Designing Frustrated Quantum Magnets with Laser-Dressed Rydberg Atoms

We show how a broad class of lattice spin-1/2 models with angular- and distance-dependent couplings can be realized with cold alkali atoms stored in optical or magnetic trap arrays. The effective spin-1/2 is represented by a pair of atomic ground states, and spin-spin interactions are obtained by admixing van der Waals interactions between fine-structure split Rydberg states with laser light. The strengths of the diagonal spin interactions as well as the "flip-flop", and "flip-flip" and "flop-flop" interactions can be tuned by exploiting quantum interference, thus realizing different spin symmetries. The resulting energy scales of interactions compare well with typical temperatures and decoherence time-scales, making the exploration of exotic forms of quantum magnetism, including emergent gauge theories and compass models, accessible within state-of-the-art experiments.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure

Tame class field theory for arithmetic schemes

We extend the unramified class field theory for arithmetic schemes of K. Kato and S. Saito to the tame case. Let $X$ be a regular proper arithmetic scheme and let $D$ be a divisor on $X$ whose vertical irreducible components are normal schemes. Theorem: There exists a natural reciprocity isomorphism \rec_{X,D}: \CH_0(X,D) \liso \tilde \pi_1^t(X,D)^\ab\. Both groups are finite. This paper corrects and generalizes my paper "Relative K-theory and class field theory for arithmetic surfaces" (math.NT/0204330

It’s time to teach — but which time is it? Tracing academic practices through more appropriate time metrics

Academics may be well aware of mounting time pressures but is standard clock-time useful for understanding academic work? Alexander Mitterle, Carsten Würmann, and Roland Bloch look at how teaching is understood in relation to time in German universities. They report how the SWS, a figure related to an individual course frame, can be understood as a quantifiable time classification, but one that functions as an indeterminate time category which views teaching as part of an academic practice that is inherently non-linear and open. The SWS framework opens up possibilities for new ways of how time metrics can represent teaching time

Differential expression of proteins regulating cell cycle progression in growth vs. differentiation

AbstractThe level of various G1 cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks) present in the nuclei of synchronized ML-1 human myeloblastic leukemia cells was determined as a function of time after initiation of cell growth with insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and transferrin (Tf), and following induction of differentiation with transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Cyclin E and cdk2 were expressed at relatively high levels in the nuclei of proliferation-stimulated cells, whereas cyclin D1 and cdk5 were expressed at comparably high levels in the nuclei of differentiation-induced cells. In the nuclear extracts from proliferation-stimulated cells, cyclin E complexed specifically with cdk2, whereas in nuclear extracts from differentiation-induced cells, cyclin D1 bound specifically to cdk5. Increased cyclin E/cdk2 expression was accompanied by increased DNA synthesis, whereas increased cyclin D1/cdk5 levels correlated with decreased DNA synthesis. In both growth- and differentiation-induced cells, cyclin D2 expression preceded the expression of cyclin D3, and a significantly larger amount of these cyclins was present in differentiation- as compared to proliferation-induced cells. In contrast, cdk4 and cdk6 were present at similar levels in the nuclear extracts from both growth- and differentiation-induced cells. These data show that, in ML-1 cells, the proliferation-associated progression from G1 to S, as well as the differentiation-associated transit from G1 to maturation is accompanied by the expression of specific cyclin/cdk pairs, comprising cdk2/cyclin E in growth and cdk5/cyclin D1 in differentiation

Polaron Physics in Optical Lattices

We investigate the effects of a nearly uniform Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) on the properties of immersed trapped impurity atoms. Using a weak-coupling expansion in the BEC-impurity interaction strength, we derive a model describing polarons, i.e., impurities dressed by a coherent state of Bogoliubov phonons, and apply it to ultracold bosonic atoms in an optical lattice. We show that, with increasing BEC temperature, the transport properties of the impurities change from coherent to diffusive. Furthermore, stable polaron clusters are formed via a phonon-mediated off-site attraction.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Disrupted Modularity and Local Connectivity of Brain Functional Networks in Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia

Modularity is a fundamental concept in systems neuroscience, referring to the formation of local cliques or modules of densely intra-connected nodes that are sparsely inter-connected with nodes in other modules. Topological modularity of brain functional networks can quantify theoretically anticipated abnormality of brain network community structure – so-called dysmodularity – in developmental disorders such as childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS). We used graph theory to investigate topology of networks derived from resting-state fMRI data on 13 COS patients and 19 healthy volunteers. We measured functional connectivity between each pair of 100 regional nodes, focusing on wavelet correlation in the frequency interval 0.05–0.1 Hz, then applied global and local thresholding rules to construct graphs from each individual association matrix over the full range of possible connection densities. We show how local thresholding based on the minimum spanning tree facilitates group comparisons of networks by forcing the connectedness of sparse graphs. Threshold-dependent graph theoretical results are compatible with the results of a k-means unsupervised learning algorithm and a multi-resolution (spin glass) approach to modularity, both of which also find community structure but do not require thresholding of the association matrix. In general modularity of brain functional networks was significantly reduced in COS, due to a relatively reduced density of intra-modular connections between neighboring regions. Other network measures of local organization such as clustering were also decreased, while complementary measures of global efficiency and robustness were increased, in the COS group. The group differences in complex network properties were mirrored by differences in simpler statistical properties of the data, such as the variability of the global time series and the internal homogeneity of the time series within anatomical regions of interest

Dissipation in Josephson qubits

We discuss the dissipative dynamics of superconducting qubits in the applicability range of the Bloch equations and beyond.Comment: A tutorial prepared for the Proceedings of "New Directions in Mesoscopic Physics" (Erice, 2002

Childhood Obesity, Cortical Structure, and Executive Function in Healthy Children.

The development of executive function is linked to maturation of prefrontal cortex (PFC) in childhood. Childhood obesity has been associated with changes in brain structure, particularly in PFC, as well as deficits in executive functions. We aimed to determine whether differences in cortical structure mediate the relationship between executive function and childhood obesity. We analyzed MR-derived measures of cortical thickness for 2700 children between the ages of 9 and 11 years, recruited as part of the NIH Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We related our findings to measures of executive function and body mass index (BMI). In our analysis, increased BMI was associated with significantly reduced mean cortical thickness, as well as specific bilateral reduced cortical thickness in prefrontal cortical regions. This relationship remained after accounting for age, sex, race, parental education, household income, birth-weight, and in-scanner motion. Increased BMI was also associated with lower executive function. Reduced thickness in the rostral medial and superior frontal cortex, the inferior frontal gyrus, and the lateral orbitofrontal cortex partially accounted for reductions in executive function. These results suggest that childhood obesity is associated with compromised executive function. This relationship may be partly explained by BMI-associated reduced cortical thickness in the PFC.Wellcome Trust Bernard Wolfe Health Neuroscience Fun

Three-dimensional matter-wave vortices in optical lattices

We predict the existence of spatially localized nontrivial vortex states of a Bose-Einstein condensate with repulsive atomic interaction confined by a three-dimensional optical lattice. Such vortex-like structures include planar vortices, their co- and counter-rotating bound states, and distinctly three-dimensional non-planar vortex states. We demonstrate numerically that many of these vortex structures are remarkably robust, and therefore can be generated and observed in experiment.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure