Search results for "fluctuation"
showing 10 items of 357 documents
Anisotropies in thermal Casimir interactions: Ellipsoidal colloids trapped at a fluid interface
2009
We study the effective interaction between two ellipsoidal particles at the interface of two fluid phases which are mediated by thermal fluctuations of the interface. In this system the restriction of the long--ranged interface fluctuations by particles gives rise to fluctuation--induced forces which are equivalent to interactions of Casimir type and which are anisotropic in the interface plane. Since the position and the orientation of the colloids with respect to the interface normal may also fluctuate, this system is an example for the Casimir effect with fluctuating boundary conditions. In the approach taken here, the Casimir interaction is rewritten as the interaction between fluctuati…
The quantum paraelectric phase of SrTiO$_3$ from first principles
2021
We demonstrate how the quantum paraelectric ground state of SrTiO$_3$ can be accessed via a microscopic $ab~initio$ approach based on density functional theory. At low temperature the quantum fluctuations are strong enough to stabilize the paraelectric phase even though a classical description would predict a ferroelectric phase. We find that accounting for quantum fluctuations of the lattice and for the strong coupling between the ferroelectric soft mode and lattice elongation is necessary to achieve quantitative agreement with experimental frequency of the ferroelectric soft mode. The temperature dependent properties in SrTiO$_3$ are also well captured by the present microscopic framework.
Thermal rippling behavior of graphane
2012
Thermal fluctuations of single layer hydrogenated graphene (graphane) are investigated using large scale atomistic simulations. By analyzing the mean square value of the height fluctuations $$ and the height-height correlation function $H(q)$ for different system sizes and temperatures we show that hydrogenated graphene is an un-rippled system in contrast to graphene. The height fluctuations are bounded, which is confirmed by a $ H(q) $ tending to a constant in the long wavelength limit instead of showing the characteristic scaling law $ q^{4-\eta} (\eta \simeq 0.85)$ predicted by membrane theory. This unexpected behaviour persists up to temperatures of at least 900 K and is a consequence o…
Combining Molecular Dynamics with Lattice-Boltzmann: A Hybrid Method for the Simulation of (Charged) Colloidal Systems
2005
We present a hybrid method for the simulation of colloidal systems, that combines molecular dynamics (MD) with the Lattice-Boltzmann (LB) scheme. The LB method is used as a model for the solvent in order to take into account the hydrodynamic mass and momentum transport through the solvent. The colloidal particles are propagated via MD and they are coupled to the LB fluid by viscous forces. With respect to the LB fluid, the colloids are represented by uniformly distributed points on a sphere. Each such point (with a velocity V(r) at any off-lattice position r is interacting with the neighboring eight LB nodes by a frictional force F=\xi_0(V(r)-u(r)) with \xi_0 being a friction force and u(r)…
Quantum Creep and Quantum-Creep Transitions in 1D Sine-Gordon Chains
2003
Discrete sine-Gordon (SG) chains are studied with path-integral molecular dynamics. Chains commensurate with the substrate show the transition from collective quantum creep to pinning at bead masses slightly larger than those predicted from the continuous SG model. Within the creep regime, a field-driven transition from creep to complete depinning is identified. The effects of disorder in the external potential on the chain's dynamics depend on the potential's roughness exponent $H$, i.e., quantum and classical fluctuations affect the current self-correlation functions differently for $H = 1/2$.
Quantum Spin Dynamics of Mode-Squeezed Luttinger Liquids in Two-Component Atomic Gases
2007
We report on the observation of the phase dynamics of interacting one-dimensional ultracold bosonic gases with two internal degrees of freedom. By controlling the non-linear atomic interactions close to a Feshbach resonance we are able to induce a phase diffusive many-body spin dynamics. We monitor this dynamical evolution by Ramsey interferometry, supplemented by a novel, many-body echo technique. We find that the time evolution of the system is well described by a Luttinger liquid initially prepared in a multimode squeezed state. Our approach allows us to probe the non-equilibrium evolution of one-dimensional many-body quantum systems.
Optimal persistent currents for interacting bosons on a ring with a gauge field
2013
We study persistent currents for interacting one-dimensional bosons on a tight ring trap, subjected to a rotating barrier potential, which induces an artificial U(1) gauge field. We show that, at intermediate interactions, the persistent current response is maximal, due to a subtle interplay of effects due to the barrier, the interaction and quantum fluctuations. These results are relevant for ongoing experiments with ultracold atomic gases on mesoscopic rings.
Vacuum field correlations and three-body Casimir-Polder potential with one excited atom
2004
The three-body Casimir-Polder potential between one excited and two ground-state atoms is evaluated. A physical model based on the dressed field correlations of vacuum fluctuations is used, generalizing a model previously introduced for three ground-state atoms. Although the three-body potential with one excited atom is already known in the literature, our model gives new insights on the nature of non-additive Casimir-Polder forces with one or more excited atoms.
Robust non-Markovianity in ultracold gases
2012
We study the effect of thermal fluctuations on a probe qubit interacting with a Bose-Einstein condensed (BEC) reservoir. The zero-temperature case was studied in [Haikka P et al 2011 Phys. Rev. A 84 031602], where we proposed a method to probe the effects of dimensionality and scattering length of a BEC based on its behavior as an environment. Here we show that the sensitivity of the probe qubit is remarkably robust against thermal noise. We give an intuitive explanation for the thermal resilience, showing that it is due to the unique choice of the probe qubit architecture of our model.
Transmission of torque at the nanoscale
2018
In macroscopic mechanical devices torque is transmitted through gearwheels and clutches. In the construction of devices at the nanoscale, torque and its transmission through soft materials will be a key component. However, this regime is dominated by thermal fluctuations leading to dissipation. Here we demonstrate the principle of torque transmission for a disc-like colloidal assembly exhibiting clutch-like behaviour, driven by $27$ particles in optical traps. These are translated on a circular path to form a rotating boundary that transmits torque to additional particles confined to the interior. We investigate this transmission and find that it is determined by solid-like or fluid-like be…