Physics Commons^™

Stressed Liquid-Crystal Optical Phased Array For Fast Tip-Tilt Wavefront Correction, Bin Wang, Guoqiang Zhang, Anatoliy Glushchenko, John West, Philip Bos, Paul Mcmanamon

John L West

A liquid-crystal optical phased-array technology that uses stressed liquid crystals provides a new type of tip-tilt wavefront corrector. It demonstrates a very fast time response (10 kHz) and high beam-steering efficiency (similar to 91%). The new technology presented here will allow for a nonmechanical, high-speed correction with simple device construction.

Stressed Liquid-Crystal Optical Phased Array For Fast Tip-Tilt Wavefront Correction, Bin Wang, Guoqiang Zhang, Anatoliy Glushchenko, John L. West, Philip Bos, Paul F. Mcmanamon

Philip J. Bos

A liquid-crystal optical phased-array technology that uses stressed liquid crystals provides a new type of tip-tilt wavefront corrector. It demonstrates a very fast time response (10 kHz) and high beam-steering efficiency (similar to 91%). The new technology presented here will allow for a nonmechanical, high-speed correction with simple device construction.

Long Distance Effects And Strangeness In The Nucleon, John Donoghue, Barry R. Holstein, Tobias Huber, Andreas Ross

John Donoghue

We discuss the calculation of the strange magnetic radius of the proton in chiral perturbation theory. In particular we investigate the low energy component of the loop integrals involving kaons. We separate the chiral calculation into a low energy part and a high energy component through use of a momentum space separation scale. This separation shows that most of the chiral calculation comes from high energies where the effective field theory treatment is not valid. The resulting low energy prediction is in better agreement with dispersive treatments. Finally, we briefly discuss magnetic moments and show how our techniques can help …

Kinetic Theory Of Random Graphs: From Paths To Cycles, E. Ben-Naim, P.L. Krapivsky

Eli Ben-Naim

Structural properties of evolving random graphs are investigated. Treating linking as a dynamic aggregation process, rate equations for the distribution of node to node distances (paths) and of cycles are formulated and solved analytically. At the gelation point, the typical length of paths and cycles, l, scales with the component size k as l ~ k^{1/2}. Dynamic and finite-size scaling laws for the behavior at and near the gelation point are obtained. Finite-size scaling laws are verified using numerical simulations.

Climatology Of F Region Zonalplasma Drifts Over Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, J. R. Souza, A. S. Santos, A. E. Costa Pereira

Bela G. Fejer

[1] We use extensive incoherent scatter radar observations made at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory between 1970 and 2003 to study and model empirically the equatorial zonal plasma drifts near the F region peak using Bernstein polynomials as base functions. Our quiet-time model results confirm that the daytime drifts are westward and are nearly season and solar cycle independent. The nighttime drifts are eastward, have larger magnitudes, and increase strongly with solar flux, particularly near equinox and December solstice. Enhanced geomagnetic activity drives small eastward perturbation drifts during the day and much larger westward disturbance drifts at night. The nighttime drift …

Assimilative Modeling Of The Equatorial Ionosphere For Scintillation Forecasting: Modeling With Vertical Drifts, J. M. Retterer, D. T. Decker, W. S. Borer, R. E. Daniell, Bela G. Fejer

Bela G. Fejer

[1] Knowledge of the vertical plasma drift velocity observed by the Jicamarca incoherent radar in seven events is assimilated into a theoretical model for the ambient F region plasma density. Comparisons of the calculated plasma density model and the observed plasma density show that, apart from the signature effects of equatorial plasma bubbles, the ambient model captures much of the detail of the plasma density profiles. Rayleigh-Taylor growth rates calculated with the ambient model show a good correlation with the occurrence of spread F.

