We report measurements of the scattering of electrons by helium atoms in the presence of 1.17 eV photons from a Nd:YAG laser. The incident energy of the electrons was in the range 50–350 eV, and the polarization of the laser was arranged to be parallel to electrons scattered through ${135}^{°}$. Energy-shifted peaks corresponding both to one- and two-photon emission were observed. Calculations using the Kroll-Watson approximation are perfectly consistent with the data.

We examine the density profiles of the quantum degenerate Bose-Fermi mixture of ${}^{174}\mathrm{Yb}$-${}^{173}\mathrm{Yb}$, experimentally observed recently, in the mean-field regime. In this mixture there is a possibility of tuning the Bose-Bose and Bose-Fermi interactions simultaneously using two well-separated optical Feshbach resonances, and it is a good candidate to explore phase separation in Bose-Fermi mixtures. Depending on the Bose-Bose scattering length $a_{\mathrm{BB}}$, as the Bose-Fermi interaction is tuned the density of the fermions is pinched or swapping with bosons occurs.

We present a comprehensive study of the thermodynamic properties of the three-dimensional fermionic Hubbard model, with application to cold fermionic atoms subject to an optical lattice and a trapping potential. Our study is focused on the temperature range of current experimental interest. We employ two theoretical methods—dynamical mean-field theory and high-temperature series—and perform comparative benchmarks to delimit their respective range of validity. Special attention is devoted to understand the implications that thermodynamic properties of this system have on cooling. Considering the distribution function of local occupancies in the inhomogeneous lattice, we show that, under adiabatic evolution, the variation of any observable (e.g., temperature) can be conveniently disentangled into two distinct contributions. The first contribution is due to the redistribution of atoms in the trap during the evolution, while the second one comes from the intrinsic change of the observable. Finally, we provide a simplified picture of a recently proposed cooling procedure, based on spatial entropy separation, by applying this method to an idealized model.

We discuss a system of dilute Bose gas confined in a layered structure of stacked square lattices (slab geometry). A derived phase diagram reveals a nonmonotonic dependence of the ratio of tunneling to on-site repulsion on the artificial magnetic field applied to the system. The effect is reduced when more layers are added, which mimics a two- to quasi-three-dimensional geometry crossover. Furthermore, we establish a correspondence between anisotropic infinite (quasi-three-dimensional) and isotropic finite (slab geometry) systems that share exactly the same critical values, which can be an important clue for choosing experimental setups that are less demanding, but still leading to the identical results. Finally, we show that the properties of the ideal Bose gas in a three-dimensional optical lattice can be closely mimicked by finite (slab) systems when the number of two-dimensional layers is larger than 10 for isotropic interactions, or even less when the layers are weakly coupled.

We derive a nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a radical term, $~\sqrt{1-\left|V\right|{}^2}$, as an asymptotic model of the resonantly absorbing Bragg reflector (RABR), i.e., a periodic set of thin layers of two-level atoms, resonantly interacting with the electromagnetic field and inducing the Bragg reflection. A family of bright solitons is found, which splits into stable and unstable parts, exactly obeying the Vakhitov-Kolokolov criterion. The soliton with the largest amplitude, $(|V|){}_{max}=1$, is a “quasipeakon,” i.e., a solution with a discontinuity of the third derivative at the center. Families of exact cnoidal waves, built as periodic chains of quasipeakons, are found too. The ultimate solution belonging to the family of dark solitons, with the background level $V=1$, is a dark compacton. Those bright solitons that are unstable destroy themselves (if perturbed) attaining the critical amplitude, $\left|V\right|=1$. The dynamics of the wave field around this critical point is studied analytically, revealing a switch of the system into an unstable phase, in terms of the RABR model. Collisions between bright solitons are investigated too. The collisions between fast solitons are quasielastic, while slowly moving ones merge into breathers, which may persist or perish (in the latter case, also by attaining $\left|V\right|=1$).

