties. This challenge is not due only to the combinatorial search space, but also to the complex interplay of subtle effects determine the relative stability of different structures. Here we estimate all contributions to the free energies of these systems with density-functional theory, including the oft-neglected anharmonic contributions and nuclear quantum effects, by using a series of different flavors of thermodynamic integration. As an example, for the two most stable forms of paracetamol we find that anharmonic contributions, different descriptions of van der Waals interactions, and nuclear quantum effects all matter to quantitatively determine the stability of different phases. Our studies indicate that anharmonic free energies could play an important role for molecular crystals composed by large molecules and opens the way for a systematic inclusion of these effects in order to obtain a predictive screening of structures.

Two-terminal conductance fluctuations in the integer quantum Hall regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho, Chang-Ming

1999-09-01

Motivated by recent experiments on the conductance fluctuations in mesoscopic integer quantum Hall systems, we consider a model in which the Coulomb interactions are incorporated into the picture of edge-state transport through a single saddle point. The occupancies of classical localized states in the two-dimensional electron system change due to the interactions between electrons when the gate voltage on top of the device is varied. The electrostatic potential between the localized states and the saddle point causes fluctuations of the saddle-point potential and thus fluctuations of the transmission probability of edge states. This simple model is studied numerically and compared with the observation.

Evidence for pressure-tuned quantum structural fluctuations in KCuF3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, S.; Kim, M.; Seeley, J.; Lal, S.; Abbamonte, P.; Cooper, S. L.

2012-02-01

Frustrated magnetic systems are currently of great interest because of the possibility that these materials exhibit novel ground states such as orbital and spin liquids. We provide evidence in the orbital-ordering material KCuF3 for pressure-tuned quantum melting of a static structural phase to a phase that dynamically fluctuates even near T ˜ 0K.[1] Pressure-dependent Raman scattering measurements show that applied pressure above P* ˜ 7kbar reverses a low temperature structural distortion in KCuF3, resulting in the development of a φ ˜ 0 fluctuational (quasielastic) response near T ˜ 0K. This pressure-induced fluctuational response is temperature independent and exhibits a characteristic fluctuation rate that is much larger than the temperature, γ >> KBT, consistent with quantum fluctuations of the CuF6 octahedra. We show that a previous developed model of pseudospin-phonon coupling qualitatively describes both the temperature- and pressure-dependent evolution of the Raman spectra of KCuF3. Work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Award No. DE-FG02-07ER46453 and by the National Science Foundation under Grant NSF DMR 08-56321. [4pt] [1] S. Yuan et al., arXiv:1107.1433 (2011).

Black hole formation in a contracting universe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Quintin, Jerome; Brandenberger, Robert H., E-mail: jquintin@physics.mcgill.ca, E-mail: rhb@hep.physics.mcgill.ca

We study the evolution of cosmological perturbations in a contracting universe. We aim to determine under which conditions density perturbations grow to form large inhomogeneities and collapse into black holes. Our method consists in solving the cosmological perturbation equations in complete generality for a hydrodynamical fluid. We then describe the evolution of the fluctuations over the different length scales of interest and as a function of the equation of state for the fluid, and we explore two different types of initial conditions: quantum vacuum and thermal fluctuations. We also derive a general requirement for black hole collapse on sub-Hubble scales,more » and we use the Press-Schechter formalism to describe the black hole formation probability. For a fluid with a small sound speed (e.g., dust), we find that both quantum and thermal initial fluctuations grow in a contracting universe, and the largest inhomogeneities that first collapse into black holes are of Hubble size and the collapse occurs well before reaching the Planck scale. For a radiation-dominated fluid, we find that no black hole can form before reaching the Planck scale. In the context of matter bounce cosmology, it thus appears that only models in which a radiation-dominated era begins early in the cosmological evolution are robust against the formation of black holes. Yet, the formation of black holes might be an interesting feature for other models. We comment on a number of possible alternative early universe scenarios that could take advantage of this feature.« less

Temporal fluctuations after a quantum quench: Many-particle dephasing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marquardt, Florian; Kiendl, Thomas

After a quantum quench, the expectation values of observables continue to fluctuate in time. In the thermodynamic limit, one expects such fluctuations to decrease to zero, in order for standard statistical physics to hold. However, it is a challenge to determine analytically how the fluctuations decay as a function of system size. So far, there have been analytical predictions for integrable models (which are, naturally, somewhat special), analytical bounds for arbitrary systems, and numerical results for moderate-size systems. We have discovered a dynamical regime where the decrease of fluctuations is driven by many-particle dephasing, instead of a redistribution of occupation numbers. On the basis of this insight, we are able to provide exact analytical expressions for a model with weak integrability breaking (transverse Ising chain with additional terms). These predictions explicitly show how fluctuations are exponentially suppressed with system size.

Revealing hidden antiferromagnetic correlations in doped Hubbard chains via string correlators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hilker, Timon A.; Salomon, Guillaume; Grusdt, Fabian; Omran, Ahmed; Boll, Martin; Demler, Eugene; Bloch, Immanuel; Gross, Christian

2017-08-01

Topological phases, like the Haldane phase in spin-1 chains, defy characterization through local order parameters. Instead, nonlocal string order parameters can be employed to reveal their hidden order. Similar diluted magnetic correlations appear in doped one-dimensional lattice systems owing to the phenomenon of spin-charge separation. Here we report on the direct observation of such hidden magnetic correlations via quantum gas microscopy of hole-doped ultracold Fermi-Hubbard chains. The measurement of nonlocal spin-density correlation functions reveals a hidden finite-range antiferromagnetic order, a direct consequence of spin-charge separation. Our technique, which measures nonlocal order directly, can be readily extended to higher dimensions to study the complex interplay between magnetic order and density fluctuations.

Interferometric tests of Planckian quantum geometry models

DOE PAGES

Kwon, Ohkyung; Hogan, Craig J.

2016-04-19

The effect of Planck scale quantum geometrical effects on measurements with interferometers is estimated with standard physics, and with a variety of proposed extensions. It is shown that effects are negligible in standard field theory with canonically quantized gravity. Statistical noise levels are estimated in a variety of proposals for nonstandard metric fluctuations, and these alternatives are constrained using upper bounds on stochastic metric fluctuations from LIGO. Idealized models of several interferometer system architectures are used to predict signal noise spectra in a quantum geometry that cannot be described by a fluctuating metric, in which position noise arises from holographicmore » bounds on directional information. Lastly, predictions in this case are shown to be close to current and projected experimental bounds.« less

Generating Converged Accurate Free Energy Surfaces for Chemical Reactions with a Force-Matched Semiempirical Model.

PubMed

Kroonblawd, Matthew P; Pietrucci, Fabio; Saitta, Antonino Marco; Goldman, Nir

2018-04-10

We demonstrate the capability of creating robust density functional tight binding (DFTB) models for chemical reactivity in prebiotic mixtures through force matching to short time scale quantum free energy estimates. Molecular dynamics using density functional theory (DFT) is a highly accurate approach to generate free energy surfaces for chemical reactions, but the extreme computational cost often limits the time scales and range of thermodynamic states that can feasibly be studied. In contrast, DFTB is a semiempirical quantum method that affords up to a thousandfold reduction in cost and can recover DFT-level accuracy. Here, we show that a force-matched DFTB model for aqueous glycine condensation reactions yields free energy surfaces that are consistent with experimental observations of reaction energetics. Convergence analysis reveals that multiple nanoseconds of combined trajectory are needed to reach a steady-fluctuating free energy estimate for glycine condensation. Predictive accuracy of force-matched DFTB is demonstrated by direct comparison to DFT, with the two approaches yielding surfaces with large regions that differ by only a few kcal mol -1 .

Generating Converged Accurate Free Energy Surfaces for Chemical Reactions with a Force-Matched Semiempirical Model

DOE PAGES

Kroonblawd, Matthew P.; Pietrucci, Fabio; Saitta, Antonino Marco; ...

2018-03-15

Here, we demonstrate the capability of creating robust density functional tight binding (DFTB) models for chemical reactivity in prebiotic mixtures through force matching to short time scale quantum free energy estimates. Molecular dynamics using density functional theory (DFT) is a highly accurate approach to generate free energy surfaces for chemical reactions, but the extreme computational cost often limits the time scales and range of thermodynamic states that can feasibly be studied. In contrast, DFTB is a semiempirical quantum method that affords up to a thousandfold reduction in cost and can recover DFT-level accuracy. Here, we show that a force-matched DFTBmore » model for aqueous glycine condensation reactions yields free energy surfaces that are consistent with experimental observations of reaction energetics. Convergence analysis reveals that multiple nanoseconds of combined trajectory are needed to reach a steady-fluctuating free energy estimate for glycine condensation. Predictive accuracy of force-matched DFTB is demonstrated by direct comparison to DFT, with the two approaches yielding surfaces with large regions that differ by only a few kcal mol –1.« less

Generating Converged Accurate Free Energy Surfaces for Chemical Reactions with a Force-Matched Semiempirical Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kroonblawd, Matthew P.; Pietrucci, Fabio; Saitta, Antonino Marco

Here, we demonstrate the capability of creating robust density functional tight binding (DFTB) models for chemical reactivity in prebiotic mixtures through force matching to short time scale quantum free energy estimates. Molecular dynamics using density functional theory (DFT) is a highly accurate approach to generate free energy surfaces for chemical reactions, but the extreme computational cost often limits the time scales and range of thermodynamic states that can feasibly be studied. In contrast, DFTB is a semiempirical quantum method that affords up to a thousandfold reduction in cost and can recover DFT-level accuracy. Here, we show that a force-matched DFTBmore » model for aqueous glycine condensation reactions yields free energy surfaces that are consistent with experimental observations of reaction energetics. Convergence analysis reveals that multiple nanoseconds of combined trajectory are needed to reach a steady-fluctuating free energy estimate for glycine condensation. Predictive accuracy of force-matched DFTB is demonstrated by direct comparison to DFT, with the two approaches yielding surfaces with large regions that differ by only a few kcal mol –1.« less

Mitigating Structural Defects in Droop-Minimizing InGaN/GaN Quantum Well Heterostructures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Zhibo; Chesin, Jordan; Singh, Akshay

2016-12-01

Modern commercial InGaN/GaN blue LEDs continue to suffer from efficiency droop, a reduction in efficiency with increasing drive current. External quantum efficiency (EQE) typically peaks at low drive currents (< 10 A cm 2) and drops monotonically at higher current densities, falling to <85% of the peak EQE at a drive current of 100 A cm 2. Mitigating droop-related losses will yield tremendous gains in both luminous efficacy (lumens/W) and cost (lumens/$). Such improvements are critical for continued large-scale market penetration of LED technologies, particularly in high-power and high flux per unit area applications. However, device structures that reduce droopmore » typically require higher indium content and are accompanied by a corresponding degradation in material quality which negates the droop improvement via enhanced Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) recombination. In this work, we use advanced characterization techniques to identify and classify structural defects in InGaN/GaN quantum well (QW) heterostructures that share features with low-droop designs. Using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (C s-STEM), we find the presence of severe well width fluctuations (WWFs) in a number of low droop device architectures. However, the presence of WWFs does not correlate strongly with external quantum efficiency nor defect densities measured via deep level optical spectroscopy (DLOS). Hence, performance losses in the heterostructures of interest are likely dominated by nanoscale point or interfacial defects rather than large-scale extended defects.« less

Quantum fluctuations in the BCS-BEC crossover of two-dimensional Fermi gases

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

He, Lianyi; Lu, Haifeng; Cao, Gaoqing

2015-08-14

We present a theoretical study of the ground state of the BCS-BEC crossover in dilute two-dimensional Fermi gases. While the mean-field theory provides a simple and analytical equation of state, the pressure is equal to that of a noninteracting Fermi gas in the entire BCS-BEC crossover, which is not consistent with the features of a weakly interacting Bose condensate in the BEC limit and a weakly interacting Fermi liquid in the BCS limit. The inadequacy of the two-dimensional mean-field theory indicates that the quantum fluctuations are much more pronounced than those in three dimensions. In this work, we show thatmore » the inclusion of the Gaussian quantum fluctuations naturally recovers the above features in both the BEC and the BCS limits. In the BEC limit, the missing logarithmic dependence on the boson chemical potential is recovered by the quantum fluctuations. Near the quantum phase transition from the vacuum to the BEC phase, we compare our equation of state with the known grand canonical equation of state of two-dimensional Bose gases and determine the ratio of the composite boson scattering length a B to the fermion scattering length a 2D. We find a B ≃ 0.56a 2D, in good agreement with the exact four-body calculation. As a result, we compare our equation of state in the BCS-BEC crossover with recent results from the quantum Monte Carlo simulations and the experimental measurements and find good agreements.« less

Superconductivity and non-Fermi liquid behavior near a nematic quantum critical point.

PubMed

Lederer, Samuel; Schattner, Yoni; Berg, Erez; Kivelson, Steven A

2017-05-09

Using determinantal quantum Monte Carlo, we compute the properties of a lattice model with spin [Formula: see text] itinerant electrons tuned through a quantum phase transition to an Ising nematic phase. The nematic fluctuations induce superconductivity with a broad dome in the superconducting [Formula: see text] enclosing the nematic quantum critical point. For temperatures above [Formula: see text], we see strikingly non-Fermi liquid behavior, including a "nodal-antinodal dichotomy" reminiscent of that seen in several transition metal oxides. In addition, the critical fluctuations have a strong effect on the low-frequency optical conductivity, resulting in behavior consistent with "bad metal" phenomenology.

A holographic model for the fractional quantum Hall effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lippert, Matthew; Meyer, René; Taliotis, Anastasios

2015-01-01

Experimental data for fractional quantum Hall systems can to a large extent be explained by assuming the existence of a Γ0(2) modular symmetry group commuting with the renormalization group flow and hence mapping different phases of two-dimensional electron gases into each other. Based on this insight, we construct a phenomenological holographic model which captures many features of the fractional quantum Hall effect. Using an -invariant Einstein-Maxwell-axio-dilaton theory capturing the important modular transformation properties of quantum Hall physics, we find dyonic diatonic black hole solutions which are gapped and have a Hall conductivity equal to the filling fraction, as expected for quantum Hall states. We also provide several technical results on the general behavior of the gauge field fluctuations around these dyonic dilatonic black hole solutions: we specify a sufficient criterion for IR normalizability of the fluctuations, demonstrate the preservation of the gap under the action, and prove that the singularity of the fluctuation problem in the presence of a magnetic field is an accessory singularity. We finish with a preliminary investigation of the possible IR scaling solutions of our model and some speculations on how they could be important for the observed universality of quantum Hall transitions.

Revisiting the Quantum Brain Hypothesis: Toward Quantum (Neuro)biology?

PubMed Central

Jedlicka, Peter

2017-01-01

The nervous system is a non-linear dynamical complex system with many feedback loops. A conventional wisdom is that in the brain the quantum fluctuations are self-averaging and thus functionally negligible. However, this intuition might be misleading in the case of non-linear complex systems. Because of an extreme sensitivity to initial conditions, in complex systems the microscopic fluctuations may be amplified and thereby affect the system’s behavior. In this way quantum dynamics might influence neuronal computations. Accumulating evidence in non-neuronal systems indicates that biological evolution is able to exploit quantum stochasticity. The recent rise of quantum biology as an emerging field at the border between quantum physics and the life sciences suggests that quantum events could play a non-trivial role also in neuronal cells. Direct experimental evidence for this is still missing but future research should address the possibility that quantum events contribute to an extremely high complexity, variability and computational power of neuronal dynamics. PMID:29163041

Quantum electric-dipole liquid on a triangular lattice.

PubMed

Shen, Shi-Peng; Wu, Jia-Chuan; Song, Jun-Da; Sun, Xue-Feng; Yang, Yi-Feng; Chai, Yi-Sheng; Shang, Da-Shan; Wang, Shou-Guo; Scott, James F; Sun, Young

2016-02-04

Geometric frustration and quantum fluctuations may prohibit the formation of long-range ordering even at the lowest temperature, and therefore liquid-like ground states could be expected. A good example is the quantum spin liquid in frustrated magnets. Geometric frustration and quantum fluctuations can happen beyond magnetic systems. Here we propose that quantum electric-dipole liquids, analogues of quantum spin liquids, could emerge in frustrated dielectrics where antiferroelectrically coupled electric dipoles reside on a triangular lattice. The quantum paraelectric hexaferrite BaFe12O19 with geometric frustration represents a promising candidate for the proposed electric-dipole liquid. We present a series of experimental lines of evidence, including dielectric permittivity, heat capacity and thermal conductivity measured down to 66 mK, to reveal the existence of an unusual liquid-like quantum phase in BaFe12O19, characterized by itinerant low-energy excitations with a small gap. The possible quantum liquids of electric dipoles in frustrated dielectrics open up a fresh playground for fundamental physics.

Revisiting the Quantum Brain Hypothesis: Toward Quantum (Neuro)biology?

PubMed

Jedlicka, Peter

2017-01-01

The nervous system is a non-linear dynamical complex system with many feedback loops. A conventional wisdom is that in the brain the quantum fluctuations are self-averaging and thus functionally negligible. However, this intuition might be misleading in the case of non-linear complex systems. Because of an extreme sensitivity to initial conditions, in complex systems the microscopic fluctuations may be amplified and thereby affect the system's behavior. In this way quantum dynamics might influence neuronal computations. Accumulating evidence in non-neuronal systems indicates that biological evolution is able to exploit quantum stochasticity. The recent rise of quantum biology as an emerging field at the border between quantum physics and the life sciences suggests that quantum events could play a non-trivial role also in neuronal cells. Direct experimental evidence for this is still missing but future research should address the possibility that quantum events contribute to an extremely high complexity, variability and computational power of neuronal dynamics.

Robust quantum control using smooth pulses and topological winding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnes, Edwin; Wang, Xin

2015-03-01

Perhaps the greatest challenge in achieving control of microscopic quantum systems is the decoherence induced by the environment, a problem which pervades experimental quantum physics and is particularly severe in the context of solid state quantum computing and nanoscale quantum devices because of the inherently strong coupling to the surrounding material. We present an analytical approach to constructing intrinsically robust driving fields which automatically cancel the leading-order noise-induced errors in a qubit's evolution exactly. We address two of the most common types of non-Markovian noise that arise in qubits: slow fluctuations of the qubit energy splitting and fluctuations in the driving field itself. We demonstrate our method by constructing robust quantum gates for several types of spin qubits, including phosphorous donors in silicon and nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond. Our results constitute an important step toward achieving robust generic control of quantum systems, bringing their novel applications closer to realization. Work supported by LPS-CMTC.

Quantum criticality at the superconductor-insulator transition revealed by specific heat measurements

PubMed Central

Poran, S.; Nguyen-Duc, T.; Auerbach, A.; Dupuis, N.; Frydman, A.; Bourgeois, Olivier

2017-01-01

The superconductor–insulator transition (SIT) is considered an excellent example of a quantum phase transition that is driven by quantum fluctuations at zero temperature. The quantum critical point is characterized by a diverging correlation length and a vanishing energy scale. Low-energy fluctuations near quantum criticality may be experimentally detected by specific heat, cp, measurements. Here we use a unique highly sensitive experiment to measure cp of two-dimensional granular Pb films through the SIT. The specific heat shows the usual jump at the mean field superconducting transition temperature marking the onset of Cooper pairs formation. As the film thickness is tuned towards the SIT, is relatively unchanged, while the magnitude of the jump and low-temperature specific heat increase significantly. This behaviour is taken as the thermodynamic fingerprint of quantum criticality in the vicinity of a quantum phase transition. PMID:28224994

Quantum criticality at the superconductor-insulator transition revealed by specific heat measurements.

PubMed

Poran, S; Nguyen-Duc, T; Auerbach, A; Dupuis, N; Frydman, A; Bourgeois, Olivier

2017-02-22

The superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) is considered an excellent example of a quantum phase transition that is driven by quantum fluctuations at zero temperature. The quantum critical point is characterized by a diverging correlation length and a vanishing energy scale. Low-energy fluctuations near quantum criticality may be experimentally detected by specific heat, c p , measurements. Here we use a unique highly sensitive experiment to measure c p of two-dimensional granular Pb films through the SIT. The specific heat shows the usual jump at the mean field superconducting transition temperature marking the onset of Cooper pairs formation. As the film thickness is tuned towards the SIT, is relatively unchanged, while the magnitude of the jump and low-temperature specific heat increase significantly. This behaviour is taken as the thermodynamic fingerprint of quantum criticality in the vicinity of a quantum phase transition.

Quantum and classical ripples in graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hašík, Juraj; Tosatti, Erio; MartoÅák, Roman

2018-04-01

Thermal ripples of graphene are well understood at room temperature, but their quantum counterparts at low temperatures are in need of a realistic quantitative description. Here we present atomistic path-integral Monte Carlo simulations of freestanding graphene, which show upon cooling a striking classical-quantum evolution of height and angular fluctuations. The crossover takes place at ever-decreasing temperatures for ever-increasing wavelengths so that a completely quantum regime is never attained. Zero-temperature quantum graphene is flatter and smoother than classical graphene at large scales yet rougher at short scales. The angular fluctuation distribution of the normals can be quantitatively described by coexistence of two Gaussians, one classical strongly T -dependent and one quantum about 2° wide, of zero-point character. The quantum evolution of ripple-induced height and angular spread should be observable in electron diffraction in graphene and other two-dimensional materials, such as MoS2, bilayer graphene, boron nitride, etc.

Quantum-Fluctuation-Initiated Coherence in Multioctave Raman Optical Frequency Combs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y. Y.; Wu, Chunbai; Couny, F.; Raymer, M. G.; Benabid, F.

2010-09-01

We show experimentally and theoretically that the spectral components of a multioctave frequency comb spontaneously created by stimulated Raman scattering in a hydrogen-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber exhibit strong self-coherence and mutual coherence within each 12 ns driving laser pulse. This coherence arises in spite of the field’s initiation being from quantum zero-point fluctuations, which causes each spectral component to show large phase and energy fluctuations. This points to the possibility of an optical frequency comb with nonclassical correlations between all comb lines.

Analytical pair correlations in ideal quantum gases: temperature-dependent bunching and antibunching.

PubMed

Bosse, J; Pathak, K N; Singh, G S

2011-10-01

The fluctuation-dissipation theorem together with the exact density response spectrum for ideal quantum gases has been utilized to yield a new expression for the static structure factor, which we use to derive exact analytical expressions for the temperature-dependent pair distribution function g(r) of the ideal gases. The plots of bosonic and fermionic g(r) display "Bose pile" and "Fermi hole" typically akin to bunching and antibunching as observed experimentally for ultracold atomic gases. The behavior of spin-scaled pair correlation for fermions is almost featureless, but bosons show a rich structure including long-range correlations near T(c). The coherent state at T=0 shows no correlation at all, just like single-mode lasers. The depicted decreasing trend in correlation with decrease in temperature for T

Time-reversal symmetry in nonstationary Markov processes with application to some fluctuation theorems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Vliet, Carolyne M.

2012-11-01

Nonequilibrium processes require that the density operator of an interacting system with Hamiltonian H(t)=H0(t)+λV converges and produces entropy. Employing projection operators in the state space, the density operator is developed to all orders of perturbation and then resummed. In contrast to earlier treatments by Van Hove [Physica0031-891410.1016/S0031-8914(54)92646-4 21, 517 (1955)] and others [U. Fano, Rev. Mod. Phys.0034-686110.1103/RevModPhys.29.74 29, 74 (1959); U. Fano, in Lectures on the Many-Body Problem, Vol 2, edited by E. R. Caniello (Academic Press, New York, 1964); R. Zwanzig, in Lectures in Theoretical Physics, Vol. III, edited by W. E. Britten, B. W. Downs, and J. Downs (Wiley Interscience, New York, 1961), pp. 116-141; K. M. Van Vliet, J. Math. Phys.0022-248810.1063/1.523833 19, 1345 (1978); K. M. Van Vliet, Can. J. Phys. 56, 1206 (1978)], closed expressions are obtained. From these we establish the time-reversal symmetry property P(γ,t|γ',t')=P˜(γ',t'|γ,t), where the tilde refers to the time-reversed protocol; also a nonstationary Markovian master equation is derived. Time-reversal symmetry is then applied to thermostatted systems yielding the Crooks-Tasaki fluctuation theorem (FT) and the quantum Jarzynski work-energy theorem, as well as the general entropy FT. The quantum mechanical concepts of work and entropy are discussed in detail. Finally, we present a nonequilibrium extension of Mazo's lemma of linear response theory, obtaining some applications via this alternate route.

Superconductivity mediated by quantum critical antiferromagnetic fluctuations: the rise and fall of hot spots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiaoyu; Schattner, Yoni; Berg, Erez; Fernandes, Rafael

The maximum transition temperature Tc observed in the phase diagrams of several unconventional superconductors takes place in the vicinity of a putative antiferromagnetic quantum critical point. This observation motivated the theoretical proposal that superconductivity in these systems may be driven by quantum critical fluctuations, which in turn can also promote non-Fermi liquid behavior. In this talk, we present a combined analytical and sign-problem-free Quantum Monte Carlo investigation of the spin-fermion model - a widely studied low-energy model for the interplay between superconductivity and magnetic fluctuations. By engineering a series of band dispersions that interpolate between near-nested and open Fermi surfaces, and by also varying the strength of the spin-fermion interaction, we find that the hot spots of the Fermi surface provide the dominant contribution to the pairing instability in this model. We show that the analytical expressions for Tc and for the pairing susceptibility, obtained within a large-N Eliashberg approximation to the spin-fermion model, agree well with the Quantum Monte Carlo data, even in the regime of interactions comparable to the electronic bandwidth. DE-SC0012336.

Universal Inverse Power-Law Distribution for Fractal Fluctuations in Dynamical Systems: Applications for Predictability of Inter-Annual Variability of Indian and USA Region Rainfall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selvam, A. M.

2017-01-01

Dynamical systems in nature exhibit self-similar fractal space-time fluctuations on all scales indicating long-range correlations and, therefore, the statistical normal distribution with implicit assumption of independence, fixed mean and standard deviation cannot be used for description and quantification of fractal data sets. The author has developed a general systems theory based on classical statistical physics for fractal fluctuations which predicts the following. (1) The fractal fluctuations signify an underlying eddy continuum, the larger eddies being the integrated mean of enclosed smaller-scale fluctuations. (2) The probability distribution of eddy amplitudes and the variance (square of eddy amplitude) spectrum of fractal fluctuations follow the universal Boltzmann inverse power law expressed as a function of the golden mean. (3) Fractal fluctuations are signatures of quantum-like chaos since the additive amplitudes of eddies when squared represent probability densities analogous to the sub-atomic dynamics of quantum systems such as the photon or electron. (4) The model predicted distribution is very close to statistical normal distribution for moderate events within two standard deviations from the mean but exhibits a fat long tail that are associated with hazardous extreme events. Continuous periodogram power spectral analyses of available GHCN annual total rainfall time series for the period 1900-2008 for Indian and USA stations show that the power spectra and the corresponding probability distributions follow model predicted universal inverse power law form signifying an eddy continuum structure underlying the observed inter-annual variability of rainfall. On a global scale, man-made greenhouse gas related atmospheric warming would result in intensification of natural climate variability, seen immediately in high frequency fluctuations such as QBO and ENSO and even shorter timescales. Model concepts and results of analyses are discussed with reference to possible prediction of climate change. Model concepts, if correct, rule out unambiguously, linear trends in climate. Climate change will only be manifested as increase or decrease in the natural variability. However, more stringent tests of model concepts and predictions are required before applications to such an important issue as climate change. Observations and simulations with climate models show that precipitation extremes intensify in response to a warming climate (O'Gorman in Curr Clim Change Rep 1:49-59, 2015).

Quantum stochastic thermodynamic on harmonic networks

DOE PAGES

Deffner, Sebastian

2016-01-04

Fluctuation theorems are symmetry relations for the probability to observe an amount of entropy production in a finite-time process. In a recent paper Pigeon et al (2016 New. J. Phys. 18 013009) derived fluctuation theorems for harmonic networks by means of the large deviation theory. Furthermore, their novel approach is illustrated with various examples of experimentally relevant systems. As a main result, however, Pigeon et al provide new insight how to consistently formulate quantum stochastic thermodynamics, and provide new and robust tools for the study of the thermodynamics of quantum harmonic networks.

Quantum stochastic thermodynamic on harmonic networks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deffner, Sebastian

Fluctuation theorems are symmetry relations for the probability to observe an amount of entropy production in a finite-time process. In a recent paper Pigeon et al (2016 New. J. Phys. 18 013009) derived fluctuation theorems for harmonic networks by means of the large deviation theory. Furthermore, their novel approach is illustrated with various examples of experimentally relevant systems. As a main result, however, Pigeon et al provide new insight how to consistently formulate quantum stochastic thermodynamics, and provide new and robust tools for the study of the thermodynamics of quantum harmonic networks.

Fluctuating hydrodynamics, current fluctuations, and hyperuniformity in boundary-driven open quantum chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carollo, Federico; Garrahan, Juan P.; Lesanovsky, Igor; Pérez-Espigares, Carlos

2017-11-01

We consider a class of either fermionic or bosonic noninteracting open quantum chains driven by dissipative interactions at the boundaries and study the interplay of coherent transport and dissipative processes, such as bulk dephasing and diffusion. Starting from the microscopic formulation, we show that the dynamics on large scales can be described in terms of fluctuating hydrodynamics. This is an important simplification as it allows us to apply the methods of macroscopic fluctuation theory to compute the large deviation (LD) statistics of time-integrated currents. In particular, this permits us to show that fermionic open chains display a third-order dynamical phase transition in LD functions. We show that this transition is manifested in a singular change in the structure of trajectories: while typical trajectories are diffusive, rare trajectories associated with atypical currents are ballistic and hyperuniform in their spatial structure. We confirm these results by numerically simulating ensembles of rare trajectories via the cloning method, and by exact numerical diagonalization of the microscopic quantum generator.

Fluctuating hydrodynamics, current fluctuations, and hyperuniformity in boundary-driven open quantum chains.

PubMed

Carollo, Federico; Garrahan, Juan P; Lesanovsky, Igor; Pérez-Espigares, Carlos

2017-11-01

We consider a class of either fermionic or bosonic noninteracting open quantum chains driven by dissipative interactions at the boundaries and study the interplay of coherent transport and dissipative processes, such as bulk dephasing and diffusion. Starting from the microscopic formulation, we show that the dynamics on large scales can be described in terms of fluctuating hydrodynamics. This is an important simplification as it allows us to apply the methods of macroscopic fluctuation theory to compute the large deviation (LD) statistics of time-integrated currents. In particular, this permits us to show that fermionic open chains display a third-order dynamical phase transition in LD functions. We show that this transition is manifested in a singular change in the structure of trajectories: while typical trajectories are diffusive, rare trajectories associated with atypical currents are ballistic and hyperuniform in their spatial structure. We confirm these results by numerically simulating ensembles of rare trajectories via the cloning method, and by exact numerical diagonalization of the microscopic quantum generator.

Impact of neutral density fluctuations on gas puff imaging diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wersal, C.; Ricci, P.

2017-11-01

A three-dimensional turbulence simulation of the SOL and edge regions of a toroidally limited tokamak is carried out. The simulation couples self-consistently the drift-reduced two-fluid Braginskii equations to a kinetic equation for neutral atoms. A diagnostic neutral gas puff on the low-field side midplane is included and the impact of neutral density fluctuations on D_α light emission investigated. We find that neutral density fluctuations affect the D_α emission. In particular, at a radial distance from the gas puff smaller than the neutral mean free path, neutral density fluctuations are anti-correlated with plasma density, electron temperature, and D_α fluctuations. It follows that the neutral fluctuations reduce the D_α emission in most of the observed region and, therefore, have to be taken into account when interpreting the amplitude of the D_α emission. On the other hand, higher order statistical moments (skewness, kurtosis) and turbulence characteristics (such as correlation length, or the autocorrelation time) are not significantly affected by the neutral fluctuations. At distances from the gas puff larger than the neutral mean free path, a non-local shadowing effect influences the neutral density fluctuations. There, the D_α fluctuations are correlated with the neutral density fluctuations, and the high-order statistical moments and measurements of other turbulence properties are strongly affected by the neutral density fluctuations.

Accurate van der Waals coefficients from density functional theory

PubMed Central

Tao, Jianmin; Perdew, John P.; Ruzsinszky, Adrienn

2012-01-01

The van der Waals interaction is a weak, long-range correlation, arising from quantum electronic charge fluctuations. This interaction affects many properties of materials. A simple and yet accurate estimate of this effect will facilitate computer simulation of complex molecular materials and drug design. Here we develop a fast approach for accurate evaluation of dynamic multipole polarizabilities and van der Waals (vdW) coefficients of all orders from the electron density and static multipole polarizabilities of each atom or other spherical object, without empirical fitting. Our dynamic polarizabilities (dipole, quadrupole, octupole, etc.) are exact in the zero- and high-frequency limits, and exact at all frequencies for a metallic sphere of uniform density. Our theory predicts dynamic multipole polarizabilities in excellent agreement with more expensive many-body methods, and yields therefrom vdW coefficients C6, C8, C10 for atom pairs with a mean absolute relative error of only 3%. PMID:22205765

The sponge-like topology of large-scale structure in the universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gott, J. R., III; Dickinson, M.; Melott, A. L.

