Stochastic resonance in a model of opinion formation on small-world networks

We analyze the phenomenon of stochastic resonance in an Ising-like system on a small-world network. The system, which is subject to the combined action of noise and an external modulation, can be interpreted as a stylized model of opinion formation by imitation under the effects of a “fashion wave”. Both the amplitude threshold for the detection of the external modulation and the width of the stochastic-resonance peak show considerable variation as the randomness of the underlying small-world network is changed. Received 19 December 2001     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Comment on</Emphasis>¶Low temperature specific heat of blue bronze K <Emphasis Type="Bold">0.30</Emphasis>MoO <Emphasis Type="Bold">3</Emphasis>, by J. Odin,J.C. Lasjaunias,K. Biljaković, K. Hasselbach,and P. Monceau

Eur. Phys. J. B 24, 315 (2001) Here we comment on a recently published paper on the presence of a phason contribution in the low temperature heat capacity data of the charge-density-wave compounds K_0.3MoO₃ and (TaSe₄)₂I. We have shown that the anomaly in the C _P / T ³ data reported by Odin et al. is straightforwardly interpreted in terms of low energy phonon modes resulting from the peculiar topology of these compounds. Received 21 February 2002 Published online 19 July 2002     

Collective atomic spin squeezing and control

Using a quantum theory for an ensemble of two- or three-level atoms driven by electromagnetic fields in an optical cavity, we show that the various spins associated with the atomic ensemble can be squeezed. Two kinds of squeezing are obtained: on the one hand self-spin squeezing when the input fields are coherent ones and the atomic ensemble exhibits a large non-linearity; on the other hand squeezing transfer when one of the incoming fields is squeezed. Received 14 August 2001 and Received in final form 7 November 2001     

Ultrafast dynamics in the excited hydrogen atom transfer states of ammonia clusters

Neutral ammonia clusters (NH₃)_m are photo-excited to the electronic state by a deep UV femtosecond laser pump pulse. Within a few hundred femtoseconds a significant fraction of the clusters rearrange to form an H-transfer state (NH₃)_m-2NH₄(3s)NH₂ with the subunit NH₄ in its 3s electronic ground state. This state is then electronically excited by a time-delayed infrared control pulse of variable wavelength. Finally, a third (probe) pulse in the UV ionizes the clusters for detection. The lifetime of the excited (NH₃)_m-2NH₄(3p)NH₂ states is found to vary between 2.7 and 0.13 ps depending on cluster size and excitation energy. It increases drastically upon deuteration. The corresponding cluster size-dependent photoelectron spectra allow us to disentangle the underlying energetics of the excitation and ionization process and reveal additional processes, such as nonresonant ionization or dissociative ionization. The experimental findings suggest that the excited H-transfer ammonia complexes with m > 2 are deactivated by an internal conversion process back to the electronically lowest H-transfer state followed by fast dissociation. Received 22 September 2001 and Received in final form 31 January 2002     

Interaction between aromatic amine cations and nonpolar solvents: Infrared spectra of isomeric aniline -Ar n ( ) complexes

Infrared (IR) photodissociation spectra of the aniline⁺-Ar_n cations, An ⁺ - Ar _n (n = 1, 2), are analyzed in the vicinity of the N-H stretch fundamentals. The complexes are produced in an electron impact (EI) ion source which produces predominantly the most stable cluster isomers. Two isomers of An⁺-Ar are identified by their characteristic N-H stretch frequencies: the planar proton-bound global minimum, in which the Ar ligand forms a nearly linear H-bond to the amino group, and the less stable π-bound local minimum, in which the Ar atom is attached to the π-electron system of the aromatic ring. This result is the first unambiguous detection of the most stable H-bound An⁺-Ar dimer. All previous spectroscopic studies of An⁺-Ar employed resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) of neutral An-Ar and identified only the less stable π-bound cation due to restrictions arising from the Franck-Condon principle. The EI-IR spectrum of An⁺-Ar₂ shows that the most stable structure of this trimer features two equivalent H-bonds (C_2v symmetry). The interpretation of the experimental data is supported by quantum chemical calculations. The ab initio potential of An⁺-Ar calculated at the UMP2/6-311G(2df, 2pd) level features H-bound global minima ( D _e = 513 cm^-1) and π-bound local minima ( D _e = 454 cm^-1), with a barrier of V _b ≈ 140 cm^-1 for isomerization from the π-bound toward the H-bound minimum. Received 4 February 2002 Published online 13 September 2002     

Time-dependent analysis of tunneling effect in the formation of ultracold molecules via photoassociation of laser-cooled atoms

