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Full-Text Articles in Condensed Matter Physics
Superfluid Swimmers, German Kolmakov, Igor S. Aranson
Superfluid Swimmers, German Kolmakov, Igor S. Aranson
Publications and Research
The propulsion of living microorganisms ultimately relies on viscous drag for body-fluid interactions. The self-locomotion in superfluids such as 4He is deemed impossible due to the apparent lack of viscous resistance. Here, we investigate the self-propulsion of a Janus (two-face) light-absorbing particle suspended in superfluid helium 4He (He-II). The particle is energized by the heat flux due to the absorption of light from an external source. We show that a quantum mechanical propulsion force originates due to the transformation of the superfluid to a normal fluid on the heated particle face. The theoretical analysis is supported by the …
Quasiprobability Behind The Out-Of-Time-Ordered Correlator, Nicole Yunger Halpern, Brian Swingle, Justin Dressel
Quasiprobability Behind The Out-Of-Time-Ordered Correlator, Nicole Yunger Halpern, Brian Swingle, Justin Dressel
Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research
Two topics, evolving rapidly in separate fields, were combined recently: the out-of-time-ordered correlator (OTOC) signals quantum-information scrambling in many-body systems. The Kirkwood-Dirac (KD) quasiprobability represents operators in quantum optics. The OTOC was shown to equal a moment of a summed quasiprobability [Yunger Halpern, Phys. Rev. A 95, 012120 (2017)]. That quasiprobability, we argue, is an extension of the KD distribution. We explore the quasiprobability's structure from experimental, numerical, and theoretical perspectives. First, we simplify and analyze Yunger Halpern's weak-measurement and interference protocols for measuring the OTOC and its quasiprobability. We decrease, exponentially in system size, the number of trials …