Entangled states and collective nonclassical effects in two-atom systems

We propose a review of recent developments on entanglement and nonclassical effects in collective two-atom systems and present a uniform physical picture of the many predicted phenomena. The collective effects have brought into sharp focus some of the most basic features of quantum theory, such as nonclassical states of light and entangled states of multiatom systems. The entangled states are linear superpositions of the internal states of the system which cannot be separated into product states of the individual atoms. This property is recognized as entirely quantum-mechanical effect and have played a crucial role in many discussions of the nature of quantum measurements and, in particular, in the developments of quantum communications. Much of the fundamental interest in entangled states is connected with its practical application ranging from quantum computation, information processing, cryptography, and interferometry to atomic spectroscopy.     

Atomic Tunnelling Dynamics of Two Squeezed Bose-Einstein Condensates

In this paper, tunnelling dynamics of squeezed Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC's) in the presence of the nonlinear self-interaction of each species, the interspecies nonlinear interaction, and the Josephson-like tunnelling interaction is investigated by using the second quantization approach. The influence of BEC squeezing on macroscopic quantum self-trapping (MQST) and quantum coherent atomic tunnelling is analyzed in detail. It is shown that the MQST and coherent atomic tunnelling between two squeezed BEC's can be manipulated through changing squeezing amplitude and squeezing phase of BEC squeezed states.     

Quantum coherent effects in Anderson insulators

During the last two decades quantum interference effects have been extensively studied in the transport properties of diffusive systems such as metals and semiconductors. When the spatial disorder in these systems exceeds a critical value the electronic wavefunctions are localized and their ground state is insulating (the Anderson transition). At finite temperatures charge transport in this phase involves phonon-assisted tunnelling between localized states. This mode of transport is purely quantum mechanical and has no classical analogue. Anderson insulators are therefore the paradigmatic system for studying interference phenomena of electron waves in random media. In this paper we discuss the question of quantum coherence in Anderson insulators and review some of the experimental manifestations of interference phenomena in their transport properties.     

Remote projection and quantum mirages in STS and STM

The phenomena of remote projection and quantum mirages are investigated using standard quantum mechanics. The information inherent in delocalized wave functions in the vicinity of the Fermi level, including contributions from localized states, is available wherever the waves propagate coherently and have a non-vanishing amplitude and therefore can be probed remotely. This can explain the observation of a "quantum mirage" by Manoharan et al.: Nature 403, 512 (2000), i.e., the Kondo antiresonance due to a single adsorbed Co atom on Cu (111) far from the location of the cobalt atom. Similar quantum effects can give rise to "mirage" features in the scanning tunnelling spectrum (STS) both on clean and adsorbate-covered metal surfaces, features which are not resolved in other surface-sensitive spectroscopies (IPES, 2PPE). Within a theory based on a many-particle treatment of the tunnelling phenomena in STS and in scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), the unexpected features in the scanning tunnelling spectra are associated with the spectral weight of transient ion-resonance states generated in the process of electron injection. They transport in a coherent way the information from the tip towards the sample and vice versa over distances of the order of 10 Å or more, generating spectroscopic structures. These "mirage" states are important for the tunnelling current and the imaging properties.     

The ground state and the tunnelling dynamics of the Bose-Einstein condensate in a tilted shallow trap

The ground state and the tunnelling dynamics of the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) loaded in a tilted shallow trap is studied analytically and numerically. The stable bound state, the quasi-bound state and the diffusion state are predicted. The thresholds for transition between the different states are obtained and the stability diagram in parameter space is presented. The tunnelling dynamics of the system in different states is revealed. The shape of the potential well and the atomic interaction play important role and have coupled effect on the tunnelling dynamics of the system. Furthermore, the resonant tunnelling phenomenon in the parametrically modulated shallow trap is observed. The results show that when the modulating frequency approaches the dipolar mode of the system, resonant tunnelling occurs and the whole system is unstable. Our results provide a theoretical evidence for studying the tunnelling dynamics of the ultracold atomic system.     

Applied Bohmian mechanics

Bohmian mechanics provides an explanation of quantum phenomena in terms of point-like particles guided by wave functions. This review focuses on the use of nonrelativistic Bohmian mechanics to address practical problems, rather than on its interpretation. Although the Bohmian and standard quantum theories have different formalisms, both give exactly the same predictions for all phenomena. Fifteen years ago, the quantum chemistry community began to study the practical usefulness of Bohmian mechanics. Since then, the scientific community has mainly applied it to study the (unitary) evolution of single-particle wave functions, either by developing efficient quantum trajectory algorithms or by providing a trajectory-based explanation of complicated quantum phenomena. Here we present a large list of examples showing how the Bohmian formalism provides a useful solution in different forefront research fields for this kind of problems (where the Bohmian and the quantum hydrodynamic formalisms coincide). In addition, this work also emphasizes that the Bohmian formalism can be a useful tool in other types of (nonunitary and nonlinear) quantum problems where the influence of the environment or the nonsimulated degrees of freedom are relevant. This review contains also examples on the use of the Bohmian formalism for the many-body problem, decoherence and measurement processes. The ability of the Bohmian formalism to analyze this last type of problems for (open) quantum systems remains mainly unexplored by the scientific community. The authors of this review are convinced that the final status of the Bohmian theory among the scientific community will be greatly influenced by its potential success in those types of problems that present nonunitary and/or nonlinear quantum evolutions. A brief introduction of the Bohmian formalism and some of its extensions are presented in the last part of this review.     

