Femtosecond relaxation kinetics of highly excited \mathrm{M}_{\mathrm{Na}}^{**} states in CaF2 at 3.2 eV and 4.7 eV

Femtosecond (fs) laser pulses at variable delay times allowed us to track the fast non-radiative transitions between the manifold of highly excited $\mathrm{M}_{\mathrm{Na}}^{**}$ states to the lower lying fluorescent $\mathrm{M}_{\mathrm{Na}}^{*}$ state in CaF₂. Two distinct $\mathrm{M}_{\mathrm{Na}}^{**}$ states of the manifold at 3.16?eV ( $\mathrm{M}_{\mathrm{Na}2}^{**}$ ) and 4.73?eV ( $\mathrm{M}_{\mathrm{Na}3}^{**}$ ) were populated using the second (SH) and third harmonics (TH) of fs laser light at 785?nm. The population kinetics of the fluorescent $\mathrm{M}_{\mathrm{Na}}^{*}$ state in the 2?eV excitation energy range was revealed by depleting its fluorescence centered at 740?nm using fundamental near infrared (NIR) fs laser pulses. The related time constants for $\mathrm{M}_{\mathrm{Na}2,3}^{**}{\sim}{>} \mathrm{M}_{\mathrm{Na}}^{*}$ relaxation amounted to 1.0±0.14?ps and 3.0±0.3?ps upon SH and TH excitation, respectively.     

Quantum Marginal Inequalities and the Conjectured Entropic Inequalities

A conjecture – the modified super-additivity inequality of relative entropy – was proposed in Zhang et al. (Phys. Lett. A 377:1794–1796, 2013): There exist three unitary operators \(U_{A}\in \mathrm {U}(\mathcal {H}_{A}), U_{B}\in \mathrm {U}(\mathcal {H}_{B})\) , and \(U_{AB}\in \mathrm {U}(\mathcal {H}_{A}\otimes \mathcal {H}_{B})\) such that $$\mathrm{S}\left(U_{AB}\rho_{AB}U^{\dagger}_{AB}||\sigma_{AB}\right)\geqslant \mathrm{S}\left(U_{A}\rho_{A}U^{\dagger}_{A}||\sigma_{A}\right) + \mathrm{S}\left(U_{B}\rho_{B}U^{\dagger}_{B}||\sigma_{B}\right), $$ where the reference state σ is required to be full-ranked. A numerical study on the conjectured inequality is conducted in this note. The results obtained indicate that the modified super-additivity inequality of relative entropy seems to hold for all qubit pairs.     

Extracting γ and penguin topologies through CP violation in B_{s}^{0}\to J/\psi K_{\mathrm{S}}

The $B_{s}^{0}\to J/\psi K_{\mathrm{S}}$ decay has recently been observed by the CDF collaboration and will be of interest for the LHCb experiment. This channel will offer a new tool to extract the angle γ of the unitarity triangle and to control doubly Cabibbo-suppressed penguin corrections to the determination of sin?2β from the well-known $B_{d}^{0}\to J/\psi K_{\mathrm{S}}$ mode with the help of the U-spin symmetry of strong interactions. While any competitive determination of γ is interesting, the latter aspect is particularly relevant as LHCb will enter a territory of precision which makes the control of doubly Cabibbo-suppressed Standard-Model corrections mandatory. Using the data from CDF and the e ⁺ e ^? B factories as a guideline, we explore the sensitivity for γ and the penguin parameters and point out that the $B_{s}^{0}$ – $\bar{B}_{s}^{0}$ mixing phase φ _s , which is only about ?2° in the Standard Model but may be enhanced through new physics, is a key parameter for these analyses. We find that the mixing-induced CP violation $S(B_{s}^{0}\to J/\psi K_{\mathrm{S}})$ shows an interesting correlation with sin?φ _s , which serves as a target region for the first measurement of this observable at LHCb.     

