143 research outputs found
Capacitively-coupled rf discharge with a large amount of microparticles: spatiotemporal emission pattern and microparticle arrangement
The effect of micron-sized particles on a low-pressure capacitively-coupled
rf discharge is studied both experimentally and using numerical simulations. In
the laboratory experiments, microparticle clouds occupying a considerable
fraction of the discharge volume are supported against gravity with the help of
the thermophoretic force. The spatiotemporally resolved optical emission
measurements are performed with different arrangements of microparticles. The
numerical simulations are carried out on the basis of a one-dimensional hybrid
(fluid-kinetic) discharge model describing the interaction between plasma and
microparticles in a self-consistent way. The study is focused on the role of
microparticle arrangement in interpreting the spatiotemporal emission
measurements. We show that it is not possible to reproduce simultaneously the
observed microparticle arrangement and emission pattern in the framework of the
considered one-dimensional model. This disagreement is discussed and attributed
to two-dimensional effects, e.g., radial diffusion of the plasma components
Simulation of Quantum Magnetism in Mixed Spin Systems with Impurity Doped Ion Crystal
We propose the realization of linear crystals of cold ions which contain
different atomic species for investigating quantum phase transitions and
frustration effects in spin system beyond the commonly discussed case of
. Mutual spin-spin interactions between ions can be tailored via the
Zeeman effect by applying oscillating magnetic fields with strong gradients.
Further, collective vibrational modes in the mixed ion crystal can be used to
enhance and to vary the strength of spin-spin interactions and even to switch
those forces from a ferro- to an antiferromagnetic character. We consider the
behavior of the effective spin-spin couplings in an ion crystal of spin-1/2
ions doped with high magnetic moment ions with spin S=3. We analyze the ground
state phase diagram and find regions with different spin orders including
ferrimagnetic states. In the most simple non-trivial example we deal with a
linear Ca, Mn, Ca crystal with spins of \{1/2,3,1/2}. To
show the feasibility with current state-of-the-art experiments, we discuss how
quantum phases might be detected using a collective Stern-Gerlach effect of the
ion crystal and high resolution spectroscopy. Here, the state-dependent
laser-induced fluorescence of the indicator spin-1/2 ion, of species
Ca, reveals also the spin state of the simulator spin-3 ions,
Mn as this does not possess suitable levels for optical excitation
and detection.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure
The Lipopolysaccharide from Capnocytophaga canimorsus Reveals an Unexpected Role of the Core-Oligosaccharide in MD-2 Binding
Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a usual member of dog's mouths flora that causes rare but dramatic human infections after dog bites. We determined the structure of C. canimorsus lipid A. The main features are that it is penta-acylated and composed of a “hybrid backbone” lacking the 4′ phosphate and having a 1 phosphoethanolamine (P-Etn) at 2-amino-2-deoxy-d-glucose (GlcN). C. canimorsus LPS was 100 fold less endotoxic than Escherichia coli LPS. Surprisingly, C. canimorsus lipid A was 20,000 fold less endotoxic than the C. canimorsus lipid A-core. This represents the first example in which the core-oligosaccharide dramatically increases endotoxicity of a low endotoxic lipid A. The binding to human myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD-2) was dramatically increased upon presence of the LPS core on the lipid A, explaining the difference in endotoxicity. Interaction of MD-2, cluster of differentiation antigen 14 (CD14) or LPS-binding protein (LBP) with the negative charge in the 3-deoxy-d-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid (Kdo) of the core might be needed to form the MD-2 – lipid A complex in case the 4′ phosphate is not present
Quantum walks: a comprehensive review
Quantum walks, the quantum mechanical counterpart of classical random walks,
is an advanced tool for building quantum algorithms that has been recently
shown to constitute a universal model of quantum computation. Quantum walks is
now a solid field of research of quantum computation full of exciting open
problems for physicists, computer scientists, mathematicians and engineers.
In this paper we review theoretical advances on the foundations of both
discrete- and continuous-time quantum walks, together with the role that
randomness plays in quantum walks, the connections between the mathematical
models of coined discrete quantum walks and continuous quantum walks, the
quantumness of quantum walks, a summary of papers published on discrete quantum
walks and entanglement as well as a succinct review of experimental proposals
and realizations of discrete-time quantum walks. Furthermore, we have reviewed
several algorithms based on both discrete- and continuous-time quantum walks as
well as a most important result: the computational universality of both
continuous- and discrete- time quantum walks.Comment: Paper accepted for publication in Quantum Information Processing
Journa
Single-Spin Addressing in an Atomic Mott Insulator
Ultracold atoms in optical lattices are a versatile tool to investigate
fundamental properties of quantum many body systems. In particular, the high
degree of control of experimental parameters has allowed the study of many
interesting phenomena such as quantum phase transitions and quantum spin
dynamics. Here we demonstrate how such control can be extended down to the most
fundamental level of a single spin at a specific site of an optical lattice.
Using a tightly focussed laser beam together with a microwave field, we were
able to flip the spin of individual atoms in a Mott insulator with
sub-diffraction-limited resolution, well below the lattice spacing. The Mott
insulator provided us with a large two-dimensional array of perfectly arranged
atoms, in which we created arbitrary spin patterns by sequentially addressing
selected lattice sites after freezing out the atom distribution. We directly
monitored the tunnelling quantum dynamics of single atoms in the lattice
prepared along a single line and observed that our addressing scheme leaves the
atoms in the motional ground state. Our results open the path to a wide range
of novel applications from quantum dynamics of spin impurities, entropy
transport, implementation of novel cooling schemes, and engineering of quantum
many-body phases to quantum information processing.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Effects of the TLR2 Agonists MALP-2 and Pam3Cys in Isolated Mouse Lungs
Background: Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria are main causes of pneumonia or acute lung injury. They are recognized by the innate immune system via toll-like receptor-2 (TLR2) or TLR4, respectively. Among all organs, the lungs have the highest expression of TLR2 receptors, but little is known about the pulmonary consequences of their activation. Here we studied the effects of the TLR2/6 agonist MALP-2, the TLR2/1 agonist Pam 3Cys and the TLR4 agonist lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on pro-inflammatory responses in isolated lungs. Methodology/Principal Findings: Isolated perfused mouse lungs were perfused for 60 min or 180 min with MALP-2 (25 ng/ mL), Pam3Cys (160 ng/mL) or LPS (1 mg/mL). We studied mediator release by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the activation of mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and AKT/protein kinase B by immunoblotting, and gene induction by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. All agonists activated the MAPK ERK1/2 and p38, but neither JNK or AKT kinase. The TLR ligands upregulated the inflammation related genes Tnf, Il1b, Il6, Il10, Il12, Ifng, Cxcl2 (MIP-2a) and Ptgs2. MALP-2 was more potent than Pam 3Cys in inducing Slpi, Cxcl10 (IP10) and Parg. Remarkable was the strong induction of Tnc by MALP2, which was not seen with Pam 3Cys or LPS. The growth factor related genes Areg and Hbegf were not affected. In addition, all three TLR agonists stimulated the release of IL-6, TNF, CXCL2 and CXCL10 protein from the lungs
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