137 research outputs found
Ground state and optical conductivity of interacting polarons in a quantum dot
The ground-state energy, the addition energies and the optical absorption
spectra are derived for interacting polarons in parabolic quantum dots in three
and two dimensions. A path integral formalism for identical particles is used
in order to take into account the fermion statistics. The approach is applied
to both closed-shell and open-shell systems of interacting polarons. Using a
generalization of the Jensen-Feynman variational principle, the ground-state
energy of a confined N-polaron system is analyzed as a function of N and of the
electron-phonon coupling constant. As distinct from the few-electron systems
without the electron-phonon interaction, three types of spin polarization are
possible for the ground state of the few-polaron systems: (i) a spin-polarized
state, (ii) a state where the spin is determined by Hund's rule, (iii) a state
with the minimal possible spin. A transition from a state fulfilling Hund's
rule, to a spin-polarized state occurs when decreasing the electron density. In
the strong-coupling limit, the system of interacting polarons turns into a
state with the minimal possible spin. These transitions should be
experimentally observable in the optical absorption spectra of quantum dots.Comment: 33 pages, 9 figures, E-mail addresses: [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
accepted for Phys. Rev.
Spin-orbit coupling and crystal-field splitting in the electronic and optical properties of nitride quantum dots with a wurtzite crystal structure
We present an tight-binding model for the calculation of the
electronic and optical properties of wurtzite semiconductor quantum dots (QDs).
The tight-binding model takes into account strain, piezoelectricity, spin-orbit
coupling and crystal-field splitting. Excitonic absorption spectra are
calculated using the configuration interaction scheme. We study the electronic
and optical properties of InN/GaN QDs and their dependence on structural
properties, crystal-field splitting, and spin-orbit coupling.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
Mean parameter model for the Pekar-Fr\"{o}hlich polaron in a multilayered heterostructure
The polaron energy and the effective mass are calculated for an electron
confined in a finite quantum well constructed of
layers. To simplify the study we suggest a model in which parameters of a
medium are averaged over the ground-state wave function. The rectangular and
the Rosen-Morse potential are used as examples.
To describe the confined electron properties explicitly to the second order
of perturbations in powers of the electron-phonon coupling constant we use the
exact energy-dependent Green function for the Rosen-Morse confining potential.
In the case of the rectangular potential, the sum over all intermediate virtual
states is calculated. The comparison is made with the often used leading term
approximation when only the ground-state is taken into account as a virtual
state. It is shown that the results are quite different, so the incorporation
of all virtual states and especially those of the continuous spectrum is
essential.
Our model reproduces the correct three-dimensional asymptotics at both small
and large widths. We obtained a rather monotonous behavior of the polaron
energy as a function of the confining potential width and found a peak of the
effective mass. The comparison is made with theoretical results by other
authors. We found that our model gives practically the same (or very close)
results as the explicit calculations for potential widths .Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX, including 5 PS-figures, subm. to Phys. Rev. B, new
data are discusse
Optical Absorption Spectra of Bipolarons
The absorption of large bipolarons is investigated using the path-integral
method. The response of a bipolaron to an external electromagnetic field is
derived in the framework of the memory-function approach. The bipolaron optical
absorption spectrum consists of a series of relatively narrow peaks. The
peculiarities of the bipolaron optical absorption as a function of the
frequency of the electromagnetic field may be attributed to the transitions
involving relaxed excited states and scattering states of a bipolaron.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, E-mail addresses: [email protected],
[email protected]; to be published in Phys. Rev.
