1,759 research outputs found
Linear Response Theory and Optical Conductivity of Floquet Topological Insulators
Motivated by the quest for experimentally accessible dynamical probes of
Floquet topological insulators, we formulate the linear response theory of a
periodically driven system. We illustrate the applications of this formalism by
giving general expressions for optical conductivity of Floquet systems,
including its homodyne and heterodyne components and beyond. We obtain the
Floquet optical conductivity of specific driven models, including
two-dimensional Dirac material such as the surface of a topological insulator,
graphene, and the Haldane model irradiated with circularly or linearly
polarized laser, as well as semiconductor quantum well driven by an ac
potential. We obtain approximate analytical expressions and perform numerically
exact calculations of the Floquet optical conductivity in different scenarios
of the occupation of the Floquet bands, in particular, the diagonal Floquet
distribution and the distribution obtained after a quench. We comment on
experimental signatures and detection of Floquet topological phases using
optical probes.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure
Floquet Perturbation Theory: Formalism and Application to Low-Frequency Limit
We develop a low-frequency perturbation theory in the extended Floquet
Hilbert space of a periodically driven quantum systems, which puts the high-
and low-frequency approximations to the Floquet theory on the same footing. It
captures adiabatic perturbation theories recently discussed in the literature
as well as diabatic deviation due to Floquet resonances. For illustration, we
apply our Floquet perturbation theory to a driven two-level system as in the
Schwinger-Rabi and the Landau-Zener-St\"uckelberg-Majorana models. We reproduce
some known expressions for transition probabilities in a simple and systematic
way and clarify and extend their regime of applicability. We then apply the
theory to a periodically-driven system of fermions on the lattice and obtain
the spectral properties and the low-frequency dynamics of the system.Comment: v2: 28 single-column pages, 5 figures; various typos fixed; some
notation and connection to other perturbation schemes clarified; new, more
descriptive title and abstract. Published versio
Quantum noise detects Floquet topological phases
We study quantum noise in a nonequilibrium, periodically driven, open system
attached to static leads. Using a Floquet Green's function formalism we show,
both analytically and numerically, that local voltage noise spectra can detect
the rich structure of Floquet topological phases unambiguously. Remarkably,
both regular and anomalous Floquet topological bound states can be detected,
and distinguished, via peak structures of noise spectra at the edge around
zero-, half-, and full-drive-frequency. We also show that the topological
features of local noise are robust against moderate disorder. Thus, local noise
measurements are sensitive detectors of Floquet topological phases.Comment: 4.5 pages + supplemental material; v2: improved presentation and new
and updated reference
Molecular engineering improves antigen quality and enables integrated manufacturing of a trivalent subunit vaccine candidate for rotavirus
Background
Vaccines comprising recombinant subunit proteins are well-suited to low-cost and high-volume production for global use. The design of manufacturing processes to produce subunit vaccines depends, however, on the inherent biophysical traits presented by an individual antigen of interest. New candidate antigens typically require developing custom processes for each one and may require unique steps to ensure sufficient yields without product-related variants.
Results
We describe a holistic approach for the molecular design of recombinant protein antigens—considering both their manufacturability and antigenicity—informed by bioinformatic analyses such as RNA-seq, ribosome profiling, and sequence-based prediction tools. We demonstrate this approach by engineering the product sequences of a trivalent non-replicating rotavirus vaccine (NRRV) candidate to improve titers and mitigate product variants caused by N-terminal truncation, hypermannosylation, and aggregation. The three engineered NRRV antigens retained their original antigenicity and immunogenicity, while their improved manufacturability enabled concomitant production and purification of all three serotypes in a single, end-to-end perfusion-based process using the biotechnical yeast Komagataella phaffii.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates that molecular engineering of subunit antigens using advanced genomic methods can facilitate their manufacturing in continuous production. Such capabilities have potential to lower the cost and volumetric requirements in manufacturing vaccines based on recombinant protein subunits
The glutathione biosynthetic pathway of Plasmodium is essential for mosquito transmission
1Infection of red blood cells (RBC) subjects the malaria parasite to oxidative stress. Therefore, efficient antioxidant and redox systems are required to prevent damage by reactive oxygen species. Plasmodium spp. have thioredoxin and glutathione (GSH) systems that are thought to play a major role as antioxidants during blood stage infection. In this report, we analyzed a critical component of the GSH biosynthesis pathway using reverse genetics. Plasmodium berghei parasites lacking expression of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-GCS), the rate limiting enzyme in de novo synthesis of GSH, were generated through targeted gene disruption thus demonstrating, quite unexpectedly, that γ-GCS is not essential for blood stage development. Despite a significant reduction in GSH levels, blood stage forms of pbggcs− parasites showed only a defect in growth as compared to wild type. In contrast, a dramatic effect on development of the parasites in the mosquito was observed. Infection of mosquitoes with pbggcs− parasites resulted in reduced numbers of stunted oocysts that did not produce sporozoites. These results have important implications for the design of drugs aiming at interfering with the GSH redox-system in blood stages and demonstrate that de novo synthesis of GSH is pivotal for development of Plasmodium in the mosquito
Non-Gaussianity in Multi-field Stochastic Inflation with the Scaling Approximation
The statistics of multi-field inflation are investigated using the stochastic
approach. We analytically obtain the probability distribution function of
fields with the scaling approximation by extending the previous work by