High-Efficiency, Liquid-Crystal-Based, Controllable Diffraction Grating, Yanli Zhang, Bin Wang, Philip J. Bos, Jennifer Colegrove, David B. Chung

Philip J. Bos

We propose a new reflective liquid-crystal diffraction grating design attained by combining the use of a polymer wall to reduce the detrimental effect of the fringing electric field in a high-resolution grating and a quarterwave plate to make the device polarization independent. This design could offer significant performance advantages in a projection display system. Results of calculations are compared with experimental data. (c) 2005 Optical Society of America.

Simulation Of Ultrashort Laser Pulse Propagation With High-Order Dispersion, Raman Scattering, And Shock Formation, Jeremy Gulley, Erik Zeek, William Dennis

Jeremy R. Gulley

No abstract is currently available.

Steady States Of A Nonequilibrium Lattice Gas, Edward Lyman, Beate Schmittmann

Beate Schmittmann

We present a Monte Carlo study of a lattice gas driven out of equilibrium by a local hopping bias. Sites can be empty or occupied by one of two types of particles, which are distinguished by their response to the hopping bias. All particles interact via excluded volume and a nearest-neighbor attractive force. The main result is a phase diagram with three phases: a homogeneous phase and two distinct ordered phases. Continuous boundaries separate the homogeneous phase from the ordered phases, and a first-order line separates the two ordered phases. The three lines merge in a nonequilibrium bicritical point.

Systematic, Multisite Short-Range-Order Corrections To The Electronic Structure Of Disordered Alloys From First Principles: The Kkr Nonlocal Cpa From The Dynamical Cluster Approximation, D. A. Biava, Subhradip Ghosh, Duane D. Johnson, W. A. Shelton, Andrei V. Smirnov

Duane D. Johnson

Although the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent-potential approximation (KKR-CPA) is used widely to configurationally average and get electronic structures and energies of disordered alloys, a single-site CPA misses local environment effects, including short-range order (SRO). A proposed nonlocal CPA (NLCPA) recovers translational invariance of the effective medium via k-space coarse graining from the dynamical cluster approximation (DCA), where corrections are systematic as cluster size increases. We implement a first-principles KKR-NLCPA/DCA and show the effects of environment, including SRO, on the electronic structures of fcc CuAu and bcc NiAl.

Defect Structure Of Sb2−Xmnxte3 Single Crystals., Jaromír Horák, Petr LošŤÁK, Čestmír Drašar, Jeffrey Dyck, Zengzua Zhou, Cterid Uher

Jeffrey Dyck

Incorporation of the transition metal elements in the tetradymite structure of Sb2Te3 has a strong influence on electronic properties. Recent studies have indicated that Mn substitutes on the Sb sublattice increases the carrier concentration of holes. However, the doping efficiency of Mn appears rather low in comparison to what it should be based on the measurements of magnetization, structural analysis, and transport properties. In this paper we address this issue by making detailed studies of the Hall effect and electrical resistivity and we explain the results with the aid of a model that takes into account interactions of the Mn …

Genetic Programming For Multitimescale Modeling, Kumara Sastry, Duane D. Johnson, David E. Goldberg, Pascal Bellon

Duane D. Johnson

A bottleneck for multitimescale thermally activated dynamics is the computation of the potential energy surface. We explore the use of genetic programming (GP) to symbolically regress a mapping of the saddle-point barriers from only a few calculated points via molecular dynamics, thereby avoiding explicit calculation of all barriers. The GP-regressed barrier function enables use of kinetic Monte Carlo to simulate real-time kinetics (seconds to hours) based upon realistic atomic interactions. To illustrate the concept, we apply a GP regression to vacancy-assisted migration on a surface of a concentrated binary alloy (from both quantum and empirical potentials) and predict the diffusion …

Observation Of A Metallic Superfluid In A Numerical Experiment, E. Smorgrav, J. Smiseth, Egor Babaev, A. Sudbo

Egor Babaev

We report the observation, in Monte Carlo simulations, of a novel type of quantum ordered state: {\it the metallic superfluid}. The metallic superfluid features ohmic resistance to counter-flows of protons and electrons, while featuring dissipationless co-flows of electrons and protons. One of the candidates for a physical realization of this remarkable state of matter is hydrogen or its isotopes under high compression. This adds another potential candidate to the presently known quantum dissipationless states, namely superconductors, superfluid liquids and vapours, and supersolids.

