Physics Commons^™

Can Bohmian Mechanics Be Made Relativistic?, Detlef Dürr, Sheldon Goldstein, Travis Norsen, Ward Struyve, Nino Zaghì

Physics: Faculty Publications

In relativistic space-time, Bohmian theories can be formulated by introducing a privileged foliation of space-time. The introduction of such a foliation – as extra absolute space-time structure – would seem to imply a clear violation of Lorentz invariance, and thus a conflict with fundamental relativity. Here, we consider the possibility that, instead of positing it as extra structure, the required foliation could be covariantly determined by the wave function. We argue that this allows for the formulation of Bohmian theories that seem to qualify as fundamentally Lorentz invariant. We conclude with some discussion of whether or not they might also …

Solar Energy Conversion And Control Using Organic Photovoltaic Cells, Kurt Wade Woods

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells are advanced, newly emerging technologies that are lightweight, mechanically flexible devices with highthroughput processes from low cost material in a variety of colors. Rathnayake et al. of Western Kentucky University have developed a nanostructure-based OPV cell. Presented in this thesis is a model and simulation of a generalized PV powered system that can predict the performance of solar arrays in various environmental conditions. The simulation has been carried out in Matlab/Simulink, and upon entering the cell’s parameters, it provides key electrical characteristics such as the cell’s I-V curve and efficiency information. The total system that is …

Maxwell’S Equations On Cantor Sets: A Local Fractional Approach, Yang Xiaojun

Xiao-Jun Yang

Maxwell’s equations on Cantor sets are derived from the local fractional vector calculus. It is shown that Maxwell’s equations on Cantor sets in a fractal bounded domain give efficiency and accuracy for describing the fractal electric and magnetic fields. Local fractional differential forms of Maxwell’s equations on Cantor sets in the Cantorian and Cantor-type cylindrical coordinates are obtained. Maxwell’s equations on Cantor set with local fractional operators are the first step towards a unified theory of Maxwell’s equations for the dynamics of cold dark matter.

The Politics Media Equation:Exposing Two Faces Of Old Nexus Through Study Of General Elections,Wikileaks And Radia Tapes, Ratnesh Dwivedi Mr

Ratnesh Dwivedi

The important identity of a responsible media is playing an unbiased role in reporting a matter without giving unnecessary hype to attract the attention of the gullible public with the object of making money and money only.After reporting properly the media can educate the public to form their own opinion in the matters of public interest. Throughout the centuries, the world has never existed without information and communication, hence the inexhaustible essence of mass media. The government has the power to either make or reject whatever that will exist within its environment. It also determines how free the mass media …

Global Fossil Energy Markets And Climate Change Mitigation: An Analysis With Remind, Nico Bauer, Ioanna Mouratiadou, Gunnar Luderer, Lavinia Baumstark, Robert J. Brecha, Ottmar Edenhofer, Elmar Kriegler

Physics Faculty Publications

We analyze the dynamics of global fossil resource markets under different assumptions for the supply of fossil fuel resources, development pathways for energy demand, and climate policy settings. Resource markets, in particular the oil market, are characterized by a large discrepancy between costs of resource extraction and commodity prices on international markets. We explain this observation in terms of (a) the intertemporal scarcity rent, (b) regional price differentials arising from trade and transport costs, (c) heterogeneity and inertia in the extraction sector. These effects are captured by the REMIND model. We use the model to explore economic effects of changes …

Elementary Studies Of Twisted Bilayer Graphene, Branden P. Burns, Yong P. Chen

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

In the nanotechnology field, some existing materials and applications are harmful to the environment, not efficient for certain tasks, or too expensive to be fully utilized. Graphene is a strong and cheap material that can be used to improve current nanotechnologies for more practical uses in society. Twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) is an orientation of graphene layers that exhibit different properties than regular bilayer graphene. It is made by placing a single layer of graphene on top of another at an angle with respect to the other lattice orientation. Understanding the characteristics of TBG is important to uncover more physics …

Investigation Of Major Intermolecular Interactions In 7,8-Dihydrobenzo(K)Phenanthridin-6(5h)-One Crystal Using Quantum Calculations And Crystallographic Visualization Programs, Zhiwei Liao, Tonglei Li, Mingtao Zhang

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Currently, tablets and capsules are the most common ways of delivering drugs. The active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients used to make those tablets and capsules are in their crystalline form generally. However, a single molecule can form multiple different crystal structures because of different packing arrangements of the molecules. These different crystal structures have identical chemical composition but different properties such as solubility, density, stability, etc. This phenomenon is called polymorphism. Occurrence of polymorphism could be a disaster for both patients and pharmaceutical companies, as the drug could lose its efficacy due to changes in properties. Studying intermolecular interactions in …

