151 research outputs found
Pairing of Cooper pairs in a Josephson junction network containing an impurity
We show how to induce pairing of Cooper pairs (and, thus,
superconductivity) as a result of local embedding of a quantum impurity in a
Josephson network fabricable with conventional junctions. We find that a
boundary double Sine-Gordon model provides an accurate description of the dc
Josephson current patterns, as well as of the stable phases accessible to the
network. We point out that tunneling of pairs of Cooper pairs is robust against
quantum fluctuations, as a consequence of the time reversal invariance, arising
when the central region of the network is pierced by a dimensionless magnetic
flux . We find that, for , a stable attractive finite
coupling fixed point emerges and point out its relevance for engineering a two
level quantum system with enhanced coherence.Comment: 5 Pages, 5 Figures. Small modifications, ref.[11] added. To appear in
EP
Features, risk factors and clinical outcome of {"}very late{"} recurrences after surgery for localized renal carcinoma: A retrospective evaluation of a cohort with a minimum of 10 years of follow up
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Quantum States of Topologically Massive Electrodynamics and Gravity
The free quantum states of topologically massive electrodynamics and gravity
in 2+1 dimensions, are explicitly found. It is shown that in both theories the
states are described by infrared-regular polarization tensors containing a
regularization phase which depends on the spin. This is done by explicitly
realizing the quantum algebra on a functional Hilbert space and by finding the
Wightman function to define the scalar product on such a Hilbert space. The
physical properties of the states are analyzed defining creation and
annihilation operators.
For both theories, a canonical and covariant quantization procedure is
developed. The higher order derivatives in the gravitational lagrangian are
treated by means of a preliminary Dirac procedure.
The closure of the Poincar\'e algebra is guaranteed by the
infrared-finiteness of the states which is related to the spin of the
excitations through the regularization phase. Such a phase may have interesting
physical consequences.Comment: 21 page, latex, no figure
Low-lying meson spectrum of large strongly coupled lattice QCD
We compute the low energy mass spectrum of lattice QCD in the large
limit. Expanding around a gauge-invariant ground state, which spontaneously
breaks the discrete chiral symmetry, we derive an improved strong-coupling
expansion and evaluate, for any value of , the masses of the low-lying
states in the unflavored meson spectrum. We then take the 't Hooft limit by
rescaling ; the 't Hooft limit is smooth and no arbitrary
parameters are needed. We find, already at the fourth order of the strong
coupling perturbation theory, a very good agreement between the results of our
lattice computation and the known continuum values.Comment: 43 pages, 1 figure. Minor corrections. One reference added in section
Observable Signature of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless Transition in a Planar Lattice of Bose-Einstein Condensates
We investigate the possibility that Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), loaded
on a 2D optical lattice, undergo - at finite temperature - a
Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transition. We show that - in an
experimentally attainable range of parameters - a planar lattice of BECs is
described by the XY model at finite temperature. We demonstrate that the
interference pattern of the expanding condensates provides the experimental
signature of the BKT transition by showing that, near the critical temperature,
the k=0 component of the momentum distribution and the central peak of the
atomic density profile sharply decrease. The finite-temperature transition for
a 3D optical lattice is also discussed, and the analogies with superconducting
Josephson junction networks are stressed through the text
An update of the evolving epidemic of blaKPC carrying Klebsiella pneumoniae in Sicily, Italy, 2014: Emergence of multiple Non-ST258 Clones