The paper contains a time-dependent investigation of the tunneling effect observed in the photoassociation spectrum of Cs₂ and attributed to the 0_g ^-(6s, 6p _3/2) double well. When by photoassociation of two cold cesium atoms a vibrational level of the outer well is populated, tunneling is an efficient mechanism for transferring the population to the inner well (R < 15a ₀), where spontaneous emission may lead to formation of cold molecules in low vibrational levels of the a ³Σ⁺ _u(6s, 6s) electronic state. This tunneling effect is analyzed by wavepackets propagation, first considering the double well potential alone, and following a packet made by a superposition of states initially located at large distances. Characteristic times for the vibration dynamics, corresponding to a beating phenomenon between the two wells, to partial “revival” at large distances, and to maxima in the population localized in the inner well are reported and discussed. Second, we simulate the two-channels a ³Σ⁺ _u(6s, 6s)↦0_g ^-(6s, 6p _3/2) photoassociation at detunings around 2.9 cm^-1: the inner well can be populated either by the excitation of a vibrational level of the external well (resonant excitation), or by tuning the photoassociation laser at the energy of the inner well level which displays tunneling (“off-resonance excitation”). In the first case the photoassociation is efficient, while the tunneling probability is small; in the second, the tunneling probability is large, so that despite the poor efficiency of the photoassociation process, more population can be transferred to the inner well. This second choice is shown to be very sensitive to the laser intensity, which could be used to control the population of the inner well and hence the formation of ultracold molecules in low vibrational levels. Received 19 April 2002 Published online 1st October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: francoise.masnou@lac.u-psud.fr     

Triggered single photons and entangled photons from a quantum dot microcavity

Current quantum cryptography systems are limited by the attenuated coherent pulses they use as light sources: a security loophole is opened up by the possibility of multiple-photon pulses. By replacing the source with a single-photon emitter, transmission rates of secure information can be improved. We have investigated the use of single self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots as such single-photon sources, and have seen a tenfold reduction in the multi-photon probability as compared to Poissonian pulses. An extension of our experiment should also allow for the generation of triggered, polarization-entangled photon pairs. The utility of these light sources is currently limited by the low efficiency with which photons are collected. However, by fabricating an optical microcavity containing a single quantum dot, the spontaneous emission rate into a single mode can be enhanced. Using this method, we have seen 78% coupling of single-dot radiation into a single cavity resonance. The enhanced spontaneous decay should also allow for higher photon pulse rates, up to about 3 GHz. Received 8 July 2001 and Received in final form 25 August 2001     

Herd formation and information transmission in a population: non-universal behaviour

We present generalized dynamical models describing the sharing of information, and the corresponding herd behavior, in a population based on the recent model proposed by Eguıluz and Zimmermann (EZ) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 5659 (2000)]. The EZ model, which is a dynamical version of the herd formation model of Cont and Bouchaud (CB), gives a reasonable model for the formation of clusters of agents and for actions taken by clusters of agents. Both the EZ and CB models give a cluster size distribution characterized by a power law with an exponent -5/2. By introducing a size-dependent probability for dissociation of a cluster of agents, we show that the exponent characterizing the cluster size distribution becomes model-dependent and non-universal, with an exponential cutoff for large cluster sizes. The actions taken by the clusters of agents generate the price returns, the distribution of which is also characterized by a model-dependent exponent. When a size-dependent transaction rate is introduced instead of a size-dependent dissociation rate, it is found that the distribution of price returns is characterized by a model-dependent exponent while the exponent for the cluster-size distribution remains unchanged. The resulting systems provide simplified models of a financial market and yield power law behaviour with an easily tunable exponent. Received 31 December 2001     

Structures and stability of Al<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Bold">7</Emphasis></Subscript>C and Al<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Bold">7</Emphasis></Subscript>N clusters

We report results of the atomic and electronic structures of Al₇C cluster using ab initio molecular dynamics with ultrasoft pseudopotentials and generalized gradient approximation. The lowest energy structure is found to be the one in which carbon atom occupies an interstitial position in Al₇ cluster. The electronic structure shows that the recent observation [Chem. Phys. Lett. 316, 31 (2000)] of magic behavior of Al₇C^- cluster is due to a large highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO) gap which makes Al₇C^- chemically inert. These results have further led us to the finding of a new neutral magic cluster Al₇N which has the same number of valence electrons as in Al₇C^- and a large HOMO-LUMO gap of 1.99 eV. Further, calculations have been carried out on (Al₇N)₂ to study interaction between magic clusters. Received 28 July 2001     

A solution of the DGLAP equation for gluon at low x

We obtain a solution of the DGLAP equation for the gluon at low x first by expanding the gluon in a Taylor series and then using the method of characteristics. We test its validity by comparing it with that of Glück, Reya and Vogt. The convergence criteria of the approximation used are also discussed. We also calculate εF ₂(x,Q)²/ε In Q ² using its approximate relations with the gluon distribution at low x. The predictions are then compared with the HERA data.