Action Principle For Continuous Quantum Measurement, A. Chantasri, Justin Dressel, Andrew N. Jordan

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We present a stochastic path integral formalism for continuous quantum measurement that enables the analysis of rare events using action methods. By doubling the quantum state space to a canonical phase space, we can write the joint probability density function of measurement outcomes and quantum state trajectories as a phase space path integral. Extremizing this action produces the most likely paths with boundary conditions defined by preselected and postselected states as solutions to a set of ordinary differential equations. As an application, we analyze continuous qubit measurement in detail and examine the structure of a quantum jump in the Zeno …

Dynamics Underlying The Gaussian Distribution Of The Classical Harmonic Oscillator In Zero-Point Radiation, Wayne Cheng-Wei Huang, Herman Batelaan

Department of Physics and Astronomy: Faculty Publications

Stochastic electrodynamics (SED) predicts a Gaussian probability distribution for a classical harmonic oscillator in the vacuum field. This probability distribution is identical to that of the ground state quantum harmonic oscillator. Thus, the Heisenberg minimum uncertainty relation is recovered in SED. To understand the dynamics that give rise to the uncertainty relation and the Gaussian probability distribution, we perform a numerical simulation and follow the motion of the oscillator. The dynamical information obtained through the simulation provides insight to the connection between the classic double-peak probability distribution and the Gaussian probability distribution. A main objective for SED research is to …

Comment On "Unified Formalism Of Adreev Reflection At A Ferromagnet/Superconductor Interface", M. Eschrig, A. A. Golubov, I. I. Mazin, B. Nadgorny, Y. Tanaka, O. T. Valls, Igor Žutić

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

A Comment on the Letter by T. Y. Chen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 109 146602 (2012) The authors of the Letter offer a Reply.

Freeze-Out Dynamics Via Charged Kaon Femtoscopy In √ Snn = 200 Gev Central Au + Au Collisions, L. Adamczyk, E. Elnimr, S. Lapointe, C. Pruneau, J. Putschke, M. Sharma, L. H. Tarini, S. A. Voloshin, Star Collaboration

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Research Publications

We present measurements of three-dimensional correlation functions of like-sign, low-transverse-momentum kaon pairs from √s_NN=200 GeV Au+Au collisions. A Cartesian surface-spherical harmonic decomposition technique was used to extract the kaon source function. The latter was found to have a three-dimensional Gaussian shape and can be adequately reproduced by Therminator event-generator simulations with resonance contributions taken into account. Compared to the pion one, the kaon source function is generally narrower and does not have the long tail along the pair transverse momentum direction. The kaon Gaussian radii display a monotonic decrease with increasing transverse mass m_T over …

Wave Function For Time-Dependent Harmonically Confined Electrons In A Time-Dependent Electric Field, Yu-Qi Li, Xiao-Yin Pan, Viraht Sahni

Publications and Research

The many-body wave function of a system of interacting particles confined by a time-dependent harmonic potential and perturbed by a time-dependent spatially homogeneous electric field is derived via the Feynman path-integral method. The wave function is comprised of a phase factor times the solution to the unperturbed time-dependent Schrödinger equation with the latter being translated by a time-dependent value that satisfies the classical driven equation of motion. The wave function reduces to that of the Harmonic Potential Theorem wave function for the case of the time-independent harmonic confining potential.

Investigating The Influence Of Interface And Vacancy Defects On The Growth Of Silicon Quantum Dots In Sio2, John Phelan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The effects of interface and vacancy defects on silicon quantum dot (Si-QD) growth are investigated using measurements of Time Resolved Photoluminescence (TRPL), Photoluminescence (PL) Spectroscopy and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR). Thermally grown SiO₂ thin films (280nm) were irradiated with high energy (400keV – 1MeV) silicon ions in order to introduce defects into the Si-QD growth layer of SiO₂. A noticeable increase in PL emission intensity is seen with the highest energy pre-implanted sample over a single implant sample. TRPL results show increased radiative lifetimes for the lower energy (400keV) pre-implant while little or no difference is seen …

Conformal Tensors Via Lovelock Gravity, David Kastor

David Kastor

Constructs from conformal geometry are important in low dimensional gravity models, while in higher dimensions the higher curvature interactions of Lovelock gravity are similarly prominent. Considering conformal invariance in the context of Lovelock gravity leads to natural, higher-curvature generalizations of the Weyl, Schouten, Cotton and Bach tensors, with properties that straightforwardly extend those of their familiar counterparts. As a first application, we introduce a new set of conformally invariant gravity theories in D=4k dimensions, based on the squares of the higher curvature Weyl tensors.