The Polyanalytic Ginibre Ensembles

For integers n,q=1,2,3,…?, let Pol _n,q denote the ${\mathbb{C}}$ -linear space of polynomials in z and $\bar{z}$ , of degree ≤n?1 in z and of degree ≤q?1 in $\bar{z}$ . We supply Pol _n,q with the inner product structure of $$\begin{aligned} L^2 \bigl({\mathbb{C}},\mathrm{e}^{-m|z|^2} {\mathrm{d}}A \bigr),\quad \mbox {where } {\mathrm{d}}A(z)=\pi^{-1}{\mathrm{d}}x {\mathrm{d}}y,\ z= x+ {\mathrm{i}}y; \end{aligned}$$ the resulting Hilbert space is denoted by Pol _m,n,q . Here, it is assumed that m is a positive real. We let K _m,n,q denote the reproducing kernel of Pol _m,n,q , and study the associated determinantal process, in the limit as m,n→+∞ while n=m+O(1); the number q, the degree of polyanalyticity, is kept fixed. We call these processes polyanalytic Ginibre ensembles, because they generalize the Ginibre ensemble—the eigenvalue process of random (normal) matrices with Gaussian weight. There is a physical interpretation in terms of a system of free fermions in a uniform magnetic field so that a fixed number of the first Landau levels have been filled. We consider local blow-ups of the polyanalytic Ginibre ensembles around points in the spectral droplet, which is here the closed unit disk $\bar{\mathbb{D}}:=\{z\in{\mathbb{C}}:|z|\le1\}$ . We obtain asymptotics for the blow-up process, using a blow-up to characteristic distance m ^?1/2; the typical distance is the same both for interior and for boundary points of $\bar{\mathbb{D}}$ . This amounts to obtaining the asymptotical behavior of the generating kernel K _m,n,q . Following (Ameur et al. in Commun. Pure Appl. Math. 63(12):1533–1584, 2010), the asymptotics of the K _m,n,q are rather conveniently expressed in terms of the Berezin measure (and density) For interior points |z|<1, we obtain that ${\mathrm{d}}B^{\langle z\rangle}_{m,n,q}(w)\to{\mathrm{d}}\delta_{z} $ in the weak-star sense, where δ _z denotes the unit point mass at z. Moreover, if we blow up to the scale of m ^?1/2 around z, we get convergence to a measure which is Gaussian for q=1, but exhibits more complicated Fresnel zone behavior for q>1. In contrast, for exterior points |z|>1, we have instead that ${\mathrm{d}}B^{\langle z\rangle}_{m,n,q}(w) \to{\mathrm{d}}\omega(w,z, {\mathbb{D}}^{e}) $ , where ${\mathrm{d}}\omega(w,z,{\mathbb{D}}^{e})$ is the harmonic measure at z with respect to the exterior disk ${\mathbb{D}}^{e}:= \{w\in{\mathbb{C}}:\, |w|>1\}$ . For boundary points, |z|=1, the Berezin measure ${\mathrm{d}}B^{\langle z\rangle}_{m,n,q}$ converges to the unit point mass at z, as with interior points, but the blow-up to the scale m ^?1/2 exhibits quite different behavior at boundary points compared with interior points. We also obtain the asymptotic boundary behavior of the 1-point function at the coarser local scale q ^1/2 m ^?1/2.     

Nonsingular black holes in quadratic Palatini gravity

We find that if general relativity is modified at the Planck scale by a Ricci-squared term, electrically charged black holes may be nonsingular. These objects concentrate their mass in a microscopic sphere of radius $r_{\mathrm{core}}\approx N_{q}^{1/2}l_{\mathrm{P}}/3$ , where l _P is the Planck length and N _q is the number of electric charges. The singularity is avoided if the mass of the object satisfies the condition $M_{0}^{2}\approx m_{\mathrm{P}}^{2} \alpha_{\mathrm{em}}^{3/2} N_{q}^{3}/2$ , where m _P is the Planck mass and α _em is the fine-structure constant. For astrophysical black holes this amount of charge is so small that their external horizon almost coincides with their Schwarzschild radius. We work within a first-order (Palatini) approach.     

Predicting leptonic CP violation in the light of the Daya Bay result on θ 13

In the light of the recent Daya Bay result $\theta_{13}^{\mathrm{DB}}=8.8^{\circ}\pm0.8^{\circ}$ , we reconsider the model presented in Meloni et?al. (J. Phys.?G 38:015003, 2011), showing that, when all neutrino oscillation parameters are taken at their best fit values of Schwetz et?al. (New J. Phys. 10:113011,?2008) and where $\theta_{13}=\theta_{13}^{\mathrm{DB}}$ , the predicted values of the CP phase are ????±??/4.     

Dual inhibitors of Janus kinase 2 and 3 (JAK2/3): designing by pharmacophore- and docking-based virtual screening approach

JAK2 and JAK3 are non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases implicated in B-cell- and T-cell-mediated diseases. Both enzymes work via different pathways but are involved in the pathogenesis of common lymphoid-derived diseases. Hence, targeting both Janus kinases together can be a potential strategy for the treatment of these diseases. In the present study, two separate pharmacophore-based 3D-QSAR models ADRR.92 ( $Q_{\mathrm{test}}^{2} 0.663, R^{2}_{\mathrm{train}} 0.849$ , F value 219.3) for JAK2 and ADDRR.142 ( $Q^{2}_{\mathrm{test}}0.655, R_{\mathrm{train}}^{2}$ 0.869, F value 206.9) for JAK3 were developed. These models were employed for the screening of a PHASE database of approximately 1.5 million compounds; subsequently, the retrieved hits were screened employing docking simulations with JAK2 and JAK3 proteins. Finally, ADME properties of screened dual inhibitors displaying essential interactions with both proteins were calculated to filter candidates with poor pharmacokinetic profiles. These candidates could serve as novel therapeutic agents in the treatment of lymphoid-related diseases.     

Dispersion dependence of two-photon absorption transition on frequency in Si PIN photodetector

The variation of two-photon absorption (TPA) coefficient \(\beta _{\mathrm{TPA}} (\omega )\) of Si excited at difference photon energy was investigated. The TPA coefficient was measured by using a picosecond pulsed laser with the wavelength could be tuned in a wide photon-energy range. An equivalent RC circuit model was adapted to derive the TPA coefficient \(\beta _{\mathrm{TPA}} (\omega )\) . The results showed that \(\beta _{\mathrm{TPA}} (\omega )\) varied from \(4.2 \times 10^{-4}\) to \(1.17 \times 10^{-3 }\)  cm/GW in the transparent wavelength region \(1.80<\lambda <1.36\,\upmu \) m of Si. The increasing tendency of \(\beta _{\mathrm{TPA}} (\omega )\) with the incident photon energy can be qualitatively interpreted as the photon energy increases from \(E_{\mathrm{ig}}/2\) to nearly \(E_{\mathrm{ig}}\) , the electrons excited from the valance band find an increasing availability of conduction band states. Comparing with the high-energy side transitions, the TPA coefficient in low-energy side is about 10 times too small. This can be attributed that the TPA transition in low-energy side is the process of photon-assisted electron transitions from valence to conduction band occurring between different points in k-space, while is direct transition in high-energy side.     

Complex impedance analysis and ionic conductivity studies of NaBaPO4

The NaBaPO₄ compound was obtained by conventional solid-state reaction. The sample was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and electrical impedance spectroscopy. The impedance plots show semicircle arcs at different temperatures, and an electrical equivalent circuit has been proposed. The circuits consist of the parallel combination of bulk resistance R _p and constant phase elements CPE. The dielectric relaxation is described by a non-Debye model. The frequency dependence of the conductivity is interpreted in term of the well-known universal dynamic response $ {\sigma_{\mathrm{ac}}}={\sigma_{\mathrm{dc}}}\left[ {1+{{{\left( {{\omega \left/ {{{\omega_h}}} \right.}} \right)}}^n}} \right] $ . The near value of activation energies obtained from the analyses of M″, conductivity data and equivalent circuit confirms that the transport is through ion hopping mechanism dominated by the motion of the Na⁺ ions in the structure. The better properties obtained for NaBaPO₄ can be attributed to the Ba derivatives’ larger size of the bottlenecks along the channels.     

Angles, Scales and Parametric Renormalization

We discuss the structure of renormalized Feynman rules. Regarding them as maps from the Hopf algebra of Feynman graphs to ${\mathbb{C}}$ originating from the evaluation of graphs by Feynman rules, they are elements of a group ${G=\mathrm{Spec}_{\mathrm{Feyn}}(H)}$ . We study the kinematics of scale and angle-dependence to decompose G into subgroups ${G_{\mathrm{\makebox{1-s}}}}$ and ${G_{\mathrm{fin}}}$ . Using parametric representations of Feynman integrals, renormalizability and the renormalization group underlying the scale dependence of Feynman amplitudes are derived and proven in the context of algebraic geometry.     

Polarized angular distributions in the decays of the 3D2 state of charmonium produced in unpolarized proton–antiproton annihilation

Using the helicity formalism, we calculate the combined angular distribution functions of the polarized gamma photons and electron in the triple cascade process $\bar{\mathrm{p}}\mathrm{p}\to{}^{3}\mathrm{D}_{\mathrm{2}}\to\chi_{\mathrm{\mathrm{{J}}}}+\gamma_{\mathrm{1}}\to(\psi +\gamma_{\mathrm{2}})+\gamma_{\mathrm{1}}\to(\mathrm{e}^{+}+\mathrm{e}^{-})+\gamma_{\mathrm{1}}+\gamma_{\mathrm{2}}\ (\mathrm{{J}}=0,1,2)$ , when $\bar{\mathrm{p}}$ and p are unpolarized. We also present the partially integrated angular distribution functions in different cases. Our results show that by measuring the two-particle angular distribution of γ ₁ and γ ₂ and that of γ ₂ and e^? with the polarization of either one of the two particles, one can determine the relative magnitudes as well as the relative phases of all the helicity amplitudes in the two radiative decay processes ³D₂→χ _J+γ ₁ and χ _J→ψ+γ ₂.     

Optimality of a Class of Entanglement Witnesses for 3⊗3 Systems

Let $\varPhi_{t,\pi}: M_{3}({\mathbb{C}}) \rightarrow M_{3}({\mathbb{C}})$ be a linear map defined by $\varPhi_{t,\pi}(A)=(3-t)\*\sum_{i=1}^{3}E_{ii}AE_{ii}+t\sum_{i=1}^{3}E_{i,\pi (i)}AE_{i,\pi(i)}^{\dag}-A$ , where 0≤t≤3 and π is a permutation of (1,2,3). We show that the Hermitian matrix $W_{\varPhi_{t,\pi}}$ induced by Φ _t,π is an optimal entanglement witness if and only if t=1 and π is cyclic.     

H ̄ + production from collisions between positronium and keV antiprotons for GBAR

In the framework of the GBAR (Gravitational Behaviour of Antihydrogen at Rest) experiment, cross sections for antihydrogen ion ( \(\bar {\mathrm {H}}^{+}\) ) production in collisions between antiprotons ( \(\bar {\mathrm {p}}\) ) and excited positronium atoms (Ps), with intermediate production of antihydrogen ( \(\bar {\mathrm {H}}\) ), have been computed using a perturbative theory, namely Continuum Distorted Wave - Final State (CDW-FS). The results suggest to use antiprotons at 1, 2 or 6 keV with, respectively, Ps(3p,3d), Ps(2p) or no Ps excitation. A simulation using these cross sections is under development to investigate the reaction chamber geometry and the parameters of the different beams (positrons, antiprotons and laser). This simulation, focusing on Ps(3d), predicts at least one \(\bar {\mathrm {H}}^{+}\) ion per pulse of 3·10⁶ \(\bar {\mathrm {p}}\) at 1 and 6 keV, and highlights both the interest of positronium excitation and the need for short pulses of particles.     

