THE BISTABLE POTENTIAL: AN ARCHETYPE FOR CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM SYSTEMS

In this work we analyze the transient dynamics of three different classical and quantum systems. First, we consider a classical Brownian particle moving in an asymmetric bistable potential, subject to a multiplicative and additive noise source. We investigate the role of these two noise sources on the life time of the metastable state. A nonmonotonic behavior of the lifetime as a function of both additive and multiplicative noise intensities is found, revealing the phenomenon of noise enhanced stability. Afterward, by using a Lotka–Volterra model, the dynamics of two competing species in the presence of Lévy noise sources is analyzed. Quasiperiodic oscillations and stochastic resonance phenomenon in the dynamics of the competing species are found. Finally the dynamics of a quantum particle subject to an asymmetric bistable potential and interacting with a thermal reservoir is investigated. We use the Caldeira–Leggett model and the approach of the Feynman–Vernon functional in discrete variable representation. We obtain the time evolution of the population distributions in energy eigenstates of the particle, for different values of the coupling strength with the thermal bath

Effect of Low-frequency Noise on Adiabatic Passage in a Superconducting Nanocircuit

Recent experiments have demonstrated coherent phenomena in three-level systems based on superconducting nanocircuits. This opens the possibility to detect Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage (STIRAP) in artificial atoms. Low-fequency noise (often 1/f) is one of the main sources of decoherence in these systems, and we study its effect on the transfer e±ciency. We propose a way to analyze low frequency fluctuations in terms of fictitious correlated fluctuations of external parameters. We discuss a specific implementation, namely the Quantronium setup of a Cooper-pair box, showing that optimizing the trade-off between efficient coupling and protection against noise may allow us to observe coherent population transfer in this nanodevice

High-order harmonic emission from a three-level atom in a laser field

The spectrum emitted by a three-level atom in the presence of a weak laser field is given together with the population dynamics and the phase of the Fourier transform of the acceleration. Calculations show that the spectrum can be very different from that emitted by a two-level atom. When the trapping conditions are obtained, the coupling to the third level can result in a large change in the spectrum

Dynamics of a quantum particle interacting with a thermal bath and subject to an oscillating asymmetric bistable potential

Exploiting the approach of the Feynman-Vernon influence functional [1] within the framework of the discrete variable representation (DVR) [2], we consider a quantum particle described by the Caldeira-Leggett model [3]. The particle, “moving” in an asymmetric bistable potential and subject to a periodical driving, interacts with a thermal bath of harmonic oscillators. In this conditions we study the dynamics of the particle by analyzing the time evolution of the populations in the DVR. Specifically we focalize on the position eigenstate located in the shallower well, i.e. metastable state, finding a non-monotonic behaviour of the corresponding population as a function of the frequency. Moreover, for different values of the coupling strength with the thermal bath, we obtain the equilibrium energy of the particle as a function both of the amplitude and frequency of the driving force

NAFLD and Atherosclerosis Are Prevented by a Natural Dietary Supplement Containing Curcumin, Silymarin, Guggul, Chlorogenic Acid and Inulin in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) confers an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. NAFDL is associated with atherogenic dyslipidemia, inflammation and renin-angiotensin system (RAS) imbalance, which in turn lead to atherosclerotic lesions. In the present study, the impact of a natural dietary supplement (NDS) containing Curcuma longa, silymarin, guggul, chlorogenic acid and inulin on NAFLD and atherosclerosis was evaluated, and the mechanism of action was examined. C57BL/6 mice were fed an HFD for 16 weeks; half of the mice were simultaneously treated with a daily oral administration (os) of the NDS. NAFLD and atherogenic lesions in aorta and carotid artery (histological analysis), hepatic expression of genes involved in the NAFLD (PCR array), hepatic angiotensinogen (AGT) and AT1R mRNA expression (real-time PCR) and plasma angiotensin (ANG)-II levels (ELISA) were evaluated. In the NDS group, steatosis, aortic lesions or carotid artery thickening was not observed. PCR array showed upregulation of some genes involved in lipid metabolism and anti-inflammatory activity (Cpt2, Ifng) and downregulation of some genes involved in pro-inflammatory response and in free fatty acid up-take (Fabp5, Socs3). Hepatic AGT, AT1R mRNA and ANG II plasma levels were significantly lower with respect to the untreated-group. Furthermore, NDS inhibited the dyslipidemia observed in the untreated animals. Altogether, these results suggest that NDS prevents NAFLD and atherogenesis by modulating the expression of different genes involved in NAFLD and avoiding RAS imbalance