The Carbon Rent Economics Of Climate Policy, Matthias Kalkuhl, Robert J. Brecha

Physics Faculty Publications

By reducing the demand for fossil fuels, climate policy can reduce scarcity rents for fossil resource owners. As mitigation policies ultimately aim to limit emissions, a new scarcity for “space” in the atmosphere to deposit emissions is created. The associated scarcity rent, or climate rent (that is, for example, directly visible in permit prices under an emission trading scheme) can be higher or lower than the original fossil resource rent. In this paper, we analyze analytically and numerically the impact of mitigation targets, resource availability, backstop costs, discount rates and demand parameters on fossil resource rents and the climate rent. …

Asymmetric Architecture For Heralded Single-Photon Sources, Luca Mazzarella, Francesco Ticozzi, Alexander V. Sergienko, Giuseppe Vallone, Paolo Villoresi

Dartmouth Scholarship

Single-photon sources represent a fundamental building block for optical implementations of quantum information tasks ranging from basic tests of quantum physics to quantum communication and high-resolution quantum measurement. In this paper, in order to compare the effectiveness of different designs, we introduce a single-photon source performance index, based on the maximum probability of generating a single photon that still guarantees a given signal-to-noise ratio. We then investigate the performance of a multiplexed system based on asymmetric configuration of multiple heralded single-photon sources. The performance and scalability comparison with both currently existing multiple-source architectures and faint laser configurations reveals an advantage …

The Study Of Nanophotonic Switching Mechanisms In Photonic And Metallic Heterostructures, Joel Cox

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this thesis, nanophotonic switching mechanisms and light-matter interactions are explored in photonic and metallic heterostructures and nanocomposites. These heterostructures are made using various combinations of photonic crystals (PCs), quantum dots (QDs), and graphene or metal nanoparticles (MNPs).

PC heterostructures are formed by combining different PCs so that photons in a specific energy range can propagate in certain regions along one direction and cannot propagate in others. This band structure engineering is used to form photonic quantum wells (PQWs) that have discrete energy states along one dimension. By simulating the photon transmission along the direction of confinement, resonant photon tunnelling …

Strengthening Weak-Value Amplification With Recycled Photons, Justin Dressel, Kevin Lyons, Andrew N. Jordan, Trent M. Graham, Paul G. Kwiat

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We consider the use of cyclic weak measurements to improve the sensitivity of weak-value amplification precision measurement schemes. Previous weak-value experiments have used only a small fraction of events, while discarding the rest through the process of “postselection.” We extend this idea by considering recycling of events which are typically unused in a weak measurement. Here we treat a sequence of polarized laser pulses effectively trapped inside an interferometer using a Pockels cell and polarization optics. In principle, all photons can be postselected, which will improve the measurement sensitivity. We first provide a qualitative argument for the expected improvements from …

Approximation Solutions For Local Fractional Schrödinger Equation In The One-Dimensional Cantorian System, Xiao-Jun Yang

Xiao-Jun Yang

The local fractional Schr¨odinger equations in the one-dimensional Cantorian systemare investigated.The approximations solutions are obtained by using the local fractional series expansion method. The obtained solutions show that the present method is an efficient and simple tool for solving the linear partial differentiable equations within the local fractional derivative.

Quantum Instruments As A Foundation For Both States And Observables, Justin Dressel, Andrew N. Jordan

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

We demonstrate that quantum instruments can provide a unified operational foundation for quantum theory. Since these instruments directly correspond to laboratory devices, this foundation provides an alternate, more experimentally grounded, perspective from which to understand the elements of the traditional approach.We first show that in principle all measurable probabilities and correlations can be expressed entirely in terms of quantum instruments without the need for conventional quantum states or observables. We then show how these states and observables reappear as derived quantities by conditioning joint detection probabilities on the first or last measurement in a sequence as a preparation or a …

Controllability Of Open Quantum Optical Systems: Photon Fock States In A Cavity, Byron Henry Lowry

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

There has always been a signicant interest in using optical systems to control quantum phenomena. A major barrier to controllability of quantum optical systems is the fact that the systems are usually innite dimensional open systems, two cases which have mostly negative controllability results. This thesis develops three new denitions of controllability and reformulates a previous controllability theorem in order to apply the theorem to the system of interest. Then, the controllability of a pumped dissipative quantum optical cavity with engineered decoherence is investigated using previously developed concepts in quantum control theory, as well as the ones developed in this …

On The Universality Of Inner Black Hole Mechanics And Higher Curvature Gravity, Alejandra Castro, Nima Dehmami, Gaston Giribet, David Kastor

David Kastor

Black holes are famous for their universal behavior. New thermodynamic relations have been found recently for the product of gravitational entropies over all the horizons of a given stationary black hole. This product has been found to be independent of the mass for all such solutions of Einstein-Maxwell theory in d=4,5. We study the universality of this mass independence by introducing a number of possible higher curvature corrections to the gravitational action. We consider finite temperature black holes with both asymptotically flat and (A)dS boundary conditions. Although we find examples for which mass independence of the horizon entropy product continues …

Contributions To The Cuore Collaboration, Samuel Joseph Meijer

Physics

This paper describes work done between 2010 and 2013 to contribute to the CUORE collaboration, a physics collaboration searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay in tellurium. Measurement of this decay would indicate fundamental information about the nature of the neutrino. The implementation of a parylene-coated detector frame is described. Also, a temperature stabilization system for an automated gluing system was constructed. An image recognition algorithm is described for locating spots of glue and evaluating their acceptability.