Manipulating many-body quantum states via single-photon resonance

For an atomic Bose-Hubbard dimer quantum control via multiphoton processes have been investigated widely. We here explore how to manipulate the many-body quantum states via single-photon resonance by treating the periodic driving as a weak perturbation. The transition probabilities up to second-order approximation are given as functions of the driving parameters, which are considerable only for the single-photon resonance case. Due to some transition matrix elements vanishing, the first-order quantum transition obeys a selection rule. The non-forbidden transitions involve states of different entanglement entropies and all (part) of the forbidden transitions relate to the entropy balances between two states for odd (even) number of particles. The results provide a new route for manipulating many-body quantum states and entanglement entropies, and controlling the atomic tunnelings of the Bose-Hubbard dimer.     

Cosmic Imagery: Key Images in the History of Science,by John D. Barrow

Particle accelerators are finding increasing use in the study of materials. This review will concentrate on their application to study radiation damage effects. The first section will deal with the basic interaction of particle beams with solids, the production of defects and their agglomeration, and phenomena such as irradiation-enhanced diffusion and precipitation. The second part of the review complements the recent Contemporary Physics article by J. R. Matthews (1977) which deals with the behaviour of materials in fast reactors. It discusses in some detail the application of particle accelerators to technological problems such as void formation in fast reactor materials and irradiation enhanced creep.     

Quantum ice: a quantum Monte Carlo study

Ice states, in which frustrated interactions lead to a macroscopic ground-state degeneracy, occur in water ice, in problems of frustrated charge order on the pyrochlore lattice, and in the family of rare-earth magnets collectively known as spin ice. Of particular interest at the moment are "quantum spin-ice" materials, where large quantum fluctuations may permit tunnelling between a macroscopic number of different classical ground states. Here we use zero-temperature quantum Monte Carlo simulations to show how such tunnelling can lift the degeneracy of a spin or charge ice, stabilizing a unique "quantum-ice" ground state-a quantum liquid with excitations described by the Maxwell action of (3+1)-dimensional quantum electrodynamics. We further identify a competing ordered squiggle state, and show how both squiggle and quantum-ice states might be distinguished in neutron scattering experiments on a spin-ice material.     

Scattering of atoms by light

This review discusses the latest theoretical and experimental achievements in the resonant light pressure acting on the translational motion of atoms. Alongside with the effects due to the spontaneous light pressure (atomic deflection, velocity bunching, cooling), various manifestations of the effects of induced light pressure are considered in detail. This paper provides the theory and experiments of atoms scattering by a standing light wave under the conditions of coherent and non-coherent interaction, diffraction and interference of atomic beams. The problems where atomic motion along two trajectories and Landau-Zener transitions between them are essential, are studied. The kinetic phenomena (scattering, cooling, channeling) due to the motion of the particles exposed to gradient force and also friction and diffusion caused by spontaneous emission are considered. The influence of the recoil effect under spontaneous emission of atoms on non-linear polarization phenomena is discussed.     

一维量子子自自旋链中拓扑有序态的物理描述

一维量子多体系统是凝聚态物理学中的重要研究方向之一,其中的新奇量子物态则是重要的研究课题。本文我们首先简要回顾一维量子整数自旋链体系的相关研究背景,然后提出一类SO(n)对称的严格可解量子自旋链模型及其矩阵乘积基态。当奇数n≥3时,体系的基态为Haldane相。利用这类态中隐藏的稀薄反铁磁序,我们找到了刻画这类态的非局域弦序参量,并在隐藏拓扑对称性的统一框架下解释了稀薄反铁磁序以及边缘态等奇特现象的起源。当偶数n≥4时,体系的基态为二聚化态。这些态属于破缺平移对称性的非Haldane相,但同样具有隐藏的反铁磁序。通过这些严格解的研究,我们还得到了一维SO(n)对称的双线性–双二次模型的基态相图,并发现在n≥5时,一维SO(n)对称的反铁磁海森堡模型的基态处于二聚化相中。基于以上这些结果,我们推广构造了一维平移不变且包含李群G对称性的Valence BondState(VBS)态,并利用其矩阵乘积表示讨论了对应哈密顿量的构造方法。对于自旋为S的量子整数自旋链,我们研究了两类具有不同拓扑属性的VBS类,前一类VBS态的边缘态处于SU(2)自旋J的不可约表示,后一类VBS态的边缘态为SO(2S+1)旋量。在前一类态中,我们以自旋为1的费米型VBS态为例构造了对应的哈密顿量。对后一类态,我们证明了它们等价于SO(2S+1)矩阵乘积态,从而揭示了呈展对称性的起源和边缘态的性质。我们还推广了SO(5)对称的玻色型和费米型VBS态,并探讨了它们的拓扑刻画方式。     