Bipolaron Binding in Quantum Wires
A theory of bipolaron states in quantum wires with a parabolic potential well
is developed applying the Feynman variational principle. The basic parameters
of the bipolaron ground state (the binding energy, the number of phonons in the
bipolaron cloud, the effective mass, and the bipolaron radius) are studied as a
function of sizes of the potential well. Two cases are considered in detail: a
cylindrical quantum wire and a planar quantum wire. Analytical expressions for
the bipolaron parameters are obtained at large and small sizes of the quantum
well. It is shown that at [where means the radius (halfwidth) of a
cylindrical (planar) quantum wire, expressed in Feynman units], the influence
of confinement on the bipolaron binding energy is described by the function
for both cases, while at small sizes this influence is different
in each case. In quantum wires, the bipolaron binding energy increases
logarithmically with decreasing radius. The shapes and the sizes of a
nanostructure, which are favorable for observation of stable bipolaron states,
are determined.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figures, E-mail addresses: [email protected];
[email protected]
Wave-packet dynamics in slowly perturbed crystals: Gradient corrections and Berry-phase effects
We present a unified theory for wave-packet dynamics of electrons in crystals
subject to perturbations varying slowly in space and time. We derive the
wave-packet energy up to the first order gradient correction and obtain all
kinds of Berry-phase terms for the semiclassical dynamics and the quantization
rule. For electromagnetic perturbations, we recover the orbital magnetization
energy and the anomalous velocity purely within a single-band picture without
invoking inter-band couplings. For deformations in crystals, besides a
deformation potential, we obtain a Berry-phase term in the Lagrangian due to
lattice tracking, which gives rise to new terms in the expressions for the
wave-packet velocity and the semiclassical force. For multiple-valued
displacement fields surrounding dislocations, this term manifests as a Berry
phase, which we show to be proportional to the Burgers vector around each
dislocation.Comment: 12 pages, RevTe
Contemporary snapshot of tumor regression grade (TRG) distribution in locally advanced rectal cancer: a cross sectional multicentric experience.
Pre-operative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgical resection is still the standard treatment for locally advanced low rectal cancer. Nowadays new strategies are emerging to treat patients with a complete response to pre-operative treatment, rendering the optimal management still controversial and under debate. The primary aim of this study was to obtain a snapshot of tumor regression grade (TRG) distribution after standard CRT. Second, we aimed to identify a correlation between clinical tumor stage (cT) and TRG, and to define the accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the restaging setting. Between January 2017 and June 2019, a cross sectional multicentric study was performed in 22 referral centers of colon-rectal surgery including all patients with cT3-4Nx/cTxN1-2 rectal cancer who underwent pre-operative CRT. Shapiro-Wilk test was used for continuous data. Categorical variables were compared with Chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test, where appropriate. Accuracy of restaging MRI in the identification of pathologic complete response (pCR) was determined evaluating the correspondence with the histopathological examination of surgical specimens.In the present study, 689 patients were enrolled. Complete tumor regression rate was 16.9%. The "watch and wait" strategy was applied in 4.3% of TRG4 patients. A clinical correlation between more advanced tumors and moderate to absent tumor regression was found (p = 0.03). Post-neoadjuvant MRI had low sensibility (55%) and high specificity (83%) with accuracy of 82.8% in identifying TRG4 and pCR.Our data provided a contemporary description of the effects of pre-operative CRT on a large pool of locally advanced low rectal cancer patients treated in different colon-rectal surgical centers
Detection of epithelial apoptosis in pelvic ileal pouches for ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) is the surgical procedure of choice for patients with refractory ulcerative colitis (UC) and for familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) with many rectal polyps. Pouchitis is one of the more frequent complications after IPAA in UC patients; however, it is rare in FAP.</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>Evaluate pro-apoptotic activity in endoscopically and histological normal mucosa of the ileal pouch in patients with UC and FAP.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Eighteen patients (nine with UC and nine with FAP) with J pouch after total rectocolectomy were studied. Biopsies were obtained from the mucosa of the pouch and from normal ileum. The specimens were snap-frozen and the expressions of Bax and Bcl-2 were determined by immunoblot of protein extracts and by immunohistochemistry analysis. FADD, Caspase-8, APAF-1 and Caspase-9 were evaluated by immunoprecipitation and immunoblot.