Background: In Italy, Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) strains are highly endemic and KPC producing CC258 is reported as the widely predominating clone. In Palermo, Italy, previous reports have confirmed this pattern. However, recent preliminary findings suggest that an epidemiological change is likely ongoing towards a polyclonal KPC-Kp spread. Here we present the results of molecular typing of 94 carbapenem non susceptible K. pneumoniae isolates detected during 2014 in the three different hospitals in Palermo, Italy. Methods and Results: Ninety-four consecutive, non replicate carbapenem non susceptible isolates were identified in the three largest acute general hospitals in Palermo, Italy, in the six-month period March-August 2014. They were characterized by PCR for β-lactam, aminoglycoside and plasmid mediated fluoroquinolone resistance genetic determinants. The mgrB gene of the colistin resistant isolates was amplified and sequenced. Clonality was assessed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing. Eight non-CC258 sequence types (STs) were identified accounting for 60% of isolates. In particular, ST307 and ST273 accounted for 29% and 18% of isolates. CC258 isolates were more frequently susceptible to gentamicin and non-CC258 isolates to amikacin. Colistin non susceptibility was found in 42% of isolates. Modifications of mgrB were found in 32 isolates. Conclusions: Concurrent clonal expansion of some STs and lateral transmission of genetic resistance determinants are likely producing a thorough change of the KPC-Kp epidemiology in Palermo, Italy. In our setting mgrB inactivation proved to substantially contribute to colistin resistance. Our findings suggest the need to continuously monitor the KPC-Kp epidemiology and to assess by a nationwide survey the possible shifting towards a polyclonal epidemic
Dynamical delocalization of Majorana edge states by sweeping across a quantum critical point
We study the adiabatic dynamics of Majorana fermions across a quantum phase
transition. We show that the Kibble-Zurek scaling, which describes the density
of bulk defects produced during the critical point crossing, is not valid for
edge Majorana fermions. Therefore, the dynamics governing an edge state quench
is nonuniversal and depends on the topological features of the system. Besides,
we show that the localization of Majorana fermions is a necessary ingredient to
guaranty robustness against defect production.Comment: Submitted to the Special Issue on "Dynamics and Thermalization in
Isolated Quantum Many-Body Systems" in New Journal of Physics. Editors:M.
Cazalilla, M. Rigol. New references and some typos correcte
Bose-Einstein Condensation on inhomogeneous complex networks
The thermodynamic properties of non interacting bosons on a complex network
can be strongly affected by topological inhomogeneities. The latter give rise
to anomalies in the density of states that can induce Bose-Einstein
condensation in low dimensional systems also in absence of external confining
potentials. The anomalies consist in energy regions composed of an infinite
number of states with vanishing weight in the thermodynamic limit. We present a
rigorous result providing the general conditions for the occurrence of
Bose-Einstein condensation on complex networks in presence of anomalous
spectral regions in the density of states. We present results on spectral
properties for a wide class of graphs where the theorem applies. We study in
detail an explicit geometrical realization, the comb lattice, which embodies
all the relevant features of this effect and which can be experimentally
implemented as an array of Josephson Junctions.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figure
Chiral Dynamics and Fermion Mass Generation in Three Dimensional Gauge Theory
We examine the possibility of fermion mass generation in 2+1- dimensional
gauge theory from the current algebra point of view.In our approach the
critical behavior is governed by the fluctuations of pions which are the
Goldstone bosons for chiral symmetry breaking. Our analysis supports the
existence of an upper critical number of Fermion flavors and exhibits the
explicit form of the gap equation as well as the form of the critical exponent
for the inverse correlation lenght of the order parameterComment: Latex,10 pages,DFUPG 70/9
Oblique Confinement and Phase Transitions in Chern-Simons Gauge Theories
We investigate non-perturbative features of a planar Chern-Simons gauge
theory modeling the long distance physics of quantum Hall systems, including a
finite gap M for excitations. By formulating the model on a lattice, we
identify the relevant topological configurations and their interactions. For M
bigger than a critical value, the model exhibits an oblique confinement phase,
which we identify with Lauglin's incompressible quantum fluid. For M smaller
than the critical value, we obtain a phase transition to a Coulomb phase or a
confinement phase, depending on the value of the electromagnetic coupling.Comment: 8 pages, harvmac, DFUPG 91/94 and MPI-PhT/94-9
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