1986-01-01

The relative connectedness of the high- and low-density regions in the universe is studied using a median density contour which divides space into two equal volumes. The CfA data are found to show a sponge-like topology where the highand low-density regions are both interlocking and equivalent. The boundary surface between the two regions has a general negative curvature, and is characterized by a large number of holes. In the initial conditions the connectedness of the two regions must be identical because a change of sign in the random quantum fluctuations would reverse their roles. It is noted that in the cold dark matter and neutrino scenarios the hole sizes are typically of the order of the smoothing diameter or the damping length, whichever is larger. The sponge-like topology is consistent with the universe having a frothy appearance without being divided neatly into cells. A computer algorithm for measuring topology is discussed.

Quantum Gravity, Information Theory and the CMB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kempf, Achim

2018-04-01

We review connections between the metric of spacetime and the quantum fluctuations of fields. We start with the finding that the spacetime metric can be expressed entirely in terms of the 2-point correlator of the fluctuations of quantum fields. We then discuss the open question whether the knowledge of only the spectra of the quantum fluctuations of fields also suffices to determine the spacetime metric. This question is of interest because spectra are geometric invariants and their quantization would, therefore, have the benefit of not requiring the modding out of diffeomorphisms. Further, we discuss the fact that spacetime at the Planck scale need not necessarily be either discrete or continuous. Instead, results from information theory show that spacetime may be simultaneously discrete and continuous in the same way that information can. Finally, we review the recent finding that a covariant natural ultraviolet cutoff at the Planck scale implies a signature in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) that may become observable.

Nonequilibrium fluctuations as a distinctive feature of weak localization

PubMed Central

Barone, C.; Romeo, F.; Pagano, S.; Attanasio, C.; Carapella, G.; Cirillo, C.; Galdi, A.; Grimaldi, G.; Guarino, A.; Leo, A.; Nigro, A.; Sabatino, P.

2015-01-01

Two-dimensional materials, such as graphene, topological insulators, and two-dimensional electron gases, represent a technological playground to develop coherent electronics. In these systems, quantum interference effects, and in particular weak localization, are likely to occur. These coherence effects are usually characterized by well-defined features in dc electrical transport, such as a resistivity increase and negative magnetoresistance below a crossover temperature. Recently, it has been shown that in magnetic and superconducting compounds, undergoing a weak-localization transition, a specific low-frequency 1/f noise occurs. An interpretation in terms of nonequilibrium universal conductance fluctuations has been given. The universality of this unusual electric noise mechanism has been here verified by detailed voltage-spectral density investigations on ultrathin copper films. The reported experimental results validate the proposed theoretical framework, and also provide an alternative methodology to detect weak-localization effects by using electric noise spectroscopy. PMID:26024506

Ekpyrosis and inflationary dynamics in heavy ion collisions: the role of quantum fluctuations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dusling, K.; Venugopalan, R.; Gelis, F.

We summarize recent significant progress in the development of a first-principles formalism to describe the formation and evolution of matter in very high energy heavy ion collisions. The key role of quantum fluctuations both before and after a collision is emphasized. Systematic computations are now feasible to address early time isotropization, flow, parton energy loss and the Chiral Magnetic Effect.

Understanding How Isotopes Affect Charge Transfer in P3HT/PCBM: A Quantum Trajectory-Electronic Structure Study with Nonlinear Quantum Corrections

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Lei; Jakowski, Jacek; Garashchuk, Sophya

The experimentally observed effect of selective deuterium substitution on the open circuit voltage for a blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C 61- butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) (Nat. Commun. 5:3180, 2014) is explored using a 221-atom model of a polymer-wrapped PCBM molecule. We describe the protonic and deuteronic wavefunctions for the H/D isotopologues of the hexyl side chains within a Quantum Trajectory/Electronic Structure approach where the dynamics is performed with newly developed nonlinear corrections to the quantum forces, necessary to describe the nuclear wavefunctions; the classical forces are generated with a Density Functional Tight Binding method. We used the resulting protonicmore » and deuteronic time-dependent wavefunctions to assess the effects of isotopic substitution (deuteration) on the energy gaps relevant to the charge transfer for the donor and acceptor electronic states. Furthermore, while the isotope effect on the electronic energy levels is found negligible, the quantum-induced fluctuations of the energy gap between the charge transfer and charge separated states due to nuclear wavefunctions may account for experimental trends by promoting charge transfer in P3HT/PCBM and increasing charge recombination on the donor in the deuterium substituted P3HT/PCBM.« less

Understanding How Isotopes Affect Charge Transfer in P3HT/PCBM: A Quantum Trajectory-Electronic Structure Study with Nonlinear Quantum Corrections

DOE PAGES

Wang, Lei; Jakowski, Jacek; Garashchuk, Sophya; ...

2016-08-09

The experimentally observed effect of selective deuterium substitution on the open circuit voltage for a blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C 61- butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) (Nat. Commun. 5:3180, 2014) is explored using a 221-atom model of a polymer-wrapped PCBM molecule. We describe the protonic and deuteronic wavefunctions for the H/D isotopologues of the hexyl side chains within a Quantum Trajectory/Electronic Structure approach where the dynamics is performed with newly developed nonlinear corrections to the quantum forces, necessary to describe the nuclear wavefunctions; the classical forces are generated with a Density Functional Tight Binding method. We used the resulting protonicmore » and deuteronic time-dependent wavefunctions to assess the effects of isotopic substitution (deuteration) on the energy gaps relevant to the charge transfer for the donor and acceptor electronic states. Furthermore, while the isotope effect on the electronic energy levels is found negligible, the quantum-induced fluctuations of the energy gap between the charge transfer and charge separated states due to nuclear wavefunctions may account for experimental trends by promoting charge transfer in P3HT/PCBM and increasing charge recombination on the donor in the deuterium substituted P3HT/PCBM.« less

Electron transport in unipolar InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well structures grown by NH 3 molecular beam epitaxy

DOE PAGES

Browne, David A.; Wu, Yuh -Renn; Speck, James S.; ...

2015-05-08

Unipolar-light emitting diode like structures were grown by NH 3 molecular beam epitaxy on c plane (0001) GaN on sapphire templates. Studies were performed to experimentally examine the effect of random alloy fluctuations on electron transport through quantum well active regions. These unipolar structures served as a test vehicle to test our 2D model of the effect of compositional fluctuations on polarization-induced barriers. Variables that were systematically studied included varying quantum well number from 0 to 5, well thickness of 1.5 nm, 3 nm, and 4.5 nm, and well compositions of In 0.14Ga 0.86N and In 0.19Ga 0.81N. Diode-like currentmore » voltage behavior was clearly observed due to the polarization-induced conduction band barrier in the quantum well region. Increasing quantum well width and number were shown to have a significant impact on increasing the turn-on voltage of each device. Temperature dependent IV measurements clearly revealed the dominant effect of thermionic behavior for temperatures from room temperature and above. Atom probe tomography was used to directly analyze parameters of the alloy fluctuations in the quantum wells including amplitude and length scale of compositional variation. Furthermore, a drift diffusion Schrodinger Poisson method accounting for two dimensional indium fluctuations (both in the growth direction and within the wells) was used to correctly model the turn-on voltages of the devices as compared to traditional 1D simulation models.« less

Symmetry Breaking in the Correlated Electronic and Lattice Degrees of Freedom in the CuxTiSe2 T-x Phase Diagram

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lioi, David B.

In this thesis I investigate the relationship between the charge density wave (CDW) phase and superconductivity in the T-x phase diagram of Cu xTiSe2. I find that the incommensurate (IC)-CDW is related to the superconducting phase due to the fact that the former effectively isolates the CDW subsystem degrees of freedom. This increases the symmetry of the electronic populations within the IC-CDW band structure and leave them susceptible to internal instabilities, which in turn give rise to the superconducting phase. Because the correlated properties of these solid-state phases of matter are highly dependent on the crystalline quality of our samples, I also detail the growth of pristine single crystals and utilize several characterization techniques to aid in this purpose. In this portion of the thesis the single crystals are deliberately injected with heat and monitored to deduce the formation of defects through selenium migration. I also confirm the existence of chiral symmetry breaking in the bulk commensurate (C)-CDW phase in TiSe2 brought about by the cooperation of phonon and exciton degrees of freedom, and also observe chiral character in fluctuations above TCDW. These thermal fluctuations were observed up to 80 K above TCDW via optical signatures of the folded Se-4p band and Raman signatures of the soft L1- phonon mode. The suppression of the excitonic degree of freedom with Cu intercalation brings about a quantum phase transition into the IC-CDW at x=0.04. Large quantum fluctuations of the folded Se-4p electronic band were observed at the quantum phase transition where measurements of the phonon system show the onset of incommensuration in the CDW super-lattice. Optical measurements demonstrate a large decoupling of the electron-phonon degrees of freedom within the electronic band structure of the IC-CDW subsystem.

Stochastic Gravity: Theory and Applications.

PubMed

Hu, Bei Lok; Verdaguer, Enric

2004-01-01

Whereas semiclassical gravity is based on the semiclassical Einstein equation with sources given by the expectation value of the stress-energy tensor of quantum fields, stochastic semiclassical gravity is based on the Einstein-Langevin equation, which has in addition sources due to the noise kernel. The noise kernel is the vacuum expectation value of the (operatorvalued) stress-energy bi-tensor which describes the fluctuations of quantum matter fields in curved spacetimes. In the first part, we describe the fundamentals of this new theory via two approaches: the axiomatic and the functional. The axiomatic approach is useful to see the structure of the theory from the framework of semiclassical gravity, showing the link from the mean value of the stress-energy tensor to their correlation functions. The functional approach uses the Feynman-Vernon influence functional and the Schwinger-Keldysh closed-time-path effective action methods which are convenient for computations. It also brings out the open systems concepts and the statistical and stochastic contents of the theory such as dissipation, fluctuations, noise, and decoherence. We then focus on the properties of the stress-energy bi-tensor. We obtain a general expression for the noise kernel of a quantum field defined at two distinct points in an arbitrary curved spacetime as products of covariant derivatives of the quantum field's Green function. In the second part, we describe three applications of stochastic gravity theory. First, we consider metric perturbations in a Minkowski spacetime. We offer an analytical solution of the Einstein-Langevin equation and compute the two-point correlation functions for the linearized Einstein tensor and for the metric perturbations. Second, we discuss structure formation from the stochastic gravity viewpoint, which can go beyond the standard treatment by incorporating the full quantum effect of the inflaton fluctuations. Third, we discuss the backreaction of Hawking radiation in the gravitational background of a quasi-static black hole (enclosed in a box). We derive a fluctuation-dissipation relation between the fluctuations in the radiation and the dissipative dynamics of metric fluctuations.

Quantum effect on the nucleation of plastic deformation carriers and destruction in crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khon, Yury A., E-mail: khon@ispms.tsc.ru; Kaminskii, Petr P., E-mail: ppk@ispms.tsc.ru

2015-10-27

New concepts on the irreversible crystal deformation as a structure transformation caused by a change in interatomic interactions at fluctuations of the electron density under loading are described. The change in interatomic interactions lead to the excitation of dynamical displacements of atoms. A model and a theory of a deformable pristine crystal taking into account the excitation of thermally activated and dynamical displacements of atoms are suggested. New mechanisms of the nucleation of plastic deformation carriers and destruction in pristine crystals at the real value of the deforming stress are studied.

Oscillating and static universes from a single barotropic fluid

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kehayias, John; Scherrer, Robert J.

We consider cosmological solutions to general relativity with a single barotropic fluid, where the pressure is a general function of the density, p=f(ρ). We derive conditions for static and oscillating solutions and provide examples, extending earlier work to these simpler and more general single-fluid cosmologies. Generically we expect such solutions to suffer from instabilities, through effects such as quantum fluctuations or tunneling to zero size. We also find a classical instability (“no-go” theorem) for oscillating solutions of a single barotropic perfect fluid due to a necessarily negative squared sound speed.

Oscillating and static universes from a single barotropic fluid

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kehayias, John; Scherrer, Robert J., E-mail: john.kehayias@vanderbilt.edu, E-mail: robert.scherrer@vanderbilt.edu

We consider cosmological solutions to general relativity with a single barotropic fluid, where the pressure is a general function of the density, p = f(ρ). We derive conditions for static and oscillating solutions and provide examples, extending earlier work to these simpler and more general single-fluid cosmologies. Generically we expect such solutions to suffer from instabilities, through effects such as quantum fluctuations or tunneling to zero size. We also find a classical instability (''no-go'' theorem) for oscillating solutions of a single barotropic perfect fluid due to a necessarily negative squared sound speed.

Measurement of laser quantum frequency fluctuations using a Pound-Drever stabilization system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cheng, Y.J.; Mussche, P.L.; Siegman, A.E.

1994-06-01

The authors describe a method for measuring the frequency fluctuation spectrum of a laser oscillator, especially the weak noise contributions in the wings of the spectrum, and apply this method to confirm the existence of large excess quantum frequency fluctuations in a laser oscillator using an unstable optical resonator. The measurement apparatus uses the Pound-Drever technique, which employs an RF phase modulator and a Fabry-Perot cavity to produce a sensitive high-speed frequency discrimination signal. The authors show that this signal can also be used to measure the quantum noise contributions to the frequency spectrum of a laser oscillator. Experimental measurementsmore » on a miniature diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser using a stable optical cavity closely match the predictions of the usual Schawlow-Townes theory, while the frequency fluctuations in a nearly identical laser employing an unstable optical resonator are approximately 1,300 times larger. These much larger fluctuations arise in part from the larger output coupling and cavity bandwidth of the unstable cavity, but they also appear to confirm a predicted excess spontaneous emission factor (Petermann excess noise factor) of [approx]180 times arising from the nonorthogonal transverse mode properties of the unstable cavity.« less

Scale-invariant curvature fluctuations from an extended semiclassical gravity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pinamonti, Nicola, E-mail: pinamont@dima.unige.it, E-mail: siemssen@dima.unige.it; INFN Sezione di Genova, Via Dodecaneso 33, 16146 Genova; Siemssen, Daniel, E-mail: pinamont@dima.unige.it, E-mail: siemssen@dima.unige.it

2015-02-15

We present an extension of the semiclassical Einstein equations which couple n-point correlation functions of a stochastic Einstein tensor to the n-point functions of the quantum stress-energy tensor. We apply this extension to calculate the quantum fluctuations during an inflationary period, where we take as a model a massive conformally coupled scalar field on a perturbed de Sitter space and describe how a renormalization independent, almost-scale-invariant power spectrum of the scalar metric perturbation is produced. Furthermore, we discuss how this model yields a natural basis for the calculation of non-Gaussianities of the considered metric fluctuations.

Photovoltaic measurement of bandgap narrowing in moderately doped silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

del Alamo, Jesus A.; Swanson, Richard M.; Lietoila, Arto

1983-05-01

Solar cells have been fabricated on n-type and p-type moderately doped Si. The shrinkage of the Si bandgap has been obtained by measuring the internal quantum efficiency in the near infrared spectrum ( hv = 1.00-1.25 eV) around the fundamental absorption edge. The results agree with previous optical measurements of bandgap narrowing in Si. It is postulated that this optically-determined bandgap narrowing is the rigid shrinkage of the forbidden gap due to many-body effects. The "device bandgap narrowing" obtained by measuring the pn product in bipolar devices leads to discrepant values because (i) the density of states in the conduction and valence band is modified due to the potential fluctuations originated in the variations in local impurity density, and (ii) the influence of Fermi-Dirac statistics.

Observation of zero-point quantum fluctuations of a single-molecule magnet through the relaxation of its nuclear spin bath.

PubMed

Morello, A; Millán, A; de Jongh, L J

2014-03-21

A single-molecule magnet placed in a magnetic field perpendicular to its anisotropy axis can be truncated to an effective two-level system, with easily tunable energy splitting. The quantum coherence of the molecular spin is largely determined by the dynamics of the surrounding nuclear spin bath. Here we report the measurement of the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1n in a single crystal of the single-molecule magnet Mn12-ac, at T ≈ 30 mK in perpendicular fields B⊥ up to 9 T. The relaxation channel at B ≈ 0 is dominated by incoherent quantum tunneling of the Mn12-ac spin S, aided by the nuclear bath itself. However for B⊥>5 T we observe an increase of 1/T1n by several orders of magnitude up to the highest field, despite the fact that the molecular spin is in its quantum mechanical ground state. This striking observation is a consequence of the zero-point quantum fluctuations of S, which allow it to mediate the transfer of energy from the excited nuclear spin bath to the crystal lattice at much higher rates. Our experiment highlights the importance of quantum fluctuations in the interaction between an "effective two-level system" and its surrounding spin bath.

Upper bound on the Abelian gauge coupling from asymptotic safety

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eichhorn, Astrid; Versteegen, Fleur

2018-01-01

We explore the impact of asymptotically safe quantum gravity on the Abelian gauge coupling in a model including a charged scalar, confirming indications that asymptotically safe quantum fluctuations of gravity could trigger a power-law running towards a free fixed point for the gauge coupling above the Planck scale. Simultaneously, quantum gravity fluctuations balance against matter fluctuations to generate an interacting fixed point, which acts as a boundary of the basin of attraction of the free fixed point. This enforces an upper bound on the infrared value of the Abelian gauge coupling. In the regime of gravity couplings which in our approximation also allows for a prediction of the top quark and Higgs mass close to the experimental value [1], we obtain an upper bound approximately 35% above the infrared value of the hypercharge coupling in the Standard Model.

Receiver operating characteristic analysis. Application to the study of quantum fluctuation effects in optic nerve of Rana pipiens

PubMed Central

1975-01-01

Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of nerve messages is described. The hypothesis that quantum fluctuations provide the only limit to the ability of frog ganglion cells to signal luminance change information is examined using ROC analysis. In the context of ROC analysis, the quantum fluctuation hypothesis predicts (a) the detectability of a luminance change signal should rise proportionally to the size of the change, (b) detectability should decrease as the square root of background, an implication of which is the deVries-Rose law, and (c) ROC curves should exhibit a shape particular to underlying Poisson distributions. Each of these predictions is confirmed for the responses of dimming ganglion cells to brief luminance decrements at scotopic levels, but none could have been tested using classical nerve message analysis procedures. PMID:172597

Phase transition with trivial quantum criticality in an anisotropic Weyl semimetal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xin; Wang, Jing-Rong; Liu, Guo-Zhu

2018-05-01

When a metal undergoes continuous quantum phase transition, the correlation length diverges at the critical point and the quantum fluctuation of order parameter behaves as a gapless bosonic mode. Generically, the coupling of this boson to fermions induces a variety of unusual quantum critical phenomena, such as non-Fermi liquid behavior and various emergent symmetries. Here, we perform a renormalization group analysis of the semimetal-superconductor quantum criticality in a three-dimensional anisotropic Weyl semimetal. Surprisingly, distinct from previously studied quantum critical systems, the anomalous dimension of anisotropic Weyl fermions flows to zero very quickly with decreasing energy, and the quasiparticle residue takes a nonzero value. These results indicate that the quantum fluctuation of superconducting order parameter is irrelevant at low energies, and a simple mean-field calculation suffices to capture the essential physics of the superconducting transition. We thus obtain a phase transition that exhibits trivial quantum criticality, which is unique comparing to other invariably nontrivial quantum critical systems. Our theoretical prediction can be experimentally verified by measuring the fermion spectral function and specific heat.

Proceedings of RIKEN BNL Resarch Center Workshop: Fluctuations, Correlations and RHIC Low Energy Runs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karsch, F.; Kojo, T.; Mukherjee, S.

Most of our visible universe is made up of hadronic matter. Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) is the theory of strong interaction that describes the hadronic matter. However, QCD predicts that at high enough temperatures and/or densities ordinary hadronic matter ceases to exist and a new form of matter is created, the so-called Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP). Non-perturbative lattice QCD simulations shows that for high temperature and small densities the transition from the hadronic to the QCD matter is not an actual phase transition, rather it takes place via a rapid crossover. On the other hand, it is generally believed that atmore » zero temperature and high densities such a transition is an actual first order phase transition. Thus, in the temperature-density phase diagram of QCD, the first order phase transition line emanating from the zero temperature high density region ends at some higher temperature where the transition becomes a crossover. The point at which the first order transition line turns into a crossover is a second order phase transition point belonging to three dimensional Ising universality class. This point is known as the QCD Critical End Point (CEP). For the last couple of years the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory has been performing experiments at lower energies in search of the elusive QCD CEP. In general critical behaviors are manifested through appearance of long range correlations and increasing fluctuations associated with the presence of mass-less modes in the vicinity of a second order phase transition. Experimental signatures of the CEP are likely to be found in observables related to fluctuations and correlations. Thus, one of the major focuses of the RHIC low energy scan program is to measure various experimental observables connected to fluctuations and correlations. On the other hand, with the start of the RHIC low energy scan program, a flurry of activities are taking place to provide solid theoretical background for the search of the CEP using observables related to fluctuations and correlations. While new data are pouring in from the RHIC low energy scan program, many recent advances have also been made in the phenomenological and lattice gauge theory sides in order to have a better theoretical understanding of the wealth of new data. This workshop tried to create a synergy between the experimental, phenomenological and lattice QCD aspects of the fluctuation and correlation related studies of the RHIC low energy scan program. The workshop brought together all the leading experts from related fields under the same forum to share new ideas among themselves in order to streamline the continuing search of CEP in the RHIC low energy scan program.« less

Cooperative effects in the structuring of fluoride water clusters: Ab initio hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical model incorporating polarizable fluctuating charge solvent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bryce, Richard A.; Vincent, Mark A.; Malcolm, Nathaniel O. J.; Hillier, Ian H.; Burton, Neil A.

1998-08-01

A new hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical model of solvation is developed and used to describe the structure and dynamics of small fluoride/water clusters, using an ab initio wave function to model the ion and a fluctuating charge potential to model the waters. Appropriate parameters for the water-water and fluoride-water interactions are derived, with the fluoride anion being described by density functional theory and a large Gaussian basis. The role of solvent polarization in determining the structure and energetics of F(H2O)4- clusters is investigated, predicting a slightly greater stability of the interior compared to the surface structure, in agreement with ab initio studies. An extended Lagrangian treatment of the polarizable water, in which the water atomic charges fluctuate dynamically, is used to study the dynamics of F(H2O)4- cluster. A simulation using a fixed solvent charge distribution indicates principally interior, solvated states for the cluster. However, a preponderance of trisolvated configurations is observed using the polarizable model at 300 K, which involves only three direct fluoride-water hydrogen bonds. Ab initio calculations confirm this trisolvated species as a thermally accessible state at room temperature, in addition to the tetrasolvated interior and surface structures. Extension of this polarizable water model to fluoride clusters with five and six waters gave less satisfactory agreement with experimental energies and with ab initio geometries. However, our results do suggest that a quantitative model of solvent polarization is fundamental for an accurate understanding of the properties of anionic water clusters.

Implementation of adiabatic geometric gates with superconducting phase qubits.

PubMed

Peng, Z H; Chu, H F; Wang, Z D; Zheng, D N

2009-01-28

We present an adiabatic geometric quantum computation strategy based on the non-degenerate energy eigenstates in (but not limited to) superconducting phase qubit systems. The fidelity of the designed quantum gate was evaluated in the presence of simulated thermal fluctuations in a superconducting phase qubits circuit and was found to be quite robust against random errors. In addition, it was elucidated that the Berry phase in the designed adiabatic evolution may be detected directly via the quantum state tomography developed for superconducting qubits. We also analyze the effects of control parameter fluctuations on the experimental detection of the Berry phase.

Nonlocal Nuclear Spin Quieting in Quantum Dot Molecules: Optically Induced Extended Two-Electron Spin Coherence Time.

PubMed

Chow, Colin M; Ross, Aaron M; Kim, Danny; Gammon, Daniel; Bracker, Allan S; Sham, L J; Steel, Duncan G

2016-08-12

We demonstrate the extension of coherence between all four two-electron spin ground states of an InAs quantum dot molecule (QDM) via nonlocal suppression of nuclear spin fluctuations in two vertically stacked quantum dots (QDs), while optically addressing only the top QD transitions. Long coherence times are revealed through dark-state spectroscopy as resulting from nuclear spin locking mediated by the exchange interaction between the QDs. Line shape analysis provides the first measurement of the quieting of the Overhauser field distribution correlating with reduced nuclear spin fluctuations.

Nonlocal Nuclear Spin Quieting in Quantum Dot Molecules: Optically Induced Extended Two-Electron Spin Coherence Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chow, Colin M.; Ross, Aaron M.; Kim, Danny; Gammon, Daniel; Bracker, Allan S.; Sham, L. J.; Steel, Duncan G.

2016-08-01

We demonstrate the extension of coherence between all four two-electron spin ground states of an InAs quantum dot molecule (QDM) via nonlocal suppression of nuclear spin fluctuations in two vertically stacked quantum dots (QDs), while optically addressing only the top QD transitions. Long coherence times are revealed through dark-state spectroscopy as resulting from nuclear spin locking mediated by the exchange interaction between the QDs. Line shape analysis provides the first measurement of the quieting of the Overhauser field distribution correlating with reduced nuclear spin fluctuations.

Coherence and measurement in quantum thermodynamics

PubMed Central

Kammerlander, P.; Anders, J.

2016-01-01

Thermodynamics is a highly successful macroscopic theory widely used across the natural sciences and for the construction of everyday devices, from car engines to solar cells. With thermodynamics predating quantum theory, research now aims to uncover the thermodynamic laws that govern finite size systems which may in addition host quantum effects. Recent theoretical breakthroughs include the characterisation of the efficiency of quantum thermal engines, the extension of classical non-equilibrium fluctuation theorems to the quantum regime and a new thermodynamic resource theory has led to the discovery of a set of second laws for finite size systems. These results have substantially advanced our understanding of nanoscale thermodynamics, however putting a finger on what is genuinely quantum in quantum thermodynamics has remained a challenge. Here we identify information processing tasks, the so-called projections, that can only be formulated within the framework of quantum mechanics. We show that the physical realisation of such projections can come with a non-trivial thermodynamic work only for quantum states with coherences. This contrasts with information erasure, first investigated by Landauer, for which a thermodynamic work cost applies for classical and quantum erasure alike. Repercussions on quantum work fluctuation relations and thermodynamic single-shot approaches are also discussed. PMID:26916503

Coherence and measurement in quantum thermodynamics.

PubMed

Kammerlander, P; Anders, J

2016-02-26

Thermodynamics is a highly successful macroscopic theory widely used across the natural sciences and for the construction of everyday devices, from car engines to solar cells. With thermodynamics predating quantum theory, research now aims to uncover the thermodynamic laws that govern finite size systems which may in addition host quantum effects. Recent theoretical breakthroughs include the characterisation of the efficiency of quantum thermal engines, the extension of classical non-equilibrium fluctuation theorems to the quantum regime and a new thermodynamic resource theory has led to the discovery of a set of second laws for finite size systems. These results have substantially advanced our understanding of nanoscale thermodynamics, however putting a finger on what is genuinely quantum in quantum thermodynamics has remained a challenge. Here we identify information processing tasks, the so-called projections, that can only be formulated within the framework of quantum mechanics. We show that the physical realisation of such projections can come with a non-trivial thermodynamic work only for quantum states with coherences. This contrasts with information erasure, first investigated by Landauer, for which a thermodynamic work cost applies for classical and quantum erasure alike. Repercussions on quantum work fluctuation relations and thermodynamic single-shot approaches are also discussed.

Coherence and measurement in quantum thermodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kammerlander, P.; Anders, J.

2016-02-01

Thermodynamics is a highly successful macroscopic theory widely used across the natural sciences and for the construction of everyday devices, from car engines to solar cells. With thermodynamics predating quantum theory, research now aims to uncover the thermodynamic laws that govern finite size systems which may in addition host quantum effects. Recent theoretical breakthroughs include the characterisation of the efficiency of quantum thermal engines, the extension of classical non-equilibrium fluctuation theorems to the quantum regime and a new thermodynamic resource theory has led to the discovery of a set of second laws for finite size systems. These results have substantially advanced our understanding of nanoscale thermodynamics, however putting a finger on what is genuinely quantum in quantum thermodynamics has remained a challenge. Here we identify information processing tasks, the so-called projections, that can only be formulated within the framework of quantum mechanics. We show that the physical realisation of such projections can come with a non-trivial thermodynamic work only for quantum states with coherences. This contrasts with information erasure, first investigated by Landauer, for which a thermodynamic work cost applies for classical and quantum erasure alike. Repercussions on quantum work fluctuation relations and thermodynamic single-shot approaches are also discussed.

Role of an elliptical structure in photosynthetic energy transfer: Collaboration between quantum entanglement and thermal fluctuation

PubMed Central

Oka, Hisaki

2016-01-01

Recent experiments have revealed that the light-harvesting complex 1 (LH1) in purple photosynthetic bacteria has an elliptical structure. Generally, symmetry lowering in a structure leads to a decrease in quantum effects (quantum coherence and entanglement), which have recently been considered to play a role in photosynthetic energy transfer, and hence, elliptical structure seems to work against efficient photosynthetic energy transfer. Here we analyse the effect of an elliptical structure on energy transfer in a purple photosynthetic bacterium and reveal that the elliptical distortion rather enhances energy transfer from peripheral LH2 to LH1 at room temperature. Numerical results show that quantum entanglement between LH1 and LH2 is formed over a wider range of high energy levels than would have been the case with circular LH1. Light energy absorbed by LH2 is thermally pumped via thermal fluctuation and is effectively transferred to LH1 through the entangled states at room temperature rather than at low temperature. This result indicates the possibility that photosynthetic systems adopt an elliptical structure to effectively utilise both quantum entanglement and thermal fluctuation at physiological temperature. PMID:27173144

Role of an elliptical structure in photosynthetic energy transfer: Collaboration between quantum entanglement and thermal fluctuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oka, Hisaki

2016-05-01

Recent experiments have revealed that the light-harvesting complex 1 (LH1) in purple photosynthetic bacteria has an elliptical structure. Generally, symmetry lowering in a structure leads to a decrease in quantum effects (quantum coherence and entanglement), which have recently been considered to play a role in photosynthetic energy transfer, and hence, elliptical structure seems to work against efficient photosynthetic energy transfer. Here we analyse the effect of an elliptical structure on energy transfer in a purple photosynthetic bacterium and reveal that the elliptical distortion rather enhances energy transfer from peripheral LH2 to LH1 at room temperature. Numerical results show that quantum entanglement between LH1 and LH2 is formed over a wider range of high energy levels than would have been the case with circular LH1. Light energy absorbed by LH2 is thermally pumped via thermal fluctuation and is effectively transferred to LH1 through the entangled states at room temperature rather than at low temperature. This result indicates the possibility that photosynthetic systems adopt an elliptical structure to effectively utilise both quantum entanglement and thermal fluctuation at physiological temperature.

Quantum fluctuations of a fullerene cage modulate its internal magnetic environment.

PubMed

Kawatsu, Tsutomu; Tachikawa, Masanori

2018-01-17

To investigate the effect of quantum fluctuations on the magnetic environment inside a C 60 fullerene cage, we have calculated the nuclear magnetic shielding constant of protons in H 2 @C 60 and HD@C 60 systems by on-the-fly ab initio path integral simulation, including both thermal and nuclear quantum effects. The most dominant upfield from an isolated hydrogen molecule occurs due to the diamagnetic current of the C 60 cage, which is partly cancelled by the paramagnetic current, where the paramagnetic contribution is enlarged by the zero-point vibrational fluctuation of the C 60 carbon backbone structure via a widely distributed HOMO-LUMO gap. This quantum modulation mechanism of the nuclear magnetic shielding constant is newly proposed. Because this quantum effect is independent of the difference between H 2 and HD, the H 2 /HD isotope shift occurs in spite of the C 60 cage. The nuclear magnetic constants computed for H 2 @C 60 and HD@C 60 are 32.047 and 32.081 ppm, respectively, which are in reasonable agreement with the corresponding values of 32.19 and 32.23 ppm estimated from the experimental values of the chemical shifts.

Role of an elliptical structure in photosynthetic energy transfer: Collaboration between quantum entanglement and thermal fluctuation.

PubMed

Oka, Hisaki

2016-05-13

Recent experiments have revealed that the light-harvesting complex 1 (LH1) in purple photosynthetic bacteria has an elliptical structure. Generally, symmetry lowering in a structure leads to a decrease in quantum effects (quantum coherence and entanglement), which have recently been considered to play a role in photosynthetic energy transfer, and hence, elliptical structure seems to work against efficient photosynthetic energy transfer. Here we analyse the effect of an elliptical structure on energy transfer in a purple photosynthetic bacterium and reveal that the elliptical distortion rather enhances energy transfer from peripheral LH2 to LH1 at room temperature. Numerical results show that quantum entanglement between LH1 and LH2 is formed over a wider range of high energy levels than would have been the case with circular LH1. Light energy absorbed by LH2 is thermally pumped via thermal fluctuation and is effectively transferred to LH1 through the entangled states at room temperature rather than at low temperature. This result indicates the possibility that photosynthetic systems adopt an elliptical structure to effectively utilise both quantum entanglement and thermal fluctuation at physiological temperature.

