Unprovability of a “precognition” effect in quantum mechanics

It is shown that nonlocality gives rise to an undecidable proposition, meaning it cannot be proved true nor proved false from the usual assumptions, but is independent of them. A variation on the usual thought experiment is considered in which the observers are timelike separated, but the nonlocality fails to become a precognition effect because of this independence result.     

Quantum Brownian motion and the second law of thermodynamics

We consider a single harmonic oscillator coupled to a bath at zero temperature. As is well-known, the oscillator then has a higher average energy than that given by its ground state. Here we show analytically that for a damping model with arbitrarily discrete distribution of bath modes and damping models with continuous distributions of bath modes with cut-off frequencies, this excess energy is less than the work needed to couple the system to the bath, therefore, the quantum second law is not violated. On the other hand, the second law may be violated for bath modes without cut-off frequencies, which are, however, physically unrealistic models. An erratum to this article is available at .     

The incompatibility between local hidden variable theories and the fundamental conservation laws

I discuss in detail the result that the Bell’s inequalities derived in the context of local hidden variable theories for discrete quantized observables can be satisfied only if a fundamental conservation law is violated on the average. This result shows that such theories are physically nonviable, and makes the demarcating criteria of the Bell’s inequalities redundant. I show that a unique correlation function can be derived from the validity of the conservation law alone and this coincides with the quantum mechanical correlation function. Thus, any theory with a different correlation function, like any local hidden variable theory, is incompatible with the fundamental conservation laws and space-time symmetries. The results are discussed in the context of two-particle singlet and triplet states, GHZ states, and two-particle double slit interferometry. Some observations on quantum entropy, entanglement, and nonlocality are also discussed.     

Viscoelastic characterization of compacted pharmaceutical excipient materials by analysis of frequency-dependent mechanical relaxation processes

A newly developed method for determining the frequency-dependent complex Young's modulus was employed to analyze the mechanical response of compacted microcrystalline cellulose, sorbitol, ethyl cellulose and starch for frequencies up to 20 kHz. A Debye-like relaxation was observed in all the studied pharmaceutical excipient materials and a comparison with corresponding dielectric spectroscopy data was made. The location in frequency of the relaxation peak was shown to correlate to the measured tensile strength of the tablets, and the relaxation was interpreted as the vibrational response of the interparticle hydrogen and van der Waals bindings in the tablets. Further, the measured relaxation strength, holding information about the energy loss involved in the relaxation processes, showed that the weakest material in terms of tensile strength, starch, is the material among the four tested ones that is able to absorb the most energy within its structure when exposed to external perturbations inducing vibrations in the studied frequency range. The results indicate that mechanical relaxation analysis performed over relatively broad frequency ranges should be useful for predicting material properties of importance for the functionality of a material in applications such as, e.g., drug delivery, drug storage and handling, and also for clarifying the origin of hitherto unexplained molecular processes.     

非简并双光子Jaynes-Cummings模型中贝尔非定域性的演化

基于赝自旋算符的关联所对应的贝尔算符期待值,研究了各种双模非经典态(纠缠相干态、对相干态以及双模压缩真空态)在非简并双光子Jaynes-Cummings模型中贝尔非定域性的动力学特性.结果表明:对于纠缠相干态,贝尔非定域性的演化与双模场平均光子数的大小息息相关;对于对相干态和双模压缩真空态,贝尔非定域性会在有限的时间内完全消失,之后又基本上复原到初始值,呈现出周期性振荡现象.     

HL-2M偏滤器CFC/CuCrZr靶板的非晶钎焊工艺研究

在采用商用的STEMET-1101非晶钎料、温度为710~750°C的真空钎焊下,对CFC/OFC(氯氟烃/无氧铜)复合块与CuCrZr(铬锆铜)的钎焊进行了研究。首先,通过X-射线衍射(XRD)和差式扫描量热分析对钎料的结构和熔化行为进行了表征;然后,通过光学显微镜、电子探针微分析和拉伸试验等方法对焊缝的组织形貌、元素成分分布、相结构和力学性能进行了分析;最后,通过高热负荷装置对CFC/OFC/CuCrZr钎焊模块的热疲劳性能进行测试。结果表明,在710~750°C钎焊温度内焊缝由Cu固溶体、(Cu, Ni)3P和Ni(Cu ,Cr)2P金属间化合物组成,焊缝平整无裂纹;特别是在750°C/15min情况下,抑制了焊缝金属间化合物的连续分布,OFC/CuCrZr的焊接强度大于OFC的抗拉强度,CuCrZr/CuCrZr的结合强度为210MPa,并呈现部分韧性断裂。在750°C/15min情况下制备的CFC/Cu/CuCrZr模块可以承受1000次7MW·m^-2的循环热负荷。     

