486 research outputs found
Quasi-one-dimensional anisotropic Heisenberg model in a transverse magnetic field
The phase diagram of weakly coupled chains in a transverse magnetic
field is studied using the mean-field approximation for the interchain coupling
and known exact results for an effective one-dimensional model. Results are
applied to the quasi-one-dimensional antiferromagnet and the
value of interchain interaction in this compound is estimated.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Exact solution of Markovian master equations for quadratic fermi systems: thermal baths, open XY spin chains, and non-equilibrium phase transition
We generalize the method of third quantization to a unified exact treatment
of Redfield and Lindblad master equations for open quadratic systems of n
fermions in terms of diagonalization of 4n x 4n matrix. Non-equilibrium thermal
driving in terms of the Redfield equation is analyzed in detail. We explain how
to compute all physically relevant quantities, such as non-equilibrium
expectation values of local observables, various entropies or information
measures, or time evolution and properties of relaxation. We also discuss how
to exactly treat explicitly time dependent problems. The general formalism is
then applied to study a thermally driven open XY spin 1/2 chain. We find that
recently proposed non-equilibrium quantum phase transition in the open XY chain
survives the thermal driving within the Redfield model. In particular, the
phase of long-range magnetic correlations can be characterized by
hypersensitivity of the non-equilibrium-steady state to external (bath or bulk)
parameters. Studying the heat transport we find negative thermal conductance
for sufficiently strong thermal driving, as well as non-monotonic dependence of
the heat current on the strength of the bath coupling.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figures, submitted to New Journal of Physics, Focus
issue "Quantum Information and Many-Body Theory
Study of Loschmidt Echo for a qubit coupled to an XY-spin chain environment
We study the temporal evolution of a central spin-1/2 (qubit) coupled to the
environment which is chosen to be a spin-1/2 transverse XY spin chain. We
explore the entire phase diagram of the spin-Hamiltonian and investigate the
behavior of Loschmidt echo(LE) close to critical and multicritical point(MCP).
To achieve this, the qubit is coupled to the spin chain through the anisotropy
term as well as one of the interaction terms. Our study reveals that the echo
has a faster decay with the system size (in the short time limit) close to a
MCP and also the scaling obeyed by the quasiperiod of the collapse and revival
of the LE is different in comparison to that close to a QCP. We also show that
even when approached along the gapless critical line, the scaling of the LE is
determined by the MCP where the energy gap shows a faster decay with the system
size. This claim is verified by studying the short-time and also the collapse
and revival behavior of the LE at a quasicritical point on the ferromagnetic
side of the MCP. We also connect our observation to the decoherence of the
central spin.Comment: Accepted for publication in EPJ
Critical properties of Sudden Quench Dynamics in the anisotropic XY Model
We study the zero temperature quantum dynamical critical behavior of the
anisotropic XY chain under a sudden quench in a transverse field. We
demonstrate theoretically that both quench magnetic susceptibility and
two-particle quench correlation can be used to describe the dynamical quantum
phase transition (QPT) properties. Either the quench magnetic susceptibility or
the derivative of correlation functions as a function of initial magnetic field
exhibits a divergence at the critical points when final magnetic field
is fixed. A special case that final magnetic field is just at the critical
point is discussed separately. Some of the critical exponents of the dynamical
QPT are obtained and the long-range correlation of the quench system is
analyzed. We also compare our result with that of the static QPT.Comment: published on EPJ
Nonmonotonical crossover of the effective susceptibility exponent
We have numerically determined the behavior of the magnetic susceptibility
upon approach of the critical point in two-dimensional spin systems with an
interaction range that was varied over nearly two orders of magnitude. The full
crossover from classical to Ising-like critical behavior, spanning several
decades in the reduced temperature, could be observed. Our results convincingly
show that the effective susceptibility exponent gamma_eff changes
nonmonotonically from its classical to its Ising value when approaching the
critical point in the ordered phase. In the disordered phase the behavior is
monotonic. Furthermore the hypothesis that the crossover function is universal
is supported.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX 3.0/3.1, 5 Encapsulated PostScript figures. Uses
epsf.sty. Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters. Also available
as PostScript and PDF file at http://www.tn.tudelft.nl/tn/erikpubs.htm
Dynamics of Entanglement in One-Dimensional Spin Systems
We study the dynamics of quantum correlations in a class of exactly solvable
Ising-type models. We analyze in particular the time evolution of initial Bell
states created in a fully polarized background and on the ground state. We find
that the pairwise entanglement propagates with a velocity proportional to the
reduced interaction for all the four Bell states. Singlet-like states are
favored during the propagation, in the sense that triplet-like states change
their character during the propagation under certain circumstances.
Characteristic for the anisotropic models is the instantaneous creation of
pairwise entanglement from a fully polarized state; furthermore, the
propagation of pairwise entanglement is suppressed in favor of a creation of
different types of entanglement. The ``entanglement wave'' evolving from a Bell
state on the ground state turns out to be very localized in space-time. Further
support to a recently formulated conjecture on entanglement sharing is given.Comment: 25 pages, 21 figures; revte
Long-Time Tails and Anomalous Slowing Down in the Relaxation of Spatially Inhomogeneous Excitations in Quantum Spin Chains
Exact analytic calculations in spin-1/2 XY chains, show the presence of
long-time tails in the asymptotic dynamics of spatially inhomogeneous
excitations. The decay of inhomogeneities, for , is given in the
form of a power law where the relaxation time
and the exponent depend on the wave vector ,
characterizing the spatial modulation of the initial excitation. We consider
several variants of the XY model (dimerized, with staggered magnetic field,
with bond alternation, and with isotropic and uniform interactions), that are
grouped into two families, whether the energy spectrum has a gap or not. Once
the initial condition is given, the non-equilibrium problem for the
magnetization is solved in closed form, without any other assumption. The
long-time behavior for can be obtained systematically in a form
of an asymptotic series through the stationary phase method. We found that
gapped models show critical behavior with respect to , in the sense that
there exist critical values , where the relaxation time
diverges and the exponent changes discontinuously. At those points, a
slowing down of the relaxation process is induced, similarly to phenomena
occurring near phase transitions. Long-lived excitations are identified as
incommensurate spin density waves that emerge in systems undergoing the Peierls
transition. In contrast, gapless models do not present the above anomalies as a
function of the wave vector .Comment: 25 pages, 2 postscript figures. Manuscript submitted to Physical
Review
Entanglement in a simple quantum phase transition
What entanglement is present in naturally occurring physical systems at
thermal equilibrium? Most such systems are intractable and it is desirable to
study simple but realistic systems which can be solved. An example of such a
system is the 1D infinite-lattice anisotropic XY model. This model is exactly
solvable using the Jordan-Wigner transform, and it is possible to calculate the
two-site reduced density matrix for all pairs of sites. Using the two-site
density matrix, the entanglement of formation between any two sites is
calculated for all parameter values and temperatures. We also study the
entanglement in the transverse Ising model, a special case of the XY model,
which exhibits a quantum phase transition. It is found that the next-nearest
neighbour entanglement (though not the nearest-neighbour entanglement) is a
maximum at the critical point. Furthermore, we show that the critical point in
the transverse Ising model corresponds to a transition in the behaviour of the
entanglement between a single site and the remainder of the lattice.Comment: 14 pages, 7 eps figure
Deletion of parasite immune modulatory sequences combined with immune activating signals enhances vaccine mediated protection against filarial nematodes
<p>Background: Filarial nematodes are tissue-dwelling parasites that can be killed by Th2-driven immune effectors, but that have evolved to withstand immune attack and establish chronic infections by suppressing host immunity. As a consequence, the efficacy of a vaccine against filariasis may depend on its capacity to counter parasite-driven immunomodulation.</p>
<p>Methodology and Principal Findings: We immunised mice with DNA plasmids expressing functionally-inactivated forms of two immunomodulatory molecules expressed by the filarial parasite Litomosoides sigmodontis: the abundant larval transcript-1 (LsALT) and cysteine protease inhibitor-2 (LsCPI). The mutant proteins enhanced antibody and cytokine responses to live parasite challenge, and led to more leukocyte recruitment to the site of infection than their native forms. The immune response was further enhanced when the antigens were targeted to dendritic cells using a single chain Fv-αDEC205 antibody and co-administered with plasmids that enhance T helper 2 immunity (IL-4) and antigen-presenting cell recruitment (Flt3L, MIP-1α). Mice immunised simultaneously against the mutated forms of LsALT and LsCPI eliminated adult parasites faster and consistently reduced peripheral microfilaraemia. A multifactorial analysis of the immune response revealed that protection was strongly correlated with the production of parasite-specific IgG1 and with the numbers of leukocytes present at the site of infection.</p>
<p>Conclusions: We have developed a successful strategy for DNA vaccination against a nematode infection that specifically targets parasite-driven immunosuppression while simultaneously enhancing Th2 immune responses and parasite antigen presentation by dendritic cells.</p>
Therapeutic Efficacy of Potent Neutralizing HIV-1-Specific Monoclonal Antibodies in SHIV-Infected Rhesus Monkeys
HIV-1-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with extraordinary potency and breadth have recently been described. In humanized mice, combinations of mAbs have been shown to suppress viremia, but the therapeutic potential of these mAbs has not yet been evaluated in primates with an intact immune system. Here we show that administration of a cocktail of HIV-1-specific mAbs, as well as the single glycan-dependent mAb PGT121, resulted in a rapid and precipitous decline of plasma viremia to undetectable levels in rhesus monkeys chronically infected with the pathogenic virus SHIV-SF162P3. A single mAb infusion afforded up to a 3.1 log decline of plasma viral RNA in 7 days and also reduced proviral DNA in peripheral blood, gastrointestinal mucosa, and lymph nodes without the development of viral resistance. Moreover, following mAb administration, host Gag-specific T lymphocyte responses exhibited improved functionality. Virus rebounded in the majority of animals after a median of 56 days when serum mAb titers had declined to undetectable levels, although a subset of animals maintained long-term virologic control in the absence of further mAb infusions. These data demonstrate a profound therapeutic effect of potent neutralizing HIV-1-specific mAbs in SHIV-infected rhesus monkeys as well as an impact on host immune responses. Our findings strongly encourage the investigation of mAb therapy for HIV-1 in humans
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