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M. I. Molina

Publications and source records attributed to M. I. Molina.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
arXiv2004

Switching of Discrete Solitons in Engineered Waveguide Arrays

We demonstrate a simple method for controlling nonlinear switching of discrete solitons in arrays of weakly coupled optical waveguides, for both cubic and uadratic nonlinearities. Based on the effective discrete nonlinear equations describing the waveguide arrays in the tight-binding approximation, we develop the concept of the array engineering by means of a step-like variation of the waveguide coupling. We demonstrate the digitized switching of a narrow input beam for up to eleven neighboring waveguides, in the case of the cubic nonlinearity, and up to ten waveguides, in the case of quadratic nonlinearity. We discuss our predictions in terms of the physics of the engineered Peierls-Nabarro (PN) potential experienced by strongly localized nonlinear modes moving in a lattice and calculate, for the first time, the PN potential for the quadratic nonlinear array. We also confirm our concept and major findings for a full-scaled continuous model and realistic parameters, by means of the beam propagation method.

physics.optics↗
arXiv2002

Body Motion in a Resistive Medium at Temperature T

We consider a macroscopic body propagating in a one-dimensional resistive medium, consisting of an ideal gas at temperature $T$. For a whole family of collisions with varying degree of inelasticity, we find an exact expression for the effective force on the moving body as a function of the body's speed and the value of the restitution coefficient. At low and high speeds it reduces to the well-known Stoke's and Newton's law, respectively.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2002

Nonlinear Impurity in a Lattice: Dispersion Effects

We examine the bound state(s) associated with a single cubic nonlinear impurity, in a one-dimensional tight-binding lattice, where hopping to first--and--second nearest neighbors is allowed. The model is solved in closed form {\em v\`ıa} the use of the appropriate lattice Green function and a phase diagram is obtained showing the number of bound states as a function of nonlinearity strength and the ratio of second to first nearest--neighbor hopping parameters. Surprisingly, a finite amount of hopping to second nearest neighbors helps the formation of a bound state at smaller (even vanishingly small) nonlinearity values. As a consequence, the selftrapping transition can also be tuned to occur at relatively small nonlinearity strength, by this increase in the lattice dispersion.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗
arXiv2002

New DNLS Equations for Anharmonic Vibrational Impurities

We examine some new DNLS-like equations that arise when considering strongly-coupled electron-vibration systems, where the local oscillator potential is anharmonic. In particular, we focus on a single, rather general nonlinear vibrational impurity and determine its bound state(s) and its dynamical selftrapping properties.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗
arXiv2001

Theory of the phase transition from a disordered cubic crystal to a glass

We calculate thermodynamic properties of a disordered model insulator, starting from the ideal simple-cubic lattice ($g = 0$) and increasing the disorder parameter $g$ to $\gg 1/2$. As in the earlier Einstein- and Debye- approximations, the ground state energy is discontinuous at $g_{c} = 1/2$. For $g g_{c}$, $C \sim T$. The van Hove singularities disappear at {\em any} finite magnitude $g$ of the disorder. For $g>1/2$ we discover novel {\em fixed points} in the self-energy and spectral density of this model glass.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2001

From Disordered Crystal to Glass: Exact Theory

We calculate thermodynamic properties of a disordered model insulator, starting from the ideal simple-cubic lattice ($g = 0$) and increasing the disorder parameter $g$ to $\gg 1/2$. As in earlier Einstein- and Debye- approximations, there is a phase transition at $g_{c} = 1/2$. For $g g_{c}$, $C \sim T$. The van Hove singularities disappear at {\em any finite $g$}. For $g>1/2$ we discover novel {\em fixed points} in the self-energy and spectral density of this model glass.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗
arXiv2001

A simple Solvable Model of Body Motion in a One-dimensional Resistive Medium

We introduce and solve in closed form a simple model of a macroscopic body propagating in a one-dimensional resistive medium at temperature T. The assumption of completely inelastic collisions between the body and the particles composing the medium leads to a resistive force that is opposite and proportional to the square of the body's velocity

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv2001

The attractive nonlinear delta-function potential

We solve the continuous one-dimensional Schrödinger equation for the case of an inverted {\em nonlinear} delta-function potential located at the origin, obtaining the bound state in closed form as a function of the nonlinear exponent. The bound state probability profile decays exponentially away from the origin, with a profile width that increases monotonically with the nonlinear exponent, becoming an almost completely extended state when this approaches two. At an exponent value of two, the bound state suffers a discontinuous change to a delta-like profile. Further increase of the exponent increases again the width of the probability profile, although the bound state is proven to be stable only for exponents below two. The transmission of plane waves across the nonlinear delta potential increases monotonically with the nonlinearity exponent and is insensitive to the sign of its opacity.

physics.ed-ph↗
arXiv1999

Universal Selftrapping in Nonlinear Tight-binding Lattices

We show that nonlinear tight-binding lattices of different geometries and dimensionalities, display an universal selftrapping behavior. First, we consider the single nonlinear impurity problem in various tight-binding lattices, and use the Green's function formalism for an exact calculation of the minimum nonlinearity strength to form a stationary bound state. For all lattices, we find that this critical nonlinearity parameter (scaled by the energy of the bound state), in terms of the nonlinearity exponent, falls inside a narrow band, which converges to e^(1/2) at large exponent values. Then, we use the Discrete Nonlinear Schroedinger (DNLS) equation to examine the selftrapping dynamics of a single excitation, initially localized on the single nonlinear site, and compute the critical nonlinearity parameter for abrupt dynamical selftrapping. For a given nonlinearity exponent, this critical nonlinearity, properly scaled, is found to be nearly the same for all lattices. Same results are obtained when generalizing to completely nonlinear lattices, suggesting an underlying selftrapping universality behavior for all nonlinear (even disordered) tight-binding lattices described by DNLS.

cond-mat↗
arXiv1998

Selftrapping and Quantum Fluctuations in the Discrete Nonlinear Schrodinger Equation

We study the robustness of the selftrapping phenomenon exhibited by the Discrete Nonlinear Schrodinger (DNLS) equation against the effects of nonadiabaticity and quantum fluctuations in a two-site system (dimer). To test for nonadiabatic effects (in a semiclassical context), we consider the dynamics of an electron (or excitation) in a dimer system and coupled to the vibrational degrees of freedom, modeled here as classical Einstein oscillators of mass M. For relaxed (coherent state) oscillators initial condition, the DNLS selftrapping transition persists for a wide range of M spanning 5 decades. When undisplaced initial conditions are used, the selftrapping transition is destroyed for masses greater than 0.02 . To test for the effects of quantum fluctuations, we performed a first-principles numerical calculation for the fully quantum version of the above system: the two-site Holstein model. We computed the long-time averaged probability for finding the electron at the initial site as a function of the asymmetry and nonlinearity parameters, defined in terms of the electron-phonon coupling strength and the oscillator frequency. Substantial departures from the usual DNLS system are found: A complex landscape in asymmetry-nonlinearity phase space, which is crisscrossed with narrow "channels", where the average electronic probability on the initial site remains very close to 1/2, being substantially larger outside. In the adiabatic case, there are also low-probability "pockets" where the average electronic probability is substantially smaller than 1/2.

cond-mat↗
arXiv1997

Dimensional Crossover for the Bose -- Einstein Condensation of an Ideal Bose Gas

We study an ideal Bose gas of N atoms contained in a box formed by two identical planar and parallel surfaces S, enclosed by a mantle of height a perpendicular to them. Calling r0 the mean atomic distance, we assume S >> r0^2 while a may be comparable to r0. In the bidimensional limit (a/r0 << 1) we find a macroscopic number of atoms in the condensate at temperatures T ~1/log(N); therefore, condensation cannot be described in terms of intensive quantities; in addition, it occurs at temperatures not too low in comparison to the tridimensional case. When condensation is present we also find a macroscopic occupation of the low--lying excited states. In addition, the condensation phenomenon is sensitive to the shape of S. The former two effects are significant for a nanoscopic system. The tridimensional limit is slowly attained for increasing (a/r0), roughly at (a/r0) ~ 10^{2}-10^{3}.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv1997

Quantum Vibrational Impurity Embedded in a One-dimensional Chain

We perform a fully quantum mechanical numerical calculation for the problem of a single electron (or excitation) propagating in a N-site one-dimensional chain in the presence of a single Holstein impurity. We compute the long-time averaged probability for finding the electron on the impurity site as a function of the nonlinearity parameter, defined in terms of the electron-phonon coupling strength and the oscillator frequency. The results, in the intermediate nonlinearity parameter range, differ substantially from the ones obtained through the use of the discrete nonlinear Schroedinger equation, even in the high-frequency regime.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗
arXiv1997

Power Switching in Hybrid Coherent Couplers

We report on a theoretical and numerical investigation of the switching of power in new hybrid models of nonlinear coherent couplers consisting of optical slab waveguides with various orders of nonlinearity. The first model consists of two guides with second-order instead of the usual third-order susceptibilities as typified by the Jensen coupler. This second-order system is shown to have a power self-trapping transition at a critical power greater than the third-order susceptibility coupler. Next, we consider a mixed coupler composed of a second-order guide coupled to a third-order guide and show that, although it does not display a rigorous self-trapping transition, for a particular choice of parameters it does show a fairly abrupt trapping of power at a lower power than in the third-order coupler. By coupling this mixed nonlinear pair to a third, purely linear guide, the power trapping can be brought to even lower levels and in this way a satisfactory switching profile can be achieved at less than one sixth the input power needed in the Jensen coupler.

physics.optics↗
arXiv1997

Ideal Gas in a Finite Container

The thermodynamics of an ideal gas enclosed in a box of volume a1 x a2 x a3 at temperature T is considered. The canonical partition function of the system is expressed in terms of complete elliptic integrals of the first kind, whose argument obeys a transcendental equation. For high and low temperatures we derive explicitly the main finite-volume corrections to the standard thermodynamic quantities.

physics.ed-ph↗