Simplified spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction by using a thick nonlinear crystal

We propose and demonstrate a novel implementation of spectral-shearing interferometry (SSI) for reconstructing the electric field of ultrashort pulses by utilizing asymmetric group velocity matching in a long nonlinear crystal. The proposed configuration eliminates the requirement for a linearly chirped auxiliary pulse that is in common in all existing SSI methods, relying on nonlinear conversion to produce a spectral shear.     

Phase separation and pattern formation in a binary Bose-Einstein condensate

The miscibility-immiscibility phase transition in binary Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) can be controlled by a coupling between the two components. Here we propose a new scheme that uses coupling-induced pattern formation to test the Kibble-Zurek mechanism (KZM) of topological-defect formation in a quantum phase transition. For a binary BEC in a ring trap we find that the number of domains forming the pattern scales as a function of the coupling quench rate with an exponent as predicted by the KZM. For a binary BEC in an elongated harmonic trap we find a different scaling law due to the transition being spatially inhomogeneous. We perform a "quantum simulation" of the harmonically trapped system in a ring trap to verify the scaling exponent.     

Entanglement generated by dissipation and steady state entanglement of two macroscopic objects

Entanglement is a striking feature of quantum mechanics and an essential ingredient in most applications in quantum information. Typically, coupling of a system to an environment inhibits entanglement, particularly in macroscopic systems. Here we report on an experiment where dissipation continuously generates entanglement between two macroscopic objects. This is achieved by engineering the dissipation using laser and magnetic fields, and leads to robust event-ready entanglement maintained for 0.04 s at room temperature. Our system consists of two ensembles containing about 10(12) atoms and separated by 0.5 m coupled to the environment composed of the vacuum modes of the electromagnetic field. By combining the dissipative mechanism with a continuous measurement, steady state entanglement is continuously generated and observed for up to 1 h.     

Applicability of the film-diffusion model for description of the adsorption kinetics at the solid/solution interfaces

The adsorption kinetics at the solid/solution interfaces has been described by using the kinetic model based on accepting the existence of the concentration gradient in the region of bulk solution close to the solid surface (external film-diffusion model). This model has also been adopted to explain some behaviours observed in the real adsorption systems. Simultaneously, the pseudo-first order (Lagergren) equation can be derived applying this model. The results indicate that the necessary condition to state that the “diffusion across the liquid film” mechanism is involved in controlling the rate of adsorption process is the linearity of the initial parts of kinetic isotherms plotted as the amount adsorbed vs. the time. The two methods have been proposed to distinguish between this mechanism and the classical Langmuir kinetics. The results presented here might be useful in identifying if the concentration gradient in the bulk solution influences the overall adsorption rate.     

Approximate analytical solution to normal emittance of semi-transparent layer of an absorbing, scattering, and refracting medium

A two-step approximate analytical solution for the normal emittance of a plane layer of an absorbing, scattering and refracting medium is derived analytically. The analysis is based on the transport approximation and the two-step solution method for radiative transfer. The high accuracy of the approximate solution, examined by comparing its results to those obtained independently by the discrete ordinates and Monte Carlo methods, makes it suitable for application in combined experimental-analytical studies to identify selected spectral radiative properties of dispersed media in the range of semi-transparency.