Signature of Pseudo Nambu-Goldstone Higgs boson in its Decay

If the Higgs boson is a pseudo Nambu-Goldstone boson (PNGB), the $hZ\gamma$ contact interaction induced by the $\mathcal{O}(p^4)$ invariants of the non-linear sigma model is free from its nonlinearity effects. The process $h\rightarrow Z\gamma$ can be used to eliminate the universal effects of heavy particles, which can fake the nonlinearity effects of the PNGB Higgs boson in the process $h\rightarrow V^*V$ ($V=W^\pm$,\ $Z$). We demonstrate that the ratio of the signal strength of $h\rightarrow Z\gamma$ and $h\rightarrow V^*V$ is good to distinguish the signature of the PNGB Higgs boson from Higgs coupling deviations

Protecting entanglement from correlated amplitude damping channel using weak measurement and quantum measurement reversal

Based on the quantum technique of weak measurement, we propose a scheme to protect the entanglement from correlated amplitude damping decoherence. In contrast to the results of memoryless amplitude damping channel, we show that the memory effects play a significant role in the suppression of entanglement sudden death and protection of entanglement under severe decoherence. Moreover, we find that the initial entanglement could be drastically amplified by the combination of weak measurement and quantum measurement reversal even under the correlated amplitude damping channel. The underlying mechanism can be attributed to the probabilistic nature of weak measurements.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, accepted by Quantum Information Processin

Effects of Pharmacological Block of GABAA Receptors on Pallidal Neurons in Normal and Parkinsonian State

The globus pallidus plays a central integrative role in the basal ganglia circuitry. Morphological studies have revealed a high level of GABA and GABAA receptors in the globus pallidus. To further investigate the effects of endogenous GABAA neurotransmission in the globus pallidus of normal and parkinsonian rats, in vivo extracellular recording and behavioral tests were performed in the present studies. In normal rats, micro-pressure ejection of GABAA receptor antagonist gabazine (0.1 mM) increased the spontaneous firing rate of pallidal neurons by 28.3%. Furthermore, in 6-hydroxydopamine parkinsonian rats, gabazine increased the firing rate by 46.0% on the lesioned side, which was significantly greater than that on the unlesioned side (21.5%, P < 0.05), as well as that in normal rats (P < 0.05). In the behaving rats, unilateral microinjection of gabazine (0.1 mM) evoked consistent contralateral rotation in normal rats, and significantly potentiated the number of apomorphine-induced contralateral rotations in parkinsonian rats. The present electrophysiological and behavioral findings may provide a rational for further investigations into the potential of pallidal endogenous GABAA neurotransmission in the treatment of Parkinson's disease

Impact of high-frequency pumping on anomalous finite-size effects in three-dimensional topological insulators

Lowering of the thickness of a thin-film three-dimensional topological insulator down to a few nanometers results in the gap opening in the spectrum of topologically protected two-dimensional surface states. This phenomenon, which is referred to as the anomalous finite-size effect, originates from hybridization between the states propagating along the opposite boundaries. In this work, we consider a bismuth-based topological insulator and show how the coupling to an intense high-frequency linearly polarized pumping can further be used to manipulate the value of a gap. We address this effect within recently proposed Brillouin-Wigner perturbation theory that allows us to map a time-dependent problem into a stationary one. Our analysis reveals that both the gap and the components of the group velocity of the surface states can be tuned in a controllable fashion by adjusting the intensity of the driving field within an experimentally accessible range and demonstrate the effect of light-induced band inversion in the spectrum of the surface states for high enough values of the pump.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Systematic investigation of the rotational bands in nuclei with Z≈100Z \approx 100 using a particle-number conserving method based on a cranked shell model

The rotational bands in nuclei with $Z \approx 100$ are investigated systematically by using a cranked shell model (CSM) with the pairing correlations treated by a particle-number conserving (PNC) method, in which the blocking effects are taken into account exactly. By fitting the experimental single-particle spectra in these nuclei, a new set of Nilsson parameters ($\kappa$ and $\mu$) and deformation parameters ($\varepsilon_2$ and $\varepsilon_4$) are proposed. The experimental kinematic moments of inertia for the rotational bands in even-even, odd-$A$ and odd-odd nuclei, and the bandhead energies of the 1-quasiparticle bands in odd-$A$ nuclei, are reproduced quite well by the PNC-CSM calculations. By analyzing the $\omega$-dependence of the occupation probability of each cranked Nilsson orbital near the Fermi surface and the contributions of valence orbitals in each major shell to the angular momentum alignment, the upbending mechanism in this region is understood clearly.Comment: 21 pages, 24 figures, extended version of arXiv: 1101.3607 (Phys. Rev. C83, 011304R); added refs.; added Fig. 4 and discussions; Phys. Rev. C, in pres

The New Anthelmintic Tribendimidine is an L-type (Levamisole and Pyrantel) Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Agonist

Intestinal parasitic nematodes or roundworms infect over 1 billion people in tropical countries. Overall, they are a huge source of morbidity in infected people, including children and pregnant women, and are increasingly being recognized as key poverty-promoting parasites. Despite their importance, few drugs for dealing with them exist. Furthermore, none has optimal efficacy, all can be resisted by the parasites, and, for practical reasons, only one is used for single-dose Mass Drug Administrations (MDAs). There is a dire need for better roundworm drugs (anthelmintics). In the past 30 years, only one anthelmintic, tribendimidine, developed by the Chinese CDC, has entered human clinical trials. Tribendimidine has good single-dose efficacy against some roundworm parasites. However, how tribendimidine works was unknown. Here, using the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans to evolve resistance to tribendimidine in the lab, followed by genetic and molecular testing and cross-resistance drug studies, we demonstrate that tribendimidine is unequivocally in the same drug family as two known anthelmintics, levamisole and pyrantel. These results have important implications for how tribendimidine might be used in MDAs where resistance to current drugs is known or suspected and for how tribendimidine might be combined with other drugs to maximize therapy while minimizing resistance threats

Cooling mechanical resonators to quantum ground state from room temperature

Ground-state cooling of mesoscopic mechanical resonators is a fundamental requirement for test of quantum theory and for implementation of quantum information. We analyze the cavity optomechanical cooling limits in the intermediate coupling regime, where the light-enhanced optomechanical coupling strength is comparable with the cavity decay rate. It is found that in this regime the cooling breaks through the limits in both the strong and weak coupling regimes. The lowest cooling limit is derived analytically at the optimal conditions of cavity decay rate and coupling strength. In essence, cooling to the quantum ground state requires $Q_{\mathrm{m}}>2.4n_{\mathrm{th}}$, with $Q_{\mathrm{m}}$ being the mechanical quality factor and $n_{\mathrm{th}}$ being the thermal phonon number. Remarkably, ground-state cooling is achievable starting from room temperature, when mechanical $Q$-frequency product $Q_{\mathrm{m}}{\nu>1.5}\times10^{13}$, and both of the cavity decay rate and the coupling strength exceed the thermal decoherence rate. Our study provides a general framework for optimizing the backaction cooling of mesoscopic mechanical resonators