937 research outputs found
Quantum depletion of collapsing Bose-Einstein condensates
We perform the first numerical three-dimensional studies of quantum field
effects in the Bosenova experiment on collapsing condensates by E. Donley et
al. [Nature 415, 39 (2002)] using the exact experimental geometry. In a
stochastic truncated Wigner simulation of the collapse, the collapse times are
larger than the experimentally measured values. We find that a finite
temperature initial state leads to an increased creation rate of uncondensed
atoms, but not to a reduction of the collapse time. A comparison of the
time-dependent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov and Wigner methods for the more
tractable spherical trap shows excellent agreement between the uncondensed
populations. We conclude that the discrepancy between the experimental and
theoretical values of the collapse time cannot be explained by Gaussian quantum
fluctuations or finite temperature effects.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, replaced with published versio
A search on Dirac equation
The solutions, in terms of orthogonal polynomials, of Dirac equation with
analytically solvable potentials are investigated within a novel formalism by
transforming the relativistic equation into a Schrodinger like one. Earlier
results are discussed in a unified framework and certain solutions of a large
class of potentials are given.Comment: 9 page
Building cultures of participation: involving young people in contact with the criminal justice system in the development of drug interventions in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy and Poland
This paper explores the participation of young people in contact with criminal justice systems in the development of drugs interventions. Interviews were undertaken with 160 young people (aged 15-25) and 66 practitioners involved in the design, delivery and commissioning of drug interventions. We analyse the key challenges in involving young people in the development of interventions including structural, organisational and individual factors. We argue that these barriers can be overcome by fostering flexible models of participation and identifying the most meaningful and appropriate approaches for involving young people at different stages and in different initiatives which consider socio-cultural contexts
Quantum-field dynamics of expanding and contracting Bose-Einstein condensates
We analyze the dynamics of quantum statistics in a harmonically trapped
Bose-Einstein condensate, whose two-body interaction strength is controlled via
a Feshbach resonance. From an initially non-interacting coherent state, the
quantum field undergoes Kerr squeezing, which can be qualitatively described
with a single mode model. To render the effect experimentally accessible, we
propose a homodyne scheme, based on two hyperfine components, which converts
the quadrature squeezing into number squeezing. The scheme is numerically
demonstrated using a two-component Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov formalism.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Ballistic deposition patterns beneath a growing KPZ interface
We consider a (1+1)-dimensional ballistic deposition process with
next-nearest neighbor interaction, which belongs to the KPZ universality class,
and introduce for this discrete model a variational formulation similar to that
for the randomly forced continuous Burgers equation. This allows to identify
the characteristic structures in the bulk of a growing aggregate ("clusters"
and "crevices") with minimizers and shocks in the Burgers turbulence, and to
introduce a new kind of equipped Airy process for ballistic growth. We dub it
the "hairy Airy process" and investigate its statistics numerically. We also
identify scaling laws that characterize the ballistic deposition patterns in
the bulk: the law of "thinning" of the forest of clusters with increasing
height, the law of transversal fluctuations of cluster boundaries, and the size
distribution of clusters. The corresponding critical exponents are determined
exactly based on the analogy with the Burgers turbulence and simple scaling
considerations.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures. Minor edits: typo corrected, added explanation
of two acronyms. The text is essentially equivalent to version
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What are the limitations on the wider therapeutic use of phage?
