Single-photon optomechanics in the strong coupling regime

We give a theoretical description of a coherently driven opto-mechanical system with a single added photon. The photon source is modeled as a cavity which initially contains one photon and which is irreversibly coupled to the opto-mechanical system. We show that the probability for the additional photon to be emitted by the opto-mechanical cavity will exhibit oscillations under a Lorentzian envelope, when the driven interaction with the mechanical resonator is strong enough. Our scheme provides a feasible route towards quantum state transfer between optical photons and micromechanical resonators.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure

Neural precursors of future liking and affective reciprocity

Why do certain group members end up liking each other more than others? How does affective reciprocity arise in human groups? The prediction of interpersonal sentiment has been a long-standing pursuit in the social sciences. We combined fMRI and longitudinal social network data to test whether newly acquainted group members’ reward-related neural responses to images of one another’s faces predict their future interpersonal sentiment, even many months later. Specifically, we analyze associations between relationship-specific valuation activity and relationship-specific future liking. We found that one’s own future (T2) liking of a particular group member is predicted jointly by actor’s initial (T1) neural valuation of partner and by that partner’s initial (T1) neural valuation of actor. These actor and partner effects exhibited equivalent predictive strength and were robust when statistically controlling for each other, both individuals’ initial liking, and other potential drivers of liking. Behavioral findings indicated that liking was initially unreciprocated at T1 yet became strongly reciprocated by T2. The emergence of affective reciprocity was partly explained by the reciprocal pathways linking dyad members’ T1 neural data both to their own and to each other’s T2 liking outcomes. These findings elucidate interpersonal brain mechanisms that define how we ultimately end up liking particular interaction partners, how group members’ initially idiosyncratic sentiments become reciprocated, and more broadly, how dyads evolve. This study advances a flexible framework for researching the neural foundations of interpersonal sentiments and social relations that—conceptually, methodologically, and statistically—emphasizes group members’ neural interdependence

A microchip optomechanical accelerometer

The monitoring of accelerations is essential for a variety of applications ranging from inertial navigation to consumer electronics. The basic operation principle of an accelerometer is to measure the displacement of a flexibly mounted test mass; sensitive displacement measurement can be realized using capacitive, piezo-electric, tunnel-current, or optical methods. While optical readout provides superior displacement resolution and resilience to electromagnetic interference, current optical accelerometers either do not allow for chip-scale integration or require bulky test masses. Here we demonstrate an optomechanical accelerometer that employs ultra-sensitive all-optical displacement read-out using a planar photonic crystal cavity monolithically integrated with a nano-tethered test mass of high mechanical Q-factor. This device architecture allows for full on-chip integration and achieves a broadband acceleration resolution of 10 \mu g/rt-Hz, a bandwidth greater than 20 kHz, and a dynamic range of 50 dB with sub-milliwatt optical power requirements. Moreover, the nano-gram test masses used here allow for optomechanical back-action in the form of cooling or the optical spring effect, setting the stage for a new class of motional sensors.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure

Pch2 Links Chromosome Axis Remodeling at Future Crossover Sites and Crossover Distribution during Yeast Meiosis

Segregation of homologous chromosomes during meiosis I depends on appropriately positioned crossovers/chiasmata. Crossover assurance ensures at least one crossover per homolog pair, while interference reduces double crossovers. Here, we have investigated the interplay between chromosome axis morphogenesis and non-random crossover placement. We demonstrate that chromosome axes are structurally modified at future crossover sites as indicated by correspondence between crossover designation marker Zip3 and domains enriched for axis ensemble Hop1/Red1. This association is first detected at the zygotene stage, persists until double Holliday junction resolution, and is controlled by the conserved AAA+ ATPase Pch2. Pch2 further mediates crossover interference, although it is dispensable for crossover formation at normal levels. Thus, interference appears to be superimposed on underlying mechanisms of crossover formation. When recombination-initiating DSBs are reduced, Pch2 is also required for viable spore formation, consistent with further functions in chiasma formation. pch2Δ mutant defects in crossover interference and spore viability at reduced DSB levels are oppositely modulated by temperature, suggesting contributions of two separable pathways to crossover control. Roles of Pch2 in controlling both chromosome axis morphogenesis and crossover placement suggest linkage between these processes. Pch2 is proposed to reorganize chromosome axes into a tiling array of long-range crossover control modules, resulting in chiasma formation at minimum levels and with maximum spacing

Regionally Distinct N -Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptors Distinguished by Quantitative Autoradiography of [ 3 H]MK-801 Binding in Rat Brain

