Local phase space control and interplay of classical and quantum effects in dissociation of a driven Morse oscillator

This work explores the possibility of controlling the dissociation of a monochromatically driven one-dimensional Morse oscillator by recreating barriers, in the form of invariant tori with irrational winding ratios, at specific locations in the phase space. The control algorithm proposed by Huang {\it et al.} (Phys. Rev. A {\bf 74}, 053408 (2006)) is used to obtain an analytic expression for the control field. We show that the control term, approximated as an additional weaker field, is efficient in recreating the desired tori and suppresses the classical as well as the quantum dissociation. However, in the case when the field frequency is tuned close to a two-photon resonance the local barriers are not effective in suppressing the dissociation. We establish that in the on-resonant case quantum dissociation primarily occurs via resonance-assisted tunneling and controlling the quantum dynamics requires a local perturbation of the specific nonlinear resonance in the underlying phase space.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures (reduced quality), submitted to Phys. Rev.

Curvilinearity provides additional information to lung clearance index only in a minority of children with early cystic fibrosis lung disease

Curvilinearity, as calculated from multiple-breath washout, is abnormal in a small number of children with cystic fibrosis when other tests are still normal https://bit.ly/3p9QAV4

Optical RKKY Interaction between Charged Semiconductor Quantum Dots

We show how a spin interaction between electrons localized in neighboring quantum dots can be induced and controlled optically. The coupling is generated via virtual excitation of delocalized excitons and provides an efficient coherent control of the spins. This quantum manipulation can be realized in the adiabatic limit and is robust against decoherence by spontaneous emission. Applications to the realization of quantum gates, scalable quantum computers, and to the control of magnetization in an array of charged dots are proposed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Cryo-EM structure in situ reveals a molecular switch that safeguards virus against genome loss

The portal protein is a key component of many double-stranded DNA viruses, governing capsid assembly and genome packaging. Twelve subunits of the portal protein define a tunnel, through which DNA is translocated into the capsid. It is unknown how the portal protein functions as a gatekeeper, preventing DNA slippage, whilst allowing its passage into the capsid, and how these processes are controlled. A cryo-EM structure of the portal protein of thermostable virus P23-45, determined in situ in its procapsid-bound state, indicates a mechanism that naturally safeguards the virus against genome loss. This occurs via an inversion of the conformation of the loops that define the constriction in the central tunnel, accompanied by a hydrophilic-hydrophobic switch. The structure also shows how translocation of DNA into the capsid could be modulated by a changing mode of protein-protein interactions between portal and capsid, across a symmetry-mismatched interface

Many-body theory for systems with particle conversion: Extending the multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree method

We derive a multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree theory for systems with particle conversion. In such systems particles of one kind can convert to another kind and the total number of particles varies in time. The theory thus extends the scope of the available and successful multiconfigurational time-dependent Hartree methods -- which were solely formulated for and applied to systems with a fixed number of particles -- to new physical systems and problems. As a guiding example we treat explicitly a system where bosonic atoms can combine to form bosonic molecules and vise versa. In the theory for particle conversion, the time-dependent many-particle wavefunction is written as a sum of configurations made of a different number of particles, and assembled from sets of atomic and molecular orbitals. Both the expansion coefficients and the orbitals forming the configurations are time-dependent quantities that are fully determined according to the Dirac-Frenkel time-dependent variational principle. Particular attention is paid to the reduced density matrices of the many-particle wavefunction that appear in the theory and enter the equations of motion. There are two kinds of reduced density matrices: particle-conserving reduced density matrices which directly only couple configurations with the same number of atoms and molecules, and particle non-conserving reduced density matrices which couple configurations with a different number of atoms and molecules. Closed-form and compact equations of motion are derived for contact as well as general two-body interactions, and their properties are analyzed and discussed.Comment: 46 page

Diversity and Host Interactions Among Virulent and Temperate Baltic Sea Flavobacterium Phages