The Collaboration Particle; Applying The Formalism Of Quantum Theory To Cognition., Kelsey E. Landis, Hontas F. Farmer

Hontas F Farmer

We propose that collaboration between two people can be thought of as a quantum cognitive process wherein the relevant reality to be comprehended is an idea being communicated from one person to the other. Through a combination of writing center pedagogy and quantum theory, supported by mathematical evidence, we assert that collaboration can be effectively and equally established in both face-to-face and online writing tutoring sessions through conscious, active meditation to harness what can be thought of as a particle. Included is an analysis of writing center scholarship to show how collaboration is traditionally considered in a writing center context, …

Proofs Of The Kochen-Specker Theorem Based On The N-Qubit Pauli Group, Padmanabhan Aravind, Mordecai Waegell

Padmanabhan K. Aravind

We present a number of observables-based proofs of the KochenSpecker (KS) theorem based on the N-qubit Pauli group for N ≥ 4, thus adding to the proofs that have been presented earlier for the 2- and 3-qubit groups. These proofs have the attractive feature that they can be presented in the form of diagrams from which they are obvious by inspection. They are also irreducible in the sense that they cannot be reduced to smaller proofs by ignoring some subset of qubits and/or observables in them. A simple algorithm is given for transforming any observables-based KS proof into a large …

Gravitational Tension And Thermodynamics Of Planar Ads Spacetimes, Basem M. El-Menoufi, Benjamin Ett, David Kastor, Jennie Traschen

David Kastor

We derive new thermodynamic relations for asymptotically planar AdS black hole and soliton solutions. In addition to the ADM mass, these spacetimes are characterized by gravitational tensions in each of the planar spatial directions. We show that with planar AdS asymptotics, the sum of the ADM mass and tensions necessarily vanishes, as one would expect from the AdS /CFT correspondence. Each Killing vector of such a spacetime leads to a Smarr formula relating the ADM mass and tensions, the black hole horizon and soliton bubble areas, and a set of thermodynamic volumes that arise due to the non-vanishing cosmological constant. …

Yet Another Snapshot Of Foundational Attitudes Toward Quantum Mechanics, Travis Norsen, Sarah Nelson

Physics: Faculty Publications

A survey probing respondents' views on various foundational issues in quantum mechanics was recently created by Schlosshauer, Kofler, and Zeilinger [arXiv:1301.1069] and then given to 33 participants at a quantum foundations conference. Here we report the results of giving this same survey to the attendees at another recent quantum foundations conference. While it is rather difficult to conclude anything of scientific significance from the poll, the results do strongly suggest several interesting cultural facts -- for example, that there exist, within the broad field of "quantum foundations", sub-communities with quite different views, and that (relatedly) there is probably …

Analysis Of Fractal Wave Equations By Local Fractional Fourier Series Method, Xiao-Jun Yang

Xiao-Jun Yang

The fractal wave equations with local fractional derivatives are investigated in this paper.The analytical solutions are obtained by using local fractional Fourier series method. The present method is very efficient and accurate to process a class of local fractional differential equations.

Hilbert Space Theory And Applications In Basic Quantum Mechanics, Matthew Gagne

Mathematics

We explore the basic mathematical physics of quantum mechanics. Our primary focus will be on Hilbert space theory and applications as well as the theory of linear operators on Hilbert space. We show how Hermitian operators are used to represent quantum observables and investigate the spectrum of various linear operators. We discuss deviation and uncertainty and briefly suggest how symmetry and representations are involved in quantum theory.

Development Without Energy? Assessing Future Scenarios Of Energy Consumption In Developing Countries, Jan Christof Steckel, Robert J. Brecha, Michael Jakob, Jessica Strefler, Gunnar Luderer

Physics Faculty Publications

We analyze the relationship between economic development and energy consumption in the context of greenhouse gas mitigation. The main contribution of this work is to compare estimates of energy thresholds in the form of minimum energy requirements to reach high levels of development with output projections of per capita final energy supply from a group of integrated assessment models (IAMs). Scenarios project that reductions of carbon emissions in developing countries will be achieved not only by means of decreasing the carbon intensity, but also by making a significant break with the historically observed relationship between energy use and economic growth. …