Raman spectroscopy of a single ion coupled to a high-finesse cavity

We describe an ion-based cavity-QED system in which the internal dynamics of an atom is coupled to the modes of an optical cavity by vacuum-stimulated Raman transitions. We observe Raman spectra for different excitation polarizations and find quantitative agreement with theoretical simulations. Residual motion of the ion introduces motional sidebands in the Raman spectrum and leads to ion delocalization. The system offers prospects for cavity-assisted resolved-sideband ground-state cooling and coherent manipulation of ions and photons. C. Russo and H.G. Barros contributed equally to this work.     

The dynamic response of an inhomogeneous plasma diode to an appliedpotential drop

Recent measurements of the response to an applied step voltage in collisionless plasmas have demonstrated the importance of the initial ion density distribution for the resulting time evolution and the formation of electric double layers. The dynamic response of a plasma diode to an applied step voltage is studied by particle-in-cell simulations and an analytical model. It is shown that an ion-density cavity (a local ion-density minimum with a width of many Debye lengths) can support large potential drops for several electron transit times. The potential drop extends over a distance related to the cavity width. When the applied potential drop exceeds a certain critical value, which depends on the cavity depth, the drop instead concentrates in a cathode sheath, which also is the response obtained for homogeneous initial plasma. The existence regions for the two different response in the appropriate parameter plane are found from the simulations and shown to agree with the regions predicted analytically. The analytical potential profiles agree with those simulated     

强激光与等离子体相互作用中受激陷俘电子声波散射及相空间离子涡旋的形成

应用一维相对论电磁粒子模拟程序，研究了线性极化强激光入射到无碰撞密度均匀的次临界密度等离子体中所引起的受激陷俘电子声波散射不稳定性过程.不稳定性的早期行为与是否考虑离子动力学效应无关.当考虑离子动力学效应之后会激发一个随时间增长的离子声波，并且最终由于大振幅电磁孤立子的产生而中断.由于电磁孤立子内的静电场与电磁场所产生的离子加速与俘获效应，导致一个离子涡旋在离子相空间中形成；当电磁孤立子向后加速过程中，若干个离子涡旋结构随之形成.研究发现，离子涡旋结构同样存在于密度不均匀的次临界密度等离子体中.从拓扑的观 关键词： 粒子模拟 受激陷俘电子声波散射 电磁孤立子 离子涡旋     

The entropy of entangled three-level atoms interacting with entangled cavity fields: Entanglement swapping

The dynamics of an entangled atomic system, partially interacting with entangled cavity fields and characterizing an entanglement swapping, has been studied through their von Neumann entropies. The aforementioned interaction is implemented via a two-photon process, given by either the full microscopical Hamiltonian approach or the two-photon Jaynes-Cummings model. Numerical simulations furnish the explicit expressions for each sub-system entropy, which allow us to estimate the multiperiodicity in the evolution of the entangled atom-field system. The effects of the detuning parameter upon the period and the amplitude of the entropies are also discussed as well as the power spectrum of the entropy.     

Brine rejection from freezing salt solutions: a molecular dynamics study

The atmospherically and technologically very important process of brine rejection from freezing salt solutions is investigated with atomic resolution using molecular dynamics simulations. The present calculations allow us to follow the motion of each water molecule and salt ion and to propose a microscopic mechanism of brine rejection, in which a fluctuation (reduction) of the ion density in the vicinity of the ice front is followed by the growth of a new ice layer. The presence of salt slows down the freezing process, which leads to the formation of an almost neat ice next to a disordered brine layer.     

Dynamics of a two-level trapped ion in a cavity

In the present paper we consider the case of a two-level ion in a cavity in the presence of a single mode field linearly polarized. We suppose that the ion is free to move along the polarization direction and trapped by a harmonic potential along the other two directions. By multiple path integration we derive the density matrix of the system and we study its dynamics. We assume an initial electromagnetic vacuum. This initial condition for the present system, compared with any other initial photonic state, gives new and higher order leading terms with respect to an expansion in powers of the inverse of the volume. Further after such an expansion there appears a first order term that originates from the combined interaction of the two-level system (qubit) with the quantum motion of the ion and the electromagnetic field in the cavity. We notice that the dynamics of the present system is very rich and can be studied exhaustively in the present framework.     

Ultrasoft colloids in cavities of oscillating size or sharpness

We employ dynamical density functional theory (DDFT) and Brownian Dynamics (BD) simulations to examine the fully developed dynamics of ultrasoft colloids interacting via a Gaussian pair potential in time-dependent external fields. The DDFT formalism employed is that of Marconi and Tarazona [J. Chem. Phys., 110, 8032 (1999)], which allows for determination of the time-dependent density profile based on knowledge of the static, equilibrium density functional. Three different dynamical situations are examined: firstly, the behaviour of Gaussian particles in a spherical cavity of oscillating size, including both sudden and continuous changes in the size of the cavity. Secondly, a spherical cavity with a fixed size but varying sharpness. Finally, to investigate a strong inhomogeneity in the density profile we study the diffusion of one layer of particles which is initially strongly confined and separated from the remaining system via an external potential. In all cases, DDFT is in excellent agreement with BD results, demonstrating the applicability of the theory to dynamical problems involving overdamped interacting particles in a solvent.     

