Single hole motion in LaMnO3_3

We study single hole motion in LaMnO$_3$ using the classical approximation for JT lattice distortions, a modified Lang-Firsov approximation for dynamical breathing-mode phonons, and the self-consistent Born approximation (verified by exact diagonalization) for hole-orbital-excitation scattering. We show that in the realistic parameter space for LaMnO$_3$, quantum effects of electron-phonon interaction are small. The quasiparticle bandwidth $W \simeq 2.2J$ in the purely orbital t-J model. It is strikingly broadened to be of order $t$ by strong static Jahn-Teller lattice distortions even when the polaronic band narrowing is taken into account.Comment: 4 pages, 4 eps figure

Paxillin facilitates timely neurite initiation on soft-substrate environments by interacting with the endocytic machinery.

Neurite initiation is the first step in neuronal development and occurs spontaneously in soft tissue environments. Although the mechanisms regulating the morphology of migratory cells on rigid substrates in cell culture are widely known, how soft environments modulate neurite initiation remains elusive. Using hydrogel cultures, pharmacologic inhibition, and genetic approaches, we reveal that paxillin-linked endocytosis and adhesion are components of a bistable switch controlling neurite initiation in a substrate modulus-dependent manner. On soft substrates, most paxillin binds to endocytic factors and facilitates vesicle invagination, elevating neuritogenic Rac1 activity and expression of genes encoding the endocytic machinery. By contrast, on rigid substrates, cells develop extensive adhesions, increase RhoA activity and sequester paxillin from the endocytic machinery, thereby delaying neurite initiation. Our results highlight paxillin as a core molecule in substrate modulus-controlled morphogenesis and define a mechanism whereby neuronal cells respond to environments exhibiting varying mechanical properties

Fractional Quantum Hall Effect of Hard-Core Bosons in Topological Flat Bands

Recent proposals of topological flat band (TFB) models have provided a new route to realize the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) without Landau levels. We study hard-core bosons with short-range interactions in two representative TFB models, one of which is the well known Haldane model (but with different parameters). We demonstrate that FQHE states emerge with signatures of even number of quasi-degenerate ground states on a torus and a robust spectrum gap separating these states from higher energy spectrum. We also establish quantum phase diagrams for the filling factor 1/2 and illustrate quantum phase transitions to other competing symmetry-breaking phases.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure