Geometric Potential and Dirac Quantization

A fundamental problem regarding the Dirac quantization of a free particle on an () curved hypersurface embedded in N flat space is the impossibility to give the same form of the curvature‐induced quantum potential, the geometric potential as commonly called, as that given by the Schrödinger equation method where the particle moves in a region confined by a thin‐layer sandwiching the surface. This problem is resolved by means of a previously proposed scheme that hypothesizes a simultaneous quantization of positions, momenta, and Hamiltonian, among which the operator‐ordering‐free section is identified and is then found sufficient to lead to the expected form of geometric potential.     

Quantum Temporal Steering in a Dephasing Channel With Quantum Criticality

We investigate the quantum temporal steering (TS), i.e., a temporal analogue of Einstein‐Podolsky‐Rosen steering, in a dephasing channel which is modeled by a central spin half surrounded by a spin‐1/2 XY chain where quantum phase transition happens. The TS parameter and the TS weight are employed to characterize the TS dynamics. We analytically obtain the dependence of on the decoherence factor. The numerical results show an obvious suppression of and when the XY chain approaches to the critical point. In view of the significance of quantum channel, we develop a new concept, TS weight power, in order to quantify the capacity of the quantum channel in dominating TS behavior. This new quantity enables us to indicate the quantum criticality of the environment by the quantum correlation of TS in the coupled system.     

On decoherence in quantum gravity

It was previously argued that the phenomenon of quantum gravitational decoherence described by the Wheeler‐DeWitt equation is responsible for the emergence of the arrow of time. Here we show that the characteristic spatio‐temporal scales of quantum gravitational decoherence are typically logarithmically larger than a characteristic curvature radius of the background space‐time. This largeness is a direct consequence of the fact that gravity is a non‐renormalizable theory, and the corresponding effective field theory is nearly decoupled from matter degrees of freedom in the physical limit . Therefore, as such, quantum gravitational decoherence is too ineffective to guarantee the emergence of the arrow of time and the “quantum‐to‐classical” transition to happen at scales of physical interest. We argue that the emergence of the arrow of time is directly related to the nature and properties of physical observer.

     

Quantum Kinetic Theory of a Massless Scalar Model in the Presence of a Schwarzschild Black Hole

We employ quantum kinetic theory to investigate local quantum physics in the background of spherically symmetric and neutral black holes formed through the gravitational collapse. For this purpose in mind, we derive and study the covariant Wigner distribution function near to and far away from the black‐hole horizon. We find that the local density of the particle number is negative in the near‐horizon region, while the entropy density is imaginary. These pose a question whether kinetic theory is applicable in the near‐horizon region. We elaborate on that and propose a possible interpretation of how this result might nevertheless be self‐consistently understood.     

Theory of the Robin quantum wall in a linear potential. I. Energy spectrum,polarization and quantum‐information measures

Information‐theoretical concepts are employed for the analysis of the interplay between a transverse electric field applied to a one‐dimensional surface and Robin boundary condition (BC), which with the help of the extrapolation length Λ zeroes at the interface a linear combination of the quantum mechanical wave function and its spatial derivative, and its influence on the properties of the structure. For doing this, exact analytical solutions of the corresponding Schrödinger equation are derived and used for calculating energies, dipole moments, position and momentum quantum information entropies and their Fisher information and and Onicescu information energies and counterparts. It is shown that the weak (strong) electric field changes the Robin wall into the Dirichlet, (Neumann, ), surface. This transformation of the energy spectrum and associated waveforms in the growing field defines an evolution of the quantum‐information measures; for example, it is proved that for the Dirichlet and Neumann BCs the position (momentum) quantum information entropy varies as a positive (negative) natural logarithm of the electric intensity what results in their field‐independent sum . Analogously, at and the position and momentum Fisher informations (Onicescu energies) depend on the applied voltage as () and its inverse, respectively, leading to the field‐independent product (). Peculiarities of their transformations at the finite nonzero Λ are discussed and similarities and differences between the three quantum‐information measures in the electric field are highlighted with the special attention being paid to the configuration with the negative extrapolation length.

     

Comparative analysis of electric field influence on the quantum wells with different boundary conditions.

