Stochastic Thermodynamics of a Finite Quantum System Coupled to Two Heat Baths.

We consider a situation where an N-level system (NLS) is coupled successively to two heat baths with different temperatures without being necessarily thermalized and approaches a steady state. For this situation we apply a general Jarzynski-type equation and conclude that heat and entropy is flowing from the hot bath to the cold one. The Clausius relation between increase of entropy and transfer of heat divided by a suitable temperature assumes the form of two inequalities. Our approach is illustrated by an analytical example. For the linear regime, i.e., for small temperature differences between the two heat baths, we derive an expression for the heat conduction coefficient.

Conditional Action and Imperfect Erasure of Qubits.

We consider state changes in quantum theory due to "conditional action" and relate these to the discussion of entropy decrease due to interventions of "intelligent beings" and the principles of Szilard and Landauer/Bennett. The mathematical theory of conditional actions is a special case of the theory of "instruments", which describes changes of state due to general measurements and will therefore be briefly outlined in the present paper. As a detailed example, we consider the imperfect erasure of a qubit that can also be viewed as a conditional action and will be realized by the coupling of a spin to another small spin system in its ground state.

Periodic thermodynamics of the Rabi model with circular polarization for arbitrary spin quantum numbers.

We consider a spin s subjected to both a static and an orthogonally applied oscillating, circularly polarized magnetic field while being coupled to a heat bath and analytically determine the quasistationary distribution of its Floquet-state occupation probabilities for arbitrarily strong driving. This distribution is shown to be Boltzmannian with a quasitemperature which is different from the temperature of the bath and independent of the spin quantum number. We discover a remarkable formal analogy between the quasithermal magnetism of the nonequilibrium steady state of a driven ideal paramagnetic material and the usual thermal paramagnetism. Nonetheless, the response of such a material to the combined fields is predicted to show several unexpected features, even allowing one to turn a paramagnet into a diamagnet under strong driving. Thus, we argue that experimental measurements of this response may provide key paradigms for the emerging field of periodic thermodynamics.

Interpolation between low and high temperatures of the specific heat for spin systems.

The high temperature expansion (HTE) of the specific heat of a spin system fails at low temperatures, even if it is combined with a Padé approximation. On the other hand, we often have information about the low-temperature asymptotics (LTA) of the system. Interpolation methods combine both kind of information, HTE and LTA, in order to obtain an approximation of the specific heat that holds for the whole temperature range. Here we revisit the entropy method that has been previously published and propose two variants that better cope with problems of the entropy method for gapped systems. We compare all three methods applied to the antiferromagnetic Haldane spin-one chain and especially apply the second variant, called log Z method, to the cuboctahedron for different spin quantum numbers. In particular, we demonstrate that the interpolation method is able to detect an extra low-temperature maximum in the specific heat that may appear if a separation of two energy scales is present in the considered system. Finally, we illustrate how interpolation also works for classical spin systems.

Explaining the success of Kogelnik's coupled-wave theory by means of perturbation analysis: discussion.

The problem of diffraction of an electromagnetic wave by a thick hologram grating can be solved by the famous Kogelnik's coupled-wave theory (CWT) to a very high degree of accuracy. We confirm this finding by comparing the CWT and the exact result for a typical example and propose an explanation in terms of perturbation theory. To this end we formulate the problem of diffraction as a matrix problem following similar well-known approaches, especially rigorous coupled-wave theory (RCWT). We allow for a complex permittivity modulation and a possible phase shift between refractive index and absorption grating and explicitly incorporate appropriate boundary conditions. The problem is solved numerically exact for the specific case of a planar unslanted grating and a set of realistic values of the material's parameters and experimental conditions. Analogously, the same problem is solved for a two-dimensional truncation of the underlying matrix that would correspond to a CWT approximation but without the usual further approximations. We verify a close coincidence of both results even in the off-Bragg region and explain this result by means of a perturbation analysis of the underlying matrix problem. Moreover, the CWT is found not only to coincide with the perturbational approximation in the in-Bragg and the extreme off-Bragg cases, but also to interpolate between these extremal regimes.

Modulated spin waves and robust quasi-solitons in classical Heisenberg rings.

We investigate the dynamical behavior of finite rings of classical spin vectors interacting via nearest-neighbor isotropic exchange in an external magnetic field. Our approach is to utilize the solutions of a continuum version of the discrete spin equations of motion (EOM) which we derive by assuming continuous modulations of spin wave solutions of the EOM for discrete spins. This continuum EOM reduces to the Landau-Lifshitz equation in a particular limiting regime. The usefulness of the continuum EOM is demonstrated by the fact that the time-evolved numerical solutions of the discrete spin EOM closely track the corresponding time-evolved solutions of the continuum equation. It is of special interest that our continuum EOM possesses soliton solutions, and we find that these characteristics are also exhibited by the corresponding solutions of the discrete EOM. The robustness of solitons is demonstrated by considering cases where initial states are truncated versions of soliton states and by numerical simulations of the discrete EOM equations when the spins are coupled to a heat bath at finite temperatures.

Metamagnetic phase transition of the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg icosahedron.

The observation of hysteresis effects in single molecule magnets like Mn12-acetate has initiated ideas of future applications in storage technology. The appearance of a hysteresis loop in such compounds is an outcome of their magnetic anisotropy. In this Letter we report that magnetic hysteresis occurs in a spin system without any anisotropy, specifically where spins mounted on the vertices of an icosahedron are coupled by antiferromagnetic isotropic nearest-neighbor Heisenberg interaction giving rise to geometric frustration. At T = 0 this system undergoes a first-order metamagnetic phase transition at a critical field Bc between two distinct families of ground state configurations. The metastable phase of the system is characterized by a temperature and field dependent survival probability distribution.

Concentrations of clindamycin in the mandibular bone of companion animals.

Concentrations of clindamycin in the mandible were determined in 17 dogs and 13 cats with severe plaque, gingivitis/periodontitis, and calculus that were treated orally with clindamycin (11 mg/kg) once daily for 5 days prior to professional teeth cleaning and extractions. The animals were patients at the Dental Department of the Clinic for Surgery and Ophthalmology of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria. Clindamycin levels were determined during postextractional alveoloplasty. Approximately 1 to 3 mm3 of mandible was removed from the intraradicular septum in multirooted teeth and from the protruding labial/buccal alveolar rim with a small rongeur. The mean concentration of clindamycin was 8.18 microg/g in dogs (range=3.16 to 24.08 microg/g) and 17.43 microg/g in cats (range=2.45 to 51.60 microg/g). The concentration of clindamycin in the mandibles of dogs and cats may be useful to combat infections after periodontal procedures, tooth extractions, or injuries to the mandible.