15Nmethacetin test to control liver function of infants with formerly very low birth weight

Abstract

Hepatic detoxification capacities of three groups of infants aged about two were estimated using the [¹⁵N]methacetin elimination test, as well as standard serum parameters:

1. Formerly hypotrophically born infants still too small for their age (n = 23)

2. Patients suffering from severe liver diseases (n = 15)

3. Patients without liver diseases (n = 14).

17 of the infants of group 1 showed ¹⁵N elimination rates as low as the rates of the liver-diseased patients of group 2. Compared to the infants of group 3, who had normal values, the findings reflect diminished hepatic monooxygenases activities in groups 1 and 2. On the other hand, the serum parameters of the infants of group 1 did not deviate from normal values estimated in group 3. Here only group 2 showed pathological values. Consequently, the [¹⁵N]methacetin test seems to be more sensitive in controlling hepatic parameters of growth retardations than the usual serum parameters used here. Further investigations have to answer the question to which proportion intrauterine malnutrition and postnatal effects, such as environmental living conditions, contribute to the retardation of liver function development in combination with growth retardation.     

Solitons and Fractal Kerr Response

Optical solitary waves that propagate in a Kerr medium exhibiting a power-law nonlocal response are studied analytically. The first-principles stability analysis based on quantum field theory shows that within the whole range of the exponent (the fractal dimension) the solitary wave can be stabilized.     

Bioactivity of SiO2-CaO-P2O5-Na2O glasses containing zinc-iron oxide

Glasses with composition x(ZnO,Fe₂O₃)(65 − x)SiO₂20(CaO,P₂O₅)15Na₂O (6 ≤ x ≤ 21 mol%) were prepared by melt-quenching technique. Bioactivity of the glasses was investigated in vitro by examining apatite formation on the surface of glasses treated in acellular simulated body fluid (SBF) with ion concentrations nearly equal to those in human blood plasma. Formation of bioactive apatite layer on the samples treated in SBF was confirmed by using Fourier transform infrared reflection (FTIR) spectroscopy, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GI-XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. Development of an apatite structure on the surface of the SBF treated glass samples as functions of composition and time could be established using the GI-XRD data. FTIR spectra of the glasses treated in SBF show features at characteristic vibration frequencies of apatite after 1-day of immersion in SBF. SEM observations revealed that the spherical particles formed on the glass surface were made of calcium and phosphorus with the Ca/P molar ratio being close to 1.67, corresponding to the value in crystalline apatite. Increase in bioactivity with increasing zinc-iron oxide content was observed. The results have been used to understand the evolution of the apatite surface layer as a function of glass composition and immersion time in SBF.     

Leading and higher twists in proton,neutron and deuteron unpolarized structure functions F<Subscript>2</Subscript>

We summarize the results of a recent global analysis of proton and deuteron F₂ structure function world data performed over a large range of kinematics, including recent measurements done at JLab with the CLAS detector. From these data the lowest moments (n≤10) of the unpolarized structure functions are determined with good statistics and systematics. The Q² evolution of the extracted moments is analyzed in terms of an OPE-based twist expansion, taking into account soft-gluon effects at large x. A clean separation among the leading- and higher-twist terms is achieved. By combining proton and deuteron measurements the lowest moments of the neutron F₂ structure function are determined and its leading-twist term is extracted. Particular attention is paid to nuclear effects in the deuteron, which become increasingly important for the higher moments. Our results for the non-singlet, isovector (p-n) combination of the leading-twist moments are used to test recent lattice simulations. We also determine the lowest few moments of the higher-twist contributions, and find these to be approximately isospin independent, suggesting the possible dominance of ud correlations over uu and dd in the nucleon.