Analytical solutions of the Schrödinger equation for the one‐dimensional quantum well with all possible permutations of the Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions (BCs) in perpendicular to the interfaces uniform electric field are used for the comparative investigation of their interaction and its influence on the properties of the system. Limiting cases of the weak and strong voltages allow an easy mathematical treatment and its clear physical explanation; in particular, for the small , the perturbation theory derives for all geometries a linear dependence of the polarization on the field with the BC‐dependent proportionality coefficient being positive (negative) for the ground (excited) states. Simple two‐level approximation elementary explains the negative polarizations as a result of the field‐induced destructive interference of the unperturbed modes and shows that in this case the admixture of only the neighboring states plays a dominant role. Different magnitudes of the polarization for different BCs in this regime are explained physically and confirmed numerically. Hellmann‐Feynman theorem reveals a fundamental relation between the polarization and the speed of the energy change with the field. It is proved that zero‐voltage position entropies are BC independent and for all states but the ground Neumann level (which has ) are equal to while the momentum entropies depend on the edge requirements and the level. Varying electric field changes position and momentum entropies in the opposite directions such that the entropic uncertainty relation is satisfied. Other physical quantities such as the BC‐dependent zero‐energy and zero‐polarization fields are also studied both numerically and analytically. Applications to different branches of physics, such as ocean fluid dynamics and atmospheric and metallic waveguide electrodynamics, are discussed.

     

Equivalence and hermiticity of Dirac Hamiltonians in the Kerr gravitational field

In the paper, for the Kerr field, we prove that Chandrasekhar's Dirac Hamiltonian and the self‐adjoint Hamiltonian with a flat scalar product of the wave functions are physically equivalent. Operators of transformation of Chandrasekhar's Hamiltonian and wave functions to the η representation with a flat scalar product are defined explicitly. If the domain of the wave functions of Dirac's equation in the Kerr field is bounded by two‐dimensional surfaces of revolution around the z axis, Chandrasekhar's Hamiltonian and the self‐adjoint Hamiltonian in the η representation are Hermitian with equality of the scalar products, .

     

Scalar Aharonov‐Bohm‐type effect induced by Lorentz symmetry breaking effects

A possible scenario of the Lorentz symmetry violation is discussed based on the arising of geometric quantum phases yielded by the effects of the Lorentz symmetry violation in the CPT‐even gauge sector of Standard Model Extension. Analogues of the Anandan quantum phase and the scalar Aharonov‐Bohm effect for a neutral particle [J. Anandan, Phys. Lett. A 138 , 347 (1989)] are obtained from the parity‐odd sector of the tensor . Moreover, we build quantum holonomies associated with the analogue of the Anandan quantum phase and discuss a possible analogy with the geometric quantum computation [A. Ekert et al., J. Mod. Opt. 47 , 2501 (2000)].

     

Evolution of electric‐field‐induced quasibound states and resonances in one‐dimensional open quantum systems

A comparative analysis of three different time‐independent approaches to studying open quantum structures in a uniform electric field was performed using the example of a one‐dimensional attractive or repulsive δ‐potential and the surface that supports the Robin boundary condition. The three considered methods exploit different properties of the scattering matrix as a function of energy E: its poles, real values, and zeros of the second derivative of its phase. The essential feature of the method of zeroing the resolvent, which produces complex energies, is the unlimited growth of the wave function at infinity, which is, however, eliminated by the time‐dependent interpretation. The real energies at which the unitary scattering matrix becomes real correspond to the largest possible distortion, , or its absence at which in either case leads to the formation of quasibound states. Depending on their response to the increasing electric intensity, two types of field‐induced positive energy quasibound levels are identified: electron‐ and hole‐like states. Their evolution and interaction in the enlarging field lead ultimately to the coalescence of pairs of opposite states, with concomitant divergence of the associated dipole moments in what is construed as an electric breakdown of the structure. The characteristic features of the coalescence fields and energies are calculated and the behavior of the levels in their vicinity is analyzed. Similarities between the different approaches and their peculiarities are highlighted; in particular, for the zero‐field bound state in the limit of the vanishing , all three methods produce the same results, with their outcomes deviating from each other according to growing electric intensity. The significance of the zero‐field spatial symmetry for the formation, number, and evolution of the electron‐ and hole‐like states, and the interaction between them, is underlined by comparing outcomes for the symmetric δ geometry and asymmetric Robin wall.

