Solving Gapped Hamiltonians Locally

We show that any short-range Hamiltonian with a gap between the ground and excited states can be written as a sum of local operators, such that the ground state is an approximate eigenvector of each operator separately. We then show that the ground state of any such Hamiltonian is close to a generalized matrix product state. The range of the given operators needed to obtain a good approximation to the ground state is proportional to the square of the logarithm of the system size times a characteristic "factorization length". Applications to many-body quantum simulation are discussed. We also consider density matrices of systems at non-zero temperature.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figures; minor changes to references, additional discussion of numerics; additional explanation of nonzero temperature matrix product for

Vorklinische Testung neu entwickelter, elektronischer Netzhautimplantate am Tiermodell nicht-humaner Primat

In diesem Projekt wurde ein neu entwickeltes Netzhautimplantat zur Wiederherstellung des Sehens bei Patienten mit Netzhautdegenerationen getestet. Die Auswirkungen des chirurgischen Eingriffes und die Biokompatibilität der Implantate wurden bei 6 nicht-humanen Primaten untersucht. Die Fluoreszenzangiographien zeigten nur einen lokal sehr begrenzten Austritt von Fluoreszein im Bereich direkt um die Elektroden. Die Messungen des Augeninnendrucks, die Elektroretinogramm Ergebnisse und die Daten der visuell evozierten Potentiale zeigten keine wesentlichen Veränderungen. Histologisch kam es zur Bildung einer bindegewebsartigen Kapsel, zu Entzündungsreaktionen und einer Störung der Schichtung der Retina mit degenerierter innerer und äußerer Körnerschicht im Bereich einiger Penetrationsstellen. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass die Implantation auf die Sklera und Penetration der Elektroden gut vertragen wurde und eine neue Alternative als ein elektronisches Netzhautimplantat darstellt

Myeloperoxidase and eosinophil cationic protein in serum and sputum during antibiotic treatment in cystic fibrosis patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection

I order to study the time-course of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) as parameters for monitoring inflammation in cystic fibrosis (CF), we investigated ten patients during both a 14-day intravenous antibiotic treatment and a corresponding self control. Modified Shwachman-Kulczycki score improved significantly (p < 0.008), C-reactive protein (CRP) levels decreased significantly (p < 0.05) during antibiotic treatment, while in the control phase there were no significant differences. Lung function parameters did not change significantly during antibiotic treatment or control phase. Serum MPO concentration (p < 0.006) and peripheral blood neutrophil granulocyte counts (p < 0.04) decreased significantly during antibiotic treatment, but not during the control phase. Sentm ECP concentration showed a tendency to decrease during antibiotic treatment, but this failed to reach significance. In general, sputum concentrations of MPO and ECP Were 500- to 1000-fold higher than in serum. However, neither MPO nor ECP in sputum showed a significan variation over time during antibiotic treatment or control phase. From our data we conclude that: (1) measurements of MPO, neutrophils and CRP in peripheral blood do correlate with clinical parameters such as the modified Shwachman-Kulczycki score; (2) neutrophils and MPO seem to reflect inflammatory changes induced by antibiotic treatment; (3) eosinophils may play a role in CF by an enhanced ‘releasability’ and (4) Sputum measurements of mediators of inflammation cannot be recommended

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) enhances and soluble interleukin-4 receptor (sIL-4R) inhibits histamine release from peripheral blood basophils and mast cells in vitro and in vivo