Ultra-sensitive carbon monoxide detection by using EC-QCL based quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy

A quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) based sensor for carbon monoxide detection at ppbv levels was developed with a 4.65???m external-cavity quantum cascade laser operating both in continuous wave (cw) and pulsed modes. A?23-fold enhancement of the measured CO signal amplitude was obtained when water vapor, acting as a catalyst for vibrational energy transfer, was added to the targeted analyte mixture. In the cw mode, a noise-equivalent sensitivity (NES, 1??) of 2 ppbv was achieved at a gas pressure of 100?Torr, for 1-s lock-in amplifier (LIA) time constant (TC), which corresponds to a normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient (NNEA) of $1.48\times 10^{-8}~\mathrm{cm}^{-1}\,\mathrm{W}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ . In the pulsed mode, the determined NES and NNEA were 46?ppbv and $1.07\times 10^{-8}~\mathrm{cm}^{-1}\,\mathrm{W}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ , respectively, for a 3-ms LIA TC at atmospheric pressure with a laser scan rate of 18?cm^-1/s and a 50?% duty cycle. An intercomparison between cw and pulsed QEPAS-based CO detection is also reported.     

Background-free detection of trapped ions

We demonstrate a Doppler cooling and detection scheme for ions with low-lying D levels which almost entirely suppresses scattered laser light background, while retaining a high fluorescence signal and efficient cooling. We cool a single ion with a laser on the $^{2}\mathrm{S}_{\mbox{\tiny$1/2$}}\leftrightarrow {^{2}\mathrm{P}}_{\mbox{\tiny$1/2$}}$ transition as usual, but repump via the $^{2}\mathrm{P}_{\mbox{\tiny$3/2$}}$ level. By filtering out light on the cooling transition and detecting only the fluorescence from the $^{2}\mathrm{P}_{\mbox{\tiny$3/2$}}\rightarrow {^{2}\mathrm{S}}_{\mbox{\tiny$1/2$}}$ decays, we suppress the scattered laser light background count rate to 1 s^?1 while maintaining a signal of 29000 s^?1 with moderate saturation of the cooling transition. This scheme will be particularly useful for experiments where ions are trapped in close proximity to surfaces, such as the trap electrodes in microfabricated ion traps, which leads to high background scatter from the cooling beam.     

Method of uniform effective field in structure-dynamic approach of nanoionics

In the structure-dynamic approach of nanoionics, the method of a uniform effective field \( {F}_{\mathrm{eff}}^{j,k} \) of a crystallographic planeX ^j has been substantiated for solid electrolyte nanostructures. The \( {F}_{\mathrm{eff}}^{j,k} \)is defined as an approximation of a non-uniform field \( {F}_{\mathrm{dis}}^j \)of X ^j with a discrete- random distribution of excess point charges. The parameters of \( {F}_{\mathrm{eff}}^{j,k} \)are calculated by correction of the uniform Gauss field \( {F}_{\mathrm{G}}^j \) of X ^j . The change in an average frequency of ionic jumps X ^k ?→?X ^k?+?1 between adjacent planes of nanostructure is determined by the sum of field additives to the barrier heights η _k , _k?+?1, and for \( {F}_{\mathrm{G}}^j \) and \( {F}_{\mathrm{dis}}^j \), these sums are the same decimal order of magnitude. For nanostructures with length ~4 nm, the application of \( {F}_{\mathrm{G}}^j \) (as \( {F}_{\mathrm{eff}}^{j,k} \)) gives the accuracy ~20 % in calculations of ion transport characteristics. The computer explorations of the “universal” dynamic response (Reσ ^??∝?ω ⁿ ) show an approximately the same power n < ≈1 for\( {F}_{\mathrm{G}}^j \) and \( {F}_{\mathrm{eff}}^{j,k} \).     

