Full Quantum Theory of Transient-State Electromagnetically Induced Transparency

We develop a full quantum theory of transient-state electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in the vapor of three-level A-type atoms interacting with probe and coupling lasers. As applications of the full quantum theory, we show that transient-state EIT medium exhibits normal dispersion and find that group velocities of both coupling and probe lasers are greatly reduced. It is shown that the group velocity of the probe laser in the transient-state EIT case is equal to that in the adiabatic EIT case and that the coupling laser group velocity in the transient-state EIT is generally less than that in the adiabatic EIT.     

A Higher Dimensional Stationary Rotating Black Hole Must be Axisymmetric

A key result in the proof of black hole uniqueness in 4-dimensions is that a stationary black hole that is “rotating”—i.e., is such that the stationary Killing field is not everywhere normal to the horizon—must be axisymmetric. The proof of this result in 4-dimensions relies on the fact that the orbits of the stationary Killing field on the horizon have the property that they must return to the same null geodesic generator of the horizon after a certain period, P. This latter property follows, in turn, from the fact that the cross-sections of the horizon are two-dimensional spheres. However, in spacetimes of dimension greater than 4, it is no longer true that the orbits of the stationary Killing field on the horizon must return to the same null geodesic generator. In this paper, we prove that, nevertheless, a higher dimensional stationary black hole that is rotating must be axisymmetric. No assumptions are made concerning the topology of the horizon cross-sections other than that they are compact. However, we assume that the horizon is non-degenerate and, as in the 4-dimensional proof, that the spacetime is analytic.     

Detection of weak electric fields by sharks,rays, and skates

The elasmobranchs-sharks, rays, and skates-can detect very weak electric fields in their aqueous environment through a complex sensory system, the ampullae of Lorenzini. The ampullae are conducting tubes that connect the surface of the animal to its interior. In the presence of an electric field, the potential of the surface of the animal will differ from that of the interior and that potential is applied across the apical membrane of the special sensory cells that line the ampullae. The firing rate of the afferent neurons that transmit signals from the ampullae has been shown to vary with that potential. We show that those firing rates can be described quantitatively in terms of synchronous firing of the sensory cells that feed the neurons. We demonstrate that such synchronism follows naturally from a hypothetical weak cell-to-cell interaction that results in a self-organization of the sensory cells. Moreover, the pulse rates of those cells-and the neurons that service the cells-can be expected to vary with the imposed electric fields in accord with measured values through actions of voltage gated transmembrane proteins in the apical sector of the cell membranes that admit Ca(++) ions. We also present a more conjectural model of signal processing at the neuron level that could exploit small differences in firing rates of nerve fibers servicing different ampullae to send an unambiguous signal to the central nervous system of the animal. (c) 1998 American Institute of Physics.     

非离子型O／W微乳液导数分光光度法测定铝的增敏作用

本文研究了Ｔｒｉｔｏｎ－Ｘ－１００正戊醇／正壬烷／水组成的非离子型Ｏ／Ｗ微乳液对铬天菁Ｓ为显色剂，二阶导数分光光度法测定铝的增敏作用。结果表明，此法简便，快速，与相应的胶束体系比较，测定灵敏度有所提高，某些试验条件更为宽容，可不经分离直接测试试样中的微量铝。通过测定显色剂ＣＡＳ在胶束，微乳液中的分配系数和平均有效介电常数，探讨了微乳液增敏作用的机理。     

Evolution of mixed particles interacting with classical sources

Systems of scalar and spinor particles that underwent mixing and which originated from external classical sources were investigated. Particle wave functions that take exactly into account external sources were obtained on the basis of solving Lorentz-invariant wave equations in four-dimensional space. Sources localized in space that emit harmonic radiation were considered. It was found that, owing to the presence of vacuum mixing, the scalar and spinor fields in question might oscillate—that is, go over to one another. It was shown that this phenomenon was analogous to neutrino flavor oscillations in a vacuum, since the calculated transition probabilities were coincidentwith their counterparts for neutrino oscillations. The situation of an arbitrarymassmatrix (that is, that which involved bothDirac andMajoranamass terms) was studied for the case of spinor-field evolution. The possibility of the appearance of antiparticles in a beam that originally involved only particles was analyzed. The question of whether the use of this method in describing neutrino flavor oscillations is legitimate was studied.     

On a possible difference between the barycentric velocity and the velocity that gives translational momentum in fluids

This paper explores the rather controversial proposal by Howard Brenner that the velocities that follow from the mass flux and from the translational momentum in a fluid, are not equal. We show that standard non-equilibrium thermodynamics can be formulated such that it is in full agreement with this proposal. We argue that the merits of the proposal must be based on the physics of the problem. It cannot be dismissed as being in contradiction with non-equilibrium thermodynamics. We show that Brenners proposal gives a separation in a binary mixture beyond that of the Soret equilibrium, due to a gradient in the pressure divided by the temperature. Possible experiments to verify this are discussed.     

Large-Nc confinement and turbulence

We suggest that the transition that occurs at large N_{c} in the eigenvalue distribution of a Wilson loop may have a turbulent origin. We arrived at this conclusion by studying the complex-valued inviscid Burgers-Hopf equation that corresponds to the Makeenko-Migdal loop equation, and we demonstrate the appearance of a shock in the spectral flow of the Wilson loop eigenvalues. This picture supplements that of the Durhuus-Olesen transition with a particular realization of disorder. The critical behavior at the formation of the shock allows us to infer exponents that have been measured recently in lattice simulations by Narayanan and Neuberger in d=2 and d=3. Our analysis leads us to speculate that the universal behavior observed in these lattice simulations might be a generic feature of confinement, also in d=4 Yang-Mills theory.     

Spin susceptibility of interacting electrons in one dimension: Luttinger liquid and lattice effects

The temperature-dependent uniform magnetic susceptibility of interacting electrons in one dimension is calculated using several methods. At low temperature, the renormalization group reveals that the Luttinger liquid spin susceptibility approaches zero temperature with an infinite slope in striking contrast with the Fermi liquid result and with the behavior of the compressibility in the absence of umklapp scattering. This effect comes from the leading marginally irrelevant operator, in analogy with the Heisenberg spin 1/2 antiferromagnetic chain. Comparisons with Monte Carlo simulations at higher temperature reveal that non-logarithmic terms are important in that regime. These contributions are evaluated from an effective interaction that includes the same set of diagrams as those that give the leading logarithmic terms in the renormalization group approach. Comments on the third law of thermodynamics as well as reasons for the failure of approaches that work in higher dimensions are given. Received 2 March 1999     

Entanglement and Non-Locality in Quantum Protocols with Identical Particles

We study the role of entanglement and non-locality in quantum protocols that make use of systems of identical particles. Unlike in the case of distinguishable particles, the notions of entanglement and non-locality for systems whose constituents cannot be distinguished and singly addressed are still debated. We clarify why the only approach that avoids incongruities and paradoxes is the one based on the second quantization formalism, whereby it is the entanglement of the modes that can be populated by the particles that really matters and not the particles themselves. Indeed, by means of a metrological and of a teleportation protocol, we show that inconsistencies arise in formulations that force entanglement and non-locality to be properties of the identical particles rather than of the modes they can occupy. The reason resides in the fact that orthogonal modes can always be addressed while identical particles cannot.     

The physics of a metric space with a time variable

It is shown that the introduction of a time variable in a curved metric four-space of the Einstein type leads to an interpretation of gravity as an ether flow in a Riemannian three-space. It is assumed that the only motion that enters into physical laws is either motion relative to the ether or the relative motion of nearby points that are fixed in the ether, and this assumption is formulated analytically. A previous formulation of Newtonian fields in a metric four-space indicates that the three-space can be assumed to be Euclidean and provides field equations to determine the motion of the ether. It is also suggested that the velocity of light relative to the ether has the constant valuec in many important physical fields. Finally, the observer's coordinates of the special theory of relativity are defined in the presence of a gravitational field.     