Viruses in aquatic environments play a key role in microbial population dynamics and nutrient cycling. In particular, bacteria of the phylum Bacteriodetes are known to participate in recycling algal blooms. Studies of phage-host interactions involving this phylum are hence important to understand the processes shaping bacterial and viral communities in the ocean as well as nutrient cycling. In this study, we isolated and sequenced three strains of flavobacteria-LMO6, LMO9, LMO8-and 38 virulent phages infecting them. These phages represent 15 species, occupying three novel genera. Additionally, one temperate phage was induced from LMO6 and was found to be competent at infecting LMO9. Functions could be predicted for a limited number of phage genes, mainly representing roles in DNA replication and virus particle formation. No metabolic genes were detected. While the phages isolated on LMO8 could infect all three bacterial strains, the LMO6 and LMO9 phages could not infect LMO8. Of the phages isolated on LMO9, several showed a host-derived reduced efficiency of plating on LMO6, potentially due to differences in DNA methyltransferase genes. Overall, these phage-host systems contribute novel genetic information to our sequence databases and present valuable tools for the study of both virulent and temperate phages

Unification of the conditional probability and semiclassical interpretations for the problem of time in quantum theory

We show that the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation (TDSE) is the phenomenological dynamical law of evolution unraveled in the classical limit from a timeless formulation in terms of probability amplitudes conditioned by the values of suitably chosen internal clock variables, thereby unifying the conditional probability interpretation (CPI) and the semiclassical approach for the problem of time in quantum theory. Our formalism stems from an exact factorization of the Hamiltonian eigenfunction of the clock plus system composite, where the clock and system factors play the role of marginal and conditional probability amplitudes, respectively. Application of the Variation Principle leads to a pair of exact coupled pseudoeigenvalue equations for these amplitudes, whose solution requires an iterative self-consistent procedure. The equation for the conditional amplitude constitutes an effective "equation of motion" for the quantum state of the system with respect to the clock variables. These coupled equations also provide a convenient framework for treating the back-reaction of the system on the clock at various levels of approximation. At the lowest level, when the WKB approximation for the marginal amplitude is appropriate, in the classical limit of the clock variables the TDSE for the system emerges as a matter of course from the conditional equation. In this connection, we provide a discussion of the characteristics required by physical systems to serve as good clocks. This development is seen to be advantageous over the original CPI and semiclassical approach since it maintains the essence of the conventional formalism of quantum mechanics, admits a transparent interpretation, avoids the use of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, and resolves various objections raised about them.Comment: 10 pages. Typographical errors correcte

Dynamical Localization: Hydrogen Atoms in Magnetic and Microwave fields

We show that dynamical localization for excited hydrogen atoms in magnetic and microwave fields takes place at quite low microwave frequency much lower than the Kepler frequency. The estimates of localization length are given for different parameter regimes, showing that the quantum delocalization border drops significantly as compared to the case of zero magnetic field. This opens up broad possibilities for laboratory investigations.Comment: revtex, 11 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. A, Feb (1997

Kicked Bose-Hubbard systems and kicked tops -- destruction and stimulation of tunneling

In a two-mode approximation, Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC) in a double-well potential can be described by a many particle Hamiltonian of Bose-Hubbard type. We focus on such a BEC whose interatomic interaction strength is modulated periodically by $\delta$-kicks which represents a realization of a kicked top. In the (classical) mean-field approximation it provides a rich mixed phase space dynamics with regular and chaotic regions. By increasing the kick-strength a bifurcation leads to the appearance of self-trapping states localized on regular islands. This self-trapping is also found for the many particle system, however in general suppressed by coherent many particle tunneling oscillations. The tunneling time can be calculated from the quasi-energy splitting of the corresponding Floquet states. By varying the kick-strength these quasi-energy levels undergo both avoided and even actual crossings. Therefore stimulation or complete destruction of tunneling can be observed for this many particle system

“Nitrogen offset in N2 multiple washout method”. Katie J. Bayfield, Eric Alton, Samantha Irving, Andrew Bush, Jane C. Davies. ERJ Open Res 2019; 6: 00043-2020

This article was originally published with the sentence “Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the correspondence by J.G. Nielsen from Innovision about our recent paper”. The authors have since been made aware that J.G. Nielsen sold Innovision ApS (Glamsbjerg, Denmark) prior to the submission of his correspondence and, at the time of writing, has no financial interests in any business relating to lung clearance index technologies. This sentence has now been changed to “Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the correspondence by J.G. Nielsen about our recent paper” in the article itself