9,223 research outputs found
Density functional theory for a model quantum dot: Beyond the local-density approximation
We study both static and transport properties of model quantum dots,
employing density functional theory as well as (numerically) exact methods. For
the lattice model under consideration the accuracy of the local-density
approximation generally is poor. For weak interaction, however, accurate
results are achieved within the optimized effective potential method, while for
intermediate interaction strengths a method combining the exact diagonalization
of small clusters with density functional theory is very successful. Results
obtained from the latter approach yield very good agreement with density matrix
renormalization group studies, where the full Hamiltonian consisting of the dot
and the attached leads has to be diagonalized. Furthermore we address the
question whether static density functional theory is able to predict the exact
linear conductance through the dot correctly - with, in general, negative
answer.Comment: 8 page
Quantum-measurement backaction from a Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to a mechanical oscillator
We study theoretically the dynamics of a hybrid optomechanical system consisting of a macroscopic mechanical membrane magnetically coupled to a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate via a nanomagnet attached at the membrane center. We demonstrate that this coupling permits us to monitor indirectly the center-of-mass position of the membrane via measurements of the spin of the condensed atoms. These measurements normally induce a significant backaction on the membrane motion, which we quantify for the cases of thermal and coherent initial states of the membrane. We discuss the possibility of measuring this quantum backaction via repeated measurements. We also investigate the potential to generate nonclassical states of the membrane, in particular Schrödinger-cat states, via such repeated measurements
Comment on "Evidence for Quantized Displacement in Macroscopic Nanomechanical Oscillators"
In a recent Letter, Gaidarzhy et al. [1] claim to have observed evidence for "quantized displacements" of a high-order mode of a nanomechanical oscillator. We contend that the methods employed by the authors are unsuitable in principle to observe such states for any harmonic mode
Quantum measurement backaction from a BEC coupled to a mechanical oscillator
We study theoretically the dynamics of a a hybrid optomechanical system
consisting of a macroscopic mechanical membrane magnetically coupled to a
spinor Bose-Einstein condensate via a nanomagnet attached at the membrane
center. We demonstrate that this coupling permits us to monitor indirectly the
center-of-mass position of the membrane via measurements of the spin of the
condensed atoms. These measurements normally induce a significant backaction on
the membrane motion, which we quantify for the cases of thermal and coherent
initial states of the membrane. We discuss the possibility of measuring that
quantum backaction via repeated measurements. We also investigate the potential
to generate non-classical states of the membrane, in particular Schrodinger cat
states, via such repeated measurements.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to PR
Exciton lifetime in InAs/GaAs quantum dot molecules
The exciton lifetimes in arrays of InAs/GaAs vertically coupled quantum
dot pairs have been measured by time-resolved photoluminescence. A considerable
reduction of by up to a factor of 2 has been observed as compared
to a quantum dots reference, reflecting the inter-dot coherence. Increase of
the molecular coupling strength leads to a systematic decrease of with
decreasing barrier width, as for wide barriers a fraction of structures shows
reduced coupling while for narrow barriers all molecules appear to be well
coupled. The coherent excitons in the molecules gain the oscillator strength of
the excitons in the two separate quantum dots halving the exciton lifetime.
This superradiance effect contributes to the previously observed increase of
the homogeneous exciton linewidth, but is weaker than the reduction of .
This shows that as compared to the quantum dots reference pure dephasing
becomes increasingly important for the molecules
Molecular manipulation of keratin 8/18 intermediate filaments: modulators of FAS-mediated death signaling in human ovarian granulosa tumor cells
Background: Granulosa cell tumors (GCT) are a rare ovarian neoplasm but prognosis is poor following recurrence. Keratin intermediate filaments expressed in these tumors are a diagnostic marker, yet paradoxically, may also constitute a target for therapeutic intervention. In the current study, we evaluated keratin 8/18 (K8/18) filament expression as a mechanism of resistance to apoptosis in GCT, specifically focusing on regulation of the cell surface death receptor, Fas (FAS).
