Units Of Angular Momentum Research Articles

Magnetic excitations beyond the single- and double-magnons

A photon carrying one unit of angular momentum can change the spin angular momentum of a magnetic system with one unit (ΔMs = ±1) at most. This implies that a two-photon scattering process can manipulate the spin angular momentum of the magnetic system with a maximum of two units. Herein we describe a triple-magnon excitation in α-Fe2O3, which contradicts this conventional wisdom that only 1- and 2-magnon excitations are possible in a resonant inelastic X-ray scattering experiment. We observe an excitation at exactly three times the magnon energy, along with additional excitations at four and five times the magnon energy, suggesting quadruple and quintuple-magnons as well. Guided by theoretical calculations, we reveal how a two-photon scattering process can create exotic higher-rank magnons and the relevance of these quasiparticles for magnon-based applications.

Measuring the nuclear magnetic quadrupole moment in heavy polar molecules

Theories that extend the Standard Model of particle physics often introduce new interactions that violate charge-parity (CP) symmetry. Charge-parity-violating effects within an atomic nucleus can be probed by measuring its nuclear magnetic quadrupole moment (MQM). The sensitivity of such a measurement is enhanced when using a heavy polar molecule containing a nucleus with quadrupole deformation. We determine how the energy levels of a molecule are shifted by the magnetic quadrupole moment and how those shifts can be measured. The measurement scheme requires molecules in a superposition of magnetic sub-levels that differ by many units of angular momentum. We develop a generic scheme for preparing these states. Finally, we consider the sensitivity that can be reached, showing that this method can reduce the current uncertainties on several charge-parity-violating parameters.

Angular momentum generation in nuclear fission.

When a heavy atomic nucleus splits (fission), the resulting fragments are observed to emerge spinning1; this phenomenon has been a mystery in nuclear physics for over 40 years2,3. The internal generation of typicallysix or seven units of angular momentum in each fragment is particularly puzzling for systems that start with zero, or almost zero, spin. There are currently no experimental observations that enable decisive discrimination between the many competing theories for the mechanism that generates the angular momentum4-12. Nevertheless, the consensus is that excitation of collective vibrational modes generates the intrinsic spin before the nucleus splits (pre-scission). Here we show that there is no significant correlation between the spins of the fragment partners, which leads us to conclude that angular momentum in fission is actually generated after the nucleus splits (post-scission). We present comprehensive data showing that the average spin is strongly mass-dependent, varying in saw-tooth distributions. We observe no notable dependence of fragment spin on the mass or charge of the partner nucleus, confirming the uncorrelated post-scission nature of the spin mechanism. To explain these observations, we propose that the collective motion of nucleons in the ruptured neck of the fissioning system generates two independent torques, analogous to the snapping of an elastic band. A parameterization based on occupation of angular momentum states according to statistical theory describes the full range of experimental data well. This insight into the role of spin in nuclear fission is not only important for the fundamental understanding and theoretical description of fission, but also has consequences for the γ-ray heating problem in nuclear reactors13,14, for the study of the structure of neutron-rich isotopes15,16, and for the synthesis and stability of super-heavy elements17,18.

P-wave two-particle bound and scattering states in a finite volume including QED

The mass shifts for two-fermion bound and scattering P-wave states subject to the long-range interactions due to QED in the non-relativistic regime are derived. Introducing a short range force coupling the spinless fermions to one unit of angular momentum in the framework of pionless EFT, we first calculate both perturbatively and non-perturbatively the Coulomb corrections to fermion–fermion scattering in the continuum and infinite volume context. Motivated by the research on particle–antiparticle bound states, we extend the results to fermions of identical mass and opposite charge. Second, we transpose the system onto a cubic box with periodic boundary conditions and we calculate the finite volume corrections to the energy of the lowest bound and unbound T_1^{-} eigenstates. In particular, power law corrections proportional to the fine structure constant and resembling the recent results for S-wave states are found. Higher order contributions in alpha are neglected, since the gapped nature of the momentum operator in the finite-volume environnement allows for a perturbative treatment of the QED interactions.

