Interplay between antiferromagnetic order and spin polarization in ferromagnetic metal/electron-doped cuprate superconductor junctions

Recently we proposed a theory of point-contact spectroscopy and argued that the splitting of zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) in electron-doped cuprate superconductor point-contact spectroscopy is due to the coexistence of antiferromagnetic (AF) and d-wave superconducting orders [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 76}, 220504(R) (2007)]. Here we extend the theory to study the tunneling in the ferromagnetic metal/electron-doped cuprate superconductor (FM/EDSC) junctions. In addition to the AF order, the effects of spin polarization, Fermi-wave vector mismatch (FWM) between the FM and EDSC regions, and effective barrier are investigated. It is shown that there exits midgap surface state (MSS) contribution to the conductance to which Andreev reflections are largely modified due to the interplay between the exchange field of ferromagnetic metal and the AF order in EDSC. Low-energy anomalous conductance enhancement can occur which could further test the existence of AF order in EDSC. Finally, we propose a more accurate formula in determining the spin polarization value in combination with the point-contact conductance data.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Inflatonless Inflation

We consider a 4+N dimensional Einstein gravity coupled to a non-linear sigma model. This theory admits a solution in which the N extra dimensions contract exponentially while the ordinary space expand exponentially. Physically, the non-linear sigma fields induce the dynamical compactification of the extra dimensions, which in turn drives inflation. No inflatons are required.Comment: 12 pages, version to appear in IJMP

Incorporating Inertia Into Multi-Agent Systems

We consider a model that demonstrates the crucial role of inertia and stickiness in multi-agent systems, based on the Minority Game (MG). The inertia of an agent is introduced into the game model by allowing agents to apply hypothesis testing when choosing their best strategies, thereby reducing their reactivity towards changes in the environment. We find by extensive numerical simulations that our game shows a remarkable improvement of global cooperation throughout the whole phase space. In other words, the maladaptation behavior due to over-reaction of agents is removed. These agents are also shown to be advantageous over the standard ones, which are sometimes too sensitive to attain a fair success rate. We also calculate analytically the minimum amount of inertia needed to achieve the above improvement. Our calculation is consistent with the numerical simulation results. Finally, we review some related works in the field that show similar behaviors and compare them to our work.Comment: extensively revised, 8 pages, 10 figures in revtex

A method to find quantum noiseless subsystems

We develop a structure theory for decoherence-free subspaces and noiseless subsystems that applies to arbitrary (not necessarily unital) quantum operations. The theory can be alternatively phrased in terms of the superoperator perspective, or the algebraic noise commutant formalism. As an application, we propose a method for finding all such subspaces and subsystems for arbitrary quantum operations. We suggest that this work brings the fundamental passive technique for error correction in quantum computing an important step closer to practical realization.Comment: 5 pages, to appear in Physical Review Letter

Fiber-top atomic force microscope

We present the implementation of an atomic force microscope (AFM) based on fiber-top design. Our results demonstrate that the performances of fiber-top AFMs in contact mode are comparable to those of similar commercially available instruments. Our device thus represents an interesting\ud alternative to existing AFMs, particularly for applications outside specialized research laboratories, where a compact, user-friendly, and versatile tool might often be preferred

Parametrical optimization of laser surface alloyed NiTi shape memory alloy with Co and Nb by the Taguchi method

Different high-purity metal powders were successfully alloyed on to a nickel titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloy (SMA) with a 3 kW carbon dioxide (CO2) laser system. In order to produce an alloyed layer with complete penetration and acceptable composition profile, the Taguchi approach was used as a statistical technique for optimizing selected laser processing parameters. A systematic study of laser power, scanning velocity, and pre-paste powder thickness was conducted. The signal-to-noise ratios (S/N) for each control factor were calculated in order to assess the deviation from the average response. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out to understand the significance of process variables affecting the process effects. The Taguchi method was able to determine the laser process parameters for the laser surface alloying technique with high statistical accuracy and yield a laser surface alloying technique capable of achieving a desirable dilution ratio. Energy dispersive spectrometry consistently showed that the per cent by weight of Ni was reduced by 45 per cent as compared with untreated NiTi SMA when the Taguchi-determined laser processing parameters were employed, thus verifying the laser's processing parameters as optimum

Dispersion Coefficients by a Field-Theoretic Renormalization of Fluid Mechanics

We consider subtle correlations in the scattering of fluid by randomly placed obstacles, which have been suggested to lead to a diverging dispersion coefficient at long times for high Peclet numbers, in contrast to finite mean-field predictions. We develop a new master equation description of the fluid mechanics that incorporates the physically relevant fluctuations, and we treat those fluctuations by a renormalization group procedure. We find a finite dispersion coefficient at low volume fraction of disorder and high Peclet numbers.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Nonlinear Decoherence in Quantum State Preparation of a Trapped Ion

We present a nonlinear decoherence model which models decoherence effect caused by various decohereing sources in a quantum system through a nonlinear coupling between the system and its environment, and apply it to investigating decoherence in nonclassical motional states of a single trapped ion. We obtain an exactly analytic solution of the model and find very good agreement with experimental results for the population decay rate of a single trapped ion observed in the NIST experiments by Meekhof and coworkers (D. M. Meekhof, {\it et al.}, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 76}, 1796 (1996)).Comment: 5 pages, Revte

SUMOylation inhibits FOXM1 activity and delays mitotic transition

The forkhead box transcription factor FOXM1 is an essential effector of G2/M-phase transition, mitosis and the DNA damage response. As such, it is frequently deregulated during tumorigenesis. Here we report that FOXM1 is dynamically modified by SUMO1 but not by SUMO2/3 at multiple sites. We show that FOXM1 SUMOylation is enhanced in MCF-7 breast cancer cells in response to treatment with epirubicin and mitotic inhibitors. Mutation of five consensus conjugation motifs yielded a SUMOylation-deficient mutant FOXM1. Conversely, fusion of the E2 ligase Ubc9 to FOXM1 generated an auto-SUMOylating mutant (FOXM1-Ubc9). Analysis of wild-type FOXM1 and mutants revealed that SUMOylation inhibits FOXM1 activity, promotes translocation to the cytoplasm and enhances APC/Cdh1-mediated ubiquitination and degradation. Further, expression of the SUMOylation-deficient mutant enhanced cell proliferation compared with wild-type FOXM1, whereas the FOXM1-Ubc9 fusion protein resulted in persistent cyclin B1 expression and slowed the time from mitotic entry to exit. In summary, our findings suggest that SUMOylation attenuates FOXM1 activity and causes mitotic delay in cytotoxic drug response

Entanglement control in one-dimensional s=1/2s=1/2 random XY spin chain

The entanglement in one-dimensional random XY spin systems where the impurities of exchange couplings and the external magnetic fields are considered as random variables is investigated by solving the different spin-spin correlation functions and the average magnetization per spin. The entanglement dynamics near particular locations of the system is also studied when the exchange couplings (or the external magnetic fields) satisfy three different distributions(the Gaussian distribution, double-Gaussian distribution, and bimodal distribution). We find that the entanglement can be controlled by varying the strength of external magnetic field and the different distributions of impurities. Moreover, the entanglement of some nearest-neighboring qubits can be increased for certain parameter values of the three different distributions.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure