Adaptive Design of Excitonic Absorption in Broken-Symmetry Quantum Wells

Adaptive quantum design is used to identify broken-symmetry quantum well potential profiles with optical response properties superior to previous ad-hoc solutions. This technique performs an unbiased stochastic search of configuration space. It allows us to engineer many-body excitonic wave functions and thus provides a new methodology to efficiently develop optimized quantum confined Stark effect device structures.Comment: 4 pages, 3 encapsulated postscript figure

A local metallic state in globally insulating La1.24Sr1.76Mn2O7La_{1.24}Sr_{1.76}Mn_2O_7 well above the metal-insulator transition

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy was used to investigate the evolution of the electronic structure across the metal-insulator transition in bi-layer manganite $La_{1.24}Sr_{1.76}Mn_2O_7$. We found that this system is a metal for $T<T_C$, a local metal but global insulator for $T<T_C<T^*$, and a global insulator for $T>T^*$. These results indicate the critical role of electronic phase separation and percolation effects for the metal-insulator transition in $La_{1.24}Sr_{1.76}Mn_2O_7$.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Capacity payments and the pricing of reliability in competitive generation markets

In restructured electric power industries around the world, power pool designers have enabled generators to earn revenues consisting of energy and capacity payments. This paper discusses uses and abuses of capacity payments, and links provision of these payments to the issue of pricing reliability. A general formula for determining the ideal capacity price in a generation supply system is presented and the theoretical basis discussed. Methods of achieving an ideal level of system reliability through price-setting of capacity payments (in more regulated markets) and through price discovery (in more competitive markets) are contrasted. The paper concludes with market design recommendations that could better realize customer preference for reliability at prices customers are willing to pay.published_or_final_versio

Structural design options for the new 34 meter beam waveguide antenna

In addition to the successful network of 34 m High Efficiency antennas recently built by JPL, the Deep Space Network (DSN) is embarking on the construction of a 34 m high performance, research and development antenna with beam waveguide optics at the Venus site. The construction of this antenna presents many engineering challenges in the area of structural, mechanical, RF, and pointing system design. A set of functional and structural design requirements is outlined to guide analysts in the final configuration selection. Five design concepts are presented covering both the conventional center-fed beam optics as well as the nonconventional, by-pass beam configuration. The merits of each concept are discussed with an emphasis on obtaining a homologous design. The preliminary results of structural optimization efforts, currently in progress, are promising, indicating the feasibility of meeting, as a minimum, all X-band (8.4 GHz) requirements, with a goal towards meeting Ka-band (32 GHz) quality performance, at the present budget constraints

Laser-induced charging of microfabricated ion traps

Electrical charging of metal surfaces due to photoelectric generation of carriers is of concern in trapped ion quantum computation systems, due to the high sensitivity of the ions' motional quantum states to deformation of the trapping potential. The charging induced by typical laser frequencies involved in doppler cooling and quantum control is studied here, with microfabricated surface electrode traps made of aluminum, copper, and gold, operated at 6 K with a single Sr$^+$ ion trapped 100 $\mu$m above the trap surface. The lasers used are at 370, 405, 460, and 674 nm, and the typical photon flux at the trap is 10$^{14}$ photons/cm$^2$/sec. Charging is detected by monitoring the ion's micromotion signal, which is related to the number of charges created on the trap. A wavelength and material dependence of the charging behavior is observed: lasers at lower wavelengths cause more charging, and aluminum exhibits more charging than copper or gold. We describe the charging dynamic based on a rate equation approach.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Partition Function Expansion on Region-Graphs and Message-Passing Equations

Disordered and frustrated graphical systems are ubiquitous in physics, biology, and information science. For models on complete graphs or random graphs, deep understanding has been achieved through the mean-field replica and cavity methods. But finite-dimensional `real' systems persist to be very challenging because of the abundance of short loops and strong local correlations. A statistical mechanics theory is constructed in this paper for finite-dimensional models based on the mathematical framework of partition function expansion and the concept of region-graphs. Rigorous expressions for the free energy and grand free energy are derived. Message-passing equations on the region-graph, such as belief-propagation and survey-propagation, are also derived rigorously.Comment: 10 pages including two figures. New theoretical and numerical results added. Will be published by JSTAT as a lette

Wall-crossing of D4-D2-D0 and flop of the conifold

We discuss the wall-crossing of the BPS bound states of a non-compact holomorphic D4-brane with D2 and D0-branes on the conifold. We use the Kontsevich-Soibelman wall-crossing formula and analyze the BPS degeneracy in various chambers. In particular we obtain a relation between BPS degeneracies in two limiting attractor chambers related by a flop transition. Our result is consistent with known results and predicts BPS degeneracies in all chambers.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures; v2: typos corrected; v3: minor changes, a reference added, version to be published in JHE

Realization of logically labeled effective pure states for bulk quantum computation

We report the first use of "logical labeling" to perform a quantum computation with a room-temperature bulk system. This method entails the selection of a subsystem which behaves as if it were at zero temperature - except for a decrease in signal strength - conditioned upon the state of the remaining system. No averaging over differently prepared molecules is required. In order to test this concept, we execute a quantum search algorithm in a subspace of two nuclear spins, labeled by a third spin, using solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and employing a novel choice of reference frame to uncouple nuclei.Comment: PRL 83, 3085 (1999). Small changes made to improve readability and remove ambiguitie