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients with UC had significantly higher protein levels of Bax and APAF-1, Caspase-9 than patients with FAP, but were similar to controls. The expressions of Bcl-2 and FADD, Caspase-8 were similar in the groups. Immunohistochemistry for Bax showed less intensity of immunoreactions in FAP than in UC and Controls. Bcl-2 immunostaining was similar among the groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Patients with FAP present lower levels of pro-apoptotic proteins in all methods applied, even in the absence of clinical and endoscopic pouchitis and dysplasia in the histological analysis. These findings may explain a tendency of up-regulation of apoptosis in UC patients, resulting in higher rates of progression to pouchitis in these patients, which could correlate with mucosal atrophy that occurs in inflamed tissue. However, FAP patients had low pro-apoptotic activity in the mucosa, and it could explain the tendency to low cell turn over and presence of adenomas in this syndrome.</p
Familial adenomatous polyposis
Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is characterized by the development of many tens to thousands of adenomas in the rectum and colon during the second decade of life. FAP has an incidence at birth of about 1/8,300, it manifests equally in both sexes, and accounts for less than 1% of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases. In the European Union, prevalence has been estimated at 1/11,300-37,600. Most patients are asymptomatic for years until the adenomas are large and numerous, and cause rectal bleeding or even anemia, or cancer develops. Generally, cancers start to develop a decade after the appearance of the polyps. Nonspecific symptoms may include constipation or diarrhea, abdominal pain, palpable abdominal masses and weight loss. FAP may present with some extraintestinal manifestations such as osteomas, dental abnormalities (unerupted teeth, congenital absence of one or more teeth, supernumerary teeth, dentigerous cysts and odontomas), congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (CHRPE), desmoid tumors, and extracolonic cancers (thyroid, liver, bile ducts and central nervous system). A less aggressive variant of FAP, attenuated FAP (AFAP), is characterized by fewer colorectal adenomatous polyps (usually 10 to 100), later age of adenoma appearance and a lower cancer risk. Some lesions (skull and mandible osteomas, dental abnormalities, and fibromas on the scalp, shoulders, arms and back) are indicative of the Gardner variant of FAP. Classic FAP is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and results from a germline mutation in the adenomatous polyposis (APC) gene. Most patients (~70%) have a family history of colorectal polyps and cancer. In a subset of individuals, a MUTYH mutation causes a recessively inherited polyposis condition, MUTYH-associated polyposis (MAP), which is characterized by a slightly increased risk of developing CRC and polyps/adenomas in both the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. Diagnosis is based on a suggestive family history, clinical findings, and large bowel endoscopy or full colonoscopy. Whenever possible, the clinical diagnosis should be confirmed by genetic testing. When the APC mutation in the family has been identified, genetic testing of all first-degree relatives should be performed. Presymptomatic and prenatal (amniocentesis and chorionic villous sampling), and even preimplantation genetic testing is possible. Referral to a geneticist or genetic counselor is mandatory. Differential diagnoses include other disorders causing multiple polyps (such as Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, familial juvenile polyps or hyperplastic polyposis, hereditary mixed polyposis syndromes, and Lynch syndrome). Cancer prevention and maintaining a good quality of life are the main goals of management and regular and systematic follow-up and supportive care should be offered to all patients. By the late teens or early twenties, colorectal cancer prophylactic surgery is advocated. The recommended alternatives are total proctocolectomy and ileoanal pouch or ileorectal anastomosis for AFAP. Duodenal cancer and desmoids are the two main causes of mortality after total colectomy, they need to be identified early and treated. Upper endoscopy is necessary for surveillance to reduce the risk of ampullary and duodenal cancer. Patients with progressive tumors and unresectable disease may respond or stabilize with a combination of cytotoxic chemotherapy and surgery (when possible to perform). Adjunctive therapy with celecoxib has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency in patients with FAP. Individuals with FAP carry a 100% risk of CRC; however, this risk is reduced significantly when patients enter a screening-treatment program
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