The aim of the study was to analyse the effect of interleukin-4 (IL-4) on allergen and anti-IgE mediated histamine release from basophils and human skin mast cells and to assess whether soluble recombinant interleukin-4 receptor (sIL4R) can inhibit these effects. Anti-IgE stimulated histamine release from peripheral blood basophils and mast cells of atopic donors was enhanced after preincubation with IL-4, whereas after preincubation with sIL-4R it was inhibited. These effects were even more pronounced when samples were stimulated with a clinically relevant allergen. In IL-4 preincubated skin mast cells, there was a similar enhancement of anti-IgE stimulated histamine release, which could again be inhibited by sIL-4R. The effects of IL-4 and sIL4R were dose- and time-dependent. Mice sensitized to ovalbumin and treated with soluble recombinant murine sIL-4R showed significantly reduced immediate-type cutaneous hypersensitivity responses compared with untreated mice. These in vivo effects were IgE independent, since there were no significant differences in total and allergen specific IgE/IgG1 antibody titres between treated and untreated mice. This indicates that IL4 exerts priming effects on histamine release by effector cells of the allergic response and that these effects are potently antagonized by soluble IL-4R both in vitro and in vivo

Matrix Product Ground States for Asymmetric Exclusion Processes with Parallel Dynamics

We show in the example of a one-dimensional asymmetric exclusion process that stationary states of models with parallel dynamics may be written in a matrix product form. The corresponding algebra is quadratic and involves three different matrices. Using this formalism we prove previous conjectures for the equal-time correlation functions of the model.Comment: LaTeX, 8 pages, one postscript figur

Frustrated quantum spins at finite temperature Pseudo Majorana functional renormalization group approach

The pseudofermion functional renormalization group PFFRG method has proven to be a powerful numerical approach to treat frustrated quantum spin systems. In its usual implementation, however, the complex fermionic representation of spin operators introduces unphysical Hilbert space sectors which render an application at finite temperatures inaccurate. In this work we formulate a general functional renormalization group approach based on Majorana fermions to overcome these difficulties. We, particularly, implement spin operators via an SO 3 symmetric Majorana representation which does not introduce any unphysical states and, hence, remains applicable to quantum spin models at finite temperatures. We apply this scheme, dubbed pseudo Majorana functional renormalization group PMFRG method, to frustrated Heisenberg models on small spin clusters as well as square and triangular lattices. Computing the finite temperature behavior of spin correlations and thermodynamic quantities such as free energy and heat capacity, we find good agreement with exact diagonalization and the high temperature series expansion down to moderate temperatures. We observe a significantly enhanced accuracy of the PMFRG compared to the PFFRG at finite temperatures. More generally, we conclude that the development of functional renormalization group approaches with Majorana fermions considerably extends the scope of applicability of such method

Mixed Heisenberg Chains. I. The Ground State Problem

We consider a mechanism for competing interactions in alternating Heisenberg spin chains due to the formation of local spin-singlet pairs. The competition of spin-1 and spin-0 states reveals hidden Ising symmetry of such alternating chains.Comment: 7 pages, RevTeX, 4 embedded eps figures, final versio

Stochastic Models on a Ring and Quadratic Algebras. The Three Species Diffusion Problem

The stationary state of a stochastic process on a ring can be expressed using traces of monomials of an associative algebra defined by quadratic relations. If one considers only exclusion processes one can restrict the type of algebras and obtain recurrence relations for the traces. This is possible only if the rates satisfy certain compatibility conditions. These conditions are derived and the recurrence relations solved giving representations of the algebras.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX, Sec. 3 extended, submitted to J.Phys.

Effects of Single-site Anisotropy on Mixed Diamond Chains with Spins 1 and 1/2

Effects of single-site anisotropy on mixed diamond chains with spins 1 and 1/2 are investigated in the ground states and at finite temperatures. There are phases where the ground state is a spin cluster solid, i.e., an array of uncorrelated spin-1 clusters separated by singlet dimers. The ground state is nonmagnetic for the easy-plane anisotropy, while it is paramagnetic for the easy-axis anisotropy. Also, there are the N\'eel, Haldane, and large-$D$ phases, where the ground state is a single spin cluster of infinite size and the system is equivalent to the spin-1 Heisenberg chain with alternating anisotropy. The longitudinal and transverse susceptibilities and entropy are calculated at finite temperatures in the spin-cluster-solid phases. Their low-temperature behaviors are sensitive to anisotropy.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure