Entanglement in holographic dark energy models

We study a process of equilibration of holographic dark energy (HDE) with the cosmic horizon around the dark-energy dominated epoch. This process is characterized by a huge amount of information conveyed across the horizon, filling thereby a large gap in entropy between the system on the brink of experiencing a sudden collapse to a black hole and the black hole itself. At the same time, even in the absence of interaction between dark matter and dark energy, such a process marks a strong jump in the entanglement entropy, measuring the quantum-mechanical correlations between the horizon and its interior. Although the effective quantum field theory (QFT) with a peculiar relationship between the UV and IR cutoffs, a framework underlying all HDE models, may formally account for such a huge shift in the number of distinct quantum states, we show that the scope of such a framework becomes tremendously restricted, devoid virtually any application in other cosmological epochs or particle-physics phenomena. The problem of negative entropies for the non-phantom stuff is also discussed.     

Transport in a disordered tight-binding chain with dephasing

We studied transport properties of a disordered tight-binding model (XX spin chain) in the presence of dephasing. Focusing on diffusive behaviour in the thermodynamic limit at high energies, we analytically derived the dependence of conductivity on dephasing and disorder strengths. As a function of dephasing, conductivity exhibits a single maximum at the optimal dephasing strength. The scaling of the position of this maximum with disorder strength is different for small and large disorders. In addition, we studied periodic disorder for which we found a resonance phenomenon, with conductivity having two maxima as a function of dephasing strength. If the disorder is non-zero only at a random fraction of all sites, conductivity is approximately the same as in the case of a disorder on all sites but with a rescaled disorder strength.     

Certification of methylmercury content in two fresh-frozen reference materials: SRM 1947 Lake Michigan fish tissue and SRM 1974b organics in mussel tissue (Mytilus edulis)

This paper describes the development of two independent analytical methods for the extraction and quantification of methylmercury from marine biota. The procedures involve microwave extraction, followed by derivatization and either headspace solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-coated silica fiber or back-extraction into iso-octane. The identification and quantification of the extracted compounds is carried out by capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometric (GC/MS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric (GC/ICP-MS) detection. Both methods were validated for the determination of methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in a variety of biological standard reference materials (SRMs) including fresh-frozen tissue homogenates of SRM 1946 Lake Superior fish tissue and SRM 1974a organics in mussel tissue (Mytilus edulis) and then applied to the certification effort of SRM 1947 Lake Michigan fish tissue and SRM 1974b organics in mussel tissue (Mytilus edulis). While past certifications of methylmercury in tissue SRMs have been based on two independent methods from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and participating laboratories, the methods described within provide improved protocols and will allow future certification efforts to be based on at least two independent analytical methods within NIST.     

Dark consequences from light neutrino condensations

In this Letter we discuss light neutrino dipole moments, computed in the neutrino-mass extended Standard Model, as a possible source for neutrino condensates which may cause cosmological constant observed today.     

Dynamics of terrace formation in a nanostructured thin block copolymer film

We have used dynamic self-consistent field (DSCF) theory to investigate the structural evolution of an ABA block copolymer thin film placed between a solid substrate and a free surface. In line with the few existing theoretical studies for pure homopolymers and mixtures, the free interface is introduced by a void component. In our calculations, the free surface experiences surface roughening and eventually the formation of terraces, as in the experiments. The kinetic pathway of the microstructures was compared to findings of an existing detailed experimental study (Knoll, A.; Lyakhova, K. S.; Horvat, A.; Krausch, G.; Sevink, G. J. A.; Zvelindovsky, A. V.; Magerle, R. Nat. Mater. 2004, 3, 886) and was found to be equivalent in detail. This corroborates our assumption in this earlier work that the pathway due to changing film thickness is similar to a pathway due to changing surface energetics. Moreover, our calculations show for the first time that microstructural transitions are a driving force of polymer/air interface curving and the formation of terraces.     

Analysis of optodynamic sources generated during laser-induced breakdown in water

We propose a method for evaluating the size of the laser-induced breakdown region in water based on the detection and analysis of optodynamic waves. The breakdown region is an optodynamic source of pressure waves that propagate into the surrounding liquid as an ultrasonic pulse. In the experiment the optical breakdown was generated by a standard ophthalmic Nd:YAG laser with a pulse duration of 10 ns and a maximum energy per pulse of 10 mJ. The pulses were detected inside the liquid with a laser-beam deflection probe. The waveforms were captured in the far-field and analyzed. The analysis provides information about the apparent size of the optodynamic source, which is directly related to the size of the breakdown region. The proposed method can be adapted for online monitoring.     

Interactions of multicationic bis(guanidiniocarbonylpyrrole) receptors with double-stranded nucleic acids: syntheses, binding studies, and atomic force microscopy imaging

Compounds 1-3, composed of two guanidiniocarbonylpyrrole moieties linked by oligoamide bridges and differing in number and type of basic groups, were prepared. The sites and degree of protonation of 1-3 depend strongly on the pH value. The interactions of these compounds with several double-stranded (ds) DNA and dsRNA were investigated by means of UV/Vis and CD spectroscopy as well as isothermal titration microcalorimetry (ITC). These studies revealed that the binding of 1-3 to the polynucleotides is driven by three factors, the presence of aliphatic amino groups, the protonation state of the compounds, and the steric properties of the polynucleotide binding site, that is, the shape and structure of their grooves. The results obtained by all applied methods consistently indicated that receptors 1-3 bind to the minor groove of DNA, but, by contrast, to the major groove of RNA. Additionally, it was shown by atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging that upon interaction of compound 2 with calf thymus (ct) DNA induced aggregation of the DNA occurs, leading to pronounced changes in its secondary structure.     

A bound on the scale of spacetime noncommutativity from the reheating phase after inflation

In an approach to noncommutative gauge theories, where the full noncommutative behavior is delimited by the presence of the UV and IR cutoffs, we consider the possibility of describing a system at a temperature T in a box of size L. Employing a specific form of UV/IR relationship inherent in such an approach of restrictive noncommutativity, we derive, for a given temperature T  , an upper bound on the parameter of spacetime noncommutativity _ΛNC∼|θ|^−1/2${\Lambda }_{\mathrm{NC}}\sim {|\theta |}^{-1/2}$. Considering such epochs in the very early universe which are expected to reflect spacetime noncommutativity to a quite degree, like the reheating stage after inflation, or believable pre-inflation radiation-dominated epochs, the best limits on _ΛNC${\Lambda }_{\mathrm{NC}}$ are obtained. We also demonstrate how the nature and size of the thermal system (for instance, the Hubble distance versus the future event horizon) can affect our bounds.