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An allometric height–mass exponent γ gives an approximative power-law relation 〈M〉∝H^γ between the average mass 〈M〉 and the height H for a sample of individuals. The individuals in the present study are humans but could be any biological organism. The sampling can be for a specific age of the individuals or for an age interval. The body mass index is often used for practical purposes when characterizing humans and it is based on the allometric exponent γ = 2. It is shown here that the actual value of γ is to a large extent determined by the degree of correlation between mass and height within the sample studied: no correlation between mass and height means γ = 0, whereas if there was a precise relation between mass and height such that all individuals had the same shape and density then γ = 3. The connection is demonstrated by showing that the value of γ can be obtained directly from three numbers characterizing the spreads of the relevant random Gaussian statistical distributions: the spread of the height and mass distributions together with the spread of the mass distribution for the average height. Possible implications for allometric relations, in general, are discussed.

Matter–wave interferometry is a powerful tool for high-precision measurements of the quantum properties of atoms, many-body phenomena and gravity. The most precise matter–wave interferometers exploit the excellent localization in momentum space and coherence of the degenerate gases. Further enhancement of the sensitivity and reduction of complexity are crucial conditions for the success and widening of their applications. Here we introduce a multi-state interferometric scheme that offers advances in both these aspects. The coherent coupling between Bose–Einstein condensates in different Zeeman states is used to generate high-harmonic output signals with an enhanced resolution and the maximum possible interferometric visibility. We demonstrate the realization of such an interferometer as a compact, easy to use, atom-chip device. This provides an alternative method for the measurement of the light–atom and surface–atom interactions and enables the application of multi-parameter sensing schemes in cold-atom interferometry.

The recently discovered 125 GeV boson appears very similar to a Standard Model (SM) Higgs, but with data favoring an enhanced h → γγ rate. A number of groups have found that fits would allow (or, less so after the latest updates, prefer) that the $ht\bar {t}$ coupling have the opposite sign. This can be given meaning in the context of an electroweak chiral Lagrangian, but it might also be interpreted to mean that a new colored and charged particle runs in loops and reinforces the W-loop contribution to hFF, while also producing the opposite-sign hGG amplitude to that generated by integrating out the top. Due to a correlation in sign of the new physics amplitudes, when the SM hFF coupling is enhanced the hGG coupling is decreased. Thus, in order to not suppress the rate of h → WW and h → ZZ, which appear to be approximately SM-like, one would need the loop to 'overshoot', not only canceling the top contribution but producing an opposite-sign hGG vertex of about the same magnitude as that in the SM. We argue that most such explanations have severe problems with fine-tuning and, more importantly, vacuum stability. In particular, the case of stop loops producing an opposite-sign hGG vertex of the same size as the SM one is ruled out by a combination of vacuum decay bounds and Large Electron–Positron Collider (LEP) constraints. We also show that scenarios with a sign flip from loops of color octet charged scalars or new fermionic states are highly constrained.

We identify an intriguing feature of the electron–vibrational dynamics of molecular systems via a computational examination of trans-polyacetylene oligomers. Here, via the vibronic interactions, the decay of an electron in the conduction band resonantly excites an electron in the valence band, and vice versa, leading to oscillatory exchange of electronic population between two distinct electronic states that lives for up to tens of picoseconds. The oscillatory structure is reminiscent of beating patterns between quantum states and is strongly suggestive of the presence of long-lived molecular electronic coherence. Significantly, however, a detailed analysis of the electronic coherence properties shows that the oscillatory structure arises from a purely incoherent process. These results were obtained by propagating the coupled dynamics of electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom in a mixed quantum-classical study of the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger Hamiltonian for polyacetylene. The incoherent process is shown to occur between degenerate electronic states with distinct electronic configurations that are indirectly coupled via a third auxiliary state by vibronic interactions. A discussion of how to construct electronic superposition states in molecules that are truly robust to decoherence is also presented.

We study single silicon vacancy (SiV) centres in chemical vapour deposition (CVD) nanodiamonds on iridium as well as an ensemble of SiV centres in a high-quality, low-stress CVD diamond film by using temperature-dependent luminescence spectroscopy in the temperature range 5–295 K. We investigate in detail the temperature-dependent fine structure of the zero-phonon line (ZPL) of the SiV centres. The ZPL transition is affected by inhomogeneous as well as temperature-dependent homogeneous broadening and blue shifts by about 20 cm⁻¹ upon cooling from room temperature to 5 K. We employ excitation power-dependent g⁽²⁾ measurements to explore the temperature-dependent internal population dynamics of single SiV centres and infer mostly temperature-independent dynamics.

We present a fast phase gate scheme that is experimentally achievable and has an operation time more than two orders of magnitude faster than current experimental schemes for low numbers of pulses. The gate time improves with the number of pulses following an inverse power law. Unlike implemented schemes which excite precise motional sidebands, thus limiting the gate timescale, our scheme excites multiple motional states using discrete ultra-fast pulses. We use beam-splitters to divide pulses into smaller components to overcome limitations due to the finite laser pulse repetition rate. This provides gate times faster than proposed theoretical schemes when we optimize a practical setup.

The large difference between the Planck scale and the electroweak scale, known as the hierarchy problem, is addressed in certain models through the postulate of extra spatial dimensions. A search for evidence of extra spatial dimensions in the diphoton channel has been performed using the full set of proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt {s} = 7\,{\mathrm { TeV}}$ recorded in 2011 with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. This dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 4.9 fb⁻¹. The diphoton invariant mass spectrum is observed to be in good agreement with the Standard Model expectation. In the context of the model proposed by Arkani–Hamed, Dimopoulos and Dvali, 95% confidence level lower limits of between 2.52 and 3.92 TeV are set on the ultraviolet cutoff scale M_S depending on the number of extra dimensions and the theoretical formalism used. In the context of the Randall–Sundrum model, a lower limit of 2.06 (1.00) TeV at 95% confidence level is set on the mass of the lightest graviton for couplings of ${k/\overline {M}_{\mathrm { Pl}}} = 0.1 (0.01)$. Combining with the ATLAS dilepton searches based on the 2011 data, the 95% confidence level lower limit on the Randall–Sundrum graviton mass is further tightened to 2.23 (1.03) TeV for ${k/\overline {M}_{\mathrm { Pl}}} = 0.1 (0.01)$.

We propose performing quantum optics experiments in a ground-to-space scenario using the International Space Station, which is equipped with a glass viewing window and a photographer's lens mounted on a motorized camera pod. A dedicated small add-on module with single-photon detection, time-tagging and classical communication capabilities would enable us to perform the first-ever quantum optics experiments in space. We present preliminary design concepts for the ground and flight segments and study the feasibility of the intended mission scenario.

A search is performed for WH production with a light Higgs boson decaying to hidden-sector particles resulting in clusters of collimated electrons, known as electron-jets. The search is performed with 2.04 fb⁻¹ of data collected in 2011 with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in proton–proton collisions at $\sqrt {s}=7\,{\mathrm { TeV}}$. One event satisfying the signal selection criteria is observed, which is consistent with the expected background rate. Limits on the product of the WH production cross section and the branching ratio of a Higgs boson decaying to prompt electron-jets are calculated as a function of a Higgs boson mass in the range from 100 to 140 GeV.

An integrated optical dipole trap uses two-color (red and blue-detuned) traveling evanescent wave fields for trapping cold neutral atoms. To achieve longitudinal confinement, we propose using an integrated optical waveguide coupler, which provides a potential gradient along the beam propagation direction sufficient to confine atoms. This integrated optical dipole trap can support an atomic ensemble with a large optical depth due to its small mode area. Its quasi-TE₀ waveguide mode has an advantage over the HE₁₁ mode of a nanofiber, with little inhomogeneous Zeeman broadening at the trapping region. The longitudinal confinement eliminates the need for a one dimensional optical lattice, reducing collisional blockaded atomic loading, potentially producing larger ensembles. The waveguide trap allows for scalability and integrability with nano-fabrication technology. We analyze the potential performance of such integrated atom traps.

We investigate, both theoretically and experimentally, spatial soliton interaction with dielectric interfaces in a strongly anisotropic medium with non-locality, such as nematic liquid crystals. We throw light on the role of refractive index gradients as well as optic axis variations in both voltage- and self-driven angular steering of non-local solitons. We specifically address and then employ in experiments a suitably designed electrode geometry in a liquid crystalline cell in order to define and tune a graded dielectric interface by exploiting the electro-optic response of the material through the in-plane reorientation of the optic axis in two distinct regions. We study both refraction and total internal reflection as well as voltage controlled steering of spatial solitons.