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics poses a serious health threat. Since research into new antibiotics is not progressing at the same rate as the development of bacterial resistance, widespread calls for alternatives to antibiotics have been made. Phage therapy is an ideal alternative candidate to be investigated. However the success of phage therapy may be hampered by a lack of investment support from large pharmaceutical companies, due to their narrow spectrum of activity in antibiotics, very large costs associated with clinical trials of the variety of phages needed, and regulatory requirements remaining unclear. Intellectual property is difficult to secure for therapeutic phage products for a variety of reasons, and patenting procedures vary widely between the US and the EU. Consequently, companies are more likely to invest in phage products for decontamination or veterinary use, rather than clinical use in humans. Some still raise questions as to the safety of phage therapy overall, suggesting the possibility of cytotoxicity and immunogenicity, depending on the phage preparation and route. On the other hand, with patients dying because of infections untreatable with conventional antibiotics, the question arises as to whether it is ethical not to pursue phage therapy more diligently. A paradigm shift about how phage therapy is perceived is required, as well as more rigorous proof of efficacy in the form of clinical trials of existing medicinal phage products. Phage therapy potential may be fulfilled in the meantime by allowing individual preparations to be used on a named-patient basis, with extensive monitoring and multidisciplinary team input. The National Health Service and academia have a role in carrying out clinical phage research, which would be beneficial to public health, but not necessarily financially rewarding
Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles attenuate neuroinflammation evoked by focal brain injury in rats
Background Ischemic stroke is the major cause of long-term severe disability and death in aged population. Cell death in the infarcted region of the brain induces immune reaction leading to further progression of tissue damage. Immunomodulatory function of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been shown in multiple preclinical studies; however, it has not been successfully translated to a routine clinical practice due to logistical, economical, regulatory, and intellectual property obstacles. It has been recently demonstrated that therapeutic effect of intravenously administered MSCs can be recapitulated by extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from them. However, in contrast to MSCs, EVs were not capable to decrease stroke-induced neuroinflammation. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate if intra-arterial delivery of MSC-derived EVs will have stronger impact on focal brain injury-induced neuroinflammation, which mimics ischemic stroke, and how it compares to MSCs. Methods The studies were performed in adult male Wistar rats with focal brain injury induced by injection of 1 mu l of 50 nmol ouabain into the right hemisphere. Two days after brain insult, 5 x 10(5) human bone marrow MSCs (hBM-MSCs) labeled with Molday ION or 1.3 x 10(9) EVs stained with PKH26 were intra-arterially injected into the right hemisphere under real-time MRI guidance. At days 1, 3, and 7 post-transplantation, the rats were decapitated, the brains were removed, and the presence of donor cells or EVs was analyzed. The cellular immune response in host brain was evaluated immunohistochemically, and humoral factors were measured by multiplex immunoassay. Results hBM-MSCs and EVs transplanted intra-arterially were observed in the rat ipsilateral hemisphere, near the ischemic region. Immunohistochemical analysis of brain tissue showed that injection of hBM-MSCs or EVs leads to the decrease of cell activation by ischemic injury, i.e., astrocytes, microglia, and infiltrating leucocytes, including T cytotoxic cells. Furthermore, we observed significant decrease of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines after hBM-MSC or EV infusion comparing with non-treated rats with focal brain injury. Conclusions Intra-arterially injected EVs attenuated neuroinflammation evoked by focal brain injury, which mimics ischemic stroke, and this effect was comparable to intra-arterial hBM-MSC transplantation. Thus, intra-arterial injection of EVs might be an attractive therapeutic approach, which obviates MSC-related obstacles
Quantum switches and quantum memories for matter-wave lattice solitons
We study the possibility of implementing a quantum switch and a quantum
memory for matter wave lattice solitons by making them interact with
"effective" potentials (barrier/well) corresponding to defects of the optical
lattice. In the case of interaction with an "effective" potential barrier, the
bright lattice soliton experiences an abrupt transition from complete
transmission to complete reflection (quantum switch) for a critical height of
the barrier. The trapping of the soliton in an "effective" potential well and
its release on demand, without loses, shows the feasibility of using the system
as a quantum memory. The inclusion of defects as a way of controlling the
interactions between two solitons is also reported
Barrier Penetration for Supersymmetric Shape-Invariant Potentials
Exact reflection and transmission coefficients for supersymmetric
shape-invariant potentials barriers are calculated by an analytical
continuation of the asymptotic wave functions obtained via the introduction of
new generalized ladder operators. The general form of the wave function is
obtained by the use of the F-matrix formalism of Froman and Froman which is
related to the evolution of asymptotic wave function coefficients
Supersonic optical tunnels for Bose-Einstein condensates
We propose a method for the stabilisation of a stack of parallel vortex rings
in a Bose-Einstein condensate. The method makes use of a hollow laser beam
containing an optical vortex. Using realistic experimental parameters we
demonstrate numerically that our method can stabilise up to 9 vortex rings.
Furthermore we point out that the condensate flow through the tunnel formed by
the core of the optical vortex can be made supersonic by inserting a
laser-generated hump potential. We show that long-living immobile condensate
solitons generated in the tunnel exhibit sonic horizons. Finally, we discuss
prospects of using these solitons for analogue gravity experiments.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, published versio
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