11,381 research outputs found
Heisenberg-picture approach to the evolution of the scalar fields in an expanding universe
We present the Heisenberg-picture approach to the quantum evolution of the
scalar fields in an expanding FRW universe which incorporates relatively simply
the initial quantum conditions such as the vacuum state, the thermal
equilibrium state, and the coherent state. We calculate the Wightman function,
two-point function, and correlation function of a massive scalar field. We find
the quantum evolution of fluctuations of a self-interacting field
perturbatively and discuss the renormalization of field equations.Comment: 15 pages, RevTeX, no figure
New Asymptotic Expanstion Method for the Wheeler-DeWitt Equation
A new asymptotic expansion method is developed to separate the Wheeler-DeWitt
equation into the time-dependent Schr\"{o}dinger equation for a matter field
and the Einstein-Hamilton-Jacobi equation for the gravitational field including
the quantum back-reaction of the matter field. In particular, the nonadiabatic
basis of the generalized invariant for the matter field Hamiltonian separates
the Wheeler-DeWitt equation completely in the asymptotic limit of
approaching infinity. The higher order quantum corrections of the gravity to
the matter field are found. The new asymptotic expansion method is valid
throughout all regions of superspace compared with other expansion methods with
a certain limited region of validity. We apply the new asymptotic expansion
method to the minimal FRW universe.Comment: 24 pages of Latex file, revte
Quantum field and uniformly accelerated oscillator
We present an exact treatment of the influences on a quantum scalar field in
its Minkowski vacuum state induced by coupling of the field to a uniformly
accelerated harmonic oscillator. We show that there are no radiation from the
oscillator in the point of view of a uniformly accelerating observer. On the
other hand, there are radiations in the point of view of an inertial observer.
It is shown that Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) like correlations of Rindler
particles in Minkowski vacuum states are modified by a phase factor in front of
the momentum-symmetric Rindler operators. The exact quantization of a
time-dependent oscillator coupled to a massless scalar field was given.Comment: 28 pages, LaTe
Dll4 Suppresses Transcytosis for Arterial Blood-Retinal Barrier Homeostasis
Rationale: Central nervous system has low vascular permeability by organizing tight junction (TJ) and limiting endothelial transcytosis. While TJ has long been considered to be responsible for vascular barrier in central nervous system, suppressed transcytosis in endothelial cells is now emerging as a complementary mechanism. Whether transcytosis regulation is independent of TJ and its dysregulation dominantly causes diseases associated with edema remain elusive. Dll4 signaling is important for various vascular contexts, but its role in the maintenance of vascular barrier in central nervous system remains unknown. /
Objective: To find a TJ-independent regulatory mechanism selective for transcytosis and identify its dysregulation as a cause of pathological leakage. /
Methods and Results: We studied transcytosis in the adult mouse retina with low vascular permeability and employed a hypertension-induced retinal edema model for its pathological implication. Both antibody-based and genetic inactivation of Dll4 or Notch1 induce hyperpermeability by increasing transcytosis without junctional destabilization in arterial endothelial cells, leading to nonhemorrhagic leakage predominantly in the superficial retinal layer. Endothelial Sox17 deletion represses Dll4 in retinal arteries, phenocopying Dll4 blocking-driven vascular leakage. Ang II (angiotensin II)–induced hypertension represses arterial Sox17 and Dll4, followed by transcytosis-driven retinal edema, which is rescued by a gain of Notch activity. Transcriptomic profiling of retinal endothelial cells suggests that Dll4 blocking activates SREBP1 (sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1)-mediated lipogenic transcription and enriches gene sets favorable for caveolae formation. Profiling also predicts the activation of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) signaling by Dll4 blockade. Inhibition of SREBP1 or VEGF-VEGFR2 (VEGF receptor 2) signaling attenuates both Dll4 blockade–driven and hypertension-induced retinal leakage. /
Conclusions: In the retina, Sox17-Dll4-SREBP1 signaling axis controls transcytosis independently of TJ in superficial arteries among heterogeneous regulations for the whole vessels. Uncontrolled transcytosis via dysregulated Dll4 underlies pathological leakage in hypertensive retina and could be a therapeutic target for treating hypertension-associated retinal edema
Phase diagram of a Disordered Boson Hubbard Model in Two Dimensions
We study the zero-temperature phase transition of a two-dimensional
disordered boson Hubbard model. The phase diagram of this model is constructed
in terms of the disorder strength and the chemical potential. Via quantum Monte
Carlo simulations, we find a multicritical line separating the weak-disorder
regime, where a random potential is irrelevant, from the strong-disorder
regime. In the weak-disorder regime, the Mott-insulator-to-superfluid
transition occurs, while, in the strong-disorder regime, the
Bose-glass-to-superfluid transition occurs. On the multicritical line, the
insulator-to-superfluid transition has the dynamical critical exponent and the correlation length critical exponent ,
that are different from the values for the transitions off the line. We suggest
that the proliferation of the particle-hole pairs screens out the weak disorder
effects.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in PR
Finite Temperature Aging Holography
We construct the gravity background which describes the dual field theory
with aging invariance. We choose the decay modes of the bulk scalar field in
the internal spectator direction to obtain the dissipative behavior of the
boundary correlation functions of the dual scalar fields. In particular, the
two-time correlation function at zero temperature has the characteristic
features of the aging system: power law decay, broken time translation and
dynamical scaling. We also construct the black hole backgrounds with asymptotic
aging invariance. We extensively study characteristic behavior of the finite
temperature two-point correlation function via analytic and numerical methods.Comment: 38 pages and 5 figures, expanded discussions on correlator, one
mistake is fixed, modified discussion on shear viscosity, to appear in JHE
A Systematic Analysis of the Exclusive B -> K^* l^+ l^- Decay
A model-independent analysis for the exclusive, rare B -> K^* l^+ l^- decay
is presented. Systematically studied are the experimentally measured
quantities, such as, branching ratio, forward-backward asymmetry, longitudinal
polarization of the final leptons, and the ratio of the
decay widths when meson is longitudinally and transversally polarized.
The dependence of the asymmetry parameter on
the new Wilson coefficients is also studied in detail. It is found that the
afore-mentioned physical observables are quite sensitive to the new Wilson
coefficients. Therefore, once we have the experimental data with high
statistics and a deviation from the Standard Model, we can interpret the source
of such discrepancy.Comment: To be published in PRD (2000
Mesoscopic Fano Effect in a Quantum Dot Embedded in an Aharonov-Bohm Ring
The Fano effect, which occurs through the quantum-mechanical cooperation
between resonance and interference, can be observed in electron transport
through a hybrid system of a quantum dot and an Aharonov-Bohm ring. While a
clear correlation appears between the height of the Coulomb peak and the real
asymmetric parameter for the corresponding Fano lineshape, we need to
introduce a complex to describe the variation of the lineshape by the
magnetic and electrostatic fields. The present analysis demonstrates that the
Fano effect with complex asymmetric parameters provides a good probe to detect
a quantum-mechanical phase of traversing electrons.Comment: REVTEX, 9 pages including 8 figure
Gradient microfluidics enables rapid bacterial growth inhibition testing
Bacterial growth inhibition tests have become a standard measure of the adverse effects of inhibitors for a wide range of applications, such as toxicity testing in the medical and environmental sciences. However, conventional well-plate formats for these tests are laborious and provide limited information (often being restricted to an end-point assay). In this study, we have developed a microfluidic system that enables fast quantification of the effect of an inhibitor on bacteria growth and survival, within a single experiment. This format offers a unique combination of advantages, including long-term continuous flow culture, generation of concentration gradients, and single cell morphology tracking. Using Escherichia coli and the inhibitor amoxicillin as one model system, we show excellent agreement between an on-chip single cell-based assay and conventional methods to obtain quantitative measures of antibiotic inhibition (for example, minimum inhibition concentration). Furthermore, we show that our methods can provide additional information, over and above that of the standard well-plate assay, including kinetic information on growth inhibition and measurements of bacterial morphological dynamics over a wide range of inhibitor concentrations. Finally, using a second model system, we show that this chip-based systems does not require the bacteria to be labeled and is well suited for the study of naturally occurring species. We illustrate this using Nitrosomonas europaea, an environmentally important bacteria, and show that the chip system can lead to a significant reduction in the period required for growth and inhibition measurements (<4 days, compared to weeks in a culture flask)
First Measurement of the Branching Fraction of the Decay psi(2S) --> tau tau
The branching fraction of the psi(2S) decay into tau pair has been measured
for the first time using the BES detector at the Beijing Electron-Positron
Collider. The result is ,
where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic. This value,
along with those for the branching fractions into e+e- and mu+mu of this
resonance, satisfy well the relation predicted by the sequential lepton
hypothesis. Combining all these values with the leptonic width of the resonance
the total width of the psi(2S) is determined to be keV.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure
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