     

Thermodynamic Properties of the 1D Robin Quantum Well

The thermodynamic properties of the Robin quantum well with extrapolation length Λ are analyzed theoretically both for the canonical and two grand canonical ensembles, with special attention being paid to the situation when the energies of one or two lowest‐lying states are split off from the rest of the spectrum by the large gap that is controlled by the varying Λ. For the single split‐off level, which exists for the geometry with the equal magnitudes but opposite signs of the Robin distances on the confining interfaces, the heat capacity of the canonical averaging is a nonmonotonic function of the temperature T with its salient maximum growing to infinity as for the decreasing to zero extrapolation length and its position being proportional to . The specific heat per particle of the Fermi–Dirac ensemble depends nonmonotonically on the temperature too, with its pronounced extremum being foregone on the T axis by the plateau, whose value at the dying Λ is , with N being the number of fermions. The maximum of , similar to the canonical averaging, unrestrictedly increases as Λ goes to zero and is largest for one particle. The most essential property of the Bose–Einstein ensemble is the formation, for a growing number of bosons, of the sharp asymmetric shape on the characteristics, which is more protrusive at the smaller Robin distances. This cusp‐like structure is a manifestation of the phase transition to the condensate state. For two split‐off orbitals, one additional maximum emerges whose position is shifted to colder temperatures with the increase of the energy gap between these two states and their higher‐lying counterparts and whose magnitude approaches a Λ‐independent value. All these physical phenomena are qualitatively and quantitatively explained by the variation of the energy spectrum by the Robin distance. Parallels with other structures are drawn and similarities and differences between them are highlighted. Generalization to higher dimensions is also provided.     

Multi‐Party Semi‐Quantum Key Distribution Protocol With Four‐Particle Cluster States

The application of semi‐quantum conception can provide unconditional secure communication for communicators without quantum capabilities. A semi‐quantum key distribution (SQKD) protocol based on four‐particle cluster states is put forward, which can achieve key distribution among one quantum party and two classical parties simultaneously. Furthermore, this protocol can be expanded to the χ‐party ( $\chi >3$) communication scheme. Compared with the existing multi‐party SQKD protocol, the proposed protocol and the extended one own more excellent time efficiency and qubit efficiency. The security of the proposed SQKD protocol under ideal circumstances is validated while the key rate under non‐ideal conditions is calculated.     

Quantum Transport in Presence of Bound States – Noise Power

The impact of bound states in Landauer‐Büttiker scattering approach to non‐equilibrium quantum transport is investigated. We show that the noise power at frequency ν is sensitive to all bound states with energies ω_b satisfying . We derive the exact expression of the bound state contribution and compare it to the one produced by the scattering states alone. The theoretical and experimental consequences of this result are discussed.     

A generalized G‐function for the Quantum Rabi Model

The analytical solution of the quantum Rabi model is based on a transcendental function , the zeros of which determine the eigenenergies. is generalized here to a function , which allows a much better numerical control of the high‐energy part of the spectrum by an appropriate choice of the complex parameter z. Additionally, it is shown that all zeros of correspond to eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian as well as the zeros of for imaginary z.     

London penetration depth and thermal fluctuations in the sulphur hydride 203 K superconductor

Recently, compressed H₂S has been shown to become superconducting at 203 K under a pressure of 155 GPa. One might expect fluctuations to dominate at such temperatures. Using the magnetisation critical current, we determine the ground‐state London penetration depth, λ₀=189 nm, and the superconducting energy gap, Δ₀=27.8 meV, and find these parameters are similar to those of cuprate superconductors. We also determine the fluctuation temperature scale, K, which shows that, unlike the cuprates, of the hydride is not limited by fluctuations. This is due to its three dimensionality and suggests the search for better superconductors should refocus on three‐dimensional systems where the inevitable thermal fluctuations are less likely to reduce the observed .

     

Refined comparison theorems for the Dirac equation in d dimensions

A single spin‐1/2 particle obeys the Dirac equation in spatial dimension and is bound by an attractive central monotone potential which vanishes at infinity (in one dimension the potential is even). This work refines the relativistic comparison theorems which were derived by Hall 1 . The new theorems allow the graphs of the two comparison potentials and to crossover in a controlled way and still imply the spectral ordering for the eigenvalues at the bottom of each angular momentum subspace. More specifically in a simplest case we have: in dimension , if , then ; and in dimensions, if , where and , then .

