Pre-sheath formation in an oblique magnetic field: fluid model and PIC simulation

We present some results of a one-dimensional fluid model with a floating electrode immersed in plasma with magnetic field applied at an oblique angle. The model equations are integrated numerically in order to find the space profiles of the ion velocities and electrostatic potential for various strenghts and angles of the magnetic field. We assume a collisionless magnetized pre-sheath with isothermal ions. The results are then compared with the spatial profiles obtained by a computer simulation. We use a BIT1 particle-in-cell code. The simulations input parameters are chosen in the way, that they resemble the fluid model as much as possible. Because the results of the simulation are given in the absolute SI units, they have to be normalized correctly. We evaluate the model results and compare them with the computer simulation results. Special attention is brought on formation of the pre-sheath with magnetic field applied at intermediate angles. The results of the simulation are in good qualitative agreement with the model.     

Excitonic line shapes of disordered solids

The optical absorption for a disordered one-dimensional excitonic solid has been studied by numerical methods. We have considered both Gaussian and binary energy fluctuations. Our results indicate that the physical properties associated with the spectra are selfaveraging. Results obtained on a single realization of random variables are consistent with recent ensemble averaged results obtained numerically on smaller samples. We also show that for binary disordered solids in the band splitting limit, spectra are dominated by cluster effects and can not be described through analytical treatments.     

Self-scattering in Monte Carlo calculations of transient dynamic response in semiconductors

We have calculated the transient dynamic response in GaAs by a Monte Carlo approach. We find that the results are extremely sensitive to the value of Γ, the self-scattering parameter, which differs from results previously reported in the literature. However, when Г is selected so that $\text{〈Δ t 〉= 1/Г ? 〈τ〉}$, comparable results are obtained to those calculated without utilizing a self-scattering assumption.     

The use of dynamical networks to detect the hierarchical organization of financial market sectors

Two kinds of filtered networks: minimum spanning trees (MSTs) and planar maximally filtered graphs (PMFGs) are constructed from dynamical correlations computed over a moving window. We study the evolution over time of both hierarchical and topological properties of these graphs in relation to market fluctuations. We verify that the dynamical PMFG preserves the same hierarchical structure as the dynamical MST, providing in addition a more significant and richer structure, a stronger robustness and dynamical stability. Central and peripheral stocks are differentiated by using a combination of different topological measures. We find stocks well connected and central; stocks well connected but peripheral; stocks poorly connected but central; stocks poorly connected and peripheral. It results that the Financial sector plays a central role in the entire system. The robustness, stability and persistence of these findings are verified by changing the time window and by performing the computations on different time periods. We discuss these results and the economic meaning of this hierarchical positioning.     

Resonant multiphoton ionization of Li

We present calculations of three photon ionization of Li produced by 3-ps laser pulses within a single electron local model potential using the dressed state picture. The laser frequency ranges from 15 000 to 18 400 cm⁻¹. We have found that the measured ionization signal as a function of photon frequency results from ionization processes in a region where the laser intensity is not homogeneous. We assume a Gaussian shape for the light pulse in the interaction volume. Our results are shown to be in good agreement with experiment. We propose that free electrons are submitted to a ponderomotif potential to interpret experimental results. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Laser-assisted positron-impact ionization of atomic hydrogen

We study the ionization of atomic hydrogen by a fast positron in the presence of an external linearly polarized laser field. We concentrate on the limit of a small momentum transfer and describe the fast positron's continuum states by Volkov wave functions. The ejected electron is described by a Coulomb-Volkov wave function. We are limited to small laser intensities such that the dressed state of the target is treatable within the time-dependent perturbation theory, even though the laser intensity is still quite high by laboratory standards. Numerical results for the triply differential cross sections and their dependencies on laser-field parameters are discussed and compared with the results of laser-assisted ionization by electron impact.     