Effective field theory for deformed odd-mass nuclei

We develop an effective field theory (EFT) for deformed odd-mass nuclei. These are described as an axially symmetric core to which a nucleon is coupled. In the coordinate system fixed to the core the nucleon is subject to an axially symmetric potential. Power counting is based on the separation of scales between low-lying rotations and higher-lying states of the core. In leading order, core and nucleon are coupled by universal derivative terms. These comprise a covariant derivative and gauge potentials which account for Coriolis forces and relate to Berry-phase phenomena. At leading order, the EFT combines the particle-rotor and Nilsson models. We work out the EFT up to next-to-leading order and illustrate the results in $^{239}$Pu and $^{187}$Os. At leading order, odd-mass nuclei with rotational band heads that are close in energy and differ by one unit of angular momentum are triaxially deformed. For band heads that are well separated in energy, triaxiality becomes a subleading effect. The EFT developed in this paper presents a model-independent approach to the particle-rotor system that is capable of systematic improvement.

Exploring the spectrum of the hidden charm strange pentaquark in the SU(4) version of the flavor-spin model

We study the spectrum of the isoscalar pentaquark $udsc\overline{c}$, of either positive or negative parity, in a constituent quark model with linear confinement and a flavor-spin hyperfine interaction previously extended to SU(4) and used to describe the spectrum of the $uudc\overline{c}$ pentaquarks observed at LHCb in 2019. For positive parity we make a distinction between the case where one unit of angular momentum is located in the subsystem of four quarks and the case where the angular momentum is located in the relative motion between a ground state four-quark subsystem and the antiquark. The novelty is that we introduce the coupling between different flavor states, due to the breaking of exact SU(4)-flavor symmetry of the Hamiltonian model, both for positive and negative parity states. An important consequence is that the lowest state, located at 4404 MeV, has quantum numbers $J^P$ = $1/2^-$ while without coupling the lowest state has $J^P$ = $1/2^+$ or $3/2^+$.

Stable controllable giant vortex in a trapped Bose–Einstein condensate

In a harmonically-trapped rotating Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC), a vortex of large angular momentum decays to multiple vortices of unit angular momentum from an energetic consideration. We demonstrate the formation of a robust and dynamically stable giant vortex of large angular momentum in a harmonically trapped rotating BEC with a potential hill at the center, thus forming a Mexican hat like trapping potential. For a small inter-atomic interaction strength, a highly controllable stable giant vortex appears, whose angular momentum slowly increases as the angular frequency of rotation is increased. As the inter-atomic interaction strength is increased beyond a critical value, only vortices of unit angular momentum are formed, unless the strength of the potential hill at the center is also increased: for a stronger potential hill at the center a giant vortex is again formed. The dynamical stability of the giant vortex is demonstrated by real-time propagation numerically. These giant vortices of large angular momentum can be observed and studied experimentally in a highly controlled fashion.

Alignment between Filaments and Galaxy Spins from the MaNGA Integral-field Survey

Abstract Halos and galaxies acquire their angular momentum during the collapse of the surrounding large-scale structure. This process imprints alignments between galaxy spins and nearby filaments and sheets. Low-mass halos grow by accretion onto filaments, aligning their spins with the filaments, whereas high-mass halos grow by mergers along filaments, generating spins perpendicular to the filament. We search for this alignment signal using filaments identified with the “Cosmic Web Reconstruction” algorithm applied to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Main Galaxy Sample and galaxy spins from the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) integral-field unit survey. MaNGA produces a map of the galaxy’s rotational velocity, allowing direct measurement of the galaxy’s spin direction, or unit angular momentum vector projected onto the sky. We find no evidence for alignment between galaxy spins and filament directions. We do find hints of a mass-dependent alignment signal, which is in 2σ–3σ tension with the mass-dependent alignment signal in the MassiveBlack-II and Illustris hydrodynamical simulations. However, the tension vanishes when galaxy spin is measured using the Hα emission line velocity rather than stellar velocity. Finally, in simulations we find that the mass-dependent transition from aligned to anti-aligned dark matter halo spins is not necessarily present in stellar spins: we find a stellar spin transition in Illustris but not in MassiveBlack-II, highlighting the sensitivity of spin-filament alignments to feedback prescriptions and subgrid physics.

Longitudinal Current Induced by a Plane Electromagnetic Wave in a Single Atom

The change in the polarization state of the atomic response due to the appearence of the longitudinal component, which has been predicted in [A. Andreev, S. Stremoukhov, and O. Shoutova, Europhys. Lett. 120, 14003 (2017)], has been studied. The dependence of the vector properties of the atomic current induced in an atom with unit angular momentum in the ground state on the properties of a two-color laser field with orthogonally polarized components has been analyzed. It has been shown that the variation of the delay time between the frequency components of the laser field makes it possible to efficiently control the polarization of the components of the atomic response field. The effect of the mutual orientation of the electric component of the laser field and the angular momentum of the atom on the longitudinal component of the atomic current and on the polarization properties of the generated radiation has been demonstrated.

