Thermodynamics of a three-flavor nonlocal Polyakov--Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model

The present work generalizes a nonlocal version of the Polyakov loop-extended Nambu and Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model to the case of three active quark flavors, with inclusion of the axial U(1) anomaly. Gluon dynamics is incorporated through a gluonic background field, expressed in terms of the Polyakov loop. The thermodynamics of the nonlocal PNJL model accounts for both chiral and deconfinement transitions. Our results obtained in mean-field approximation are compared to lattice QCD results for $N_\text{f}=2+1$ quark flavors. Additional pionic and kaonic contributions to the pressure are calculated in random phase approximation. Finally, this nonlocal 3-flavor PNJL model is applied to the finite density region of the QCD phase diagram. It is confirmed that the existence and location of a critical point in this phase diagram depends sensitively on the strength of the axial U(1) breaking interaction.Comment: 31 pages, 15 figures, minor changes compared to v

Ultrafast spectroscopy of single molecules

We present a single-molecule study on femtosecond dynamics in multichromophoric systems, combining fs pump-probe, emission-spectra and fluorescence-lifetime analysis. At the single molecule level a wide range of exciton delocalisation lengths and energy redistribution times is revealed. Next, two color pump-probe experiments are presented as a step to addressing ultrafast energy transfer in individual complexes

Phases of QCD and PNJL model beyond mean field theory ⋆

Abstract We review previous results obtained in the Polyakov loop extended Nambu and Jona-Lasinio model (PNJL

Analytical Study of Solution-Processed Tin Oxide as Electron Transport Layer in Printed Perovskite Solar Cells

Solution‐processed tin oxide (SnO$_{x}$ ) electron transport layers demonstrate excellent performance in various optoelectronic devices and offer the ease of facile and low cost deposition by various printing techniques. The most common precursor solution for the preparation of SnO$_{x}$ thin films is SnCl$_{2}$ dissolved in ethanol. In order to elucidate the mechanism of the precursor conversion at different annealing temperatures and the optoelectronic performance of the SnO$_{x}$ electron transport layer, phonon and vibrational infrared and photoelectron spectroscopies as well as atomic force microscopy are used to probe the chemical, physical, and morphological properties of the SnO$_{x}$ thin films. The influence of two different solvents on the layer morphology of SnO$_{x}$ thin films is investigated. In both cases, an increasing annealing temperature not only improves the structural and chemical properties of solution‐processed SnO$_{x}$, but also reduces the concentration of tin hydroxide species in the bulk and on the surface of these thin films. As a prototypical example for the high potential of printed SnO$_{x}$ layers for solar cells, high performance perovskite solar cells with a stabilized power conversion efficiency of over 15% are presented

MSL1 is a mechanosensitive ion channel that dissipates mitochondrial membrane potential and maintains redox homeostasis in mitochondria during abiotic stress

Mitochondria must maintain tight control over the electrochemical gradient across their inner membrane to allow ATP synthesis while maintaining a redox-balanced electron transport chain and avoiding excessive reactive oxygen species production. However, there is a scarcity of knowledge about the ion transporters in the inner mitochondrial membrane that contribute to control of membrane potential. We show that loss of MSL1, a member of a family of mechanosensitive ion channels related to the bacterial channel MscS, leads to increased membrane potential of Arabidopsis mitochondria under specific bioenergetic states. We demonstrate that MSL1 localises to the inner mitochondrial membrane. When expressed in Escherichia coli, MSL1 forms a stretch-activated ion channel with a slight preference for anions and provides protection against hypo-osmotic shock. In contrast, loss of MSL1 in Arabidopsis did not prevent swelling of isolated mitochondria in hypo-osmotic conditions. Instead, our data suggest that ion transport by MSL1 leads to dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential when it becomes too high. The importance of MSL1 function was demonstrated by the observation of a higher oxidation state of the mitochondrial glutathione pool in msl1-1 mutants under moderate heat- and heavy-metal-stress. Furthermore, we show that MSL1 function is not directly implicated in mitochondrial membrane potential pulsing, but is complementary and appears to be important under similar conditions

Super-resolution far-field ghost imaging via compressive sampling

Much more image details can be resolved by improving the system's imaging resolution and enhancing the resolution beyond the system's Rayleigh diffraction limit is generally called super-resolution. By combining the sparse prior property of images with the ghost imaging method, we demonstrated experimentally that super-resolution imaging can be nonlocally achieved in the far field even without looking at the object. Physical explanation of super-resolution ghost imaging via compressive sampling and its potential applications are also discussed.Comment: 4pages,4figure