143 research outputs found
From multimode to monomode guided atom lasers: an entropic analysis
We have experimentally demonstrated a high level of control of the mode
populations of guided atom lasers (GALs) by showing that the entropy per
particle of an optically GAL, and the one of the trapped Bose Einstein
condensate (BEC) from which it has been produced are the same. The BEC is
prepared in a crossed beam optical dipole trap. We have achieved isentropic
outcoupling for both magnetic and optical schemes. We can prepare GAL in a
nearly pure monomode regime (85 % in the ground state). Furthermore, optical
outcoupling enables the production of spinor guided atom lasers and opens the
possibility to tailor their polarization
Fast transport of Bose-Einstein condensates
We propose an inverse method to accelerate without final excitation the
adiabatic transport of a Bose Einstein condensate. The method, applicable to
arbitrary potential traps, is based on a partial extension of the
Lewis-Riesenfeld invariants, and provides transport protocols that satisfy
exactly the no-excitation conditions without constraints or approximations.
This inverse method is complemented by optimizing the trap trajectory with
respect to different physical criteria and by studying the effect of noise
A quasi-monomode guided atom-laser from an all-optical Bose-Einstein condensate
We report the achievement of an optically guided and quasi-monomode atom
laser, in all spin projection states ( -1, 0 and ) of F=1 in
Rubidium 87. The atom laser source is a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in a
crossed dipole trap, purified to any one spin projection state by a
spin-distillation process applied during the evaporation to BEC. The atom laser
is outcoupled by an inhomogenous magnetic field, applied along the waveguide
axis. The mean excitation number in the transverse modes is for and for the low field seeker
Transport and interaction blockade of cold bosonic atoms in a triple-well potential
We theoretically investigate the transport properties of cold bosonic atoms
in a quasi one-dimensional triple-well potential that consists of two large
outer wells, which act as microscopic source and drain reservoirs, and a small
inner well, which represents a quantum-dot-like scattering region. Bias and
gate "voltages" introduce a time-dependent tilt of the triple-well
configuration, and are used to shift the energetic level of the inner well with
respect to the outer ones. By means of exact diagonalization considering a
total number of six atoms in the triple-well potential, we find diamond-like
structures for the occurrence of single-atom transport in the parameter space
spanned by the bias and gate voltages. We discuss the analogy with Coulomb
blockade in electronic quantum dots, and point out how one can infer the
interaction energy in the central well from the distance between the diamonds.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure
Apolipoprotein AV: Gene expression, physiological role in lipid metabolism and clinical relevance
The apolipoprotein APOA5 gene, a member of the gene cluster on chromosome 11q23 that includes APOA1, APOC3 and APOA4, has gained considerable interest as it encodes ApoAV, a key determinant of circulating levels of potentially atherogenic triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRL). Indeed, strong associations between genetic variants of the APOA5 gene sequence and elevated triglyceride (TG) levels have been established. This apolipoprotein may potentiate lipolysis of TRL through facilitation of lipoprotein interaction with lipoprotein lipase. In addition, ApoAV may enhance clearance of remnant lipoproteins by mediating their interaction with the LDL receptor-related protein (LRP)1. The implication of ApoAV in intravascular TRL metabolism is further supported by studies that have demonstrated upregulation of APOA5 gene expression by nuclear receptors (PPAR alpha, FXR and HNF4 alpha) and hormones (thyroxine) involved in hypotriglyceridemic pathways. APOA4 expression may equally be modulated by nutritional status and, more specifically, by stimulation of lipogenesis through transcriptional regulation mediated by insulin and SREBP-1c. However, despite the fact that studies in mice have clearly revealed that plasma levels of ApoAV are inversely correlated with plasma TG levels, the relationship between ApoAV and metabolism of TRL remains controversial in man. Indeed, positive correlations between ApoAV and TG levels have recently been observed in patients with hypertriglyceridemia and Type 2 diabetes. The question as to whether ApoAV is a key determinant of TG levels in humans therefore remains conjectural
A quadrature filter approach for registration accuracy assessment of fundus images
This paper presents a method to automatically assess the accuracy of image registration. It is applicable to images in which vessels are the main landmarks such as fundus images and angiography. The method simultaneously exploits not only the position, but also the intensity profile across the vasculatures. The accuracy measure is defined as the energy of the odd component of the 1D vessel profile in the difference image divided by the total energy of the corresponding vessels in the constituting images. Scale and orientation-selective quadrature filter banks have been employed to analyze the 1D signal profiles. Subsequently, the relative energy measure has been calibrated such that the measure translates to a spatial misalignment in pixels. The method was validated on a fundus image dataset from a diabetic retinopathy screening program at the Rotterdam Eye Hospital. An evaluation showed that the proposed measure assesses the registration accuracy with a bias of -0.1 pixels and a precision (standard deviation) of 0.9 pixels. The small Fourier footprint of the orientation selective quadrature filters makes the method robust against noise
Long range transport of ultra cold atoms in a far-detuned 1D optical lattice
We present a novel method to transport ultra cold atoms in a focused optical
lattice over macroscopic distances of many Rayleigh ranges. With this method
ultra cold atoms were transported over 5 cm in 250 ms without significant atom
loss or heating. By translating the interference pattern together with the beam
geometry the trap parameters are maintained over the full transport range.
Thus, the presented method is well suited for tightly focused optical lattices
that have sufficient trap depth only close to the focus. Tight focusing is
usually required for far-detuned optical traps or traps that require high laser
intensity for other reasons. The transport time is short and thus compatible
with the operation of an optical lattice clock in which atoms are probed in a
well designed environment spatially separated from the preparation and
detection region.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure
A slow gravity compensated Atom Laser
We report on a slow guided atom laser beam outcoupled from a Bose-Einstein
condensate of 87Rb atoms in a hybrid trap. The acceleration of the atom laser
beam can be controlled by compensating the gravitational acceleration and we
reach residual accelerations as low as 0.0027 g. The outcoupling mechanism
allows for the production of a constant flux of 4.5x10^6 atoms per second and
due to transverse guiding we obtain an upper limit for the mean beam width of
4.6 \mu\m. The transverse velocity spread is only 0.2 mm/s and thus an upper
limit for the beam quality parameter is M^2=2.5. We demonstrate the potential
of the long interrogation times available with this atom laser beam by
measuring the trap frequency in a single measurement. The small beam width
together with the long evolution and interrogation time makes this atom laser
beam a promising tool for continuous interferometric measurements.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, to be published in Applied Physics
Engineered swift equilibration of a Brownian particle
A fundamental and intrinsic property of any device or natural system is its
relaxation time relax, which is the time it takes to return to equilibrium
after the sudden change of a control parameter [1]. Reducing relax , is
frequently necessary, and is often obtained by a complex feedback process. To
overcome the limitations of such an approach, alternative methods based on
driving have been recently demonstrated [2, 3], for isolated quantum and
classical systems [4--9]. Their extension to open systems in contact with a
thermostat is a stumbling block for applications. Here, we design a
protocol,named Engineered Swift Equilibration (ESE), that shortcuts
time-consuming relaxations, and we apply it to a Brownian particle trapped in
an optical potential whose properties can be controlled in time. We implement
the process experimentally, showing that it allows the system to reach
equilibrium times faster than the natural equilibration rate. We also estimate
the increase of the dissipated energy needed to get such a time reduction. The
method paves the way for applications in micro and nano devices, where the
reduction of operation time represents as substantial a challenge as
miniaturization [10]. The concepts of equilibrium and of transformations from
an equilibrium state to another, are cornerstones of thermodynamics. A textbook
illustration is provided by the expansion of a gas, starting at equilibrium and
expanding to reach a new equilibrium in a larger vessel. This operation can be
performed either very slowly by a piston, without dissipating energy into the
environment, or alternatively quickly, letting the piston freely move to reach
the new volume
Numerical observation of Hawking radiation from acoustic black holes in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates
We report numerical evidence of Hawking emission of Bogoliubov phonons from a
sonic horizon in a flowing one-dimensional atomic Bose-Einstein condensate. The
presence of Hawking radiation is revealed from peculiar long-range patterns in
the density-density correlation function of the gas. Quantitative agreement
between our fully microscopic calculations and the prediction of analog models
is obtained in the hydrodynamic limit. New features are predicted and the
robustness of the Hawking signal against a finite temperature discussed.Comment: Version 2 with enlarged text and several new figure
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