Noise robustness of the nonlocality of entangled quantum states

We study the nonlocal properties of states resulting from the mixture of an arbitrary entangled state rho of two d-dimensional systems and completely depolarized noise, with respective weights p and 1-p. We first construct a local model for the case in which rho is maximally entangled and p at or below a certain bound. We then extend the model to arbitrary rho. Our results provide bounds on the resistance to noise of the nonlocal correlations of entangled states. For projective measurements, the critical value of the noise parameter p for which the state becomes local is at least asymptotically log(d) larger than the critical value for separability.     

dc Josephson effect in metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes

The dc Josephson effect is investigated in a single-walled metallic carbon nanotube connected to two superconducting leads. In particular, by using the Luttinger liquid theory, we analyze the effects of the electron-electron interaction on the supercurrent. We find that in the long junction limit the strong electronic correlations of the nanotube, together with its peculiar band structure, induce oscillations in the critical current as a function of the junction length and/or the nanotube electron filling. These oscillations represent a signature of the Luttinger liquid physics of the nanotube, for they are absent if the interaction is vanishing. We show that this effect can be exploited to reverse the sign of the supercurrent, realizing a tunable π-junction.     

Airy beams from a microchip laser

It is theoretically shown that an end-pumped microchip laser formed by a thin laser crystal with plane-plane but slightly tilted facets can emit, under appropriate pumping conditions and near a crystal edge, a truncated self-accelerating Airy output beam.     

Comparison of Spaces of Hardy Type for the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck Operator

Denote by γ the Gauss measure on ℝ ⁿ and by ${\mathcal{L}}${\mathcal{L}} the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck operator. In this paper we introduce a Hardy space \mathfrakh¹g{{\mathfrak{h}}^1}{{\rm \gamma}} of Goldberg type and show that for each u in ℝ ∖ {0} and r > 0 the operator (rI+L)^iu(r{\mathcal{I}}+{\mathcal{L}})^{iu} is unbounded from \mathfrakh¹g{{\mathfrak{h}}^1}{{\rm \gamma}} to L ¹γ. This result is in sharp contrast both with the fact that (rI+L)^iu(r{\mathcal{I}}+{\mathcal{L}})^{iu} is bounded from H ¹γ to L ¹γ, where H ¹γ denotes the Hardy type space introduced in Mauceri and Meda (J Funct Anal 252:278–313, 2007), and with the fact that in the Euclidean case (rI-D)^iu(r{\mathcal{I}}-\Delta)^{iu} is bounded from the Goldberg space \mathfrakh¹\mathbbRⁿ{{\mathfrak{h}}^1}{{\mathbb{R}}^n} to L ¹ℝ ⁿ . We consider also the case of Riemannian manifolds M with Riemannian measure μ. We prove that, under certain geometric assumptions on M, an operator T{\mathcal{T}}, bounded on L ² μ, and with a kernel satisfying certain analytic assumptions, is bounded from H ¹ μ to L ¹ μ if and only if it is bounded from \mathfrakh¹m{{\mathfrak{h}}^1}{\mu} to L ¹ μ. Here H ¹ μ denotes the Hardy space introduced in Carbonaro et al. (Ann Sc Norm Super Pisa, 2009), and \mathfrakh¹m{{\mathfrak{h}}^1}{\mu} is defined in Section 4, and is equivalent to a space recently introduced by M. Taylor (J Geom Anal 19(1):137–190, 2009). The case of translation invariant operators on homogeneous trees is also considered.     

A truncated Newton method in an augmented Lagrangian framework for nonlinear programming

In this paper we propose a primal-dual algorithm for the solution of general nonlinear programming problems. The core of the method is a local algorithm which relies on a truncated procedure for the computation of a search direction, and is thus suitable for large scale problems. The truncated direction produces a sequence of points which locally converges to a KKT pair with superlinear convergence rate.     