Effects of Si and Ti impurities on electrical properties of sol–gel-derived amorphous SrTa2O6 thin films by UV/O3 treatment

Sol–gel-derived SrTa₂O₆ thin films were fabricated at a low temperature of 500 °C. To improve their leakage current properties, additional UV/O₃-assisted annealing was performed from room temperature to 290 °C. UV/O₃ treatment at 290 °C gave a very low leakage current that was six orders of magnitude lower than that of an untreated thin film. During UV/O₃-assisted annealing, Si and Ti ions diffused from the substrates into the SrTa₂O₆ thin films and occupied the Ta⁵⁺ sites, subsequently generating Si^? and Ti^?. At a heating temperature of 290 °C, large amounts of Ti ions diffused throughout the SrTa₂O₆ thin film. These Ti ions contributed to the generation of inactive combinations of $(\mathrm{Si}^{-}\mbox{--}\mathrm{V}_{\mathrm{o}}^{+})^{+}\mbox{--}\mathrm{Ti}^{-}$ and $(\mathrm{Ti}^{-}\mbox{--}\mathrm{V}_{\mathrm{o}}^{+})^{+}\mbox{--}\mathrm{Ti}^{-}$ , which greatly reduced oxygen vacancies (V_o). Thus, the leakage current was significantly reduced.     

Lyapunov Exponents for Products of Complex Gaussian Random Matrices

The exact value of the Lyapunov exponents for the random matrix product P _N =A _N A _N?1?A ₁ with each $A_{i} = \varSigma^{1/2} G_{i}^{\mathrm{c}}$ , where Σ is a fixed d×d positive definite matrix and $G_{i}^{\mathrm{c}}$ a d×d complex Gaussian matrix with entries standard complex normals, are calculated. Also obtained is an exact expression for the sum of the Lyapunov exponents in both the complex and real cases, and the Lyapunov exponents for diffusing complex matrices.     

Stability of {\text{SrCe}}_{{0.9}} {\text{Eu}}_{{0.1}} {\text{O}}_{{3 - \delta }} and {\text{SrZr}}_{{0.2}} {\text{Ce}}_{{0.7}} {\text{Eu}}_{{0.1}} {\text{O}}_{{3 - \delta }} under H2 atmospheres

Previous H₂ permeation tests showed a degradation of H₂ permeation flux with time. To understand the cause of degradation and develop a solution, the stability of $ {\text{SrCe}}_{{0.9}} {\text{Eu}}_{{0.1}} {\text{O}}_{{3 - \delta }} $ and $ {\text{SrZr}}_{{0.2}} {\text{Ce}}_{{0.7}} {\text{Eu}}_{{0.1}} {\text{O}}_{{3 - \delta }} $ samples were studied under dry and wet H₂ atmospheres. Total conductivity of $ {\text{SrCe}}_{{0.9}} {\text{Eu}}_{{0.1}} {\text{O}}_{{3 - \delta }} $ increased with time in dry H₂. The X-ray diffraction pattern of $ {\text{SrCe}}_{{0.9}} {\text{Eu}}_{{0.1}} {\text{O}}_{{3 - \delta }} $ after dry hydrogen atmosphere heat treatments show CeO₂ peaks indicating that $ {\text{SrCe}}_{{0.9}} {\text{Eu}}_{{0.1}} {\text{O}}_{{3 - \delta }} $ decomposes under dry H₂ atmospheres; scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses prove that decomposition proceeded along the grain boundaries. $ {\text{SrZr}}_{{0.2}} {\text{Ce}}_{{0.7}} {\text{Eu}}_{{0.1}} {\text{O}}_{{3 - \delta }} $ was investigated and demonstrated greater stability under dry hydrogen atmospheres. However, Zr substitution results in a tradeoff with electrical properties.