The neutral-atom quantum computing community has successfully implemented almost all necessary steps for constructing a neutral-atom quantum computer. We present computational results of a study aimed at solving the remaining problem of creating a quantum memory with individually addressable sites for quantum computing. The basis of this quantum memory is the diffraction pattern formed by laser light incident on a circular aperture. Very close to the aperture, the diffraction pattern has localized bright and dark spots that can serve as red-detuned or blue-detuned atomic dipole traps. These traps are suitable for quantum computing even for moderate laser powers. In particular, for moderate laser intensities ($~100$ W/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$) and comparatively small detunings ($~1000$–10 000 linewidths), trap depths of $~1$ mK and trap frequencies of several to tens of kilohertz are achieved. Our results indicate that these dipole traps can be moved by tilting the incident laser beams without significantly changing the trap properties. We also explored the polarization dependence of these dipole traps. We developed a code that calculates the trapping potential energy for any magnetic substate of any hyperfine ground state of any alkali-metal atom for any laser detuning much smaller than the fine-structure splitting for any given electric field distribution. We describe details of our calculations and include a summary of different notations and conventions for the reduced matrix element and how to convert it to SI units. We applied this code to these traps and found a method for bringing two traps together and apart controllably without expelling the atoms from the trap and without significant tunneling probability between the traps. This approach can be scaled up to a two-dimensional array of many pinholes, forming a quantum memory with single-site addressability, in which pairs of atoms can be brought together and apart for two-qubit gates for quantum computing.

We examine quantum statistics of optical photons emitted from atomic ensembles which are classically driven and simultaneously coupled to a two-level atom via microwave photon exchange. Quantum statistics and correlations are analyzed by calculating second-order coherence degree, von Neumann entropy, spin squeezing for multiparticle entanglement, as well as genuine two- and three-mode entanglement parameters for steady-state and nonequilibrium situations. Coherent transfer of population between the radiation modes and quantum-state mapping between the two-level atom and the optical modes are discussed. A potential experimental realization of the theoretical results in a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator containing diamond crystals with nitrogen-vacancy color centers and a superconducting artificial two-level atom is discussed.

We show theoretically that nonlinear optical media characterized by a finite response time may support the existence of discrete spectral incoherent solitons. The structure of the soliton consists of three incoherent spectral bands that propagate in frequency space toward the low-frequency components in a discrete fashion and with a constant velocity. Discrete spectral incoherent solitons do not exhibit a confinement in the space-time domain, but exclusively in the frequency domain. The kinetic theory describes in detail all the essential properties of discrete spectral incoherent solitons: A quantitative agreement has been obtained between simulations of the kinetic equation and the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Discrete spectral incoherent solitons may be supported in both the normal dispersion regime or the anomalous dispersion regime. These incoherent structures find their origin in the causality condition inherent to the nonlinear response function of the material. Considering the concrete example of the Raman effect, we show that discrete incoherent solitons may be spontaneously generated through the process of supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fibers.

The extremality of Gaussian states is exploited to show that Gaussian states are the most robust, among all possible bipartite continuous-variable states at fixed energy, against disentanglement due to noisy evolutions in Markovian Gaussian channels involving dissipation and thermal hopping. This proves a conjecture raised recently [M. Allegra, P. Giorda, and M. G. A. Paris, Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 100503 (2010)], providing a rigorous validation of the conclusions of that work. The problem of identifying continuous-variable states with maximum resilience to entanglement damping in more general bosonic open-system dynamical evolutions, possibly including correlated noise and non-Markovian effects, remains open.

We present an approach for controlling attosecond pulses just like one controls femtosecond pulses nowadays. Using an adequate medium constituted of aligned and pre-dissociated molecules associated with a “seed” attosecond pulse and a control ir field, we propose a scheme for generating secondary attosecond pulses with a high degree of control of their characteristics. By solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for a model pre-dissociated molecule (${{\mathrm{H}}_2}^{+}$) irradiated by the control ir field and seed xuv pulse, we demonstrate that one can generate such well-controlled secondary attosecond pulses by achieving frequency tuning and up-shifting and control on the chirp of the secondary pulses, which can even be significantly shorter than the seed. We also show that their characteristics can be accurately predicted with a simple classical approach.