We propose a setup comprising an arbitrarily large array of static qubits (SQs), which interact with a flying qubit (FQ). The SQs work as a quantum register, which can be written or read out by means of the FQ through quantum state transfer (QST). The entire system, including the FQ's motional degrees of freedom, behaves quantum mechanically. We demonstrate a strategy allowing for selective QST between the FQ and a single SQ chosen from the register. This is achieved through a perfect mirror located beyond the SQs and suitable modulation of the inter-SQ distances.

The dynamics of a linear system embedded in a heat bath environment and subject to white non-Gaussian noise is studied. Classical higher-order cumulants in coordinate space are derived for Poissonian noise and their impact on the dynamics and on asymptotic steady-state distributions is analyzed. In the quantum regime, non-Gaussian properties are present in reduced density in coordinate representation, but in energy representation they exist on a transient time scale only, due to symmetry. Within an exactly solvable model, our results provide insight into mechanisms of linear detectors as sensors for non-Gaussian noise at high and low temperatures.

Incident velocity and incident angle are important parameters for Martian aeolian research. In this paper we have established a model for investigating the saltation of sand in steady state, mainly considering the hopping of sand in the air and sand–bed collision process. The model proves to be able to predict sand motion in steady-state saltation on Earth well both qualitatively and quantitatively. Thus, it was applied to the study of sand saltation on Mars. With the help of the model, we found incident velocities and incident angles of Martian grains in steady-state saltation in cases of various wind strengths. Then, these predicted velocities and angles were compared with previous studies. Besides, the model also can show information on lift-off parameters of saltating particles. Therefore, it allows us to study other features in aeolian processes such as the saltation length and sand transport rate.

There has been controversy about the interpretation of the interference patterns recorded with low-energy electron point projection microscopy. With a highly coherent single-atom electron source, we have used a point projection microscope (PPM) to image a suspended and isolated single-walled carbon nanotube at different tip–sample separations. The nanotube and the surrounding structure are also imaged with a transmission electron microscope. Through numerical simulations, we can fit well the interference patterns of the nanotube recorded by the PPM at different separations. Our simulation results indicate that the interference patterns can be considered as electron holograms at large tip–sample separations (or small magnifications). However, at small tip–sample separations, the interference patterns are dominated by the biprism effect due to significant charge density induced on the nanotube, and thus, the interference patterns contain little information about the internal structure of the object. The results provide a reason why the images obtained by point projection microscopy so far have never achieved a resolution smaller than 2 nm. New research directions for achieving high-resolution imaging of biological molecules with low-energy electrons are also discussed.

In this paper we study the edge polarizations and their consequences for a biased Bernal stacked bilayer graphene nanoribbon with zigzag termination. The magnetic states are classified according to the interlayer and intralayer couplings between the edge polarizations, and the magnetic phase diagram of doping versus bias voltage is given. A coplanar magnetic phase is found and the variation of its magnetic structure with bias voltage is investigated. For all the magnetic states, we also discuss the possibility of half-metallicity, and for a ribbon with perfect zigzag edges, we predict seven kinds of half-metallic states, which are characterized by their distinct magnetic structures and quantized electrical conductances along the ribbon.

Nitrogen–vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are generally recognized as highly promising as indefinitely stable highly efficient single-photon sources. We report an experimental quantification of the brightness, radiative decay rate, nonradiative decay rate and quantum efficiency of single NV centers in diamond nanocrystals. Our experiments show that the commonly observed large spread in fluorescence decay rates of NV centers in nanodiamond is inconsistent with the common explanation of large nanophotonic mode-density variations in the ultra-small high-index crystals at near-unity quantum efficiency. We report that NV centers in 25 nm nanocrystals are essentially insensitive to local density of optical states (LDOS) variations that we induce at a dielectric interface by using liquids to vary the refractive index, and propose that quantum efficiencies in such nanocrystals are widely distributed between 0 and 20%. For single NV centers in larger 100 nm nanocrystals, we show that decay rate changes can be reversibly induced by nanomechanically approaching a mirror to change the LDOS. Using this scanning mirror method, for the first time we report calibrated quantum efficiencies of NV centers, and show that different but nominally identical nanocrystals have widely distributed quantum efficiencies between 10 and 90%. Our measurements imply that nanocrystals that are to be assembled into hybrid photonic structures for cavity QED should first be individually screened to assess fluorescence properties in detail.

In order to fully understand nanoscale heat transport it is necessary to spectrally characterize phonon transmission in nanostructures. Toward this goal we have developed a microfabricated phonon spectrometer. We utilize microfabricated superconducting tunnel junction (STJ)-based phonon transducers for the emission and detection of tunable, non-thermal and spectrally resolved acoustic phonons, with frequencies ranging from ∼100 to ∼870 GHz, in silicon microstructures. We show that phonon spectroscopy with STJs offers a spectral resolution of ∼15–20 GHz, which is ∼20 times better than thermal conductance measurements, for probing nanoscale phonon transport. The STJs are Al–Al_xO_y–Al tunnel junctions and phonon emission and detection occurs via quasiparticle excitation and decay transitions that occur in the superconducting films. We elaborate on the design geometry and constraints of the spectrometer, the fabrication techniques and the low-noise instrumentation that are essential for successful application of this technique for nanoscale phonon studies. We discuss the spectral distribution of phonons emitted by an STJ emitter and the efficiency of their detection by an STJ detector. We demonstrate that the phonons propagate ballistically through a silicon microstructure, and that submicron spatial resolution is realizable in a design such as ours. Spectrally resolved measurements of phonon transport in nanoscale structures and nanomaterials will further the engineering and exploitation of phonons, and thus have important ramifications for nanoscale thermal transport as well as the burgeoning field of nanophononics.

The dynamics of towed objects in a fluid environment is of interest for many practical situations. We investigate experimentally the equilibrium and stability of the trajectory of a sphere towed at constant velocity at the tip of a cable with an unprecedented large length-to-diameter aspect ratio, exceeding 10⁴. The towing configuration is artificially obtained by considering a steady cable (with one fixed end and a free end to which a sphere is eventually attached) in a low-turbulence wind tunnel. We consider three different configurations: (i) the cable towed by itself; (ii) a light millimetric towed sphere made of expanded polystyrene; and (iii) a denser millimetric towed sphere made of lead. The trajectory of the cable tip is monitored using high-speed Lagrangian tracking, which allows one to characterize the average position and the dynamical fluctuations of the towed object. We show that the mean equilibrium position is well predicted by a simple model including the aerodynamical forces acting along the cable and on the towed sphere (when present). Concerning stability issues, we find that the heavy lead particle is always towed in stable conditions (within the accessible range of velocities) with only very low energy oscillations related to a weak pendulum-like motion. In contrast, the free end and light sphere cases are shown to become unstable when the towing velocity exceeds a certain threshold. Spectral analysis shows a flutter-type instability for the sphere, with a dominant oscillatory motion, while the cable alone develops a divergence-type instability with random fluctuations.

Magnesium–yttrium alloys show significantly improved room temperature ductility when compared with pure Mg. We study this interesting phenomenon theoretically at the atomic scale employing quantum-mechanical (so-called ab initio) and atomistic modeling methods. Specifically, we have calculated generalized stacking fault energies for five slip systems in both elemental magnesium (Mg) and Mg–Y alloys using (i) density functional theory and (ii) a set of embedded-atom-method (EAM) potentials. These calculations predict that the addition of yttrium results in a reduction in the unstable stacking fault energy of basal slip systems. Specifically in the case of an I₂ stacking fault, the predicted reduction of the stacking fault energy due to Y atoms was verified by experimental measurements. We find a similar reduction for the stable stacking fault energy of the $\{11\bar {2}2\}\langle 11\bar {2}3\rangle$ non-basal slip system. On the other hand, other energies along this particular γ-surface profile increase with the addition of Y. In parallel to our quantum-mechanical calculations, we have also developed a new EAM Mg–Y potential and thoroughly tested its performance. The comparison of quantum-mechanical and atomistic results indicates that the new potential is suitable for future large-scale atomistic simulations.

Zipf's law, and power laws in general, have attracted and continue to attract considerable attention in a wide variety of disciplines—from astronomy to demographics to software structure to economics to linguistics to zoology, and even warfare. A recent model of random group formation (RGF) attempts a general explanation of such phenomena based on Jaynes' notion of maximum entropy applied to a particular choice of cost function. In the present paper I argue that the specific cost function used in the RGF model is in fact unnecessarily complicated, and that power laws can be obtained in a much simpler way by applying maximum entropy ideas directly to the Shannon entropy subject only to a single constraint: that the average of the logarithm of the observable quantity is specified.

An atomistic approach for computing the depolarizing, or internal, electric field in materials with inhomogeneous polarization is developed. Application of the approach for studying the depolarizing fields in technologically important (Ba_0.7Sr_0.3)TiO₃ ferroelectric alloy with temperature gradients has revealed the intrinsic features of these fields as well as their role in the establishment of polarization gradients. It is found that the depolarizing fields are inhomogeneous and can be tailored to yield both zero and non-vanishing potential drops. Such findings could pave the way to unusual thermoelectric materials, photovoltaics and locally conducting materials, all of which are at the frontier of current research.

In this paper, we present a measure of quantum correlation for a multipartite system, defined as the sum of the correlations for all possible partitions. Our measure can be defined for quantum discord (QD), geometric quantum discord or even for entanglement of formation (EOF). For tripartite pure states, we show that the multipartite measures for the QD and the EOF are equivalent, which allows direct comparison of the distribution and the robustness of these correlations in open quantum systems. We study dissipative dynamics for two distinct families of entanglement: a W state and a GHZ state. We show that, for the W state, the QD is more robust than the entanglement, while for the GHZ state, this is not true. It turns out that the initial genuine multipartite entanglement present in the GHZ state makes the EOF more robust than the QD.

We carried out ac magnetic susceptibility measurements and muon spin relaxation spectroscopy on the cubic double perovskite Ba₂YMoO₆, down to 50 mK. Below ∼1 K the muon relaxation is typical of a magnetic insulator with a spin-liquid type ground state, i.e. without broken symmetries or frozen moments. However, the ac susceptibility revealed a dilute-spin-glass-like transition below ∼1 K. Antiferromagnetically coupled Mo⁵⁺ 4d¹ electrons in triply degenerate t_2g orbitals are in this material arranged in a geometrically frustrated fcc lattice. Bulk magnetic susceptibility data has previously been interpreted in terms of a freezing to a heterogeneous state with non-magnetic sites where 4d¹ electrons have paired in spin-singlets dimers, and residual unpaired Mo⁵⁺ 4d¹ electron spins. Based on the magnetic heat capacity data it has been suggested that this heterogeneity is the result of kinetic constraints intrinsic to the physics of the pure system (possibly due to topological overprotection) leading to a self-induced glass of valence bonds between neighbouring 4d¹ electrons. The muon spin relaxation (μSR) unambiguously points to a heterogeneous state with a static arrangement of unpaired electrons in a background of (valence bond) dimers between the majority of Mo⁵⁺ 4d electrons. The ac susceptibility data indicate that the residual magnetic moments freeze into a dilute-spin-glass-like state. This is in apparent contradiction with the muon-spin decoupling at 50 mK in fields up to 200 mT, which indicates that, remarkably, the time scale of the field fluctuations from the residual moments is ∼5 ns. Comparable behaviour has been observed in other geometrically frustrated magnets with spin-liquid-like behaviour and the implications of our observations on Ba₂YMoO₆ are discussed in this context.

We theoretically show that a geometric phase, generated by a sequence of four optomechanical interactions can be used to generate or increase nonlinearities in the evolution of a mechanical resonator. Interactions of this form lead to new mechanisms for preparing mechanical squeezed states of motion, and the preparation of non-classical states with significant Wigner negativity.

We study a one-dimensional lattice model of interacting spinless fermions. This model is integrable for both periodic and open boundary conditions; the latter case includes the presence of Grassmann valued non-diagonal boundary fields breaking the bulk U(1) symmetry of the model. Starting from the embedding of this model into a graded Yang–Baxter algebra, an infinite hierarchy of commuting transfer matrices is constructed by means of a fusion procedure. For certain values of the coupling constant related to anisotropies of the underlying vertex model taken at roots of unity, this hierarchy is shown to truncate giving a finite set of functional equations for the spectrum of the transfer matrices. For generic coupling constants, the spectral problem is formulated in terms of a functional (or TQ-)equation which can be solved by Bethe ansatz methods for periodic and diagonal open boundary conditions. Possible approaches for the solution of the model with generic non-diagonal boundary fields are discussed.

We report a systematic investigation on the spectral splitting of negatively charged, nitrogen–vacancy (NV⁻) photoluminescent emission in single-crystal diamond induced by strain engineering. The stress fields arise from MeV ion-induced conversion of diamond to amorphous and graphitic material in regions proximal to the centers of interest. In low-nitrogen sectors of a high-pressure–high-temperature diamond, clearly distinguishable spectral components in the NV⁻ emission develop over a range of ∼4.8 THz corresponding to distinct alignment of sub-ensembles which were mapped with micron spatial resolution. This method provides opportunities for the creation and selection of aligned NV⁻ centers for ensemble quantum information protocols.

We succeeded in controlling the measurement strength of a macroscopic quantum system, namely a persistent current quantum bit (qubit), by using a transmission line type Josephson bifurcation amplifier (JBA: an ac-driven superconducting quantum interferometer device) as a probe. By employing a special pulse sequence, we found that the weighted average of the Ramsey fringe visibility (α-value) can be used as an indicator of quantum state projection. The sudden change in the α-value magnitude at around the threshold suggests that an entangled state of the qubit–JBA composite system $(\left |g \right >_{\mathrm { qubit}}\left |E \right >_{\mathrm { JBA}}+\left |e \right >_{\mathrm { qubit}}\left |G \right >_{\mathrm { JBA}})$ settles in one of the two possible classically correlated qubit–JBA states caused by strong decoherence. This is an important result in terms of understanding the mechanisms of quantum state measurement.

High thermoelectric performance in oxides requires stable conductive materials that have suitable band structures. Here we show, based on an analysis of the thermopower and related properties using first-principles calculations and Boltzmann transport theory in the relaxation time approximation, that hole-doped Cu₂O may be such a material. We find that hole-doped Cu₂O has a high thermopower of above 200 μV K⁻¹ even with doping levels as high as 5.2 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ at 500 K, mainly attributed to the heavy valence bands of Cu₂O. This is reminiscent of the cobaltate family of high-performance oxide thermoelectrics and implies that hole-doped Cu₂O could be an excellent thermoelectric material if suitably doped.

We revise the method of periodic metamaterials homogenization initially proposed by Pendry, Holden, Robbins and Stewart (PHRS). The shortcomings of the PHRS derivation of the basic formulae of their method are outlined, subtleties of the method implementation are discussed and the range of validity of both the PHRS method and its later modifications are analyzed. We then give a rigorous derivation of the PHRS averaging formulae in the static approximation and modify the PHRS method to account for the phase advance of an incident wave across the unit cells of metamaterials beyond the quasistatic regime. The advantages of our proposed method are illustrated by numerical calculations of the effective parameters of some periodic metamaterials.

We report a Raman study of the so-called buffer layer with $(6\sqrt 3\times 6\sqrt 3)R30^{\circ }$ periodicity which forms the intrinsic interface structure between epitaxial graphene and SiC(0001). We show that this interface structure leads to a non-vanishing signal in the Raman spectrum at frequencies in the range of the D- and G-band of graphene and discuss its shape and intensity. Ab initio phonon calculations reveal that these features can be attributed to the vibrational density of states of the buffer layer.

Quantum criticality occurs when the ground state of a macroscopic quantum system changes abruptly on tuning system parameters. It is an important indicator of new quantum matters emerging. In conventional methods, quantum criticality is observable only at zero or low temperature (as compared with the interaction strength in the system). We find that a quantum probe, if its coherence time is long, can detect the quantum criticality of a system at high temperature. In particular, the echo control over a spin probe can remove the thermal fluctuation effects and hence reveal the critical quantum fluctuation without requiring low temperature. We first use the exact solution of the one-dimensional transverse-field Ising model to demonstrate the possibility of detecting the quantum criticality at high temperature by spin echo. The critical behaviors were calculated using the exact solution and understood by the noise spectrum analysis in the Gaussian noise approximation. By numerical simulation, we further verify that the high-temperature quantum criticality also exists in the probe coherence measurement of spin systems with dipolar couplings. Using the noise spectrum analysis, we establish the correspondence between the necessary low temperature (T_QC) in conventional methods and the necessary long coherence time (t_QC) in probe decoherence measurement to observe the quantum criticality, that is, T_QC ∼ 1/t_QC and much less than the interaction strength of the system. For example, probes with quantum coherence times of milliseconds or seconds can be used to study, without cooling the system, quantum criticality that was previously known to be only observable at extremely low temperatures of nano- or pico-kelvin. This finding provides a new possibility to study quantum matters.

