A New Concept of Information Based on Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle and Its Experimental Verification

This study is the first use of Heisenberg's energy-time uncertainty principle to define information quantitatively from a measuring perspective: the smallest error in any measurement is a bit of information, i.e., 1 (bit)=(2∆E ∆t)⁄ℏ. If the input energy equals the Landauer bound, the time needed to write a bit of information is 1.75x10-14 s. Newton's cradle was used to experimentally verify the information-energy-mass equivalences deduced from the aforementioned concept. It was observed that the energy input during the creation of a bit of (binary) information is stored in the information carrier in the form of the doubled momentum or the doubled “momentum mass” (mass in motion) in both classical position-based and modern orientation-based information storage. Furthermore, the experiments verified our new definition of information in the sense that the higher the energy input is, the shorter the time needed to write a bit of information is. Our study may help understand the fundamental concept of information and the deep physics behind it.

Symmetric and Asymmetric Multiple Impulsive Constraints Without Friction and Their Characterization

We present two meaningful and effective non-ideal constitutive characterizations for a multiple impulsive constraints $${\mathcal {S}}$$ S comprising a finite number of non-ideal frictionless constraints of codimension 1, described in the geometric setup given by the space–time bundle $${\mathcal {M}}$$ M of a mechanical system in contact/impact with $${\mathcal {S}}$$ S . Thanks to the geometric structures associated to the elements of $${\mathcal {S}}$$ S , we introduce a symmetric characterization, that does not distinguish the elements forming $${\mathcal {S}}$$ S as regards mechanical behavior, and an asymmetric one that makes this distinction. Both the characterizations provide a generalization of the characterization of ideal multiple constraints presented in Pasquero (Q Appl Math 76(3):547–576, 2018). The iterative nature of these characterizations allows the introduction of two algorithms determining the right velocity of the system in case of single or multiple contact/impact with symmetric or asymmetric constraints $${\mathcal {S}}$$ S , once the elements forming $${\mathcal {S}}$$ S and the left velocity of the system are known. We show the effectiveness of the two possible choices with explicit implementations of these algorithms in two significant examples: a simplified Newton’s cradle system for the symmetric characterization and a disk in multiple contact/impact with two walls of a corner for the asymmetric one.

Direct observation of knock-on reaction with umbrella inversion arising from zero-impact-parameter collision at a surface

In Surface-Aligned-Reactions (SAR), the degrees of freedom of chemical reactions are restricted and therefore the reaction outcome is selected. Using the inherent corrugation of a Cu(110) substrate the adsorbate molecules can be positioned and aligned and the impact parameter, the collision miss-distance, can be chosen. Here, substitution reaction for a zero impact parameter collision gives an outcome which resembles the classic Newton’s cradle in which an incident mass ‘knocks-on’ the same mass in the collision partner, here F + CF3 → (CF3)′ + (F)′ at a copper surface. The mechanism of knock-on was shown by Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy to involve reversal of the CF3 umbrella as in Walden inversion, with ejection of (F)′ product along the continuation of the F-reagent direction of motion, in collinear reaction.

Reversible 1D chain-reaction gives rise to an atomic-scale Newton’s cradle

An F-atom with ~ 1 eV translational energy was aimed at a line of fluorocarbon adsorbates on Cu(110). Sequential ‘knock-on’ of F-atom products was observed by STM to propagate along...