Probing the thermal atoms of a Bose gas through Raman transition

We explore the many body physics of a Bose condensed atom gas at finite temperature through the Raman transition between two hyperfine levels. Unlike the Bragg scattering where the phonon-like nature of the collective excitations has been observed, a different branch of thermal atom excitation is found theoretically in the Raman scattering. This excitation is predicted in the generalized random phase approximation (GRPA) and has a gapped and parabolic dispersion relation. The gap energy results from the exchange interaction and is released during the Raman transition. The scattering rate is determined versus the transition frequency ω and the transferred momentum q and shows the corresponding resonance around this gap. Nevertheless, the Raman scattering process is attenuated by the superfluid part of the gas. The macroscopic wave function of the condensate deforms its shape in order to screen locally the external potential displayed by the Raman light beams. This screening is total for a condensed atom transition in order to prevent the condensate from incoherent scattering. The experimental observation of this result would explain some of the reasons why asuperfluid condensate moves coherentlywithout any friction with its surrounding.     

Higgs type excitations in cold atom systems

Higgs type excitations are the excitations which give mass to particles. The Higgs type excitations has a critical role both in particle physics and condensed matter physics. In particle physics, the suspected Higgs boson has been found by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2012. In condensed matter physics, the Higgs type excitations relate to order phase of the system. In this review, we present an overview of recent studies on the Higgs type excitations both in non-interacting and interacting cold atom systems. First, in non-interacting cold atom system, by synthesizing artificial non-Abelian gauge potential, we demonstrate that when a non-Abelian gauge potential is reduced to Abelian potential, the Abelian part constructs spin-orbit coupling, and the non-Abelian part emerges Higgs excitations. Secondly, the Higgs excitations which are the reputed Higgs amplitude mode in interacting cold atom system are discussed. We review the theoretical model and the experimental detection of Higgs amplitude mode in two dimensional superfluid. The observation of both Higgs type excitations in real experiments are also discussed.     

Superfluid analogies of cosmological phenomena

In a modern viewpoint relativistic quantum field theory is an emergent phenomenon arising in the low-energy corner of the physical fermionic vacuum – the medium, whose nature remains unknown. The same phenomenon occurs in condensed matter systems: In the extreme limit of low-energy condensed matter systems of special universality class acquire all the symmetries, which we know today in high-energy physics: Lorentz invariance, gauge invariance, general covariance, etc. The chiral fermions as well as gauge bosons and gravity field arise as fermionic and bosonic collective modes of the system. Inhomogeneous states of the condensed matter ground state – vacuum – induce nontrivial effective metrics of the space, where the free quasiparticles move along geodesics. This conceptual similarity between condensed matter and the quantum vacuum allows us to simulate many phenomena in high-energy physics and cosmology, including the axial anomaly, baryoproduction and magnetogenesis, event horizon and Hawking radiation, cosmological constant and rotating vacuum, etc., probing these phenomena in ultra-low-temperature superfluid helium, atomic Bose condensates and superconductors. Some of the experiments have been already conducted.     

Superradiant spin-flip radiative emission of a spin-polarized free-electron beam

Radiative emission from the magnetic moments of the spins of an electron beam has never been observed directly, because it is fundamentally much weaker than the electric charge emission. We show that the detectivity of spin-flip and combined spin-flip-cyclotron-resonance-emission radiation can be substantially enhanced by operating with ultrashort spin-polarized electron beam bunches under conditions of superradiant (coherent) emission. The proposed superradiant spin-flip radiative emission scheme can be used for noninvasive diagnostics of polarized electron or positron beams. Such beams are of relevance in important scattering experiments off nucleons in nuclear physics and off magnetic targets in condensed matter physics.     

上海激光康普顿散射伽马源的发展和展望

激光康普顿散射(Laser Campton Scattering, LCS)光源,是一种基于相对论电子束与激光光子相互作用的新型X-ray或Gamma-ray光源。它具有能量高、波长短、脉冲快和峰值亮度高的特性,已成为国际先进光源技术的重要选项之一。本文介绍了激光康普顿散射光源的产生原理、国内外发展现状以及目前国际上运行和在建的激光康普顿散射光源装置,其中重点介绍了上海光源二期正在建设的上海激光电子伽马源(Shanghai Laser Electron Gamma Source, SLEGS)装置,以及在这一光源装置上可以开展的核物理、核天体物理、核废料处理及核医学应用等研究。随着上海软X射线自由电子激光试验装置(Soft X-ray Free Electron Laser, SXFEL)升级为用户装置,以及未来十三五国家重大科技基础设施-硬X射线自由电子装置(Shanghai HIgh repetition rate XFEL aNd Extreme light facility,SHINE)的建设完成,基于直线电子加速器(LINear ACcelator, LINAC)的康普顿散射光源的伽马能量将会达到GeV量级的高能量。超短脉冲、高极化度、高通量的激光康普顿散射光源将迎来新的发展机遇,基于康普顿伽马光源的核物理、天体物理、粒子物理及应用基础研究也必将迈上一个新台阶。     

高能量密度氘、氦的第一原理研究进展

极端条件下氘、氦的研究对于凝聚态物理、等离子体物理、天体物理以及惯性约束聚变的研究具有重要意义.文章综述了近年来温稠密区、热稠密区以及低温高压区的最新研究进展,归纳了尚待解决的科学问题,从而为进一步的研究提供参考.     