Possible ergodic-nonergodic regions in the quantum Sherrington-Kirkpatrick spin glass model and quantum annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Sudip; Rajak, Atanu; Chakrabarti, Bikas K.

2018-02-01

We explore the behavior of the order parameter distribution of the quantum Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model in the spin glass phase using Monte Carlo technique for the effective Suzuki-Trotter Hamiltonian at finite temperatures and that at zero temperature obtained using the exact diagonalization method. Our numerical results indicate the existence of a low- but finite-temperature quantum-fluctuation-dominated ergodic region along with the classical fluctuation-dominated high-temperature nonergodic region in the spin glass phase of the model. In the ergodic region, the order parameter distribution gets narrower around the most probable value of the order parameter as the system size increases. In the other region, the Parisi order distribution function has nonvanishing value everywhere in the thermodynamic limit, indicating nonergodicity. We also show that the average annealing time for convergence (to a low-energy level of the model, within a small error range) becomes system size independent for annealing down through the (quantum-fluctuation-dominated) ergodic region. It becomes strongly system size dependent for annealing through the nonergodic region. Possible finite-size scaling-type behavior for the extent of the ergodic region is also addressed.

Hydrogen Diffusion and Trapping in α -Iron: The Role of Quantum and Anharmonic Fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Bingqing; Paxton, Anthony T.; Ceriotti, Michele

2018-06-01

We investigate the thermodynamics and kinetics of a hydrogen interstitial in magnetic α -iron, taking account of the quantum fluctuations of the proton as well as the anharmonicities of lattice vibrations and hydrogen hopping. We show that the diffusivity of hydrogen in the lattice of bcc iron deviates strongly from an Arrhenius behavior at and below room temperature. We compare a quantum transition state theory to explicit ring polymer molecular dynamics in the calculation of diffusivity. We then address the trapping of hydrogen by a vacancy as a prototype lattice defect. By a sequence of steps in a thought experiment, each involving a thermodynamic integration, we are able to separate out the binding free energy of a proton to a defect into harmonic and anharmonic, and classical and quantum contributions. We find that about 30% of a typical binding free energy of hydrogen to a lattice defect in iron is accounted for by finite temperature effects, and about half of these arise from quantum proton fluctuations. This has huge implications for the comparison between thermal desorption and permeation experiments and standard electronic structure theory. The implications are even greater for the interpretation of muon spin resonance experiments.

Gravitational decoherence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bassi, Angelo; Großardt, André; Ulbricht, Hendrik

2017-10-01

We discuss effects of loss of coherence in low energy quantum systems caused by or related to gravitation, referred to as gravitational decoherence. These effects, resulting from random metric fluctuations, for instance, promise to be accessible by relatively inexpensive table-top experiments, way before the scales where true quantum gravity effects become important. Therefore, they can provide a first experimental view on gravity in the quantum regime. We will survey models of decoherence induced both by classical and quantum gravitational fluctuations; it will be manifest that a clear understanding of gravitational decoherence is still lacking. Next we will review models where quantum theory is modified, under the assumption that gravity causes the collapse of the wave functions, when systems are large enough. These models challenge the quantum-gravity interplay, and can be tested experimentally. In the last part we have a look at the state of the art of experimental research. We will review efforts aiming at more and more accurate measurements of gravity (G and g) and ideas for measuring conventional and unconventional gravity effects on nonrelativistic quantum systems.

Role of zero-point effects in stabilizing the ground state structure of bulk Fe2P

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhat, Soumya S.; Gupta, Kapil; Bhattacharjee, Satadeep; Lee, Seung-Cheol

2018-05-01

Structural stability of Fe2P is investigated in detail using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. While the orthorhombic C23 phase is found to be energetically more stable, the experiments suggest it to be hexagonal C22 phase. In the present study, we show that in order to obtain the correct ground state structure of Fe2P from the first-principles based methods it is utmost necessary to consider the zero-point effects such as zero-point vibrations and spin fluctuations. This study demonstrates an exceptional case where a bulk material is stabilized by quantum effects, which are usually important in low-dimensional materials. Our results also indicate the possibility of magnetic field induced structural quantum phase transition in Fe2P, which should form the basis for further theoretical and experimental efforts.

Thermal expansion in dispersion-bound molecular crystals

DOE PAGES

Ko, Hsin -Yu; DiStasio, Robert A.; Santra, Biswajit; ...

2018-05-18

In this paper, we explore how anharmonicity, nuclear quantum effects (NQE), many-body dispersion interactions, and Pauli repulsion influence thermal properties of dispersion-bound molecular crystals. Accounting for anharmonicity with ab initio molecular dynamics yields cell parameters accurate to within 2% of experiment for a set of pyridinelike molecular crystals at finite temperatures and pressures. From the experimental thermal expansion curve, we find that pyridine-I has a Debye temperature just above its melting point, indicating sizable NQE across the entire crystalline range of stability. We find that NQE lead to a substantial volume increase in pyridine-I (≈ 40% more than classical thermalmore » expansion at 153 K) and attribute this to intermolecular Pauli repulsion promoted by intramolecular quantum fluctuations. Finally, when predicting delicate properties such as the thermal expansivity, we show that many-body dispersion interactions and more sophisticated density functional approximations improve the accuracy of the theoretical model.« less

Thermal expansion in dispersion-bound molecular crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, Hsin-Yu; DiStasio, Robert A.; Santra, Biswajit; Car, Roberto

2018-05-01

We explore how anharmonicity, nuclear quantum effects (NQE), many-body dispersion interactions, and Pauli repulsion influence thermal properties of dispersion-bound molecular crystals. Accounting for anharmonicity with ab initio molecular dynamics yields cell parameters accurate to within 2 % of experiment for a set of pyridinelike molecular crystals at finite temperatures and pressures. From the experimental thermal expansion curve, we find that pyridine-I has a Debye temperature just above its melting point, indicating sizable NQE across the entire crystalline range of stability. We find that NQE lead to a substantial volume increase in pyridine-I (≈40 % more than classical thermal expansion at 153 K) and attribute this to intermolecular Pauli repulsion promoted by intramolecular quantum fluctuations. When predicting delicate properties such as the thermal expansivity, we show that many-body dispersion interactions and more sophisticated density functional approximations improve the accuracy of the theoretical model.

Thermal expansion in dispersion-bound molecular crystals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ko, Hsin -Yu; DiStasio, Robert A.; Santra, Biswajit

In this paper, we explore how anharmonicity, nuclear quantum effects (NQE), many-body dispersion interactions, and Pauli repulsion influence thermal properties of dispersion-bound molecular crystals. Accounting for anharmonicity with ab initio molecular dynamics yields cell parameters accurate to within 2% of experiment for a set of pyridinelike molecular crystals at finite temperatures and pressures. From the experimental thermal expansion curve, we find that pyridine-I has a Debye temperature just above its melting point, indicating sizable NQE across the entire crystalline range of stability. We find that NQE lead to a substantial volume increase in pyridine-I (≈ 40% more than classical thermalmore » expansion at 153 K) and attribute this to intermolecular Pauli repulsion promoted by intramolecular quantum fluctuations. Finally, when predicting delicate properties such as the thermal expansivity, we show that many-body dispersion interactions and more sophisticated density functional approximations improve the accuracy of the theoretical model.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Goswami, Pallab; Goldman, Hart; Raghu, S.

Metallic phases have been observed in several disordered two-dimensional (2D) systems, including thin films near superconductor-insulator transitions and quantum Hall systems near plateau transitions. The existence of 2D metallic phases at zero temperature generally requires an interplay of disorder and interaction effects. Consequently, experimental observations of 2D metallic behavior have largely defied explanation. We formulate a general stability criterion for strongly interacting, massless Dirac fermions against disorder, which describe metallic ground states with vanishing density of states. We show that (2+1)-dimensional quantum electrodynamics (QED 3) with a large, even number of fermion flavors remains metallic in the presence of weakmore » scalar potential disorder due to the dynamic screening of disorder by gauge fluctuations. In conclusion, we also show that QED 3 with weak mass disorder exhibits a stable, dirty metallic phase in which both interactions and disorder play important roles.« less

Phase space theory of evaporation in neon clusters: the role of quantum effects.

PubMed

Calvo, F; Parneix, P

2009-12-31

Unimolecular evaporation of neon clusters containing between 14 and 148 atoms is theoretically investigated in the framework of phase space theory. Quantum effects are incorporated in the vibrational densities of states, which include both zero-point and anharmonic contributions, and in the possible tunneling through the centrifugal barrier. The evaporation rates, kinetic energy released, and product angular momentum are calculated as a function of excess energy or temperature in the parent cluster and compared to the classical results. Quantum fluctuations are found to generally increase both the kinetic energy released and the angular momentum of the product, but the effects on the rate constants depend nontrivially on the excess energy. These results are interpreted as due to the very few vibrational states available in the product cluster when described quantum mechanically. Because delocalization also leads to much narrower thermal energy distributions, the variations of evaporation observables as a function of canonical temperature appear much less marked than in the microcanonical ensemble. While quantum effects tend to smooth the caloric curve in the product cluster, the melting phase change clearly keeps a signature on these observables. The microcanonical temperature extracted from fitting the kinetic energy released distribution using an improved Arrhenius form further suggests a backbending in the quantum Ne(13) cluster that is absent in the classical system. Finally, in contrast to delocalization effects, quantum tunneling through the centrifugal barrier does not play any appreciable role on the evaporation kinetics of these rather heavy clusters.

The Transport of Density Fluctuations Throughout the Heliosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zank, G. P.; Jetha, N.; Hu, Q.; Hunana, P.

2012-01-01

The solar wind is recognized as a turbulent magnetofluid, for which the properties of the turbulent velocity and magnetic field fluctuations are often described by the equations of incompressible magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). However, low-frequency density turbulence is also ubiquitous. On the basis of a nearly incompressible formulation of MHD in the expanding inhomogeneous solar wind, we derive the transport equation for the variance of the density fluctuations (Rho(exp 2)). The transport equation shows that density fluctuations behave as a passive scalar in the supersonic solar wind. In the absence of sources of density turbulence, such as within 1AU, the variance (Rho(exp 2)) approximates r(exp -4). In the outer heliosphere beyond 1 AU, the shear between fast and slow streams, the propagation of shocks, and the creation of interstellar pickup ions all act as sources of density turbulence. The model density fluctuation variance evolves with heliocentric distance within approximately 300 AU as (Rho(exp 2)) approximates r(exp -3.3) after which it flattens and then slowly increases. This is precisely the radial profile for the density fluctuation variance observed by Voyager 2. Using a different analysis technique, we confirm the radial profile for Rho(exp 2) of Bellamy, Cairns, & Smith using Voyager 2 data. We conclude that a passive scalar description for density fluctuations in the supersonic solar wind can explain the density fluctuation variance observed in both the inner and the outer heliosphere.

Classical and quantum dynamics of a kicked relativistic particle in a box

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusupov, J. R.; Otajanov, D. M.; Eshniyazov, V. E.; Matrasulov, D. U.

2018-03-01

We study classical and quantum dynamics of a kicked relativistic particle confined in a one dimensional box. It is found that in classical case for chaotic motion the average kinetic energy grows in time, while for mixed regime the growth is suppressed. However, in case of regular motion energy fluctuates around certain value. Quantum dynamics is treated by solving the time-dependent Dirac equation with delta-kicking potential, whose exact solution is obtained for single kicking period. In quantum case, depending on the values of the kicking parameters, the average kinetic energy can be quasi periodic, or fluctuating around some value. Particle transport is studied by considering spatio-temporal evolution of the Gaussian wave packet and by analyzing the trembling motion.

Fully Quantum Fluctuation Theorems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Åberg, Johan

2018-02-01

Systems that are driven out of thermal equilibrium typically dissipate random quantities of energy on microscopic scales. Crooks fluctuation theorem relates the distribution of these random work costs to the corresponding distribution for the reverse process. By an analysis that explicitly incorporates the energy reservoir that donates the energy and the control system that implements the dynamic, we obtain a quantum generalization of Crooks theorem that not only includes the energy changes in the reservoir but also the full description of its evolution, including coherences. Moreover, this approach opens up the possibility for generalizations of the concept of fluctuation relations. Here, we introduce "conditional" fluctuation relations that are applicable to nonequilibrium systems, as well as approximate fluctuation relations that allow for the analysis of autonomous evolution generated by global time-independent Hamiltonians. We furthermore extend these notions to Markovian master equations, implicitly modeling the influence of the heat bath.

Two-Dimensional Si-Nanodisk Array Fabricated Using Bio-Nano-Process and Neutral Beam Etching for Realistic Quantum Effect Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chi-Hsien; Igarashi, Makoto; Woné, Michel; Uraoka, Yukiharu; Fuyuki, Takashi; Takeguchi, Masaki; Yamashita, Ichiro; Samukawa, Seiji

2009-04-01

A high-density, large-area, and uniform two-dimensional (2D) Si-nanodisk array was successfully fabricated using the bio-nano-process, advanced etching techniques, including a treatment using nitrogen trifluoride and hydrogen radical (NF3 treatment) and a damage-free chlorine neutral beam (NB). By using the surface oxide formed by neutral beam oxidation (NBO) for the preparation of a 2D nanometer-sized iron core array as an etching mask, a well-ordered 2D Si-nanodisk array was obtained owing to the dangling bonds of the surface oxide. By changing the NF3 treatment time without changing the quantum effect of each nanodisk, we could control the gap between adjacent nanodisks. A device with two electrodes was fabricated to investigate the electron transport in a 2D Si-nanodisk array. Current fluctuation and time-dependent currents were clearly observed owing to the charging-discharging of the nanodisks adjacent to the current percolation path. The new structure may have great potential for future novel quantum effect devices.

Impact of environmentally induced fluctuations on quantum mechanically mixed electronic and vibrational pigment states in photosynthetic energy transfer and 2D electronic spectra

DOE PAGES

Fujihashi, Yuta; Fleming, Graham R.; Ishizaki, Akihito

2015-03-11

Recently, nuclear vibrational contribution signatures in two-dimensional (2D) electronic spectroscopy have attracted considerable interest, in particular as regards interpretation of the oscillatory transients observed in light-harvesting complexes. These transients have dephasing times that persist for much longer than theoretically predicted electronic coherence lifetime. As a plausible explanation for this long-lived spectral beating in 2D electronic spectra, quantum-mechanically mixed electronic and vibrational states (vibronic excitons) were proposed by Christensson et al. [J. Phys. Chem. B 116, 7449 (2012)] and have since been explored. Here in this work, we address a dimer which produces little beating of electronic origin in the absencemore » of vibronic contributions, and examine the impact of protein-induced fluctuations upon electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures by calculating the electronic energy transfer dynamics and 2D electronic spectra in a numerically accurate manner. It is found that, at cryogenic temperatures, the electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures are rather robust, even under the influence of the fluctuations and despite the small Huang-Rhys factors of the Franck-Condon active vibrational modes. This results in long-lasting beating behavior of vibrational origin in the 2D electronic spectra. At physiological temperatures, however, the fluctuations eradicate the mixing, and hence, the beating in the 2D spectra disappears. Further, it is demonstrated that such electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures do not necessarily play a significant role in electronic energy transfer dynamics, despite contributing to the enhancement of long-lived quantum beating in 2D electronic spectra, contrary to speculations in recent publications.« less

Impact of environmentally induced fluctuations on quantum mechanically mixed electronic and vibrational pigment states in photosynthetic energy transfer and 2D electronic spectra

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fujihashi, Yuta; Ishizaki, Akihito, E-mail: ishizaki@ims.ac.jp; Fleming, Graham R.

2015-06-07

Recently, nuclear vibrational contribution signatures in two-dimensional (2D) electronic spectroscopy have attracted considerable interest, in particular as regards interpretation of the oscillatory transients observed in light-harvesting complexes. These transients have dephasing times that persist for much longer than theoretically predicted electronic coherence lifetime. As a plausible explanation for this long-lived spectral beating in 2D electronic spectra, quantum-mechanically mixed electronic and vibrational states (vibronic excitons) were proposed by Christensson et al. [J. Phys. Chem. B 116, 7449 (2012)] and have since been explored. In this work, we address a dimer which produces little beating of electronic origin in the absence ofmore » vibronic contributions, and examine the impact of protein-induced fluctuations upon electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures by calculating the electronic energy transfer dynamics and 2D electronic spectra in a numerically accurate manner. It is found that, at cryogenic temperatures, the electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures are rather robust, even under the influence of the fluctuations and despite the small Huang-Rhys factors of the Franck-Condon active vibrational modes. This results in long-lasting beating behavior of vibrational origin in the 2D electronic spectra. At physiological temperatures, however, the fluctuations eradicate the mixing, and hence, the beating in the 2D spectra disappears. Further, it is demonstrated that such electronic-vibrational quantum mixtures do not necessarily play a significant role in electronic energy transfer dynamics, despite contributing to the enhancement of long-lived quantum beating in 2D electronic spectra, contrary to speculations in recent publications.« less

Probing the antiferromagnetic long-range order with Glauber spin states

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cabrera, Guillermo G.

1994-01-01

It is well known that the ground state of low-dimensional antiferromagnets deviates from Neel states due to strong quantum fluctuations. Even in the presence of long-range order, those fluctuations produce a substantial reduction of the magnetic moment from its saturation value. Numerical simulations in anisotropic antiferromagnetic chains suggest that quantum fluctuations over Neel order appear in the form of localized reversal of pairs of neighboring spins. In this paper, we propose a coherent state representation for the ground state to describe the above situation. In the one-dimensional case, our wave function corresponds to a two-mode Glauber state, when the Neel state is used as a reference, while the boson fields are associated to coherent flip of spin pairs. The coherence manifests itself through the antiferromagnetic long-range order that survives the action of quantum fluctuations. The present representation is different from the standard zero-point spin wave state, and is asymptotically exact in the limit of strong anisotropy. The fermionic version of the theory, obtained through the Jordan-Wigner transformation, is also investigated.

Construction of nonsingular pre-big-bang and ekpyrotic cosmologies and the resulting density perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsujikawa, Shinji; Brandenberger, Robert; Finelli, Fabio

2002-10-01

We consider the construction of nonsingular pre-big-bang and ekpyrotic type cosmological models realized by the addition to the action of specific higher-order terms stemming from quantum corrections. We study models involving general relativity coupled to a single scalar field with a potential motivated by the ekpyrotic scenario. We find that the inclusion of the string loop and quantum correction terms in the string frame makes it possible to obtain solutions of the variational equations which are nonsingular and bouncing in the Einstein frame, even when a negative exponential potential is present, as is the case in the ekpyrotic scenario. This allows us to discuss the evolution of cosmological perturbations without the need to invoke matching conditions between two Einstein universes, one representing the contracting branch, the second the expanding branch. We analyze the spectra of perturbations produced during the bouncing phase and find that the spectrum of curvature fluctuations in the model proposed originally to implement the ekpyrotic scenario has a large blue tilt (nR=3). Except for instabilities introduced on small scales, the result agrees with what is obtained by imposing continuity of the induced metric and of the extrinsic curvature across a constant scalar field (up to k2 corrections equal to the constant energy density) matching surface between the contracting and the expanding Einstein universes. We also discuss nonsingular cosmological solutions obtained when a Gauss-Bonnet term with a coefficient suitably dependent on the scalar matter field is added to the action in the Einstein frame with a potential for the scalar field present. In this scenario, nonsingular solutions are found which start in an asymptotically flat state, undergo a period of superexponential inflation, and end with a graceful exit. The spectrum of fluctuations is also calculated in this case.

Entropy for quantum pure states and quantum H theorem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Xizhi; Wu, Biao

2015-06-01

We construct a complete set of Wannier functions that are localized at both given positions and momenta. This allows us to introduce the quantum phase space, onto which a quantum pure state can be mapped unitarily. Using its probability distribution in quantum phase space, we define an entropy for a quantum pure state. We prove an inequality regarding the long-time behavior of our entropy's fluctuation. For a typical initial state, this inequality indicates that our entropy can relax dynamically to a maximized value and stay there most of time with small fluctuations. This result echoes the quantum H theorem proved by von Neumann [Zeitschrift für Physik 57, 30 (1929), 10.1007/BF01339852]. Our entropy is different from the standard von Neumann entropy, which is always zero for quantum pure states. According to our definition, a system always has bigger entropy than its subsystem even when the system is described by a pure state. As the construction of the Wannier basis can be implemented numerically, the dynamical evolution of our entropy is illustrated with an example.

Finite-data-size study on practical universal blind quantum computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Qiang; Li, Qiong

2018-07-01

The universal blind quantum computation with weak coherent pulses protocol is a practical scheme to allow a client to delegate a computation to a remote server while the computation hidden. However, in the practical protocol, a finite data size will influence the preparation efficiency in the remote blind qubit state preparation (RBSP). In this paper, a modified RBSP protocol with two decoy states is studied in the finite data size. The issue of its statistical fluctuations is analyzed thoroughly. The theoretical analysis and simulation results show that two-decoy-state case with statistical fluctuation is closer to the asymptotic case than the one-decoy-state case with statistical fluctuation. Particularly, the two-decoy-state protocol can achieve a longer communication distance than the one-decoy-state case in this statistical fluctuation situation.

Tunneling probe of fluctuating superconductivity in disordered thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dentelski, David; Frydman, Aviad; Shimshoni, Efrat; Dalla Torre, Emanuele G.

2018-03-01

Disordered thin films close to the superconductor-insulator phase transition (SIT) hold the key to understanding quantum phase transition in strongly correlated materials. The SIT is governed by superconducting quantum fluctuations, which can be revealed, for example, by tunneling measurements. These experiments detect a spectral gap, accompanied by suppressed coherence peaks, on both sides of the transition. Here we describe the insulating side in terms of a fluctuating superconducting field with finite-range correlations. We perform a controlled diagrammatic resummation and derive analytic expressions for the tunneling differential conductance. We find that short-range superconducting fluctuations suppress the coherence peaks even in the presence of long-range correlations. Our approach offers a quantitative description of existing measurements on disordered thin films and accounts for tunneling spectra with suppressed coherence peaks.

Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution with source state errors and statistical fluctuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Cong; Yu, Zong-Wen; Wang, Xiang-Bin

2017-03-01

We show how to calculate the secure final key rate in the four-intensity decoy-state measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution protocol with both source errors and statistical fluctuations with a certain failure probability. Our results rely only on the range of only a few parameters in the source state. All imperfections in this protocol have been taken into consideration without assuming any specific error patterns of the source.

Quantum nondemolition measurement of optical field fluctuations by optomechanical interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pontin, A.; Bonaldi, M.; Borrielli, A.; Marconi, L.; Marino, F.; Pandraud, G.; Prodi, G. A.; Sarro, P. M.; Serra, E.; Marin, F.

2018-03-01

According to quantum mechanics, if we keep observing a continuous variable we generally disturb its evolution. For a class of observables, however, it is possible to implement a so-called quantum nondemolition measurement: by confining the perturbation to the conjugate variable, the observable is estimated with arbitrary accuracy, or prepared in a well-known state. For instance, when the light bounces on a movable mirror, its intensity is not perturbed (the effect is just seen on the phase of the radiation), but the radiation pressure allows one to trace back its fluctuations by observing the mirror motion. In this work, we implement a cavity optomechanical experiment based on an oscillating micromirror, and we measure correlations between the output light intensity fluctuations and the mirror motion. We demonstrate that the uncertainty of the former is reduced below the shot-noise level determined by the corpuscular nature of light.

Fluctuation-dissipation theorem in an isolated system of quantum dipolar bosons after a quench.

PubMed

Khatami, Ehsan; Pupillo, Guido; Srednicki, Mark; Rigol, Marcos

2013-08-02

We examine the validity of fluctuation-dissipation relations in isolated quantum systems taken out of equilibrium by a sudden quench. We focus on the dynamics of trapped hard-core bosons in one-dimensional lattices with dipolar interactions whose strength is changed during the quench. We find indications that fluctuation-dissipation relations hold if the system is nonintegrable after the quench, as well as if it is integrable after the quench if the initial state is an equilibrium state of a nonintegrable Hamiltonian. On the other hand, we find indications that they fail if the system is integrable both before and after quenching.

Quantum to classical transition in quantum field theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lombardo, Fernando C.

1998-12-01

We study the quatum to classical transition process in the context of quantum field theory. Extending the influence functional formalism of Feynman and Vernon, we study the decoherence process for self-interacting quantum fields in flat space. We also use this formalism for arbitrary geometries to analyze the quantum to classical transition in quantum gravity. After summarizing the main results known for the quantum Brownian motion, we consider a self-interacting field theory in Minkowski spacetime. We compute a coarse grained effective action by integrating out the field modes with wavelength shorter than a critical value. From this effective action we obtain the evolution equation for the reduced density matrix (master equation). We compute the diffusion coefficients for this equation and analyze the decoherence induced on the long-wavelength modes. We generalize the results to the case of a conformally coupled scalar field in de Sitter spacetime. We show that the decoherence is effective as long as the critical wavelength is taken to be not shorter than the Hubble radius. On the other hand, we study the classical limit for scalar-tensorial models in two dimensions. We consider different couplings between the dilaton and the scalar field. We discuss the Hawking radiation process and, from an exact evaluation of the influence functional, we study the conditions by which decoherence ensures the validity of the semiclassical approximation in cosmological metrics. Finally we consider four dimensional models with massive scalar fields, arbitrary coupled to the geometry. We compute the Einstein-Langevin equations in order to study the effect of the fluctuations induced by the quantum fields on the classical geometry.

2D image of local density and magnetic fluctuations from line-integrated interferometry-polarimetry measurements.

PubMed

Lin, L; Ding, W X; Brower, D L

2014-11-01

Combined polarimetry-interferometry capability permits simultaneous measurement of line-integrated density and Faraday effect with fast time response (∼1 μs) and high sensitivity. Faraday effect fluctuations with phase shift of order 0.05° associated with global tearing modes are resolved with an uncertainty ∼0.01°. For physics investigations, local density fluctuations are obtained by inverting the line-integrated interferometry data. The local magnetic and current density fluctuations are then reconstructed using a parameterized fit of the polarimetry data. Reconstructed 2D images of density and magnetic field fluctuations in a poloidal cross section exhibit significantly different spatial structure. Combined with their relative phase, the magnetic-fluctuation-induced particle transport flux and its spatial distribution are resolved.

2D image of local density and magnetic fluctuations from line-integrated interferometry-polarimetry measurements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, L., E-mail: lianglin@ucla.edu; Ding, W. X.; Brower, D. L.

2014-11-15

Combined polarimetry-interferometry capability permits simultaneous measurement of line-integrated density and Faraday effect with fast time response (∼1 μs) and high sensitivity. Faraday effect fluctuations with phase shift of order 0.05° associated with global tearing modes are resolved with an uncertainty ∼0.01°. For physics investigations, local density fluctuations are obtained by inverting the line-integrated interferometry data. The local magnetic and current density fluctuations are then reconstructed using a parameterized fit of the polarimetry data. Reconstructed 2D images of density and magnetic field fluctuations in a poloidal cross section exhibit significantly different spatial structure. Combined with their relative phase, the magnetic-fluctuation-induced particlemore » transport flux and its spatial distribution are resolved.« less

Quantum fluctuations and the closing of the Coulomb gap in a correlated insulator.

PubMed

Roy, A S; Hoekstra, A F Th; Rosenbaum, T F; Griessen, R

2002-12-30

The "switchable mirror" yttrium hydride is one of the few strongly correlated systems with a continuous Mott-Hubbard metal-insulator transition. We systematically map out the low temperature electrical transport from deep in the insulator to the quantum critical point using persistent photoconductivity as a drive parameter. Both activated hopping over a Coulomb gap and power-law quantum fluctuations must be included to describe the data. Collapse of the data onto a universal curve within a dynamical scaling framework (with corrections) requires znu=6.0+/-0.5, where nu and z are the static and dynamical critical exponents, respectively.

Intrinsic measurement errors for the speed of light in vacuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braun, Daniel; Schneiter, Fabienne; Fischer, Uwe R.

2017-09-01

The speed of light in vacuum, one of the most important and precisely measured natural constants, is fixed by convention to c=299 792 458 m s-1 . Advanced theories predict possible deviations from this universal value, or even quantum fluctuations of c. Combining arguments from quantum parameter estimation theory and classical general relativity, we here establish rigorously the existence of lower bounds on the uncertainty to which the speed of light in vacuum can be determined in a given region of space-time, subject to several reasonable restrictions. They provide a novel perspective on the experimental falsifiability of predictions for the quantum fluctuations of space-time.

Non-Poissonian Quantum Jumps of a Fluxonium Qubit due to Quasiparticle Excitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vool, U.; Pop, I. M.; Sliwa, K.; Abdo, B.; Wang, C.; Brecht, T.; Gao, Y. Y.; Shankar, S.; Hatridge, M.; Catelani, G.; Mirrahimi, M.; Frunzio, L.; Schoelkopf, R. J.; Glazman, L. I.; Devoret, M. H.

2014-12-01

As the energy relaxation time of superconducting qubits steadily improves, nonequilibrium quasiparticle excitations above the superconducting gap emerge as an increasingly relevant limit for qubit coherence. We measure fluctuations in the number of quasiparticle excitations by continuously monitoring the spontaneous quantum jumps between the states of a fluxonium qubit, in conditions where relaxation is dominated by quasiparticle loss. Resolution on the scale of a single quasiparticle is obtained by performing quantum nondemolition projective measurements within a time interval much shorter than T1 , using a quantum-limited amplifier (Josephson parametric converter). The quantum jump statistics switches between the expected Poisson distribution and a non-Poissonian one, indicating large relative fluctuations in the quasiparticle population, on time scales varying from seconds to hours. This dynamics can be modified controllably by injecting quasiparticles or by seeding quasiparticle-trapping vortices by cooling down in a magnetic field.

Hall effect in quantum critical charge-cluster glass

DOE PAGES

Bozovic, Ivan; Wu, Jie; Bollinger, Anthony T.; ...

2016-04-04

Upon doping, cuprates undergo a quantum phase transition from an insulator to a d-wave superconductor. The nature of this transition and of the insulating state is vividly debated. Here, we study the Hall effect in La 2-xSr xCuO 4 (LSCO) samples doped near the quantum critical point at x ≈ 0.06. Dramatic fluctuations in the Hall resistance appear below T CG ≈ 1.5 K and increase as the sample is cooled down further, signaling quantum critical behavior. We explore the doping dependence of this effect in detail, by studying a combinatorial LSCO library in which the Sr content is variedmore » in extremely fine steps, Δx ≈ 0.00008. Furthermore, we observe that quantum charge fluctuations wash out when superconductivity emerges but can be restored when the latter is suppressed by applying a magnetic field, showing that the two instabilities compete for the ground state.« less

Hall effect in quantum critical charge-cluster glass

PubMed Central

Wu, Jie; Bollinger, Anthony T.; Sun, Yujie; Božović, Ivan

2016-01-01

Upon doping, cuprates undergo a quantum phase transition from an insulator to a d-wave superconductor. The nature of this transition and of the insulating state is vividly debated. Here, we study the Hall effect in La2-xSrxCuO4 (LSCO) samples doped near the quantum critical point at x ∼ 0.06. Dramatic fluctuations in the Hall resistance appear below TCG ∼ 1.5 K and increase as the sample is cooled down further, signaling quantum critical behavior. We explore the doping dependence of this effect in detail, by studying a combinatorial LSCO library in which the Sr content is varied in extremely fine steps, Δx ∼ 0.00008. We observe that quantum charge fluctuations wash out when superconductivity emerges but can be restored when the latter is suppressed by applying a magnetic field, showing that the two instabilities compete for the ground state. PMID:27044081

Hall effect in quantum critical charge-cluster glass.

PubMed

Wu, Jie; Bollinger, Anthony T; Sun, Yujie; Božović, Ivan

2016-04-19

Upon doping, cuprates undergo a quantum phase transition from an insulator to a d-wave superconductor. The nature of this transition and of the insulating state is vividly debated. Here, we study the Hall effect in La2-xSrxCuO4(LSCO) samples doped near the quantum critical point atx∼ 0.06. Dramatic fluctuations in the Hall resistance appear belowTCG∼ 1.5 K and increase as the sample is cooled down further, signaling quantum critical behavior. We explore the doping dependence of this effect in detail, by studying a combinatorial LSCO library in which the Sr content is varied in extremely fine steps,Δx∼ 0.00008. We observe that quantum charge fluctuations wash out when superconductivity emerges but can be restored when the latter is suppressed by applying a magnetic field, showing that the two instabilities compete for the ground state.

Non-Poissonian quantum jumps of a fluxonium qubit due to quasiparticle excitations.

