414 research outputs found
Quantum phase transition to unconventional multi-orbital superfluidity in optical lattices
Orbital physics plays a significant role for a vast number of important
phenomena in complex condensed matter systems such as high-T
superconductivity and unconventional magnetism. In contrast, phenomena in
superfluids -- especially in ultracold quantum gases -- are commonly well
described by the lowest orbital and a real order parameter. Here, we report on
the observation of a novel multi-orbital superfluid phase with a {\it complex}
order parameter in binary spin mixtures. In this unconventional superfluid, the
local phase angle of the complex order parameter is continuously twisted
between neighboring lattice sites. The nature of this twisted superfluid
quantum phase is an interaction-induced admixture of the p-orbital favored by
the graphene-like band structure of the hexagonal optical lattice used in the
experiment. We observe a second-order quantum phase transition between the
normal superfluid (NSF) and the twisted superfluid phase (TSF) which is
accompanied by a symmetry breaking in momentum space. The experimental results
are consistent with calculated phase diagrams and reveal fundamentally new
aspects of orbital superfluidity in quantum gas mixtures. Our studies might
bridge the gap between conventional superfluidity and complex phenomena of
orbital physics.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
The effects of suppressing inflammation by tofacitinib may simultaneously improve glycaemic parameters and inflammatory markers in rheumatoid arthritis patients with comorbid type 2 diabetes: a proof-of-concept, open, prospective, clinical study
Background: A consistent connection has been increasingly reported between rheumatoid arthritis (RA), insulin resistance (IR), and type 2 diabetes (T2D). The β-cell apoptosis induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines, which could be exaggerated in the context of RA, is associated with increased expression pro-apoptotic proteins, which is dependent on JAnus Kinase/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (JAK/STAT) activation. On these bases, we aimed to evaluate if the administration of tofacitinib, a potent and selective JAK inhibitor, could simultaneously improve glycaemic parameters and inflammatory markers in patients with RA and comorbid T2D. Methods: The primary endpoint was the change in the 1998-updated homeostatic model assessment of IR (HOMA2-IR) after 6 months of treatment with tofacitinib in RA patients with T2D. Consecutive RA patients with T2D diagnosis were included in this proof-of-concept, open, prospective, clinical study, which was planned before the recent emergence of safety signals about tofacitinib. Additional endpoints were also assessed regarding RA disease activity and metabolic parameters. Results: Forty consecutive RA patients with T2D were included (female sex 68.9%, mean age of 63.4 ± 9.9 years). During 6-month follow-up, a progressive reduction of HOMA2-IR was observed in RA patients with T2D treated with tofacitinib. Specifically, a significant effect of tofacitinib was shown on the overall reduction of HOMA2-IR (β = − 1.1, p = 0.019, 95%CI − 1.5 to − 0.76). Also, HOMA2-β enhanced in these patients highlighting an improvement of insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, although a longer follow-up is required, a trend in glycated haemoglobin reduction was also recorded. The administration of tofacitinib induced an improvement in RA disease activity, and a significant reduction of DAS28-CRP and SDAI was observed; 76.8% of patients achieved a good clinical response. In this study, no major adverse events (AEs) were retrieved without the identification of new safety signals. Specifically, no life-threatening AEs and cardiovascular and/or thromboembolic events were recorded. Conclusions: The administration of tofacitinib in RA with T2D led to a simultaneous improvement of IR and inflammatory disease activity, inducing a “bidirectional” benefit in these patients. However, further specific designed and powered studies are warranted to entirely evaluate the metabolic effects of tofacitinib in RA patients with T2D
Creating, moving and merging Dirac points with a Fermi gas in a tunable honeycomb lattice
Dirac points lie at the heart of many fascinating phenomena in condensed
matter physics, from massless electrons in graphene to the emergence of
conducting edge states in topological insulators [1, 2]. At a Dirac point, two
energy bands intersect linearly and the particles behave as relativistic Dirac
fermions. In solids, the rigid structure of the material sets the mass and
velocity of the particles, as well as their interactions. A different, highly
flexible approach is to create model systems using fermionic atoms trapped in
the periodic potential of interfering laser beams, a method which so far has
only been applied to explore simple lattice structures [3, 4]. Here we report
on the creation of Dirac points with adjustable properties in a tunable
honeycomb optical lattice. Using momentum-resolved interband transitions, we
observe a minimum band gap inside the Brillouin zone at the position of the
Dirac points. We exploit the unique tunability of our lattice potential to
adjust the effective mass of the Dirac fermions by breaking inversion symmetry.
Moreover, changing the lattice anisotropy allows us to move the position of the
Dirac points inside the Brillouin zone. When increasing the anisotropy beyond a
critical limit, the two Dirac points merge and annihilate each other - a
situation which has recently attracted considerable theoretical interest [5-9],
but seems extremely challenging to observe in solids [10]. We map out this
topological transition in lattice parameter space and find excellent agreement
with ab initio calculations. Our results not only pave the way to model
materials where the topology of the band structure plays a crucial role, but
also provide an avenue to explore many-body phases resulting from the interplay
of complex lattice geometries with interactions [11, 12]
Topological orbital ladders
We unveil a topological phase of interacting fermions on a two-leg ladder of
unequal parity orbitals, derived from the experimentally realized double-well
lattices by dimension reduction. topological invariant originates simply
from the staggered phases of -orbital quantum tunneling, requiring none of
the previously known mechanisms such as spin-orbit coupling or artificial gauge
field. Another unique feature is that upon crossing over to two dimensions with
coupled ladders, the edge modes from each ladder form a parity-protected flat
band at zero energy, opening the route to strongly correlated states controlled
by interactions. Experimental signatures are found in density correlations and
phase transitions to trivial band and Mott insulators.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, Revised title, abstract, and the discussion on
Majorana numbe
RELEASE (REdressing Long-tErm Antidepressant uSE): protocol for a 3-arm pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial effectiveness-implementation hybrid type-1 in general practice
BACKGROUND: Many people experience withdrawal symptoms when they attempt to stop antidepressants. Withdrawal symptoms are readily misconstrued for relapse or ongoing need for medication, contributing to long-term use (> 12 months). Long-term antidepressant use is increasing internationally yet is not recommended for most people. Long-term use is associated with adverse effects including weight gain, sexual dysfunction, lethargy, emotional numbing and increased risk of falls and fractures. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of two multi-strategy interventions (RELEASE and RELEASE+) in supporting the safe cessation of long-term antidepressants, estimate cost-effectiveness, and evaluate implementation strategies. METHODS: DESIGN: 3-arm pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial effectiveness-implementation hybrid type-1. SETTING: primary care general practices in southeast Queensland, Australia. POPULATION: adults 18 years or older taking antidepressants for longer than 1 year. Practices will be randomised on a 1.5:1:1 ratio of Usual care:RELEASE:RELEASE+. INTERVENTION: RELEASE for patients includes evidence-based information and resources and an invitation to medication review; RELEASE for GPs includes education, training and printable resources via practice management software. RELEASE+ includes additional internet support for patients and prescribing support including audit and feedback for GPs. OUTCOME MEASURES: the primary outcome is antidepressant use at 12 months self-reported by patients. Cessation is defined as 0 mg antidepressant maintained for at least 2 weeks. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: at 6 and 12 months are health-related quality of life, antidepressant side effects, well-being, withdrawal symptoms, emotional numbing, beliefs about antidepressants, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms; and at 12 months 75% reduction in antidepressant dose; aggregated practice level antidepressant prescribing, and health service utilisation for costs. SAMPLE SIZE: 653 patients from 28 practices. A concurrent evaluation of implementation will be through mixed methods including interviews with up to 40 patients and primary care general practitioners, brief e-surveys, and study administrative data to assess implementation outcomes (adoption and fidelity). DISCUSSION: The RELEASE study will develop new knowledge applicable internationally on the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and implementation of two multi-strategy interventions in supporting the safe cessation of long-term antidepressants to improve primary health care and outcomes for patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ANZCTR, ACTRN12622001379707p. Registered on 27 October 2022
Modified spin-wave theory with ordering vector optimization I: frustrated bosons on the spatially anisotropic triangular lattice
We investigate a system of frustrated hardcore bosons, modeled by an XY
antiferromagnet on the spatially anisotropic triangular lattice, using
Takahashi's modified spin-wave (MSW) theory. In particular we implement
ordering vector optimization on the ordered reference state of MSW theory,
which leads to significant improvement of the theory and accounts for quantum
corrections to the classically ordered state. The MSW results at zero
temperature compare favorably to exact diagonalization (ED) and projected
entangled-pair state (PEPS) calculations. The resulting zero-temperature phase
diagram includes a 1D quasi-ordered phase, a 2D Neel ordered phase, and a 2D
spiraling ordered phase. We have strong indications that the various ordered or
quasi-ordered phases are separated by spin-liquid phases with short-range
correlations, in analogy to what has been predicted for the Heisenberg model on
the same lattice. Within MSW theory we also explore the finite-temperature
phase diagram. We find that the zero-temperature long-range-ordered phases turn
into quasi-ordered phases (up to a Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless
temperature), while zero-temperature quasi-ordered phases become short-range
correlated at finite temperature. These results show that modified spin-wave
theory is very well suited for describing ordered and quasi-ordered phases of
frustrated XY spins (or, equivalently, of frustrated lattice bosons) both at
zero and finite temperatures. While MSW theory, just as other theoretical
methods, cannot describe spin-liquid phases, its breakdown provides a fast
method for singling out Hamiltonians which may feature these intriguing quantum
phases. We thus suggest a tool for guiding our search for interesting systems
whose properties are necessarily studied with a physical quantum simulator.Comment: 40 pages, 16 figure
Topological phase transitions in the non-Abelian honeycomb lattice
Ultracold Fermi gases trapped in honeycomb optical lattices provide an
intriguing scenario, where relativistic quantum electrodynamics can be tested.
Here, we generalize this system to non-Abelian quantum electrodynamics, where
massless Dirac fermions interact with effective non-Abelian gauge fields. We
show how in this setup a variety of topological phase transitions occur, which
arise due to massless fermion pair production events, as well as pair
annihilation events of two kinds: spontaneous and strongly-interacting induced.
Moreover, such phase transitions can be controlled and characterized in optical
lattice experiments.Comment: RevTex4 file, color figure
Artificial graphene as a tunable Dirac material
Artificial honeycomb lattices offer a tunable platform to study massless
Dirac quasiparticles and their topological and correlated phases. Here we
review recent progress in the design and fabrication of such synthetic
structures focusing on nanopatterning of two-dimensional electron gases in
semiconductors, molecule-by-molecule assembly by scanning probe methods, and
optical trapping of ultracold atoms in crystals of light. We also discuss
photonic crystals with Dirac cone dispersion and topologically protected edge
states. We emphasize how the interplay between single-particle band structure
engineering and cooperative effects leads to spectacular manifestations in
tunneling and optical spectroscopies.Comment: Review article, 14 pages, 5 figures, 112 Reference
- …