Dark Energy and Right-Handed Neutrinos

We explore the possibility that a CP violating phase of the neutrino mass matrix is promoted to a pseudo-Goldstone-boson field and is identified as the quintessence field for Dark Energy. By requiring that the quintessence potential be calculable from a Lagrangian, and that the extreme flatness of the potential be stable under radiative corrections, we are led to an essentially unique model. Lepton number is violated only by Majorana masses of light, right-handed neutrinos, comparable to the Dirac masses that mix right- with left-handed neutrinos. We outline the rich and constrained neutrino phenomenology that results from this proposal.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure

International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Set construction in systemic sclerosis and other rheumatic diseases: a EUSTAR initiative

Objectives. To outline rationale and potential strategies for rheumatology experts to be able to develop disease-specific Core Sets under the framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). ICF is a universal framework introduced by the World Health Organization (WHO) to describe and quantify the impact and burden on functioning of health conditions associated with impairment/disability. Methods. A combined effort of the EULAR Scleroderma Clinical Trial and Research and the ICF Research Branch was initiated to develop an ICF language for scleroderma. From our Medline literature review, using the abbreviation and spelled out version of ICF, we assembled approaches and methodological reasoning for steps of core set development. Results. The ICF can be used for patient care and policy-making, as well as the provision of resources, services and funding. The ICF is used on institutional, regional, national and global levels. Several diseases now have ICF Core Sets. Patients with complex rheumatologic diseases will benefit from a disease-specific ICF Core Set and should be included in all stages of development. ICF Core Set development for rheumatic diseases can be conducted from a number of feasible strategies. Conclusion. This overview should help to clarify useful processes leading to development of an ICF Core Set, and also provide a platform for expert groups considering such an endeavou

3D integrated superconducting qubits

As the field of superconducting quantum computing advances from the few-qubit stage to larger-scale processors, qubit addressability and extensibility will necessitate the use of 3D integration and packaging. While 3D integration is well-developed for commercial electronics, relatively little work has been performed to determine its compatibility with high-coherence solid-state qubits. Of particular concern, qubit coherence times can be suppressed by the requisite processing steps and close proximity of another chip. In this work, we use a flip-chip process to bond a chip with superconducting flux qubits to another chip containing structures for qubit readout and control. We demonstrate that high qubit coherence ($T_1$, $T_{2,\rm{echo}} > 20\,\mu$s) is maintained in a flip-chip geometry in the presence of galvanic, capacitive, and inductive coupling between the chips