Large transverse motion and micro-bunching of trapped electrons in a wakefield accelerator driven by temporally-asymmetric laser pulses

The transverse oscillatory motion of trapped electrons under the influence of the laser fields trailing the temporally-asymmetric driving laser pulse was investigated with a theoretical model of the quasi-steady state solution of trapped electron dynamics in the cavity. Our studies show that the transverse oscillation of electrons accelerated in the ion cavity can increase drastically due to the resonance with the laser field of the tail of the temporally-asymmetric pulse. The motion of the accelerated electrons can be represented by a forced harmonic oscillation and it was confirmed by 2D particle-in-cell simulations. These transverse oscillations of beams lead to micro-bunching as well, which can be used for generation of femtosecond coherent radiations of keV range photon energies.     

Fine structure in swift heavy ion tracks in amorphous SiO2

We report on the observation of a fine structure in ion tracks in amorphous SiO2 using small angle x-ray scattering measurements. Tracks were generated by high energy ion irradiation with Au and Xe between 27 MeV and 1.43 GeV. In agreement with molecular dynamics simulations, the tracks consist of a core characterized by a significant density deficit compared to unirradiated material, surrounded by a high density shell. The structure is consistent with a frozen-in pressure wave originating from the center of the ion track as a result of a thermal spike.     

Dynamical density functional theory with hydrodynamic interactions and colloids in unstable traps

A density functional theory for colloidal dynamics is presented which includes hydrodynamic interactions between the colloidal particles. The theory is applied to the dynamics of colloidal particles in an optical trap which switches periodically in time from a stable to an unstable confining potential. In the absence of hydrodynamic interactions, the resulting density breathing mode exhibits huge single peaked oscillations in the trap center which become double peaked and damped by hydrodynamic interactions. The predicted dynamical density fields are in good agreement with Brownian dynamics computer simulations.     

The collapsing bubble in a liquid by molecular dynamics simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations have been made of a collapsing bubble or cavity in a simple liquid. Simulations of a Lennard-Jones liquid reveal that the collapsing process takes place in a series of stages. First, the ‘hottest’ molecules from the high kinetic energy tail in the Maxwell—Boltzmann distribution diffuse into the empty cavity. This is followed by a gradual filling in of the cavity until the density in the centre is a little lower than that of the bulk liquid. The system eventually reaches a final new equilibrium liquid state through a subsequent slower equilibration phase. The bubble fills in an oscillatory manner, by partly filling in, and then partially emptying, and so on, with ever decreasing amplitude towards the final uniform liquid state. These density oscillations are more obvious in systems with a larger bubble. Similar oscillations are observed in the kinetic energy of the molecules at selected radii from the centre of the initial bubble. The maximum temperature occurs typically at the end of the initial fillingin stage during which the density of the core undergoes a vapour-to-liquid phase transition, the released latent heat probably contributing to the temperatures achieved in this region. The average maximum temperature found in the smallest system examined is about nine times the critical temperature, which is about 6000 K for water, thus suggesting a simple mechanism for producing molecules with the sorts of kinetic energies and lifetimes required for sonoluminescence.     

Three-dimensional relativistic electromagnetic subcycle solitons

Three-dimensional (3D) relativistic electromagnetic subcycle solitons were observed in 3D particle-in-cell simulations of an intense short-laser-pulse propagation in an underdense plasma. Their structure resembles that of an oscillating electric dipole with a poloidal electric field and a toroidal magnetic field that oscillate in phase with the electron density with frequency below the Langmuir frequency. On the ion time scale, the soliton undergoes a Coulomb explosion of its core, resulting in ion acceleration, and then evolves into a slowly expanding quasineutral cavity.     

Current fluctuations in nanopores: The effects of electrostatic and hydrodynamic interactions

Using nonequilibrium Langevin dynamics simulations of an electrolyte with explicit solvent particles, we investigate the effect of hydrodynamic interactions on the power spectrum of ionic nanopore currents. At low frequency, we find a power-law dependence of the power spectral density on the frequency, with an exponent depending on the ion density. Surprisingly, however, the exponent is not affected by the presence of the neutral solvent particles. We conclude that hydrodynamic interactions do not affect the shape of the power spectrum in the frequency range studied.     

Dynamics of ions in the selectivity filter of the KcsA channel

The statistical and dynamical properties of ions in the selectivity filter of the KcsA ion channel are considered on the basis of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the KcsA protein embedded in a lipid membrane surrounded by an ionic solution. A new approach to the derivation of a Brownian dynamics (BD) model of ion permeation through the filter is discussed, based on unbiased MD simulations. It is shown that depending on additional assumptions, ion’s dynamics can be described either by under-damped Langevin equation with constant damping and white noise or by Langevin equation with a fractional memory kernel. A comparison of the potential of the mean force derived from unbiased MD simulations with the potential produced by the umbrella sampling method demonstrates significant differences in these potentials. The origin of these differences is an open question that requires further clarifications.     