We perform an extensive study of the properties of global quantum correlations in finite-size one-dimensional quantum spin models at finite temperature. By adopting a recently proposed measure for global quantum correlations (Rulli and Sarandy 2011 Phys. Rev. A 84 042109), called global discord, we show that critical points can be neatly detected even for many-body systems that are not in their ground state. We consider the transverse Ising model, the cluster-Ising model where three-body couplings compete with an Ising-like interaction, and the nearest-neighbor XX Hamiltonian in transverse magnetic field. These models embody our canonical examples showing the sensitivity of global quantum discord close to criticality. For the Ising model, we find a universal scaling of global discord with the critical exponents pertaining to the Ising universality class.

The electrical current through an incompressible, viscous and resistive liquid conductor produces an azimuthal magnetic field that becomes unstable when the corresponding Hartmann number exceeds a critical value of the order of 20. This Tayler instability (TI), which is not only discussed as a key ingredient of a nonlinear stellar dynamo model (Tayler–Spruit dynamo), but also as a limiting factor for the maximum size of large liquid metal batteries, was recently observed experimentally in a column of a liquid metal (Seilmayer et al 2012 Phys. Rev. Lett.108 244501). On the basis of an integro-differential equation approach, we have developed a fully three-dimensional numerical code, and have utilized it for the simulation of the Tayler instability at typical viscosities and resistivities of liquid metals. The resulting growth rates are in good agreement with the experimental data. We illustrate the capabilities of the code for the detailed simulation of liquid metal battery problems in realistic geometries.

Utilizing single-photon photoassociation, we have achieved ultracold rubidium molecules with a high number density that provides a new efficient approach toward molecular quantum degeneracy. A new detection mechanism for ultracold molecules utilizing inelastic atom–molecule collision is demonstrated. The resonant coupling effect on the formation of the X¹Σ⁺_g ground state ⁸⁵Rb₂ allows for a sufficient number of more deeply bound ultracold molecules, which induced an additional trap loss and heating of the co-existing atoms owing to the inelastic atom–molecule collision. Therefore, after the photoassociation process, the ultracold molecules can be investigated using the absorption image of the ultracold rubidium atoms mixed with the molecules in a crossed optical dipole trap. The existence of the ultracold molecules was then verified, and the amount of accumulated molecules was measured. This method detects the final produced ultracold molecules, and hence is distinct from the conventional trap loss experiment, which is used to study the association resonance. It is composed of measurements of the time evolution of an atomic cloud and a decay model, by which the number density of the ultracold ⁸⁵Rb₂ molecules in the optical trap was estimated to be >5.2 × 10¹¹ cm⁻³.

Intense laser fields are known to induce strong ionization in atoms. In nanoclusters, ionization is only stronger, resulting in very high charge densities that lead to Coulomb explosion and emission of accelerated highly charged ions. In such a strongly ionized system, it is neither conceivable nor intuitive that energetic negative ions can originate. Here we demonstrate that in a dense cluster ensemble, where atomic species of positive electron affinity are used, it is indeed possible to generate negative ions with energy and ion yield approaching that of positive ions. It is shown that the process behind such a strong charge reduction is extraneous to the ionization dynamics of single clusters within the focal volume. Normal and well-known charge transfer reactions are insufficient to explain the observations. Our analysis reveals the formation of a manifold of Rydberg excited clusters around the focal volume that facilitate orders of magnitudes more efficient electron transfer. This phenomenon, which involves an active role of laser-heated electrons, comprehensively explains the formation of copious accelerated negative ions from the nano-cluster plasma.

We develop a formalism for the calculation of the macroscopic dielectric response of composite systems made of particles of one material embedded periodically within a matrix of another material, each of which is characterized by a well-defined dielectric function. The nature of these dielectric functions is arbitrary, and could correspond to dielectric or conducting, transparent or opaque, absorptive and dispersive materials. The geometry of the particles and the Bravais lattice of the composite are also arbitrary. Our formalism goes beyond the long-wavelength approximation as it fully incorporates retardation effects. We test our formalism through the study of the propagation of electromagnetic waves in two-dimensional photonic crystals made of periodic arrays of cylindrical holes in a dispersionless dielectric host. Our macroscopic theory yields a spatially dispersive macroscopic response which allows the calculation of the full photonic band structure of the system, as well as the characterization of its normal modes, upon substitution into the macroscopic field equations. We can also account approximately for the spatial dispersion through a local magnetic permeability and analyze the resulting dispersion relation, obtaining a region of left handedness.

We study the quasiclassical dynamics of the cross-Kerr effect. In this approximation, the typical periodical revivals of the decorrelation between the two polarization modes disappear and remain entangled. By mapping the dynamics onto the Poincaré space, we find simple conditions for polarization squeezing. When dissipation is taken into account, the shape of the states in such a space is not considerably modified, but their size is reduced.

We study the temperature-dependent dynamical processes of a Si₁₀H₁₆ cluster and obtain a blue shift of the Si–Si vibrational modes with transverse acoustic character and a red shift of the other vibrational modes with increasing temperature. We link this behavior to the bond length expansion and the varying sign of the Grüneisen parameter. We further present a computational approach able to extract the vibron–vibron coupling strength in clusters or molecules. Our approach is based on ab initio Born–Oppenheimer molecular dynamics and a projection formalism able to deliver the individual vibron occupation numbers. From the Fourier transform of the vibron energy autocorrelation function, we obtain the coupling strength of each vibron to the most strongly coupled vibronic states. We find the vibron–vibron coupling strength up to 2.5 THz with a moderate increase of about 5% when increasing the temperature from 50 to 150 K.

We combine theory and experiment to investigate five-body recombination in an ultracold gas of atomic cesium at negative scattering length. A refined theoretical model, in combination with extensive laboratory tunability of the interatomic interactions, enables the five-body resonant recombination rate to be calculated and measured. The position of the new observed recombination feature agrees with a recent theoretical prediction and supports the prediction of a family of universal cluster states at negative a that are tied to an Efimov trimer.

We introduce a new topological effect involving interference of two meson loops, manifesting a path-independent topological area dependence. The effect also draws a connection between quark confinement, Wilson-loops and topological interference effects. Although this is only a gedanken experiment in the context of particle physics, such an experiment may be realized and used as a tool to test confinement effects and phase transitions in quantum simulation of dynamic gauge theories.

Dependence of the spectral functions near the Fermi level on temperature and rare-earth atom doping was studied in detail for strongly correlated alloys Sm_1−xEu_xB₆ and Yb_1−xLu_xB₁₂ by photoelectron spectroscopy at ∼8000 eV as well as at 7 and 8.4 eV. It was found that the 4f lattice coherence and intrinsic gap are robust for Sm_1−xEu_xB₆ at least up to the Eu substitution of x = 0.15 while both collapse by Lu substitution already at x = 0.125 for Yb_1−xLu_xB₁₂. As for the temperature dependence of the spectral shapes near the Fermi level at low temperatures, rather contrasting results were observed between YbB₁₂ and SmB₆. Although the gap shape does not change below 15 K for YbB₁₂ with the characteristic temperature T* of 80 K, the spectral shape of SmB₆ with a T* of 140 K shows that the peak beyond the gap is further increased below 15 K. The temperature dependence of the spectra near the intrinsic gap is clearly different between SmB₆ and YbB₁₂, although both materials have so far been categorized in the same kind of strongly correlated semiconductor. The possibility of the surface contribution is discussed for SmB₆.

Condensed matter exhibits a wide variety of exotic emergent phenomena such as the fractional quantum Hall effect and the low temperature cooperative behavior of highly frustrated magnets. I consider the classical Hamiltonian dynamics of spins of the latter phenomena using a method introduced by Dirac in the 1950s by assuming they are constrained to their lowest energy configurations as a simplifying measure. Focusing on the kagome antiferromagnet as an example, I find it is a gauge system with topological dynamics and non-locally connected edge states for certain open boundary conditions similar to doubled Chern–Simons electrodynamics expected of a Z₂ spin liquid. These dynamics are also similar to electrons in the fractional quantum Hall effect. The classical theory presented here is a first step toward a controlled semi-classical description of the spin liquid phases of many pyrochlore and kagome antiferromagnets and toward a description of the low energy classical dynamics of the corresponding unconstrained Heisenberg models.