     

Ultra‐Fast Control of Magnetic Relaxation in a Periodically Driven Hubbard Model

Motivated by cold atom and ultra‐fast pump‐probe experiments we study the melting of long‐range antiferromagnetic order of a perfect Néel state in a periodically driven repulsive Hubbard model. The dynamics is calculated for a Bethe lattice in infinite dimensions with non‐equilibrium dynamical mean‐field theory. In the absence of driving melting proceeds differently depending on the quench of the interactions to hopping ratio from the atomic limit. For decay occurs due to mobile charge‐excitations transferring energy to the spin sector, while for it is governed by the dynamics of residual quasi‐particles. Here we explore the rich effects that strong periodic driving has on this relaxation process spanning three frequency ω regimes: (i) high‐frequency , (ii) resonant with integer l, and (iii) in‐gap away from resonance. In case (i) we can quickly switch the decay from quasi‐particle to charge‐excitation mechanism through the suppression of ν₀. For (ii) the interaction can be engineered, even allowing an effective regime to be reached, giving the reverse switch from a charge‐excitation to quasi‐particle decay mechanism. For (iii) the exchange interaction can be controlled with little effect on the decay. By combining these regimes we show how periodic driving could be a potential pathway for controlling magnetism in antiferromagnetic materials. Finally, our numerical results demonstrate the accuracy and applicability of matrix product state techniques to the Hamiltonian DMFT impurity problem subjected to strong periodic driving.     

Theory of the Robin quantum wall in a linear potential. II. Thermodynamic properties

A theoretical analysis of the thermodynamic properties of the Robin wall characterized by the extrapolation length Λ in the electric field that pushes the particle to the surface is presented both in the canonical and two grand canonical representations and in the whole range of the Robin distance with the emphasis on its negative values which for the voltage‐free configuration support negative‐energy bound state. For the canonical ensemble, the heat capacity at exhibits a nonmonotonic behavior as a function of the temperature T with its pronounced maximum unrestrictedly increasing for the decreasing fields as and its location being proportional to . For the Fermi‐Dirac distribution, the specific heat per particle is a nonmonotonic function of the temperature too with the conspicuous extremum being preceded on the T axis by the plateau whose magnitude at the vanishing is defined as , with N being a number of the particles. The maximum of is the largest for and, similar to the canonical ensemble, grows to infinity as the field goes to zero. For the Bose‐Einstein ensemble, a formation of the sharp asymmetric feature on the ‐T dependence with the increase of N is shown to be more prominent at the lower voltages. This cusp‐like dependence of the heat capacity on the temperature, which for the infinite number of bosons transforms into the discontinuity of , is an indication of the phase transition to the condensate state. Some other physical characteristics such as the critical temperature and ground‐level population of the Bose‐Einstein condensate are calculated and analyzed as a function of the field and extrapolation length. Qualitative and quantitative explanation of these physical phenomena is based on the variation of the energy spectrum by the electric field.     

Quantum states and vortex patterns in nanosuperconductors

The quanum levels and corresponding vortex states in nanoscale superconductors are investigated within generalized Bogolubov‐de Gennes theory. For symmetric (square‐shaped) samples thermodynamically stable vortex phases form symmetry‐consistent patterns and no transition to conventional Abrikosov‐like vortex patterns occurs till T=0K for sizes not exceeding 25 nm. For vorticity a giant vortex is stabilized at temperatures in the vicinity of , which transforms into a giant antivortex and four normal vortices with lowering the temperature. On the other hand, the vortex pattern for vorticity corresponds to an antivortex and four normal vortices in the whole temperature domain.     

Relic photon temperature versus redshift and the cosmic neutrino background

Presuming that CMB photons are described by the deconfining phase of an SU(2) Yang‐Mills theory with the critical temperature for the deconfining‐preconfining phase transition matching the present CMB temperature K (SU(2)_CMB), we investigate how CMB temperature T connects with the cosmological scale factor a in a Friedmann‐Lemaître‐Robertson‐Walker Universe. Owing to a violation of conformal scaling at late times, the tension between the (instantaneous) redshift of reionisation from CMB observation () and quasar spectra () is repealed. Also, we find that the redshift of CMB decoupling moves from to which questions ΛCDM cosmology at high redshifts. Adapting this model to the conventional physics of three flavours of massless cosmic neutrinos, we demonstrate inconsistency with the value N_eff ～ 3.36 extracted from Planck data. Interactions between cosmic neutrinos and the CMB implies a common temperature T of (no longer separately conserved) CMB and neutrino fluids. N_eff ～ 3.36 then entails a universal, temperature induced cosmic neutrino mass with . Our above results on z_re and z_dec, derived from SU(2)_CMB alone, are essentially unaffected when including such a neutrino sector.