Theory of RIXS in strongly correlated electron systems: Mott gap excitations in cuprates

We theoretically examine the momentum dependence of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) spectrum for one-dimensional and two-dimensional cuprates based on the single-band Hubbard model with realistic parameter values. The spectrum is calculated by using the numerical diagonalization technique for finite-size clusters. We focus on excitations across the Mott gap and clarify spectral features coming from the excitations as well as the physics behind them. Good agreement between the theoretical and existing experimental results clearly demonstrates that the RIXS is a potential tool to study the momentum-dependent charge excitations in strongly correlated electron systems.     

X-射线拉曼散射(XRS)

在讲述X-射线拉曼散射(谱)的基本原理, 实验设备及应用之前, 介绍了我国第四代光源(即第三代同步辐射光源)及其基本结构、特性, 这些是光物理研究中必备条件。此外, 与已有的元激发光谱作了比较; 最后还指出可能的发展方向。     

All-optical scheme for detecting the possible Majorana signature based on QD and nanomechanical resonator systems

Majorana fermions(MFs) are exotic particles that are their own anti-particles. Currently, the search for MFs occurring as quasiparticle excitations in condensed matter systems has attracted widespread interest, because of their importance in fundamental physics and potential applications in topological quantum computation based on solid-state devices. Motivated by recent experimental progress towards the detection and manipulation of MFs in hybrid semiconductor/superconductor heterostructures, in this review, we present a novel proposal to probe MFs in all-optical domain. We introduce a single quantum dot(QD), a hybrid quantum dot-nanomechanical resonators(QD-NR) system, and a carbon nanotube(CNT) resonator implanted in a single electron spin system with optical pump-probe technology to detect MFs, respectively. With this scheme, a possible Majorana signature is investigated via the probe absorption spectrum and nonlinear optical Kerr effect, and the coupling strength between MFs and the QD or the single electron spin is also determined. In the hybrid QD-NR system, vibration of the NR will enhance the nonlinear optical effect, which makes the MFs more sensitive for detection. In the CNT resonator with a single electron, the single electron spin can be considered as a sensitive probe, and the CNT resonator behaved as a phonon cavity is robust for detecting of MFs. This optical scheme will provide another method for the detection MFs and will open the door for new applications ranging from robust manipulation of MFs to quantum information processing based on MFs.     

Brillouin scattering studies of rare gas solids

Abstract

The scattering of light by elementar excitations in the matter is results in two phenomena, discriminated by the zero wavevector frequency of the excitation: if this frequency is zero, one deals with Brillouin scattering, and with Raman scattering in the other case. Brillouin scattering results from the interaction of light with thermal excitations (acoustic phonons in a crystal) of a material, or, from a classical point of view, with density waves. Contrary to Raman scattering, the selection rules allow always the observation of at least one mode. It is a powerful technic in the study of rare gases under pressure: at ambient temperature, rare gases crystallize in the face centered cubic structure (except helium which structure was recently found to be hexagonal) and are therefore Raman and infrared inactive.

Experimental results will be reviewed on rare gases and rare gas mixtures in the fluid phase, like He-Ne and He-H₂. These results will be discussed in relation with recent measurements of the frequency of global oscillations of Jupiter.     

凝聚态物理学的新进展Ⅲ

本文综述凝聚态物理学近几年来的重要进展,列举了一些事例予以阐述。在第Ⅲ部分中涉及的主题为细小体系及凝聚态中的非线性现象。讨论的问题包括:介观系统中的量子相干性和电子输运,团簇的幻数和壳层结构,离子阱中库仑团簇的类相变行为,魔梯,自组织临界性和非平衡态流体中空时图样的形成与演化。     

Spin-1 pyrochlore antiferromagnets: Theory,model, and materials’ survey

Pyrochlore magnets can be a unique platform to demonstrate numerous important concepts and applications of frustrated magnetic physics in modern condensed matter physics. Most works on pyrochlore magnets deal with the interacting spin-1/2 local moments, while much less works have studied the spin-1 systems. We here review the physics with interacting spin-1 local moments on the pyrochlore lattice to illustrate the potentially interesting physics associated with spin-1 magnets. The generic pyrochlore spin-1 model includes the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interaction, the Dzyaloshinskii– Moriya interaction and the single-ion spin anisotropy. The global phase diagram of this generic spin model is reviewed, and the relation between different quantum phases in the phase diagram is clarified. The critical properties of the transition from the parent quantum paramagnet to the proximate orders are discussed. The presence of quantum order by disorder in the parts of the ordered phases is analyzed. The elementary excitations with respect to the ground states are further reviewed, and the topological natures of these excitations are carefully addressed. The materials’ relevance of the spin-1 pyrochlore magnets are finally reviewed. This review may provide insights about the interesting spin-1 local moments on frustrated systems.     