Secondary particle emission from a ferromagnetic binary compound

Secondary ion emission from an ion-bombarded binary compound in the ferro- and paramagnetic states has been studied using experimental methods and molecular dynamics simulations. The experiments were performed with a widely used NiPd binary compound, which was bombarded by obliquely incident 10-keV Ar ions. It is established that the intensity of Ni⁺ and Pd⁺ ion emission from a polycrystalline NiPd sample decreases significantly when it passes from the ferromagnetic to paramagnetic state. This effect is explained by a change in the surface binding energy and density of surface states at the Fermi level and by a cumulative process related to sputtering. The energies and directions of emission of secondary particles from poly- and single-crystalline NiPd samples in the ferromagnetic state have been jointly studied. It is established that the maximum of the polar angular distribution of secondary particles deviates toward the normal to the irradiated surface with a decrease in their energy. A difference in the azimuthal distribution of emitted Ni and Pd particles has been observed during the bombardment of a (001)NiPd crystal face and explained by specific features of correlated collisions. The best agreement of experimental data with the results of molecular dynamics simulations is obtained if the calculations are performed with allowance for an experimentally established modified composition of the three uppermost surface layers [39].     

Electrophysiological Properties from Computations at a Single Voltage: Testing Theory with Stochastic Simulations

We use stochastic simulations to investigate the performance of two recently developed methods for calculating the free energy profiles of ion channels and their electrophysiological properties, such as current–voltage dependence and reversal potential, from molecular dynamics simulations at a single applied voltage. These methods require neither knowledge of the diffusivity nor simulations at multiple voltages, which greatly reduces the computational effort required to probe the electrophysiological properties of ion channels. They can be used to determine the free energy profiles from either forward or backward one-sided properties of ions in the channel, such as ion fluxes, density profiles, committor probabilities, or from their two-sided combination. By generating large sets of stochastic trajectories, which are individually designed to mimic the molecular dynamics crossing statistics of models of channels of trichotoxin, p7 from hepatitis C and a bacterial homolog of the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel, GLIC, we find that the free energy profiles obtained from stochastic simulations corresponding to molecular dynamics simulations of even a modest length are burdened with statistical errors of only 0.3 kcal/mol. Even with many crossing events, applying two-sided formulas substantially reduces statistical errors compared to one-sided formulas. With a properly chosen reference voltage, the current–voltage curves can be reproduced with good accuracy from simulations at a single voltage in a range extending for over 200 mV. If possible, the reference voltages should be chosen not simply to drive a large current in one direction, but to observe crossing events in both directions.     

Overrun effects in nuclear fusion within a single Coulomb exploding nanodroplet

We present a theoretical-computational study of intra-nanodroplet (INTRA) collisions, and of dd and dt nuclear fusion driven by nonuniform Coulomb explosion (CE) induced by overrun effects in (D₂)_n and (DT)_n nanodroplets. We explored two systems where distinct overrun effects induce INTRA nuclear reactions: (1) double-pulse ultraintense laser irradiation of homonuclear (D₂)_n nanodroplets, which attain a transient inhomogeneous density profile that serves as a target for the realization of nonuniform CE. Overrun effects between nuclei originating from different spatial regions of the exploding nanodroplet drive INTRA dd fusion; (2) single-pulse ultraintense laser irradiation of heteonuclear (DT)_n nanodroplets, which results in kinematic overrun effects driving INTRA dt fusion. We utilized scaled electron and ion dynamics simulations to explore the inner and outer ionization electron dynamics, the time dependent deuteron and triton density profiles, the velocities of nuclei and the INTRA fusion yields in the two systems. In system (1) we identify the formation of a localized “overrun shell” at the periphery of the exploding nanodroplet, which is characterized by a narrow spatial range of the fusion generation function, by maxima in the local density and in the spatially averaged local velocity, as well as in the bifurcation of the local velocities, which manifests overrun effects. In system (2) we identify a marked local density enhancement with dt fusion occurring within most of the entire volume of the exploding nanodroplet without shell formation. The four-orders-of-magnitude increase of the dt fusion yield in the one-pulse irradiated (DT)_n nanodroplet, as compared with the two-pulse irradiated (D₂)_n nanodroplet, originates from cumulative effects of density and cross section enhancement.     

电子束长程传输中离子通道的振荡特性研究

离子通道可以有效抑制电子束在等离子体环境内传输过程中的径向扩散,已有工作研究了离子通道对电子束的影响,但离子通道建立过程和暂态特性研究则更有助于理解和利用离子通道在电子束长程传输中的作用。本文利用PIC方法对离子通道的时空分布进行二维模拟,并基于单粒子理论推导出描述离子通道振荡的解析模型,对上述两种模型的结果相互校验。上述模型的计算结果表明,在长程传输过程中,相对论电子束在等离子体内部建立的离子通道是持续周期振荡的,电子束密度、电子束初始半径以及环境等离子体密度都会对离子通道的振荡规律产生影响,针对不同的等离子体环境选择合适的电子束参数可以有效提高离子通道的稳定性,进而提升传输过程中电子束的束流质量。