A numerical study that aims to analyze the thermal mechanisms of unsteady, supersonic granular flow by means of hydrodynamic simulations of the Navier–Stokes granular equation is reported in this paper. For this purpose, a paradigmatic problem in granular dynamics such as the Faraday instability is selected. Two different approaches for the Navier–Stokes transport coefficients for granular materials are considered, namely the traditional Jenkins–Richman theory for moderately dense quasi-elastic grains and the improved Garzó–Dufty–Lutsko theory for arbitrary inelasticity, which we also present here. Both the solutions are compared with event-driven simulations of the same system under the same conditions, by analyzing the density, temperature and velocity field. Important differences are found between the two approaches, leading to interesting implications. In particular, the heat transfer mechanism coupled to the density gradient, which is a distinctive feature of inelastic granular gases, is responsible for a major discrepancy in the temperature field and hence in the diffusion mechanisms.

The formation and local symmetry of a spin–lattice polaron has been investigated semiclassically in planar Holstein t–J-like models within the exact diagonalization method. Due to the interplay of strong correlations and electron–lattice interaction, the doped hole may either move freely or lead to the localized spin–lattice distortion and form a Holstein polaron. The formation of a polaron breaks the translational symmetry by suppression of antiferromagnetic correlations and inducement of ferromagnetic correlations locally. Moreover, the breaking of local rotational symmetry around the polaron has been shown. The ground state is generically a parity singlet and the first excited state may be a parity doublet. Further consequences of the density of states spectra for comparison with scanning tunneling microscopy experiments are discussed.

We consider one-dimensional tubes containing bosonic polar molecules. The long-range dipole–dipole interactions act both within a single tube and between different tubes. We consider arbitrary values of the externally aligned dipole moments with respect to the symmetry axis of the tubes. The few-body structures in this geometry are determined as a function of polarization angles and dipole strength by using both essentially exact stochastic variational methods and the harmonic approximation. The main focus is on the three-, four- and five-body problems in two or more tubes. Our results indicate that in the weakly coupled limit the intertube interaction is similar to a zero-range term with a suitable rescaled strength. This allows us to address the corresponding many-body physics of the system by constructing a model where bound chains with one molecule in each tube are the effective degrees of freedom. This model can be mapped onto one-dimensional Hamiltonians for which exact solutions are known.

A mathematical simulation of a dust particle's behavior in the electrodynamic linear quadrupole trap with closing end electrodes allowed us to reveal several features of the phenomena. Regions of stable confinement of a single particle, in dependence of frequency and charge-to-mass ratio, were determined. With an increase of the medium's dynamical viscosity, the region for confining charged particles by the trap becomes wider. We obtained values of the maximum quantities of charged particles confined by the trap at atmospheric pressure in air. Firstly, we presented observations of ordered Coulomb structures of charged dust particles obtained in the quadrupole trap in air at atmospheric pressure. The structures consisted of positively charged oxide aluminum particles 10–15 μm in size and hollow glass microspheres 30–50 μm in diameter. The ordered structure could contain particles of different sizes and charges. The trap could confine a limited number of charged particles. The ordered structures of charged micro-particles obtained in the experiments can be used to study Coulomb systems without neutralizing the plasma background and action of ion and electron flows, which are always present in non-homogeneous plasma.

We report electronic transport measurements on single crystals of the NaFe_1−xCo_xAs system. We found that the cotangent of the Hall angle, cot θ_H, follows T⁴ for the parent compound with filamentary superconductivity and T² for the heavily overdoped non-superconducting sample. However, it exhibits approximately T³-dependence in all the samples with bulk superconductivity, suggesting that this behavior is associated with bulk superconductivity in ferropnictides. A deviation develops below a characteristic temperature T* well above the structural and superconducting transitions, accompanied by a departure from power-law temperature dependence in resistivity. The doping dependence of T* resembles the crossover line of the pseudogap phase in cuprates.

We present the design, analysis and measurements of a polarization-insensitive tunable metamaterial absorber with varactor diodes embedded between metamaterial units. The basic unit shows excellent absorptivity in the designed frequency band over a wide range of incident angles. By regulating the reverse bias voltage on the varactor diode, the absorption frequency of the designed unit can be controlled continuously. The absorption mechanism is interpreted using the electromagnetic-wave interference theory. When the metamaterial units are placed along two orthogonal directions, the absorber is insensitive to the polarization of incident waves. The tunability of the absorber has been verified by experimental results with the measured bandwidth of 1.5 GHz (or relative bandwidth of 30%).

Interpretation of electron or photon spectra obtained with strong laser pulses that may carry attosecond dynamical and Ångström structural information about atoms or molecules usually relies on variants of the strong-field approximation (SFA) within which the influence of the Coulomb potential on the electron trajectory is neglected. We employ two-color sculpted laser fields to experimentally tune and probe the influence of the Coulomb field on the strong-field-driven wavepacket as observed by two-dimensional electron and ion momentum spectra. By comparison of measured spectra with predictions of the three-dimensional time-dependent Schrödinger equation as well as the quasi-classical limit of the SFA, the strong-field classical trajectory model, we are able to trace back the influence of the Coulomb field to the timing of the wavepacket release with sub-cycle precision.

For gradiometric three-Josephson-junction flux qubits, we perform a systematic study on the tuning of the minimal transition frequency, the so-called qubit gap. By replacing one of the qubit's Josephson junctions by a dc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID), the critical current of this SQUID and, in turn, the qubit gap can be tuned in situ by a control flux threading the SQUID loop. We present spectroscopic measurements demonstrating a well-defined controllability of the qubit gap between zero and more than 10 GHz. This is important for tuning the qubit into and out of resonance with other superconducting quantum circuits in scalable architectures, while still operating it at its symmetry point with optimal dephasing properties. The experimental data agree very well with model calculations based on the full qubit Hamiltonian. From a numerical fit, we determine the Josephson coupling and the charging energies of the qubit junctions. The derived values agree well with those measured for other junctions fabricated on the same chip. We also demonstrate the biasing of gradiometric flux qubits near the symmetry point by trapping an odd number of flux quanta in the gradiometer loop. In this way, we study the effect of the significant kinetic inductance, thereby obtaining valuable information for the qubit design.

We demonstrate non-perturbative coupling between a single self-assembled InGaAs quantum dot and an external fiber-mirror-based microcavity. Our results extend the previous realizations of tunable microcavities while ensuring spatial and spectral overlap between the cavity mode and the emitter by simultaneously allowing for deterministic charge control of the quantum dots. Using resonant spectroscopy, we show that the coupled quantum dot cavity system is at the onset of strong coupling, with a cooperativity parameter of C ≈ 2.0 ± 1.3. Our results constitute a milestone in the progress toward the realization of a high-efficiency solid-state spin–photon interface.

Fe exists abundantly in the universe. In particular, the dynamic structures and transport properties of warm dense Fe are crucial for understanding the evolution and structures of giant planets. In this paper, we present the ionic structures, equation of states, diffusion and viscosity of Fe at two typical densities of 33.385 and 45 g cm⁻³ in the temperature range of 1–10 eV, giving the data by the first principles calculations using quantum Langevin molecular dynamics. Furthermore, the validation of the Stokes–Einstein (SE) relation in this regime is discussed, showing the importance of choosing the effective atomic diameter. The results remind us of the careful usage of the SE relation under extreme conditions.

In inertial fusion shock ignition, separation of the stages of fuel compression and hot spot creation introduces some degree of design flexibility. A lower implosion velocity can be compensated for by a more intense ignition pulse. Flexibility increases with target (and driver) size and allows for a compromise between energy gain and risk reduction. Having designed a reference ignition target, we have developed an analytical model for (up)-scaling targets as a function of laser energy, while keeping under control parameters related to hydro- and plasma instabilities. Detailed one-dimensional simulations confirm the model and generate gain curves. Options for increasing target robustness are also discussed. The previous results apply to UV laser light (with wavelength λ = 0.35 μm). We also show that our scaling model can be used in the design of targets driven by green laser light (λ = 0.53 μm).

In a recent letter (Friedrich et al 2012 Phys. Rev. Lett.109 138102), a minimal model swimmer has been proposed that propels itself at low Reynolds numbers by the revolving motion of a pair of spheres. The motion of the two spheres can synchronize by virtue of a hydrodynamic coupling that depends on the motion of the swimmer, but is rather independent of direct hydrodynamic interactions. This novel synchronization mechanism could account for the synchronization of a pair of flagella, e.g. in the green algae Chlamydomonas. In this paper, we discuss in detail how swimming and synchronization depend on the geometry of the model swimmer and compute the swimmer design for optimal synchronization. Our analysis highlights the role of broken symmetries in swimming and synchronization.

An iterative scheme based on the kernel polynomial method is devised for the efficient computation of the one-body density matrix of weakly interacting Bose gases within Bogoliubov theory. This scheme is used to analyze the coherence properties of disordered bosons in one and two dimensions. In the one-dimensional geometry, we examine the quantum phase transition between superfluid and Bose glass at weak interactions, and we recover the scaling of the phase boundary that was characterized using a direct spectral approach by Fontanesi et al (2010 Phys. Rev. A 81 053603). The kernel polynomial scheme is also used to study the disorder-induced condensate depletion in the two-dimensional geometry. Our approach paves the way for an analysis of coherence properties of Bose gases across the superfluid–insulator transition in two and three dimensions.

Disorder, noise and interaction play a crucial role in the transport properties of real systems, but they are typically hard to control and study, both theoretically and experimentally, especially in the quantum case. Here, we explore a paradigmatic problem, the diffusion of a wavepacket, by employing ultra-cold atoms in a quasi-periodic lattice with controlled noise and tunable interaction. The presence of quasi-disorder leads to Anderson localization, while both interaction and noise tend to suppress localization and restore transport, although with completely different mechanisms. When only noise or interaction is present, we observe a diffusion dynamics that can be explained by existing microscopic models. When noise and interaction are combined, we observe instead a complex anomalous diffusion. By combining experimental measurements with numerical simulations, we show that such anomalous behavior can be modeled with a generalized diffusion equation in which the noise- and interaction-induced diffusions enter in an additive manner. Our study reveals also a more complex interplay between the two diffusion mechanisms in the regimes of strong interaction or narrowband noise.

We investigated how the presence of an additional lattice potential, driven by a harmonic noise process, changes the transition rate from the ground band to the first excited band in a Wannier–Stark system. Alongside numerical simulations, we present two models that capture the essential features of the dynamics. The first model uses a noise-driven Landau–Zener approximation and describes the short-time evolution of the full system very well. The second model assumes that the noise process correlation time is much larger than the internal timescale of the system, yet it allows for good estimates of the observed transition rates and gives a simple interpretation of the dynamics. One of the central results is that we obtain a way of controlling the interband transitions with the help of the second lattice. This could readily be realized in state-of-the-art experiments using either Bose–Einstein condensates or optical pulses in engineered potentials.

In 1935, Pauling estimated the residual entropy of water ice with remarkable accuracy by considering the degeneracy of the ice rule solely at the vertex level. Indeed, his estimate works well for both the three-dimensional pyrochlore lattice and the two-dimensional six-vertex model, solved by Lieb in 1967. A similar estimate can be done for the honeycomb artificial spin. Indeed, its pseudo-ice rule, like the ice rule in Pauling and Lieb's systems, simply extends to the global ground state a degeneracy which is already present in the vertices. Unfortunately, the anisotropy of the magnetic interaction limits the design of inherently degenerate vertices in artificial spin ice, and the honeycomb is the only degenerate array produced so far. In this paper we show how to engineer artificial spin ice in a virtually infinite variety of degenerate geometries built out of non-degenerate vertices. In this new class of vertex models, the residual entropy follows not from a freedom of choice at the vertex level, but from the nontrivial relative arrangement of the vertices themselves. In such arrays not all of the vertices can be chosen in their lowest energy configuration. They are therefore vertex-frustrated and contain unhappy vertices. This can lead to residual entropy and to a variety of exotic states, such as sliding phases, smectic phases and emerging chirality. These new geometries will finally allow for the fabrication of many novel, extensively degenerate versions of artificial spin ice.

Inter-particle collisions in turbulent flows are of central importance for many engineering applications and environmental processes. For instance, collision and coalescence is the mechanism for warm rain initiation in cumulus clouds, a still poorly understood issue. This work presents measurements of droplet–droplet interactions in a laboratory turbulent flow, allowing reproducibility and control over initial and boundary conditions. The measured two-phase flow reproduces conditions relevant to cumulus clouds. The turbulent flow and the droplet size distribution are well characterized, and independently the collision rate is measured. Two independent experimental approaches for determining the collision rate are compared with each other: (i) a high-magnification shadowgraphy setup is employed, applying a deformation threshold as collision indicator. This technique has been specifically adapted to measure droplet collision probability in dispersed two-phase flows. (ii) Corresponding results are compared for the first time with a particle tracking approach, post-processing high-speed shadowgraphy image sequences. Using the measured turbulence and droplet properties, the turbulent collision kernel can be calculated for comparison. The two independent measurements deliver comparable orders of magnitude for the collision probability, highlighting the quality of the measurement process, even if the comparison between both measurement techniques is still associated with a large uncertainty. Comparisons with recently published theoretical predictions show reasonable agreement. The theoretical collision rates accounting for collision efficiency are noticeably closer to the measured values than those accounting only for transport.

We report the results of single tracer particle tracking by optical tweezers and video microscopy in micellar solutions. From careful analysis in terms of different stochastic models, we show that the polystyrene tracer beads of size 0.52–2.5 μm after short-time normal diffusion turn over to perform anomalous diffusion of the form 〈r²(t)〉 ≃ t^α with α ≈ 0.3. This free anomalous diffusion is ergodic and consistent with a description in terms of the generalized Langevin equation with a power-law memory kernel. With optical tweezers tracking, we unveil a power-law relaxation over several decades in time to the thermal plateau value under the confinement of the harmonic tweezer potential, as predicted previously (Phys. Rev. E 85 021147 (2012)). After the subdiffusive motion in the millisecond range, the motion becomes faster and turns either back to normal Brownian diffusion or to even faster superdiffusion, depending on the size of the tracer beads.

We report on the coherent and multi-temporal mode storage of light using the full atomic frequency comb memory scheme. The scheme involves the transfer of optical atomic excitations in Pr³⁺:Y₂SiO₅ to spin waves in hyperfine levels using strong single-frequency transfer pulses. Using this scheme, a total of five temporal modes are stored and recalled on-demand from the memory. The coherence of the storage and retrieval is characterized using a time-bin interference measurement resulting in visibilities higher than 80%, independent of the storage time. This coherent and multimode spin-wave memory is promising as a quantum memory for light.

Interaction between light and matter generates optical nonlinearities, which are particularly pronounced in the quantum strong coupling regime. When a single bosonic mode couples to a single fermionic mode, a Jaynes–Cummings (JC) ladder is formed, which we realize here using cavity photons and quantum dot excitons. We measure and model the coherent anharmonic response of this strongly coupled exciton–cavity system at resonance. Injecting two photons into the cavity, we demonstrate a $\sqrt {2}$ larger polariton splitting with respect to the vacuum Rabi splitting. This is achieved using coherent nonlinear spectroscopy, specifically four-wave mixing, where the coherence between the ground state and the first (second) rung of the JC ladder can be interrogated for positive (negative) delays. With increasing excitation intensity and thus rising average number of injected photons, we observe spectral signatures of the quantum-to-classical crossover of the strong coupling regime.

Actively propelled particles undergoing dissipative collisions are known to develop a state of spatially distributed coherently moving clusters. For densities larger than a characteristic value, clusters grow in time and form a stationary well-ordered state of coherent macroscopic motion. In this work we address two questions. (i) What is the role of the particles' aspect ratio in the context of cluster formation, and does the particle shape affect the system's behavior on hydrodynamic scales? (ii) To what extent does particle conservation influence pattern formation? To answer these questions we suggest a simple kinetic model permitting us to depict some of the interaction properties between freely moving particles and particles integrated in clusters. To this end, we introduce two particle species: single and cluster particles. Specifically, we account for coalescence of clusters from single particles, assembly of single particles on existing clusters, collisions between clusters and cluster disassembly. Coarse graining our kinetic model, (i) we demonstrate that particle shape (i.e. aspect ratio) shifts the scale of the transition density, but does not impact the instabilities at the ordering threshold and (ii) we show that the validity of particle conservation determines the existence of a longitudinal instability, which tends to amplify density heterogeneities locally, and in turn triggers a wave pattern with wave vectors parallel to the axis of macroscopic order. If the system is in contact with a particle reservoir, this instability vanishes due to a compensation of density heterogeneities.

We propose a quantum memory protocol where an input light field can be stored onto and released from a single ground state atomic ensemble by controlling dynamically the strength of an external static and homogeneous field. The technique relies on the adiabatic following of a polaritonic excitation onto a state for which the forward collective radiative emission is forbidden. The resemblance with the archetypal electromagnetically induced transparency is only formal because no ground state coherence-based slow-light propagation is considered here. As compared to the other grand category of protocols derived from the photon-echo technique, our approach only involves a homogeneous static field. We discuss two physical situations where the effect can be observed, and show that in the limit where the excited state lifetime is longer than the storage time; the protocols are perfectly efficient and noise free. We compare the technique with other quantum memories, and propose atomic systems where the experiment can be realized.

Self-sustained dynamical phases of living matter can exhibit remarkable similarities over a wide range of scales, from mesoscopic vortex structures in microbial suspensions and motility assays of biopolymers to turbulent large-scale instabilities in flocks of birds or schools of fish. Here, we argue that, in many cases, the phenomenology of such active states can be efficiently described in terms of fourth- and higher-order partial differential equations. Structural transitions in these models can be interpreted as Landau-type kinematic transitions in Fourier (wavenumber) space, suggesting that microscopically different biological systems can share universal long-wavelength features. This general idea is illustrated through numerical simulations for two classes of continuum models for incompressible active fluids: a Swift–Hohenberg-type scalar field theory, and a minimal vector model that extends the classical Toner–Tu theory and appears to be a promising candidate for the quantitative description of dense bacterial suspensions. We discuss how microscopic symmetry-breaking mechanisms can enter macroscopic continuum descriptions of collective microbial motion near surfaces, and conclude by outlining future applications.

In this paper, we study cavity optomechanical systems in which the position of a mechanical oscillator modulates both the resonance frequency (dispersive coupling) and the linewidth (dissipative coupling) of a cavity mode. Using a quantum noise approach, we calculate the optical damping and the optically induced frequency shift. We find that dissipatively coupled systems feature two parameter regions providing amplification and two parameter regions providing cooling. To investigate the strong-coupling regime, we solve the linearized equations of motion exactly and calculate the mechanical and optical spectra. In addition to signatures of normal-mode splitting that are similar to the case of purely dispersive coupling, the spectra contain a striking feature that we trace back to the Fano line shape of the force spectrum. Finally, we show that purely dissipative coupling can lead to optomechanically induced transparency which will provide an experimentally convenient way of observing normal-mode splitting.

We study the non-equilibrium dynamics of an impurity in a harmonic trap that is kicked with a well-defined quasi-momentum, and interacts with a bath of free fermions or interacting bosons in a one-dimensional lattice configuration. Using numerical and analytical techniques we investigate the full dynamics beyond linear response, which allows us to quantitatively characterize states of the impurity in the bath for different parameter regimes. These vary from a tightly bound molecular state in a strongly interacting limit to a polaron (dressed impurity) and a free particle for weak interactions, with composite behaviour in the intermediate regime. These dynamics and different parameter regimes should be readily realizable in systems of cold atoms in optical lattices.

We propose the existence of a substantial charge current parallel to the interface between a noncentrosymmetric superconductor and a metallic ferromagnet. Our analysis focuses upon two complementary orbital-angular-momentum pairing states of the superconductor, exemplifying topologically nontrivial states which are gapped and gapless in the bulk, respectively. Utilizing a quasiclassical scattering theory, we derive an expression for the interface current in terms of Andreev reflection coefficients. Performing a systematic study of the current, we find stark qualitative differences between the gapped and gapless superconductors, which reflect the very different underlying topological properties. For the fully gapped superconductor, there is a sharp drop in the zero-temperature current as the system is tuned from a topologically nontrivial to a trivial phase. We explain this in terms of the sudden disappearance of the contribution to the current from the subgap edge states at the topological transition. The current in the gapless superconductor is characterized by a dramatic enhancement at low temperatures, and exhibits a singular dependence on the exchange-field strength in the ferromagnetic metal at zero temperature. This is caused by the energy shift of the strongly spin-polarized nondegenerate zero-energy flat bands due to their coupling to the exchange field. We argue that the interface current provides a novel test of the topology of the superconductor, and discuss prospects for the experimental verification of our predictions.

We suggest a way to overcome the obstacles that disorder and high density of states pose to the creation of unpaired Majorana fermions in one-dimensional systems. This is achieved by splitting the system into a chain of quantum dots, which are then tuned to the conditions under which the chain can be viewed as an effective Kitaev model, so that it is in a robust topological phase with well-localized Majorana states in the outermost dots. The tuning algorithm that we develop involves controlling the gate voltages and the superconducting phases. Resonant Andreev spectroscopy allows us to make the tuning adaptive, so that each pair of dots may be tuned independently of the other. The calculated quantized zero bias conductance serves then as a natural proof of the topological nature of the tuned phase.

We show, using quasi-exact numerical simulations, that Anderson localization in a disordered one-dimensional potential survives in the presence of attractive interaction between particles. The localization length of the particles' center of mass—computed analytically for weak disorder—is in good agreement with the quasi-exact numerical observations using the time evolving block decimation algorithm. Our approach allows for simulation of the entire experiment including the final measurement of all atom positions.

The last few years have witnessed a dramatic convergence of three distinct lines of research concerned with different kinds of extreme quantum matter. Two of these involve new quantum fluids that can be studied in the laboratory, ultracold quantum gases and quantum chromodynamics (QCD) plasmas. Even though these systems involve vastly different energy scales, the physical properties of the two quantum fluids are remarkably similar. The third line of research is based on the discovery of a new theoretical tool for investigating the properties of extreme quantum matter, holographic dualties. The main goal of this focus issue is to foster communication and understanding between these three fields. We proceed to describe each in more detail.

Ultracold quantum gases offer a new paradigm for the study of nonperturbative quantum many-body physics. With widely tunable interaction strength, spin composition, and temperature, using different hyperfine states one can model spin-1/2 fermions, spin-3/2 fermions, and many other spin structures of bosons, fermions, and mixtures thereof. Such systems have produced a revolution in the study of strongly interacting Fermi systems, for example in the Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) to Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) crossover region, where a close collaboration between experimentalists and theorists—typical in this field—enabled ground-breaking studies in an area spanning several decades. Half-way through this crossover, when the scattering length characterizing low-energy collisions diverges, one obtains a unitary quantum gas, which is universal and scale invariant. The unitary gas has close parallels in the hydrodynamics of QCD plasmas, where the ratio of viscosity to entropy density is extremely low and comparable to the minimum viscosity conjecture, an important prediction of AdS/CFT (see below). Exciting developments in the thermodynamic and transport properties of strongly interacting Fermi gases are of broad interdisciplinary appeal and include new studies of high temperature superfluidity, viscosity, spin-transport, spin-imbalanced mixtures, and three-component gases, this last having a close parallel to color superconductivity.

Another system important for the field of strongly-interacting quantum fluids was revealed by analysis of data from the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Despite naive expectations based on asymptotic freedom that the deconfinement of quarks and gluons at high temperatures would lead to a weakly-interacting quark gluon plasma (QGP), the system appeared to be quite strongly coupled. Subsequent estimates of the viscosity-to-entropy ratio suggest that the system is tantalizingly close to the postulated bound from AdS/CFT calculations. The field is quite dynamic at the moment; new measurements are expected from upgraded detectors at RHIC, and an entirely new energy regime is being opened up by heavy ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. On the theoretical side, much work remains to be done to extract the precise values of the transport coefficients, and to characterize the nature of quasi-particle excitations in the plasma.

Finally, holographic dualities such as anti-de Sitter/conformal field theory (AdS/CFT) have opened a new theoretical window on strongly correlated fluids. Holography relates strongly-interacting quantum many-body systems to weakly-coupled semi-classical gravitational systems, replacing quasiparticles with geometry and translating various difficult questions about quantum fluids into simple and calculable geometric exercises. Already, some of the earliest lessons of holography, such as the conjectural bound on the viscosity-to-entropy ratio, have had a considerable impact on the theoretical and experimental study of strongly correlated fluids, from RHIC to ultracold atoms. More recently, the study of holographic superconductors, non-Fermi liquids and unitary quantum gases has touched off a flurry of interest in holography as a toolkit for studying strongly-correlated many-body systems more generally. Holography also allows us to use results from quantum fluids to study classical and quantum gravity; for example, the phase structure of a quantum many-body system translates into a rich classification of black holes in the dual space–time. Given both the rapid progress in applied holography and the exciting developments in ultracold quantum gases and QCD plasmas discussed above, the time is ripe for new collaborations across traditional lines of specialization.

