Electrostatic Waves in Weakly Magnetized Quantum Plasmas

By using the quantum magnetohydrodynamic model, the electrostatic waves in weakly magnetized quantum plasmas are investigated. The electrons are treated as a quantum and magnetized species, while the ions are classical unmagnetized ones. The general dispersion relations are derived. It is shown that, both the high frequency electron waves （Langmuire wave and upper-hybrid wave） and the low frequency ion acoustic wave can propagate when the plasmas are cold.     

Is a system's wave function in one-to-one correspondence with its elements of reality?

Although quantum mechanics is one of our most successful physical theories, there has been a long-standing debate about the interpretation of the wave function--the central object of the theory. Two prominent views are that (i) it corresponds to an element of reality, i.e., an objective attribute that exists before measurement, and (ii) it is a subjective state of knowledge about some underlying reality. A recent result [M.?F. Pusey, J. Barrett, and T. Rudolph, arXiv:1111.3328] has placed the subjective interpretation into doubt, showing that it would contradict certain physically plausible assumptions, in particular, that multiple systems can be prepared such that their elements of reality are uncorrelated. Here we show, based only on the assumption that measurement settings can be chosen freely, that a system's wave function is in one-to-one correspondence with its elements of reality. This also eliminates the possibility that it can be interpreted subjectively.     

Afshar’s Experiment Does Not Show a Violation of Complementarity

A recent experiment performed by S. Afshar [first reported by M. Chown, New Sci. 183:30, 2004] is analyzed. It was claimed that this experiment could be interpreted as a demonstration of a violation of the principle of complementarity in quantum mechanics. Instead, it is shown here that it can be understood in terms of classical wave optics and the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics. Its performance is quantified and it is concluded that the experiment is suboptimal in the sense that it does not fully exhaust the limits imposed by quantum mechanics.     

Modulation instability of lower hybrid waves leading to cusp solitons in electron–positron(hole)–ion Thomas Fermi plasma

Following the idea of three‐wave resonant interactions of lower hybrid waves, it is shown that quantum‐modified lower hybrid (QLH) wave in electron–positron–ion plasma with spatial dispersion can decay into another QLH wave (where electron and positrons are activated, whereas ions remain in the background) and another ultra‐low frequency quantum‐modified ultra‐low frequency Lower Hybrid (QULH) (where ions are mobile). Quantum effects like Bohm potential and Fermi pressure on the lower hybrid wave significantly reshaped the dispersion properties of these waves. Later, a set of non‐linear Zakharov equations were derived to consider the formation of QLH wave solitons, with the non‐linear contribution from the QLH waves. Furthermore, modulational instability of the lower hybrid wave solitons is investigated, and consequently, its growth rates are examined for different limiting cases. As the growth rate associated with the three‐wave resonant interaction is generally smaller than the growth associated with the modulational instability, only the latter have been investigated. Soliton solutions from the set of coupled Zakharov and NLS equations in the quasi‐stationary regime have been studied. Ordinary solitons are an attribute of non‐linearity, whereas a cusp soliton solution featured by nonlocal nonlinearity has also been studied. Such an approach to lower hybrid waves and cusp solitons study in Fermi gas comprising electron positron and ions is new and important. The general results obtained in this quantum plasma theory will have widespread applicability, particularly for processes in high‐energy plasma–laser interactions set for laboratory astrophysics and solid‐state plasmas.     

Influence of the slow wave on the relation between the angular resonances and the leaky guided modes properties for a poroelastic plate embedded in water

A numerical study of the guided modes in a water-saturated poroelastic plate that obeys the Biot theory is presented. In the first part, we study the leaky guided modes and the angular resonances when the slow wave does not propagate. Two types of guided modes exist. The first ones occur from coupling of the fast longitudinal wave with the shear wave; most of them propagate whatever the frequency is, provided that it is not close to their cut-off frequencies. The leaky guided modes of the second type occur from coupling of the two longitudinal waves and the shear wave. These modes do not propagate (they are highly damped) as long as the slow wave remains diffusive. We show that the characteristics of the angular resonances can be linked to the leaky guided waves of the first type in the same way as for an elastic plate. The guided modes of the second type may not be associated to angular resonances. In the second part, we consider a thinner plate in a higher frequency range so that the slow wave can propagate. Once again its influence is studied both on the leaky guided modes and on the angular resonances.     

Analytic waves

Physical aspects of wave theory are discussed. Analytic waves (AW) neatly define the amplitude and frequency of real running waves and generalize and justify some points of wave theory. It is shown that the local group delay averaged in frequency defines the velocity of a wave center at each point. An asymptotic solution is developed for running spectra in slowly varying media. Also, Whitham's method is generalized not only for the frequency but also the amplitude of a wave. The theory is applied to quantum mechanics, and the paradox of tunneling is clarified. This paradox is not specifically quantum but occurs and can be explained in a classical area.     

Category-Theoretic Interpretative Framework of the Complementarity Principle in Quantum Mechanics

This study aims to provide an analysis of the complementarity principle in quantum theory through the establishment of partial structural congruence relations between the quantum and Boolean kinds of event structure. Specifically, on the basis of the existence of a categorical adjunction between the category of quantum event algebras and the category of presheaves of variable Boolean event algebras, we establish a twofold complementarity scheme consisting of a generalized/global and a restricted/local conceptual dimension, where the latter conception is subordinate to and constrained by the former. In this respect, complementarity is not only understood as a relation between mutually exclusive experimental arrangements or contexts of comeasurable observables, as envisaged by the original conception, but it is primarily comprehended as a reciprocal relation concerning information transfer between two hierarchically different structural kinds of event structure that can be brought into partial congruence by means of the established adjunction. It is further argued that the proposed category-theoretic framework of complementarity naturally advances a contextual realist conceptual stance towards our deeper understanding of the microphysical nature of reality.

     

Einstein–Podolski–Rosen paradox,non-commuting operator,complete wavefunction and entanglement

Einstein, Podolski and Rosen (EPR) have shown that any wavefunction (subject to the Schrödinger equation) can describe the physical reality completely, and any two observables associated with two non-commuting operators can have simultaneous reality. In contrast, quantum theory claims that the wavefunction can capture the physical reality completely, and the physical quantities associated with two non-commuting operators cannot have simultaneous reality. The above contradiction is known as the EPR paradox. Here, we unambiguously expose that there is a hidden assumption made by EPR, which gives rise to this famous paradox. Putting the assumption right this time leads us not to the paradox, but only reinforces the correctness of the quantum theory. However, it is shown here that the entanglement phenomenon between two physically separated particles (they were entangled prior to separation) can only be proven to exist with a ‘proper’ measurement.     

Anticorrelations in Nondegenerate Parametric Three-Wave Interaction

It is shown that the anticorrelations in the photon numbers of the signal and the idler wave, respectively, generated in parametric three-wave interaction under suitable conditions, violate an inequality well-known in classical communication theory. Hence, it must be concluded that these anticorrelations reflect a typical quantum mechanical feature of light. In fact, this nonclassical behaviour is responsible for the occurrence of photon antibunching in the superposition field made up of both the signal and the idler wave, as will be pointed out in some detail.     

Robustness of interferometric complementarity under decoherence

Interferometric complementarity is known to be one of the most nonclassical manifestations of the quantum formalism. It is commonly known as wave-particle duality and has been studied presently from the perspective of quantum information theory where wave and particle nature of a quantum system, called quanton, are characterised by coherence and path distinguishability respectively. We here consider the effect of noisy detectors on the complementarity relation. We report that by suitably choosing the initial quanton and the detector states along with the proper interactions between the quanton and the detectors, one can reduce the influence of noisy environment on complementarity, thereby pushing it towards saturation. To demonstrate this, three kinds of noise on detectors and their roles on the saturation of the complementarity relation are extensively studied. We also observe that for fixed values of parameters involved in the process, asymmetric quanton state posses low value of coherence while it can have a higher amount of distinguishability, and hence it has the potential to enhance the duality relation.     

Electron exchange-correlation effects on dispersion properties of electrostatic waves in degenerate quantum plasmas

Based on the quantum Magnetohydrodynamic (QMHD) model, the obliquely propagation of electrostatic waves in degenerate magnetized quantum plasmas with electron exchange-correlation effects are theoretically investigated. The modified linear dispersion relations of electrostatic waves are obtained and discussed in some specific cases. The analytical results clearly show that the dispersion properties of the high frequency electron waves (including the Langmuir wave and upper-hybrid wave) and the low frequency ion acoustic wave are modified by the quantum effects together with the electron exchange-correlation effects. The numerical results depict that the Langmuir wave and upper-hybrid wave can be unstable in the presence of the electron exchange-correlation effects, and it is also evidently indicated that the electron exchange-correlation effects can reduce the phase velocity of the waves, especially in the high wave number region. The corresponding results should be of relevance for identifying electrostatic fluctuations which transport in an inhomogeneous and magnetized quantum plasmas.     

Parametric instabilities in quantum plasmas with electron exchange-correlation effects

Parametric instabilities induced by the nonlinear interaction between high frequency quantum Langmuir waves and low frequency quantum ion-acoustic waves in quantum plasmas with the electron exchange-correlation effects are presented.By using the quantum hydrodynamic equations with the electron exchange-correlation correction,we obtain an effective quantum Zaharov model,which is then used to derive the modified dispersion relations and the growth rates of the decay and four-wave instabilities.The influences of the electron exchange-correlation effects and the quantum effects on the existence of quantum Langmuir waves and the parametric instabilities are discussed in detail.It is shown that the electron exchange-correlation effects and quantum effects are strongly coupled.The quantum Langmuir wave can propagate in quantum plasmas only when the electron exchange-correlation effects and the quantum effects satisfy a certain condition.The electron exchange-correlation effects tend to enhance the parametric instabilities,while quantum effects suppress the instabilities.     

Quasiclassicality and Quantum Measurement

We address two problems arising in the quantum measurement process: A rigorous definition of quasiclassical systems and its implications for the observed collapse of the wave function. For a mathematical definition of quasiclassical systems, we recall the structure of models for the classical world. They describe the dynamics of some simultaneously measurable quantities, thereby ignoring many properties of the modeled real world phenomena, especially all quantum mechanical ones. In this article, we define a quasiclassical system as a quantum system which allows such a simplified modelling. By classifying such quasiclassical systems, it is shown that they naturally correspond to classical systems in the usual sense. By describing quantum measurements with the aid of quasiclassical systems, we then observe an effect that is similar to decoherence: While the latter implies that off-diagonal entries of the density matrix vanish, in the former they correspond to the parts of the system that are not modeled and thus can be ignored. Especially, they do not influence any measurements of the properties contained in the classical model. Mathematically, this allows to treat the output of a quantum measurement as a classical probability distribution. Finally, we discuss some implications of this definition of quasiclassicality on the interpretation of quantum mechanics.     

From wave-particle duality to wave-particle-mixedness triality: an uncertainty approach

The wave-particle duality, as a manifestation of Bohr’s complementarity, is usually quantified in terms of path predictability and interference visibility. Various characterizations of the wave-particle duality have been proposed from an operational perspective, most of them are in forms of inequalities, and some of them are expressed in forms of equalities by incorporating entanglement or coherence. In this work, we shed different insights into the nature of the wave-particle duality by casting it into a form of information conservation in a multi-path interferometer, with uncertainty as a unified theme. More specifically, by employing the simple yet fundamental concept of variance, we establish a resolution of unity, which can be interpreted as a complementarity relation among wave feature, particle feature, and mixedness of a quantum state. This refines or reinterprets some conventional approaches to wave-particle duality, and highlights informational aspects of the issue. The key idea of our approach lies in that a quantum state, as a Hermitian operator, can also be naturally regarded as an observable, with measurement uncertainty (in a state) and state uncertainty (in a measurement) being exploited to quantify particle feature and wave feature of a quantum state, respectively. These two kinds of uncertainties, although both are defined via variance, have fundamentally different properties and capture different features of a state. Together with the mixedness, which is a kind of uncertainty intrinsic to a quantum state, they add up to unity, and thus lead to a characterization of the wave-particle-mixedness complementarity. This triality relation is further illustrated by examples and compared with some popular wave-particle duality or triality relations.     

