Ultracold heteronuclear molecules and ferroelectric superfluids

We analyze the possibility of a ferroelectric transition in heteronuclear molecules consisting of Bose-Bose, Bose-Fermi or Fermi-Fermi atom pairs. This transition is characterized by the appearance of a spontaneous electric polarization below a critical temperature. We discuss the existence of a ferroelectric Fermi liquid phase for Fermi molecules and the existence of a ferroelectric superfluid phase for Bose molecules characterized by the coexistence of ferroelectric and superfluid orders. Lastly, we propose an experiment to detect ferroelectric correlations through the observation of coherent dipole radiation pulses during time of flight.Comment: 4 pages and 3 figure

Entrada de nutrientes no solo pela água da chuva, e contribuição no processo da fitomassa aérea de capoeiras de diferente idades.

A entrada de nutrientes pela água da chuva em capoeiras com cinco e onze anos de idade. no nordeste paraense, foi avaliada em duas épocas do ano. A entrada dos nutrientes foi decomposta em: quantidades carreadas pela água da chuva (lNC), interceptação pela vegetação secundária. "throughfall"(THF), "stemflow''(Sf') e a lixiviação {(THF+SF)-( 1.25xINC)} As análises químicas foram obtidas pelos métodos usuais do Institut Iür Bodenkunde und Waldcmãrung. A chuva interna bruta mostrou um acréscimo nas quantidades de K, Na, Ca, Mg, e Si nas duas áreas estudadas, mesmo levando em consideração a concentração relativa causada pela interceptação da fitomassa. O incremento foi atribuído à liberação de nutrientes pelas folhas. às deposições de poeiras e excrementos da fauna entomológica. Da mesma forma, o incremento de S-So.4" e de nitrogênio orgânico, responsável pelo teor deste elemento no sistema, foi atribuído às perdas da vegetação. Com exceção do potássio em uma das épocas de coleta e do sódio. os demais elementos analisados evidenciam maior incremento na chuva interna da capoeira com onze anos mostrando a importância da fitomassa no sistema. A maior quantidade de sódio lixiviado na capoeira com cinco anos foi atribuída a algumas espécies encontradas na área.Editado por J. E. Péfaur

Thermodynamically stable noncomposite vortices in mesoscopic two-gap superconductors

In mesoscopic two-gap superconductors with sizes of the order of the coherence length noncomposite vortices are found to be thermodynamically stable in a large domain of the $T - H$ phase diagram. In these phases the vortex cores of one condensate are spatially separated from the other condensate ones, and their respective distributions can adopt distinct symmetries. The appearance of these vortex phases is caused by a non-negligible effect of the boundary of the sample on the superconducting order parameter and represents therefore a genuine mesoscopic effect. For low values of interband Josephson coupling vortex patterns with $L_1 \neq L_2$ can arise in addition to the phases with $L_1 =L_2$, where $L_1$ and $L_2$ are total vorticities in the two condensates. The calculations show that noncomposite vortices could be observed in thin mesoscopic samples of MgB$_{2}$.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Europhysics Letter

Correlation equalities and upper bounds for the transverse Ising model

Starting from an exact formal identity for the two-state transverse Ising model and using correlation inequalities rigorous upper bounds for the critical temperature and the critical transverse field are obtained which improve effective results.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur

Nonzero orbital angular momentum superfluidity in ultracold Fermi gases

We analyze the evolution of superfluidity for nonzero orbital angular momentum channels from the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) to the Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) limit in three dimensions. First, we analyze the low energy scattering properties of finite range interactions for all possible angular momentum channels. Second, we discuss ground state ($T = 0$) superfluid properties including the order parameter, chemical potential, quasiparticle excitation spectrum, momentum distribution, atomic compressibility, ground state energy and low energy collective excitations. We show that a quantum phase transition occurs for nonzero angular momentum pairing, unlike the s-wave case where the BCS to BEC evolution is just a crossover. Third, we present a gaussian fluctuation theory near the critical temperature ($T = T_{\rm c}$), and we analyze the number of bound, scattering and unbound fermions as well as the chemical potential. Finally, we derive the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau functional near $T_{\rm c}$, and compare the Ginzburg-Landau coherence length with the zero temperature average Cooper pair size.Comment: 28 pages and 24 figure

Nanostructured natural-based polyelectrolyte multilayers to agglomerate chitosan particles into scaffolds for tissue engineering

The Layer-by-Layer (LbL) deposition technique is a self-assembly process that allows the coating of material's surface with nanostructured layers of polyelectrolytes, allowing to control several surface properties. This technique presents some advantages when compared with other thin film assembly techniques like having the possibility to coat surfaces with complex geometries in mild conditions or to incorporate active compounds. Tissue engineering involves typically the use of porous biodegradable scaffolds for the temporary support of cells. Such structures can be produced by agglomeration of micro-spheres that needs to be fixed into a three dimensional structure. In this work we suggest the use of LbL to promote such mechanical fixation in free-formed micro-spheres assemblies and simultaneously to control the properties of its surface. For the proof of concept the biological performance of chitosan/alginate multilayers is first investigated in two-dimensional models in which the attachment and proliferation of L929 and ATDC5 cells are studied in function of the number of layers and the nature of the final layer. Scaffolds prepared by agglomeration of chitosan particles using the same multilayered system were processed and characterized; it was found that they could support the attachment and proliferation of ATDC5 cells. This study suggests that LbL can be used as a versatile methodology to prepare scaffolds by particle agglomeration that could be suitable for tissue engineering applications.Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) através do Programa Operacional de Cooperação Transfronteiriça Espanha Portugal 2007-2013 (POCTEP)Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT