429 research outputs found
Quantum statistical measurements of an atom laser beam
We describe a scheme, operating in a manner analogous to a reversed Raman
output coupler, for measuring the phase-sensitive quadrature statistics of an
atom laser beam. This scheme allows for the transferral of the atomic field
statistics to an optical field, for which the quantum statistics may then be
measured using the well-developed technology of optical homodyne measurement.Comment: 4 pages, 2 fugure
Numerical representation of quantum states in the positive-P and Wigner representations
Numerical stochastic integration is a powerful tool for the investigation of
quantum dynamics in interacting many body systems. As with all numerical
integration of differential equations, the initial conditions of the system
being investigated must be specified. With application to quantum optics in
mind, we show how various commonly considered quantum states can be numerically
simulated by the use of widely available Gaussian and uniform random number
generators. We note that the same methods can also be applied to computational
studies of Bose-Einstein condensates, and give some examples of how this can be
done.Comment: 16 pages, single column forma
Non-Arrhenius Behavior of Secondary Relaxation in Supercooled Liquids
Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (1 Hz - 20 GHz) has been performed on
supercooled glass-formers from the temperature of glass transition (T_g) up to
that of melting. Precise measurements particularly in the frequencies of
MHz-order have revealed that the temperature dependences of secondary
beta-relaxation times deviate from the Arrhenius relation in well above T_g.
Consequently, our results indicate that the beta-process merges into the
primary alpha-mode around the melting temperature, and not at the dynamical
transition point T which is approximately equal to 1.2 T_g.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, revtex
Quantum properties of transverse pattern formation in second-harmonic generation
We investigate the spatial quantum noise properties of the one dimensional
transverse pattern formation instability in intra-cavity second-harmonic
generation. The Q representation of a quasi-probability distribution is
implemented in terms of nonlinear stochastic Langevin equations. We study these
equations through extensive numerical simulations and analytically in the
linearized limit. Our study, made below and above the threshold of pattern
formation, is guided by a microscopic scheme of photon interaction underlying
pattern formation in second-harmonic generation. Close to the threshold for
pattern formation, beams with opposite direction of the off-axis critical wave
numbers are shown to be highly correlated. This is observed for the fundamental
field, for the second harmonic field and also for the cross-correlation between
the two fields. Nonlinear correlations involving the homogeneous transverse
wave number, which are not identified in a linearized analysis, are also
described. The intensity differences between opposite points of the far fields
are shown to exhibit sub-Poissonian statistics, revealing the quantum nature of
the correlations. We observe twin beam correlations in both the fundamental and
second-harmonic fields, and also nonclassical correlations between them.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Atom gratings produced by large angle atom beam splitters
An asymptotic theory of atom scattering by large amplitude periodic
potentials is developed in the Raman-Nath approximation. The atom grating
profile arising after scattering is evaluated in the Fresnel zone for
triangular, sinusoidal, magneto-optical, and bichromatic field potentials. It
is shown that, owing to the scattering in these potentials, two
\QTR{em}{groups} of momentum states are produced rather than two distinct
momentum components. The corresponding spatial density profile is calculated
and found to differ significantly from a pure sinusoid.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure
Utilization and metabolism of palmityl and oleoyl fatty acids and alcohols in caecal enterocytes of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)
The substitution of fish oil with wax ester-rich calanoid copepod-derived oil in diets for carnivorous fish, such as Atlantic salmon, has previously indicated a lower lipid digestibility. This suggests that the fatty alcohols (FAlc) present in wax esters may be a poorer substrate for intestinal enzymes than the fatty acids (FA) in triacylglycerol, the major lipid in fish oil. The hypothesis tested was that the possible lower utilization of dietary FAlc by salmon enterocytes is at the level of uptake and that subsequent intracellular metabolism was identical to that of FA. A dual-labelled FAlc-FA metabolism assay was employed to determine simultaneous FAlc and FA uptake and relative utilisation in enterocytes isolated from pyloric caeca of Atlantic salmon fed either a diet supplemented with fish oil or wax ester-rich Calanus oil. The diets