Amendola. The non-Gaussian nature of the probability distribution function is
investigated decomposing the fields into the adiabatic and isocurvature
components. We find that the non-Gaussianity of the isocurvature component can
be large compared with that of the adiabatic component. The adiabatic and
isocurvature components may be correlated at nonlinear order in the skewness
and kurtosis even if uncorrelated at linear level.Comment: To appear in JCAP, references adde
A Snapshot of the Continuous Emission of the Active Galactic Nucleus in NGC 3783 from Gamma-Ray to Radio Wavelengths
To better understand the physical processes that produce the continuous emission in active galactic nuclei (AGN), a snapshot of the overall continuous energy distribution of NGC 3783, from gamma ray to radio wavelengths, has been obtained within the framework of the World Astronomy Days. The data collected in this campaign are from GRO, ROSAT, Voyager 2, IUE, HST, CTIO, SAAO, and the VLA. Great care has been taken in disentangling the genuine AGN continusous emission from other contributions; depending on the waveband, the latter might be (1) unrelated contaminating sources in cases where the instrument field of view is large (2) components within which the AGN is embedded, such as the stellar bulge population which accounts for a significant fraction of the optical continuum, and free-bound and FE2 blends wich contribute to the ultraviolet flux. After correction for these other contributins, the continuous emission of the isolated AGN appears to be rather flat (i.e., approximately equal energy per unit logarithmic frequency) from soft gamma ray to infrared wavelengths. At high energies (0.1 MeV to 0.1 keV), the AGN continuum can be fitted by a power law F nu approaches Nu(exp -a) with a spectral index of alpha approximately 1. At longer wavelengths, two excesses above this power law ('bumps') appear: in the ultraviolet, the classical big blue bump, which can be interpreted as thermal emission from the accretion disc surrounding a massive black hole, and in the infrared, a second bump which can be ascribed to thermal emission from dust in the vicinity of the AGN, heated by ultraviolet radiation from the central source. By fitting accretion-disk models to the observed AGN spectral energy distribution, we find values for the accretion disk innermost temperature, accretion rate, and black hole mass, with some differences that depend on whether or not we extrapolate the high energy power law up to infrared wavelengths. A fit to the IR bump above the extended alpha equals 1 power law suggests the presence of a dust component covering the region from a distance rho approximately equals 80 light days (hot grains at a temperature of approximately equals 1500 K) to rho approximately equals 60 light years (cool grains at T approximately equals 200 K). The total mass of dust is around 60 solar masses
Control of star formation by supersonic turbulence
Understanding the formation of stars in galaxies is central to much of modern
astrophysics. For several decades it has been thought that stellar birth is
primarily controlled by the interplay between gravity and magnetostatic
support, modulated by ambipolar diffusion. Recently, however, both
observational and numerical work has begun to suggest that support by
supersonic turbulence rather than magnetic fields controls star formation. In
this review we outline a new theory of star formation relying on the control by
turbulence. We demonstrate that although supersonic turbulence can provide
global support, it nevertheless produces density enhancements that allow local
collapse. Inefficient, isolated star formation is a hallmark of turbulent
support, while efficient, clustered star formation occurs in its absence. The
consequences of this theory are then explored for both local star formation and
galactic scale star formation. (ABSTRACT ABBREVIATED)Comment: Invited review for "Reviews of Modern Physics", 87 pages including 28
figures, in pres
A prospective cohort study to assess seroprevalence, incidence, knowledge, attitudes and practices, willingness to pay for vaccine and related risk factors in dengue in a high incidence setting
Abstract Background Dengue is one of the most important vector-borne diseases in the world, causing significant morbidity and economic impact. In Colombia, dengue is a major public health problem. Departments of La Guajira, Cesar and Magdalena are dengue endemic areas. The objective of this research is to determine the seroprevalence and the incidence of dengue virus infection in the participating municipalities from these Departments, and also establish the association between individual and housing factors and vector indices with seroprevalence and incidence. We will also assess knowledge, attitudes and practices, and willingness-to-pay for dengue vaccine. Methods A cohort study will be assembled with a clustered multistage sampling in 11 endemic municipalities. Approximately 1000 homes will be visited to enroll people older than one year who living in these areas, who will be followed for 1 year. Dengue virus infections will be evaluated using IgG indirect ELISA and IgM and IgG capture ELISA. Additionally, vector indices will be measured, and adult mosquitoes will be captured with aspirators. Ovitraps will be used for continuous estimation of vector density. Discussion This research will generate necessary knowledge to design and implement strategies with a multidimensional approach that reduce dengue morbidity and mortality in La Guajira and other departments from Colombian Caribbean
Highlights from the Pierre Auger Observatory
The Pierre Auger Observatory is the world's largest cosmic ray observatory.
Our current exposure reaches nearly 40,000 km str and provides us with an
unprecedented quality data set. The performance and stability of the detectors
and their enhancements are described. Data analyses have led to a number of
major breakthroughs. Among these we discuss the energy spectrum and the
searches for large-scale anisotropies. We present analyses of our X
data and show how it can be interpreted in terms of mass composition. We also
describe some new analyses that extract mass sensitive parameters from the 100%
duty cycle SD data. A coherent interpretation of all these recent results opens
new directions. The consequences regarding the cosmic ray composition and the
properties of UHECR sources are briefly discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figures, talk given at the 33rd International Cosmic Ray
Conference, Rio de Janeiro 201
- …