Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) has been observed in a dilute gas of sodium atoms. A Bose-Einstein condensate consists of a macroscopic population of the ground state of the system, and is a coherent state of matter. In an ideal gas, this phase transition is purely quantum-statistical. The study of BEC in weakly interacting systems which can be controlled and observed with precision holds the promise of revealing new macroscopic quantum phenomena that can be understood from first principles.

Bose-Einstein condensation in a gas of sodium atoms

A general model is presented whereby lignand-induced changes in protein dynamics could produce allosteric communication between distinct binding sites, even in the absence of a macromolecular conformational change. Theoretical analysis, based on the statistical thermodynamics of ligand binding, shows that cooperative interaction free energies amounting to several kJ · mol-1 may be generated by this means. The effect arises out of the possible changes in frequencies and amplitudes of macromolecular thermal fluctuations in response to ligand attachment, and can involve all forms of dynamic behaviour, ranging from highly correlated, low-frequency normal mode vibrations to random local anharmonic motions of individual atoms or groups. Dynamic allostery of this form is primarily an entropy effect, and we derive approximate expressions which might allow the magnitude of the interaction in real systems to be calculated directly from experimental observations such as changes in normal mode frequencies and mean-square atomic displacements. Long-range influence of kinetic processes at different sites might also be mediated by a similar mechanism. We suggest that proteins and other biological macromolecules may have evolved to take functional advantage not only of mean conformational states but also of the inevitable thermal fluctuations about the mean.

Allostery without conformational change. A plausible model.

http://streaming.ictp.it/preprints/P/68/068.pdf

Finite-component field representations of the conformal group

Quantum systems that have never interacted can become nonlocally correlated through a process called entanglement swapping. To characterize nonlocality in this context, we introduce local models where quantum systems that are initially uncorrelated are described by uncorrelated local variables. This additional assumption leads to stronger tests of nonlocality. We show, in particular, that an entangled pair generated through entanglement swapping will already violate a Bell-type inequality for visibilities as low as 50% under our assumption.

/pdf/characterizing-the-nonlocal-correlations-created-via-11ueleh8sh.pdf

Characterizing the nonlocal correlations created via entanglement swapping.

In the theory of general relativity time flows at different rates depending on the space–time geometry. Here, a drop in the visibility of a quantum 'clock' interference in a gravitational potential is predicted, which cannot be explained without the general relativistic notion of time.

/pdf/quantum-interferometric-visibility-as-a-witness-of-general-1678p1demc.pdf

Quantum interferometric visibility as a witness of general relativistic proper time

We examine the two major approaches that have been suggested for the quantum mechanical treatment of the damped motion of a particle as a one‐body problem. These are the linear, but time dependent, Kanai Hamiltonian, and the more recent nonlinear potentials which have been introduced to simulate the damping force. The most important criticism that has been leveled at the Kanai Hamiltonian is that its solutions seem to violate the uncertainty relations. We show that this Hamiltonian actually represents a particle of variable mass, whose classical behavior is identical to that of a damped particle of constant mass. But quantum mechanically, its changing mass does lead to unphysical behavior when misinterpreted as a constant mass particle. So this Hamiltonian cannot directly describe a constant mass damped quantum particle. The nonlinear model has been interpreted in terms of the hydrodynamical analogy of quantum theory, and a well behaved decaying wavepacket solution has been produced. However we generalize this result to produce solutions that ’’decay’’ to arbitrarily high energy. Thus it is not clear that this model specifically treats dissipation. Rather it seems to seek out any stationary state. At any rate, its physical interpretation is obscure at present. However we show, by analyzing the physical problem of damping at low energies, that one can modify the Kanai Hamiltonian to eliminate its unphysical features, so that this modified Kanai Hamiltonian can in fact be interpreted as representing a constant mass damped particle with physically reasonable solutions.

A critique of the major approaches to damping in quantum theory

The role of equivalence in Quantum Mechanics

Motivated by a recent claim by Muller et al (2010 Nature 463 926–9) that an atom interferometer can serve as an atom clock to measure the gravitational redshift with an unprecedented accuracy, we provide a representation-free description of the Kasevich–Chu interferometer based on operator algebra. We use this framework to show that the operator product determining the number of atoms at the exit ports of the interferometer is a c-number phase factor whose phase is the sum of only two phases: one is due to the acceleration of the phases of the laser pulses and the other one is due to the acceleration of the atom. This formulation brings out most clearly that this interferometer is an accelerometer or a gravimeter. Moreover, we point out that in different representations of quantum mechanics such as the position or the momentum representation the phase shift appears as though it originates from different physical phenomena. Due to this representation dependence conclusions concerning an enhanced accuracy derived in a specific representation are unfounded.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1367-2630/15/1/013007/pdf

A representation-free description of the Kasevich?Chu interferometer: a resolution of the redshift controversy

We show that the superselection rule in the Galilean transformation, forbidding the superposition of states of different mass, in inconsistent with the nonrelativistic limit of the Lorentz transformation. We also point out that the extra Galilean phase is merely the residue of the "twin-paradox" effect, which does not vanish nonrelativistically. In general, there are phase effects due to proper time differences, and effects due to mass-energy equivalence, that do not vanish nonrelativistically but that are not handled adequately by the Galilean transformation.

Inadequacy of the usual Galilean transformation in quantum mechanics.

The equivalence principle (through the mechanism of the gravitational red shift) allows one to set up a classical formalism with the proper time as an extra degree of freedom, independent of the coordinate time, and with an immediate physical interpretation. Then proper time and mass occur as conjugate variables in a canonical formalism, leading to a gravitational theory of particles with variable mass. The nonrelativistic theory and a relativistic vector theory of gravity are described as models. The theory is capable of providing a dynamical framework for cosmological models with the creation of matter. Some simple examples are discussed, including the steady‐state universe with continuous creation, where the correct relation between the density of matter and the Hubble constant appears automatically, with no free parameters.

Daniel M. Greenberger

Papers

A critique of the major approaches to damping in quantum theory

The role of equivalence in Quantum Mechanics

A representation-free description of the Kasevich?Chu interferometer: a resolution of the redshift controversy

Inadequacy of the usual Galilean transformation in quantum mechanics.

Theory of Particles with Variable Mass. I. Formalism