440 research outputs found
Generation of mesoscopic superpositions of a binary Bose-Einstein condensate in a slightly asymmetric double well
A previous publication [Europhysics Letters 78, 10009 (2007)] suggested to
coherently generate mesoscopic superpositions of a two-component Bose-Einstein
condensate in a double well under perfectly symmetric conditions. However,
already tiny asymmetries can destroy the entanglement properties of the ground
state. Nevertheless, even under more realistic conditions, the scheme is
demonstrated numerically to generate mesoscopic superpositions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, preprint-versio
Quantum Bose Josephson Junction with binary mixtures of BECs
We study the quantum behaviour of a binary mixture of Bose-Einstein
condensates (BEC) in a double-well potential starting from a two-mode
Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian. We focus on the small tunneling amplitude regime and
apply perturbation theory up to second order. Analytical expressions for the
energy eigenvalues and eigenstates are obtained. Then the quantum evolution of
the number difference of bosons between the two potential wells is fully
investigated for two different initial conditions: completely localized states
and coherent spin states. In the first case both the short and the long time
dynamics is studied and a rich behaviour is found, ranging from small amplitude
oscillations and collapses and revivals to coherent tunneling. In the second
case the short-time scale evolution of number difference is determined and a
more irregular dynamics is evidenced. Finally, the formation of Schroedinger
cat states is considered and shown to affect the momentum distribution.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Control of unstable macroscopic oscillations in the dynamics of three coupled Bose condensates
We study the dynamical stability of the macroscopic quantum oscillations
characterizing a system of three coupled Bose-Einstein condensates arranged
into an open-chain geometry. The boson interaction, the hopping amplitude and
the central-well relative depth are regarded as adjustable parameters. After
deriving the stability diagrams of the system, we identify three mechanisms to
realize the transition from an unstable to stable behavior and analyze specific
configurations that, by suitably tuning the model parameters, give rise to
macroscopic effects which are expected to be accessible to experimental
observation. Also, we pinpoint a system regime that realizes a
Josephson-junction-like effect. In this regime the system configuration do not
depend on the model interaction parameters, and the population oscillation
amplitude is related to the condensate-phase difference. This fact makes
possible estimating the latter quantity, since the measure of the oscillating
amplitudes is experimentally accessible.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figure
Recreational marathon running does not cause exercise-induced left ventricular hypertrabeculation.
BACKGROUND: Marathon running in novices represents a natural experiment of short-term cardiovascular remodeling in response to running training. We examine whether this stimulus can produce exercise-induced left ventricular (LV) trabeculation. METHODS: Sixty-eight novice marathon runners aged 29.5 ± 3.2 years had indices of LV trabeculation measured by echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging 6 months before and 2 weeks after the 2016 London Marathon race, in a prospective longitudinal study. RESULTS: After 17 weeks unsupervised marathon training, indices of LV trabeculation were essentially unchanged. Despite satisfactory inter-observer agreement in most methods of trabeculation measurement, criteria defining abnormally hypertrabeculated cases were discordant with each other. LV hypertrabeculation was a frequent finding in young, healthy individuals with no subject demonstrating clear evidence of a cardiomyopathy. CONCLUSION: Training for a first marathon does not induce LV trabeculation. It remains unclear whether prolonged, high-dose exercise can create de novo trabeculation or expose concealed trabeculation. Applying cut off values from published LV noncompaction cardiomyopathy criteria to young, healthy individuals risks over-diagnosis
Towards Therapeutic Applications of Arthropod Venom K+-Channel Blockers in CNS Neurologic Diseases Involving Memory Acquisition and Storage
Potassium channels are the most heterogeneous and widely distributed group of ion channels and play important functions in all cells, in both normal and pathological mechanisms, including learning and memory processes. Being fundamental for many diverse physiological processes, K+-channels are recognized as potential therapeutic targets in the treatment of several Central Nervous System (CNS) diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, schizophrenia, HIV-1-associated dementia, and epilepsy. Blockers of these channels are therefore potential candidates for the symptomatic treatment of these neuropathies, through their neurological effects. Venomous animals have evolved a wide set of toxins for prey capture and defense. These compounds, mainly peptides, act on various pharmacological targets, making them an innumerable source of ligands for answering experimental paradigms, as well as for therapeutic application. This paper provides an overview of CNS K+-channels involved in memory acquisition and storage and aims at evaluating the use of highly selective K+-channel blockers derived from arthropod venoms as potential therapeutic agents for CNS diseases involving learning and memory mechanisms
Self-trapping of a binary Bose-Einstein condensate induced by interspecies interaction
The problem of self-trapping of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) and a binary
BEC in an optical lattice (OL) and double well (DW) is studied using the
mean-field Gross-Pitaevskii equation. For both DW and OL, permanent
self-trapping occurs in a window of the repulsive nonlinearity of the GP
equation: . In case of OL, the critical nonlinearities
and correspond to a window of chemical potentials
defining the band gap(s) of the periodic OL. The
permanent self-trapped BEC in an OL usually represents a breathing oscillation
of a stable stationary gap soliton. The permanent self-trapped BEC in a DW, on
the other hand, is a dynamically stabilized state without any stationary
counterpart. For a binary BEC with intraspecies nonlinearities outside this
window of nonlinearity, a permanent self trapping can be induced by tuning the
interspecies interaction such that the effective nonlinearities of the
components fall in the above window
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