arXiv subjects

E. Medina

Publications and source records attributed to E. Medina.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Spin polarization induced by decoherence in a tunneling one-dimensional Rashba model

Basic questions on the nature of spin polarization in two terminal systems and the way in which decoherence breaks Time-Reversal Symmetry (TRS) are analyzed. We exactly solve several one-dimensional models of tunneling electrons and show the interplay of spin precession and decay of the wavefunction in either a U(1) magnetic field or an effective Spin-Orbit (SO) magnetic field. Spin polarization is clearly identified as the emergence of a spin component parallel to either magnetic field. We show that Onsager's reciprocity is fulfilled when time reversal symmetry is present and no spin polarization arises, no matter the barrier parameters or the SO strength. Introducing a Buttiker's decoherence probe, that preserves unitarity of time evolution, we show that breaking of TRS results in a strong spin polarization for realistic SO, and barrier strengths. We discuss the significance of these results as a very general scenario for the onset of the Chiral-Induced Spin Selectivity effect (CISS), now possibly matching experiments in a quantitative manner.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Merging of Dirac points through uniaxial modulation on an optical lattice

We analyze the scenario of modulating the potential strength of bound atoms in an optical honeycomb lattice patterned by an electric field to emulate uniaxial strain. This modulation can be achieved by a combination of the strength of the patterned electric field and gauge vector effects using the Floquet approach. We show that such a modulation allows one to follow through a topological transition between a semi-metal and a band insulator, when two non-equivalent $K$ points merge as a function of the electric field strength. We explicitly compute the wavefunctions for the moving $K$ points and the Chern numbers up to the transition. Anisotropic effective masses and the insulating gap are described close to the semimetal-insulator transition.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Creation of super-high-flux photo-neutrons and gamma-rays > 8 MeV using a petawatt laser to irradiate high-Z solid targets

We report the creation of super-high-flux gamma-rays with energy >8 MeV and photo-neutrons via the (g,n) reaction near giant dipole resonance energies (8 - 20 MeV), using the ~130 J Texas Petawatt laser to irradiate high-Z (Au, Pt, Re, W) targets of mm - cm thickness, at laser intensities up to ~5x1021W/cm2. We detected up to ~ several x 1012 gamma-rays > 8 MeV (~3% of incident laser energy) and ~ 1010 photo-neutrons per shot. Due to the short pulse and narrow gamma-ray cone (~17o half-width) around laser forward, the peak emergent gamma-ray flux >8 MeV reached ~1027 gammas/cm2/sec, and the peak emergent neutron flux reached ~1020 neutrons/cm2/sec. Such intense gamma-ray and neutron fluxes are among the highest achieved for short-pulse laser experiments. They will facilitate the study of nuclear reactions requiring super-high-flux of gamma-rays or neutrons, such as the creation of r-process elements. These results may also have far-reaching applications for nuclear energy, such as the transmutation of nuclear waste, isotope production and inertial fusion.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Cross-calibration and combined analysis of the CTA-LST prototype and the MAGIC telescopes

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will be the next generation gamma-ray observatory, which will consist of three kinds of telescopes of different sizes. Among those, the Large Size Telescope (LST) will be the most sensitive in the low energy range starting from 20 GeV. The prototype LST (LST-1) proposed for CTA was inaugurated in October 2018 in the northern hemisphere site, La Palma (Spain), and is currently in its commissioning phase. MAGIC is a system of two gamma-ray Cherenkov telescopes of the current generation, located approximately 100 m away from LST-1, that have been operating in stereoscopic mode since 2009. Since LST-1 and MAGIC can observe the same air shower events, we can compare the brightness of showers, estimated energies of gamma rays, and other parameters event by event, which can be used to cross-calibrate the telescopes. Ultimately, by performing combined analyses of the events triggering the three telescopes, we can reconstruct the shower geometry more accurately, leading to better energy and angular resolutions, and a better discrimination of the background showers initiated by cosmic rays. For that purpose, as part of the commissioning of LST-1, we performed joint observations of established gamma-ray sources with LST-1 and MAGIC. Also, we have developed Monte Carlo simulations for such joint observations and an analysis pipeline which finds event coincidence in the offline analysis based on their timestamps. In this work, we present the first detection of an astronomical source, the Crab Nebula, with combined observation of LST-1 and MAGIC. Moreover, we show results of the inter-telescope cross-calibration obtained using Crab Nebula data taken during joint observations with LST-1 and MAGIC.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Intrinsic Rashba coupling due to Hydrogen bonding in DNA

We present an analytical model for the role of hydrogen bonding on the spin-orbit coupling of model DNA molecule. Here we analyze in detail the electric fields due to the polarization of the Hydrogen bond on the DNA base pairs and derive, within tight binding analytical band folding approach, an intrinsic Rashba coupling which should dictate the order of the spin active effects in the Chiral-Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS) effect. The coupling found is ten times larger than the intrinsic coupling estimated previously and points to the predominant role of hydrogen bonding in addition to chirality in the case of biological molecules. We expect similar dominant effects in oligopeptides, where the chiral structure is supported by hydrogen-bonding and bears on orbital carrying transport electrons.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Rashba spin-orbit interaction enhanced by graphene in-plane deformations

Graphene consists in a single-layer carbon crystal where 2$p_z$ electrons display a linear dispersion relation in the vicinity of the Fermi level, conveniently described by a massless Dirac equation in $2+1$ spacetime. Spin-orbit effects open a gap in the band structure and offer perspectives for the manipulation of the conducting electrons spin. Ways to manipulate spin-orbit couplings in graphene have been generally assessed by proximity effects to metals that do not compromise the mobility of the unperturbed system and are likely to induce strain in the graphene layer. In this work we explore the $\rm{U(1)}\times SU(2)$ gauge fields that result from the uniform stretching of a graphene sheet under a perpendicular electric field. Considering such deformations is particularly relevant due to the counter-intuitive enhancement of the Rashba coupling between 30-50% for small bond deformations well known from tight-binding and DFT calculations. We report the accessible changes that can be operated in the band structure in the vicinity of the K points as a function of the deformation strength and direction.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Equilibrium currents in a Corbino graphene ring

We address the description of a graphene Corbino disk in the context of a tight binding approach that includes both kinetic and Rashba spin-orbit coupling due to an external out-of-plane electric field. Persistent equilibrium currents are induced by an external magnetic field breaking time reversal symmetry. By direct diagonalization, we compute the spectrum and focus on the dispersion near the $K$ points at the Fermi level. The dispersion keenly reproduces that of a continuum model in spite of the complexity of the boundary conditions. We validate the assumptions of the continuum model in terms of predominant zig-zag boundaries conditions and weak sub-band coupling. The wave functions displaying the lowest transverse modes are obtained, showing the predominance of edge states with charge density at the zig-zag edges. The persistent charge currents, nevertheless, do not follow the traditional argument of current cancellation from levels below the Fermi level, and thus they depart in the tight-binding from those found in the continuum model.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

A thermodynamic counterpart of the Axelrod model of social influence: The one-dimensional case

We propose a thermodynamic version of the Axelrod model of social influence. In one-dimensional (1D) lattices, the thermodynamic model becomes a coupled Potts model with a bonding interaction that increases with the site matching traits. We analytically calculate thermodynamic and critical properties for a 1D system and show that an order-disorder phase transition only occurs at T = 0 independent of the number of cultural traits q and features F. The 1D thermodynamic Axelrod model belongs to the same universality class of the Ising and Potts models, notwithstanding the increase of the internal dimension of the local degree of freedom and the state-dependent bonding interaction. We suggest a unifying proposal to compare exponents across different discrete 1D models. The comparison with our Hamiltonian description reveals that in the thermodynamic limit the original out-of-equilibrium 1D Axelrod model with noise behaves like an ordinary thermodynamic 1D interacting particle system.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2011

Local operation on identical particles systems

We describe identical particles through their extrinsic physical properties and operationally with an operator of selective measure Mm. The operator Mm is formed through non-symmetrized tensor product of one-particle measurement operators, so that it does not commute with the permutation operator P. This operator of selective measure Mm is a local operation (LO) if it acts on physical systems of distinguishable particles, but when Mm acts on the Hilbert sub-space of a system with a constant number of indistinguishable particles this can generate entanglement in the system. We will call entanglement by measurement (EbM), this way of producing entanglement. In this framework, we show entangle production examples for systems of two fermions (or bosons) when the operator Mm has two-particle events that are not mutually exclusive.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2011

Singular sectors of the 1-layer Benney and dToda systems and their interrelations

Complete description of the singular sectors of the 1-layer Benney system (classical long wave equation) and dToda system is presented. Associated Euler-Poisson-Darboux equations E(1/2,1/2) and E(-1/2,-1/2) are the main tool in the analysis. A complete list of solutions of the 1-layer Benney system depending on two parameters and belonging to the singular sector is given. Relation between Euler-Poisson-Darboux equations E(a,a) with opposite sign of a is discussed.

math-ph↗

arXiv2010

On the singular sector of the Hermitian random matrix model in the large N limit

The singular sector of zero genus case for the Hermitian random matrix model in the large N limit is analyzed. It is proved that the singular sector of the hodograph solutions for the underlying dispersionless Toda hierarchy and the singular sector of the 1-layer Benney (classical long wave equation) hierarchy are deeply connected. This property is due to the fact that the hodograph equations for both hierarchies describe the critical points of solutions of Euler-Poisson-Darboux equations E(a,a), with a=-1/2 for the dToda hierarchy and a=1/2 for the 1-layer Benney hierarchy.

nlin.SI↗

arXiv2010

Hodograph solutions of the dispersionless coupled KdV hierarchies, critical points and the Euler-Poisson-Darboux equation

It is shown that the hodograph solutions of the dispersionless coupled KdV (dcKdV) hierarchies describe critical and degenerate critical points of a scalar function which obeys the Euler-Poisson-Darboux equation. Singular sectors of each dcKdV hierarchy are found to be described by solutions of higher genus dcKdV hierarchies. Concrete solutions exhibiting shock type singularities are presented.

nlin.SI↗

arXiv2009

Gauge field theory approach to spin transport in a 2D electron gas

We discuss the Pauli Hamiltonian including the spin-orbit interaction within an U(1) x SU(2) gauge theory interpretation, where the gauge symmetry appears to be broken. This interpretation offers new insight into the problem of spin currents in the condensed matter environment, and can be extended to Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interactions. We present a few outcomes of the present formulation: i) it automatically leads to zero spin conductivity, in contrast to predictions of Gauge symmetric treatments, ii) a topological quantization condition leading to voltage quantization follows, and iii) spin interferometers can be conceived in which, starting from a arbitrary incoming unpolarized spinor, it is always possible to construct a perfect spin filtering condition.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Multiple orthogonal polynomials, string equations and the large-n limit

The Riemann-Hilbert problems for multiple orthogonal polynomials of types I and II are used to derive string equations associated to pairs of Lax-Orlov operators. A method for determining the quasiclassical limit of string equations in the phase space of the Whitham hierarchy of dispersionless integrable systems is provided. Applications to the analysis of the large-n limit of multiple orthogonal polynomials and their associated random matrix ensembles and models of non-intersecting Brownian motions are given.

nlin.SI↗

arXiv2008

The double scaling limit method in the Toda hierarchy

Critical points of semiclassical expansions of solutions to the dispersionful Toda hierarchy are considered and a double scaling limit method of regularization is formulated. The analogues of the critical points characterized by the strong conditions in the Hermitian matrix model are analyzed and the property of doubling of equations is proved. A wide family of sets of critical points is introduced and the corresponding double scaling limit expansions are discussed.

nlin.SI↗

arXiv2007

Regularization of Hele-Shaw flows, multiscaling expansions and the Painleve I equation

Critical processes of ideal integrable models of Hele-Shaw flows are considered. A regularization method based on multiscaling expansions of solutions of the KdV and Toda hierarchies characterized by string equations is proposed. Examples are exhibited in which the tritronq'ee solution of the Painleve-I equation turns out to provide the leading term of the regularization

math-ph↗

arXiv2007

Two electron entanglement enhancement by an inelastic scattering process

In order to assess inelastic effects on two fermion entanglement production, we address an exactly solvable two-particle scattering problem where the target is an excitable scatterer. Useful entanglement, as measured by the two particle concurrence, is obtained from post-selection of oppositely scattered particle states. The $S$ matrix formalism is generalized in order to address non-unitary evolution in the propagating channels. We find the striking result that inelasticity can actually increase concurrence as compared to the elastic case by increasing the uncertainty of the single particle subspace. Concurrence zeros are controlled by either single particle resonance energies or total reflection conditions that ascertain precisely one of the electron states. Concurrence minima also occur and are controlled by entangled resonance situations were the electron becomes entangled with the scatterer, and thus does not give up full information of its state. In this model, exciting the scatterer can never fully destroy phase coherence due to an intrinsic limit to the probability of inelastic events.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2007

Semiclassical expansions in the Toda hierarchy and the hermitian matrix model

An iterative algorithm for determining a class of solutions of the dispersionful 2-Toda hierarchy characterized by string equations is developed. This class includes the solution which underlies the large N-limit of the Hermitian matrix model in the one-cut case. It is also shown how the double scaling limit can be naturally formulated in this scheme

nlin.SI↗