The Discovery of Artificial Radioactivity

We reconstruct Frédéric Joliot and Irène Curie’s discovery of artificial radioactivity in January 1934 based in part on documents preserved in the Joliot–Curie Archives in Paris, France. We argue that their discovery followed from the convergence of two parallel lines of research, on the neutron and on the positron, that were focused on a well-defined experimental problem, the nuclear transmutation of aluminum and other light elements. We suggest that a key role was played by a suggestion that Francis Perrin made at the seventh Solvay Conference at the end of October 1933, that the alpha-particle bombardment of aluminum produces an intermediate unstable isotope of phosphorus, which then decays by positron emission. We also suggest that a further idea that Perrin published in December 1933, and the pioneering theory of beta decay that Enrico Fermi also first published in December 1933, established a new theoretical framework that stimulated Joliot to resume the researches that he and Curie had interrupted after the Solvay Conference, now for the first time using a Geiger-Müller counter to detect the positrons emitted when he bombarded aluminum with polonium alpha particles.     

Manifestation of scarring in a driven system with wave chaos

We consider wave propagation in a model of a deep ocean acoustic wave guide with a periodic range dependence. It is assumed that the wave field is governed by the parabolic equation. Formally the mathematical model of the wave guide coincides with that of a quantum system with time-dependent Hamiltonian. From the analysis of Floquet modes of the wave guide it is shown that there exists a "scarring" effect similar to that observed in quantum systems. It turns out that the segments of an unstable periodic ray trajectory may be distinguished in the spatial distribution of the wave field intensity at a finite wavelength. Besides the scarring effect, it is found that the so-called "stable islands" in the phase space of ray dynamics reveal themselves in the coarse-grained Wigner functions of the Floquet modes.     

Oscillating cracks in glassy films on silicon substrates

Cracks that propagate with near-perfect sinusoidal form are reported in amorphous silicon-rich silica films deposited onto (001) silicon substrates by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition and subjected to thermal annealing. The cracks are shown to result from high tensile stresses that develop in the film during thermal annealing at temperatures in the range up to 700°C, a process shown to be correlated with the loss of hydrogen from the films. Two distinct modes of crack propagation are reported: straight cracks that propagate along directions parallel to [100] cube-edge directions in the substrate, and oscillating cracks that propagate with sinusoidal form parallel to [110] diagonal directions. Sections through the cracks show that the oscillating cracks have a complex three-dimensional structure that extends through the glassy film and into the underlying silicon substrate. This involves a correlated oscillation between the crystallographic orientation of the crack in the surface plane and that of the crack extension into the substrate. Whereas a complete theoretical treatment of this behaviour would be extremely complicated, a simple theory is developed to demonstrate that an oscillating crack has a minimum energy per unit length for a particular wavelength and amplitude that depends upon the physical parameters of both film and substrate. The energy at this minimum is shown to be lower than that of a straight crack for certain parameter ranges so that the oscillating geometry is preferred.     

聚氨酯的FTIR光谱与热分析研究

采用原位傅里叶变换红外光谱法,研究了聚酯型聚氨酯和聚醚型聚氨酯在空气气氛中从室温到400 ℃之间的热解反应,实时考察了其在不同温度条件下分解残留物的基团特性。利用热分析技术考察了它们在不同气氛下从室温到700 ℃之间的热解反应。探讨了在有氧条件下的热解反应机理。结果表明聚酯型聚氨酯在空气中存在硬段和软段先后分解的两个阶段,而聚醚型聚氨酯则是硬段与软段同时分解。热分解结果也显示,硬段相同的聚氨酯,聚酯型聚氨酯的起始失重温度高于聚醚型聚氨酯,显示聚酯型的热稳定性强于聚醚型。同时聚氨酯在空气中的起始失重温度比在氮气中提前,说明氧气的存在能促进聚氨酯主链上C—C和C—O键的断裂。     

Turbulence transition and the edge of chaos in pipe flow

The linear stability of pipe flow implies that only perturbations of sufficient strength will trigger the transition to turbulence. In order to determine this threshold in perturbation amplitude we study the edge of chaos which separates perturbations that decay towards the laminar profile and perturbations that trigger turbulence. Using the lifetime as an indicator and methods developed in Skufca et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 174101 (2006), we show that superimposed on an overall 1/Re scaling predicted and studied previously there are small, nonmonotonic variations reflecting folds in the edge of chaos. By tracing the motion in the edge we find that it is formed by the stable manifold of a unique flow field that is dominated by a pair of downstream vortices, asymmetrically placed towards the wall. The flow field that generates the edge of chaos shows intrinsic chaotic dynamics.     

工业用蒸发式和水冷式冷凝器的循环水量和能耗研究

通过计算与现场测试,分析比较了蒸发式与水冷式冷凝器的循环水量和能耗。参照美国的经验数据,蒸发式冷凝器的循环水量约为立式水冷式的19%、约为卧式水冷式38%。现场测试发现,三种典型品牌蒸发式冷凝器的实际平均循环水量约为立式水冷式的51%、约为卧式水冷式的76%。三种典型品牌蒸发式冷凝器的单位排热量水泵能耗差异近一倍。它们的水泵平均能耗约为立式水冷式的46%、约为卧式水冷式的42%。实际运行中,蒸发式冷凝器的风机能耗占主导。     

Thought experiments at superluminal relative velocities

It is imagined that our world is being examined from a similar world which is moving relative to us with a velocity greater than that of light. The two worlds are supposed to be similar in that the particles in each appear to any observer in that world to have real measurable properties. However, the enormous relative velocity so distorts the observations that each world makes on the other that the squares of certain real quantities appear to the other observer to be negative. Neglect of this fact has led to the erroneous belief that a free charged tachyon would emit Cerenkov radiation and that the existence of tachyons would lead to logical paradoxes.     

Locus equations are an acoustic expression of articulator synergy

The study investigated the articulatory basis of locus equations, regression lines relating F2 at the start of a Consonant-Vowel (CV) transition to F2 at the middle of the vowel, with C fixed and V varying. Several studies have shown that consonants of different places of articulation have locus equation slopes that descend from labial to velar to alveolar, and intercept magnitudes that increase in the opposite order. Using formulas from the theory of bivariate regression that express regression slopes and intercepts in terms of standard deviations and averages of the variables, it is shown that the slope directly encodes a well-established measure of coarticulation resistance. It is also shown that intercepts are directly related to the degree to which the tongue body assists the formation of the constriction for the consonant. Moreover, it is shown that the linearity of locus equations and the linear relation between locus equation slopes and intercepts originates in linearity in articulation between the horizontal position of the tongue dorsum in the consonant and to that in the vowel. It is concluded that slopes and intercepts of acoustic locus equations are measures of articulator synergy.     

楚雄盆地恐龙化石和围岩的XRF全元素分析

采用X射线荧光光谱分析方法(XRF),对楚雄盆地不同地区的恐龙化石和围岩的元素成分进行对比研究。实验结果表明,恐龙化石中的主元素含量的排序均是Ca、C、Si,而围岩中则均为Si、C、Ca;在恐龙化石中有元素F和As,在围岩中不含F和As;在化石和围岩中Pb元素的含量均较低。其次,通过对禄丰恐龙山的两组化石和围岩元素含量的对比分析,推知恐龙山所处地层可能发生过断裂和错位的地壳变动。实验还发现,武定、牟定和元谋的化石中的微量元素含量具有共同的特点,即元素砷(As)含量略高,钡(Ba)的含量高异常和锌(Zn)含量低异常,有可能是导致这三个地方恐龙动物群的死亡原因之一。