Gapless topological Fulde-Ferrell superfluidity induced by in-plane Zeeman field

Topological superfluids are recently discovered quantum matters that host topologically protected gapless edge states known as Majorana fermions - exotic quantum particles that act as their own anti-particles and obey non-Abelian statistics. Their realizations are believed to lie at the heart of future technologies such as fault-tolerant quantum computation. To date, the most efficient scheme to create topological superfluids and Majorana fermions is based on the Sau-Lutchyn-Tewari-Das Sarma model with a Rashba-type spin-orbit coupling on the }\textbf{\textit{x-y}}\textbf{ plane and a large out-of-plane (perpendicular) Zeeman field along the }\textbf{\textit{z}}\textbf{-direction. Here we propose an alternative setup, where the topological superfluid phase is driven by applying an in-plane Zeeman field. This scheme offers a number of new features, notably Cooper pairings at finite centre-of-mass momentum (i.e., Fulde-Ferrell pairing) and gapless excitations in the bulk. As a result, a novel gapless topological quantum matter with inhomogeneous pairing order parameter appears. It features unidirected Majorana surface states at boundaries, which propagate in the same direction and connect two Weyl nodes in the bulk. We demonstrate the emergence of such an exotic topological matter and the associated Majorana fermions in spin-orbit coupled atomic Fermi gases and determine its parameter space. The implementation of our scheme in semiconductor/superconductor heterostructures is briefly discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Quantum fluctuations in the BCS-BEC crossover of two-dimensional Fermi gases

We present a theoretical study of the ground state of the BCS-BEC crossover in dilute two-dimensional Fermi gases. While the mean-field theory provides a simple and analytical equation of state, the pressure is equal to that of a noninteracting Fermi gas in the entire BCS-BEC crossover, which is not consistent with the features of a weakly interacting Bose condensate in the BEC limit and a weakly interacting Fermi liquid in the BCS limit. The inadequacy of the 2D mean-field theory indicates that the quantum fluctuations are much more pronounced than those in 3D. In this work, we show that the inclusion of the Gaussian quantum fluctuations naturally recovers the above features in both the BEC and the BCS limits. In the BEC limit, the missing logarithmic dependence on the boson chemical potential is recovered by the quantum fluctuations. Near the quantum phase transition from the vacuum to the BEC phase, we compare our equation of state with the known grand canonical equation of state of 2D Bose gases and determine the ratio of the composite boson scattering length $a_{\rm B}$ to the fermion scattering length $a_{\rm 2D}$. We find $a_{\rm B}\simeq 0.56 a_{\rm 2D}$, in good agreement with the exact four-body calculation. We compare our equation of state in the BCS-BEC crossover with recent results from the quantum Monte Carlo simulations and the experimental measurements and find good agreements.Comment: Published versio

Superfluid density and Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition of a spin-orbit coupled Fulde-Ferrell superfluid

We theoretically investigate the superfluid density and Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition of a two-dimensional Rashba spin-orbit coupled atomic Fermi gas with both in-plane and out-of-plane Zeeman fields. It was recently predicted that, by tuning the two Zeeman fields, the system may exhibit different exotic Fulde-Ferrell (FF) superfluid phases, including the gapped FF, gapless FF, gapless topological FF and gapped topological FF states. Due to the FF paring, we show that the superfluid density (tensor) of the system becomes anisotropic. When an in-plane Zeeman field is applied along the \textit{x}-direction, the tensor component along the \textit{y}-direction $n_{s,yy}$ is generally larger than $n_{s,xx}$ in most parameter space. At zero temperature, there is always a discontinuity jump in $n_{s,xx}$ as the system evolves from a gapped FF into a gapless FF state. With increasing temperature, such a jump is gradually washed out. The critical BKT temperature has been calculated as functions of the spin-orbit coupling strength, interatomic interaction strength, in-plane and out-of-plane Zeeman fields. We predict that the novel FF superfluid phases have a significant critical BKT temperature, typically at the order of $0.1T_{F}$, where $T_{F}$ is the Fermi degenerate temperature. Therefore, their observation is within the reach of current experimental techniques in cold-atom laboratories.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure

Gapless topological Fulde-Ferrell superfluidity in spin-orbit coupled Fermi gases

Topological superfluids usually refer to a superfluid state which is gapped in the bulk but metallic at the boundary. Here we report that a gapless, topologically non-trivial superfluid with inhomogeneous Fulde-Ferrell pairing order parameter can emerge in a two-dimensional spin-orbit coupled Fermi gas, in the presence of both in-plane and out-of-plane Zeeman fields. The Fulde-Ferrell pairing - induced by the spin-orbit coupling and in-plane Zeeman field - is responsible for this gapless feature. This exotic superfluid has a significant Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition temperature and has robust Majorana edge modes against disorder owing to its topological nature.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures; add the results on the critical BKT temperature and superfluid density, as well as the discussion on the robustness of the chiral edge states against disorde

Development and evaluation of a prototype non-woven fabric filter for purification of malaria-infected blood

BACKGROUND: Many malaria-related studies depend on infected red blood cells (iRBCs) as fundamental material; however, infected blood samples from human or animal models include leukocytes (white blood cells or WBCs), especially difficult to separate from iRBCs in cases involving Plasmodium vivax. These host WBCs are a source of contamination in biology, immunology and molecular biology studies, requiring their removal. Non-woven fabric (NWF) has the ability to adsorb leukocytes and is already used as filtration material to deplete WBCs for blood transfusion and surgery. The present study describes the development and evaluation of a prototype NWF filter designed for purifying iRBCs from malaria-infected blood. METHODS: Blood samples of P. vivax patients were processed separately by NWF filter and CF11 column methods. WBCs and RBCs were counted, parasite density, morphology and developing stage was checked by microscopy, and compared before and after treatment. The viability of filtrated P. vivax parasites was examined by in vitro short-term cultivation. RESULTS: A total of 15 P. vivax-infected blood samples were treated by both NWF filter and CF11 methods. The WBC removal rate of the NWF filter method was 99.03%, significantly higher than the CF11 methods (98.41%, P < 0.01). The RBC recovery rate of the NWF filter method was 95.48%, also significantly higher than the CF11 method (87.05%, P < 0.01). Fourteen in vitro short-term culture results showed that after filter treatment, P. vivax parasite could develop as normal as CF11 method, and no obvious density, developing stage difference were fund between two methods. CONCLUSIONS: NWF filter filtration removed most leukocytes from malaria-infected blood, and the recovery rate of RBCs was higher than with CF11 column method. Filtrated P. vivax parasites were morphologically normal, viable, and suitable for short-term in vitro culture. NWF filter filtration is simple, fast and robust, and is ideal for purification of malaria-infected blood

Deep Learning with Passive Optical Nonlinear Mapping

Deep learning has fundamentally transformed artificial intelligence, but the ever-increasing complexity in deep learning models calls for specialized hardware accelerators. Optical accelerators can potentially offer enhanced performance, scalability, and energy efficiency. However, achieving nonlinear mapping, a critical component of neural networks, remains challenging optically. Here, we introduce a design that leverages multiple scattering in a reverberating cavity to passively induce optical nonlinear random mapping, without the need for additional laser power. A key advantage emerging from our work is that we show we can perform optical data compression, facilitated by multiple scattering in the cavity, to efficiently compress and retain vital information while also decreasing data dimensionality. This allows rapid optical information processing and generation of low dimensional mixtures of highly nonlinear features. These are particularly useful for applications demanding high-speed analysis and responses such as in edge computing devices. Utilizing rapid optical information processing capabilities, our optical platforms could potentially offer more efficient and real-time processing solutions for a broad range of applications. We demonstrate the efficacy of our design in improving computational performance across tasks, including classification, image reconstruction, key-point detection, and object detection, all achieved through optical data compression combined with a digital decoder. Notably, we observed high performance, at an extreme compression ratio, for real-time pedestrian detection. Our findings pave the way for novel algorithms and architectural designs for optical computing.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure

Progress in application of peritoneal lavage fluid circulating tumor DNA to predicting peritoneal metastasis of gastrointestinal cancer

Peritoneal metastasis is one of the important causes of death in patients with gastrointestinal cancer and is also a difficult point in clinical diagnosis and treatment. How to predict the occurrence of peritoneal metastasis in patients with high-risk factors, advance the threshold of diagnosis and treatment before the occurrence of peritoneal metastasis, and improve the survival benefit of patients is an unsolved problem in clinical work. In the case of low positive rate of cytology and difficulty in diagnosing occult peritoneal metastasis, new molecular markers and detection techniques for early diagnosis of peritoneal metastasis need to be verified. Peritoneal lavage fluid has the characteristics of less leukocyte-derived cell-free DNA interference, higher concentration of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and direct contact with the primary lesion or potential peritoneal metastasis at physical distance, making it a unique advantage in gastrointestinal cancer. At present, the detection methods of ctDNA in peritoneal lavage fluid include digital PCR, epigenetic-based analysis, and next-generation sequencing. With the iteration of technology, the application of next-generation sequencing and personalized panels to ctDNA detection has not only shown great potential in predicting postoperative peritoneal metastasis, but also promoted the idea of preventive escalation treatment of peritoneal metastasis. This article reviews the current application of ctDNA to peritoneal lavage fluid in predicting peritoneal metastasis of gastrointestinal cancer

Safety and efficacy of etomidate and propofol anesthesia in elderly patients undergoing gastroscopy: A double-blind randomized clinical study

The aim of the present study is to compare the safety, efficacy and cost effectiveness of anesthetic regimens by compound, using etomidate and propofol in elderly patients undergoing gastroscopy. A total of 200 volunteers (65–79 years of age) scheduled for gastroscopy under anesthesia were randomly divided into the following groups: P, propofol (1.5–2.0 mg/kg); E, etomidate (0.15-0.2 mg/kg); P+E, propofol (0.75–1 mg/kg) followed by etomidate (0.075-0.1 mg/kg); and E+P, etomidate (0.075-0.01 mg/kg) followed by propofol (0.75–1 mg/kg). Vital signs and bispectral index were monitored at different time points. Complications, induction and examination time, anesthesia duration, and recovery and discharge time were recorded. At the end of the procedure, the satisfaction of patients, endoscopists and the anesthetist were evaluated. The recovery (6.1±1.2 h) and discharge times (24.8±2.8 h) in group E were significantly longer compared with groups P, P+E and E+P (P<0.05). The occurrence of injection pain in group P+E was significantly higher compared with the other three groups (P<0.05). In addition, the incidence of myoclonus and post-operative nausea and vomiting were significantly higher in group P+E compared with the other three groups (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference among the four groups with regards to the patients' immediate, post-procedure satisfaction (P>0.05). Furthermore, there was no difference in the satisfaction of anesthesia, as evaluated by the anesthetist and endoscopist, among the four groups (P>0.05). The present study demonstrates that anesthesia for gastroscopy in elderly patients can be safely and effectively accomplished using a drug regimen that combines propofol with etomidate. The combined use of propofol and etomidate has unique characteristics which improve hemodynamic stability, cause minimal respiratory depression and less side effects, provide rapid return to full activity and result in high levels of satisfaction

Surface-Based Regional Homogeneity in First-Episode, Drug-Naive Major Depression: A Resting-State fMRI Study

Background. Previous volume-based regional homogeneity (ReHo) studies neglected the intersubject variability in cortical folding patterns. Recently, surface-based ReHo was developed to reduce the intersubject variability and to increase statistical power. The present study used this novel surface-based ReHo approach to explore the brain functional activity differences between first-episode, drug-naive MDD patients and healthy controls. Methods. Thirty-three first-episode, drug-naive MDD patients and 32 healthy controls participated in structural and resting-state fMRI scans. MDD patients were rated with a 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression prior to the scan. Results. In comparison with the healthy controls, MDD patients showed reduced surface-based ReHo in the left insula. There was no increase in surface-based ReHo in MDD patients. The surface-based ReHo value in the left insula was not significantly correlated with the clinical information or the depressive scores in the MDD group. Conclusions. The decreased surface-based ReHo in the left insula in MDD may lead to the abnormal top-down cortical-limbic regulation of emotional and cognitive information. The surface-based ReHo may be a useful index to explore the pathophysiological mechanism of MDD.</p