898 research outputs found
Coherent Collisions between Bose-Einstein Condensates
We study the non-degenerate parametric amplifier for matter waves,
implemented by colliding two Bose-Einstein condensates. The coherence of the
amplified waves is shown by observing high contrast interference with a
reference wave and by reversing the amplification process. Since our
experiments also place limits on all known sources of decoherence, we infer
that relative number squeezing is most likely present between the amplified
modes. Finally, we suggest that reversal of the amplification process may be
used to detect relative number squeezing without requiring single-particle
detection.Comment: 4.2 pages, 4 figures, please take postscript version for best quality
of picture
Nonnormal amplification in random balanced neuronal networks
In dynamical models of cortical networks, the recurrent connectivity can
amplify the input given to the network in two distinct ways. One is induced by
the presence of near-critical eigenvalues in the connectivity matrix W,
producing large but slow activity fluctuations along the corresponding
eigenvectors (dynamical slowing). The other relies on W being nonnormal, which
allows the network activity to make large but fast excursions along specific
directions. Here we investigate the tradeoff between nonnormal amplification
and dynamical slowing in the spontaneous activity of large random neuronal
networks composed of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. We use a Schur
decomposition of W to separate the two amplification mechanisms. Assuming
linear stochastic dynamics, we derive an exact expression for the expected
amount of purely nonnormal amplification. We find that amplification is very
limited if dynamical slowing must be kept weak. We conclude that, to achieve
strong transient amplification with little slowing, the connectivity must be
structured. We show that unidirectional connections between neurons of the same
type together with reciprocal connections between neurons of different types,
allow for amplification already in the fast dynamical regime. Finally, our
results also shed light on the differences between balanced networks in which
inhibition exactly cancels excitation, and those where inhibition dominates.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure
Developmental depression-to-facilitation shift controls excitation-inhibition balance
Changes in the short-term dynamics of excitatory synapses over development have been observed throughout cortex, but their purpose and consequences remain unclear. Here, we propose that developmental changes in synaptic dynamics buffer the effect of slow inhibitory long-term plasticity, allowing for continuously stable neural activity. Using computational modeling we demonstrate that early in development excitatory short-term depression quickly stabilises neural activity, even in the face of strong, unbalanced excitation. We introduce a model of the commonly observed developmental shift from depression to facilitation and show that neural activity remains stable throughout development, while inhibitory synaptic plasticity slowly balances excitation, consistent with experimental observations. Our model predicts changes in the input responses from phasic to phasic-and-tonic and more precise spike timings. We also observe a gradual emergence of short-lasting memory traces governed by short-term plasticity development. We conclude that the developmental depression-to-facilitation shift may control excitation-inhibition balance throughout development with important functional consequences
Large atom number Bose-Einstein condensate of sodium
We describe the setup to create a large Bose-Einstein condensate containing
more than 120x10^6 atoms. In the experiment a thermal beam is slowed by a
Zeeman slower and captured in a dark-spot magneto-optical trap (MOT). A typical
dark-spot MOT in our experiments contains 2.0x10^10 atoms with a temperature of
320 microK and a density of about 1.0x10^11 atoms/cm^3. The sample is spin
polarized in a high magnetic field, before the atoms are loaded in the magnetic
trap. Spin polarizing in a high magnetic field results in an increase in the
transfer efficiency by a factor of 2 compared to experiments without spin
polarizing. In the magnetic trap the cloud is cooled to degeneracy in 50 s by
evaporative cooling. To suppress the 3-body losses at the end of the
evaporation the magnetic trap is decompressed in the axial direction.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Review Of Scientific Instrument
Training deep neural density estimators to identify mechanistic models of neural dynamics
Mechanistic modeling in neuroscience aims to explain observed phenomena in terms of underlying causes. However, determining which model parameters agree with complex and stochastic neural data presents a significant challenge. We address this challenge with a machine learning tool which uses deep neural density estimators-- trained using model simulations-- to carry out Bayesian inference and retrieve the full space of parameters compatible with raw data or selected data features. Our method is scalable in parameters and data features, and can rapidly analyze new data after initial training. We demonstrate the power and flexibility of our approach on receptive fields, ion channels, and Hodgkin-Huxley models. We also characterize the space of circuit configurations giving rise to rhythmic activity in the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion, and use these results to derive hypotheses for underlying compensation mechanisms. Our approach will help close the gap between data-driven and theory-driven models of neural dynamics
Eventual Consistency
International audienceIn a replicated database, the consistency level defines whether and how the values of the replicas of a logical object may diverge in the presence of updates. Eventual consistency is the weakest consistency level that guarantees convergence. Informally, it requires that all replicas of an object will eventually reach the same final value, assuming that no new updates are submitted to the object
Experimental observation of the Bogoliubov transformation for a Bose-Einstein condensed gas
Phonons with wavevector were optically imprinted into a
Bose-Einstein condensate. Their momentum distribution was analyzed using Bragg
spectroscopy with a high momentum transfer. The wavefunction of the phonons was
shown to be a superposition of +q and -q free particle momentum states, in
agreement with the Bogoliubov quasiparticle picture.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, please take postscript version for the best
version of Fig
- …