Collisionless absorption in an overdense plasma with anisotropic electron distribution function

Collisionless absorption of linearly polarized electromagnetic wave in a plasma with anisotropic bi-Maxwellian electron velocity distribution is investigated. Due to the wave magnetic field influence on the electron kinetics in the skin layer, the wave absorption is found to significantly depend on the degree of the electron temperature anisotropy. Depending on the value of the skin layer anomaly parameter, and on the electron temperature anisotropy degree, the conditions are found when a significant decrease or increase of the collisionless absorption is expected. Received 25 January 2002     

Production of high quality shocks for equation of state experiments

In this paper we describe the quality requirements that a shock wave must fulfil to make equation of state (EOS) measurements possible: planarity, no-preheating and stationarity of the shock. Experimental measurements have been performed at the Max Planck Institut für Quantenoptik (Garching). We also present simple analytical models that allow to verify shock stationarity and absence of preheating. Received 17 June 2002 Published online 21 January 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: batani@mib.infn.it RID="b" ID="b"Present address: Pro-beam, Behrinsta?e 6, 85152 Planegg b. München, Germany. RID="c" ID="c"UMR 7605     

Electron dynamics in Na and Pt clusters from time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory

We present a method for the numerical investigation of the electron dynamics in small metallic clusters in intense laser fields. We obtain information about collective excitations and relaxation processes in the Na ₉ ⁺ and Pt₃ clusters analyzing the power spectrum of the dipole moment within a mean-field approach. The power spectrum is computed for various laser pulse parameters as well as for the limit of an infinitely short laser pulse. Due to the basis set expansion of the wave function our method is capable to follow the dynamics not only of the whole electron cloud, but of any particular molecular orbital. Received 28 March 2002 / Received in final form 31 May 2002 Published online 24 September 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: pavlyukh@mpi-halle.de     

EPR entangled states and complex fractional Fourier transformation

Starting from the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entangled state representations of continuous variables we derive a new formulation of complex fractional Fourier transformation (CFFT). We find that two-variable Hermite polynomials are just the eigenmodes of the CFFT. In this way the CFFT is linked to the appropriate operator transformation between two kinds of entangled states in the context of quantum mechanics. In so doing, the CFFT of quantum mechanical wave functions can be derived more directly and concisely. Received 21 February 2002 / Received in final form 1st June 2002 Published online 24 September 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Work supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under grant 10175057 and the President Foundation of Chinese Academy of Science. RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: fhym@ustc.edu.cn     

Carrier-induced changes in the phase resolved reflection of GaAs quantum wells

The influence of thermalized non-coherent carriers on the dielectric function of GaAs/AlAs quantum wells is investigated by reflection spectroscopy. Experiments are performed using the method of spectral interferometry, where both amplitude and phase of reflected pulses can be determined. For low excitation density the complex coefficient of reflection can be described using as dielectric function a broadened Elliot formula. With increasing carrier density pronounced nonlinearities appear in both amplitude and phase due to many-body effects between excited carriers. The nonlinear behavior fits very well to the results of a many-body theory based on the Semiconductor Bloch equations including memory effects in the scattering processes between carriers and the polarization induced by the probe pulse. Received 29 May 2002 / Received in final form 23 September 2002 Published online 19 December 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: manzke@physik3.uni-rostock.de     

Envelope solitons induced by high-order effects of light-plasma interaction

The nonlinear coupling between light beams and non-resonant ion density perturbations in a plasma is considered, taking into account the relativistic particle mass increase and the light beam ponderomotive force. A pair of equations comprising a nonlinear Schr?dinger equation for light beams and a driven (by the light beam pressure) ion-acoustic wave response is derived. It is shown that the stationary solutions of our nonlinear equations can be represented in the form of a bright and dark/gray soliton for the one-dimensional problem. We also present numerical results which exhibit that our bright soliton solutions are stable exclusively for the values of the parameters compatible with our theory. Received 24 July 2002 Published online 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"Permanent address: Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Universitá Federico II and INFN, Complesso Universitario di M.S. Angelo, Via Cintia, 80126 Napoli, Italy e-mail: renato.fedele@na.infn.it RID="b" ID="b"Permanent address: Dipartimento di Fisica Generale, Universitá di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125 Torino, Italy RID="c" ID="c"Permanent address: Institute of Physics, Georgian Academy of Sciences, Tbilisi 380077, Georgia     

Gaussian Effective Potential and superconductivity

The Gaussian Effective Potential in a fixed transverse unitarity gauge is studied for the static three-dimensional U(1) scalar electrodynamics (Ginzburg-Landau phenomenological theory of superconductivity). In the broken-symmetry phase the mass of the electromagnetic field (inverse penetration depth) and the mass of the scalar field (inverse correlation length) are both determined by solution of the coupled variational equations. At variance with previous calculations, the choice of a fixed unitarity gauge prevents from the occurrence of any unphysical degree of freedom. The theory provides a nice interpolation of the experimental data when approaching the critical region, where the standard mean-field method is doomed to failure. Received 18 November 2002 / Received in final form 26 March 2003 Published online 20 June 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: giuseppe.angilella@ct.infn.it     

Ginzburg-Landau theory and effects of pressure on a two-band superconductor: application to MgB <Emphasis Type="Bold">2</Emphasis>

We present a model of pressure effects of a two-band superconductor based on a Ginzburg-Landau free energy with two order parameters. The parameters of the theory are pressure as well as temperature dependent. New pressure effects emerge as a result of the competition between the two bands. The theory then is applied to MgB₂. We identify two possible scenaria regarding the fate of the two σ subbands under pressure, depending on whether or not both subbands are above the Fermi energy at ambient pressure. The splitting of the two subbands is probably caused by the E_2g distortion. If only one subband is above the Fermi energy at ambient pressure (scenario I), application of pressure diminishes the splitting and it is possible that the lower subband participates in the superconductivity. The corresponding crossover pressure and Gr neisen parameter are estimated. In the second scenario both bands start above the Fermi energy and they move below it, either by pressure or via the substitution of Mg by Al. In both scenaria, the possibility of electronical topological transition is emphasized. Experimental signatures of both scenaria are presented and existing experiments are discussed in the light of the different physical pictures. Received 3 September 2002 / Received in final form 16 December 2002 Published online 14 February 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: joseph.betouras@ua.ac.be RID="b" ID="b"On leave from N.S. Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 31 Leninskii prospekt, 117915, Moscow, Russia     

Localization, Dirac fermions and Onsager universality

Disordered systems exhibiting exponential localization are mapped to anisotropic spin chains with localization length being related to the anisotropy of the spin model. This relates localization phenomenon in fermions to the rotational symmetry breaking in the critical spin chains. One of the intriguing consequence is that the statement of Onsager universality in spin chains implies universality of the localized fermions where the fluctuations in localized wave functions are universal. We further show that the fluctuations about localized nonrelativistic fermions describe relativistic fermions. This provides a new approach to understand the absence of localization in disordered Dirac fermions. We investigate how disorder affects well known universality of the spin chains by examining the multifractal exponents. Finally, we examine the effects of correlations on the localization characteristics of relativistic fermions. Received 28 September 2001 / Received in final form 30 November 2001 Published online 2 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: isatija@nickel.nist.gov     

On the stability of the critical state with inhomogeneous temperature in composite superconductors

The problem of the thermal and magnetic destruction of the critical state in composite superconductors is investigated. The initial distributions of temperature and electromagnetic field are assumed to be essentially inhomogeneous. The limit of the thermomagnetic instability in quasi-stationary approximation is determined. The obtained integral criterion, unlike the analogous criterion for a homogeneous temperature profile, is shown to take into account the influence of any part of the superconductor on the threshold for critical-state instability. Received 11 October 2001 / Received in final form 30 November 2002 Published online 14 February 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: taylanov@iaph.tkt.uz     

Electrodynamics of the vortex lattice in untwinned YBaCuO by complex impedance measurements

We report complex impedance measurements in an untwinned YBaCuO crystal. Our broad frequency range covers both the quasi static response and the resistive response of the vortex lattice. It allow us to characterize the irreversibility line without the need of any frequency dependent pinning parameters. We confirm the validity of the two modes model of vortex dynamic, and extract both the surface critical current and the flux flow resistivity around the first order transition T_m. This latter is identified by the abrupt loss of pinning and by an unexpected step of (T) at T_m. Received 22 November 2002 / Received in final form 17 February 2003 Published online 20 June 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: alain.pautrat@ismra.fr RID="b" ID="b"UMR 6508 associée au CNRS     

Er -Li ion exchange in lithium niobate crystals: an EXAFS study

Lithium niobate crystals doped with erbium by the ion exchange process were studied by means of extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry. The study of the local atomic order allowed the determination of the erbium environment in the crystal matrix and the investigation on the role of preparation conditions. Received 21 November 2002 Published online 1st April 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: sada@padova.infm.it     

Frontiers and challenges of nuclear shell model

Two recent developments of the nuclear shell model are presented. One is a breakthrough in computational feasibility owing to the Monte Carlo Shell Model (MCSM). By the MCSM, the structure of low-lying states can be studied with realistic interactions for a wide, nearly unlimited basically, variety of nuclei. The magic numbers are the key concept of the shell model, and are shown to be different in exotic nuclei from those of stable nuclei. Its novel origin and robustness will be discussed. Received: 21 March 2002 / Accepted: 16 May 2002 / Published online: 31 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: otsuka@phys.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp     

Nature of the Peierls- to Mott-insulator transition in 1D

In order to clarify the physics of the crossover from a Peierls band insulator to a correlated Mott-Hubbard insulator, we analyze ground-state and spectral properties of the one-dimensional half-filled Holstein-Hubbard model using quasi-exact numerical techniques. In the adiabatic limit the transition is connected to the band to Mott insulator transition of the ionic Hubbard model. Depending on the strengths of the electron-phonon coupling and the Hubbard interaction the transition is either first order or evolves continuously across a narrow intermediate phase with finite spin, charge, and optical excitation gaps. Received 7 July 2002 / Received in final form 21 October 2002 Published online 27 January 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: holger.fehske@physik.uni-greifswald.de     

Engineering entanglement of a general three-level system interacting with a correlated two-mode nonlinear coherent state

In this article a treatment of a three-level atom interacting with two modes of light in a cavity with arbitrary forms of nonlinearities of both the fields and the intensity-dependent atom-field coupling is presented. A factorization of the initial density operator is assumed, with the privileged field modes being in a pair-coherent state. We derive and illustrate an exact expression for the time evolution of the density operator, by means of which we identify and numerically demonstrate the region of parameters where significantly large entanglement can be obtained. We show that entanglement can be significantly influenced by different kinds of nonlinearities. The nonlinear medium yields the superstructure of atomic Rabi oscillation. We propose a generation of Bell-type states having a simple initial state preparation of the present system. Received 29 July 2002 / Received in final form 18 October 2002 Published online 21 January 2003 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: abdelaty@uni-flensburg.dePresent address: Institut für Mathematik, Universit?t Flensburg, Germany.     

Generation of zonal flows by interchange modes in a plasma

The generation of zonal flows by flute-like interchange modes in a nonuniform magnetoplasma is considered. The guiding center particle drifts are then used to derive a system of coupled mode equations. The latter are Fourier analyzed to obtain a nonlinear dispersion relation, which exhibits the excitation of zonal flows by the ponderomotive force of the interchange modes. The growth rate of the parametrically driven zonal flows is obtained. Received 26 July 2002 Published online 24 September 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: ps@tp4.ruhr-uni-bochum.de     

The use of high energy laser-plasma sources in soft X-ray contact microscopy of living biological samples

In this paper the results of an experiment on soft X-ray contact microscopy using a laser-plasma source are presented. A resolution of 50 nm has been achieved imaging pig sperm cells, while other specimens, such as algae and yeast cells, showed internal details, proving the technique to be a powerful tool for biological investigations. Original biological information has been obtained and the conditions for optimal image formation have been studied. Received 5 June 2002 Published online 24 September 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: batani@mib.infn.it     

Inelastic interactions of protons and electrons with biologically relevant molecules

Ionization and fragmentation of water and uracil molecules was studied both by electron and proton impact. A special coincidence technique allows on an event by event basis the investigation of product ions formed upon the collision of protons with neutral molecules including the identification of the charge state of the projectile. This enables the characterization of the ionization processes occurring, i.e. direct ionization, single electron capture or double electron capture for 0, 1 or 2 electrons that are transferred from the target to the projectile, respectively. For uracil the fragmentation patterns obtained by electron and proton impact ionization reveal close similarities and indicate a comparable amount of excitation for the two different ionization mechanisms at high enough projectile energies. Received 25 February 2002 Published online 13 September 2002     

Measuring a colloidal particle's interaction with a flat surface under nonequilibrium conditions

A new and general approach is proposed to analyze the dynamics of a colloidal particle interacting with a nearby wall. This analysis can be used to determine the acting forces even when the system is non-stationary. As an illustration, we use total internal reflection microscopy to investigate the forces acting on a polystyrene sulfate latex particle as it is receding from a charged glass surface. Received 10 October 2002 Published online: 16 April 2003 RID="a" ID="a"Present address: Department of Polymer Physics, BASF Aktiengesellschaft, 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany RID="b" ID="b"Present address: Arryx. Inc., Chicago, IL 60601, USA