Elucidating the Nature of the Fine Structure Constant and Indicating the Existence of an Unknown Angular Momentum

In this paper, the author searches for a formula different from the existing formula in order to elucidate the nature of the fine structure constant a. The relativistic energy of the electron in a hydrogen atom is expressed as E_re,n and the momentum corresponding to that energy is taken to be P_re,n. Also, P_p,n is assumed to be the momentum of a photon emitted when an electron that has been stationary in free space transitions to the inside of a hydrogen atom. When n=1, the ratio of P_re,1 and P_p,1 matches with a. That is, P_p,1/Pre,1=a Also, the formula for the energy of a photon is E=hv. However, this formula has no constant of proportionality. If one wishes to claim that the energy of a photon varies in proportion to the photon's frequency, then a formula containing a constant of proportionality is necessary. Thus, this paper predicts that, in the natural world, there is a minimum unit of angular momentum h_vp smaller than the Planck constant. (The vp in h_vp stands for “virtual particle.”)If this physical constant is introduced, then the formula for the energy of the photon can be written as E=h_vp v/a. If h_vp exists, a formula can also be obtained which helps to elucidate the nature of the fine structure constant.

Single-atom edgelike states via quantum interference

We demonstrate how quantum interference may lead to the appearance of robust edge-like states of a single ultracold atom in a two-dimensional optical ribbon. We show that these states can be engineered either within the manifold of local ground states of the sites forming the ribbon, or of states carrying one unit of angular momentum. In the former case, we show that the implementation of edge-like states can be extended to other geometries, such as tilted square lattices. In the latter case, we suggest to use the winding number associated to the angular momentum as a synthetic dimension.

Creating fractional quantum Hall states with atomic clusters using light-assisted insertion of angular momentum

We describe a protocol to prepare clusters of ultracold bosonic atoms in strongly-interacting states reminiscent of fractional quantum Hall states. Our scheme consists in injecting a controlled amount of angular momentum to an atomic gas using Raman transitions carrying orbital angular momentum. By injecting one unit of angular momentum per atom, one realizes a single-vortex state, which is well described by mean field theory for large enough particle numbers. We also present schemes to realize fractional quantum Hall states, namely the bosonic Laughlin and Moore-Read states. We investigate the requirements for adiabatic nucleation of a such topological states, in particular comparing linear Landau-Zener ramps and arbitrary ramps obtained from optimized control methods. We also show that this protocol requires excellent control over the isotropic character of the trapping potential.

Critical velocity for a toroidal Bose–Einstein condensate flowing through a barrier

We consider the setup employed in a recent experiment (Ramanathan et al 2011 Phys. Rev. Lett. 106 130401) devoted to the study of the instability of the superfluid flow of a toroidal Bose–Einstein condensate in the presence of a repulsive optical barrier. Using the Gross–Pitaevskii mean-field equation, we observe, consistently with what we found in Piazza et al (2009 Phys. Rev.A 80021601), that the superflow with one unit of angular momentum becomes unstable at a critical strength of the barrier and decays through the mechanism of phase slippage performed by pairs of vortex–antivortex lines annihilating. While this picture qualitatively agrees with the experimental findings, the measured critical barrier height is not very well reproduced by the Gross–Pitaevskii equation, indicating that thermal fluctuations can play an important role (Mathey et al 2012 arXiv:1207.0501). As an alternative explanation of the discrepancy, we consider the effect of the finite resolution of the imaging system. At the critical point, the superfluid velocity in the vicinity of the obstacle is always of the order of the sound speed in that region, vbarr = cl. In particular, in the hydrodynamic regime (not reached in the above experiment), the critical point is determined by applying the Landau criterion inside the barrier region. On the other hand, the Feynman critical velocity vf is much lower than the observed critical velocity. We argue that this is a general feature of the Gross–Pitaevskii equation, where we have vf = ϵ cl with ϵ being a small parameter of the model. Given these observations, the question still remains open about the nature of the superfluid instability.

A new type of interference phenomenon in cold collisions of electrons with N2

A novel cold collision phenomenon is described which is caused by interference within the manifold of electron waves of unit angular momentum (p-waves). Experimental electron scattering data in N2, down to energies of 10 meV, reveal this phenomenon through the angular distribution of scattered electrons. Ab initio theory, analytical results and a simple physical model illustrate how interference arises through the presence of a quadrupole on the target N2. The effect is of a general nature and may be found in all systems in which, in the cold regime, charged particles interact with target species with a permanent quadrupole moment.

