Twisted-light-induced intersubband transitions in quantum wells at normal incidence

We examine theoretically the intersubband transitions induced by laser beams of light with orbital angular momentum (twisted light) in semiconductor quantum wells at normal incidence. These transitions become possible in the absence of gratings thanks to the fact that collimated laser beams present a component of the light's electric field in the propagation direction. We derive the matrix elements of the light-matter interaction for a Bessel-type twisted-light beam represented by its vector potential in the paraxial approximation. Then, we consider the dynamics of photo-excited electrons making intersubband transitions between the first and second subbands of a standard semiconductor quantum well. Finally, we analyze the light-matter matrix elements in order to evaluate which transitions are more favorable for given orbital angular momentum of the light beam in the case of small semiconductor structures.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figure

Proposed Rabi-Kondo Correlated State in a Laser-Driven Semiconductor Quantum Dot

Spin exchange between a single-electron charged quantum dot and itinerant electrons leads to an emergence of Kondo correlations. When the quantum dot is driven resonantly by weak laser light, the resulting emission spectrum allows for a direct probe of these correlations. In the opposite limit of vanishing exchange interaction and strong laser drive, the quantum dot exhibits coherent oscillations between the single-spin and optically excited states. Here, we show that the interplay between strong exchange and non-perturbative laser coupling leads to the formation of a new nonequilibrium quantum-correlated state, characterized by the emergence of a laser-induced secondary spin screening cloud, and examine the implications for the emission spectrum

Signatures of tilted and anisotropic Dirac and Weyl cones

We calculate conductance and noise for quantum transport at the nodal point for arbitrarily tilted and anisotropic Dirac or Weyl cones. Tilted and anisotropic dispersions are generic in the absence of certain discrete symmetries, such as particle-hole and lattice point group symmetries. Whereas anisotropy affects the conductance g, but leaves the Fano factor F (the ratio of shot noise power and current) unchanged, a tilt affects both g and F. Since F is a universal number in many other situations, this finding is remarkable. We apply our general considerations to specific lattice models of strained graphene and a pyrochlore Weyl semimetal

Frustrated quantum spins at finite temperature Pseudo Majorana functional renormalization group approach

The pseudofermion functional renormalization group PFFRG method has proven to be a powerful numerical approach to treat frustrated quantum spin systems. In its usual implementation, however, the complex fermionic representation of spin operators introduces unphysical Hilbert space sectors which render an application at finite temperatures inaccurate. In this work we formulate a general functional renormalization group approach based on Majorana fermions to overcome these difficulties. We, particularly, implement spin operators via an SO 3 symmetric Majorana representation which does not introduce any unphysical states and, hence, remains applicable to quantum spin models at finite temperatures. We apply this scheme, dubbed pseudo Majorana functional renormalization group PMFRG method, to frustrated Heisenberg models on small spin clusters as well as square and triangular lattices. Computing the finite temperature behavior of spin correlations and thermodynamic quantities such as free energy and heat capacity, we find good agreement with exact diagonalization and the high temperature series expansion down to moderate temperatures. We observe a significantly enhanced accuracy of the PMFRG compared to the PFFRG at finite temperatures. More generally, we conclude that the development of functional renormalization group approaches with Majorana fermions considerably extends the scope of applicability of such method

On the Existence of a Maximal Cauchy Development for the Einstein Equations - a Dezornification

In 1969, Choquet-Bruhat and Geroch established the existence of a unique maximal globally hyperbolic Cauchy development of given initial data for the Einstein equations. Their proof, however, has the unsatisfactory feature that it relies crucially on the axiom of choice in the form of Zorn's lemma. In this paper we present a proof that avoids the use of Zorn's lemma. In particular, we provide an explicit construction of this maximal globally hyperbolic development.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures, v2 small changes and minor correction, v3 version accepted for publicatio

Bile acid–sensitive tuft cells regulate biliary neutrophil influx

Inflammation and dysfunction of the extrahepatic biliary tree are common causes of human pathology, including gallstones and cholangiocarcinoma. Despite this, we know little about the local regulation of biliary inflammation. Tuft cells, rare sensory epithelial cells, are particularly prevalent in the mucosa of the gallbladder and extrahepatic bile ducts. Here, we show that biliary tuft cells express a core genetic tuft cell program in addition to a tissue-specific gene signature and, in contrast to small intestinal tuft cells, decreased postnatally, coincident with maturation of bile acid production. Manipulation of enterohepatic bile acid recirculation revealed that tuft cell abundance is negatively regulated by bile acids, including in a model of obstructive cholestasis in which inflammatory infiltration of the biliary tree correlated with loss of tuft cells. Unexpectedly, tuft cell–deficient mice spontaneously displayed an increased gallbladder epithelial inflammatory gene signature accompanied by neutrophil infiltration that was modulated by the microbiome. We propose that biliary tuft cells function as bile acid–sensitive negative regulators of inflammation in biliary tissues and serve to limit inflammation under homeostatic conditions