were fed for 10 weeks before caecal enterocytes from each dietary group were isolated and incubated with equimolar mixtures of either [1-14C]16:0 FA and [9,10(n)-3H]16:0 FAlc, or [1-14C]18:1n-9 FA and [9,10(n)-3H]18:1n-9 FAlc. Uptake was measured after 2 h with relative utilization of labelled FAlc and FA calculated as a percentage of uptake. Differences in uptake were observed, with FA showing higher uptake than FAlc, and 18:1 chains a higher uptake than 16:0. A proportion of unesterified FAlc was possibly recovered in the cells, but the majority of FALc was recovered in lipid classes such as triacylglycerol and phospholipids indicating substantial conversion of FAlc to FA followed by esterification. However, incorporation of FA and FAlc into esterified lipids was higher when derived from FA than from FAlc. Twenty-five to fifty percentage of the absorbed 16:0 FA was recovered in TAG fraction of the enterocytes compared with fifteen to seventy-five percentage of 18:1 FA. Twenty to thirty percentage of the absorbed 16:0 FA was recovered in the PC fraction of the enterocytes compared with only five to fifteen percentage of the 18:1 FA. Less than 15% of the fatty chains taken up by the cells was used for energy production, with significantly higher oxidation of 18:1 in enterocytes from fish fed the fish oil diet compared to the Calanus oil diet. However, overall, dietary copepod oil had little effect on FAlc and FA metabolism. Metabolic modification by elongation and/or desaturation was generally low at 1-5% of uptake. We conclude that our hypothesis was generally proved in that the uptake of FAlc by salmon enterocytes was lower than the uptake of FA and that subsequent intracellular metabolism of FAlc was similar to that of FA. However, unesterified FAlc was possibly recovered in the cells suggesting that the conversion to FA may not be concomitant with uptake
VEGAS as a Platform for Facile Directed Evolution in Mammalian Cells
Directed evolution, artificial selection toward designed objectives, is routinely used to develop new molecular tools and therapeutics. Successful directed molecular evolution campaigns repeatedly test diverse sequences with a designed selective pressure. Unicellular organisms and their viral pathogens are exceptional for this purpose and have been used for decades. However, many desirable targets of directed evolution perform poorly or unnaturally in unicellular backgrounds. Here, we present a system for facile directed evolution in mammalian cells. Using the RNA alphavirus Sindbis as a vector for heredity and diversity, we achieved 24-h selection cycles surpassing 10â3 mutations per base. Selection is achieved through genetically actuated sequences internal to the host cell, thus the system's name: viral evolution of genetically actuating sequences, or âVEGAS.â Using VEGAS, we evolve transcription factors, GPCRs, and allosteric nanobodies toward functional signaling endpoints each in less than 1 weeksâ time. © 2019 Elsevier Inc.The VEGAS system is a platform for directed evolution, a method for engineering DNA sequences, in mammalian cells. The system is highly mutagenic, facile, and self-contained, requiring no in vitro handling during evolution cycles. As a result, robust evolution campaigns can be run within the context of a mammalian cell signaling environment. We perform three such campaigns as a proof-of-concept: evolving a transcription factor, a G-protein coupled receptor, and llama-derived nanobodies toward specific in vivo activities. © 2019 Elsevier Inc
Erratum: VEGAS as a Platform for Facile Directed Evolution in Mammalian Cells (Cell (2019) 178(3) (748â761.e17), (S0092867419306221), (10.1016/j.cell.2019.05.051))
(Cell 178, 748â761.e1âe17; July 25, 2019) In our recent article reporting a platform for directed evolution in mammalian cells, we inadvertently failed to cite a paper that also reports a method for evolving biomolecules in mammalian cells (Berman et al., 2018). We have corrected the online version of our paper to cite this work, and we apologize for the omission. © 2019 Elsevier Inc
Langevin equations for interacting fermions and Cooper-like pairing in trapped one-dimensional fermions
Momentum correlations in a one-dimensional equilibrium ensemble of trapped fermions, with a point interaction between particles of opposite spin have been studied. In the degenerate regime correlations were observed between fermions with opposite spins and momenta, similar to Cooper pairing. These correlations appear as soon as the temperature is below the Fermi energy, which is a much less stringent condition than that of the BCS transition proper. Calculations are carried out in both perturbative and non-perturbative regimes. To achieve the latter. it is shown that interacting fermionic dynamics may be solved as a stochastic linear transformation of Grassmann algebra generators, much in the way random c-number paths are introduced in the conventional quantum stochastics of bosons. Importantly, the method thus emerging is inherently free of the sign problem
- âŠ