PubMed

Vool, U; Pop, I M; Sliwa, K; Abdo, B; Wang, C; Brecht, T; Gao, Y Y; Shankar, S; Hatridge, M; Catelani, G; Mirrahimi, M; Frunzio, L; Schoelkopf, R J; Glazman, L I; Devoret, M H

2014-12-12

As the energy relaxation time of superconducting qubits steadily improves, nonequilibrium quasiparticle excitations above the superconducting gap emerge as an increasingly relevant limit for qubit coherence. We measure fluctuations in the number of quasiparticle excitations by continuously monitoring the spontaneous quantum jumps between the states of a fluxonium qubit, in conditions where relaxation is dominated by quasiparticle loss. Resolution on the scale of a single quasiparticle is obtained by performing quantum nondemolition projective measurements within a time interval much shorter than T₁, using a quantum-limited amplifier (Josephson parametric converter). The quantum jump statistics switches between the expected Poisson distribution and a non-Poissonian one, indicating large relative fluctuations in the quasiparticle population, on time scales varying from seconds to hours. This dynamics can be modified controllably by injecting quasiparticles or by seeding quasiparticle-trapping vortices by cooling down in a magnetic field.

Mid-Infrared Quantum-Dot Quantum Cascade Laser: A Theoretical Feasibility Study

DOE PAGES

Michael, Stephan; Chow, Weng; Schneider, Hans

2016-05-01

In the framework of a microscopic model for intersubband gain from electrically pumped quantum-dot structures we investigate electrically pumped quantum-dots as active material for a mid-infrared quantum cascade laser. Our previous calculations have indicated that these structures could operate with reduced threshold current densities while also achieving a modal gain comparable to that of quantum well active materials. We study the influence of two important quantum-dot material parameters, here, namely inhomogeneous broadening and quantum-dot sheet density, on the performance of a proposed quantum cascade laser design. In terms of achieving a positive modal net gain, a high quantum-dot density canmore » compensate for moderately high inhomogeneous broadening, but at a cost of increased threshold current density. By minimizing quantum-dot density with presently achievable inhomogeneous broadening and total losses, significantly lower threshold densities than those reported in quantum-well quantum-cascade lasers are predicted by our theory.« less

Quantum gravity in the Southern Cone Conference. Proceedings. Conference, Bariloche (Argentina), 7 - 10 Jan 1998.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1999-04-01

The following topics are discussed: Black hole formation by canonical dynamics of gravitating shells; canonical quantum gravity; Vassiliev invariants; midisuperspace models; quantum spacetime; large-N limit of superconformal field theories and supergravity; world-volume fields and background coupling of branes; gauge enhancement and chirality changes in nonperturbative orbifold models; chiral p-forms; formally renormalizable gravitationally self-interacting string models; gauge supergravities for all odd dimensions; black hole radiation and S-matrix; primordial black holes; fluctuations in a thermal field and dissipation of a black hole spacetime in far-field limit; adiabatic interpretation of particle creation in a de Sitter universe; nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum fields in inflationary cosmology; magnetic fields in the early Universe; classical regime of a quantum universe obtained through a functional method; decoherence and correlations in semiclassical cosmology; fluid of primordial fluctuations; causal statistical mechanics calculation of initial cosmic entropy and quantum gravity prospects and black hole-D-brane correspondence.

Protecting solid-state spins from a strongly coupled environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Mo; Calvin Sun, Won Kyu; Saha, Kasturi; Jaskula, Jean-Christophe; Cappellaro, Paola

2018-06-01

Quantum memories are critical for solid-state quantum computing devices and a good quantum memory requires both long storage time and fast read/write operations. A promising system is the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, where the NV electronic spin serves as the computing qubit and a nearby nuclear spin as the memory qubit. Previous works used remote, weakly coupled 13C nuclear spins, trading read/write speed for long storage time. Here we focus instead on the intrinsic strongly coupled 14N nuclear spin. We first quantitatively understand its decoherence mechanism, identifying as its source the electronic spin that acts as a quantum fluctuator. We then propose a scheme to protect the quantum memory from the fluctuating noise by applying dynamical decoupling on the environment itself. We demonstrate a factor of 3 enhancement of the storage time in a proof-of-principle experiment, showing the potential for a quantum memory that combines fast operation with long coherence time.

Marshall N. Rosenbluth Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Award Talk: Simultaneous Measurement of Electron Temperature and Density Fluctuations in the Core of DIII-D Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

White, A. E.

2009-11-01

Multi-field fluctuation measurements provide opportunities for rigorous comparison between experiment and nonlinear gyrokinetic turbulence simulations. A unique set of diagnostics on DIII-D allows for simultaneous study of local, long-wavelength (0 < kθρs< 0.5) electron temperature and density fluctuations in the core plasma (0.4 < ρ< 0.8). Previous experiments in L-mode indicate that normalized electron temperature fluctuation levels (40 < f < 400,kHz) increase with radius from ˜0.4% at ρ= 0.5 to ˜2% at ρ=0.8, similar to simultaneously measured density fluctuations. Electron cyclotron heating (ECH) is used to increase Te, which increases electron temperature fluctuation levels and electron heat transport in the experiments. In contrast, long wavelength density fluctuation levels change very little. The different responses are consistent with increased TEM drive relative to ITG-mode drive. A new capability at DIII-D is the measurement of phase angle between electron temperature and density fluctuations using coupled correlation electron cyclotron emission radiometer and reflectometer diagnostics. Linear and nonlinear GYRO runs have been used to design validation experiments that focus on measurements of the phase angle. GYRO shows that if Te and ∇Te increase 50% in a beam-heated L-mode plasma (ρ=0.5), then the phase angle between electron temperature and density fluctuations decreases 30%-50% and electron temperature fluctuation levels increase a factor of two more than density fluctuations. Comparisons between these predictions and experimental results will be presented.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Michael, Stephan; Chow, Weng; Schneider, Hans

In the framework of a microscopic model for intersubband gain from electrically pumped quantum-dot structures we investigate electrically pumped quantum-dots as active material for a mid-infrared quantum cascade laser. Our previous calculations have indicated that these structures could operate with reduced threshold current densities while also achieving a modal gain comparable to that of quantum well active materials. We study the influence of two important quantum-dot material parameters, here, namely inhomogeneous broadening and quantum-dot sheet density, on the performance of a proposed quantum cascade laser design. In terms of achieving a positive modal net gain, a high quantum-dot density canmore » compensate for moderately high inhomogeneous broadening, but at a cost of increased threshold current density. By minimizing quantum-dot density with presently achievable inhomogeneous broadening and total losses, significantly lower threshold densities than those reported in quantum-well quantum-cascade lasers are predicted by our theory.« less

Hybrid annealing: Coupling a quantum simulator to a classical computer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graß, Tobias; Lewenstein, Maciej

2017-05-01

Finding the global minimum in a rugged potential landscape is a computationally hard task, often equivalent to relevant optimization problems. Annealing strategies, either classical or quantum, explore the configuration space by evolving the system under the influence of thermal or quantum fluctuations. The thermal annealing dynamics can rapidly freeze the system into a low-energy configuration, and it can be simulated well on a classical computer, but it easily gets stuck in local minima. Quantum annealing, on the other hand, can be guaranteed to find the true ground state and can be implemented in modern quantum simulators; however, quantum adiabatic schemes become prohibitively slow in the presence of quasidegeneracies. Here, we propose a strategy which combines ideas from simulated annealing and quantum annealing. In such a hybrid algorithm, the outcome of a quantum simulator is processed on a classical device. While the quantum simulator explores the configuration space by repeatedly applying quantum fluctuations and performing projective measurements, the classical computer evaluates each configuration and enforces a lowering of the energy. We have simulated this algorithm for small instances of the random energy model, showing that it potentially outperforms both simulated thermal annealing and adiabatic quantum annealing. It becomes most efficient for problems involving many quasidegenerate ground states.

Relic gravitational waves and extended inflation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Michael S.; Wilczek, Frank

1990-01-01

In extended inflation, a new version of inflation where the transition from the false-vacuum phase to a radiation-dominated Universe is accomplished by bubble nucleation and percolation, bubble collisions supply a potent-and potentially detectable-source of gravitational waves. The present energy density in relic gravity waves from bubble collisions is expected to be about 10(exp -5) of closure density-many orders of magnitude greater than that of the gravity waves produced by quantum fluctuations. Their characteristic wavelength depends upon the reheating temperature T(sub RH): lambda is approximately 10(exp 4) cm (10(exp 14) GeV/T(sub RH)). If large numbers of black holes are produced, a not implausible outcome, they will evaporate producing comparable amounts of shorter wavelength waves, lambda is approximately 10(exp -6) cm (T(sub RH)/10(exp 14) GeV).

Stimulated neutrino transformation with sinusoidal density profiles

DOE PAGES

Kneller, J. P.; McLaughlin, G. C.; Patton, K. M.

2013-03-28

Large amplitude oscillations between the states of a quantum system can be stimulated by sinusoidal external potentials with frequencies that are similar to the energy level splitting of the states or a fraction thereof. Situations where the applied frequency is equal to an integer fraction of the energy level splittings are known as parametric resonances. We investigate this effect for neutrinos both analytically and numerically for the case of arbitrary numbers of neutrino flavors. We look for environments where the effect may be observed and find that supernovae are the one realistic possibility due to the necessity of both largemore » densities and large amplitude fluctuations. In conclusion, the comparison of numerical and analytical results of neutrino propagation through a model supernova reveals that it is possible to predict the locations and strengths of the stimulated transitions that occur.« less

Optoelectronic Performance Variations in InGaN/GaN Multiple-Quantum-Well Light-Emitting Diodes: Effects of Potential Fluctuation.

PubMed

Islam, Abu Bashar Mohammad Hamidul; Shim, Jong-In; Shin, Dong-Soo

2018-05-07

We investigate the cause of the optoelectronic performance variations in InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well blue light-emitting diodes, using three different samples from an identical wafer grown on a c -plane sapphire substrate. Various macroscopic measurements have been conducted, revealing that with increasing strain in the quantum wells (QWs), the crystal quality improves with an increasing peak internal quantum efficiency while the droop becomes more severe. We propose to explain these variations using a model where the in-plane local potential fluctuation in QWs is considered. Our work is contrasted with prior works in that macroscopic measurements are utilized to find clues on the microscopic changes and their impacts on the device performances, which has been rarely attempted.

Nuclear quantum effects on the structure and the dynamics of [H2O]8 at low temperatures.

PubMed

Videla, Pablo E; Rossky, Peter J; Laria, D

2013-11-07

We use ring-polymer-molecular-dynamics (RPMD) techniques and the semi-empirical q-TIP4P/F water model to investigate the relationship between hydrogen bond connectivity and the characteristics of nuclear position fluctuations, including explicit incorporation of quantum effects, for the energetically low lying isomers of the prototype cluster [H2O]8 at T = 50 K and at 150 K. Our results reveal that tunneling and zero-point energy effects lead to sensible increments in the magnitudes of the fluctuations of intra and intermolecular distances. The degree of proton spatial delocalization is found to map logically with the hydrogen-bond connectivity pattern of the cluster. Dangling hydrogen bonds exhibit the largest extent of spatial delocalization and participate in shorter intramolecular O-H bonds. Combined effects from quantum and polarization fluctuations on the resulting individual dipole moments are also examined. From the dynamical side, we analyze the characteristics of the infrared absorption spectrum. The incorporation of nuclear quantum fluctuations promotes red shifts and sensible broadening relative to the classical profile, bringing the simulation results in much more satisfactory agreement with direct experimental information in the mid and high frequency range of the stretching band. While RPMD predictions overestimate the peak position of the low frequency shoulder, the overall agreement with that reported using an accurate, parameterized, many-body potential is reasonable, and far superior to that one obtains by implementing a partially adiabatic centroid molecular dynamics approach. Quantum effects on the collective dynamics, as reported by instantaneous normal modes, are also discussed.

The Effect of Quantum Fluctuations in Compact Star Observables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pósfay, P.; Barnaföldi, G. G.; Jakovác, A.

2018-05-01

Astrophysical measurements regarding compact stars are just ahead of a big evolution jump, since the NICER experiment deployed on ISS on 2017 June 14. This will provide soon data that would enable the determination of compact star radius with less than 10% error. This can be further constrained by the new observation of gravitational waves originated from merging neutron stars, GW170817. This poses new challenges to nuclear models aiming to explain the structure of super dense nuclear matter found in neutron stars. Detailed studies of the QCD phase diagram show the importance of bosonic quantum fluctuations in the cold dense matter equation of state. Here we used a demonstrative model with one bosonic and one fermionic degree of freedom coupled by Yukawa coupling, we show the effect of bosonic quantum fluctuations on compact star observables such as mass, radius, and compactness. We have also calculated the difference in the value of compressibility which is caused by quantum fluctuations. The above-mentioned quantities are calculated in the mean field, one-loop, and in high order many loop approximation. The results show that the magnitude of these effects is in the range of 4-5%, which place it into the region where modern measurements may detect it. This forms a base for further investigations that how these results carry over to more complicated models.

Methods of approaching decoherence in the flavor sector due to space-time foam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mavromatos, N. E.; Sarkar, Sarben

2006-08-01

In the first part of this work we discuss possible effects of stochastic space-time foam configurations of quantum gravity on the propagation of “flavored” (Klein-Gordon and Dirac) neutral particles, such as neutral mesons and neutrinos. The formalism is not the usually assumed Lindblad one, but it is based on random averages of quantum fluctuations of space-time metrics over which the propagation of the matter particles is considered. We arrive at expressions for the respective oscillation probabilities between flavors which are quite distinct from the ones pertaining to Lindblad-type decoherence, including in addition to the (expected) Gaussian decay with time, a modification to oscillation behavior, as well as a power-law cutoff of the time-profile of the respective probability. In the second part we consider space-time foam configurations of quantum-fluctuating charged-black holes as a way of generating (parts of) neutrino mass differences, mimicking appropriately the celebrated Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) effects of neutrinos in stochastically fluctuating random media. We pay particular attention to disentangling genuine quantum-gravity effects from ordinary effects due to the propagation of a neutrino through ordinary matter. Our results are of interest to precision tests of quantum-gravity models using neutrinos as probes.

From cosmology to cold atoms: observation of Sakharov oscillations in a quenched atomic superfluid.

PubMed

Hung, Chen-Lung; Gurarie, Victor; Chin, Cheng

2013-09-13

Predicting the dynamics of many-body systems far from equilibrium is a challenging theoretical problem. A long-predicted phenomenon in hydrodynamic nonequilibrium systems is the occurrence of Sakharov oscillations, which manifest in the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background and the large-scale correlations of galaxies. Here, we report the observation of Sakharov oscillations in the density fluctuations of a quenched atomic superfluid through a systematic study in both space and time domains and with tunable interaction strengths. Our work suggests a different approach to the study of nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum many-body systems and the exploration of their analogs in cosmology and astrophysics.

Backflow and dissipation during the quantum decay of a metastable Fermi liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iida, Kei

1999-02-01

The particle current in a metastable Fermi liquid against a first-order phase transition is calculated at zero temperature. During fluctuations of a droplet of the stable phase, in accordance with the conservation law, not only does an unperturbed current arise from the continuity at the boundary, but a backflow is induced by the density response. Quasiparticles carrying these currents are scattered by the boundary, yielding a dissipative backflow around the droplet. An energy of the hydrodynamic mass flow of the liquid and a friction force exerted on the droplet by the quasiparticles have been obtained in terms of a potential of their interaction with the droplet.

New type of quantum criticality in the pyrochlore iridates

DOE PAGES

Savary, Lucile; Moon, Eun -Gook; Balents, Leon

2014-11-13

Magnetic fluctuations and electrons couple in intriguing ways in the vicinity of zero-temperature phase transitions—quantum critical points—in conducting materials. Quantum criticality is implicated in non-Fermi liquid behavior of diverse materials and in the formation of unconventional superconductors. Here, we uncover an entirely new type of quantum critical point describing the onset of antiferromagnetism in a nodal semimetal engendered by the combination of strong spin-orbit coupling and electron correlations, and which is predicted to occur in the iridium oxide pyrochlores. We formulate and solve a field theory for this quantum critical point by renormalization group techniques and show that electrons andmore » antiferromagnetic fluctuations are strongly coupled and that both these excitations are modified in an essential way. This quantum critical point has many novel features, including strong emergent spatial anisotropy, a vital role for Coulomb interactions, and highly unconventional critical exponents. Our theory motivates and informs experiments on pyrochlore iridates and constitutes a singular realistic example of a nontrivial quantum critical point with gapless fermions in three dimensions.« less

Single to Multiquasiparticle Excitations in the Itinerant Helical Magnet CeRhIn 5

DOE PAGES

Stock, C.; Rodriguez-Rivera, J. A.; Schmalzl, K.; ...

2015-06-19

Neutron scattering is used to measure the quantum spin fluctuations in CeRhIn 5 - the parent material of the eXIn 5 superconducting series. Out-of-plane spin fluctuations are gapped and localized in momentum, similar to the spin excitons in CeCoIn5. The in-plane fluctuations consist of sharp spin-wave excitations parameterized by a nearest neighbor exchange J RKKY =0.88 ± 0.05 meV that crossover to a temporally and spatially broad multiparticle spectrum with energies of ~ 2 × J RKKY . This continuum represents composite fluctuations that illustrate the breakdown of single magnons originating from the delicate energy balance between localized 4f andmore » itinerant behavior in a heavy metal. The experiment therefore shows how quasiparticle behavior is changed by the close proximity of quantum criticality.« less

Plasmon mass scale and quantum fluctuations of classical fields on a real time lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurkela, Aleksi; Lappi, Tuomas; Peuron, Jarkko

2018-03-01

Classical real-time lattice simulations play an important role in understanding non-equilibrium phenomena in gauge theories and are used in particular to model the prethermal evolution of heavy-ion collisions. Above the Debye scale the classical Yang-Mills (CYM) theory can be matched smoothly to kinetic theory. First we study the limits of the quasiparticle picture of the CYM fields by determining the plasmon mass of the system using 3 different methods. Then we argue that one needs a numerical calculation of a system of classical gauge fields and small linearized fluctuations, which correspond to quantum fluctuations, in a way that keeps the separation between the two manifest. We demonstrate and test an implementation of an algorithm with the linearized fluctuation showing that the linearization indeed works and that the Gauss's law is conserved.

Nematic fluctuations and resonance in iron-based superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallais, Yann

The spontaneous appearance of nematicity, a state of matter that breaks rotation but not translation symmetry, is ubiquitous in many iron based superconductors (Fe SC), and has relevance for the cuprates as well. Here I will review recent electronic Raman scattering experiments which report the presence of critical nematic fluctuations in the charge channel in the tetragonal phase of several Fe SC systems. In electron doped Co-BaFe2As2 (Co-Ba122), these fluctuations extend over most of the superconducting dome. Their associated nematic susceptibility shows Curie-Weiss behavior, and its doping dependence suggests the presence of a nematic quantum critical point near optimal TC Similar nematic fluctuations are also observed in FeSe despite the absence of magnetic order, raising the question of the link between nematicity and magnetism in Fe SC. In FeSe I will further contrast the evolution of nematic fluctuations under isoelectronic S substitution and hydrostatic pressures up to 8 GPa, with only the former showing evidence for a nematic quantum critical point. In the superconducting state of Co-Ba122, I will show that a resonance emerges in the Raman spectra near the nematic quantum critical point. This nematic resonance is a clear fingerprint of the coupling between nematic fluctuations and Bogoliubov quasiparticles, and can be thought as the nematic counterpart of the spin resonance observed in neutron scattering experiments. Support from Agence Nationale de la Recherche via ANR Grant ''Pnictides'' is acknowledged.

Chaos in nuclei: Theory and experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz, L.; Molina, R. A.; Gómez, J. M. G.

2018-05-01

During the last three decades the quest for chaos in nuclei has been quite intensive, both with theoretical calculations using nuclear models and with detailed analyses of experimental data. In this paper we outline the concept and characteristics of quantum chaos in two different approaches, the random matrix theory fluctuations and the time series fluctuations. Then we discuss the theoretical and experimental evidence of chaos in nuclei. Theoretical calculations, especially shell-model calculations, have shown a strongly chaotic behavior of bound states in regions of high level density. The analysis of experimental data has shown a strongly chaotic behavior of nuclear resonances just above the one-nucleon emission threshold. For bound states, combining experimental data of a large number of nuclei, a tendency towards chaotic motion is observed in spherical nuclei, while deformed nuclei exhibit a more regular behavior associated to the collective motion. On the other hand, it had never been possible to observe chaos in the experimental bound energy levels of any single nucleus. However, the complete experimental spectrum of the first 151 states up to excitation energies of 6.20 MeV in the 208Pb nucleus have been recently identified and the analysis of its spectral fluctuations clearly shows the existence of chaotic motion.

Spin Glass a Bridge Between Quantum Computation and Statistical Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohzeki, Masayuki

2013-09-01

In this chapter, we show two fascinating topics lying between quantum information processing and statistical mechanics. First, we introduce an elaborated technique, the surface code, to prepare the particular quantum state with robustness against decoherence. Interestingly, the theoretical limitation of the surface code, accuracy threshold, to restore the quantum state has a close connection with the problem on the phase transition in a special model known as spin glasses, which is one of the most active researches in statistical mechanics. The phase transition in spin glasses is an intractable problem, since we must strive many-body system with complicated interactions with change of their signs depending on the distance between spins. Fortunately, recent progress in spin-glass theory enables us to predict the precise location of the critical point, at which the phase transition occurs. It means that statistical mechanics is available for revealing one of the most interesting parts in quantum information processing. We show how to import the special tool in statistical mechanics into the problem on the accuracy threshold in quantum computation. Second, we show another interesting technique to employ quantum nature, quantum annealing. The purpose of quantum annealing is to search for the most favored solution of a multivariable function, namely optimization problem. The most typical instance is the traveling salesman problem to find the minimum tour while visiting all the cities. In quantum annealing, we introduce quantum fluctuation to drive a particular system with the artificial Hamiltonian, in which the ground state represents the optimal solution of the specific problem we desire to solve. Induction of the quantum fluctuation gives rise to the quantum tunneling effect, which allows nontrivial hopping from state to state. We then sketch a strategy to control the quantum fluctuation efficiently reaching the ground state. Such a generic framework is called quantum annealing. The most typical instance is quantum adiabatic computation based on the adiabatic theorem. The quantum adiabatic computation as discussed in the other chapter, unfortunately, has a crucial bottleneck for a part of the optimization problems. We here introduce several recent trials to overcome such a weakpoint by use of developments in statistical mechanics. Through both of the topics, we would shed light on the birth of the interdisciplinary field between quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics.

Effect of defects on the electrical/optical performance of gallium nitride based junction devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferdous, Mohammad Shahriar

Commercial GaN based electronic and optoelectronic devices possess a high density (107-109 cm-2) of threading dislocations (TDs) because of the large mismatch in the lattice constant and the thermal expansion coefficient between the epitaxial layer structure and the substrate. In spite of these dislocations, high brightness light emitting diodes (LEDs) utilizing InGaN or AlGaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) and with an external quantum efficiency of more than 40%, have already been achieved. This high external quantum efficiency in the presence of a high density of dislocations has been explained by carrier localization induced by indium fluctuations in the quantum well. TDs have been found to increase the reverse leakage current in InGaN based LEDs and to shorten the operating lifetime of InGaN MQW/GaN/AlGaN laser diodes. Thus it is important that the TD density is further reduced. It remains unclear how the TDs interact with the device to cause the effects mentioned above, hence the careful and precise characterization of threading defects and their effects on the electrical and optical performances of InGaN/GaN MQW LEDs is needed. This investigation will be useful not only from the point of view of device optimization but also to develop a clear understanding of the physical processes associated with TDs and especially with their effect on leakage current. We have employed photoelectrochemical (PEC) etching to accurately measure the dislocation density initially in home-grown GaN-based epitaxial structures and recently in InGaN/GaN MQW LEDs fabricated from commercial grade epitaxial structures that were supplied by our industrial collaborators. Measuring the electrical and electroluminescence (EL) characteristics of these devices has revealed correlations between some aspects of the LED behavior and the TD density, and promises to allow a deeper understanding of the role of threading dislocations to be elucidated. We observed that the LED reverse leakage current increased exponentially, and electroluminescence intensity decreased by 22%, as the TD density in the LEDs increased from 1.7 x 107 cm-2 to 2 x 108 cm-2. Forward voltage remained almost constant with the increase of TD density. A model of carrier conduction via hopping through defect related states, was found to provide an excellent fit to the experimental I-V data and provides a useful basis for understanding carrier conduction in the presence of TDs.

Dissipative environment may improve the quantum annealing performances of the ferromagnetic p -spin model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passarelli, G.; De Filippis, G.; Cataudella, V.; Lucignano, P.

2018-02-01

We investigate the quantum annealing of the ferromagnetic p -spin model in a dissipative environment (p =5 and p =7 ). This model, in the large-p limit, codifies Grover's algorithm for searching in an unsorted database [L. K. Grover, Proceedings of the 28th Annual ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing (ACM, New York, 1996), pp. 212-219]. The dissipative environment is described by a phonon bath in thermal equilibrium at finite temperature. The dynamics is studied in the framework of a Lindblad master equation for the reduced density matrix describing only the spins. Exploiting the symmetries of our model Hamiltonian, we can describe many spins and extrapolate expected trends for large N and p . While at weak system-bath coupling the dissipative environment has detrimental effects on the annealing results, we show that in the intermediate-coupling regime, the phonon bath seems to speed up the annealing at low temperatures. This improvement in the performance is likely not due to thermal fluctuation but rather arises from a correlated spin-bath state and persists even at zero temperature. This result may pave the way to a new scenario in which, by appropriately engineering the system-bath coupling, one may optimize quantum annealing performances below either the purely quantum or the classical limit.

Quantum-gravity predictions for the fine-structure constant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eichhorn, Astrid; Held, Aaron; Wetterich, Christof

2018-07-01

Asymptotically safe quantum fluctuations of gravity can uniquely determine the value of the gauge coupling for a large class of grand unified models. In turn, this makes the electromagnetic fine-structure constant calculable. The balance of gravity and matter fluctuations results in a fixed point for the running of the gauge coupling. It is approached as the momentum scale is lowered in the transplanckian regime, leading to a uniquely predicted value of the gauge coupling at the Planck scale. The precise value of the predicted fine-structure constant depends on the matter content of the grand unified model. It is proportional to the gravitational fluctuation effects for which computational uncertainties remain to be settled.

Dark energy from primordial inflationary quantum fluctuations.

PubMed

Ringeval, Christophe; Suyama, Teruaki; Takahashi, Tomo; Yamaguchi, Masahide; Yokoyama, Shuichiro

2010-09-17

We show that current cosmic acceleration can be explained by an almost massless scalar field experiencing quantum fluctuations during primordial inflation. Provided its mass does not exceed the Hubble parameter today, this field has been frozen during the cosmological ages to start dominating the Universe only recently. By using supernovae data, completed with baryonic acoustic oscillations from galaxy surveys and cosmic microwave background anisotropies, we infer the energy scale of primordial inflation to be around a few TeV, which implies a negligible tensor-to-scalar ratio of the primordial fluctuations. Moreover, our model suggests that inflation lasted for an extremely long period. Dark energy could therefore be a natural consequence of cosmic inflation close to the electroweak energy scale.

Non-Gaussian microwave background fluctuations from nonlinear gravitational effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Salopek, D. S.; Kunstatter, G. (Editor)

1991-01-01

Whether the statistics of primordial fluctuations for structure formation are Gaussian or otherwise may be determined if the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) Satellite makes a detection of the cosmic microwave-background temperature anisotropy delta T(sub CMB)/T(sub CMB). Non-Gaussian fluctuations may be generated in the chaotic inflationary model if two scalar fields interact nonlinearly with gravity. Theoretical contour maps are calculated for the resulting Sachs-Wolfe temperature fluctuations at large angular scales (greater than 3 degrees). In the long-wavelength approximation, one can confidently determine the nonlinear evolution of quantum noise with gravity during the inflationary epoch because: (1) different spatial points are no longer in causal contact; and (2) quantum gravity corrections are typically small-- it is sufficient to model the system using classical random fields. If the potential for two scalar fields V(phi sub 1, phi sub 2) possesses a sharp feature, then non-Gaussian fluctuations may arise. An explicit model is given where cold spots in delta T(sub CMB)/T(sub CMB) maps are suppressed as compared to the Gaussian case. The fluctuations are essentially scale-invariant.

Polarons and Mobile Impurities Near a Quantum Phase Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shadkhoo, Shahriar

This dissertation aims at improving the current understanding of the physics of mobile impurities in highly correlated liquid-like phases of matter. Impurity problems pose challenging and intricate questions in different realms of many-body physics. For instance, the problem of ''solvation'' of charged solutes in polar solvents, has been the subject of longstanding debates among chemical physicists. The significant role of quantum fluctuations of the solvent, as well as the break down of linear response theory, render the ordinary treatments intractable. Inspired by this complicated problem, we first attempt to understand the role of non-specific quantum fluctuations in the solvation process. To this end, we calculate the dynamic structure factor of a model polar liquid, using the classical Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. We verify the failure of linear response approximation in the vicinity of a hydrated electron, by comparing the outcomes of MD simulations with the predictions of linear response theory. This nonlinear behavior is associated with the pronounced peaks of the structure factor, which reflect the strong fluctuations of the local modes. A cavity picture is constructed based on heuristic arguments, which suggests that the electron, along with the surrounding polarization cloud, behave like a frozen sphere, for which the linear response theory is broken inside and valid outside. The inverse radius of the spherical region serves as a UV momentum cutoff for the linear response approximation to be applicable. The problem of mobile impurities in polar liquids can be also addressed in the framework of the ''polaron'' problem. Polaron is a quasiparticle that typically acquires an extended state at weak couplings, and crossovers to a self-trapped state at strong couplings. Using the analytical fits to the numerically obtained charge-charge structure factor, a phenomenological approach is proposed within the Leggett's influence functional formalism, which derives the effective Euclidean action from the classical equation of motion. We calculate the effective mass of the polaron in the model polar liquid at zero and finite temperatures. The self-trapping transition of this polaron turns out to be discontinuous in certain regions of the phase diagram. In order to systematically investigate the role of quantum fluctuations on the polaron properties, we adopt a quantum field theory which supports nearly-critical local modes: the quantum Landau-Brazovskii (QLB) model, which exhibits fluctuation-induced first order transition (weak crystallization). In the vicinity of the phase transition, the quantum fluctuations are strongly correlated; one can in principle tune the strength of these fluctuations, by adjusting the parameters close to or away from the transition point. Furthermore, sufficiently close to the transition, the theory accommodates "soliton'' solutions, signaling the nonlinear response of the system. Therefore, the model seems to be a promising candidate for studying the effects of strong quantum fluctuations and also failure of linear response theory, in the polaron problem. We observe that at zero temperature, and away from the Brazovskii transition where the linear response approximation is valid, the localization transition of the polaron is discontinuous. Upon enhancing fluctuations---of either thermal or quantum nature---the gap of the effective mass closes at distinct second-order critical points. Sufficiently close to the Brazovskii transition where the nonlinear contributions of the field are significantly large, a new state appears in addition to extended and self-trapped polarons: an impurity-induced soliton. We interpret this as the break-down of linear response, reminiscent of what we observe in a polar liquid. Quantum LB model has been proposed to be realizable in ultracold Bose gases in cavities. We thus discuss the experimental feasibility, and propose a setup which is believed to exhibit the aforementioned polaronic and solitonic states. We eventually generalize the polaron formalism to the case of impurities that couple quadratically to a nearly-critical field; hence called the ''quadratic polaron''. The Hertz-Millis field theory and its generalization to the case of magnetic transition in helimagnets, is taken as a toy model. The phase diagram of the bare model contains both second-order and fluctuation-induced first-order quantum phase transitions. We propose a semi-classical scenario in which the impurity and the field couple quadratically. The polaron properties in the vicinity of these transitions are calculated in different dimensions. We observe that the quadratic coupling in three dimensions, even in the absence of the critical modes with finite wavelength, leads to a jump-like localization of the polaron. In lower dimensions, the transition behavior remains qualitatively similar to those in the case of linear coupling, namely the critical modes must have a finite wavelength to localize the particle.

Thermodynamics of one-dimensional SU(4) and SU(6) fermions with attractive interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffman, M. D.; Loheac, A. C.; Porter, W. J.; Drut, J. E.

2017-03-01

Motivated by advances in the manipulation and detection of ultracold atoms with multiple internal degrees of freedom, we present a finite-temperature lattice Monte Carlo calculation of the density and pressure equations of state, as well as Tan's contact, of attractively interacting SU(4)- and SU(6)-symmetric fermion systems in one spatial dimension. We also furnish a nonperturbative proof of a universal relation whereby quantities computable in the SU(2) case completely determine the virial coefficients of the SU(Nf) case. These one-dimensional systems are appealing because they can be experimentally realized in highly constrained traps and because of the dominant role played by correlations. The latter are typically nonperturbative and are crucial for understanding ground states and quantum phase transitions. While quantum fluctuations are typically overpowered by thermal ones in one and two dimensions at any finite temperature, we find that quantum effects do leave their imprint in thermodynamic quantities. Our calculations show that the additional degrees of freedom, relative to the SU(2) case, provide a dramatic enhancement of the density and pressure (in units of their noninteracting counterparts) in a wide region around vanishing β μ , where β is the inverse temperature and μ the chemical potential. As shown recently in experiments, the thermodynamics we explore here can be measured in a controlled and precise fashion in highly constrained traps and optical lattices. Our results are a prediction for such experiments in one dimension with atoms of high nuclear spin.

