Related papers: Transition probabilities for a Rydberg atom in the…
We derive a quantum master equation for an atom coupled to a heat bath represented by a charged particle many-body environment. In Born-Markov approximation, the influence of the plasma environment on the reduced system is described by the…
Particles in a yet unexplored dark sector with sufficiently large mass and small gauge coupling may form purely gravitational atoms (quantum gravitational bound states) with a rich phenomenology. In particular, we investigate the…
Gravitational waves potentially represent our only direct probe of the universe when it was less than one second old. In particular, first-order phase transitions in the early universe can generate a stochastic background of gravitational…
In this letter, we calculate the probability for resonantly induced transitions in quantum states due to time dependent gravitational perturbations. Contrary to common wisdom, the probability of inducing transitions is not infinitesimally…
As a realistic model of a quantum system of matter, this paper investigates the gravitational-wave effects on a hydrogen-like atom. By formulating the tetrad formalism of linearized gravity, we naturally incorporate the gravitational-wave…
A new heuristic model of interaction of an atomic system with a gravitational wave is proposed. In it, the gravitational wave alters the local electromagnetic field of the atomic nucleus, as perceived by the electron, which changes the…
The experimental demonstration that neutrons can reside in gravitational quantum stationary states formed in the gravitational field of the Earth indicates a need to examine in more detail the general theoretical properties of gravitational…
This contribution is divided in two parts. The first part provides a text-book level introduction to gravitational radiation. The key concepts required for a discussion of gravitational-wave physics are introduced. In particular, the…
Recent work has shown that the stress tensor components, such as energy density or pressure, of a quantum field can be subject to large vacuum fluctuations. The energy density or pressure must be averaged in time before the fluctuations can…
Theories unifying gravity with other interactions suggest spatial and temporal variation of fundamental "constants" in the Universe. A change in the fine structure constant, alpha, could be detected via shifts in the frequencies of atomic…
We study the scattering of a graviton on a gravitational atom. By gravitational atom we mean a quantum mechanical system of a gravitational (bound) state of two massive particles, with possibly some boundary conditions (such as bouncing on…
A method for performing a precision measurement of the Rydberg constant, $R_{\infty}$, using cold circular Rydberg atoms is proposed. These states have long lifetimes, as well as negligible quantum-electrodynamics (QED) and no…
Analytical approximations are constructed for binding energies, quantum-mechanical sizes and oscillator strengths of main radiative transitions of hydrogen atoms arbitrarily moving in magnetic fields 10^{12}-10^{13} G. Examples of using the…
We investigate the long-time limit of quantum localization of the kicked Rydberg atom. The kicked Rydberg atom is shown to possess in addition to the quantum localization time $\tau_L$ a second cross-over time $t_D$ where quantum dynamics…
First order phase transitions in the early universe can give rise to a stochastic background of gravitational waves. A hypothetical first order electroweak phase transition is particularly interesting in this respect, since the signal is in…
For large baryochemical potential, strongly interacting matter might undergo a first order phase transition at temperatures T ~ 100-200 MeV. Within standard cosmology, however, the chemical potential is assumed to be very small leading to a…
We show theoretically that it is possible to coherently transfer vibrational excitation between trapped neutral atoms over a micrometer apart. To this end we consider three atoms, where two are in the electronic ground state and one is…
In this paper we discuss some general aspects of the gravitational wave background arising from post-inflationary short-lasting cosmological events such as phase transitions. We concentrate on the physics which determines the shape and the…
When treating the absorption of light, one focuses on the absorption coefficient, related to the probability of photons to survive while traversing a layer of material. From the point of view of particles doing the absorption, however, the…
Kinematically forbidden processes may be allowed in the presence of external gravitational fields. These ca be taken into account by introducing generalized particle momenta. The corresponding transition probabilities can then be calculated…