Relativistic effects on the modulational instability of electron plasma waves in quantum plasma

Relativistic effects on the linear and nonlinear properties of electron plasma waves are investigated using the one-dimensional quantum hydrodynamic (QHD) model for a two-component electron?Cion dense quantum plasma. Using standard perturbation technique, a nonlinear Schr?dinger equation (NLSE) containing both relativistic and quantum effects has been derived. This equation has been used to discuss the modulational instability of the wave. Through numerical calculations it is shown that relativistic effects significantly change the linear dispersion character of the wave. Unlike quantum effects, relativistic effects are shown to reduce the instability growth rate of electron plasma waves.     

About the notion of truth in quantum mechanics

The meaning of truth in quantum mechanics is considered in order to respond to some objections raised by B. d'Espagnat against a logical interpretation of quantum mechanics recently proposed by the author. A complete answer is given. It is shown that not only can factual data be said to be true, but also some of their logical consequences, so that the definition of truth given by Heisenberg is both extended and refined. Some nontrue but reliable propositions may also be used, but they are somewhat arbitrary because of the complementarity principle. For instance, the propositions expressing wave packet reduction can be either true or reliable, according to the case under study. Separability is also discussed: as far as the true properties of an individual system are concerned, quantum mechanics is separable.     

A solitary wave of coherent excitonic polaritons in an extended chain of quantum dots

The propagation of ultrashort optical pulses in a chain of two-level two-electron quantum dots was studied theoretically. It was assumed that an excited state of an individual quantum dot can be transferred to the neighboring quantum dots, as is the case for a molecular exciton. As a result, optical-pulse motion is accompanied with a wave of polarization of quantum dots. It is shown that two types of steady-state circularly polarized solitary polaritonic waves can propagate along such chains; these are waves with exponentially and algebraically decaying leading and trailing edges.     

Specifications of dust-ion-acoustic shock waves affected by dust charge variation in four-component dissipative quantum plasma

ABSTRACT

Nonlinear propagation of dust-ion-acoustic shock waves in an unmagnetized, collisionless four-component quantum plasma containing electrons, positrons, ions and negatively charged dust grains affected by dust charge variations and viscosity of ions is studied using quantum hydrodynamic model. Considering dust charge variation give rise to calculating of charging currents of the plasma particles. These currents have been calculated with orbit limited motion theory and using Fermi-distribution functions or Boltzmann–Maxwell distribution depending on quantum or classical particles, respectively. The basic characteristics of quantum dust-ion-acoustic shock waves are investigated by deriving Korteweg–de Vries–Burgers equation under the reductive perturbation method. Depending on the relative values of the dispersive and dissipative coefficients, oscillatory and monotonic shock waves can propagate in the plasma model. The effect of chemical potential and density of dust particles on the shock wave’s height and thickness is investigated. In addition, the critical value of H (H_c) is calculated and it is shown that for R?>?0 compressive shock waves and for R?<?0 rarefactive ones can exist. The present study is applicable to researchers on quantum nonlinear structures in dense astrophysical objects and ultra-small micro- and nano-electronic devices.     

Interpretations of quantum mechanics,joint measurement of incompatible observables,and counterfactual definiteness

The validity of the conclusion to the nonlocality of quantum mechanics, accepted widely today as the only reasonable solution to the EPR and Bell issues, is questioned and criticized. Arguments are presented which remove the compelling character of this conclusion and make clear that it is not the most obvious solution. Alternative solutions are developed which are free of the contradictions related with the nonlocality conclusion. Firstly, the dependence on the adopted interpretation is shown, with the conclusion that the alleged nonlocality property of the quantum formalism may have been reached on the basis of an interpretation that is unnecessarily restrictive. Secondly, by extending the conventional quantum formalism along the lines of Ludwig and Davies it is shown that the Bell problem may be related to complementarity rather than to nonlocality. Finally, the dependence on counterfactual reasoning is critically examined. It appears that locality on the quantum level may still be retained provided one accepts a newly proposed principle of nonreproducibility at the individual quantum level as an alternative of quantum nonlocality. It is concluded that the locality principle can retain its general validity, in full conformity with all experimental data.