Flavours and infra-red instability in holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kundu, Arnab

2017-11-01

With a simple gravitational model in five dimensions, defined by Einstein-gravity with a negative cosmological constant, coupled to a Dirac-Born-Infeld and a Chern-Simons term, we explore the fate of BF-bound violation for a probe scalar field and a fluctuation mode of the corresponding geometry. We assume this simple model to capture the dynamics of a strongly coupled SU(N c ) gauge theory with N f fundamental matter, which in the limit O({N}_c)˜ O({N}_f) and with a non-vanishing matter density, is holographically described by an AdS2-geometry in the IR. We demonstrate that, superconductor/superfluid instabilities are facilitated and spontaneous breaking of translational invariance is inhibited with increasing values of ( N f /N c ). This is similar, in spirit, with known results in large N c Quantum Chromodynamics with N f quarks and a non-vanishing density, in which the chiral density wave phase becomes suppressed and superconducting instabilities become favoured as the number of quarks is increased.

Properties of density and magnetic fluctuations occurring in density striations in the new LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maggs, J. E.; Morales, G. J.

2001-10-01

Previous studies of density striations (long, narrow magnetic-field-aligned density depletions) in the LAPD plasma device at UCLA revealed an eigenmode structure to fluctuations driven by the pressure gradient in the striation wall (Maggs and Morales, Phys. Plasmas, 4, 1997). The nature of these fluctuations depended on the plasma beta external to the striation, with shear Alfvén wave turbulence developing at betas less than the mass ratio and drift-Alfvén waves at betas above the mass ratio. These fluctuations were found to have a direct connection to turbulence observed at the plasma edge. The new LAPD is 18 meters in length with a background field up to twice previously attainable values. We report on the properties of fluctuations associated with density striations in the new device over a wider range of beta, and compare them to previous results. The behavior of fluctuations in density striations created in flared-field and magnetic-mirror geometries will also be presented. Research sponsored by ONR and NSF

Nematic fluctuations balancing the zoo of phases in half-filled quantum Hall systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mesaros, Andrej; Lawler, Michael J.; Kim, Eun-Ah

2017-03-01

Half-filled Landau levels form a zoo of strongly correlated phases. These include non-Fermi-liquids (NFLs), fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states, nematic phases, and FQH nematic phases. This diversity begs the following question: what keeps the balance between the seemingly unrelated phases? The answer is elusive because the Halperin-Lee-Read description that offers a natural departure point is inherently strongly coupled. However, the observed nematic phases suggest that nematic fluctuations play an important role. To study this possibility, we apply a recently formulated controlled double-expansion approach in large-N composite fermion flavors and small ɛ nonanalytic bosonic action to the case with both gauge and nematic boson fluctuations. In the vicinity of a nematic quantum critical line, we find that depending on the amount of screening of the gauge- and nematic-mediated interactions controlled by ɛ 's, the renormalization-group flow points to all four mentioned correlated phases. When pairing preempts the nematic phase, NFL behavior is possible at temperatures above the pairing transition. We conclude by discussing measurements at low tilt angles, which could reveal the stabilization of the FQH phase by nematic fluctuations.

Emergent Irreversibility and Entanglement Spectrum Statistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chamon, Claudio; Hamma, Alioscia; Mucciolo, Eduardo R.

2014-06-01

We study the problem of irreversibility when the dynamical evolution of a many-body system is described by a stochastic quantum circuit. Such evolution is more general than a Hamiltonian one, and since energy levels are not well defined, the well-established connection between the statistical fluctuations of the energy spectrum and irreversibility cannot be made. We show that the entanglement spectrum provides a more general connection. Irreversibility is marked by a failure of a disentangling algorithm and is preceded by the appearance of Wigner-Dyson statistical fluctuations in the entanglement spectrum. This analysis can be done at the wave-function level and offers an alternative route to study quantum chaos and quantum integrability.

Intermittent electron density and temperature fluctuations and associated fluxes in the Alcator C-Mod scrape-off layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kube, R.; Garcia, O. E.; Theodorsen, A.; Brunner, D.; Kuang, A. Q.; LaBombard, B.; Terry, J. L.

2018-06-01

The Alcator C-Mod mirror Langmuir probe system has been used to sample data time series of fluctuating plasma parameters in the outboard mid-plane far scrape-off layer. We present a statistical analysis of one second long time series of electron density, temperature, radial electric drift velocity and the corresponding particle and electron heat fluxes. These are sampled during stationary plasma conditions in an ohmically heated, lower single null diverted discharge. The electron density and temperature are strongly correlated and feature fluctuation statistics similar to the ion saturation current. Both electron density and temperature time series are dominated by intermittent, large-amplitude burst with an exponential distribution of both burst amplitudes and waiting times between them. The characteristic time scale of the large-amplitude bursts is approximately 15 μ {{s}}. Large-amplitude velocity fluctuations feature a slightly faster characteristic time scale and appear at a faster rate than electron density and temperature fluctuations. Describing these time series as a superposition of uncorrelated exponential pulses, we find that probability distribution functions, power spectral densities as well as auto-correlation functions of the data time series agree well with predictions from the stochastic model. The electron particle and heat fluxes present large-amplitude fluctuations. For this low-density plasma, the radial electron heat flux is dominated by convection, that is, correlations of fluctuations in the electron density and radial velocity. Hot and dense blobs contribute only a minute fraction of the total fluctuation driven heat flux.

Quantum transport through a deformable molecular transistor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cornaglia, P. S.; Grempel, D. R.; Ness, H.

2005-02-01

The linear transport properties of a model molecular transistor with electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions were investigated analytically and numerically. The model takes into account phonon modulation of the electronic energy levels and of the tunneling barrier between the molecule and the electrodes. When both effects are present they lead to asymmetries in the dependence of the conductance on gate voltage. The Kondo effect is observed in the presence of electron-phonon interactions. There are important qualitative differences between the cases of weak and strong coupling. In the first case the standard Kondo effect driven by spin fluctuations occurs. In the second case, it is driven by charge fluctuations. The Fermi-liquid relation between the spectral density of the molecule and its charge is altered by electron-phonon interactions. Remarkably, the relation between the zero-temperature conductance and the charge remains unchanged. Therefore, there is perfect transmission in all regimes whenever the average number of electrons in the molecule is an odd integer.

Routes to heavy-fermion superconductivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steglich, F.; Stockert, O.; Wirth, S.; Geibel, C.; Yuan, H. Q.; Kirchner, S.; Si, Q.

2013-07-01

Superconductivity in lanthanide- and actinide-based heavy-fermion (HF) metals can have different microscopic origins. Among others, Cooper pair formation based on fluctuations of the valence, of the quadrupole moment or of the spin of the localized 4f/5f shell have been proposed. Spin-fluctuation mediated superconductivity in CeCu2Si2 was demonstrated by inelastic neutron scattering to exist in the vicinity of a spin-density-wave (SDW) quantum critical point (QCP). The isostructural HF compound YbRh2Si2 which is prototypical for a Kondo-breakdown QCP has so far not shown any sign of superconductivity down to T ≈ 10 mK. In contrast, results of de-Haas-van-Alphen experiments by Shishido et al. (J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 74, 1103 (2005)) suggest superconductivity in CeRhIn5 close to an antiferromagnetic QCP beyond the SDW type, at which the Kondo effect breaks down. For the related compound CeCoIn5 however, a field-induced QCP of SDW type is extrapolated to exist inside the superconducting phase.

Approximating Matsubara dynamics using the planetary model: Tests on liquid water and ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willatt, Michael J.; Ceriotti, Michele; Althorpe, Stuart C.

2018-03-01

Matsubara dynamics is the quantum-Boltzmann-conserving classical dynamics which remains when real-time coherences are taken out of the exact quantum Liouvillian [T. J. H. Hele et al., J. Chem. Phys. 142, 134103 (2015)]; because of a phase-term, it cannot be used as a practical method without further approximation. Recently, Smith et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 142, 244112 (2015)] developed a "planetary" model dynamics which conserves the Feynman-Kleinert (FK) approximation to the quantum-Boltzmann distribution. Here, we show that for moderately anharmonic potentials, the planetary dynamics gives a good approximation to Matsubara trajectories on the FK potential surface by decoupling the centroid trajectory from the locally harmonic Matsubara fluctuations, which reduce to a single phase-less fluctuation particle (the "planet"). We also show that the FK effective frequency can be approximated by a direct integral over these fluctuations, obviating the need to solve iterative equations. This modification, together with use of thermostatted ring-polymer molecular dynamics, allows us to test the planetary model on water (gas-phase, liquid, and ice) using the q-TIP4P/F potential surface. The "planetary" fluctuations give a poor approximation to the rotational/librational bands in the infrared spectrum, but a good approximation to the bend and stretch bands, where the fluctuation lineshape is found to be motionally narrowed by the vibrations of the centroid.

Approximating Matsubara dynamics using the planetary model: Tests on liquid water and ice.

PubMed

Willatt, Michael J; Ceriotti, Michele; Althorpe, Stuart C

2018-03-14

Matsubara dynamics is the quantum-Boltzmann-conserving classical dynamics which remains when real-time coherences are taken out of the exact quantum Liouvillian [T. J. H. Hele et al., J. Chem. Phys. 142, 134103 (2015)]; because of a phase-term, it cannot be used as a practical method without further approximation. Recently, Smith et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 142, 244112 (2015)] developed a "planetary" model dynamics which conserves the Feynman-Kleinert (FK) approximation to the quantum-Boltzmann distribution. Here, we show that for moderately anharmonic potentials, the planetary dynamics gives a good approximation to Matsubara trajectories on the FK potential surface by decoupling the centroid trajectory from the locally harmonic Matsubara fluctuations, which reduce to a single phase-less fluctuation particle (the "planet"). We also show that the FK effective frequency can be approximated by a direct integral over these fluctuations, obviating the need to solve iterative equations. This modification, together with use of thermostatted ring-polymer molecular dynamics, allows us to test the planetary model on water (gas-phase, liquid, and ice) using the q-TIP4P/F potential surface. The "planetary" fluctuations give a poor approximation to the rotational/librational bands in the infrared spectrum, but a good approximation to the bend and stretch bands, where the fluctuation lineshape is found to be motionally narrowed by the vibrations of the centroid.

True random numbers from amplified quantum vacuum.

PubMed

Jofre, M; Curty, M; Steinlechner, F; Anzolin, G; Torres, J P; Mitchell, M W; Pruneri, V

2011-10-10

Random numbers are essential for applications ranging from secure communications to numerical simulation and quantitative finance. Algorithms can rapidly produce pseudo-random outcomes, series of numbers that mimic most properties of true random numbers while quantum random number generators (QRNGs) exploit intrinsic quantum randomness to produce true random numbers. Single-photon QRNGs are conceptually simple but produce few random bits per detection. In contrast, vacuum fluctuations are a vast resource for QRNGs: they are broad-band and thus can encode many random bits per second. Direct recording of vacuum fluctuations is possible, but requires shot-noise-limited detectors, at the cost of bandwidth. We demonstrate efficient conversion of vacuum fluctuations to true random bits using optical amplification of vacuum and interferometry. Using commercially-available optical components we demonstrate a QRNG at a bit rate of 1.11 Gbps. The proposed scheme has the potential to be extended to 10 Gbps and even up to 100 Gbps by taking advantage of high speed modulation sources and detectors for optical fiber telecommunication devices.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Basu, Banasri; Bandyopadhyay, Pratul; Majumdar, Priyadarshi

We have studied quantum phase transition induced by a quench in different one-dimensional spin systems. Our analysis is based on the dynamical mechanism which envisages nonadiabaticity in the vicinity of the critical point. This causes spin fluctuation which leads to the random fluctuation of the Berry phase factor acquired by a spin state when the ground state of the system evolves in a closed path. The two-point correlation of this phase factor is associated with the probability of the formation of defects. In this framework, we have estimated the density of defects produced in several one-dimensional spin chains. At themore » critical region, the entanglement entropy of a block of L spins with the rest of the system is also estimated which is found to increase logarithmically with L. The dependence on the quench time puts a constraint on the block size L. It is also pointed out that the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model in point-splitting regularized form appears as a combination of the XXX model and Ising model with magnetic field in the negative z axis. This unveils the underlying conformal symmetry at criticality which is lost in the sharp point limit. Our analysis shows that the density of defects as well as the scaling behavior of the entanglement entropy follows a universal behavior in all these systems.« less

Instanton dominance over αs at low momenta from lattice QCD simulations at Nf = 0, Nf = 2 + 1 and Nf = 2 + 1 + 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Athenodorou, Andreas; Boucaud, Philippe; de Soto, Feliciano; Rodríguez-Quintero, José; Zafeiropoulos, Savvas

2018-03-01

We report on an instanton-based analysis of the gluon Green functions in the Landau gauge for low momenta; in particular we use lattice results for αs in the symmetric momentum subtraction scheme (MOM) for large-volume lattice simulations. We have exploited quenched gauge field configurations, Nf = 0, with both Wilson and tree-level Symanzik improved actions, and unquenched ones with Nf = 2 + 1 and Nf = 2 + 1 + 1 dynamical flavors (domain wall and twisted-mass fermions, respectively). We show that the dominance of instanton correlations on the low-momenta gluon Green functions can be applied to the determination of phenomenological parameters of the instanton liquid and, eventually, to a determination of the lattice spacing. We furthermore apply the Gradient Flow to remove short-distance fluctuations. The Gradient Flow gets rid of the QCD scale, ΛQCD, and reveals that the instanton prediction extents to large momenta. For those gauge field configurations free of quantum fluctuations, the direct study of topological charge density shows the appearance of large-scale lumps that can be identified as instantons, giving access to a direct study of the instanton density and size distribution that is compatible with those extracted from the analysis of the Green functions.

Emergence of a fluctuation relation for heat in nonequilibrium Landauer processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taranto, Philip; Modi, Kavan; Pollock, Felix A.

2018-05-01

In a generalized framework for the Landauer erasure protocol, we study bounds on the heat dissipated in typical nonequilibrium quantum processes. In contrast to thermodynamic processes, quantum fluctuations are not suppressed in the nonequilibrium regime and cannot be ignored, making such processes difficult to understand and treat. Here we derive an emergent fluctuation relation that virtually guarantees the average heat produced to be dissipated into the reservoir either when the system or reservoir is large (or both) or when the temperature is high. The implication of our result is that for nonequilibrium processes, heat fluctuations away from its average value are suppressed independently of the underlying dynamics exponentially quickly in the dimension of the larger subsystem and linearly in the inverse temperature. We achieve these results by generalizing a concentration of measure relation for subsystem states to the case where the global state is mixed.

Entanglement and Metrology with Singlet-Triplet Qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shulman, Michael Dean

Electron spins confined in semiconductor quantum dots are emerging as a promising system to study quantum information science and to perform sensitive metrology. Their weak interaction with the environment leads to long coherence times and robust storage for quantum information, and the intrinsic tunability of semiconductors allows for controllable operations, initialization, and readout of their quantum state. These spin qubits are also promising candidates for the building block for a scalable quantum information processor due to their prospects for scalability and miniaturization. However, several obstacles limit the performance of quantum information experiments in these systems. For example, the weak coupling to the environment makes inter-qubit operations challenging, and a fluctuating nuclear magnetic field limits the performance of single-qubit operations. The focus of this thesis will be several experiments which address some of the outstanding problems in semiconductor spin qubits, in particular, singlet-triplet (S-T0) qubits. We use these qubits to probe both the electric field and magnetic field noise that limit the performance of these qubits. The magnetic noise bath is probed with high bandwidth and precision using novel techniques borrowed from the field of Hamiltonian learning, which are effective due to the rapid control and readout available in S-T 0 qubits. These findings allow us to effectively undo the undesired effects of the fluctuating nuclear magnetic field by tracking them in real-time, and we demonstrate a 30-fold improvement in the coherence time T2*. We probe the voltage noise environment of the qubit using coherent qubit oscillations, which is partially enabled by control of the nuclear magnetic field. We find that the voltage noise bath is frequency-dependent, even at frequencies as high as 1MHz, and it shows surprising and, as of yet, unexplained temperature dependence. We leverage this knowledge of the voltage noise environment, the nuclear magnetic field control, as well as new techniques for calibrated measurement of the density matrix in a singlet-triplet qubit to entangle two adjacent single-triplet qubits. We fully characterize the generated entangled states and prove that they are, indeed, entangled. This work opens new opportunities to use qubits as sensors for improved metrological capabilities, as well as for improved quantum information processing. The singlet-triplet qubit is unique in that it can be used to probe two fundamentally different noise baths, which are important for a large variety of solid state qubits. More specifically, this work establishes the singlet-triplet qubit as a viable candidate for the building block of a scalable quantum information processor.

Fluctuations and symmetry energy in nuclear fragmentation dynamics.

PubMed

Colonna, M

2013-01-25

Within a dynamical description of nuclear fragmentation, based on the liquid-gas phase transition scenario, we explore the relation between neutron-proton density fluctuations and nuclear symmetry energy. We show that, along the fragmentation path, isovector fluctuations follow the evolution of the local density and approach an equilibrium value connected to the local symmetry energy. Higher-density regions are characterized by smaller average asymmetry and narrower isotopic distributions. This dynamical analysis points out that fragment final state isospin fluctuations can probe the symmetry energy of the density domains from which fragments originate.

"Fluctuoscopy" of Superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varlamov, A. A.

Study of fluctuation phenomena in superconductors (SCs) is the subject of great fundamental and practical importance. Understanding of their physics allowed to clear up the fundamental properties of SC state. Being predicted in 1968, one of the fluctuation effects, namely paraconductivity, was experimentally observed almost simultaneously. Since this time, fluctuations became a noticeable part of research in the field of superconductivity, and a variety of fluctuation effects have been discovered. The new wave of interest to fluctuations (FL) in superconductors was generated by the discovery of cuprate oxide superconductors (high-temperature superconductors, HTS), where, due to extremely short coherence length and low effective dimensionality of the electron system, superconductive fluctuations manifest themselves in a wide range of temperatures. Moreover, anomalous properties of the normal state of HTS were attributed by many theorists to strong FL in these systems. Being studied in the framework of the phenomenological Ginzburg-Landau theory and, more extensively, in diagrammatic microscopic approach, SC FLs side by side with other quantum corrections (weak localization, etc.) became a new tool for investigation and characterization of such new systems as HTS, disordered electron systems, granular metals, Josephson structures, artificial super-lattices, etc. The characteristic feature of SC FL is their strong dependence on temperature and magnetic fields in the vicinity of phase transition. This allows one to definitely separate the fluctuation effects from other contributions and to use them as the source of information about the microscopic parameters of a material. By their origin, SC FLs are very sensitive to relaxation processes, which break phase coherence. This allows using them for versatile characterization of SC. Today, one can speak about the " fluctuoscopy" of superconductive systems. In review, we present the qualitative picture both of thermodynamic fluctuations close to critical temperature T c0and quantum fluctuations at zero temperature and in vicinity of the second critical field H c2(0). Then in the frameworks of the Ginzburg-Landau theory, we discuss the characteristic crossovers in fluctuation properties of superconductive nanoparticles and layered superconductors. We present the general expression for fluctuation magneto-conductivity valid through all phase diagram of superconductor and apply it to study of the quantum phase transition close to H c2(0). Fluctuation analysis of this transition allows us to present the scenario of fluctuation defragmentation of the Abrikosov lattice.

Quantum Polarization Spectroscopy of Ultracold Spinor Gases

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eckert, K.; Zawitkowski, L.; Sanpera, A.

2007-03-09

We propose a method for the detection of ground state quantum phases of spinor gases through a series of two quantum nondemolition measurements performed by sending off-resonant, polarized light pulses through the gas. Signatures of various mean-field as well as strongly correlated phases of F=1 and F=2 spinor gases obtained by detecting quantum fluctuations and mean values of polarization of transmitted light are identified.

How quantum is the big bang?

PubMed

Bojowald, Martin

2008-06-06

When quantum gravity is used to discuss the big bang singularity, the most important, though rarely addressed, question is what role genuine quantum degrees of freedom play. Here, complete effective equations are derived for isotropic models with an interacting scalar to all orders in the expansions involved. The resulting coupling terms show that quantum fluctuations do not affect the bounce much. Quantum correlations, however, do have an important role and could even eliminate the bounce. How quantum gravity regularizes the big bang depends crucially on properties of the quantum state.

Toward a Parastatistics in Quantum Nonextensive Statistical Mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaripov, R. G.

2018-05-01

On the basis of Bose quantum states in parastatistics the equations for the equilibrium distribution of quantum additive and nonextensive systems are determined. The fluctuations and variances of physical quantities for the equilibrium system are found. The Abelian group of microscopic entropies is determined for the composition law with a quadratic nonlinearity.

Possible observation of highly itinerant quantum magnetic monopoles in the frustrated pyrochlore Yb2Ti2O7

PubMed Central

Tokiwa, Y.; Yamashita, T.; Udagawa, M.; Kittaka, S.; Sakakibara, T; Terazawa, D.; Shimoyama, Y.; Terashima, T.; Yasui, Y.; Shibauchi, T.; Matsuda, Y.

2016-01-01

The low-energy elementary excitations in frustrated quantum magnets have fascinated researchers for decades. In frustrated Ising magnets on a pyrochlore lattice possessing macroscopically degenerate spin-ice ground states, the excitations have been discussed in terms of classical magnetic monopoles, which do not contain quantum fluctuations. Here we report unusual behaviours of magneto-thermal conductivity in the disordered spin-liquid regime of pyrochlore Yb2Ti2O7, which hosts frustrated spin-ice correlations with large quantum fluctuations owing to pseudospin-1/2 of Yb ions. The analysis of the temperature and magnetic field dependencies shows the presence of gapped elementary excitations. We find that the gap energy is largely suppressed from that expected in classical monopoles. Moreover, these excitations propagate a long distance without being scattered, in contrast to the diffusive nature of classical monopoles. These results suggests the emergence of highly itinerant quantum magnetic monopole, which is a heavy quasiparticle that propagates coherently in three-dimensional spin liquids. PMID:26912080

Possible observation of highly itinerant quantum magnetic monopoles in the frustrated pyrochlore Yb2Ti2O7.

PubMed

Tokiwa, Y; Yamashita, T; Udagawa, M; Kittaka, S; Sakakibara, T; Terazawa, D; Shimoyama, Y; Terashima, T; Yasui, Y; Shibauchi, T; Matsuda, Y

2016-02-25

The low-energy elementary excitations in frustrated quantum magnets have fascinated researchers for decades. In frustrated Ising magnets on a pyrochlore lattice possessing macroscopically degenerate spin-ice ground states, the excitations have been discussed in terms of classical magnetic monopoles, which do not contain quantum fluctuations. Here we report unusual behaviours of magneto-thermal conductivity in the disordered spin-liquid regime of pyrochlore Yb2Ti2O7, which hosts frustrated spin-ice correlations with large quantum fluctuations owing to pseudospin-1/2 of Yb ions. The analysis of the temperature and magnetic field dependencies shows the presence of gapped elementary excitations. We find that the gap energy is largely suppressed from that expected in classical monopoles. Moreover, these excitations propagate a long distance without being scattered, in contrast to the diffusive nature of classical monopoles. These results suggests the emergence of highly itinerant quantum magnetic monopole, which is a heavy quasiparticle that propagates coherently in three-dimensional spin liquids.

Overcoming correlation fluctuations in two-photon interference experiments with differently bright and independently blinking remote quantum emitters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Jonas H.; Kettler, Jan; Vural, Hüseyin; Müller, Markus; Maisch, Julian; Jetter, Michael; Portalupi, Simone L.; Michler, Peter

2018-05-01

As a fundamental building block for quantum computation and communication protocols, the correct verification of the two-photon interference (TPI) contrast between two independent quantum light sources is of utmost importance. Here, we experimentally demonstrate how frequently present blinking dynamics and changes in emitter brightness critically affect the Hong-Ou-Mandel-type (HOM) correlation histograms of remote TPI experiments measured via the commonly utilized setup configuration. We further exploit this qualitative and quantitative explanation of the observed correlation dynamics to establish an alternative interferometer configuration, which is overcoming the discussed temporal fluctuations, giving rise to an error-free determination of the remote TPI visibility. We prove full knowledge of the obtained correlation by reproducing the measured correlation statistics via Monte Carlo simulations. As an exemplary system, we make use of two pairs of remote semiconductor quantum dots; however, the same conclusions apply for TPI experiments with flying qubits from any kind of remote solid-state quantum emitters.

Quantum critical singularities in two-dimensional metallic XY ferromagnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varma, Chandra M.; Gannon, W. J.; Aronson, M. C.; Rodriguez-Rivera, J. A.; Qiu, Y.

2018-02-01

An important problem in contemporary physics concerns quantum-critical fluctuations in metals. A scaling function for the momentum, frequency, temperature, and magnetic field dependence of the correlation function near a 2D-ferromagnetic quantum-critical point (QCP) is constructed, and its singularities are determined by comparing to the recent calculations of the correlation functions of the dissipative quantum XY model (DQXY). The calculations are motivated by the measured properties of the metallic compound YFe2Al10 , which is a realization of the DQXY model in 2D. The frequency, temperature, and magnetic field dependence of the scaling function as well as the singularities measured in the experiments are given by the theory without adjustable exponents. The same model is applicable to the superconductor-insulator transitions, classes of metallic AFM-QCPs, and as fluctuations of the loop-current ordered state in hole-doped cuprates. The results presented here lend credence to the solution found for the 2D-DQXY model and its applications in understanding quantum-critical properties of diverse systems.

Quantum critical scaling near the antiferromagnetic quantum critical point in CeCu6-xPdx

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Liusuo; Poudel, L.; May, A. F.; Nelson, W. L.; Gallagher, A.; Lai, Y.; Graf, D. E.; Besara, T.; Siegrist, T. M.; Baumbach, R.; Ehlers, G.; Podlesnyak, A. A.; Lumsden, M. D.; Mandrus, D.; Christianson, A. D.

A remarkable behavior of many quantum critical systems is the scaling of physical properties such as the dynamic susceptibility near a quantum critical point (QCP), where Fermi liquid physics usually break down. The quantum critical behavior in the vicinity of a QCP in metallic systems remains an important open question. In particular, a self-consistent universal scaling of both magnetic susceptibility and the specific heat remains missing for most cases. Recently, we have studied CeCu6-xTx (T =Au, Ag, Pd), which is a prototypical heavy fermion material that hosts an antiferromagnetic (AF) QCP. We have investigated the low temperature thermal properties including the specific heat and magnetic susceptibility. We also investigated the spin fluctuation spectrum at both critical doping and within the magnetically ordered phase. A key finding is the spin excitations exhibit a strong Ising character, resulting in the strong suppression of transverse fluctuations. A detailed scaling analysis of the quantum critical behaviors relating the thermodynamic properties to the dynamic susceptibility will be presented. DOE, ORNL LDRD.

Effective field theory of dissipative fluids

DOE PAGES

Crossley, Michael; Glorioso, Paolo; Liu, Hong

2017-09-20

We develop an effctive fi eld theory for dissipative fluids which governs the dynamics of long-lived gapless modes associated with conserved quantities. The resulting theory gives a path integral formulation of fluctuating hydrodynamics which systematically incorporates nonlinear interactions of noises. The dynamical variables are mappings between a "fluid spacetime" and the physical spacetime and an essential aspect of our formulation is to identify the appropriate symmetries in the fluid spacetime. The theory applies to nonlinear disturbances around a general density matrix. For a thermal density matrix, we require an additional Z2 symmetry, to which we refer as the local KMSmore » condition. This leads to the standard constraints of hydrodynamics, as well as a nonlinear generalization of the Onsager relations. It also leads to an emergent supersymmetry in the classical statistical regime, and a higher derivative deformation of supersymmetry in the full quantum regime.« less

Effective field theory of dissipative fluids

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crossley, Michael; Glorioso, Paolo; Liu, Hong

We develop an effctive fi eld theory for dissipative fluids which governs the dynamics of long-lived gapless modes associated with conserved quantities. The resulting theory gives a path integral formulation of fluctuating hydrodynamics which systematically incorporates nonlinear interactions of noises. The dynamical variables are mappings between a "fluid spacetime" and the physical spacetime and an essential aspect of our formulation is to identify the appropriate symmetries in the fluid spacetime. The theory applies to nonlinear disturbances around a general density matrix. For a thermal density matrix, we require an additional Z2 symmetry, to which we refer as the local KMSmore » condition. This leads to the standard constraints of hydrodynamics, as well as a nonlinear generalization of the Onsager relations. It also leads to an emergent supersymmetry in the classical statistical regime, and a higher derivative deformation of supersymmetry in the full quantum regime.« less

Chiral vacuum fluctuations in quantum gravity.

PubMed

Magueijo, João; Benincasa, Dionigi M T

2011-03-25

We examine tensor perturbations around a de Sitter background within the framework of Ashtekar's variables and its cousins parameterized by the Immirzi parameter γ. At the classical level we recover standard cosmological perturbation theory, with illuminating insights. Quantization leads to real novelties. In the low energy limit we find a second quantized theory of gravitons which displays different vacuum fluctuations for right and left gravitons. Nonetheless right and left gravitons have the same (positive) energies, resolving a number of paradoxes suggested in the literature. The right-left asymmetry of the vacuum fluctuations depends on γ and the ordering of the Hamiltonian constraint, and it would leave a distinctive imprint in the polarization of the cosmic microwave background, thus opening quantum gravity to observational test.

Direct comparison of Viking 2.3-GHz signal phase fluctuation and columnar electron density between 2 and 160 solar radii

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berman, A. L.; Wackley, J. A.; Hietzke, W. H.

1982-01-01

The relationship between solar wind induced signal phase fluctuation and solar wind columnar electron density has been the subject of intensive analysis during the last two decades. In this article, a sizeable volume of 2.3-GHz signal phase fluctuation and columnar electron density measurements separately and concurrently inferred from Viking spacecraft signals are compared as a function of solar geometry. These data demonstrate that signal phase fluctuation and columnar electron density are proportional over a very wide span of solar elongation angle. A radially dependent electron density model which provides a good fit to the columnar electron density measurements and, when appropriately scaled, to the signal phase fluctuation measurements, is given. This model is also in good agreement with K-coronameter observations at 2 solar radii (2r0), with pulsar time delay measurements at 10r0, and with spacecraft in situ electron density measurements at 1 AU.

Renormalization of myoglobin–ligand binding energetics by quantum many-body effects

PubMed Central

Weber, Cédric; Cole, Daniel J.; O’Regan, David D.; Payne, Mike C.

2014-01-01

We carry out a first-principles atomistic study of the electronic mechanisms of ligand binding and discrimination in the myoglobin protein. Electronic correlation effects are taken into account using one of the most advanced methods currently available, namely a linear-scaling density functional theory (DFT) approach wherein the treatment of localized iron 3d electrons is further refined using dynamical mean-field theory. This combination of methods explicitly accounts for dynamical and multireference quantum physics, such as valence and spin fluctuations, of the 3d electrons, while treating a significant proportion of the protein (more than 1,000 atoms) with DFT. The computed electronic structure of the myoglobin complexes and the nature of the Fe–O2 bonding are validated against experimental spectroscopic observables. We elucidate and solve a long-standing problem related to the quantum-mechanical description of the respiration process, namely that DFT calculations predict a strong imbalance between O2 and CO binding, favoring the latter to an unphysically large extent. We show that the explicit inclusion of the many-body effects induced by the Hund’s coupling mechanism results in the correct prediction of similar binding energies for oxy- and carbonmonoxymyoglobin. PMID:24717844

Solid-state electron spin lifetime limited by phononic vacuum modes.

PubMed

Astner, T; Gugler, J; Angerer, A; Wald, S; Putz, S; Mauser, N J; Trupke, M; Sumiya, H; Onoda, S; Isoya, J; Schmiedmayer, J; Mohn, P; Majer, J

2018-04-01

Longitudinal relaxation is the process by which an excited spin ensemble decays into its thermal equilibrium with the environment. In solid-state spin systems, relaxation into the phonon bath usually dominates over the coupling to the electromagnetic vacuum 1-9 . In the quantum limit, the spin lifetime is determined by phononic vacuum fluctuations 10 . However, this limit was not observed in previous studies due to thermal phonon contributions 11-13 or phonon-bottleneck processes 10, 14,15 . Here we use a dispersive detection scheme 16,17 based on cavity quantum electrodynamics 18-21 to observe this quantum limit of spin relaxation of the negatively charged nitrogen vacancy (NV - ) centre 22 in diamond. Diamond possesses high thermal conductivity even at low temperatures 23 , which eliminates phonon-bottleneck processes. We observe exceptionally long longitudinal relaxation times T 1 of up to 8 h. To understand the fundamental mechanism of spin-phonon coupling in this system we develop a theoretical model and calculate the relaxation time ab initio. The calculations confirm that the low phononic density of states at the NV - transition frequency enables the spin polarization to survive over macroscopic timescales.

