97,800 research outputs found
Density-Dependent Synthetic Gauge Fields Using Periodically Modulated Interactions
We show that density-dependent synthetic gauge fields may be engineered by
combining periodically modu- lated interactions and Raman-assisted hopping in
spin-dependent optical lattices. These fields lead to a density- dependent
shift of the momentum distribution, may induce superfluid-to-Mott insulator
transitions, and strongly modify correlations in the superfluid regime. We show
that the interplay between the created gauge field and the broken sublattice
symmetry results, as well, in an intriguing behavior at vanishing interactions,
characterized by the appearance of a fractional Mott insulator.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Planar cell polarity genes Frizzled3a, Vangl2, and Scribble are required for spinal commissural axon guidance
Background A fundamental feature of early nervous system development is the guidance of axonal projections to their targets in order to assemble neural circuits that control behavior. Spinal commissural neurons are an attractive model to investigate the multiple guidance cues that control growth cone navigation both pre- and post-midline crossing, as well as along both the dorsal–ventral (D–V) and anterior–posterior (A–P) axes. Accumulating evidence suggests that guidance of spinal commissural axons along the A–P axis is dependent on components of the planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathway. In the zebrafish, the earliest born spinal commissural neuron to navigate the midline and turn rostrally is termed commissural primary ascending (CoPA). Unlike mammalian systems, CoPA axons cross the midline as a single axon and allow an analysis of the role of PCP components in anterior pathfinding in single pioneering axons. Results Here, we establish CoPA cells in the zebrafish spinal cord as a model system for investigating the molecular function of planar cell polarity signaling in axon guidance. Using mutant analysis, we show that the functions of Fzd3a and Vangl2 in the anterior turning of commissural axons are evolutionarily conserved in teleosts. We extend our findings to reveal a role for the PCP gene scribble in the anterior guidance of CoPA axons. Analysis of single CoPA axons reveals that these commissural axons become responsive to PCP-dependent anterior guidance cues even prior to midline crossing. When midline crossing is prevented by dcc gene knockdown, ipsilateral CoPA axons still extend axons anteriorly in response to A–P guidance cues. We show that this ipsilateral anterior pathfinding that occurs in the absence of midline crossing is dependent on PCP signaling. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that anterior guidance decisions by CoPA axons are dependent on the function of planar cell polarity genes both prior to and after midline crossing
Quantum Thermalization With Couplings
We study the role of the system-bath coupling for the generalized canonical
thermalization [S. Popescu, et al., Nature Physics 2,754(2006) and S. Goldstein
et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 050403(2006)] that reduces almost all the pure
states of the "universe" [formed by a system S plus its surrounding heat bath
] to a canonical equilibrium state of S. We present an exactly solvable, but
universal model for this kinematic thermalization with an explicit
consideration about the energy shell deformation due to the interaction between
S and B. By calculating the state numbers of the "universe" and its subsystems
S and B in various deformed energy shells, it is found that, for the
overwhelming majority of the "universe" states (they are entangled at least),
the diagonal canonical typicality remains robust with respect to finite
interactions between S and B. Particularly, the kinematic decoherence is
utilized here to account for the vanishing of the off-diagonal elements of the
reduced density matrix of S. It is pointed out that the non-vanishing
off-diagonal elements due to the finiteness of bath and the stronger
system-bath interaction might offer more novelties of the quantum
thermalization.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Dimerization-assisted energy transport in light-harvesting complexes
We study the role of the dimer structure of light-harvesting complex II (LH2)
in excitation transfer from the LH2 (without a reaction center (RC)) to the LH1
(surrounding the RC), or from the LH2 to another LH2. The excited and
un-excited states of a bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) are modeled by a quasi-spin.
In the framework of quantum open system theory, we represent the excitation
transfer as the total leakage of the LH2 system and then calculate the transfer
efficiency and average transfer time. For different initial states with various
quantum superposition properties, we study how the dimerization of the B850
BChl ring can enhance the transfer efficiency and shorten the average transfer
time.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Evidence for a chemical-thermal structure at base of mantle from sharp lateral P-wave variations beneath Central America
Compressional waves that sample the lowermost mantle west of Central America show a rapid change in travel times of up to 4 s over a sampling distance of 300 km and a change in waveforms. The differential travel times of the PKP waves (which traverse Earth's core) correlate remarkably well with predictions for S-wave tomography. Our modeling suggests a sharp transition in the lowermost mantle from a broad slow region to a broad fast region with a narrow zone of slowest anomaly next to the boundary beneath the Cocos Plate and the Caribbean Plate. The structure may be the result of ponding of ancient subducted Farallon slabs situated near the edge of a thermal and chemical upwelling
A new constant-pressure molecular dynamics method for finite system
In this letter, by writing the volume as a function of coordinates of atoms,
we present a new constant-pressure molecular dynamics method with parameters
free. This method is specially appropriate for the finite system in which the
periodic boundary condition does not exist. Simulations on the carbon nanotube
and the Ni nanoparticle clearly demonstrate the validity of the method. By
using this method, one can easily obtain the equation of states for the finite
system under the external pressure.Comment: RevTex, 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Probing and modelling the localized self-mixing in a GaN/AlGaN field-effect terahertz detector
In a GaN/AlGaN field-effect terahertz detector, the directional photocurrent
is mapped in the two-dimensional space of the gate voltage and the drain/source
bias. It is found that not only the magnitude, but also the polarity, of the
photocurrent can be tuned. A quasistatic self-mixing model taking into account
the localized terahertz field provides a quantitative description of the
detector characteristics. Strongly localized self-mixing is confirmed. It is
therefore important to engineer the spatial distribution of the terahertz field
and its coupling to the field-effect channel on the sub-micron scale.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, submitted to AP
Temperature- and Bias-dependence of magnetoresistance in doped manganite thin film trilayer junctions
Thin film trilayer junction of LaSrMnO - SrTiO -
LaSrMnO shows a factor of 9.7 change in resistance, in a
magnetic field around 100 Oe at 14K. The junction magnetoresistance is bias and
temperature dependent. The energy scales associated with bias and temperature
dependence are an order of magnitude apart. The same set of energies also
determine the bias and temperature dependence of the differential conductance
of the junction. We discuss these results in terms of metallic cluster
inclusions at the junction-barrier interface.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure
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