General entanglement scaling laws from time evolution

We establish a general scaling law for the entanglement of a large class of ground states and dynamically evolving states of quantum spin chains: we show that the geometric entropy of a distinguished block saturates, and hence follows an entanglement-boundary law. These results apply to any ground state of a gapped model resulting from dynamics generated by a local Hamiltonian, as well as, dually, to states that are generated via a sudden quench of an interaction as recently studied in the case of dynamics of quantum phase transitions. We achieve these results by exploiting ideas from quantum information theory and tools provided by Lieb-Robinson bounds. We also show that there exist noncritical fermionic systems and equivalent spin chains with rapidly decaying interactions violating this entanglement-boundary law. Implications for the classical simulatability are outlined.     

Superheating and solid-liquid phase coexistence in nanoparticles with nonmelting surfaces

We present a phenomenological model of melting in nanoparticles with facets that are only partially wet by their liquid phase. We show that in this model, as the solid nanoparticle seeks to avoid coexistence with the liquid, the microcanonical melting temperature can exceed the bulk melting point and that the onset of coexistence is a first-order transition. We show that these results are consistent with molecular dynamics simulations of aluminum nanoparticles which remain solid above the bulk melting temperature.     

Λ型和V型三能级原子与耦合腔相互作用系统中的纠缠特性

研究了由一个Λ型三能级原子、一个V型三能级原子和光纤连接的双模腔构成的系统,给出了系统态矢的演化. 采用部分转置密度矩阵的负本征值来描述两个子系统间的纠缠,利用数值计算方法研究了原子与原子之间和腔场与腔场之间的纠缠特性. 讨论了光纤模与腔场间的耦合强度对纠缠特性的影响. 研究结果表明:随光纤模与腔场间的耦合强度增强,原子间的纠缠和腔场间的纠缠均增强. 关键词： 量子光学 原子-腔-光纤复合系统 三能级原子 量子纠缠     

Sensitive density-fluctuation measurements using wavelength-modulation spectroscopy with high-order-harmonic detection

We discuss experimental and theoretical results which show that when wavelength-modulation spectroscopy is used to monitor concentration fluctuations of gaseous species, greater sensitivity may be obtained if one uses high-order detection. We also show that, depending on the ambient concentration being monitored, there are regions in which the commonly used second derivative would show a negligible variation of signal magnitude with concentration fluctuations, whereas measurement with a higher harmonic would result in a much improved signal. Theoretical results for the measurements of any transition that can be described by the Voigt profile are given. The technique discussed is illustrated by presenting the results of measurements of wavelength-modulation spectroscopy of lines in the oxygenA band. Different detection harmonic orders are suitable for different ambient concentrations, and a related criterion that helps in the determination of a suitable detection harmonic order is given.     

Volatility return intervals analysis of the Japanese market

We investigate scaling and memory effects in return intervals between price volatilities above a certain threshold q for the Japanese stock market using daily and intraday data sets. We find that the distribution of return intervals can be approximated by a scaling function that depends only on the ratio between the return interval τ and its mean 〈τ〉. We also find memory effects such that a large (or small) return interval follows a large (or small) interval by investigating the conditional distribution and mean return interval. The results are similar to previous studies of other markets and indicate that similar statistical features appear in different financial markets. We also compare our results between the period before and after the big crash at the end of 1989. We find that scaling and memory effects of the return intervals show similar features although the statistical properties of the returns are different.     

On the Ricci Tensor of Non-Stationary Axisymmetric Space-Times

We recalculate the Ricci tensors of non-stationary axisymmetric space-times originally calculated by Chandrasekhar, and we find that in the linear regime there are some common factors that did not appear in the original results. We also find some discrepancies in the non-linear terms. However, these discrepancies do not affect the well-known results concerning linear perturbations of a Schwarzschild black hole.     

Structural and transport properties of β″-Al2O3

We report results of a molecular dynamics simulation of sodium β″-Al₂O₃. We confirm that the superiotic properties of this material require deviation from the stoichiometric composition. Our results yield values for the transport coefficients of the material that are in good agreement with experiment. Thermal parameters, measured by diffraction studies are well reproduced by the calculations. The simulations suggest a change in the diffusion mechanism from hopping, at low temperatures, to liquid-like at higher temperatures. The change in migration mechanism isaccompanied by corresponding structural changes.     