Effect of noncovalent basal plane functionalization on the quantum capacitance in graphene.

PubMed

Ebrish, Mona A; Olson, Eric J; Koester, Steven J

2014-07-09

The concentration-dependent density of states in graphene allows the capacitance in metal-oxide-graphene structures to be tunable with the carrier concentration. This feature allows graphene to act as a variable capacitor (varactor) that can be utilized for wireless sensing applications. Surface functionalization can be used to make graphene sensitive to a particular species. In this manuscript, the effect on the quantum capacitance of noncovalent basal plane functionalization using 1-pyrenebutanoic acid succimidyl ester and glucose oxidase is reported. It is found that functionalized samples tested in air have (1) a Dirac point similar to vacuum conditions, (2) increased maximum capacitance compared to vacuum but similar to air, (3) and quantum capacitance "tuning" that is greater than that in vacuum and ambient atmosphere. These trends are attributed to reduced surface doping and random potential fluctuations as a result of the surface functionalization due to the displacement of H2O on the graphene surface and intercalation of a stable H2O layer beneath graphene that increases the overall device capacitance. The results are important for future application of graphene as a platform for wireless chemical and biological sensors.

Differential interferometry for measurement of density fluctuations and fluctuation-induced transport (invited)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, L.; Ding, W. X.; Brower, D. L.

2010-10-15

Differential interferometry employs two parallel laser beams with a small spatial offset (less than beam width) and frequency difference (1-2 MHz) using common optics and a single mixer for a heterodyne detection. The differential approach allows measurement of the electron density gradient, its fluctuations, as well as the equilibrium density distribution. This novel interferometry technique is immune to fringe skip errors and is particularly useful in harsh plasma environments. Accurate calibration of the beam spatial offset, accomplished by use of a rotating dielectric wedge, is required to enable broad application of this approach. Differential interferometry has been successfully used onmore » the Madison Symmetric Torus reversed-field pinch plasma to directly measure fluctuation-induced transport along with equilibrium density profile evolution during pellet injection. In addition, by combining differential and conventional interferometry, both linear and nonlinear terms of the electron density fluctuation energy equation can be determined, thereby allowing quantitative investigation of the origin of the density fluctuations. The concept, calibration, and application of differential interferometry are presented.« less

Emergence of a classical Universe from quantum gravity and cosmology.

PubMed

Kiefer, Claus

2012-09-28

I describe how we can understand the classical appearance of our world from a universal quantum theory. The essential ingredient is the process of decoherence. I start with a general discussion in ordinary quantum theory and then turn to quantum gravity and quantum cosmology. There is a whole hierarchy of classicality from the global gravitational field to the fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background, which serve as the seeds for the structure in the Universe.

Monolithically integrated mid-infrared sensor using narrow mode operation and temperature feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ristanic, Daniela; Schwarz, Benedikt; Reininger, Peter; Detz, Hermann; Zederbauer, Tobias; Andrews, Aaron Maxwell; Schrenk, Werner; Strasser, Gottfried

2015-01-01

A method to improve the sensitivity and selectivity of a monolithically integrated mid-infrared sensor using a distributed feedback laser (DFB) is presented in this paper. The sensor is based on a quantum cascade laser/detector system built from the same epitaxial structure and with the same fabrication approach. The devices are connected via a dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguide with a twofold function: it provides high light coupling efficiency and a strong interaction of the light with the environment (e.g., a surrounding fluid). The weakly coupled DFB quantum cascade laser emits narrow mode light with a FWHM of 2 cm-1 at 1586 cm-1. The room temperature laser threshold current density is 3 kA/cm2 and a pulsed output power of around 200 mW was measured. With the superior laser noise performance, due to narrow mode emission and the compensation of thermal fluctuations, the lower limit of detection was expanded by one order of magnitude to the 10 ppm range.

Metal Ion Modeling Using Classical Mechanics

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Metal ions play significant roles in numerous fields including chemistry, geochemistry, biochemistry, and materials science. With computational tools increasingly becoming important in chemical research, methods have emerged to effectively face the challenge of modeling metal ions in the gas, aqueous, and solid phases. Herein, we review both quantum and classical modeling strategies for metal ion-containing systems that have been developed over the past few decades. This Review focuses on classical metal ion modeling based on unpolarized models (including the nonbonded, bonded, cationic dummy atom, and combined models), polarizable models (e.g., the fluctuating charge, Drude oscillator, and the induced dipole models), the angular overlap model, and valence bond-based models. Quantum mechanical studies of metal ion-containing systems at the semiempirical, ab initio, and density functional levels of theory are reviewed as well with a particular focus on how these methods inform classical modeling efforts. Finally, conclusions and future prospects and directions are offered that will further enhance the classical modeling of metal ion-containing systems. PMID:28045509

Terahertz GaAs/AlAs quantum-cascade lasers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schrottke, L., E-mail: lutz@pdi-berlin.de; Lü, X.; Rozas, G.

2016-03-07

We have realized GaAs/AlAs quantum-cascade lasers operating at 4.75 THz exhibiting more than three times higher wall plug efficiencies than GaAs/Al{sub 0.25}Ga{sub 0.75}As lasers with an almost identical design. At the same time, the threshold current density at 10 K is reduced from about 350 A/cm{sup 2} for the GaAs/Al{sub 0.25}Ga{sub 0.75}As laser to about 120 A/cm{sup 2} for the GaAs/AlAs laser. Substituting AlAs for Al{sub 0.25}Ga{sub 0.75}As barriers leads to a larger energy separation between the subbands reducing the probability for leakage currents through parasitic states and for reabsorption of the laser light. The higher barriers allow for a shift of themore » quasi-continuum of states to much higher energies. The use of a binary barrier material may also reduce detrimental effects due to the expected composition fluctuations in ternary alloys.« less

Electron transport in gated InGaAs and InAsP quantum well wires in selectively grown InP ridge structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Granger, G.; Kam, A.; Studenikin, S. A.; Sachrajda, A. S.; Aers, G. C.; Williams, R. L.; Poole, P. J.

2010-09-01

The purpose of this work is to fabricate ribbon-like InGaAs and InAsP wires embedded in InP ridge structures and investigate their transport properties. The InP ridge structures that contain the wires are selectively grown by chemical beam epitaxy (CBE) on pre-patterned InP substrates. To optimize the growth and micro-fabrication processes for electronic transport, we explore the Ohmic contact resistance, the electron density, and the mobility as a function of the wire width using standard transport and Shubnikov-de Haas measurements. At low temperatures the ridge structures reveal reproducible mesoscopic conductance fluctuations. We also fabricate ridge structures with submicron gate electrodes that exhibit non-leaky gating and good pinch-off characteristics acceptable for device operation. Using such wrap gate electrodes, we demonstrate that the wires can be split to form quantum dots evidenced by Coulomb blockade oscillations in transport measurements.

Applicability of Quantum Thermal Baths to Complex Many-Body Systems with Various Degrees of Anharmonicity.

PubMed

Hernández-Rojas, Javier; Calvo, Florent; Noya, Eva Gonzalez

2015-03-10

The semiclassical method of quantum thermal baths by colored noise thermostats has been used to simulate various atomic systems in the molecular and bulk limits, at finite temperature and in moderately to strongly anharmonic regimes. In all cases, the method performs relatively well against alternative approaches in predicting correct energetic properties, including in the presence of phase changes, provided that vibrational delocalization is not too strong-neon appearing already as an upper limiting case. In contrast, the dynamical behavior inferred from global indicators such as the root-mean-square bond length fluctuation index or the vibrational spectrum reveals more marked differences caused by zero-point energy leakage, except in the case of isolated molecules with well separated vibrational modes. To correct for such deficiencies and reduce the undesired transfer among modes, empirical modifications of the noise power spectral density were attempted to better describe thermal equilibrium but still failed when used as semiclassical preparation for microcanonical trajectories.

Quantum resonant activation.

PubMed

Magazzù, Luca; Hänggi, Peter; Spagnolo, Bernardo; Valenti, Davide

2017-04-01

Quantum resonant activation is investigated for the archetype setup of an externally driven two-state (spin-boson) system subjected to strong dissipation by means of both analytical and extensive numerical calculations. The phenomenon of resonant activation emerges in the presence of either randomly fluctuating or deterministic periodically varying driving fields. Addressing the incoherent regime, a characteristic minimum emerges in the mean first passage time to reach an absorbing neighboring state whenever the intrinsic time scale of the modulation matches the characteristic time scale of the system dynamics. For the case of deterministic periodic driving, the first passage time probability density function (pdf) displays a complex, multipeaked behavior, which depends crucially on the details of initial phase, frequency, and strength of the driving. As an interesting feature we find that the mean first passage time enters the resonant activation regime at a critical frequency ν^{*} which depends very weakly on the strength of the driving. Moreover, we provide the relation between the first passage time pdf and the statistics of residence times.

Fluctuations in coral health of four common inshore reef corals in response to seasonal and anthropogenic changes in water quality.

PubMed

Browne, Nicola K; Tay, Jason K L; Low, Jeffrey; Larson, Ole; Todd, Peter A

2015-04-01

Environmental drivers of coral condition (maximum quantum yield, symbiont density, chlorophyll a content and coral skeletal growth rates) were assessed in the equatorial inshore coastal waters of Singapore, where the amplitude of seasonal variation is low, but anthropogenic influence is relatively high. Water quality variables (sediments, nutrients, trace metals, temperature, light) explained between 52 and 83% of the variation in coral condition, with sediments and light availability as key drivers of foliose corals (Merulina ampliata, Pachyseris speciosa), and temperature exerting a greater influence on a branching coral (Pocillopora damicornis). Seasonal reductions in water quality led to high chlorophyll a concentrations and maximum quantum yields in corals, but low growth rates. These marginal coral communities are potentially vulnerable to climate change, hence, we propose water quality thresholds for coral growth with the aim of mitigating both local and global environmental impacts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantum resonant activation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magazzó, Luca; Hänggi, Peter; Spagnolo, Bernardo; Valenti, Davide

2017-04-01

Quantum resonant activation is investigated for the archetype setup of an externally driven two-state (spin-boson) system subjected to strong dissipation by means of both analytical and extensive numerical calculations. The phenomenon of resonant activation emerges in the presence of either randomly fluctuating or deterministic periodically varying driving fields. Addressing the incoherent regime, a characteristic minimum emerges in the mean first passage time to reach an absorbing neighboring state whenever the intrinsic time scale of the modulation matches the characteristic time scale of the system dynamics. For the case of deterministic periodic driving, the first passage time probability density function (pdf) displays a complex, multipeaked behavior, which depends crucially on the details of initial phase, frequency, and strength of the driving. As an interesting feature we find that the mean first passage time enters the resonant activation regime at a critical frequency ν* which depends very weakly on the strength of the driving. Moreover, we provide the relation between the first passage time pdf and the statistics of residence times.

Role of confinements on the melting of Wigner molecules in quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharya, Dyuti; Filinov, Alexei V.; Ghosal, Amit; Bonitz, Michael

2016-03-01

We explore the stability of a Wigner molecule (WM) formed in confinements with different geometries emulating the role of disorder and analyze the melting (or crossover) of such a system. Building on a recent calculation [D. Bhattacharya, A. Ghosal, Eur. Phys. J. B 86, 499 (2013)] that discussed the effects of irregularities on the thermal crossover in classical systems, we expand our studies in the untested territory by including both the effects of quantum fluctuations and of disorder. Our results, using classical and quantum (path integral) Monte Carlo techniques, unfold complementary mechanisms that drive the quantum and thermal crossovers in a WM and show that the symmetry of the confinement plays no significant role in determining the quantum crossover scale n X . This is because the zero-point motion screens the boundary effects within short distances. The phase diagram as a function of thermal and quantum fluctuations determined from independent criteria is unique, and shows "melting" from the WM to both the classical and quantum "liquids". An intriguing signature of weakening liquidity with increasing temperature, T, is found in the extreme quantum regime. The crossover is associated with production of defects. However, these defects appear to play distinct roles in driving the quantum and thermal "melting". Our analyses carry serious implications for a variety of experiments on many-particle systems - semiconductor heterostructure quantum dots, trapped ions, nanoclusters, colloids and complex plasma.

Consistent description of quantum Brownian motors operating at strong friction.

PubMed

Machura, L; Kostur, M; Hänggi, P; Talkner, P; Luczka, J

2004-09-01

A quantum Smoluchowski equation is put forward that consistently describes thermal quantum states. In particular, it notably does not induce a violation of the second law of thermodynamics. This so modified kinetic equation is applied to study analytically directed quantum transport at strong friction in arbitrarily shaped ratchet potentials that are driven by nonthermal two-state noise. Depending on the mutual interplay of quantum tunneling and quantum reflection these quantum corrections can induce both, a sizable enhancement or a suppression of transport. Moreover, the threshold for current reversals becomes markedly shifted due to such quantum fluctuations.

Fluctuation relations and Maxwell's demon in a circuit QED setup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Yasunobu

The recent progress in information thermodynamics has resolved the paradox of Maxwell's demon and clarified the relationship between the information and the entropy. Its extension to quantum mechanical systems has also attracted much interest, and experimental demonstrations are awaited. Circuit QED systems offer the following tools suitable for investigating the properties of a quantum system coupled with a controlled environment: (i) a well-controlled qubit with a long coherence time, (ii) dispersive readout allowing high-fidelity quantum nondemolition measurement, and (iii) fast feedback control. We first apply the so-called two-measurement protocol (TMP) to a superconducting transmon qubit in a microwave cavity and study how the decoherence affects the nonequilibrium thermodynamic relations. Next, we implement Maxwell's demon in the circuit QED system by introducing a feedback loop and confirm the fluctuation relation including the effect of the information obtained in the feedback process. These results constitute a first step towards quantum thermodynamics in circuit QED systems.

Counting of fermions and spins in strongly correlated systems in and out of thermal equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braungardt, Sibylle; Rodríguez, Mirta; Sen(de), Aditi; Sen, Ujjwal; Glauber, Roy J.; Lewenstein, Maciej

2011-01-01

Atom counting theory can be used to study the role of thermal noise in quantum phase transitions and to monitor the dynamics of a quantum system. We illustrate this for a strongly correlated fermionic system, which is equivalent to an anisotropic quantum XY chain in a transverse field and can be realized with cold fermionic atoms in an optical lattice. We analyze the counting statistics across the phase diagram in the presence of thermal fluctuations and during its thermalization when the system is coupled to a heat bath. At zero temperature, the quantum phase transition is reflected in the cumulants of the counting distribution. We find that the signatures of the crossover remain visible at low temperature and are obscured with increasing thermal fluctuations. We find that the same quantities may be used to scan the dynamics during the thermalization of the system.

What can we learn from noise? — Mesoscopic nonequilibrium statistical physics —

PubMed Central

KOBAYASHI, Kensuke

2016-01-01

Mesoscopic systems — small electric circuits working in quantum regime — offer us a unique experimental stage to explorer quantum transport in a tunable and precise way. The purpose of this Review is to show how they can contribute to statistical physics. We introduce the significance of fluctuation, or equivalently noise, as noise measurement enables us to address the fundamental aspects of a physical system. The significance of the fluctuation theorem (FT) in statistical physics is noted. We explain what information can be deduced from the current noise measurement in mesoscopic systems. As an important application of the noise measurement to statistical physics, we describe our experimental work on the current and current noise in an electron interferometer, which is the first experimental test of FT in quantum regime. Our attempt will shed new light in the research field of mesoscopic quantum statistical physics. PMID:27477456

Quantum-Fluctuation-Driven Crossover from a Dilute Bose-Einstein Condensate to a Macrodroplet in a Dipolar Quantum Fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chomaz, L.; Baier, S.; Petter, D.; Mark, M. J.; Wächtler, F.; Santos, L.; Ferlaino, F.

2016-10-01

In a joint experimental and theoretical effort, we report on the formation of a macrodroplet state in an ultracold bosonic gas of erbium atoms with strong dipolar interactions. By precise tuning of the s -wave scattering length below the so-called dipolar length, we observe a smooth crossover of the ground state from a dilute Bose-Einstein condensate to a dense macrodroplet state of more than 2 ×104 atoms . Based on the study of collective excitations and loss features, we prove that quantum fluctuations stabilize the ultracold gas far beyond the instability threshold imposed by mean-field interactions. Finally, we perform expansion measurements, showing that although self-bound solutions are prevented by losses, the interplay between quantum stabilization and losses results in a minimal time-of-flight expansion velocity at a finite scattering length.

What can we learn from noise? - Mesoscopic nonequilibrium statistical physics.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Kensuke

2016-01-01

Mesoscopic systems - small electric circuits working in quantum regime - offer us a unique experimental stage to explorer quantum transport in a tunable and precise way. The purpose of this Review is to show how they can contribute to statistical physics. We introduce the significance of fluctuation, or equivalently noise, as noise measurement enables us to address the fundamental aspects of a physical system. The significance of the fluctuation theorem (FT) in statistical physics is noted. We explain what information can be deduced from the current noise measurement in mesoscopic systems. As an important application of the noise measurement to statistical physics, we describe our experimental work on the current and current noise in an electron interferometer, which is the first experimental test of FT in quantum regime. Our attempt will shed new light in the research field of mesoscopic quantum statistical physics.

Squeezed cooling of mechanical motion beyond the resolved-sideband limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Cheng; Zhang, Lin; Zhang, Weiping

2018-04-01

Cavity optomechanics provides a unique platform for controlling micromechanical systems by means of optical fields that cross the classical-quantum boundary to achieve solid foundations for quantum technologies. Currently, optomechanical resonators have become promising candidates for the development of precisely controlled nano-motors, ultrasensitive sensors and robust quantum information processors. For all these applications, a crucial requirement is to cool the mechanical resonators down to their quantum ground states. In this paper, we present a novel cooling scheme to further cool a micromechanical resonator via the noise squeezing effect. One quadrature in such a resonator can be squeezed to induce enhanced fluctuations in the other, “heated” quadrature, which can then be used to cool the mechanical motion via conventional optomechanical coupling. Our theoretical analysis and numerical calculations demonstrate that this squeeze-and-cool mechanism offers a quick technique for deeply cooling a macroscopic mechanical resonator to an unprecedented temperature region below the zero-point fluctuations.

Ubiquity of quantum zero-point fluctuations in dislocation glide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landeiro Dos Reis, Marie; Choudhury, Anshuman; Proville, Laurent

2017-03-01

Modeling the dislocation glide through atomic scale simulations in Al, Cu, and Ni and in solid solution alloys Al(Mg) and Cu(Ag), we show that in the course of the plastic deformation the variation of the crystal zero-point energy (ZPE) and the dislocation potential energy barriers are of opposite sign. The multiplicity of situations where we have observed the same trend allows us to conclude that quantum fluctuations, giving rise to the crystal ZPE, make easier the dislocation glide in most materials, even those constituted of atoms heavier than H and He.

Detection of non-Gaussian fluctuations in a quantum point contact.

PubMed

Gershon, G; Bomze, Yu; Sukhorukov, E V; Reznikov, M

2008-07-04

An experimental study of current fluctuations through a tunable transmission barrier, a quantum point contact, is reported. We measure the probability distribution function of transmitted charge with precision sufficient to extract the first three cumulants. To obtain the intrinsic quantities, corresponding to voltage-biased barrier, we employ a procedure that accounts for the response of the external circuit and the amplifier. The third cumulant, obtained with a high precision, is found to agree with the prediction for the statistics of transport in the non-Poissonian regime.

Detection of Non-Gaussian Fluctuations in a Quantum Point Contact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gershon, G.; Bomze, Yu.; Sukhorukov, E. V.; Reznikov, M.

2008-07-01

An experimental study of current fluctuations through a tunable transmission barrier, a quantum point contact, is reported. We measure the probability distribution function of transmitted charge with precision sufficient to extract the first three cumulants. To obtain the intrinsic quantities, corresponding to voltage-biased barrier, we employ a procedure that accounts for the response of the external circuit and the amplifier. The third cumulant, obtained with a high precision, is found to agree with the prediction for the statistics of transport in the non-Poissonian regime.

Density fluctuation in HT-6M tokamak by CO2 laser scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Lei; Cao, Jinxiang; Zhu, Guoliang; Ding, Weixing; Yu, Chang-Xuan; Zhang, Daqing; Li, Youyi

1993-09-01

The small scale density fluctuations in the interior of HT-6M Ohmic plasma have been studied by CO2 laser collective scattering system in deuterium discharges covering a wide range of nqa (chord-average density times safety factor at the limiter) and energy confinement time. The relative density fluctuation level in the interior is inversely proportional to the toroidal magnetic field and average density, and the energy confinement time (tau) E decreases with the fluctuation level increasing in the region where (tau) E linearly increases with nq0.5a and satisfies the Goldston scaling law. It is suggested that the microturbulence in the interior zone is responsible for anomalous transport in tokamaks.

A modified gradient approach for the growth of low-density InAs quantum dot molecules by molecular beam epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Nandlal; Reuter, Dirk

2017-11-01

Two vertically stacked quantum dots that are electronically coupled, so called quantum dot molecules, are of great interest for the realization of solid state building blocks for quantum communication networks. We present a modified gradient approach to realize InAs quantum dot molecules with a low areal density so that single quantum dot molecules can be optically addressed. The individual quantum dot layers were prepared by solid source molecular beam epitaxy depositing InAs on GaAs(100). The bottom quantum dot layer has been grown without substrate rotation resulting in an In-gradient across the surface, which translated into a density gradient with low quantum dot density in a certain region of the wafer. For the top quantum dot layer, separated from the bottom quantum dot layer by a 6 nm thick GaAs barrier, various InAs amounts were deposited without an In-gradient. In spite of the absence of an In-gradient, a pronounced density gradient is observed for the top quantum dots. Even for an In-amount slightly below the critical thickness for a single dot layer, a density gradient in the top quantum dot layer, which seems to reproduce the density gradient in the bottom layer, is observed. For more or less In, respectively, deviations from this behavior occur. We suggest that the obvious influence of the bottom quantum dot layer on the growth of the top quantum dots is due to the strain field induced by the buried dots.

Comment on "How the huge energy of quantum vacuum gravitates to drive the slow accelerating expansion of the Universe"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazzitelli, Francisco D.; Trombetta, Leonardo G.

2018-03-01

In a recent paper [Q. Wang, Z. Zhu, and W. G. Unruh, Phys. Rev. D 95, 103504 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevD.95.103504] it was argued that, due to the fluctuations around its mean value, vacuum energy gravitates differently from what was previously assumed. As a consequence, the Universe would accelerate with a small Hubble expansion rate, solving the cosmological constant and dark energy problems. We point out here that the results depend on the type of cutoff used to evaluate the vacuum energy. In particular, they are not valid when one uses a covariant cutoff such that the zero-point energy density is positive definite.

Non-classicality criteria: Glauber-Sudarshan P function and Mandel ? parameter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexanian, Moorad

2018-01-01

We calculate exactly the quantum mechanical, temporal Wigner quasiprobability density for a single-mode, degenerate parametric amplifier for a system in the Gaussian state, viz., a displaced-squeezed thermal state. The Wigner function allows us to calculate the fluctuations in photon number and the quadrature variance. We contrast the difference between the non-classicality criteria, which is independent of the displacement parameter ?, based on the Glauber-Sudarshan quasiprobability distribution ? and the classical/non-classical behaviour of the Mandel ? parameter, which depends strongly on ?. We find a phase transition as a function of ? such that at the critical point ?, ?, as a function of ?, goes from strictly classical, for ?, to a mixed classical/non-classical behaviour, for ?.

Density Fluctuation in Asymmetric Nozzle Plumes and Correlation with Far Field Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, J.; Zaman, K. B. M. Q.

2001-01-01

A comparative experimental study of air density fluctuations in the unheated plumes of a circular, 4-tabbed-circular, chevron-circular and 10-lobed rectangular nozzles was performed at a fixed Mach number of 0.95 using a recently developed Rayleigh scattering based technique. Subsequently, the flow density fluctuations are cross-correlated with the far field sound pressure fluctuations to determine sources for acoustics emission. The nearly identical noise spectra from the baseline circular and the chevron nozzles are found to be in agreement with the similarity in spreading, turbulence fluctuations, and flow-sound correlations measured in the plumes. The lobed nozzle produced the least low frequency noise, in agreement with the weakest overall density fluctuations and flow-sound correlation. The tabbed nozzle took an intermediate position in the hierarchy of noise generation, intensity of turbulent fluctuation and flow-sound correlation. Some of the features in the 4-tabbed nozzle are found to be explainable in terms of splitting of the jet in a central large core and 4 side jetlets.

Quantum Optics in Astrophysics: The Potential of a New Window

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solomos, Nikolaos H.

2006-08-01

The entire optical astronomy relies upon the detection of light. In this contribution, we put emphasis to the fact that a new window to the universe could be opened with the obvious idea of applying the ...Quantum Theory to describe incoming light Quanta (!). It is clearly the appropriate approach but, nevertheless, it never deemed necessary in main stream astrophysics: Customarily, traditional astronomy not only prefers time-averaged quantities, (although fluctuations in time of a measurement can be a source of information which is getting entirely lost in any time-averaged value) but misses much more information content by continuing to use old semi-classical approaches to treat photon detection processes. Thus, we fail to describe and appreciate in full very important properties of cosmic light, like spatiotemporal coherence. Nevertheless, 45 years of knowledge accumulation in Quantum Optics and technology can now result to the development of instruments capable to extract intimate quantum information scrambled in the incoming optical light fields from celestial sources, provided their ability to detect light emission alterations in the

Periodic scarred States in open quantum dots as evidence of quantum Darwinism.

PubMed

Burke, A M; Akis, R; Day, T E; Speyer, Gil; Ferry, D K; Bennett, B R

2010-04-30

Scanning gate microscopy (SGM) is used to image scar structures in an open quantum dot, which is created in an InAs quantum well by electron-beam lithography and wet etching. The scanned images demonstrate periodicities in magnetic field that correlate to those found in the conductance fluctuations. Simulations have shown that these magnetic transform images bear a strong resemblance to actual scars found in the dot that replicate through the modes in direct agreement with quantum Darwinism.

Periodic Scarred States in Open Quantum Dots as Evidence of Quantum Darwinism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burke, A. M.; Akis, R.; Day, T. E.; Speyer, Gil; Ferry, D. K.; Bennett, B. R.

2010-04-01

Scanning gate microscopy (SGM) is used to image scar structures in an open quantum dot, which is created in an InAs quantum well by electron-beam lithography and wet etching. The scanned images demonstrate periodicities in magnetic field that correlate to those found in the conductance fluctuations. Simulations have shown that these magnetic transform images bear a strong resemblance to actual scars found in the dot that replicate through the modes in direct agreement with quantum Darwinism.

Density Fluctuations in a Polar Coronal Hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hahn, Michael; D’Huys, Elke; Savin, Daniel Wolf

2018-06-01

We have measured the root-mean-square (rms) amplitude of intensity fluctuations, ΔI, in plume and interplume regions of a polar coronal hole. These intensity fluctuations correspond to density fluctuations. Using data from the Sun Watcher using the Active Pixel System detector and Image Processing on the Project for Onboard Autonomy (Proba2), our results extend up to a height of about 1.35 R ⊙. One advantage of the rms analysis is that it does not rely on a detailed evaluation of the power spectrum, which is limited by noise levels to low heights in the corona. The rms approach can be performed up to larger heights where the noise level is greater, provided that the noise itself can be quantified. At low heights, both the absolute ΔI, and the amplitude relative to the mean intensity, ΔI/I, decrease with height. However, starting at about 1.2 R ⊙, ΔI/I increases, reaching 20%–40% by 1.35 R ⊙. This corresponds to density fluctuations of Δn e/n e ≈ 10%–20%. The increasing relative amplitude implies that the density fluctuations are generated in the corona itself. One possibility is that the density fluctuations are generated by an instability of Alfvén waves. This generation mechanism is consistent with some theoretical models and with observations of Alfvén wave amplitudes in coronal holes. Although we find that the energy of the observed density fluctuations is small, these fluctuations are likely to play an important indirect role in coronal heating by promoting the reflection of Alfvén waves and driving turbulence.

Engineering matter interactions using squeezed vacuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeytinoglu, Sina; Imamoglu, Atac; Huber, Sebastian

Virtually all interactions that are relevant for atomic and condensed matter physics are mediated by the quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field vacuum. Consequently, controlling the latter can be used to engineer the strength and the range of inter-particle interactions. Recent experiments have used this premise to demonstrate novel quantum phases or entangling gates by embedding electric dipoles in photonic cavities or waveguides which modify the electromagnetic fluctuations. In this submission, we demonstrate theoretically that the enhanced fluctuations in the anti-squeezed quadrature of a squeezed vacuum state allows for engineering interactions between electric dipoles without the need for a photonic cavity or waveguide. Thus, the strength and range of the resulting dipole-dipole coupling can be engineered by dynamically changing the spatial profile of the squeezed vacuum in a travelling-wave geometry. ETH-Zurich.

Engineering matter interactions using squeezed vacuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeytinoglu, Sina; Imamoglu, Atac; Huber, Sebastian

Virtually all interactions that are relevant for atomic and condensed matter physics are mediated by the quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field vacuum. Consequently, controlling the latter can be used to engineer the strength and the range of inter-particle interactions. Recent experiments have used this premise to demonstrate novel quantum phases or entangling gates by embedding electric dipoles in photonic cavities or waveguides which modify the electromagnetic fluctuations. In this talk, we demonstrate theoretically that the enhanced fluctuations in the anti-squeezed quadrature of a squeezed vacuum state allows for engineering interactions between electric dipoles without the need for a photonic cavity or waveguide. Thus, the strength and range of the resulting dipole-dipole coupling can be engineered by dynamically changing the spatial profile of the squeezed vacuum in a travelling-wave geometry. ETH Zurich.

Holography and the Coleman-Mermin-Wagner theorem

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anninos, Dionysios; Hartnoll, Sean A.; Iqbal, Nabil

2010-09-15

In 2+1 dimensions at finite temperature, spontaneous symmetry breaking of global symmetries is precluded by large thermal fluctuations of the order parameter. The holographic correspondence implies that analogous effects must also occur in 3+1 dimensional theories with gauged symmetries in certain curved spacetimes with horizon. By performing a one loop computation in the background of a holographic superconductor, we show that bulk quantum fluctuations wash out the classical order parameter at sufficiently large distance scales. The low temperature phase is seen to exhibit algebraic long-range order. Beyond the specific example we study, holography suggests that IR singular quantum fluctuations ofmore » the fields and geometry will play an interesting role for many 3+1 dimensional asymptotically anti-de Sitter spacetimes with planar horizon.« less

Parameter optimization in biased decoy-state quantum key distribution with both source errors and statistical fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jian-Rong; Li, Jian; Zhang, Chun-Mei; Wang, Qin

2017-10-01

The decoy-state method has been widely used in commercial quantum key distribution (QKD) systems. In view of the practical decoy-state QKD with both source errors and statistical fluctuations, we propose a universal model of full parameter optimization in biased decoy-state QKD with phase-randomized sources. Besides, we adopt this model to carry out simulations of two widely used sources: weak coherent source (WCS) and heralded single-photon source (HSPS). Results show that full parameter optimization can significantly improve not only the secure transmission distance but also the final key generation rate. And when taking source errors and statistical fluctuations into account, the performance of decoy-state QKD using HSPS suffered less than that of decoy-state QKD using WCS.

Optically controlled locking of the nuclear field via coherent dark-state spectroscopy.

PubMed

Xu, Xiaodong; Yao, Wang; Sun, Bo; Steel, Duncan G; Bracker, Allan S; Gammon, Daniel; Sham, L J

2009-06-25

A single electron or hole spin trapped inside a semiconductor quantum dot forms the foundation for many proposed quantum logic devices. In group III-V materials, the resonance and coherence between two ground states of the single spin are inevitably affected by the lattice nuclear spins through the hyperfine interaction, while the dynamics of the single spin also influence the nuclear environment. Recent efforts have been made to protect the coherence of spins in quantum dots by suppressing the nuclear spin fluctuations. However, coherent control of a single spin in a single dot with simultaneous suppression of the nuclear fluctuations has yet to be achieved. Here we report the suppression of nuclear field fluctuations in a singly charged quantum dot to well below the thermal value, as shown by an enhancement of the single electron spin dephasing time T(2)*, which we measure using coherent dark-state spectroscopy. The suppression of nuclear fluctuations is found to result from a hole-spin assisted dynamic nuclear spin polarization feedback process, where the stable value of the nuclear field is determined only by the laser frequencies at fixed laser powers. This nuclear field locking is further demonstrated in a three-laser measurement, indicating a possible enhancement of the electron spin T(2)* by a factor of several hundred. This is a simple and powerful method of enhancing the electron spin coherence time without use of 'spin echo'-type techniques. We expect that our results will enable the reproducible preparation of the nuclear spin environment for repetitive control and measurement of a single spin with minimal statistical broadening.