Observability Of A Projected New State Of Matter: A Metallic Superfluid, Egor Babaev, Asle Sudbo, N. W. Ashcroft

Egor Babaev

Dissipationless quantum states, such as superconductivity and superfluidity, have attracted interest for almost a century. A variety of systems exhibit these macroscopic quantum phenomena, ranging from superconducting electrons in metals to superfluid liquids, atomic vapours, and even large nuclei. It was recently suggested that liquid metallic hydrogen could form two new unusual dissipationless quantum states, namely the metallic superfluid and the superconducting superfluid. Liquid metallic hydrogen is projected to occur only at an extremely high pressure of about 400 GPa, while pressures on hydrogen of 320 GPa having already been reported. The issue to be adressed is if this state …

The Appearance, Apparent Speed, And Removal Of Optical Effects For Relativistically Moving Objects, Robert J. Deissler

Robert J. Deissler

Because various parts of an object are different distances from an observer, and light takes a finite time to reach the observer, the appearance of a relativistically moving object will be very different from that given by the Lorentz contraction. We derive equations that can be applied to a photographic image so that the Lorentz contraction can still be observed. We also give equations that quantify the apparent deformation of the object and plots that show the apparent speed of the object as a function of time. In particular, as an object approaches, its apparent speed can be much greater …

Decoherence As A Measure Of Entanglement, Padmanabhan Aravind, Denis Tolkunov, Vladimir Privman

Padmanabhan K. Aravind

For a solvable pure-decoherence model, we confirm by an explicit model calculation that the decay of entanglement of two state systems (two quibits) is approximately governed by the product of the suppression factors describing decoherence of the subsystems, provided that they are subject to uncorrelated sources of quantum noise. This demonstrates an important physical property that separated open quantum systems can evolve quantum mechanically on time scales larger than the times for which they remain entangled.

Compression Of Laser Radiation In Plasmas Using Electromagnetic Cascading, Serguei Y. Kalmykov, Gennady Shvets

Serge Youri Kalmykov

Compressing high-power laser beams in plasmas via generation of a coherent cascade of electromagnetic sidebands is described. The technique requires two copropagating beams detuned by a near-resonant frequency, \Omega < \omega_{p}. The ponderomotive force of the laser beat wave drives an electron plasma wave which modifies the refractive index of plasma so as to produce a periodic phase modulation of the laser field with the beat period t_b = 2\pi/\Omega. A train of chirped laser beat notes (each of duration t_b) is thus created. The group velocity dispersion of radiation in plasma can then compress each beat note to a few-laser-cycle duration. As a result, a train of sharp electromagnetic spikes separated in time by t_b is formed. Depending on the plasma and laser parameters, chirping and compression can be implemented either concurrently in the same plasma or sequentially in different plasmas.

Crossover From Kramers To Phase-Diffusion Switching In Moderately Damped Josephson Junctions, Jaan Männik, S. Li, W. Qiu, W. Chen, V. Patel, S. Han, J. E. Lukens

Jaan Männik

We have measured and propose a model for switching rates in a hysteretic dc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) in the regime where phase-diffusion processes start to occur. We show that the switching rates in this regime are smaller than the rates given by Kramers’ formula due to retrapping of the Josephson phase. The retrapping process, which is affected by the frequency dependent impedance of the environment of the dc SQUID, leads to a peaked second moment of the switching distribution as a function of temperature. The temperatures where the peaks occur are proportional to the critical current of the …

Exact Dynamics Of A Reaction-Diffusion Model With Spatially Alternating Rates, M. Mobilia, Beate Schmittmann, R. K. P. Zia

Beate Schmittmann

We present the exact solution for the full dynamics of a nonequilibrium spin chain and its dual reaction-diffusion model, for arbitrary initial conditions. The spin chain is driven out of equilibrium by coupling alternating spins to two thermal baths at different temperatures. In the reaction-diffusion model, this translates into spatially alternating rates for particle creation and annihilation, and even negative “temperatures” have a perfectly natural interpretation. Observables of interest include the magnetization, the particle density, and all correlation functions for both models. Two generic types of time dependence are found: if both temperatures are positive, the magnetization, density, and correlation …

Stationary States And Energy Cascades In Inelastic Gases, E. Ben-Naim, J. Machta

Eli Ben-Naim

We find a general class of nontrivial stationary states in inelastic gases where, due to dissipation, energy is transfered from large velocity scales to small velocity scales. These steady-states exist for arbitrary collision rules and arbitrary dimension. Their signature is a stationary velocity distribution f(v) with an algebraic high-energy tail, f(v) ~ v^{-sigma}. The exponent sigma is obtained analytically and it varies continuously with the spatial dimension, the homogeneity index characterizing the collision rate, and the restitution coefficient. We observe these stationary states in numerical simulations in which energy is injected into the system by infrequently boosting particles to high …

Strongly Coupled Large-Angle Stimulated Raman Scattering Of Short Laser Pulse In Plasma-Filled Capillary, Serguei Y. Kalmykov, Patrick Mora

Serge Youri Kalmykov

Strongly coupled large-angle stimulated Raman scattering sLA SRSd of a short intense laser pulse develops in a plane plasma-filled capillary differently than in a plasma with open boundaries. Coupling the laser pulse to a capillary seeds the LA SRS in the forward direction (scattering angle smaller than \pi / 2 ) and can thus produce a high instability level in the vicinity of the entrance plane. In addition, oblique mirror reflections off capillary walls partly suppress the lateral convection of scattered radiation and increase the growth rate of the SRS under arbitrary (not too small) angle. Hence, the saturated convective …

Chapter 12 - Part Ii: A New Way Of Thinking About Achieving And Preserving Peace, Raymond Wilson

Raymond Wilson

Transport Coefficients Of Titanium-Doped Sb2te3 Single Crystals., Č. Drašar, M. Steinhart, P. Lošťák, H.-K. Shin, Jeffrey Dyck, C. Uher

Jeffrey Dyck

Titanium-doped single crystals (cTi=0–2×1020atomscm−3) were prepared from the elements Sb, Ti, and Te of 5N purity by a modified Bridgman method. The obtained crystals were characterized by measurements of the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity, Hall coefficient, Seebeck coefficient and thermal conductivity in the temperature range of 3–300K. It was observed that with an increasing Ti content in the samples the electrical resistivity, the Hall coefficient and the Seebeck coefficient increase. This means that the incorporation of Ti atoms into the Sb2Te3 crystal structure results in a decrease in the concentration of holes in the doped crystals. For the …

Anomalous Nucleation Far From Equilibrium, I. T. Georgiev, Beate Schmittmann, R. K. P. Zia

Beate Schmittmann

We present precision Monte Carlo data and analytic arguments for an asymmetric exclusion process, involving two species of particles driven in opposite directions on a 2×L lattice. To resolve a stark discrepancy between earlier simulation data and an analytic conjecture, we argue that the presence of a single macroscopic cluster is an intermediate stage of a complex nucleation process: in smaller systems, this cluster is destabilized while larger systems form multiple clusters. Both limits lead to exponential cluster size distributions, controlled by very different length scales.

