Excitonic Aharonov-Bohm Effect in Isotopically Pure 70Ge/Si Type-II Quantum Dots

We report on a magneto-photoluminescence study of isotopically pure 70Ge/Si self-assembled type-II quantum dots. Oscillatory behaviors attributed to the Aharonov-Bohm effect are simultaneously observed for the emission energy and intensity of excitons subject to an increasing magnetic field. When the magnetic flux penetrates through the ring-like trajectory of an electron moving around each quantum dot, the ground state of an exciton experiences a change in its angular momentum. Our results provide the experimental evidence for the phase coherence of a localized electron wave function in group-IV Ge/Si self-assembled quantum structures.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Allowed and forbidden transitions in artificial hydrogen and helium atoms

The strength of radiative transitions in atoms is governed by selection rules. Spectroscopic studies of allowed transitions in hydrogen and helium provided crucial evidence for the Bohr's model of an atom. Forbidden transitions, which are actually allowed by higher-order processes or other mechanisms, indicate how well the quantum numbers describe the system. We apply these tests to the quantum states in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), which are regarded as artificial atoms. Electrons in a QD occupy quantized states in the same manner as electrons in real atoms. However, unlike real atoms, the confinement potential of the QD is anisotropic, and the electrons can easily couple with phonons of the material. Understanding the selection rules for such QDs is an important issue for the manipulation of quantum states. Here we investigate allowed and forbidden transitions for phonon emission in one- and two-electron QDs (artificial hydrogen and helium atoms) by electrical pump-and-probe experiments, and find that the total spin is an excellent quantum number in artificial atoms. This is attractive for potential applications to spin based information storage.Comment: slightly longer version of Nature 419, 278 (2002

Endometriosis of the ileum treated by laparoscopic ileocecal resection

A ２９-year-old female was admitted due to abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography showed a tumor in terminal ileum and expanded jejunum, and colonoscopy showed a collection of lymph follicles. Biopsy finding showed a lymphoid tissue hyperplasia and no malignant finding. Therefore, we performed a laparoscopic ileocecal resection for diagnosis and treatment. Histopathological findings showed endometrial tissue in the muscular layer, and we diagnosed endometriosis of ileum. We performed a laparoscopic ileocecal resection with lymph node dissection, because the possibility of malignant tumor could not be ruled out. Laparoscopic operation is useful for the diagnosis and treatment of intestinal endometriosis, because it prevents the adhesion and abdominal wall destruction possibly

Effect of Serial Passage on the Pathogenicity and Immunogenicity of Vaccinia Virus LC16m8 Strain

The phenotype of an attenuated live vaccine depends on gene mutation achieved by, for example, many passages in cultured cells. Viral clones with preferable phenotypes are selected and the causative genetic mutation(s) are later identified. LC16m8 is an example of a highly attenuated smallpox vaccine that was developed and licensed in Japan in the 1970s. LC16m8 was obtained by the passaging of Lister strain, with indicators of small plaque formation and temperature sensitivity as virus phenotypes. This strain can replicate in mammalian cells and provides robust cellular and humoral immunity, as well as long-term immune memory. Recent studies using proteome-wide antigen arrays have revealed that antibody production against LC16m8 and other VACVs differs largely among individuals. Moreover, associations between SNPs in immune-related genes and immune outcomes have been increasingly found. These results lead to predicting adverse events of a vaccine, which is a purpose of vaccinomics. Studies on VACV will continue to contribute to the understanding of host-pathogen interactions and to development of a vaccine for other infectious and non-infectious diseases. Here, we review studies of VACV, including our recent research on LC16m8, with a focus on the phenotype and genotype, and we discuss future research directions