Distillation of maximally correlated bosonic matter from many-body quantum coherence

We construct quantum coherence resource theories in symmetrized Fock space (QCRTF), thereby providing an information-theoretic framework that connects analyses of quantum coherence in discrete-variable (DV) and continuous variable (CV) bosonic systems. Unlike traditional quantum coherence resource theories, QCRTF can be made independent of the single-particle basis and allow to quantify coherence within and between particle number sectors. For example, QCRTF can be formulated in such a way that neither Bose-Einstein condensates nor Heisenberg-Weyl coherent states are considered as quantum many-body coherence resources, whereas spin-squeezed and quadrature squeezed states are. The QCRTF framework is utilized to calculate the optimal asymptotic distillation rate of maximally correlated bosonic states both for particle number conserving resource states and resource states of indefinite particle number. In particular, we show how to generate a uniform superposition of maximally correlated bosonic states from a state of maximal bosonic coherence with asymptotically unit efficiency using only free operations in the QCRTF.

Hygroscopic behavior of individual NaNO₃ particles

Previous controversial studies on the hygroscopic behavior of NaNO3 aerosols and our frequent observation of crystalline NaNO3-containing ambient aerosol particles prompted this extensive hygroscopic study on NaNO3 aerosol particles. In this work, the hygroscopic behavior of individual NaNO3 particles of 2.5–4.0 μm in diameter is investigated on a single-particle basis using an optical microscopy technique. Quite different hygroscopic behaviors between particles generated by the nebulization of NaNO3 solution and powdery particles were observed; i.e., most of generated particles continuously grew and shrank during humidifying and dehydration processes, respectively, and yet all the individual powdery particles had reproducible deliquescence and efflorescence relative humidities (DRHs and ERHs). The different behaviors of the two NaNO3 systems are due to the different nucleation mechanisms. Our hygroscopic studies of NaNO3 particles generated from aqueous NaNO3 solutions indicate that they nucleate via homogeneous nucleation, but the time scale for the nucleation to occur is too long to be atmospherically relevant. And thus no efflorescence of the particles has been observed in the laboratory measurements. However, when chemical species acting as heterogeneous nuclei are present, then efflorescence occurs which can explain the observation of ambient crystalline NaNO3 particles. It is imperative to work with heterogeneous nucleation systems which are more relevant to the real world.