Harnessing quantum transport by transient chaos.

PubMed

Yang, Rui; Huang, Liang; Lai, Ying-Cheng; Grebogi, Celso; Pecora, Louis M

2013-03-01

Chaos has long been recognized to be generally advantageous from the perspective of control. In particular, the infinite number of unstable periodic orbits embedded in a chaotic set and the intrinsically sensitive dependence on initial conditions imply that a chaotic system can be controlled to a desirable state by using small perturbations. Investigation of chaos control, however, was largely limited to nonlinear dynamical systems in the classical realm. In this paper, we show that chaos may be used to modulate or harness quantum mechanical systems. To be concrete, we focus on quantum transport through nanostructures, a problem of considerable interest in nanoscience, where a key feature is conductance fluctuations. We articulate and demonstrate that chaos, more specifically transient chaos, can be effective in modulating the conductance-fluctuation patterns. Experimentally, this can be achieved by applying an external gate voltage in a device of suitable geometry to generate classically inaccessible potential barriers. Adjusting the gate voltage allows the characteristics of the dynamical invariant set responsible for transient chaos to be varied in a desirable manner which, in turn, can induce continuous changes in the statistical characteristics of the quantum conductance-fluctuation pattern. To understand the physical mechanism of our scheme, we develop a theory based on analyzing the spectrum of the generalized non-Hermitian Hamiltonian that includes the effect of leads, or electronic waveguides, as self-energy terms. As the escape rate of the underlying non-attracting chaotic set is increased, the imaginary part of the complex eigenenergy becomes increasingly large so that pointer states are more difficult to form, making smoother the conductance-fluctuation pattern.

Low frequency critical current noise and two level system defects in Josephson junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nugroho, Christopher Daniel

The critical current in a Josephson junction is known to exhibit a 1/falpha low frequency noise. Implemented as a superconducting qubit, this low frequency noise can lead to decoherence. While the 1/f noise has been known to arise from an ensemble of two level systems connected to the tunnel barrier, the precise microscopic nature of these TLSs remain a mystery. In this thesis we will present measurements of the 1/f alpha low frequency noise in the critical current and tunneling resistance of Al-AlOx-Al Josephson junctions. Measurements in a wide range of resistively shunted and unshunted junctions confirm the equality of critical current and tunneling resistance noise. That is the critical current fluctuation corresponds to fluctuations of the tunneling resistance. In not too small Al-AlOx-Al junctions we have found that the fractional power spectral density scales linearly with temperature. We confirmed that the 1/falpha power spectrum is the result of a large number of two level systems modulating the tunneling resistance. At small junction areas and low temperatures, the number of thermally active TLSs is insufficient to integrate out a featureless 1/ f spectral shape. By analyzing the spectral variance in small junction areas, we have been able to deduce the TLS defect density, n ≈ 2.53 per micrometer squared per Kelvin spread in the TLS energy per factor e in the TLS lifetimes. This density is consistent with the density of tunneling TLSs found in glassy insulators, as well as the density deduced from coherent TLSs interacting at qubit frequencies. The deduced TLS density combined with the magnitude of the 1/f power spectral density in large area junctions, gives an average TLS effective area, A ˜ 0.3 nanometer squared. In ultra small tunnel junctions, we have studied the time-domain dynamics of isolated TLSs. We have found a TLS whose dynamics is described by the quantum tunneling between the two localized wells, and a one-phonon absorption/emission switching rate. From the quantum limiting rate and the WKB approximation, we estimated that the TLS has a mass and tunneling distance product consistent with an atomic mass tunneling through crystal lattice distances. At higher temperatures TLSs have been found that obey a simple thermal activation dynamics. By analyzing the TLS response to an external electric field, we have deduced that the TLS electric dipole is in the order of, P ˜ 1 electron-Angstrom, consistent with the TLS having the charge of one electron tunneling through a disorder potential of distances, d ˜ 1 Angstrom.

The statistics of primordial density fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrow, John D.; Coles, Peter

1990-05-01

The statistical properties of the density fluctuations produced by power-law inflation are investigated. It is found that, even the fluctuations present in the scalar field driving the inflation are Gaussian, the resulting density perturbations need not be, due to stochastic variations in the Hubble parameter. All the moments of the density fluctuations are calculated, and is is argued that, for realistic parameter choices, the departures from Gaussian statistics are small and would have a negligible effect on the large-scale structure produced in the model. On the other hand, the model predicts a power spectrum with n not equal to 1, and this could be good news for large-scale structure.

Observations of density fluctuations in an elongated Bose gas: ideal gas and quasicondensate regimes.

PubMed

Esteve, J; Trebbia, J-B; Schumm, T; Aspect, A; Westbrook, C I; Bouchoule, I

2006-04-07

We report in situ measurements of density fluctuations in a quasi-one-dimensional 87Rb Bose gas at thermal equilibrium in an elongated harmonic trap. We observe an excess of fluctuations compared to the shot-noise level expected for uncorrelated atoms. At low atomic density, the measured excess is in good agreement with the expected "bunching" for an ideal Bose gas. At high density, the measured fluctuations are strongly reduced compared to the ideal gas case. We attribute this reduction to repulsive interatomic interactions. The data are compared with a calculation for an interacting Bose gas in the quasicondensate regime.

2D microwave imaging reflectometer electronics.

PubMed

Spear, A G; Domier, C W; Hu, X; Muscatello, C M; Ren, X; Tobias, B J; Luhmann, N C

2014-11-01

A 2D microwave imaging reflectometer system has been developed to visualize electron density fluctuations on the DIII-D tokamak. Simultaneously illuminated at four probe frequencies, large aperture optics image reflections from four density-dependent cutoff surfaces in the plasma over an extended region of the DIII-D plasma. Localized density fluctuations in the vicinity of the plasma cutoff surfaces modulate the plasma reflections, yielding a 2D image of electron density fluctuations. Details are presented of the receiver down conversion electronics that generate the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) reflectometer signals from which 2D density fluctuation data are obtained. Also presented are details on the control system and backplane used to manage the electronics as well as an introduction to the computer based control program.

Inverse correlation between quasiparticle mass and T c in a cuprate high-T c superconductor.

PubMed

Putzke, Carsten; Malone, Liam; Badoux, Sven; Vignolle, Baptiste; Vignolles, David; Tabis, Wojciech; Walmsley, Philip; Bird, Matthew; Hussey, Nigel E; Proust, Cyril; Carrington, Antony

2016-03-01

Close to a zero-temperature transition between ordered and disordered electronic phases, quantum fluctuations can lead to a strong enhancement of electron mass and to the emergence of competing phases such as superconductivity. A correlation between the existence of such a quantum phase transition and superconductivity is quite well established in some heavy fermion and iron-based superconductors, and there have been suggestions that high-temperature superconductivity in copper-oxide materials (cuprates) may also be driven by the same mechanism. Close to optimal doping, where the superconducting transition temperature T c is maximal in cuprates, two different phases are known to compete with superconductivity: a poorly understood pseudogap phase and a charge-ordered phase. Recent experiments have shown a strong increase in quasiparticle mass m* in the cuprate YBa2Cu3O7-δ as optimal doping is approached, suggesting that quantum fluctuations of the charge-ordered phase may be responsible for the high-T c superconductivity. We have tested the robustness of this correlation between m* and T c by performing quantum oscillation studies on the stoichiometric compound YBa2Cu4O8 under hydrostatic pressure. In contrast to the results for YBa2Cu3O7-δ, we find that in YBa2Cu4O8, the mass decreases as T c increases under pressure. This inverse correlation between m* and T c suggests that quantum fluctuations of the charge order enhance m* but do not enhance T c.

Thermal decay of Coulomb blockade oscillations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Idrisov, Edvin G.; Levkivskyi, Ivan P.; Sukhorukov, Eugene V.

2017-10-01

We study transport properties and the charge quantization phenomenon in a small metallic island connected to the leads through two quantum point contacts (QPCs). The linear conductance is calculated perturbatively with respect to weak tunneling and weak backscattering at QPCs as a function of the temperature T and gate voltage. The conductance shows Coulomb blockade (CB) oscillations as a function of the gate voltage that decay with the temperature as a result of thermally activated fluctuations of the charge in the island. The regimes of quantum T ≪EC and thermal T ≫EC fluctuations are considered, where EC is the charging energy of an isolated island. Our predictions for CB oscillations in the quantum regime coincide with previous findings by Furusaki and Matveev [Phys. Rev. B 52, 16676 (1995), 10.1103/PhysRevB.52.16676]. In the thermal regime the visibility of Coulomb blockade oscillations decays with the temperature as √{T /EC }exp(-π2T /EC) , where the exponential dependence originates from the thermal averaging over the instant charge fluctuations, while the prefactor has a quantum origin. This dependence does not depend on the strength of couplings to the leads. The differential capacitance, calculated in the case of a single tunnel junction, shows the same exponential decay, however the prefactor is linear in the temperature. This difference can be attributed to the nonlocality of the quantum effects. Our results agree with the recent experiment [Nature (London) 536, 58 (2016), 10.1038/nature19072] in the whole range of the parameter T /EC .

Inverse correlation between quasiparticle mass and Tc in a cuprate high-Tc superconductor

PubMed Central

Putzke, Carsten; Malone, Liam; Badoux, Sven; Vignolle, Baptiste; Vignolles, David; Tabis, Wojciech; Walmsley, Philip; Bird, Matthew; Hussey, Nigel E.; Proust, Cyril; Carrington, Antony

2016-01-01

Close to a zero-temperature transition between ordered and disordered electronic phases, quantum fluctuations can lead to a strong enhancement of electron mass and to the emergence of competing phases such as superconductivity. A correlation between the existence of such a quantum phase transition and superconductivity is quite well established in some heavy fermion and iron-based superconductors, and there have been suggestions that high-temperature superconductivity in copper-oxide materials (cuprates) may also be driven by the same mechanism. Close to optimal doping, where the superconducting transition temperature Tc is maximal in cuprates, two different phases are known to compete with superconductivity: a poorly understood pseudogap phase and a charge-ordered phase. Recent experiments have shown a strong increase in quasiparticle mass m* in the cuprate YBa2Cu3O7-δ as optimal doping is approached, suggesting that quantum fluctuations of the charge-ordered phase may be responsible for the high-Tc superconductivity. We have tested the robustness of this correlation between m* and Tc by performing quantum oscillation studies on the stoichiometric compound YBa2Cu4O8 under hydrostatic pressure. In contrast to the results for YBa2Cu3O7-δ, we find that in YBa2Cu4O8, the mass decreases as Tc increases under pressure. This inverse correlation between m* and Tc suggests that quantum fluctuations of the charge order enhance m* but do not enhance Tc. PMID:27034989

Residual fluctuations in the matter and radiation distribution after the decoupling epoch. [of early universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silk, J.; Wilson, M. L.

1980-01-01

The residual spectra of matter and radiation fluctuations in the early universe are investigated, and the evolution of primordial adiabatic and isothermal fluctuations through the decoupling epoch is studied. Amplification of adiabatic density fluctuations during decoupling, or velocity 'overshoot', is largely suppressed by Compton drag. Consequently, the amplitude of density fluctuations entering the horizon prior to decoupling is larger than hitherto assumed in the adiabatic theory. Damping of primordial adiabatic density fluctuations by an order of magnitude occurs on mass-scales of 3 x 10 to the 13th solar masses (Omega = 1) or 10 to the 14th solar masses (Omega = 0.2). Comparison of the residual radiation fluctuations with observational limits indicates that the adiabatic theory is only acceptable if re-ionization of the intergalactic medium results in additional scattering of the radiation after decoupling. Primordial isothermal fluctuations are found to yield radiation fluctuations which are insensitive to the assumed spectrum and lie a factor of about 5 below current limits

Current's Fluctuations through Molecular Wires Composed of Thiophene Rings.

PubMed

Ojeda Silva, Judith Helena; Cortés Peñaranda, Juan Camilo; Gómez Castaño, Jovanny A; Duque, Carlos Alberto

2018-04-11

We study theoretically the electronic transport and quantum fluctuations in single-molecule systems using thiophene rings as integrated elementary functions, as well as the dependence of these properties with the increase of the coupled rings, i.e., as a quantum wire. In order to analyze the current flow through these molecular systems, the thiophene rings are considered to be connected to metal contacts, which, in general terms, will be related to the application of voltages (bias voltages or gate voltages) to generate non-equilibrium behavior between the contacts. Due to the nonlinear behavior that is generated when said voltages are applied, it is possible to observe quantum fluctuations in the transport properties of these molecular wires. For the calculation of the transport properties, we applied a tight-binding approach using the Landauer-Büttiker formalism and the Fischer-Lee relationship, by means of a semi-analytic Green's function method within a real-space renormalization (decimation procedure). Our results showed an excellent agreement with results using a tight-binding model with a minimal number of parameters reported so far for these molecular systems.

Characterization of edge turbulence in different states of divertor detachment using reflectometry in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolaeva, V.; Guimarais, L.; Manz, P.; Carralero, D.; Manso, M. E.; Stroth, U.; Silva, C.; Conway, G. D.; Seliunin, E.; Vicente, J.; Brida, D.; Aguiam, D.; Santos, J.; Silva, A.; ASDEX Upgrade team; MST1 team

2018-05-01

Transport in the scrape-off layer (SOL) depends on the state of divertor detachment. L-mode discharges were analyzed where the state of divertor detachment is varied through a density ramp-up. By means of reflectometry measurements at the low (LFS) and the high field side (HFS), midplane density fluctuations are studied for the first time in ASDEX Upgrade simultaneously at both sides of the tokamak. Radial density fluctuation profiles (δ {n}e/{n}e) increase with radius in both the HFS and the LFS. It is found that in the SOL density fluctuations at the LFS have about a factor of two larger amplitude than at the HFS in agreement with ballooned transport. Density fluctuations at the LFS show a modest variation with increasing background density resulting mainly from a rise of low frequency components. Experimental results are in good agreement with an enhanced convection of filaments at the LFS at the beginning of outer divertor detachment leading to a flatter SOL density profile. In this phase of the discharge, density fluctuations measured at the HFS far-SOL display a strong increase, which may be associated with the presence of faster filaments originated at the LFS.

Effect of Heating on Turbulent Density Fluctuations and Noise Generation From High Speed Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, Jayanta; Seasholtz, Richard G.; Elam, Kristie A.; Mielke, Amy F.; Eck, Dennis G.

2004-01-01

Heated jets in a wide range of temperature ratios (TR), and acoustic Mach numbers (Ma) were investigated experimentally using far field microphones and a molecular Rayleigh scattering technique. The latter provided density fluctuations measurements. Two sets of operating conditions were considered: (1) TR was varied between 0.84 and 2.7 while Ma was fixed at 0.9; (2) Ma was varied between 0.6 and 1.48, while TR was fixed at 2.27. The implementation of the molecular Rayleigh scattering technique required dust removal and usage of a hydrogen combustor to avoid soot particles. Time averaged density measurements in the first set of data showed differences in the peripheral density shear layers between the unheated and heated jets. The nozzle exit shear layer showed increased turbulence level with increased plume temperature. Nevertheless, further downstream the density fluctuations spectra are found to be nearly identical for all Mach number and temperature ratio conditions. To determine noise sources a correlation study between plume density fluctuations and far field sound pressure fluctuations was conducted. For all jets the core region beyond the end of the potential flow was found to be the strongest noise source. Except for an isothermal jet, the correlations did not differ significantly with increasing temperature ratio. The isothermal jet created little density fluctuations. Although the far field noise from this jet did not show any exceptional trend, the flow-sound correlations were very low. This indicated that the density fluctuations only acted as a "tracer parameter" for the noise sources.

Gravity waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fritts, David

1987-01-01

Gravity waves contributed to the establishment of the thermal structure, small scale (80 to 100 km) fluctuations in velocity (50 to 80 m/sec) and density (20 to 30%, 0 to peak). Dominant gravity wave spectrum in the middle atmosphere: x-scale, less than 100 km; z-scale, greater than 10 km; t-scale, less than 2 hr. Theorists are beginning to understand middle atmosphere motions. There are two classes: Planetary waves and equatorial motions, gravity waves and tidal motions. The former give rise to variability at large scales, which may alter apparent mean structure. Effects include density and velocity fluctuations, induced mean motions, and stratospheric warmings which lead to the breakup of the polar vortex and cooling of the mesosphere. On this scale are also equatorial quasi-biennial and semi-annual oscillations. Gravity wave and tidal motions produce large rms fluctuations in density and velocity. The magnitude of the density fluctuations compared to the mean density is of the order of the vertical wavelength, which grows with height. Relative density fluctuations are less than, or of the order of 30% below the mesopause. Such motions may cause significant and variable convection, and wind shear. There is a strong seasonal variation in gravity wave amplitude. Additional observations are needed to address and quantify mean and fluctuation statistics of both density and mean velocity, variability of the mean and fluctuations, and to identify dominant gravity wave scales and sources as well as causes of variability, both temporal and geographic.

Environment-induced decoherence II. Effect of decoherence on Bell's inequality for an EPR pair

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venugopalan, A.; Kumar, Deepak; Ghosh, R.

1995-02-01

According to Bell's theorem, the degree of correlation between spatially separated measurements on a quantum system is limited by certain inequalities if one assumes the condition of locality. Quantum mechanics predicts that this limit can be exceeded, making it nonlocal. We analyse the effect of an environment modelled by a fluctuating magnetic field on the quantum correlations in an EPR singlet as seen in the Bell inequality. We show that in an EPR setup, the system goes from the usual ‘violation’ of Bell's inequality to a ‘non-violation’ for times larger than a characteristic time scale which is related to the parameters of the fluctuating field. We also look at these inequalities as a function of the spatial separation between the EPR pair.

Quantum thermodynamics of nanoscale steady states far from equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taniguchi, Nobuhiko

2018-04-01

We develop an exact quantum thermodynamic description for a noninteracting nanoscale steady state that couples strongly with multiple reservoirs. We demonstrate that there exists a steady-state extension of the thermodynamic function that correctly accounts for the multiterminal Landauer-Büttiker formula of quantum transport of charge, energy, or heat via the nonequilibrium thermodynamic relations. Its explicit form is obtained for a single bosonic or fermionic level in the wide-band limit, and corresponding thermodynamic forces (affinities) are identified. Nonlinear generalization of the Onsager reciprocity relations are derived. We suggest that the steady-state thermodynamic function is also capable of characterizing the heat current fluctuations of the critical transport where the thermal fluctuations dominate. Also, the suggested nonequilibrium steady-state thermodynamic relations seemingly persist for a spin-degenerate single level with local interaction.

Harvesting dissipated energy with a mesoscopic ratchet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roche, B.; Roulleau, P.; Jullien, T.; Jompol, Y.; Farrer, I.; Ritchie, D. A.; Glattli, D. C.

2015-04-01

The search for new efficient thermoelectric devices converting waste heat into electrical energy is of major importance. The physics of mesoscopic electronic transport offers the possibility to develop a new generation of nanoengines with high efficiency. Here we describe an all-electrical heat engine harvesting and converting dissipated power into an electrical current. Two capacitively coupled mesoscopic conductors realized in a two-dimensional conductor form the hot source and the cold converter of our device. In the former, controlled Joule heating generated by a voltage-biased quantum point contact results in thermal voltage fluctuations. By capacitive coupling the latter creates electric potential fluctuations in a cold chaotic cavity connected to external leads by two quantum point contacts. For unequal quantum point contact transmissions, a net electrical current is observed proportional to the heat produced.

Qubit-flip-induced cavity mode squeezing in the strong dispersive regime of the quantum Rabi model

PubMed Central

Joshi, Chaitanya; Irish, Elinor K.; Spiller, Timothy P.

2017-01-01

Squeezed states of light are a set of nonclassical states in which the quantum fluctuations of one quadrature component are reduced below the standard quantum limit. With less noise than the best stabilised laser sources, squeezed light is a key resource in the field of quantum technologies and has already improved sensing capabilities in areas ranging from gravitational wave detection to biomedical applications. In this work we propose a novel technique for generating squeezed states of a confined light field strongly coupled to a two-level system, or qubit, in the dispersive regime. Utilising the dispersive energy shift caused by the interaction, control of the qubit state produces a time-dependent change in the frequency of the light field. An appropriately timed sequence of sudden frequency changes reduces the quantum noise fluctuations in one quadrature of the field well below the standard quantum limit. The degree of squeezing and the time of generation are directly controlled by the number of frequency shifts applied. Even in the presence of realistic noise and imperfections, our protocol promises to be capable of generating a useful degree of squeezing with present experimental capabilities. PMID:28358025

Quantum polarization fluctuations of an Airy beam in turbulent atmosphere in a slant path.

PubMed

Yin, Xia; Zhang, Licheng

2016-07-01

Polarization of light has many applications in quantum information processing, including quantum teleportation and dense coding. In this paper, we investigate the polarization fluctuations of Airy beams propagating in a slant turbulent channel under the "few-photon" limit. Using the quantum Stokes parameters and the quantum degree of polarization, we demonstrate that the degree of polarization of Airy beams increases significantly with the large number of the detection photons, and a higher photon-number level can retain the stability of polarization. Numerical simulations show that the longer propagation distance and the stronger turbulence will lead to less oscillatory behaviors and a decrease in the polarization degree of Airy beams, but a bigger exponential truncation factor will cause an increase in the polarization degree of Airy beams. In contrast with Gaussian beams, the degree of polarization of Airy beams is less affected by atmospheric turbulence and propagation distance under the same conditions, which means that Airy beams possess a resilient ability against turbulence-induced perturbations. These results indicate that Airy beams have great potential for applications in long-distance free-space optical communications to improve the performance of a polarization-encoded free-space quantum communication system.

Engineering Matter Interactions Using Squeezed Vacuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeytinoǧlu, Sina; Imamoǧlu, Ataç; Huber, Sebastian

2017-04-01

Virtually all interactions that are relevant for atomic and condensed matter physics are mediated by quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field vacuum. Consequently, controlling the vacuum fluctuations can be used to engineer the strength and the range of interactions. Recent experiments have used this premise to demonstrate novel quantum phases or entangling gates by embedding electric dipoles in photonic cavities or wave guides, which modify the electromagnetic fluctuations. Here, we show theoretically that the enhanced fluctuations in the antisqueezed quadrature of a squeezed vacuum state allow for engineering interactions between electric dipoles without the need for a photonic structure. Thus, the strength and range of the interactions can be engineered in a time-dependent way by changing the spatial profile of the squeezed vacuum in a traveling-wave geometry, which also allows the implementation of chiral dissipative interactions. Using experimentally realized squeezing parameters and including realistic losses, we predict single-atom cooperativities C of up to 10 for the squeezed-vacuum-enhanced interactions.

Absence of Local Fluctuating Dimers in Superconducting Ir 1-x(Pt,Rh) xTe 2

DOE PAGES

Yu, Runze; Banerjee, S.; Lei, H. C.; ...

2018-06-01

The compound IrTe2 is known to exhibit a transition to a modulated state featuring Ir-Ir dimers, with large associated atomic displacements. Partial substitution of Pt or Rh for Ir destabilizes the modulated structure and induces superconductivity. It has been proposed that quantum critical dimer fluctuations might be associated with the superconductivity. Here we test for such local dimer correlations and demonstrate their absence. X-ray pair distribution function approach reveals that the local structure of Ir 0.95Pt 0.05Te 2 and Ir 0.8Rh 0.2Te 2 dichalcogenide superconductors with compositions just past the dimer/superconductor boundary is explained well by a dimer-free model downmore » to 10 K, ruling out the possibility of there being nanoscale dimer fluctuations in this regime. This is inconsistent with the proposed quantum-critical-point-like interplay of the dimer state and superconductivity, and precludes scenarios for dimer fluctuations mediated superconducting pairing.« less

Absence of Local Fluctuating Dimers in Superconducting Ir 1-x(Pt,Rh) xTe 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yu, Runze; Banerjee, S.; Lei, H. C.

The compound IrTe2 is known to exhibit a transition to a modulated state featuring Ir-Ir dimers, with large associated atomic displacements. Partial substitution of Pt or Rh for Ir destabilizes the modulated structure and induces superconductivity. It has been proposed that quantum critical dimer fluctuations might be associated with the superconductivity. Here we test for such local dimer correlations and demonstrate their absence. X-ray pair distribution function approach reveals that the local structure of Ir 0.95Pt 0.05Te 2 and Ir 0.8Rh 0.2Te 2 dichalcogenide superconductors with compositions just past the dimer/superconductor boundary is explained well by a dimer-free model downmore » to 10 K, ruling out the possibility of there being nanoscale dimer fluctuations in this regime. This is inconsistent with the proposed quantum-critical-point-like interplay of the dimer state and superconductivity, and precludes scenarios for dimer fluctuations mediated superconducting pairing.« less

Absence of local fluctuating dimers in superconducting Ir1 -x(Pt,Rh ) xTe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Runze; Banerjee, S.; Lei, H. C.; Sinclair, Ryan; Abeykoon, M.; Zhou, H. D.; Petrovic, C.; Guguchia, Z.; Bozin, E. S.

2018-05-01

The compound IrTe2 is known to exhibit a transition to a modulated state featuring Ir-Ir dimers, with large associated atomic displacements. Partial substitution of Pt or Rh for Ir destabilizes the modulated structure and induces superconductivity. It has been proposed that quantum critical dimer fluctuations might be associated with the superconductivity. Here we test for such local dimer correlations and demonstrate their absence. X-ray pair distribution function approach reveals that the local structure of Ir0 :95Pt0 :05Te2 and Ir0 :8Rh0 :2Te2 dichalcogenide superconductors with compositions just past the dimer/superconductor boundary is explained well by a dimer-free model down to 10 K, ruling out the possibility of there being nanoscale dimer fluctuations in this regime. This is inconsistent with the proposed quantum-critical-point-like interplay of the dimer state and superconductivity, and precludes scenarios for dimer fluctuations mediated superconducting pairing.

Arrows of time in the bouncing universes of the no-boundary quantum state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartle, James; Hertog, Thomas

2012-05-01

We derive the arrows of time of our universe that follow from the no-boundary theory of its quantum state (NBWF) in a minisuperspace model. Arrows of time are viewed four-dimensionally as properties of the four-dimensional Lorentzian histories of the universe. Probabilities for these histories are predicted by the NBWF. For histories with a regular “bounce” at a minimum radius fluctuations are small at the bounce and grow in the direction of expansion on either side. For recollapsing classical histories with big bang and big crunch singularities the fluctuations are small near one singularity and grow through the expansion and recontraction to the other singularity. The arrow of time defined by the growth in fluctuations thus points in one direction over the whole of a recollapsing spacetime but is bidirectional in a bouncing spacetime. We argue that the electromagnetic, thermodynamic, and psychological arrows of time are aligned with the fluctuation arrow. The implications of a bidirectional arrow of time for causality are discussed.

Investigation of Density Fluctuations in Supersonic Free Jets and Correlation with Generated Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Panda, J.; Seasholtz, R. G.

2000-01-01

The air density fluctuations in the plumes of fully-expanded, unheated free jets were investigated experimentally using a Rayleigh scattering based technique. The point measuring technique used a continuous wave laser, fiber-optic transmission and photon counting electronics. The radial and centerline profiles of time-averaged density and root-mean-square density fluctuation provided a comparative description of jet growth. To measure density fluctuation spectra a two-Photomultiplier tube technique was used. Crosscorrelation between the two PMT signals significantly reduced electronic shot noise contribution. Turbulent density fluctuations occurring up to a Strouhal number (Sr) of 2.5 were resolved. A remarkable feature of density spectra, obtained from the same locations of jets in 0.5< M<1.5 range, is a constant Strouhal frequency for peak fluctuations. A detailed survey at Mach numbers M = 0.95, 1.4 and 1.8 showed that, in general, distribution of various Strouhal frequency fluctuations remained similar for the three jets. In spite of the similarity in the flow fluctuation the noise characteristics were found to be significantly different. Spark schlieren photographs and near field microphone measurements confirmed that the eddy Mach wave radiation was present in Mach 1.8 jet, and was absent in Mach 0.95 jet. To measure correlation between the flow and the far field sound pressure fluctuations, a microphone was kept at a distance of 50 diameters, 30 deg. to the flow direction, and the laser probe volume was moved from point to point in the flow. The density fluctuations in the peripheral shear layer of Mach 1.8 jet showed significant correlation up to the measurement limit of Sr = 2.5, while for Mach 0.95 jet no correlation was measured. Along the centerline measurable correlation was found from the end of the potential core and at the low frequency range (Sr less than 0.5). Usually the normalized correlation values increased with an increase of the jet Mach number. The experimental data point out eddy Mach waves as a strong source of sound generation in supersonic jets and fail to locate the primary noise mechanism in subsonic jets.

Quantum Landau damping in dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendonça, J. T.; Terças, H.; Gammal, A.

2018-06-01

We consider Landau damping of elementary excitations in Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) with dipolar interactions. We discuss quantum and quasiclassical regimes of Landau damping. We use a generalized wave-kinetic description of BECs which, apart from the long-range dipolar interactions, also takes into account the quantum fluctuations and the finite-energy corrections to short-range interactions. Such a description is therefore more general than the usual mean-field approximation. The present wave-kinetic approach is well suited for the study of kinetic effects in BECs, such as those associated with Landau damping, atom trapping, and turbulent diffusion. The inclusion of quantum fluctuations and energy corrections changes the dispersion relation and the damping rates, leading to possible experimental signatures of these effects. Quantum Landau damping is described with generality, and particular examples of dipolar condensates in two and three dimensions are studied. The occurrence of roton-maxon excitations, and their relevance to Landau damping, are also considered in detail. The present approach is mainly based on a linear perturbative procedure, but the nonlinear regime of Landau damping, which includes atom trapping and atom diffusion, is also briefly discussed.

FIBER OPTICS: Schrödinger soliton in a fiber waveguide exhibiting both gain and losses: squeezed states and growth of noise in the linear approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belinskiĭ, A. V.

1992-09-01

An investigation is made of the evolution of quantum fluctuations of a fundamental soliton in the course of its propagation in a nonlinear fiber waveguide characterized by losses and compensated by amplification. Simple relationships are obtained for the amplitude and phase noise, quantum uncertainty of the position and momentum, and also fluctuations of the quadrature components of the radiation field. Numerical estimates are obtained. It is shown that loss-compensating amplification is unnecessary for efficient formation of squeezed states of a soliton.

Constraints on operator ordering from third quantization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ohkuwa, Yoshiaki; Faizal, Mir, E-mail: f2mir@uwaterloo.ca; Ezawa, Yasuo

2016-02-15

In this paper, we analyse the Wheeler–DeWitt equation in the third quantized formalism. We will demonstrate that for certain operator ordering, the early stages of the universe are dominated by quantum fluctuations, and the universe becomes classical at later stages during the cosmic expansion. This is physically expected, if the universe is formed from quantum fluctuations in the third quantized formalism. So, we will argue that this physical requirement can be used to constrain the form of the operator ordering chosen. We will explicitly demonstrate this to be the case for two different cosmological models.

Density and magnetic fluctuations in type III-ELM pedestal evolution in JET: experimental and numerical characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Masi, G.; Predebon, I.; Spagnolo, S.; Meneses, L.; Delabie, E.; Lupelli, I.; Hillesheim, J. C.; Maggi, C.; Contributors, JET

2018-04-01

Density and magnetic fluctuation measurements in low-β type-III ELM discharges are obtained in the Joint European Torus (JET). They are observed during the inter-ELM pedestal evolution, after the LH transition phase, at about 60-70 kHz. Density fluctuations are measured with a correlation reflectometer system installed on the low-field side and they are localized at the pedestal top. Magnetic fluctuations with a spatial scale k_yρ_i˜ 0.1 are measured through a high resolution coil array. The main features and the relations with local plasma parameters are presented. The nature of these fluctuations is discussed along with linear gyrokinetic simulations. Ion temperature gradient (ITG) modes are the dominant instabilities in the frequency range of interest. In terms of radial localization, typical oscillation frequency and qualitative relation with the possible linear drive, ITG modes are consistent with the experimental density fluctuations measurements. Micro-tearing modes (MTMs), found unstable with a lower growth rate, appear a possible explanation for magnetic fluctuations in terms of typical wavenumbers and direction of propagation.

Poynting vector, energy densities, and pressure of collective transverse electromagnetic fluctuations in unmagnetized plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlickeiser, R.

2012-01-01

A systematic calculation of the electromagnetic properties (Poynting vector, electromagnetic energy, and pressure) of the collective transverse fluctuations in unmagnetized plasmas with velocity-anisotropic plasma particle distributions functions is presented. Time-averaged electromagnetic properties for monochromatic weakly damped wave-like fluctuations and space-averaged electromagnetic properties for monochromatic weakly propagating and aperiodic fluctuations are calculated. For aperiodic fluctuations, the Poynting vector as well as the sum of the space-averaged electric and magnetic field energy densities vanish. However, aperiodic fluctuations possess a positive pressure given by its magnetic energy density. This finite pressure density pa of aperiodic fluctuations has important consequences for the dynamics of cosmic unmagnetized plasmas such as the intergalactic medium after reionization. Adopting the standard cosmological evolution model, we show that this additional pressure changes the expansion law of the universe leading to further deceleration. Negative vacuum pressure counterbalances this deceleration to an accelerating universe provided that the negative vacuum pressure is greater than 1.5pa, which we estimate to be of the order 2.1 . 10-16 dyn cm-2.

Density dependence in demography and dispersal generates fluctuating invasion speeds

PubMed Central

Li, Bingtuan; Miller, Tom E. X.

2017-01-01

Density dependence plays an important role in population regulation and is known to generate temporal fluctuations in population density. However, the ways in which density dependence affects spatial population processes, such as species invasions, are less understood. Although classical ecological theory suggests that invasions should advance at a constant speed, empirical work is illuminating the highly variable nature of biological invasions, which often exhibit nonconstant spreading speeds, even in simple, controlled settings. Here, we explore endogenous density dependence as a mechanism for inducing variability in biological invasions with a set of population models that incorporate density dependence in demographic and dispersal parameters. We show that density dependence in demography at low population densities—i.e., an Allee effect—combined with spatiotemporal variability in population density behind the invasion front can produce fluctuations in spreading speed. The density fluctuations behind the front can arise from either overcompensatory population growth or density-dependent dispersal, both of which are common in nature. Our results show that simple rules can generate complex spread dynamics and highlight a source of variability in biological invasions that may aid in ecological forecasting. PMID:28442569

Instanton dominance over $$a_s$$ at low momenta from lattice QCD simulations at $$N_f=0$$, $$N_f=2+1$$ and $$N_f=2+1+1$$

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Athenodorou, Andreas; Boucaud, Philippe; de Soto, Feliciano

We report on an instanton-based analysis of the gluon Green functions in the Landau gauge for low momenta; in particular we use lattice results for αs in the symmetric momentum subtraction scheme (MOM) for large-volume lattice simulations. We have exploited quenched gauge field configurations, Nf = 0, with both Wilson and tree-level Symanzik improved actions, and unquenched ones with Nf = 2 + 1 and Nf = 2 + 1 + 1 dynamical flavors (domain wall and twisted-mass fermions, respectively).We show that the dominance of instanton correlations on the low-momenta gluon Green functions can be applied to the determination ofmore » phenomenological parameters of the instanton liquid and, eventually, to a determination of the lattice spacing.We furthermore apply the Gradient Flow to remove short-distance fluctuations. The Gradient Flow gets rid of the QCD scale, ΛQCD, and reveals that the instanton prediction extents to large momenta. For those gauge field configurations free of quantum fluctuations, the direct study of topological charge density shows the appearance of large-scale lumps that can be identified as instantons, giving access to a direct study of the instanton density and size distribution that is compatible with those extracted from the analysis of the Green functions.« less

Characterisation of SOL density fluctuations in front of the LHCD PAM launcher in Tore

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oosako, T.; Ekedahl, A.; Goniche, M.

2011-12-23

The density fluctuations, modified by Lower Hybrid Wave (LHW), is analyzed in Tore Supra with reference to the injected LHW power, density and the gap between LCFS (Last Closed Flux Surface) and the PAM (passive-active-multijunction) launcher. The density fluctuations are measured with RF probes installed at the PAM launcher front. A density scan at nominal toroidal field (3.8 T) shows that the fluctuations rate stays nearly constant ({approx}50%) for <3.5x10{sup 19}m{sup -3} and with LHW power up to 2MW. However, when increasing the density above <{approx}4.2x10{sup 19}m{sup -3}, using strong gas puffing, the fluctuation rate increases to >70%more » and is characterized by strong negative spikes, with typical frequency >100kHz. These are most likely originating from acceleration of electrons in the LHW near field due to parasitic absorption, as evidenced on the IR images, showing hot spots on the side limiters.« less

Quantum approach of mesoscopic magnet dynamics with spin transfer torque

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yong; Sham, L. J.

2013-05-01

We present a theory of magnetization dynamics driven by spin-polarized current in terms of the quantum master equation. In the spin coherent state representation, the master equation becomes a Fokker-Planck equation, which naturally includes the spin transfer and quantum fluctuation. The current electron scattering state is correlated to the magnet quantum states, giving rise to quantum correction to the electron transport properties in the usual semiclassical theory. In the large-spin limit, the magnetization dynamics is shown to obey the Hamilton-Jacobi equation or the Hamiltonian canonical equations.

Robust dynamical decoupling for quantum computing and quantum memory.

PubMed

Souza, Alexandre M; Alvarez, Gonzalo A; Suter, Dieter

2011-06-17

Dynamical decoupling (DD) is a popular technique for protecting qubits from the environment. However, unless special care is taken, experimental errors in the control pulses used in this technique can destroy the quantum information instead of preserving it. Here, we investigate techniques for making DD sequences robust against different types of experimental errors while retaining good decoupling efficiency in a fluctuating environment. We present experimental data from solid-state nuclear spin qubits and introduce a new DD sequence that is suitable for quantum computing and quantum memory.

Quantum radiation produced by the entanglement of quantum fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iso, Satoshi; Oshita, Naritaka; Tatsukawa, Rumi; Yamamoto, Kazuhiro; Zhang, Sen

2017-01-01

We investigate the quantum radiation produced by an Unruh-De Witt detector in a uniformly accelerating motion coupled to the vacuum fluctuations. Quantum radiation is nonvanishing, which is consistent with the previous calculation by Lin and Hu [Phys. Rev. D 73, 124018 (2006), 10.1103/PhysRevD.73.124018]. We infer that this quantum radiation from the Unruh-De Witt detector is generated by the nonlocal correlation of the Minkowski vacuum state, which has its origin in the entanglement of the state between the left and the right Rindler wedges.

Finite-key security analyses on passive decoy-state QKD protocols with different unstable sources.

PubMed

Song, Ting-Ting; Qin, Su-Juan; Wen, Qiao-Yan; Wang, Yu-Kun; Jia, Heng-Yue

2015-10-16

In quantum communication, passive decoy-state QKD protocols can eliminate many side channels, but the protocols without any finite-key analyses are not suitable for in practice. The finite-key securities of passive decoy-state (PDS) QKD protocols with two different unstable sources, type-II parametric down-convention (PDC) and phase randomized weak coherent pulses (WCPs), are analyzed in our paper. According to the PDS QKD protocols, we establish an optimizing programming respectively and obtain the lower bounds of finite-key rates. Under some reasonable values of quantum setup parameters, the lower bounds of finite-key rates are simulated. The simulation results show that at different transmission distances, the affections of different fluctuations on key rates are different. Moreover, the PDS QKD protocol with an unstable PDC source can resist more intensity fluctuations and more statistical fluctuation.

Quantum Phase Transitions and Collective Modes in d-Wave Superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vojta, Matthias; Sachdev, Subir

Fluctuations near second-order quantum phase transitions in d-wave superconductors can cause strong damping of fermionic excitations, as observed in photoemission experiments. The damping of the gapless nodal quasiparticles can arise naturally in the quantum-critical region of a transition with an additional spin-singlet, zero momentum order parameter; we argue that the transition to a dx^2-y^2+ i dxy pairing state is the most likely possibility in this category. On the other hand, the gapped antinodal quasiparticles can be strongly damped by the coupling to antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations arising from the proximity to a Neel-ordered state. We review some aspects of the low-energy field theories for both transitions and the corresponding quantum-critical behavior.In addition, we discuss the spectral properties of the collective modes associated with the proximity to a superconductor with dx^2-y^2+ i dxy symmetry, and implications for experiments.

Gravitational Casimir-Polder effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Jiawei; Yu, Hongwei

2017-04-01

The interaction due to quantum gravitational vacuum fluctuations between a gravitationally polarizable object modelled as a two-level system and a gravitational boundary is investigated. This quantum gravitational interaction is found to be position-dependent, which induces a force in close analogy to the Casimir-Polder force in the electromagnetic case. For a Dirichlet boundary, the quantum gravitational potential for the polarizable object in its ground-state is shown to behave like z-5 in the near zone, and z-6 in the far zone, where z is the distance to the boundary. For a concrete example, where a Bose-Einstein condensate is taken as a gravitationally polarizable object, the relative correction to the radius of the BEC caused by fluctuating quantum gravitational waves in vacuum is found to be of order 10-21. Although the correction is far too small to observe in comparison with its electromagnetic counterpart, it is nevertheless of the order of the gravitational strain caused by a recently detected black hole merger on the arms of the LIGO.

Quantum order by disorder in frustrated diamond lattice antiferromagnets.

PubMed

Bernier, Jean-Sébastien; Lawler, Michael J; Kim, Yong Baek

2008-07-25

We present a quantum theory of frustrated diamond lattice antiferromagnets. Considering quantum fluctuations as the predominant mechanism relieving spin frustration, we find a rich phase diagram comprising of six phases with coplanar spiral ordering in addition to the Néel phase. By computing the specific heat of these ordered phases, we obtain a remarkable agreement between (k, k, 0) spiral ordering and the experimental specific heat data for the diamond lattice spinel compounds MnSc2S4, Co3O4, and CoRh2O4, i.e., specific heat data is a strong evidence for (k, k, 0) spiral ordering in all of these materials. This prediction can be tested in future neutron scattering experiments on Co3O4 and CoRh2O4, and is consistent with existing neutron scattering data on MnSc2S4. Based on this agreement, we infer a monotonically increasing relationship between frustration and the strength of quantum fluctuations.

Experiments testing macroscopic quantum superpositions must be slow

PubMed Central

Mari, Andrea; De Palma, Giacomo; Giovannetti, Vittorio

2016-01-01

We consider a thought experiment where the preparation of a macroscopically massive or charged particle in a quantum superposition and the associated dynamics of a distant test particle apparently allow for superluminal communication. We give a solution to the paradox which is based on the following fundamental principle: any local experiment, discriminating a coherent superposition from an incoherent statistical mixture, necessarily requires a minimum time proportional to the mass (or charge) of the system. For a charged particle, we consider two examples of such experiments, and show that they are both consistent with the previous limitation. In the first, the measurement requires to accelerate the charge, that can entangle with the emitted photons. In the second, the limitation can be ascribed to the quantum vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. On the other hand, when applied to massive particles our result provides an indirect evidence for the existence of gravitational vacuum fluctuations and for the possibility of entangling a particle with quantum gravitational radiation. PMID:26959656

Collapse of superconductivity in cuprates via ultrafast quenching of phase coherence

DOE PAGES

Boschini, F.; da Silva Neto, E. H.; Razzoli, E.; ...

2018-04-02

The possibility of driving phase transitions in low-density condensates through the loss of phase coherence alone has far-reaching implications for the study of quantum phases of matter. This has inspired the development of tools to control and explore the collective properties of condensate phases via phase fluctuations. Electrically gated oxide interfaces, ultracold Fermi atoms and cuprate superconductors, which are characterized by an intrinsically small phase stiffness, are paradigmatic examples where these tools are having a dramatic impact. In this study, we use light pulses shorter than the internal thermalization time to drive and probe the phase fragility of the Bimore » 2Sr 2CaCu 2O 8+δ cuprate superconductor, completely melting the superconducting condensate without affecting the pairing strength. The resulting ultrafast dynamics of phase fluctuations and charge excitations are captured and disentangled by time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. This work demonstrates the dominant role of phase coherence in the superconductor-to-normal state phase transition and offers a benchmark for non-equilibrium spectroscopic investigations of the cuprate phase diagram.« less

Collapse of superconductivity in cuprates via ultrafast quenching of phase coherence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boschini, F.; da Silva Neto, E. H.; Razzoli, E.; Zonno, M.; Peli, S.; Day, R. P.; Michiardi, M.; Schneider, M.; Zwartsenberg, B.; Nigge, P.; Zhong, R. D.; Schneeloch, J.; Gu, G. D.; Zhdanovich, S.; Mills, A. K.; Levy, G.; Jones, D. J.; Giannetti, C.; Damascelli, A.

2018-05-01

The possibility of driving phase transitions in low-density condensates through the loss of phase coherence alone has far-reaching implications for the study of quantum phases of matter. This has inspired the development of tools to control and explore the collective properties of condensate phases via phase fluctuations. Electrically gated oxide interfaces1,2, ultracold Fermi atoms3,4 and cuprate superconductors5,6, which are characterized by an intrinsically small phase stiffness, are paradigmatic examples where these tools are having a dramatic impact. Here we use light pulses shorter than the internal thermalization time to drive and probe the phase fragility of the Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ cuprate superconductor, completely melting the superconducting condensate without affecting the pairing strength. The resulting ultrafast dynamics of phase fluctuations and charge excitations are captured and disentangled by time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. This work demonstrates the dominant role of phase coherence in the superconductor-to-normal state phase transition and offers a benchmark for non-equilibrium spectroscopic investigations of the cuprate phase diagram.

Bipartite non-classical correlations for a lossy two connected qubit-cavity systems: trace distance discord and Bell's non-locality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, Abdel-Baset A.

2018-04-01

In this paper, some non-classical correlations are investigated for bipartite partitions of two qubits trapped in two spatially separated cavities connected by an optical fiber. The results show that the trace distance discord and Bell's non-locality introduce other quantum correlations beyond the entanglement. Moreover, the correlation functions of the trace distance discord and the Bell's non-locality are very sensitive to the initial correlations, the coupling strengths, and the dissipation rates of the cavities. The fluctuations of the correlation functions between their initial values and gained (loss) values appear due to the unitary evolution of the system. These fluctuations depend on the chosen initial correlations between the two subsystems. The maximal violations of Bell's inequality occur when the logarithmic negativity and the trace distance discord reach certain values. It is shown that the robustness of the non-classical correlations, against the dissipation rates of the cavities, depends on the bipartite partitions reduced density matrices of the system, and is also greatly enhanced by choosing appropriate coupling strengths.

Collapse of superconductivity in cuprates via ultrafast quenching of phase coherence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boschini, F.; da Silva Neto, E. H.; Razzoli, E.

The possibility of driving phase transitions in low-density condensates through the loss of phase coherence alone has far-reaching implications for the study of quantum phases of matter. This has inspired the development of tools to control and explore the collective properties of condensate phases via phase fluctuations. Electrically gated oxide interfaces, ultracold Fermi atoms and cuprate superconductors, which are characterized by an intrinsically small phase stiffness, are paradigmatic examples where these tools are having a dramatic impact. In this study, we use light pulses shorter than the internal thermalization time to drive and probe the phase fragility of the Bimore » 2Sr 2CaCu 2O 8+δ cuprate superconductor, completely melting the superconducting condensate without affecting the pairing strength. The resulting ultrafast dynamics of phase fluctuations and charge excitations are captured and disentangled by time-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. This work demonstrates the dominant role of phase coherence in the superconductor-to-normal state phase transition and offers a benchmark for non-equilibrium spectroscopic investigations of the cuprate phase diagram.« less

Electrical flicker-noise generated by filling and emptying of impurity states in injectors of quantum-cascade lasers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yamanishi, Masamichi, E-mail: masamiya@crl.hpk.co.jp; Hirohata, Tooru; Hayashi, Syohei

2014-11-14

Free running line-widths (>100 kHz), much broader than intrinsic line-widths ∼100 Hz, of existing quantum-cascade lasers are governed by strong flicker frequency-noise originating from electrical flicker noise. Understanding of microscopic origins of the electrical flicker noises in quantum-cascade lasers is crucially important for the reduction of strength of flicker frequency-noise without assistances of any type of feedback schemes. In this article, an ad hoc model that is based on fluctuating charge-dipoles induced by electron trappings and de-trappings at indispensable impurity states in injector super-lattices of a quantum-cascade laser is proposed, developing theoretical framework based on the model. The validity of the presentmore » model is evaluated by comparing theoretical voltage-noise power spectral densities based on the model with experimental ones obtained by using mid-infrared quantum-cascade lasers with designed impurity-positioning. The obtained experimental results on flicker noises, in comparison with the theoretical ones, shed light on physical mechanisms, such as the inherent one due to impurity states in their injectors and extrinsic ones due to surface states on the ridge-walls and due to residual deep traps, for electrical flicker-noise generation in existing mid-infrared quantum-cascade lasers. It is shown theoretically that quasi-delta doping of impurities in their injectors leads to strong suppression of electrical flicker noise by minimization of the dipole length at a certain temperature, for instance ∼300 K and, in turn, is expected to result in substantial narrowing of the free running line-width down below 10 kHz.« less

Fluctuation-induced continuous transition and quantum criticality in Dirac semimetals

DOE PAGES

Classen, Laura; Herbut, Igor F.; Scherer, Michael M.

2017-09-20

In this paper, we establish a scenario where fluctuations of new degrees of freedom at a quantum phase transition change the nature of a transition beyond the standard Landau-Ginzburg paradigm. To this end, we study the quantum phase transition of gapless Dirac fermions coupled to a Z 3 symmetric order parameter within a Gross-Neveu-Yukawa model in 2+1 dimensions, appropriate for the Kekulé transition in honeycomb lattice materials. For this model, the standard Landau-Ginzburg approach suggests a first-order transition due to the symmetry-allowed cubic terms in the action. At zero temperature, however, quantum fluctuations of the massless Dirac fermions have tomore » be included. We show that they reduce the putative first-order character of the transition and can even render it continuous, depending on the number of Dirac fermions N f. A nonperturbative functional renormalization group approach is employed to investigate the phase transition for a wide range of fermion numbers and we obtain the critical N f, where the nature of the transition changes. Furthermore, it is shown that for large N f the change from the first to second order of the transition as a function of dimension occurs exactly in the physical 2+1 dimensions. Finally, we compute the critical exponents and predict sizable corrections to scaling for N f = 2.« less

Kinetic Energy of a Trapped Fermi Gas at Finite Temperature.

PubMed

Grela, Jacek; Majumdar, Satya N; Schehr, Grégory

2017-09-29

We study the statistics of the kinetic (or, equivalently, potential) energy for N noninteracting fermions in a 1d harmonic trap of frequency ω at finite temperature T. Remarkably, we find an exact solution for the full distribution of the kinetic energy, at any temperature T and for any N, using a nontrivial mapping to an integrable Calogero-Moser-Sutherland model. As a function of temperature T and for large N, we identify (i) a quantum regime, for T∼ℏω, where quantum fluctuations dominate and (ii) a thermal regime, for T∼Nℏω, governed by thermal fluctuations. We show how the mean and the variance as well as the large deviation function associated with the distribution of the kinetic energy cross over from the quantum to the thermal regime as T increases.

Magnetic excitations in Kondo liquid: superconductivity and hidden magnetic quantum critical fluctuations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Yifeng; Urbano, Ricardo; Nicholas, Curro

2009-01-01

We report Knight shift experiments on the superconducting heavy electron material CeCoIn{sub 5} that allow one to track with some precision the behavior of the heavy electron Kondo liquid in the superconducting state with results in agreement with BCS theory. An analysis of the {sup 115}In nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) spin-lattice relaxation rate T{sub 1}{sup -1} measurements under pressure reveals the presence of 2d magnetic quantum critical fluctuations in the heavy electron component that are a promising candidate for the pairing mechanism in this material. Our results are consistent with an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point (QCP) located at slightly negativemore » pressure in CeCoIn{sub 5} and provide additional evidence for significant similarities between the heavy electron materials and the high T{sub c} cuprates.« less

Kinetic Energy of a Trapped Fermi Gas at Finite Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grela, Jacek; Majumdar, Satya N.; Schehr, Grégory

2017-09-01

We study the statistics of the kinetic (or, equivalently, potential) energy for N noninteracting fermions in a 1 d harmonic trap of frequency ω at finite temperature T . Remarkably, we find an exact solution for the full distribution of the kinetic energy, at any temperature T and for any N , using a nontrivial mapping to an integrable Calogero-Moser-Sutherland model. As a function of temperature T and for large N , we identify (i) a quantum regime, for T ˜ℏω , where quantum fluctuations dominate and (ii) a thermal regime, for T ˜N ℏω , governed by thermal fluctuations. We show how the mean and the variance as well as the large deviation function associated with the distribution of the kinetic energy cross over from the quantum to the thermal regime as T increases.

Photon statistics of shot noise measured using a Josephson parametric amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simoneau, Jean Olivier; Virally, Stéphane; Lupien, Christian; Reulet, Bertrand

2015-03-01

Quantum measurements are very sensitive to external noise sources. Such measurements require careful amplification chain design so as not to overwhelm the signal with extraneous noise. A quantum-limited amplifier, like the Josephson parametric amplifier (paramp), is thus an ideal candidate for this purpose. We used a paramp to investigate the quantum noise of a tunnel junction. This measurement scheme allowed us to improve upon previous observations of shot noise by an order of magnitude in terms of noise temperature. With this setup, we have measured the second and fourth cumulants of current fluctuations generated by the tunnel junction within a 40 MHz bandwidth around 6 GHz. From theses measurements, we deduce the variance of the photon number fluctuations for various bias schemes of the junction. In particular, we investigate the regime where the junction emits pairs of photons.

Holographic mutual information of two disjoint spheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Bin; Fan, Zhong-Ying; Li, Wen-Ming; Zhang, Cheng-Yong

2018-04-01

We study quantum corrections to holographic mutual information for two disjoint spheres at a large separation by using the operator product expansion of the twist field. In the large separation limit, the holographic mutual information is vanishing at the semiclassical order, but receive quantum corrections from the fluctuations. We show that the leading contributions from the quantum fluctuations take universal forms as suggested from the boundary CFT. We find the universal behavior for the scalar, the vector, the tensor and the fermionic fields by treating these fields as free fields propagating in the fixed background and by using the 1 /n prescription. In particular, for the fields with gauge symmetries, including the massless vector boson and massless graviton, we find that the gauge parts in the propagators play an indispensable role in reading the leading order corrections to the bulk mutual information.

Light-Enhanced Spin Fluctuations and d -Wave Superconductivity at a Phase Boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yao; Chen, Cheng-Chien; Moritz, B.; Devereaux, T. P.

2018-06-01

Time-domain techniques have shown the potential of photomanipulating existing orders and inducing new states of matter in strongly correlated materials. Using time-resolved exact diagonalization, we perform numerical studies of pump dynamics in a Mott-Peierls system with competing charge and spin density waves. A light-enhanced d -wave superconductivity is observed when the system resides near a quantum phase boundary. By examining the evolution of spin, charge, and superconducting susceptibilities, we show that a subdominant state in equilibrium can be stabilized by photomanipulating the charge order to allow superconductivity to appear and dominate. This work provides an interpretation of light-induced superconductivity from the perspective of order competition and offers a promising approach for designing novel emergent states out of equilibrium.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Isobe, Hiroki; Fu, Liang

Here, we study the pairing symmetry of the interlayer paired state of composite fermions in quantum Hall bilayers. Based on the Halperin-Lee-Read (HLR) theory, the effect of the long-range Coulomb interaction and the internal Chern-Simons gauge fluctuation is analyzed with the random-phase approximation beyond the leading order contribution in small momentum expansion, and we observe that the interlayer paired states with a relative angular momentummore » $l=+1$ are energetically favored for filling ν=$$\\frac{1}2$$+$$\\frac{1}2$$ and $$\\frac{1}4$$+$$\\frac{1}4$$. The degeneracy between states with $±l$ is lifted by the interlayer density-current interaction arising from the interplay of the long-range Coulomb interaction and the Chern-Simons term in the HLR theory.« less

The topology of large-scale structure. V - Two-dimensional topology of sky maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gott, J. R., III; Mao, Shude; Park, Changbom; Lahav, Ofer

1992-01-01

A 2D algorithm is applied to observed sky maps and numerical simulations. It is found that when topology is studied on smoothing scales larger than the correlation length, the topology is approximately in agreement with the random phase formula for the 2D genus-threshold density relation, G2(nu) varies as nu(e) exp-nu-squared/2. Some samples show small 'meatball shifts' similar to those seen in corresponding 3D observational samples and similar to those produced by biasing in cold dark matter simulations. The observational results are thus consistent with the standard model in which the structure in the universe today has grown from small fluctuations caused by random quantum noise in the early universe.

Anharmonic and Quantum Fluctuations in Molecular Crystals: A First-Principles Study of the Stability of Paracetamol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, Mariana; Gasparotto, Piero; Ceriotti, Michele

2016-09-01

Molecular crystals often exist in multiple competing polymorphs, showing significantly different physicochemical properties. Computational crystal structure prediction is key to interpret and guide the search for the most stable or useful form, a real challenge due to the combinatorial search space, and the complex interplay of subtle effects that work together to determine the relative stability of different structures. Here we take a comprehensive approach based on different flavors of thermodynamic integration in order to estimate all contributions to the free energies of these systems with density-functional theory, including the oft-neglected anharmonic contributions and nuclear quantum effects. We take the two main stable forms of paracetamol as a paradigmatic example. We find that anharmonic contributions, different descriptions of van der Waals interactions, and nuclear quantum effects all matter to quantitatively determine the stability of different phases. Our analysis highlights the many challenges inherent in the development of a quantitative and predictive framework to model molecular crystals. However, it also indicates which of the components of the free energy can benefit from a cancellation of errors that can redeem the predictive power of approximate models, and suggests simple steps that could be taken to improve the reliability of ab initio crystal structure prediction.

Using the Chebychev expansion in quantum transport calculations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Popescu, Bogdan; Rahman, Hasan; Kleinekathöfer, Ulrich, E-mail: u.kleinekathoefer@jacobs-university.de

2015-04-21

Irradiation by laser pulses and a fluctuating surrounding liquid environment can, for example, lead to time-dependent effects in the transport through molecular junctions. From the theoretical point of view, time-dependent theories of quantum transport are still challenging. In one of these existing transport theories, the energy-dependent coupling between molecule and leads is decomposed into Lorentzian functions. This trick has successfully been combined with quantum master approaches, hierarchical formalisms, and non-equilibrium Green’s functions. The drawback of this approach is, however, its serious limitation to certain forms of the molecule-lead coupling and to higher temperatures. Tian and Chen [J. Chem. Phys. 137,more » 204114 (2012)] recently employed a Chebychev expansion to circumvent some of these latter problems. Here, we report on a similar approach also based on the Chebychev expansion but leading to a different set of coupled differential equations using the fact that a derivative of a zeroth-order Bessel function can again be given in terms of Bessel functions. Test calculations show the excellent numerical accuracy and stability of the presented formalism. The time span for which this Chebychev expansion scheme is valid without any restrictions on the form of the spectral density or temperature can be determined a priori.« less

Multiparticle states and the factors that complicate an experimental observation of the quantum coherence in the exciton gas of SiGe/Si quantum wells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bagaev, V. S.; Davletov, E. T.; Krivobok, V. S., E-mail: krivobok@lebedev.ru

2015-12-15

The measured stationary and time-resolved photoluminescence is used to study the properties of the exciton gas in a second-order 5-nm-thick Si{sub 0.905}Ge{sub 0.095}/Si quantum well. It is shown that, despite the presence of an electron barrier in the Si{sub 0.905}Ge{sub 0.095} layer, a spatially indirect biexciton is the most favorable energy state of the electron–hole system at low temperatures. This biexciton is characterized by a lifetime of 1100 ns and a binding energy of 2.0–2.5 meV and consists of two holes localized in the SiGe layer and two electrons mainly localized in silicon. The formation of biexcitons is shown tomore » cause low-temperature (5 K) luminescence spectra over a wide excitation density range and to suppress the formation of an exciton gas, in which quantum statistics effects are significant. The Bose statistics can only be experimentally observed for a biexciton gas at a temperature of 1 K or below because of the high degree of degeneracy of biexciton states (28) and a comparatively large effective mass (about 1.3m{sub e}). The heat energy at such temperatures is much lower than the measured energy of localization at potential fluctuations (about 1 meV). This feature leads to biexciton localization and fundamentally limits the possibility of observation of quantum coherence in the biexciton gas.« less

Temperature and density anti-correlations in solar wind fluctuations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zank, G. P.; Matthaeus, W. H.; Klein, L. W.

1990-01-01

Recent theoretical investigations of low Mach number flows, that describe two distinct approaches by fluids to the incompressible regime are summarized. The first includes the effects of relatively strong density and temperature fluctuations (Type I), while the second places fluctuations in mechanical pressure, density, and temperature on an equal footing (Type II). In the latter case, the relations between density and pressure are recovered, whereas the former case yields departures from incompressible behavior in that density and temperature fluctuations are predicted to be anti-correlated. It is suggested that nearly incompressible fluids can be classified as either Type I or II, and it is shown that the well-known pressure-balanced structures represent a subclass of static solutions within this classification. Two examples from Voyager data illustrate the potential for observing these distinct nearly incompressible dynamical ordering in the solar wind.

Vortex-Density Fluctuations, Energy Spectra, and Vortical Regions in Superfluid Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baggaley, Andrew W.; Laurie, Jason; Barenghi, Carlo F.

2012-11-01

Measurements of the energy spectrum and of the vortex-density fluctuation spectrum in superfluid turbulence seem to contradict each other. Using a numerical model, we show that at each instance of time the total vortex line density can be decomposed into two parts: one formed by metastable bundles of coherent vortices, and one in which the vortices are randomly oriented. We show that the former is responsible for the observed Kolmogorov energy spectrum, and the latter for the spectrum of the vortex line density fluctuations.

Unconventional quantum criticality emerging as a new common language of transition-metal compounds, heavy-fermion systems, and organic conductors.

PubMed

Imada, Masatoshi; Misawa, Takahiro; Yamaji, Youhei

2010-04-28

We analyze and overview some of the different types of unconventional quantum criticalities by focusing on two origins. One origin of the unconventionality is the proximity to first-order transitions. The border between the first-order and continuous transitions is described by a quantum tricritical point (QTCP) for symmetry breaking transitions. One of the characteristic features of the quantum tricriticality is the concomitant divergence of an order parameter and uniform fluctuations, in contrast to the conventional quantum critical point (QCP). The interplay of these two fluctuations generates unconventionality. Several puzzling non-Fermi-liquid properties in experiments are taken to be accounted for by the resultant universality, as in the cases of Y bRh(2)Si(2), CeRu(2)Si(2) and β-Y bAlB(4). Another more dramatic unconventionality appears again at the border of the first-order and continuous transitions, but in this case for topological transitions such as metal-insulator and Lifshitz transitions. This border, the marginal quantum critical point (MQCP), belongs to an unprecedented universality class with diverging uniform fluctuations at zero temperature. The Ising universality at the critical end point of the first-order transition at nonzero temperatures transforms to the marginal quantum criticality when the critical temperature is suppressed to zero. The MQCP has a unique feature with a combined character of symmetry breaking and topological transitions. In the metal-insulator transitions, the theoretical results are supported by experimental indications for V(2 - x)Cr(x)O(3) and an organic conductor κ-(ET)(2)Cu[N(CN)(2)]Cl. Identifying topological transitions also reveals how non-Fermi liquid appears as a phase in metals. The theory also accounts for the criticality of a metamagnetic transition in ZrZn(2), by interpreting it as an interplay of Lifshitz transition and correlation effects. We discuss the common underlying physics in these examples.

Quantum Mechanics of the Einstein-Hopf Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milonni, P. W.

1981-01-01

The Einstein-Hopf model for the thermodynamic equilibrium between the electromagnetic field and dipole oscillators is considered within the framework of quantum mechanics. Both the wave and particle aspects of the Einstein fluctuation formula are interpreted in terms of the fundamental absorption and emission processes. (Author/SK)

Quantum noise in the mirror-field system: A field theoretic approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsiang, Jen-Tsung; Wu, Tai-Hung; Lee, Da-Shin; King, Sun-Kun; Wu, Chun-Hsien

2013-02-01

We revisit the quantum noise problem in the mirror-field system by a field-theoretic approach. Here a perfectly reflecting mirror is illuminated by a single-mode coherent state of the massless scalar field. The associated radiation pressure is described by a surface integral of the stress-tensor of the field. The read-out field is measured by a monopole detector, from which the effective distance between the detector and mirror can be obtained. In the slow-motion limit of the mirror, this field-theoretic approach allows to identify various sources of quantum noise that all in all leads to uncertainty of the read-out measurement. In addition to well-known sources from shot noise and radiation pressure fluctuations, a new source of noise is found from field fluctuations modified by the mirror's displacement. Correlation between different sources of noise can be established in the read-out measurement as the consequence of interference between the incident field and the field reflected off the mirror. In the case of negative correlation, we found that the uncertainty can be lowered than the value predicted by the standard quantum limit. Since the particle-number approach is often used in quantum optics, we compared results obtained by both approaches and examine its validity. We also derive a Langevin equation that describes the stochastic dynamics of the mirror. The underlying fluctuation-dissipation relation is briefly mentioned. Finally we discuss the backreaction induced by the radiation pressure. It will alter the mean displacement of the mirror, but we argue this backreaction can be ignored for a slowly moving mirror.