Sudden Transition between Classical and Quantum Decoherence

We study the dynamics of quantum and classical correlations in the presence of nondissipative decoherence. We discover a class of initial states for which the quantum correlations, quantified by the quantum discord, are not destroyed by decoherence for times t < <(t)over bar>. In this initial time interval classical correlations decay. For t > (t) over bar, on the other hand, classical correlations do not change in time and only quantum correlations are lost due to the interaction with the environment. Therefore, at the transition time (t) over bar the open system dynamics exhibits a sudden transition from classical to quantum decoherence regime.

Statistical-mechanical description of classical test-particle dynamics in the presence of an external force field: modelling noise and damping from first principles

Aiming to establish a rigorous link between macroscopic random motion (described e.g. by Langevin-type theories) and microscopic dynamics, we have undertaken a kinetic-theoretical study of the dynamics of a classical test-particle weakly coupled to a large heat-bath in thermal equilibrium. Both subsystems are subject to an external force field. From the (time-non-local) generalized master equation a Fokker-Planck-type equation follows as a "quasi-Markovian" approximation. The kinetic operator thus defined is shown to be ill-defined; in specific, it does not preserve the positivity of the test-particle distribution function f(x, v; t). Adopting an alternative approach, previously introduced for quantum open systems, is proposed to lead to a correct kinetic operator, which yields all the expected properties. A set of explicit expressions for the diffusion and drift coefficients are obtained, allowing for modelling macroscopic diffusion and dynamical friction phenomena, in terms of an external field and intrinsic physical parameters.

'Dark Interpretations': Romanticism's Ambiguous Legacy in India

This essay argues that Romanticism’s legacy in modern Indian literature has been constructed under the shadow of its colonial heritage. Although the Romantic period witnessed the enthusiastic “discovery” of classical Indian literature by British Orientalists, Romantic imperialism (which went hand-in-hand with Romantic orientalism) played a darker role in instituting a colonial educational system in India which denigrated Indian languages and literatures. Modern Indian literature represented by popular fictional writers from R.K. Narayan to Arundhati Roy registers this complex colonial inheritance by its qualified and often ironic celebration of British Romantic literature along with its associated ideologies of freedom, truth, and beauty.

From Frank Miller to Zack Snyder, and Return: Contemporary Superhero Comics and Post-Classical Hollywood

Film adaptations of superhero comic-books offer a particularly rich case study to analyse narrative strategies of contemporary Hollywood cinema. The serial structures adopted by the comics they are based on, as well as their use of the spectacular potential of the image, provide a successful model for current audiovisual productions. Without completely abandoning classical techniques, these adaptations try to find a new balance between narrative and digital phantasmagoria. This paper discusses some significant examples of this genre, including adaptations of classical DC and Marvel franchises and more recent series, as well as other comic-book influenced films such as The Matrix and Unbreakable.

Papers in Italian Archaeology IV, Vol 4 Classical and Medieval.:The Cambridge Conference

Malone , C. and S. Stoddart. (eds.). 1985. Cambridge: British Archaeological Reports, Oxford.

The Greek Debt Crisis and Southern Europe: Majoritarian Pitfalls?

Although widely debated in broader socioeconomic terms, the Eurozone crisis has not received adequate scholarly attention with regards to the impact of alternative political systems. This article revisits the debate on majoritarian and consensus democracies drawing on recent evidence from the Eurozone debacle. Greece is particularly interesting both with regards to its potential ‘global spillover effects’ and choice of political system. Despite facing comparable challenges as Portugal and Spain, the country has become polarized socially and politically, seeing a record number of MP defections, electoral volatility and the rise of the militant extreme right. The article explains why Greece, the country that relied most extensively on majoritarian institutions, entered the global financial crisis in the most vulnerable position while subsequently faced insurmountable political and institutional obstacles in its management. The article points to the paradox of majoritarianism: in times of economic stress, the first ‘casualties’ are its strongest elements – centrist parties (bi-partisanship) and cabinet stability.

Classical and quantum aspects of multimode parametric interactions

Parametric interactions in nonlinear crystals represent a powerful tool in the optical manipulation of information, both in the classical and the quantum regime. Here, we analyze in detail classical and quantum aspects of three-and five-mode parametric interactions in chi(2) nonlinear crystals. The equations of motion are explicitly derived and then solved within the parametric approximation. We describe several applications, including holography, all-optical gates, generation of entanglement, and telecloning. Experimental results on the photon distributions and correlations of the generated beams are also reported and discussed.

Quantum and classical properties of the fields generated by two interlinked second-order non-linear interactions

We consider two interlinked non-linear interactions occurring simultaneously in a single chi((2)) crystal. Classical and quantum working regimes are considered and their peculiar properties analysed. In particular, we describe an experiment, realized in the classical regime, that verifies the holographic nature of the process, and predict, for the quantum regime, the generation of a fully inseparable tripartite Gaussian state of light that can be used to support a general 1--> 2 continuous variable telecloning protocol.

Monte Carlo studies of quantum and classical annealing on a double well

We present results for a variety of Monte Carlo annealing approaches, both classical and quantum, benchmarked against one another for the textbook optimization exercise of a simple one-dimensional double well. In classical (thermal) annealing, the dependence upon the move chosen in a Metropolis scheme is studied and correlated with the spectrum of the associated Markov transition matrix. In quantum annealing, the path integral Monte Carlo approach is found to yield nontrivial sampling difficulties associated with the tunneling between the two wells. The choice of fictitious quantum kinetic energy is also addressed. We find that a "relativistic" kinetic energy form, leading to a higher probability of long real-space jumps, can be considerably more effective than the standard nonrelativistic one.

A Measurements Based Comparison of New and Classical Models Used to Characterize Fading in Body Area Networks

In this paper we compare a number of the classical models used to characterize fading in body area networks (BANs) with the recently proposed shadowed ț–ȝ fading model. In particular, we focus on BAN channels which are considered to be susceptible to shadowing by the human body. The measurements considered in this study were conducted at 2.45 GHz for hypothetical BAN channels operating in both anechoic and highly reverberant environments while the person was moving. Compared to the Rice, Nakagami and lognormal fading models, it was found that the recently proposed shadowed ț௅μ fading model provided an enhanced fit to the measured data.