3,457 research outputs found
Spin-Nematic Squeezed Vacuum in a Quantum Gas
Using squeezed states it is possible to surpass the standard quantum limit of
measurement uncertainty by reducing the measurement uncertainty of one property
at the expense of another complementary property. Squeezed states were first
demonstrated in optical fields and later with ensembles of pseudo spin-1/2
atoms using non-linear atom-light interactions. Recently, collisional
interactions in ultracold atomic gases have been used to generate a large
degree of quadrature spin squeezing in two-component Bose condensates. For
pseudo spin-1/2 systems, the complementary properties are the different
components of the total spin vector , which fully characterize the state on
an SU(2) Bloch sphere. Here, we measure squeezing in a spin-1 Bose condensate,
an SU(3) system, which requires measurement of the rank-2 nematic or quadrupole
tensor as well to fully characterize the state. Following a quench
through a nematic to ferromagnetic quantum phase transition, squeezing is
observed in the variance of the quadratures up to -8.3(-0.7 +0.6) dB
(-10.3(-0.9 +0.7) dB corrected for detection noise) below the standard quantum
limit. This spin-nematic squeezing is observed for negligible occupation of the
squeezed modes and is analogous to optical two-mode vacuum squeezing. This work
has potential applications to continuous variable quantum information and
quantum-enhanced magnetometry
A simple approach to counterterms in N=8 supergravity
We present a simple systematic method to study candidate counterterms in N=8
supergravity. Complicated details of the counterterm operators are avoided
because we work with the on-shell matrix elements they produce. All n-point
matrix elements of an independent SUSY invariant operator of the form D^{2k}
R^n +... must be local and satisfy SUSY Ward identities. These are strong
constraints, and we test directly whether or not matrix elements with these
properties can be constructed. If not, then the operator does not have a
supersymmetrization, and it is excluded as a potential counterterm. For n>4, we
find that R^n, D^2 R^n, D^4 R^n, and D^6 R^n are excluded as counterterms of
MHV amplitudes, while only R^n and D^2 R^n are excluded at the NMHV level. As a
consequence, for loop order L<7, there are no independent D^{2k}R^n
counterterms with n>4. If an operator is not ruled out, our method constructs
an explicit superamplitude for its matrix elements. This is done for the 7-loop
D^4 R^6 operator at the NMHV level and in other cases. We also initiate the
study of counterterms without leading pure-graviton matrix elements, which can
occur beyond the MHV level. The landscape of excluded/allowed candidate
counterterms is summarized in a colorful chart.Comment: 25 pages, 1 figure, published versio
A Broken Trust: Lessons from the Vaccine–Autism Wars: Researchers long ago rejected the theory that vaccines cause autism, yet many parents don't believe them. Can scientists bridge the gap between evidence and doubt?
Researchers long ago rejected the theory that vaccines cause autism, yet many parents don't believe them. Can scientists bridge the gap between evidence and doubt
Mirroring everyday clinical practice in clinical trial design: a new concept to improve the external validity of randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials in the pharmacological treatment of major depression
Background: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials constitute the gold standard in clinical research when testing the efficacy of new psychopharmacological interventions in the treatment of major depression. However, the blinded use of placebo has been found to influence clinical trial outcomes and may bias patient
selection.
Discussion: To improve clinical trial design in major depression so as to reflect clinical practice more closely we propose to present patients with a balanced view of the benefits of study participation irrespective of their assignment to placebo or active treatment. In addition every participant should be given the option to finally
receive the active medication. A research agenda is outlined to evaluate the impact of the proposed changes on the efficacy of the drug to be evaluated and on the demographic and clinical characteristics of the enrollment fraction with regard to its representativeness of the eligible population.