We investigate the violation of Leggett’s inequality for nonlocal realism using entangled coherent states and various types of local measurements. We prove mathematically the relation between the violation of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt form of Bell’s inequality and Leggett’s one when tested by the same resources. For Leggett inequalities, we generalize the nonlocal realistic bound to systems in Hilbert spaces larger than bidimensional ones and introduce an optimization technique that allows one to achieve larger degrees of violation by adjusting the local measurement settings. Our work describes the steps that should be performed to produce a self-consistent generalization of Leggett’s original arguments to continuous-variable states.

Based on a theorem we establish on dynamical decoupling of time-dependent systems, we present a scheme of nested Uhrig dynamical decoupling (NUDD) to protect multiqubit systems in generic quantum baths to arbitrary decoupling orders, using only single-qubit operations. The number of control pulses in NUDD increases polynomially with the decoupling order. For general multilevel systems, this scheme can preserve a set of unitary Hermitian system operators which mutually either commute or anticommute, and hence all operators in the Lie algebra generated from this set of operators, generating an effective symmetry group for the system up to a given order of precision. NUDD can be implemented with pulses of finite amplitude, up to an error in the second order of the pulse durations.

We offer a unified approach to several phenomena related to the electromagnetic vacuum of a complex medium made of point electric dipoles. To this aim, we apply the linear response theory to the computation of the polarization field propagator and study the spectrum of vacuum fluctuations. The physical distinction among the local density of states which enter the spectra of light propagation, total dipole emission, coherent emission, total vacuum energy, and Schwinger-bulk energy is made clear. Analytical expressions for the spectrum of dipole emission and for the vacuum energy are derived. Their respective relations with the spectrum of external light and with the Schwinger-bulk energy are found. The light spectrum and the Schwinger-bulk energy are determined by the Dyson propagator. The emission spectrum and the total vacuum energy are determined by the polarization propagator. An exact relationship of proportionality between both propagators is found in terms of local field factors. A study of the nature of stimulated emission from a single dipole is carried out. Regarding coherent emission, it contains two components. A direct one which is transferred radiatively and directly from the emitter into the medium and whose spectrum is that of external light. And an indirect one which is radiated by induced dipoles. The induction is mediated by one (and only one) local field factor. Regarding the vacuum energy, we find that in addition to the Schwinger-bulk energy the vacuum energy of an effective medium contains local field contributions proportional to the resonant frequency and to the spectral line width.

We propose a process to convert ultracold metastable ${\mathrm{Cs}}_2$ molecules in their lowest triplet state into (singlet) ground-state molecules in their lowest vibrational levels. Molecules are first pumped into an excited triplet state, and the triplet-singlet conversion is facilitated by a two-step spontaneous decay through the coupled $A\hspace{0.5em}{}^1{\Sigma }_u^{+}-b\hspace{0.5em}{}^3{\Pi }_u$ states. Using spectroscopic data and accurate quantum chemistry calculations for ${\mathrm{Cs}}_2$ potential curves and transition dipole moments, we show that this process competes favorably with the single-photon decay back to the lowest triplet state. In addition, we demonstrate that this conversion process represents a loss channel for vibrational cooling of metastable triplet molecules, preventing an efficient optical pumping cycle down to low vibrational levels.

The interaction of multiply charged ions (He${}^{2+}$, ${\mathrm{O}}^{3+}$, and Xe${}^{20+}$) with gas-phase pericondensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules of coronene (C${}_{24}$H${}_{12}$) and pyrene (C${}_{16}$H${}_{10}$) is studied for low-velocity collisions ($v⩽0.6$ a.u.). The mass spectrometric analysis shows that singly and up to quadruply charged intact molecules are important reaction products. The relative experimental yields are compared with the results of a simple classical over-the-barrier model. For higher molecular charge states, the experimental yields decrease much more strongly than the model predictions due to the instabilities of the multiply charged PAH molecules. Even-odd oscillations with the number of carbon atoms, $n$, in the intensity distributions of the ${\mathrm{C}}_n$H${}_x^{+}$ fragments indicate a linear chain structure of the fragments similar to those observed for ion-C${}_{60}$ collisions. The latter oscillations are known to be due to dissociation energy differences between even- and odd-$n$ ${\mathrm{C}}_n$-chain molecules. For PAH molecules, the average numbers of H atoms attached to the ${\mathrm{C}}_n$H${}_x$ chains are larger for even-$n$ reflecting acetylenic bond systems.

