751 research outputs found
Interband heating processes in a periodically driven optical lattice
We investigate multi-"photon" interband excitation processes in an optical
lattice that is driven periodically in time by a modulation of the lattice
depth. Assuming the system to be prepared in the lowest band, we compute the
excitation spectrum numerically. Moreover, we estimate the effective coupling
parameters for resonant interband excitation processes analytically, employing
degenerate perturbation theory in Floquet space. We find that below a threshold
driving strength, interband excitations are suppressed exponentially with
respect to the inverse driving frequency. For sufficiently low frequencies,
this leads to a rather sudden onset of interband heating, once the driving
strength reaches the threshold. We argue that this behavior is rather generic
and should also be found in lattice systems that are driven by other forms of
periodic forcing. Our results are relevant for Floquet engineering, where a
lattice system is driven periodically in time in order to endow it with novel
properties like the emergence of a strong artificial magnetic field or a
topological band structure. In this context, interband excitation processes
correspond to detrimental heating.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
Orbital-driven melting of a bosonic Mott insulator in a shaken optical lattice
In order to study the interplay between localized and dispersive orbital
states in a system of ultracold atoms in an optical lattice, we investigate the
possibility to coherently couple the lowest two Bloch bands by means of
resonant periodic forcing. Considering bosons in one dimension, it is shown
that a strongly interacting Floquet system can be realized, where at every
lattice site two (and only two) near-degenerate orbital states are relevant. By
smoothly tuning both states into resonance we find that the system can undergo
an orbital-driven Mott-insulator-to-superfluid transition. As an intriguing
consequence of the kinetic frustration in the system, this transition can be
either continuous or first-order, depending on parameters such as lattice depth
and filling.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
Non-equilibrum dynamics in the strongly excited inhomogeneous Dicke model
Using the exact eigenstates of the inhomogeneous Dicke model obtained by
numerically solving the Bethe equations, we study the decay of bosonic
excitations due to the coupling of the mode to an ensemble of two-level (spin
1/2) systems. We compare the quantum time-evolution of the bosonic mode
population with the mean field description which, for a few bosons agree up to
a relatively long Ehrenfest time. We demonstrate that additional excitations
lead to a dramatic shortening of the period of validity of the mean field
analysis. However, even in the limit where the number of bosons equal the
number of spins, the initial instability remains adequately described by the
mean-field approach leading to a finite, albeit short, Ehrenfest time. Through
finite size analysis, we also present indications that the mean field approach
could still provide an adequate description for thermodynamically large systems
even at long times. However, for mesoscopic systems one cannot expect it to
capture the behavior beyond the initial decay stage in the limit of an
extremely large number of excitations.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, Phys. Rev. B in pres
Crystal Structure of Thermotoga maritima α-Glucosidase AglA Defines a New Clan of NAD+-dependent Glycosidases
Glycoside hydrolase family 4 represents an unusual group of glucosidases with a requirement for NAD(+), divalent metal cations, and reducing conditions. The family is also unique in its inclusion of both alpha- and beta-specific enzymes. The alpha-glucosidase A, AglA, from Thermotoga maritima is a typical glycoside hydrolase family 4 enzyme, requiring NAD(+) and Mn2+ as well as strongly reducing conditions for activity. Here we present the crystal structure of the protein complexed with NAD(+) and maltose, refined at a resolution of 1.9 Angstrom. The NAD(+) is bound to a typical Rossman fold NAD(+)-binding site, and the nicotinamide moiety is localized close to the maltose substrate. Within the active site the conserved Cys-174 and surrounding histidines are positioned to play a role in the hydrolysis reaction. The electron density maps indicate that Cys-174 is oxidized to a sulfinic acid. Most likely, the strongly reducing conditions are necessary to reduce the oxidized cysteine side chain. Notably, the canonical set of catalytic acidic residues common to other glucosidases is not present in the active site. This, combined with a high structural homology to NAD-dependent dehydrogenases, suggests an unusual and possibly unique mechanism of action for a glycoside-hydrolyzing enzyme
Semi-synthetic zigzag optical lattice for ultracold bosons
We consider a one-dimensional "zigzag" lattice, pictured as a two-site wide
single strip taken from a triangular lattice, affected by a tunable homogeneous
magnetic flux piercing its triangular plaquettes. We focus on a semi-synthetic
lattice produced by combining a one-dimensional spin-dependent lattice in the
long direction with laser-induced transitions between atomic internal states
that define the short synthetic dimension. In contrast to previous studies on
semi-synthetic lattices, the atom-atom interactions are nonlocal in both
lattice directions. We investigate the ground-state properties of the system
for the case of strongly interacting bosons, and find that the interplay
between the frustration induced by the magnetic field and the interactions
gives rise to an exotic gapped phase at fractional filling factors
corresponding to one particle per magnetic unit cell.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures; v3: final version to appear in PR
ETHISCHE RATINGS FÜR UNTERNEHMEN AUS KONSUMENTENSICHT – MÖGLICHKEITEN, AUSWIRKUNGEN UND GRENZEN –
Bisherige wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen befassen sich vorwiegend mit einer ethischen Unternehmensbewertung aus der Anlegerperspektive. Im vorliegenden Beitrag soll jedoch die Perspektive des Konsumenten eingenommen werden und es sollen Möglichkeiten zur Gestaltung eines derartigen Ratings aus Verbrauchersicht erläutert werden. Hierzu werden zunächst die grundlegenden Begriffe Ethik und Rating definiert. Anschließend wird ein ethisches Rating entworfen, das anhand von konkreten Kriterien eine sozial-ökologische Unternehmensbewertung aus Verbrauchersicht ermöglicht. Zudem werden Wirkungen und Grenzen eines solchen Werkzeugs untersucht. Der Beitrag schließt mit einem Ausblick.Ethik, Rating, ethisches Rating
Frequency, symptoms and outcome of intestinal metastases of bronchopulmonary cancer. Case report and review of the literature
BACKGROUND: We report a new case of small bowel metastases from primary lung cancer. Such metastases are not exceptional, but their clinical manifestations are rare. CASE PRESENTATION: The case involved a 56-year-old man with a squamous cell carcinoma of the lung (stage IV) that had been treated with chemotherapy. He presented fourteen months after diagnosis with an acute abdominal pain. Abdominal CT-scan demonstrated a perforated jejunum and he underwent emergency surgery. Postoperative pathologic analysis confirmed the diagnosis of metastatic pulmonary carcinoma. The patient was discharged after ten days, but died 8 weeks after surgery at home on tumor progression. CONCLUSION: We were able to find 58 documented similar cases in the literature. Most cases presented with bowel perforation or obstruction. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histological cell type followed by large cell carcinoma. Other metastases are often present, and the prognosis is mostly fatal at short term
Gaudin models solver based on the Bethe ansatz/ordinary differential equations correspondence
We present a numerical approach which allows the solving of Bethe equations
whose solutions define the eigenstates of Gaudin models. By focusing on a new
set of variables, the canceling divergences which occur for certain values of
the coupling strength no longer appear explicitly. The problem is thus reduced
to a set of quadratic algebraic equations. The required inverse transformation
can then be realized using only linear operations and a standard polynomial
root finding algorithm. The method is applied to Richardson's fermionic pairing
model, the central spin model and generalized Dicke model.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, published versio
- …