3,474 research outputs found
Controlled collisions of a single atom and ion guided by movable trapping potentials
We consider a system composed of a trapped atom and a trapped ion. The ion
charge induces in the atom an electric dipole moment, which attracts it with an
r^{-4} dependence at large distances. In the regime considered here, the
characteristic range of the atom-ion interaction is comparable or larger than
the characteristic size of the trapping potential, which excludes the
application of the contact pseudopotential. The short-range part of the
interaction is described in the framework of quantum-defect theory, by
introducing some short-range parameters, which can be related to the s-wave
scattering length. When the separation between traps is changed we observe
trap-induced shape resonances between molecular bound states and vibrational
states of the external trapping potential. Our analysis is extended to
quasi-one-dimensional geometries, when the scattering exhibit
confinement-induced resonances, similar to the ones studied before for
short-range interactions. For quasi-one-dimensional systems we investigate the
effects of coupling between the center of mass and relative motion, which
occurs for different trapping frequencies of atom and ion traps. Finally, we
show how the two types of resonances can be employed for quantum state control
and spectroscopy of atom-ion molecules.Comment: 17 pages, 16 figure
Redundant variables and Granger causality
We discuss the use of multivariate Granger causality in presence of redundant
variables: the application of the standard analysis, in this case, leads to
under-estimation of causalities. Using the un-normalized version of the
causality index, we quantitatively develop the notions of redundancy and
synergy in the frame of causality and propose two approaches to group redundant
variables: (i) for a given target, the remaining variables are grouped so as to
maximize the total causality and (ii) the whole set of variables is partitioned
to maximize the sum of the causalities between subsets. We show the application
to a real neurological experiment, aiming to a deeper understanding of the
physiological basis of abnormal neuronal oscillations in the migraine brain.
The outcome by our approach reveals the change in the informational pattern due
to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulations.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in Physical Review
The internal structure and formation of early-type galaxies: the gravitational--lens system MG2016+112 at z=1.004
[Abridged] We combine our measurements of the velocity dispersion and the
surface brightness profile of the lens galaxy D in the system MG2016+112
(z=1.004) with constraints from gravitational lensing to study its internal
mass distribution. We find that: (i) dark matter accounts for >50% of the total
mass within the Einstein radius (99% CL), excluding at the 8-sigma level that
mass follows light inside the Einstein radius with a constant mass-to-light
ratio (M/L). (ii) the total mass distribution inside the Einstein radius is
well-described by a density profile ~r^-gamma' with an effective slope
gamma'=2.0+-0.1+-0.1, including random and systematic uncertainties. (iii) The
offset of galaxy D from the local Fundamental Plane independently constrains
the stellar M/L, and matches the range derived from our models, leading to a
more stringent lower limit of >60% on the fraction of dark matter within the
Einstein radius (99%CL).
Under the assumption of adiabatic contraction, the inner slope of the dark
matter halo before the baryons collapsed is gamma_i<1.4 (68 CL), marginally
consistent with the highest-resolution cold dark matter simulations that
indicate gamma_i~1.5. This might indicate that either adiabatic contraction is
a poor description of E/S0 formation or that additional processes play a role
as well. Indeed, the apparently isothermal density distribution inside the
Einstein radius, is not a natural outcome of adiabatic contraction models,
where it appears to be a mere coincidence. By contrast, we argue that
isothermality might be the result of a stronger coupling between luminous and
dark-matter, possibly the result of (incomplete) violent relaxation processes.
Hence, we conclude that galaxy D appears already relaxed 8 Gyr ago.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, ApJ, in press, minor change
Selective carotid cannulation at the neck: A satisfactory option for reoperation for aneurysms of the ascending aorta and arch
Steady-state visual evoked potentials and phase synchronization in migraine
We investigate phase synchronization in EEG recordings from migraine
patients. We use the analytic signal technique, based on the Hilbert transform,
and find that migraine brains are characterized by enhanced alpha band phase
synchronization in presence of visual stimuli. Our findings show that migraine
patients have an overactive regulatory mechanism that renders them more
sensitive to external stimuli.Comment: 4 page
Colloquium: Trapped ions as quantum bits -- essential numerical tools
Trapped, laser-cooled atoms and ions are quantum systems which can be
experimentally controlled with an as yet unmatched degree of precision. Due to
the control of the motion and the internal degrees of freedom, these quantum
systems can be adequately described by a well known Hamiltonian. In this
colloquium, we present powerful numerical tools for the optimization of the
external control of the motional and internal states of trapped neutral atoms,
explicitly applied to the case of trapped laser-cooled ions in a segmented
ion-trap. We then delve into solving inverse problems, when optimizing trapping
potentials for ions. Our presentation is complemented by a quantum mechanical
treatment of the wavepacket dynamics of a trapped ion. Efficient numerical
solvers for both time-independent and time-dependent problems are provided.
Shaping the motional wavefunctions and optimizing a quantum gate is realized by
the application of quantum optimal control techniques. The numerical methods
presented can also be used to gain an intuitive understanding of quantum
experiments with trapped ions by performing virtual simulated experiments on a
personal computer. Code and executables are supplied as supplementary online
material (http://kilian-singer.de/ent).Comment: accepted for publication in Review of Modern Physics 201
Multi Mode Interferometer for Guided Matter Waves
We describe the fundamental features of an interferometer for guided matter
waves based on Y-beam splitters and show that, in a quasi two-dimensional
regime, such a device exhibits high contrast fringes even in a multi mode
regime and fed from a thermal source.Comment: Final version (accepted to PRL
Electron correlation in C_(4N+2) carbon rings: aromatic vs. dimerized structures
The electronic structure of C_(4N+2) carbon rings exhibits competing
many-body effects of Huckel aromaticity, second-order Jahn-Teller and Peierls
instability at large sizes. This leads to possible ground state structures with
aromatic, bond angle or bond length alternated geometry. Highly accurate
quantum Monte Carlo results indicate the existence of a crossover between C_10
and C_14 from bond angle to bond length alternation. The aromatic isomer is
always a transition state. The driving mechanism is the second-order
Jahn-Teller effect which keeps the gap open at all sizes.Comment: Submitted for publication: 4 pages, 3 figures. Corrected figure
Italian family with two independent mutations:3358T/A in BRCA1 and 8756delA in BRCA2 genes.
Hereditary breast/ovarian cancer is a well-characterized clinical entity, largely attributed to the inheritance of BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. Among general population, the mutation's frequency of these genes is very low; therefore, the identification of two independent mutations in the same family is a rare event. This study reports the presence of two mutations, one in the BRCA1 and the second in the BRCA2 gene in an Italian Caucasian kindred. This family is composed of more than 250 individuals, spanning through five generations, among which endogamy was a common phenomenon. Considering the tumor spectrum, this family is characterized by a high incidence of different types of cancer. In our study, we considered only three out of seven family units for BRCA1 and BRCA2 analysis. In one of the family units, we found independent mutations of both BRCA genes. The BRCA1 mutation on exon 11 (3358TA) was identified originally in the index case and subsequently in 18 members of this family, whereas the same mutation was not detected in a related family member with male breast cancer. The male breast cancer patient led to the identification, through mutational analysis, of a new BRCA2 mutation (8756delA). This BRCA2 mutation was also found in the male breast cancer patient's daughter. The discovery of the BRCA2 mutation allowed us to alert the patient's daughter who, otherwise, could be falsely reassured since she had a negative BRCA1 test
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