Non-equilibrium diagrammatic approach to strongly interacting photons

We develop a non-equilibrium field-theoretical approach based on a systematic diagrammatic expansion for strongly interacting photons in optically dense atomic media. We consider the case where the characteristic photon-propagation range $L_P$ is much larger than the interatomic spacing $a$ and where the density of atomic excitations is low enough to neglect saturation effects. In the highly polarizable medium the photons experience nonlinearities through the interactions they inherit from the atoms. If the atom-atom interaction range $L_E$ is also large compared to $a$, we show that the subclass of diagrams describing scattering processes with momentum transfer between photons is suppressed by a factor $a/L_E$. We are then able to perform a self-consistent resummation of a specific (Hartree-like) diagram subclass and obtain quantitative results in the highly non-perturbative regime of large single-atom cooperativity. Here we find important, conceptually new collective phenomena emerging due to the dissipative nature of the interactions, which even give rise to novel phase transitions. The robustness of these is investigated by inclusion of the leading corrections in $a/L_E$. We consider specific applications to photons propagating under EIT conditions along waveguides near atomic arrays as well as within Rydberg ensembles.Comment: 72 pages, 36 figure

Die Fragmentierung der Extrazellulären Matrix als lokaler Trigger für den postoperativen Ileus

Iatrogenic extracellular matrix disruption as a local trigger for postoperative ileusBackground: Active matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) disruption of the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays an important role in inflammatory disorders. In this study, we inves- tigated the inflammatory role of MMP-9 and the ECM breakdown product hyaluronan as a trigger for the postoperative intestinal inflammatory response of postoperative ileus. Methods: We performed a standardized intestinal surgical manipulation on rats to produce ileus assessed by the oral non-digestible fluorescein isothiocyanate e dextran transit assay. We studied isolated intestinal muscularis extracts for mRNA expressions of interleukin 6 (IL-6), MMP-9 and CD44. We quantified peritoneal MMP-9 activity using zymography, and quantified peritoneal fluid and serum for hyaluronan and tissue inhibitor of metal- loproteinase 1 levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We cultured peri- toneal macrophages and exposed them to peritoneal fluid or synthetic hyaluronan for ELISA analysis of IL-6 and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α .Results: Transit was significantly delayed after surgical manipulation, and extracts of the isolated jejunal and colonic muscularis demonstrated a significant induction of IL-6, MMP- 9, and CD44 mRNAs compared with controls. Zymography confirmed significant MMP-9 activity in peritoneal fluid compared with controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay measurements showed a significant up-regulation in hyaluronan and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 in the peritoneal fluid and serum. In addition, ELISA and reverse transcriptase e polymerase chain reaction measurements of peritoneal macrophages stimulated with postsurgical peritoneal fluid and synthetic hyaluronan resulted in higher expressions of IL-6 and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α in the macrophage supernatant.Conclusions: Our results confirm that MMP-9 disruption in the ECM with hyaluronan release and muscularis CD44 receptor induction has the potential to trigger muscularis proin- flammatory cascades that cause postoperative ileus. Matrix metallopeptidase 9 inhibition may be a novel therapeutic approach to limit postoperative ileus

Topological Quantum Optics in Two-Dimensional Atomic Arrays

We demonstrate that two-dimensional atomic emitter arrays with subwavelength spacing constitute topologically protected quantum optical systems where the photon propagation is robust against large imperfections while losses associated with free space emission are strongly suppressed. Breaking time-reversal symmetry with a magnetic field results in gapped photonic bands with non-trivial Chern numbers and topologically protected, long-lived edge states. Due to the inherent nonlinearity of constituent emitters, such systems provide a platform for exploring quantum optical analogues of interacting topological systems.Comment: 11 pages and 9 figures; paper updated to match published versio

Sun Yat-sen – Seine Lehre und seine Bedeutung

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Functional characterization of the rod visual pigment of the echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), a basal mammal

Monotremes are the most basal egg-laying mammals comprised of two extant genera, which are largely nocturnal. Visual pigments, the first step in the sensory transduction cascade in photoreceptors of the eye, have been examined in a variety of vertebrates, but little work has been done to study the rhodopsin of monotremes. We isolated the rhodopsin gene of the nocturnal short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) and expressed and functionally characterized the protein in vitro. Three mutants were also expressed and characterized: N83D, an important site for spectral tuning and metarhodopsin kinetics, and two sites with amino acids unique to the echidna (T158A and F169A). The λ max of echidna rhodopsin (497.9 ± 1.1 nm) did not vary significantly in either T158A (498.0 ± 1.3 nm) or F169A (499.4 ± 0.1 nm) but was redshifted in N83D (503.8 ± 1.5 nm). Unlike other mammalian rhodopsins, echidna rhodopsin did react when exposed to hydroxylamine, although not as fast as cone opsins. The retinal release rate of light-activated echidna rhodopsin, as measured by fluorescence spectroscopy, had a half-life of 9.5 ± 2.6 min−1, which is significantly shorter than that of bovine rhodopsin. The half-life of the N83D mutant was 5.1 ± 0.1 min−1, even shorter than wild type. Our results show that with respect to hydroxylamine sensitivity and retinal release, the wild-type echidna rhodopsin displays major differences to all previously characterized mammalian rhodopsins and appears more similar to other nonmammalian vertebrate rhodopsins such as chicken and anole. However, our N83D mutagenesis results suggest that this site may mediate adaptation in the echidna to dim light environments, possibly via increased stability of light-activated intermediates. This study is the first characterization of a rhodopsin from a most basal mammal and indicates that there might be more functional variation in mammalian rhodopsins than previously assume

Short-wavelength sensitive opsin (SWS1) as a new marker for vertebrate phylogenetics

BACKGROUND: Vertebrate SWS1 visual pigments mediate visual transduction in response to light at short wavelengths. Due to their importance in vision, SWS1 genes have been isolated from a surprisingly wide range of vertebrates, including lampreys, teleosts, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The SWS1 genes exhibit many of the characteristics of genes typically targeted for phylogenetic analyses. This study investigates both the utility of SWS1 as a marker for inferring vertebrate phylogenetic relationships, and the characteristics of the gene that contribute to its phylogenetic utility. RESULTS: Phylogenetic analyses of vertebrate SWS1 genes produced topologies that were remarkably congruent with generally accepted hypotheses of vertebrate evolution at both higher and lower taxonomic levels. The few exceptions were generally associated with areas of poor taxonomic sampling, or relationships that have been difficult to resolve using other molecular markers. The SWS1 data set was characterized by a substantial amount of among-site rate variation, and a relatively unskewed substitution rate matrix, even when the data were partitioned into different codon sites and individual taxonomic groups. Although there were nucleotide biases in some groups at third positions, these biases were not convergent across different taxonomic groups. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that SWS1 may be a good marker for vertebrate phylogenetics due to the variable yet consistent patterns of sequence evolution exhibited across fairly wide taxonomic groups. This may result from constraints imposed by the functional role of SWS1 pigments in visual transduction