Summary: We propose a list of measures to be taken to improve the external validity of double-blind, placebocontrolled trials in major depression. The recommended changes to clinical trial design may also be relevant for other psychiatric as well as medical disorders in which expectations regarding treatment outcome may affect the
outcome itself
R^4 counterterm and E7(7) symmetry in maximal supergravity
The coefficient of a potential R^4 counterterm in N=8 supergravity has been
shown previously to vanish in an explicit three-loop calculation. The R^4 term
respects N=8 supersymmetry; hence this result poses the question of whether
another symmetry could be responsible for the cancellation of the three-loop
divergence. In this article we investigate possible restrictions from the coset
symmetry E7(7)/SU(8), exploring the limits as a single scalar becomes soft, as
well as a double-soft scalar limit relation derived recently by Arkani-Hamed et
al. We implement these relations for the matrix elements of the R^4 term that
occurs in the low-energy expansion of closed-string tree-level amplitudes. We
find that the matrix elements of R^4 that we investigated all obey the
double-soft scalar limit relation, including certain
non-maximally-helicity-violating six-point amplitudes. However, the single-soft
limit does not vanish for this latter set of amplitudes, which suggests that
the E7(7) symmetry is broken by the R^4 term.Comment: 33 pages, typos corrected, published versio
Future Fitness of Female Insect Pests in Temporally Stable and Unstable Habitats and Its Impact on Habitat Utility as Refuges for Insect Resistance Management
The long-term fitness of individuals is examined in complex and temporally dynamic ecosystems. We call this multigeneration fitness measure “future fitness”. Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a polyphagous insect that feeds on many wild and cultivated hosts. While four generations of H. zea occur during the cropping season in the U.S. Mid Southern agroecosysem, the latter two generations were of most interest, as corn (which has been largely nontransgenic in the Mid-South) dominates the first two generations in the cropping system. In simulations of the evolution of resistance to Bt-transgenic crops, cotton refuge areas were found to be significantly more effective than similar soybean acreages at delaying the evolution of resistance. Cotton is a suitable host for H. zea during two late summer generations, while a soybean field is suitable for only one of these generations, therefore soybean fields of other maturity groups were simulated as being attractive during the alternative generation. A hypothetical soybean variety was tested in which a single field would be attractive over both generations and it was found to be significantly more effective at delaying resistance than simulated conventional soybean varieties. Finally, the placement of individuals emerging at the start of the 3rd (first without corn) generation was simulated in either refuge cotton, conventional soybean and the hypothetical long attractive soybean and the mean number of offspring produced was measured at the end of the season. Although females in conventional and long soybean crops had the same expected fecundity, because of differences in temporal stability of the two crops, the long soybean simulations had significantly more H. zea individuals at the end of the season than the conventional soybean simulations. These simulations demonstrate that the long-term fecundity associated with an individual is dependent not only on the fecundity of that individual in its current habitat, but also the temporal stability of habitats, the ecosystem at large and the likelihood that the individual's offspring will move into different habitats
The deuteron: structure and form factors
A brief review of the history of the discovery of the deuteron in provided.
The current status of both experiment and theory for the elastic electron
scattering is then presented.Comment: 80 pages, 33 figures, submited to Advances in Nuclear Physic
Light hadron, Charmonium(-like) and Bottomonium(-like) states
Hadron physics represents the study of strongly interacting matter in all its
manifestations and the understanding of its properties and interactions. The
interest on this field has been revitalized by the discovery of new light
hadrons, charmonium- and bottomonium-like states. I review the most recent
experimental results from different experiments.Comment: Presented at Lepton-Photon 2011, Mumbai, India; 21 pages, 18 figures;
add more references; some correctio
Appraisals, emotions and emotion regulation: An integrative approach
The present work aims to investigate the relation between appraisals, emotions, and emotion regulation strategies by creating a structural equation model which integrates these three aspects of the emotion process. To reach this aim, Italian students (N = 610) confronted with their high school diploma examination completed a questionnaire 3 weeks before the beginning of the exam. Results showed that they experienced primarily three types of emotions—anxiety/fear, frustration/powerlessness, positive emotions—which were related to specific appraisal profiles. Importantly, these appraisal profiles and emotions were associated with the use of different strategies for regulating emotions: anxiety/fear was associated with focusing on the exam, drug use, and an inability to distance oneself from the exam; frustration/powerlessness, with use of suppression, distancing, and drugs; positive emotion, with reappraisal and problem focused strategies. The effectiveness of these different strategies will be discussed
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