114 research outputs found
Self-trapping of impurities in Bose-Einstein condensates: Strong attractive and repulsive coupling
We study the interaction-induced localization -- the so-called self-trapping
-- of a neutral impurity atom immersed in a homogeneous Bose-Einstein
condensate (BEC). Based on a Hartree description of the BEC we show that --
unlike repulsive impurities -- attractive impurities have a singular ground
state in 3d and shrink to a point-like state in 2d as the coupling approaches a
critical value. Moreover, we find that the density of the BEC increases
markedly in the vicinity of attractive impurities in 1d and 2d, which strongly
enhances inelastic collisions between atoms in the BEC. These collisions result
in a loss of BEC atoms and possibly of the localized impurity itself.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Quantum phase transition to unconventional multi-orbital superfluidity in optical lattices
Orbital physics plays a significant role for a vast number of important
phenomena in complex condensed matter systems such as high-T
superconductivity and unconventional magnetism. In contrast, phenomena in
superfluids -- especially in ultracold quantum gases -- are commonly well
described by the lowest orbital and a real order parameter. Here, we report on
the observation of a novel multi-orbital superfluid phase with a {\it complex}
order parameter in binary spin mixtures. In this unconventional superfluid, the
local phase angle of the complex order parameter is continuously twisted
between neighboring lattice sites. The nature of this twisted superfluid
quantum phase is an interaction-induced admixture of the p-orbital favored by
the graphene-like band structure of the hexagonal optical lattice used in the
experiment. We observe a second-order quantum phase transition between the
normal superfluid (NSF) and the twisted superfluid phase (TSF) which is
accompanied by a symmetry breaking in momentum space. The experimental results
are consistent with calculated phase diagrams and reveal fundamentally new
aspects of orbital superfluidity in quantum gas mixtures. Our studies might
bridge the gap between conventional superfluidity and complex phenomena of
orbital physics.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Dynamics of cold bosons in optical lattices: Effects of higher Bloch bands
The extended effective multiorbital Bose-Hubbard-type Hamiltonian which takes
into account higher Bloch bands, is discussed for boson systems in optical
lattices, with emphasis on dynamical properties, in relation with current
experiments. It is shown that the renormalization of Hamiltonian parameters
depends on the dimension of the problem studied. Therefore, mean field phase
diagrams do not scale with the coordination number of the lattice. The effect
of Hamiltonian parameters renormalization on the dynamics in reduced
one-dimensional optical lattice potential is analyzed. We study both the
quasi-adiabatic quench through the superfluid-Mott insulator transition and the
absorption spectroscopy, that is energy absorption rate when the lattice depth
is periodically modulated.Comment: 23 corrected interesting pages, no Higgs boson insid
Interaction and filling induced quantum phases of dual Mott insulators of bosons and fermions
Many-body effects are at the very heart of diverse phenomena found in
condensed-matter physics. One striking example is the Mott insulator phase
where conductivity is suppressed as a result of a strong repulsive interaction.
Advances in cold atom physics have led to the realization of the Mott
insulating phases of atoms in an optical lattice, mimicking the corresponding
condensed matter systems. Here, we explore an exotic strongly-correlated system
of Interacting Dual Mott Insulators of bosons and fermions. We reveal that an
inter-species interaction between bosons and fermions drastically modifies each
Mott insulator, causing effects that include melting, generation of composite
particles, an anti-correlated phase, and complete phase-separation. Comparisons
between the experimental results and numerical simulations indicate intrinsic
adiabatic heating and cooling for the attractively and repulsively interacting
dual Mott Insulators, respectively
Coherent multi-flavour spin dynamics in a fermionic quantum gas
Microscopic spin interaction processes are fundamental for global static and
dynamical magnetic properties of many-body systems. Quantum gases as pure and
well isolated systems offer intriguing possibilities to study basic magnetic
processes including non-equilibrium dynamics. Here, we report on the
realization of a well-controlled fermionic spinor gas in an optical lattice
with tunable effective spin ranging from 1/2 to 9/2. We observe long-lived
intrinsic spin oscillations and investigate the transition from two-body to
many-body dynamics. The latter results in a spin-interaction driven melting of
a band insulator. Via an external magnetic field we control the system's
dimensionality and tune the spin oscillations in and out of resonance. Our
results open new routes to study quantum magnetism of fermionic particles
beyond conventional spin 1/2 systems.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
Pathogen- and Host-Directed Antileishmanial Effects Mediated by Polyhexanide (PHMB)
BACKGROUND:Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a neglected tropical disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. CL causes enormous suffering in many countries worldwide. There is no licensed vaccine against CL, and the chemotherapy options show limited efficacy and high toxicity. Localization of the parasites inside host cells is a barrier to most standard chemo- and immune-based interventions. Hence, novel drugs, which are safe, effective and readily accessible to third-world countries and/or drug delivery technologies for effective CL treatments are desperately needed. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Here we evaluated the antileishmanial properties and delivery potential of polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB; polyhexanide), a widely used antimicrobial and wound antiseptic, in the Leishmania model. PHMB showed an inherent antileishmanial activity at submicromolar concentrations. Our data revealed that PHMB kills Leishmania major (L. major) via a dual mechanism involving disruption of membrane integrity and selective chromosome condensation and damage. PHMB's DNA binding and host cell entry properties were further exploited to improve the delivery and immunomodulatory activities of unmethylated cytosine-phosphate-guanine oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODN). PHMB spontaneously bound CpG ODN, forming stable nanopolyplexes that enhanced uptake of CpG ODN, potentiated antimicrobial killing and reduced host cell toxicity of PHMB. CONCLUSIONS:Given its low cost and long history of safe topical use, PHMB holds promise as a drug for CL therapy and delivery vehicle for nucleic acid immunomodulators
Best practices for fNIRS publications
The application of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in the neurosciences has been expanding over the last 40 years. Today, it is addressing a wide range of applications within different populations and utilizes a great variety of experimental paradigms. With the rapid growth and the diversification of research methods, some inconsistencies are appearing in the way in which methods are presented, which can make the interpretation and replication of studies unnecessarily challenging. The Society for Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy has thus been motivated to organize a representative (but not exhaustive) group of leaders in the field to build a consensus on the best practices for describing the methods utilized in fNIRS studies. Our paper has been designed to provide guidelines to help enhance the reliability, repeatability, and traceability of reported fNIRS studies and encourage best practices throughout the community. A checklist is provided to guide authors in the preparation of their manuscripts and to assist reviewers when evaluating fNIRS papers
Momentum-Resolved Bragg Spectroscopy in Optical Lattices
Strongly correlated many-body systems show various exciting phenomena in
condensed matter physics such as high-temperature superconductivity and
colossal magnetoresistance. Recently, strongly correlated phases could also be
studied in ultracold quantum gases possessing analogies to solid-state physics,
but moreover exhibiting new systems such as Fermi-Bose mixtures and magnetic
quantum phases with high spin values. Particularly interesting systems here are
quantum gases in optical lattices with fully tunable lattice and atomic
interaction parameters. While in this context several concepts and ideas have
already been studied theoretically and experimentally, there is still great
demand for new detection techniques to explore these complex phases in detail.
Here we report on measurements of a fully momentum-resolved excitation
spectrum of a quantum gas in an optical lattice by means of Bragg spectroscopy.
The bandstructure is measured with high resolution at several lattice depths.
Interaction effects are identified and systematically studied varying density
and excitation fraction.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure
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