A systematic study of the competition between delayed electron and delayed atom emission from photoexcited Al${}_4^{-}$ clusters was performed using a bent electrostatic ion beam trap, which allows for simultaneous measurement of both decay channels. The aluminum cluster anions, produced with high internal energy in a sputter source, are stored for 100 ms prior to their excitation by a short laser pulse. Delayed ionization and delayed fragmentation were observed for photon energies 1.55 eV $<E_{\lambda }<$ 2.25 eV. Decay spectra, integrated relative cross sections, and branching ratios were determined as a function of photon energy and storage time. The results show the characteristic pattern expected for a statistical decay ofthe photoexcited Al${}_4^{-}$ clusters; however, the ratio between fragmentation and ionization is found to increase with decreasing photon energy, even though the threshold energy for fragmentation is calculated to be $~0.5$ eV higher than the adiabatic electron detachment energy. It is suggested that the tetramers, while cooling down in the trap, may be in long-lived excited configurations with lower effective fragmentation barriers; Al${}_4^{-}$ clusters carrying high rotational angular momenta are discussed as possible candidates. Results obtained for other aluminum clusters Al${}_n^{-}$ ($5⩽n⩽9$) are also reported.

We describe the coherent quantum evolution of a quantum many-body system with a time-dependent power-law confining potential. The amplitude of the inhomogeneous potential is driven in time along a nonlinear ramp which crosses a critical point. Using Kibble-Zurek-like scaling arguments we derive general scaling laws for the density of excitations and energy excess generated during the nonlinear sweep of the confining potential. It is shown that, with respect to the sweeping rate, the densities follow algebraic laws with exponents that depend on the space-time properties of the potential and on the scaling dimensions of the densities. We support our scaling predictions with both analytical and numerical results on the Ising quantum chain with an inhomogeneous transverse field varying in time.

Recent ground-breaking experiments studying the effects of spin polarization on pairing in unitary Fermi gases encountered mutual qualitative and quantitative discrepancies which seem to be a function of the confining geometry. Using numerical algorithms we study the solution space for a three-dimensional fully self-consistent formulation of realistic systems with up to ${10}^5$ atoms. A study of the three types of solutions obtained demonstrates a tendency toward metastability as the confining geometry is elongated. One of these solutions, which is consistent with Rice experiments at high trap aspect ratio, supports a state strikingly similar to the long sought Fulde-Ferrel-Larkin-Ovchinnikov state. Our study helps to resolve the long-standing controversy concerning the discrepancies between the findings from two different experimental groups and highlights the versatility of actual-size numerical calculations for investigating inhomogeneous fermionic superfluids.

The first sentence of the Abstract should be as follows: We calculate the photon energy distribution and the total cross section for the Compton scattering on the $K$ electrons for the case when the photon wavelength is much larger than the size of the $K$ shell. The first sentence of the Summary should be as follows: We calculated the energy distributions and the total cross section for the Compton scattering on the $K$-shell electrons in the low-energy region, determined by Eq. (2), i.e., for the case when the wavelength of the photons is much larger than the size of the $K$ shell.

We show that the average temperature of optical and mechanical modes of an optically transparent microresonator can be stabilized to a pK$/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ level, a much lower value compared with the fundamental thermodynamic limit, without the need for an external temperature or frequency reference. The proposed temperature stabilization technique, based on the interaction of mechanical and optical modes with different sensitivities to the temperature as well as dimensions of the resonator, is promising for reaching quantum limited performance in optomechanical oscillators and lasers that involve optical microresonators.