Crossover Energetics For Halogenated Si(100): Vacancy Line Defects, Dimer Vacancy Lines, And Atom Vacancy Lines, G. J. Xu, Nikolai A. Zarkevich, Abhishek Agrawal, A. W. Signore, B. R. Trenhaile, Duane D. Johnson, J. H. Weaver

Duane D. Johnson

We investigated surface patterning of I-Si(100)-(2×1) both experimentally and theoretically. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we first examined I destabilization of Si(100)-(2×1) at near saturation. Dimer vacancies formed on the terraces at 600 K, and they grew into lines that were perpendicular to the dimer rows, termed vacancy line defects. These patterns were distinctive from those induced by Cl and Br under similar conditions since the latter formed atom and dimer vacancy lines that were parallel to the dimer rows. Using first-principles density functional theory, we determined the steric repulsive interactions associated with iodine and showed how the observed defect patterns …

Low-Temperature Ferromagnetic Properties Of The Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor Sb2-X Crx Te3 ., Jeffrey Dyck, Č. Drašar, P. LošŤÁK, C. Uher

Jeffrey Dyck

We report on magnetic and electrical transport properties of Sb2-x Crx Te3 single crystals with 0⩽x⩽0.095 over temperatures from 2 K to 300 K . A ferromagnetic state develops in these crystals at low temperatures with Curie temperatures that are proportional to x (for x>0.014 ), attaining a maximum value of 20 K for x=0.095 . Hysteresis below TC for the applied field parallel to the c axis is observed in both magnetization and Hall-effect measurements. Magnetic as well as transport data indicate that Cr takes the 3+ (3 d3 ) valence state, substituting for antimony in the host …

Size-Driven Domain Reorientation In Hydrothermally Derived Lead Titanate Nanoparticles, Zhiyuan Ye, Elliot B. Slamovich, Alexander H. King

Alexander H. King

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies of hydrothermally derived platelike lead titanate nanoparticles reveal that below a critical size of approximately 70 nm, the single ferroelectric domain polarization axis reorients from perpendicular to parallel to the plate. We suggest that during particle growth, ions in the hydrothermal processing medium compensate for the ferroelectric depolarization energy. When the processing medium is removed by washing and drying, single domain nanoparticles minimize their depolarization energy by c-axis flipping.

Superconducting Critical Field Curves In Uranium-Niobium Alloys, Jason Cooley, W Hults, Jason Lashley, James Smith, George Schmiedeshoff

George Schmiedeshoff

The uranium niobium binary alloy system exhibits a rich collection of phenomena for study. The composition range from 0 wt.% Nb to 10 wt.% Nb exhibits multiple crystallographic phases with interesting properties such as superconductivity, charge density waves and shape memory effects. We have extended the range of our resistivity measurements to as low as 400mK in order to map the critical field curves of these superconducting alloys. As a function of temperature some of the critical field curves have positive curvature which is somewhat correlated with the normal state temperature dependence of the resistivity. Work supported by the United …

Laser Wakefield Acceleration By Petawatt Ultrashort Laser Pulses, Leonid M. Gorbunov, Serguei Y. Kalmykov, Patrick Mora

Serge Youri Kalmykov

An ultrashort (about 30 fs) petawatt laser pulse focused with a wide focal spot (about 100 mm) in a rarefied plasma (n_0 ~ 10^{17} cm^{−3}) excites a nonlinear plasma wakefield which can accelerate injected electrons up to GeV energies without any pulse channeling. Under these conditions, propagation of the laser pulse with an overcritical power for relativistic self-focusing is almost the same as in vacuum. The nonlinear quasiplane plasma wave, whose amplitude and phase velocity vary along the laser path, effectively traps and accelerates injected electrons with a wide range of initial energies. Electrons accelerated over two Rayleigh lengths (about …

Switchable Two-Dimensional Gratings Based On Field-Induced Layer Undulations In Cholesteric Liquid Crystals, B. I. Senyuk, I. I. Smalyukh, Oleg Lavrentovich

Oleg Lavrentovich

We propose switchable two-dimensional (2D) diffractive gratings with periodic refractive-index modulation arising from layer undulations in cholesteric liquid crystals. The cholesteric cell can be switched between two states: (1) f lat layers of a planar cholesteric texture and (2) a square lattice of periodic director modulation associated with layer undulations that produces 2D diffraction patterns. The intensities of the diffraction maxima can be tuned by changing the applied field. The diffractive properties can be optimized for different wavelengths by appropriately choosing cholesteric pitch, cell thickness, and surface treatment.