Rotation, the Equivalence Principle, and the Gravity Probe B Experiment

The ultraprecise Gravity Probe B experiment measured the frame-dragging effect and geodetic precession on four quartz gyros. We use this result to test WEP II (weak equivalence principle II) which includes rotation in the universal free-fall motion. The free-fall Eötvös parameter η for a rotating body is ≤10(-11) with a four-order improvement over previous results. The anomalous torque per unit angular momentum parameter λ is constrained to (-0.05±3.67)×10(-15) s(-1), (0.24±0.98)×10(-15) s(-1), and (0±3.6)×10(-13) s(-1), respectively, in the directions of geodetic effect, frame-dragging effect, and angular momentum axis; the dimensionless frequency-dependence parameter κ is constrained to (1.75±4.96)×10(-17), (1.80±1.34)×10(-17), and (0±3)×10(-14), respectively.

High-spin spectroscopy inXe125

Levels excited up to 39.8 MeV and 119/2 units of angular momentum have been populated in $^{125}\mathrm{Xe}$ by the ${}^{82}\text{Se}$($^{48}\mathrm{Ca}$,5$n$)$^{125}\mathrm{Xe}$ reaction. High-fold $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-ray coincidence events were measured using the Gammasphere Ge detector array. Nine regular rotational bands extending from levels identified previously up to almost 60 $\ensuremath{\hbar}$ have been identified, and three of these have been connected to low-lying levels having well-established spins and parities. Configurations have been assigned to six of the bands based on alignment properties, band crossings, and comparison with theoretical cranked shell model calculations (CSM). Transition quadrupole moments have been measured for these bands in the spin range 31$\ensuremath{-}$55 $\ensuremath{\hbar}$ and were found to be in agreement with the CSM calculations. The corresponding quadrupole deformation ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{2}$ ranges from 0.28 to 0.34 at a $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ deformation of 0${}^{\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}}$ and from 0.29 to 0.36 at a $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ value of 5${}^{\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}}$.

η MESON PRODUCTION IN PROTON-PROTON COLLISIONS AT 40 AND 72 MeV EXCESS ENERGY

Differential cross sections for η production in proton-proton collisions at 40 and 72 MeV above threshold show that higher partial waves are necessary to describe the reaction. A simple model assuming constant production amplitudes and including most partial waves up to two units of angular momentum reproduces the data rather well, and also describes the invariant mass distributions found at 15.5 MeV excess energy.

Photoionization with orbital angular momentum beams

Intense laser ionization expands Einstein's photoelectric effect rules giving a wealth of phenomena widely studied over the last decades. In all cases, so far, photons were assumed to carry one unit of angular momentum. However it is now clear that photons can possess extra angular momentum, the orbital angular momentum (OAM), related to their spatial profile. We show a complete description of photoionization by OAM photons, including new selection rules involving more than one unit of angular momentum. We explore theoretically the interaction of a single electron atom located at the center of an intense ultraviolet beam bearing OAM, envisaging new scenarios for quantum optics.

Atom-Dimer Scattering and Long-Lived Trimers in Fermionic Mixtures

We consider a heteronuclear fermionic mixture on the molecular side of an interspecies Feshbach resonance and discuss atom-dimer scattering properties in uniform space and in the presence of an external confining potential, restricting the system to a quasi-two-dimensional geometry. We find that there is a peculiar atom-dimer p-wave resonance which can be tuned by changing the frequency of the confinement. Our results have implications for the ongoing experiments on lithium-potassium mixtures, where this mechanism allows for switching the p-wave interaction between a K atom and Li-K dimer from attractive to repulsive, and forming a weakly bound trimer with unit angular momentum. We show that such trimers are long lived and the atom-dimer resonance does not enhance inelastic relaxation in the mixture, making it an outstanding candidate for studies of p-wave resonance effects in a many-body system.

Yrast structure ofZr97andβdecay of the27/2−high-spin isomer inY97

The yrast structure of the neutron-rich nucleus $^{97}\mathrm{Zr}$ has been studied using fission of targetlike products in the reaction of a $^{48}\mathrm{Ca}$ beam on a thick $^{238}\mathrm{U}$ target. The level scheme, known from previous studies up to an excitation energy and spin-parity of approximately 4619 keV and $23/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, has been extended by about 3 MeV and a few units of angular momentum. Two states fed in the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay of the $27/{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ high-spin isomer in $^{97}\mathrm{Y}$ were identified at 5570 and 5606 keV. The located level structure can be discussed in terms of shell-model configurations.