We provide a theoretical framework describing slow-light polaritons interacting via atomic Rydberg states. We use a diagrammatic method to analytically derive the scattering properties of two polaritons. We identify parameter regimes where polariton-
polariton interactions are repulsive. Furthermore, in the regime of attractive interactions, we identify multiple two-polariton bound states, calculate their dispersion, and study the resulting scattering resonances. Finally, the two-particle scattering properties allow us to derive the effective low-energy many-body Hamiltonian. This theoretical platform is applicable to ongoing experiments.
We investigate the nature of the inner accretion disk in the neutron star source GX 5-1 by making a detailed study of time lags between X-rays of different energies. Using the cross-correlation analysis, we found anti-correlated hard and soft time la
gs of the order of a few tens to a few hundred seconds and the corresponding intensity states were mostly the horizontal branch (HB) and upper normal branch (NB). The model independent and dependent spectral analysis showed that during these time lags the structure of accretion disk significantly varied. Both eastern and western approaches were used to unfold the X-ray continuum and systematic changes were observed in soft and hard spectral components. These changes along with a systematic shift in the frequency of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) made it substantially evident that the geometry of the accretion disk is truncated. Simultaneous energy spectral and power density spectral study shows that the production of the horizontal branch oscillations (HBOs) are closely related to the Comptonizing region rather than the disk component in the accretion disk. We found that as the HBO frequency decreases from the hard apex to upper HB, the disk temperature increases along with an increase in the coronal temperature which is in sharp contrast with the changes found in black hole binaries where the decrease in QPO frequency is accompanied by a decrease in the disk temperature and a simultaneous increase in the coronal temperature. We discuss the results in the context of re-condensation of coronal material in the inner region of the disk.
We report the experimental realization of an optical trap that localizes single Cs atoms ~215 nm from surface of a dielectric nanofiber. By operating at magic wavelengths for pairs of counter-propagating red- and blue-detuned trapping beams, differen
tial scalar light shifts are eliminated, and vector shifts are suppressed by ~250. We thereby measure an absorption linewidth Gamma/2pi = 5.7 pm 0.1 MHz for the Cs 6S1/2,F=4 - 6P3/2,F=5 transition, where Gamma/2pi = 5.2 MHz in free space. Optical depth d~66 is observed, corresponding to an optical depth per atom d_1~0.08. These advances provide an important capability for the implementation of functional quantum optical networks and precision atomic spectroscopy near dielectric surfaces.
The evolution of different types of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) and the coupled radiative/physical changes in the accretion disk are still poorly understood. In a few black hole binaries it was found that fast evolution of QPOs is associated w
ith spectral variations. Such studies in other black hole binaries are important to understand the QPO phenomenon. For the black hole transient XTE J1817-330, we study fast QPO transitions and accompanying spectral variations to investigate what causes the spectral variation during the QPO transition. Roy et al. (2011) found QPOs in ten RXTE observations of XTE J1817-330. We found that, among the ten observations, only one observation shows erratic dips in its X-ray light curve. The power density spectra and the corresponding energy spectra were extracted and analyzed for the dip and non-dip sections of the light curve. We found that type-B $sim$6 Hz QPO changes into type-A QPO in a few tens of seconds along with a flux decrease. This transient evolution is accompanied with a significant spectral variation. We report a transient QPO feature and accompanying spectral variation in XTE J1817-330. Based on our findings, we discuss the origin of fast evolution of QPOs and spectral variations.
The simultaneous and coupled evolution of horizontal branch oscillation (HBO) and normal branch oscillation (NBO) in Z-type sources suggests that the production of HBO is connected to NBO and is caused by changes in the physical/radiative properties
of the inner accretion disk, although there is a lack of substantial spectral evidence to support this. In this {it Letter}, we present the results of an analysis of a RXTE observation of a Z source GX~5-1, where the 6 Hz NBO is simultaneously detected along with a HBO at 51 Hz. The variations in the intensity and the associated power density spectrum indicate that the HBO and NBO are strongly coupled, originating from the same location in the inner accretion disk. The absence of HBO and NBO in the lower energy bands, an increase in the rms amplitude with energy and a smooth transition among them suggest that they are produced in the hot inner regions of the accretion disk. Based on a spectral analysis, we found a signature of changing or physically modified inner disk front during the coupled HBO and NBO evolution. We explore the various models to explain the observed phenomenon and propose that the NBO is affiliated to the oscillations in the thick/puffed-up inner region of the accretion disk.
The Ultra-Fast Flash Observatory (UFFO) Pathfinder is a payload on the Russian Lomonosov satellite, scheduled to be launched in November 2011. The Observatory is designed to detect early UV/Optical photons from Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). There are two
telescopes and one main data acquisition system: the UFFO Burst Alert & Trigger Telescope (UBAT), the Slewing Mirror Telescope (SMT), and the UFFO Data Acquisition (UDAQ) system. The UDAQ controls and manages the operation and communication of each telescope, and is also in charge of the interface with the satellite. It will write the data taken by each telescope to the NOR flash memory and sends them to the satellite via the Bus-Interface system (BI). It also receives data from the satellite including the coordinates and time of an external trigger from another payload, and distributes them to two telescopes. These functions are implemented in field programmable gates arrays (FPGA) for low power consumption and fast processing without a microprocessor. The UDAQ architecture, control of the system, and data flow will be presented.
We discuss the impact for light neutralinos in an effective Minimal Supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model of the recent results presented by the CMS and ATLAS Collaborations at the CERN Large Hadron Collider for a search of supersymmetry in
proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 35 inverse pb. We find that, in the specific case of light neutralinos, efficiencies for the specific signature searched by ATLAS (jets+missing transverse energy and an isolated lepton) imply a lower sensitivity compared to CMS (which searches for jets +missing transverse energy). Focusing on the CMS bound, if squark soft masses of the three families are assumed to be degenerate, the combination of the ensuing constraint on squark and gluino masses with the experimental limit on the b to s + gamma decay imply a lower bound on the neutralino mass that can reach the value of 11.9 GeV, depending on the gluino mass. On the other hand, when the universality condition among squark soft parameters is relaxed, the lower bound on the neutralino mass is not constrained by the CMS measurement and then remains at the value 7.5 GeV derived in previous papers.
We report the few hundred second anti-correlated soft lags between soft and hard energy bands in the source GX 339-4 using RXTE observations. In one observation, anti-correlated soft lags were observed using the ISGRI/INTEGRAL hard energy band and th
e PCA/RXTE soft energy band light curves. The lags were observed when the source was in hard and soft intermediate states, i.e., in a steep power-law state.We found that the temporal and spectral properties were changed during the lag timescale. The anti-correlated soft lags are associated with spectral variability during which the geometry of the accretion disk is changed. The observed temporal and spectral variations are explained using the framework of truncated disk geometry. We found that during the lag timescale, the centroid frequency of quasi-periodic oscillation is decreased, the soft flux is decreased along with an increase in the hard flux, and the power-law index steepens together with a decrease in the disk normalization parameter. We argue that these changes could be explained if we assume that the hot corona condenses and forms a disk in the inner region of the accretion disk. The overall spectral and temporal changes support the truncated geometry of the accretion disk in the steep power-law state or in the intermediate state.
The impact of oxygen vacancies on local tunneling properties across rf-sputtered MgO thin films was investigated by optical absorption spectroscopy and conducting atomic force microscopy. Adding O$_2$ to the Ar plasma during MgO growth alters the oxy
gen defect populations, leading to improved local tunneling characteristics such as a lower density of current hotspots and a lower tunnel current amplitude. We discuss a defect-based potential landscape across ultrathin MgO barriers.
Single-Photon Cooling (SPC), noted for its potential as a versatile method for cooling a variety of atomic species, has recently been demonstrated experimentally. In this paper, we study possible ways to improve the performance of SPC by applying it
to atoms trapped inside a wedge billiard. The main feature of wedge billiard for atoms, also experimentally realized recently, is that the nature of atomic trajectories within it changes from stable periodic orbit to random chaotic motion with the change in wedge angle. We find that a high cooling efficiency is possible in this system with a relatively weak dependence on the wedge angle, and that chaotic dynamics, rather than regular orbit, is more desirable for enhancing the performance of SPC.
