Stable blow up dynamics for the critical co-rotational Wave Maps and equivariant Yang-Mills problems

We exhibit stable finite time blow up regimes for the energy critical co-rotational Wave Map with the S^2 target in all homotopy classes and for the critical equivariant SO(4) Yang-Mills problem. We derive sharp asymptotics on the dynamics at the blow up time and prove quantization of the energy focused at the singularity

Landscape Predictions from Cosmological Vacuum Selection

In BP models with hundreds of fluxes, we compute the effects of cosmological dynamics on the probability distribution of landscape vacua. Starting from generic initial conditions, we find that most fluxes are dynamically driven into a different and much narrower range of values than expected from landscape statistics alone. Hence, cosmological evolution will access only a tiny fraction of the vacua with small cosmological constant. This leads to a host of sharp predictions. Unlike other approaches to eternal inflation, the holographic measure employed here does not lead to "staggering", an excessive spread of probabilities that would doom the string landscape as a solution to the cosmological constant problem.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, v4 prd format, minor editin

Tensor Microwave Background Fluctuations for Large Multipole Order

We present approximate formulas for the tensor BB, EE, TT, and TE multipole coefficients for large multipole order l. The error in using the approximate formula for the BB multipole coefficients is less than cosmic variance for l>10. These approximate formulas make various qualitative properties of the calculated multipole coefficients transparent: specifically, they show that, whatever values are chosen for cosmological parameters, the tensor EE multipole coefficients will always be larger than the BB coefficients for all l>15, and that these coefficients will approach each other for l<<100. These approximations also make clear how these multipole coefficients depend on cosmological parameters.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D, references and comments on earlier work on the subject added, cosmetic modification of figure

Boltzmann babies in the proper time measure

After commenting briefly on the role of the typicality assumption in science, we advocate a phenomenological approach to the cosmological measure problem. Like any other theory, a measure should be simple, general, well-defined, and consistent with observation. This allows us to proceed by elimination. As an example, we consider the proper time cutoff on a geodesic congruence. It predicts that typical observers are quantum fluctuations in the early universe, or Boltzmann babies. We sharpen this well-known youngness problem by taking into account the expansion and open spatial geometry of pocket universes. Moreover, we relate the youngness problem directly to the probability distribution for observables, such as the temperature of the cosmic background radiation. We consider a number of modifications of the proper time measure, but find none that would make it compatible with observation.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, v3 PRD format minor editing addressing reviewers commen

Sensitivity derivatives and optimization of nodal point locations for vibration reduction

A method is developed for sensitivity analysis and optimization of nodal point locations in connection with vibration reduction. A straightforward derivation of the expression for the derivative of nodal locations is given, and the role of the derivative in assessing design trends is demonstrated. An optimization process is developed which uses added lumped masses on the structure as design variables to move the node to a preselected location; for example, where low response amplitude is required or to a point which makes the mode shape nearly orthogonal to the force distribution, thereby minimizing the generalized force. The optimization formulation leads to values for added masses that adjust a nodal location while minimizing the total amount of added mass required to do so. As an example, the node of the second mode of a cantilever box beam is relocated to coincide with the centroid of a prescribed force distribution, thereby reducing the generalized force substantially without adding excessive mass. A comparison with an optimization formulation that directly minimizes the generalized force indicates that nodal placement gives essentially a minimum generalized force when the node is appropriately placed

Many-body tunneling dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates and vortex states in two spatial dimensions

In this work, we study the out-of-equilibrium many-body tunneling dynamics of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a two-dimensional radial double well. We investigate the impact of interparticle repulsion and compare the influence of angular momentum on the many-body tunneling dynamics. Accurate many-body dynamics are obtained by solving the full many-body Schr\"odinger equation. We demonstrate that macroscopic vortex states of definite total angular momentum indeed tunnel and that, even in the regime of weak repulsions, a many-body treatment is necessary to capture the correct tunneling dynamics. As a general rule, many-body effects set in at weaker interactions when the tunneling system carries angular momentum.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figure

An atomic Hong-Ou-Mandel experiment

The celebrated Hong, Ou and Mandel (HOM) effect is one of the simplest illustrations of two-particle interference, and is unique to the quantum realm. In the original experiment, two photons arriving simultaneously in the input channels of a beam-splitter were observed to always emerge together in one of the output channels. Here, we report on the realisation of a closely analogous experiment with atoms instead of photons. This opens the prospect of testing Bell's inequalities involving mechanical observables of massive particles, such as momentum, using methods inspired by quantum optics, with an eye on theories of the quantum-to-classical transition. Our work also demonstrates a new way to produce and benchmark twin-atom pairs that may be of interest for quantum information processing and quantum simulation