Quantitative autoradiography of [ 3 H]MK-801 binding was used to characterize regional differences in N -methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor pharmacology in rat CNS. Regionally distinct populations of NMDA receptors were distinguished on the basis of regulation of [ 3 H]MK-801 binding by the NMDA antagonist 3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)-propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP). CPP inhibited [ 3 H]MK-801 binding in outer cortex (OC) and medial cortex (MC) with apparent K i values of 0.32-0.48 Μ M , whereas in the medial striatum (MS), lateral striatum (LS), CA1, and dentate gyrus (DG) of hippocampus, apparent K i values were 1.1-1.6 Μ M . In medial thalamus (MT) and lateral thalamus (LT) the apparent K i values were 0.78 Μ M . In the presence of added glutamate (3 Μ M ), the relative differences in apparent K i values between regions maintained a similar relationship with the exception of the OC. Inhibition of [ 3 H]MK-801 binding by the glycine site antagonist 7-chlorokynurenic acid (7-ClKyn) distinguished at least two populations of NMDA receptors that differed from populations defined by CPP displacement. 7-ClKyn inhibited [ 3 H]MK-801 binding in OC, MC, MS, and LS with apparent K i values of 6.3-8.6 Μ M , whereas in CA1, DG, LT, and MT, K i values were 11.4-13.6 Μ M . In the presence of added glycine (1 Μ M ), the relative differences in apparent K i values were maintained. Under conditions of differential receptor activation, regional differences in NMDA receptor pharmacology can be detected using [ 3 H]MK-801 binding.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65616/1/j.1471-4159.1993.tb03295.x.pd

Observation of Spontaneous Brillouin Cooling

While radiation-pressure cooling is well known, the Brillouin scattering of light from sound is considered an acousto-optical amplification-only process. It was suggested that cooling could be possible in multi-resonance Brillouin systems when phonons experience lower damping than light. However, this regime was not accessible in traditional Brillouin systems since backscattering enforces high acoustical frequencies associated with high mechanical damping. Recently, forward Brillouin scattering in microcavities has allowed access to low-frequency acoustical modes where mechanical dissipation is lower than optical dissipation, in accordance with the requirements for cooling. Here we experimentally demonstrate cooling via such a forward Brillouin process in a microresonator. We show two regimes of operation for the Brillouin process: acoustical amplification as is traditional, but also for the first time, a Brillouin cooling regime. Cooling is mediated by an optical pump, and scattered light, that beat and electrostrictively attenuate the Brownian motion of the mechanical mode.Comment: Supplementary material include

Single-molecule studies of the stringency factors and rates governing the polymerization of RecA on double-stranded DNA

RecA is a key protein in homologous recombination. During recombination, one single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) bound to site I in RecA exchanges Watson–Crick pairing with a sequence-matched ssDNA that was part of a double-stranded DNA molecule (dsDNA) bound to site II in RecA. After strand exchange, heteroduplex dsDNA is bound to site I. In vivo, direct polymerization of RecA on dsDNA through site I does not occur, though it does in vitro. The mechanisms underlying the difference have been unclear. We use single-molecule experiments to decouple the two steps involved in polymerization: nucleation and elongation. We find that elongation is governed by a fundamental clock that is insensitive to force and RecA concentration from 0.2 and 6 µM, though rates depend on ionic conditions. Thus, we can probe nucleation site stability by creating nucleation sites at high force and then measuring elongation as a function of applied force. We find that in the presence of ATP hydrolysis a minimum force is required for polymerization. The minimum force decreases with increasing RecA or ATP concentrations. We propose that force reduces the off-rate for nucleation site binding and that nucleation site stability is the stringency factor that prevents in vivo polymerization

Driven optomechanical systems for mechanical entanglement distribution

We consider the distribution of entanglement from a multi-mode optical driving source to a network of remote and independent optomechanical systems. By focusing on the tripartite case, we analyse the effects that the features of the optical input states have on the degree and sharing-structure of the distributed, fully mechanical, entanglement. This study, which is conducted looking at the mechanical steady-state, highlights the structure of the entanglement distributed among the nodes and determines the relative efficiency between bipartite and tripartite entanglement transfer. We discuss a few open points, some of which directed towards the bypassing of such limitations.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures; accepted for publication in J. Phys. B, Special Issue on "Loss of coherence and memory effects in quantum dynamics", guest Eds. F. Benatti, R. Floreanini, and G. Schole