Resonances in electron scattering and photon absorption

A short survey is given of the development of ideas about resonances in atomic scattering processes and their connection with the theory of resonant states in nuclei, impurity resonances in solids, ion-atom scattering and recombination in plasmas. A detailed discussion of the experimental situation for atomic resonances is then given, followed by a review of the theory of resonance reactions as applied to them. Special attention is given to effective range and quantum defect methods, and to Fano's configuration interaction theory. Theoretical results for line positions, shapes and widths are compared with experimental data and the need for more angular distribution data is emphasized.     

A geminate recombination model for photoluminescence decay in plasma-deposited amorphous Si:H

We develop a model of geminate electron-hole recombination, including tunnelling and diffusion, to account for photoluminescence decay in amorphous semiconductors. The model correctly predicts the shape of the decay, the luminescence quantum efficiency, and the microscopic electron mobility.     

非晶态合金与氢相互作用的研究进展

非晶态合金在力学性能、耐磨耐蚀性、磁性等方面比传统晶态合金具有显著优势,是一类有优良应用前景的新型结构与功能材料.非晶态合金与氢相互作用可以产生很多有趣的物理化学现象和应用.本文从物理基础和材料应用两个方面评述非晶态合金和氢相互作用的研究进展,在物理基础研究方面,从氢在非晶态合金中的存在状态出发,讨论氢在非晶态合金中的溶解、分布、占位和扩散等相关物理问题,进而分析氢对非晶态合金的热稳定性、磁性、内耗、氢脆等的影响.在材料应用研究方面,对非晶态储氢合金、非晶态合金氢功能膜、吸氢改善非晶态合金的塑性和玻璃形成能力、氢致非晶化、利用非晶态合金制备纳米储氢材料等方面的研究进展进行评述.最后总结并展望有关非晶态合金与氢相互作用的研究和应用.     

Inhomogeneous quantum diffusion of muons in solids

This article deals with the problems raised when a muon(muonium) quantum diffusion in a crystal is highly inhomogeneous. It is shown how static disorder arising from the crystal doping influence the diffusion process and drastically changes both the time decay of the polarization function and the temperature dependence of the depolarization rate. The spin depolarization of muons moving in a spatially inhomogeneous defect potential and trapping of particles by the long-ranged traps is studied in detail. Most attention is given to the particle localization and delocalization phenomena resulting in the two-component behavior of muon polarization at low temperature. Finally, the experimental data on muon depolarization in insulators KCl, GaAs, N₂ and superconducting metals Al, V are analyzed.     

Über das Wechselverhältnis von Kontinuumsmechanik und Strukturphysik fester Körper

The current situation, trends and possibilities in Continuum Mechanics are reviewed. Special attention is given to its application in solid state physics as well on a phenomenological as on the microscopic scale. Current problems in Micromechanics of solids, such as mechanical interactions of defects near surfaces and interfaces and interfaces are dealt with. Recent investigations on the generalized J-integral concepts in fracture mechanics are discussed too. The paper gives some information on new trends of micromechanics towards micromechanics towards micro-continuum-thermodynamics. Some remarks are presented concerning stress-assisted diffusion phenomena as a special case of the generalized mechanics of diffusion. The possibilities of the powerfull finite element method (FEM) in micromechanics of continuous media are spoken about. The interrelation between continuum mechanics and quantum mechanics is discussed about, the possibility of quantum states of cracks too.     

The dynamics of triple-well trapped Bose-Einstein condensates with atoms feeding and loss effects

In this paper, we consider the macroscopic quantum tunnelling and self-trapping phenomena of Bose-Einstein condensates （BECs） with three-body recombination losses and atoms feeding from thermal cloud in triple-well potential. Using the three-mode approximation, three coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations （GPEs）, which describe the dynamics of the system, are obtained. The corresponding numerical results reveal some interesting characteristics of BECs for different scattering lengths. The self-trapping and quantum tunnelling both are found in zero-phase and ：r-phase modes. Furthermore, we observe the quantum beating phenomenon and the resonance character during the self-trapping and quantum tunnelling. It is also shown that the initial phase has a significant effect on the dynamics of the system.