This focus issue explores the convergence between three heretofore separate areas of physics. Over forty research groups have contributed original work, and there will be a review article which complements these advances, overviewing them and presenting them in the context of all three fields and their interconnections. The review concludes with a list of open questions. This sets the tone for the present focus issue; namely, interdisciplinary dialog, openness, innovation, and possibility, an emphasis for which New Journal of Physics, an open-access journal of the highest quality, is especially fitted.

Ultra cold polar bosons in a disordered lattice potential, described by the extended Bose–Hubbard model, display a rich phase diagram. In the case of uniform random disorder one finds two insulating quantum phases—the Mott-insulator and the Haldane insulator—in addition to a superfluid and a Bose glass phase. In the case of a quasiperiodic potential, further phases are found, e.g. the incommensurate density wave, adiabatically connected to the Haldane insulator. For the case of weak random disorder we determine the phase boundaries using a perturbative bosonization approach. We then calculate the entanglement spectrum for both types of disorder, showing that it provides a good indication of the various phases.

The generation of GeV-scale electron beams in a gas-filled capillary discharge waveguide with good reproducibility is discussed. Beams of electrons with energies above 900 MeV, and with root-mean-square divergences of 3.5 mrad, are observed for a plasma density of 2.2 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ and a peak input laser power of 55 TW. The variation of the maximum electron energy with the plasma density is measured and found to agree well with simple models. Injection and acceleration of electrons at the to date lowest plasma density of 3.2 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ are reported. The energy spectra of the generated electron beams exhibit good shot-to-shot reproducibility, with the observed variations attributable to the measured shot-to-shot jitter of the laser parameters. Two methods for correcting the effect of beam pointing variations on the measured energy spectrum are described.

Intermediate filaments play a key role in cell mechanics, providing cells with compliance to small deformations and reinforcing them when large forces are applied. Here, we present a study of networks of keratin intermediate filaments in living cells under the influence of external forces. We expose the cells to controlled shear forces applied by microflow and investigate the response of the keratin network in situ. Our results show that bundle dynamics are reduced upon the application of shear flow. It is likely that cytoskeletal cross-talk is involved in this shear stress response via actin–keratin coupling.

Upon temperature changes, we observe a systematic shift of creep compliance curves J(t) for single living breast epithelial cells. We use a dual-beam laser trap (optical stretcher) to induce temperature jumps within milliseconds, while simultaneously measuring the mechanical response of whole cells to optical force. The cellular mechanical response was found to differ between sudden temperature changes compared to slow, long-term changes implying adaptation of cytoskeletal structure. Interpreting optically induced cell deformation as a thermorheological experiment allows us to consistently explain data on the basis of time–temperature superposition, well known from classical polymer physics. Measured time shift factors give access to the activation energy of the viscous flow of MCF-10A breast cells, which was determined to be ≈80 kJ mol⁻¹. The presented measurements highlight the fundamental role that temperature plays for the deformability of cellular matter. We propose thermorheology as a powerful concept to assess the inherent material properties of living cells and to investigate cell regulatory responses upon environmental changes.

When particles move at a constant speed and have the tendency to align their directions of motion, ordered large-scale movement can emerge despite significant levels of noise. Many variants of this model of self-propelled particles have been studied to explain the coherent motion of groups of birds, fish or microbes. Here, we generalize the aligning interaction rule of many classical self-propelled particle models to the case where particles after the interaction tend to move in slightly different directions away from each other, as characterized by a deflection angle α. We map out the resulting phase diagram and find that, in sufficiently dense systems, small local disalignment can lead to higher global alignment of particle movement directions. We show that in this dense regime, global alignment is accompanied by a grid-like spatial structure which allows information to rapidly percolate across the system by a 'domino' effect. Our results elucidate the relevance of disalignment for the emergence of collective motion in models with repulsive interaction terms.

We utilize a three-dimensional (3D) visible spectroscopy to reveal and explore coherent coupling between excitons localized to GaAs quantum wells separated by barriers 4 and 6 nm wide. The coupled excitons were energetically separated by 43 meV, close to the longitudinal optical phonon energy, due to the different widths of the quantum wells to which they were localized. The ability to isolate coherence pathways in 3D spectroscopy has made it possible to not only identify weak coherent coupling, but also to explore the nature of the coupling through analysis of the peak shapes. This peak shape analysis showed inhomogeneous broadening of the excitons localized to different wells to be uncorrelated, as expected, while coupling between heavy-hole and light-hole excitons localized to the same well was shown to be correlated. To gain some insight into the coupling mechanism we explored the dependence of the coupling strength on the barrier width and hence spatial separation. Based on these results we discuss the possibility of phonon-assisted dipole coupling.

Dynamical effects under geometrical frustration are considered in a model for artificial spin ice on a square lattice in two dimensions. Each island of the spin ice has a three-component Heisenberg-like dipole moment subject to shape anisotropies that influence its direction. The model has real dynamics, including rotation of the magnetic degrees of freedom, going beyond the Ising-type models of spin ice. The dynamics is studied using a Langevin equation solved via a second-order Heun algorithm. Thermodynamic properties such as the specific heat are presented for different couplings. A peak in specific heat is related to a type of melting-like phase transition present in the model. Hysteresis in an applied magnetic field is calculated for model parameters where the system is able to reach thermodynamic equilibrium.

We study the dynamics of a nonlinear one-dimensional disordered system from a spectral point of view. The spectral entropy and the Lyapunov exponent are extracted from the short-time dynamics, and are shown to give a pertinent characterization of the different dynamical regimes. The chaotic and self-trapped regimes are governed by log-normal laws whose origin is traced to the exponential shape of the eigenstates of the linear problem. These quantities satisfy scaling laws depending on the initial state and explain the system's behaviour at longer times.

Motivated by the rapidly growing possibilities for experiments with ultracold atoms in optical lattices, we investigate the thermodynamic properties of correlated lattice fermions in the presence of an external spin-dependent random potential. The corresponding model, a Hubbard model with spin-dependent local random potentials, is solved within dynamical mean-field theory. This allows us to present a comprehensive picture of the thermodynamic properties of this system. In particular, we show that for a fixed total number of fermions spin-dependent disorder induces a magnetic polarization. The magnetic response of the polarized system differs from that of a system with conventional disorder.

We study the dynamic and kinematic collision statistics of cloud droplets for a range of flow Taylor microscale Reynolds numbers (up to 500), using a highly scalable hybrid direct numerical simulation approach. Accurate results of radial relative velocity (RRV) and radial distribution function (RDF) at contact have been obtained by taking advantage of their power-law scaling at short separation distances. Three specific but inter-related questions have been addressed in a systematic manner for geometric collisions of same-size droplets (of radius from 10 to 60 μm) in a typical cloud turbulence (dissipation rate at 400 cm² s⁻³). Firstly, both deterministic and stochastic forcing schemes were employed to test the sensitivity of the simulation results on the large-scale driving mechanism. We found that, in general, the results are quantitatively similar, with the deterministic forcing giving a slightly larger RDF and collision kernel. This difference, however, is negligible for droplets of radius less than 30 μm. Secondly, we have shown that the dependence of pair statistics on the flow Reynolds number R_λ or larger scale fluid motion is of secondary importance, with a tendency for this effect to saturate at high enough R_λ leading to R_λ-independent results. Both DNS results and theoretical arguments show that the saturation happens at a smaller R_λ for smaller droplets. Finally, since most previous studies of turbulent collision of inertial particles concerned non-sedimenting particles, we have specifically addressed the role of gravity on collision statistics, by simultaneously simulating collision statistics with and without gravity. It is shown that the collision statistics is not affected by gravity when a < a_c, where the critical droplet radius a_c is found to be around 30 μm for the RRV, and around 20 μm for the RDF. For larger droplets, gravity alters the particle–eddy interaction time and significantly reduces the RRV. The effect of gravity on the RDF is rather complex: gravity reduces the RDF for intermediate-sized droplets but enhances the RDF for larger droplets. In addition, we have studied the scaling exponents of both RDF and RRV, and found that gravity modifies the RDF scaling exponents for both intermediate and large particles, in a manner very similar to the effect of gravity on the RDF at contact. Gravity is shown to cause the scaling exponents for RDF and RRV to level off for large droplets, in contrast to diminishing exponents for non-sedimenting particles.