Methods: The GCT cell line, KGN, was transiently transfected with siRNA to KRT8 and KRT18 to reduce K8/18 filament expression. Expression of K8/18, FAS, and apoptotic proteins (PARP, cleaved PARP) were evaluated by fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometric analysis, and immunoblotting, respectively. The incidence of FAS-mediated apoptosis in KGN cells was measured by caspase 3/7 activity. All experiments were performed independently three to six times, using a fresh aliquot of KGN cells for each experiment. Quantitative data were analyzed by one- or two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by a Tukey’s post-test for multiple comparisons; differences among means were considered statistically significant at P \u3c 0.05.
Results: Control cultures of KGN cells exhibited abundant K8/18 filament expression (~90 % of cells), and minimal expression of FAS (\u3c25 % of cells). These cells were resistant to FAS-activating antibody (FasAb)-induced apoptosis, as determined by detection of cleaved PARP and measurement of caspase 3/7 activity. Conversely, siRNA-mediated knock-down of K8/18 filament expression enhanced FAS expression (\u3e 70 % of cells) and facilitated FasAb-induced apoptosis, evident by increased caspase 3/7 activity (P \u3c 0.05). Additional experiments revealed that inhibition of protein synthesis, but not MEK1/2 or PI3K signaling, also prompted FasAb-induced apoptosis.
Conclusions: The results demonstrated that K8/18 filaments provide resistance to apoptosis in GCT by impairing FAS expression. The abundance of keratin filaments in these cells and their role in apoptotic resistance provides a greater mechanistic understanding of ovarian tumorgenicity, specifically GCT, as well as a clinically-relevant target for potential therapeutic intervention
Spin dependent electron transport through a magnetic resonant tunneling diode
Electron transport properties in nanostructures can be modeled, for example,
by using the semiclassical Wigner formalism or the quantum mechanical Green's
functions formalism. We compare the performance and the results of these
methods in the case of magnetic resonant-tunneling diodes. We have implemented
the two methods within the self-consistent spin-density-functional theory. Our
numerical implementation of the Wigner formalism is based on the
finite-difference scheme whereas for the Green's function formalism the
finite-element method is used. As a specific application, we consider the
device studied by Slobodskyy et all. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 246601 (2003)] and
analyze their experimental results. The Wigner and Green's functions formalisms
give similar electron densities and potentials but, surprisingly, the former
method requires much more computer resources in order to obtain numerically
accurate results for currents. Both of the formalisms can successfully be used
to model magnetic resonant tunneling diode structures.Comment: 13 pages and 12 figure
Correlated Photon-Pair Emission from a Charged Single Quantum Dot
The optical creation and recombination of charged biexciton and trion
complexes in an (In,Ga)As/GaAs quantum dot is investigated by
micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy. Photon cross-correlation measurements
demonstrate the temporally correlated decay of charged biexciton and trion
states. Our calculations provide strong evidence for radiative decay from the
excited trion state which allows for a deeper insight into the spin
configurations and their dynamics in these systems.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted for publicatio
Statistical mechanics of transcription-factor binding site discovery using Hidden Markov Models
Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) are a commonly used tool for inference of
transcription factor (TF) binding sites from DNA sequence data. We exploit the
mathematical equivalence between HMMs for TF binding and the "inverse"
statistical mechanics of hard rods in a one-dimensional disordered potential to
investigate learning in HMMs. We derive analytic expressions for the Fisher
information, a commonly employed measure of confidence in learned parameters,
in the biologically relevant limit where the density of binding sites is low.
We then use techniques from statistical mechanics to derive a scaling principle
relating the specificity (binding energy) of a TF to the minimum amount of
training data necessary to learn it.Comment: 25 pages, 2 figures, 1 table V2 - typos fixed and new references
adde
A high-reflectivity high-Q micromechanical Bragg-mirror
We report on the fabrication and characterization of a micromechanical
oscillator consisting only of a free-standing dielectric Bragg mirror with high
optical reflectivity and high mechanical quality. The fabrication technique is
a hybrid approach involving laser ablation and dry etching. The mirror has a
reflectivity of 99.6%, a mass of 400ng, and a mechanical quality factor Q of
approximately 10^4. Using this micromirror in a Fabry Perot cavity, a finesse
of 500 has been achieved. This is an important step towards designing tunable
high-Q high-finesse cavities on chip.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figure
- …