Energy transfer to an anharmonic diatomic system

We model an anharmonic diatomic molecule using deformed creation and annihilation operators such that the energy spectrum generated by a Hamiltonian of the harmonic oscillator's form written in terms of deformed operators is similar to that of a Morse potential. We construct an approximate time evolution operator and evaluate transition probabilities which are compared with those obtained by an expansion in a basis of Morse eigenfunctions. The algebraic results compare favorably with the numerical results.     

Additive Invariant Functionals for Dynamical Systems

We consider the problem of defining completely a class of additive conservation laws for the generalized Liouville equation whose characteristics are given by an arbitrary system of first-order ordinary differential equations. We first show that if the conservation law, a time-invariant functional, is additive on functions having disjoint compact support in phase space, then it is represented by an integral over phase space of a kernel which is a function of the solution to the Liouville equation. Then we use the fact that in classical mechanics phase space is usually a direct product of physical space and velocity space (Newtonian systems). We prove that for such systems the aforementioned representation of the invariant functionals will hold for conservation laws which are additive only in physical space; i.e., additivity in physical space automatically implies additivity in the whole phase space. We extend the results to include non-degenerate Hamiltonian systems, and, more generally, to include both conservative and dissipative dynamical systems. Some applications of the results are discussed.     

Reacting particles in open chaotic flows

We study the collision probability p of particles advected by open flows with chaotic advection. We show that p scales with the particle size (or, alternatively, reaction distance) δ as a power law whose coefficient is determined by the fractal dimensions of the invariant sets defined by the advection dynamics. We also argue that this same scaling also holds for the reaction rate of active particles in the low-density regime. These analytical results are compared to numerical simulations, and they are found to agree very well.     

Comment on “On the analytical solution of the optical Bloch equations”

In a recent paper [P.J. Colmenares and J.L. Paz, Opt. Commun. 284 (2011) 5171], analytical solutions of the optical Bloch equations are presented. This paper follows the same procedures as presented in the paper by the authors [H.R. Noh and W. Jhe, Opt. Commun. 283 (2010) 2353] but concludes that their results are substantially different from the results of the authors. We find that the discrepancy results from the wrong initial conditions employed by those authors for one of the Bloch vector components (w), whose initial value must be 1 not 0. We also find that if proper initial conditions are used, there are no discrepancies between the two results.     

Stoichiometry issues in pulsed-laser deposition of alloys grown from multicomponent targets

We have examined the degree of congruent transfer in pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) of alloy thin films in phases that are stable over a wide range of compositions. SiGe films were deposited by PLD onto high-purity glassy carbon substrates. We analyzed the average composition of these films using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), and results show that the deposited films have a higher relative concentration of Ge than the initial targets. We infer that the noncongruent transfer is due to differential scattering in the plume itself. Additionally, the local composition of the particulates was measured by the use of microprobe analysis, and observations of a sintered target of Si and Ge powders and a solidified target of melted Si and Ge were compared. We found that the sintered target produces particulates with a wide range of compositions, whereas the solidified target produces five times fewer particulates with a tighter distribution of compositions. In contrast with the average composition of the films, the average composition of the particulates is the same as that of the targets. These results are discussed in terms of the microstructure of the targets and the melting process at the surface. The implications of these observations for composition determination by laser ablation are discussed.     

Least-squares analysis of the Mueller matrix

In a single-mode fiber excited by light with a fixed polarization state, the output polarizations obtained at two different optical frequencies are related by a Mueller matrix. We examine least-squares procedures for estimating this matrix from repeated measurements of the output Stokes vector for a random set of input polarization states. We then apply these methods to the determination of polarization mode dispersion and polarization-dependent loss in an optical fiber. We find that a relatively simple formalism leads to results that are comparable with those of far more involved techniques.