All basic condensed matter physics phenomena and notions mirror in biology — A hypothesis,two examples and a novel prediction

A few billion years of evolutionary time and the complex process of ‘selection’ has given biology an opportunity to explore a variety of condensed matter phenomena and situations, some of which have been discovered by humans in the laboratory, that too only in extreme non-biological conditions such as low temperatures, high purity, high pressure etc., in the last centuries. Biology, at some level, is a complex and self-regulated condensed matter system compared to the ‘inanimate’ condensed matter systems such as liquid ⁴He, liquid water or a piece of graphite. In this article I propose a hypothesis that ‘all basic condensed matter physics phenomena and notions (already known and ones yet to be discovered) mirror in biology’. I explain this hypothesis by considering the idea of ‘Bose condensation’ or ‘momentum space order’ and discuss two known example of quantum magnetism encountered in biology. I also provide some new and rather speculative possibility, from light harvesting in biological photosynthesis, of mesoscopic excition condensation related phenomena at room temperature.     

Applications of X-ray absorption spectroscopy in materials science: Status and new trends

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) is a local probe of the geometric and electronic structure of individual atomic species in condensed matter. With the availability of intense, polarized and highly collimated X-rays from storage rings the technique has found a widespread application in physics, chemistry, biology and geology. Multiple scattering of the photoelectron in the edge region and in shadowing configurations makes it possible to deduce higher correlations in the atomic arrangement besides the pair correlation obtained from standard EXAFS. This gives radial and angular information on the geometric structure. A promising new application is XAS under total external reflection with detection of the absorption by fluorescence. This allows in-situ investigations of solid-solid, solid-liquid and solid-gas interfaces. New dedicated storage rings with high brilliance will have a major impact on XAS in dispersive mode and for very dilute systems.     

Correction des effets de l''image jumelle et du terme quadratique en holographie de Gabor

An iterative method to suitably solve the problem of the twin image and quadratic term in Gabor's holography is presented. This method gives useful information regarding the uniqueness of the solution and the sensitivity of the results to all types of errors. In particular, it appears that the hologram can be obtained in optical conditions intermediate between the Fraunhofer and the Fresnel conditions. This is of special interest in the case of Zernike-Gabor objects because of the signal-to-noise ratio. This technique seems to be well suited to the problems involved in electron microscopy. The applications concern the analysis at high resolution of structures in biology and in physics of condensed matter.     

Indo‐French meeting on indus‐2 and soleil

With the availability of the first generation of X-ray free electron lasers, pump-probe measurements with femtosecond resolution and high brilliance are now possible. For condensed matter systems, a wealth of modes in the mid-infrared (MIR) and terahertz (THz) regime determine the physics such that targeted excitation with ultrashort pulses at long wavelength becomes an important tool. We will briefly discuss the methodology of pump-probe experiments at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) and then review methods of generation of intense THz and MIR pulses. This is followed with recent examples from atomic and condensed matter physics at LCLS, and we conclude with an outlook of future developments in this field.     

中子散射技术及其应用

热中子的波长和凝聚态物质的原子／分子间距具有相同的量级，而其能量又和原子／分子的热运动能量相近．因此，利用热中子的弹性和非弹性散射效应，可以从微观层次上获取物质的结构和动力学知识。目前，中子散射技术在物理、化学、化工、生物和材料科学等研究领域的应用已经获得了许多用其他方法无法得到的知识，文章介绍了中子散射的基本原理和特点，并列举了中子散射技术在相关研究领域中的典型应用     

电子能量损失谱学和电子动量谱学

电子能量损失谱学和电子动量谱学经过近３０年的发展已成为原子分子物理的一个重要研究领域，并在化学、聚变等离子体和凝聚态物理等方面获得重要应用．文章介绍了它们的基本原理、最新进展和应用．     

The O–H stretching band in ice Ih derived via eV neutron spectroscopy on VESUVIO using the new very low angle detector bank

Strong demand exists for an experimental facility enabling new experimental investigations on condensed matter systems based on epithermal neutron scattering at high energy and low momentum transfers. This need will be met by the very low angle detector (VLAD) bank, to be installed on the VESUVIO spectrometer at the ISIS spallation neutron source. The equipment will operate in the scattering angular range 1°<2θ<5°. Scattering measurements from a polycrystalline ice sample using a VLAD prototype demonstrates the effectiveness of the detection technique adopted for the construction of the full detector array. The resulting density of states in ice is 9±2 atoms/cell, in agreement with previous measurements. PACS 61.12.Ex; 63.20.Dj; 63.50.+x