Spectral Structure and Doublon Dissociation in the Two-Particle Non-Hermitian Hubbard Model

Strongly-correlated systems in non-Hermitian models are an emergent area of research. Herein, a non-Hermitian Hubbard model is considered, where the single-particle hopping amplitudes on the lattice are not reciprocal, and provide exact analytical results of the spectral structure in the two-particle sector of Hilbert space under different boundary conditions. The analysis unveils some interesting spectral and dynamical effects of purely non-Hermitian nature and that deviate from the usual scenario found in the single-particle regime. Specifically, a spectral phase transition of the Mott-Hubbard band on the infinite lattice is predicted as the interaction energy is increased above a critical value, from an open to a closed loop in complex energy plane, and the dynamical dissociation of doublons, i.e., instability of two-particle bound states, in the bulk of the lattice, with a sudden revival of the doublon state when the two particles reach the lattice edge. Particle dissociation observed in the bulk of the lattice is a clear manifestation of non-Hermitian dynamics arising from the different lifetimes of single-particle and two-particle states, whereas the sudden revival of the doublon state at the boundaries is a striking burst edge dynamical effect peculiar to non-Hermitian systems with boundary-dependent energy spectra, here predicted for the first time for correlated particles.     

Classical limit of the quantized hyperbolic toral automorphisms

The canonical quantization of any hyperbolic symplectomorphismA of the 2-torus yields a periodic unitary operator on aN-dimenional Hilbert space,N=1/h. We prove that this quantum system becomes ergodic and mixing at the classical limit (N,N prime) which can be interchanged with the time-average limit. The recovery of the stochastic behaviour out of a periodic one is based on the same mechanism under which the uniform distribution of the classical periodic orbits reproduces the Lebesgue measure: the Wigner functions of the eigenstates, supported on the classical periodic orbits, are indeed proved to become uniformly speread in phase space.     

Improved extraction of vegetable oils under high-intensity ultrasound and/or microwaves

Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) techniques have been employed as complementary techniques to extract oils from vegetable sources, viz, soybean germ and a cultivated marine microalga rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Ultrasound (US) devices developed by ourselves, working at several frequencies (19, 25, 40 and 300 kHz), were used for US-based protocols, while a multimode microwave (MW) oven (operating with both open and closed vessels) was used for MAE. Combined treatments were also studied, such as simultaneous double sonication (at 19 and 25 kHz) and simultaneous US/MW irradiation, achieved by inserting a non-metallic horn in a MW oven. Extraction times and yields were compared with those resulting from conventional procedures. With soybean germ the best yield was obtained with a ‘cavitating tube’ prototype (19 kHz, 80 W), featuring a thin titanium cylinder instead of a conventional horn. Double sonication, carried out by inserting an immersion horn (25 kHz) in the same tube, improved the yield only slightly but halved the extraction time. Almost comparable yields were achieved by closed-vessel MAE and simultaneous US/MW irradiation. Compared with conventional methods, extraction times were reduced by up to 10-fold and yields increased by 50–500%. In the case of marine microalgae, UAE worked best, as the disruption by US of the tough algal cell wall considerably improved the extraction yield from 4.8% in soxhlet to 25.9%. Our results indicate that US and MW, either alone or combined, can greatly improve the extraction of bioactive substances, achieving higher efficiency and shorter reaction times at low or moderate costs, with minimal added toxicity.     

A Note on Fick’s Law with Phase Transitions

Journal of Statistical Physics - We characterize the non equilibrium stationary states in two classes of systems where phase transitions are present. We prove that the interface in the limit is a...     

A Novel [OSSO]-Type Chromium(III) Complex as a Versatile Catalyst for Copolymerization of Carbon Dioxide with Epoxides

A new chromium(III) complex, bearing a bis-thioether-diphenolate [OSSO]-type ligand, was found to be an efficient catalyst in the copolymerization of CO₂ and epoxides to achieve poly(propylene carbonate), poly(cyclohexene carbonate), poly(hexene carbonate) and poly(styrene carbonate), as well as poly(propylene carbonate)(cyclohexene carbonate) and poly(propylene carbonate)(hexene carbonate) terpolymers.