Quantum phase transition in a coupled two-level system embedded in anisotropic three-dimensional photonic crystals

The quantum phase transition (QPT) describes a sudden qualitative change of the macroscopic properties mapped from the eigenspectrum of a quantum many-body system. It has been studied intensively in quantum systems with the spin-boson model, but it has barely been explored for systems in coupled spin-boson models. In this paper, we study the QPT with coupled spin-boson models consisting of coupled two-level atoms embedded in three-dimensional anisotropic photonic crystals. The dynamics of the system is derived exactly by means of the Laplace transform method, which has been proven to be equivalent to the dissipationless non-Markovian dynamics. Drawing on methods for analyzing the ground state, we obtain the phase diagrams through two exact critical equations and two QPTs are found: one QPT is that from the phase without one bound state to the phase with one bound state and another is that from one phase with the bound state having one eigenvalue to another phase where the bound state has two eigenvalues. Our analytical results also suggest a way of control to overcome the effect of decoherence by engineering the spectrum of the reservoirs to approach the non-Markovian regime and to form the bound state of the whole system for quantum devices and quantum statistics.

Non-Markovian linear response theory for quantum open systems and its applications

The Kubo formula is an equation that expresses the linear response of an observable due to a time-dependent perturbation. It has been extended from closed systems to open systems in recent years under the Markovian approximation, but is barely explored for open systems in non-Markovian regimes. In this paper, we derive a formula for the linear response of an open system to a time-independent external field. This response formula is available for both Markovian and non-Markovian dynamics depending on parameters in the spectral density of the environment. As an illustration of the theory, the Hall conductance of a two-band system subjected to environments is derived and discussed. With the tight-binding model, we point out the Hall conductance changes from Markovian to non-Markovian dynamics by modulating the spectral density of the environment. Our results suggest a way to the controlling of the system response, which has potential applications for quantum statistical mechanics and condensed matter physics.

Interventional endoscopic ultrasound for a symptomatic pseudocyst secondary to gastric heterotopic pancreas

Heterotopic pancreas (HP) is a relatively uncommon entity that is defined as pancreatic tissue without a true anatomical or vascular connection to the pancreas. HP does not cause symptoms in most cases but can occasionally produce various manifestations, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and even heterotopic pancreatitis. Here, we report an unusual case in which heterotopic pancreatitis complicated by the formation of a pseudocyst that caused gastric outlet obstruction was diagnosed based on serum hyperamylasemia and findings from endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) cytology. EUS-guided single pigtail stent insertion was successfully performed for recurrent gastric outlet obstruction. The patient has remained healthy and symptom-free during 4 years of surveillance. In the context of the relevant literature, the described case is a rare case of HP complicated by a pseudocyst treated via EUS-FNA and stent insertion.

Nonreciprocal conventional photon blockade in driven dissipative atom-cavity

In this Letter, we propose a scheme to achieve a nonreciprocal conventional photon blockade in a nonlinear device consisting of an atom and spinning cavity by manipulating the detuning between the atom and the cavity. We show that the single-photon blockade can be generated by driving the spinning resonator from one side, while photon-induced tunneling is driven by the other side with the same driving strength. This nonreciprocal conventional photon blockade effect originates from the Fizeau-Sagnac drag, which leads to different splitting of the resonance frequencies for the counter-circulating modes. We give four optimal solutions for Fizeau-Sagnac shifts to generate a nonreciprocal conventional photon blockade with the arbitrary detunings between atom and cavity.

Simulating Anisotropic quantum Rabi model via frequency modulation

Anisotropic quantum Rabi model is a generalization of quantum Rabi model, which allows its rotating and counter-rotating terms to have two different coupling constants. It provides us with a fundamental model to understand various physical features concerning quantum optics, solid-state physics, and mesoscopic physics. In this paper, we propose an experimental feasible scheme to implement anisotropic quantum Rabi model in a circuit quantum electrodynamics system via periodic frequency modulation. An effective Hamiltonian describing the tunable anisotropic quantum Rabi model can be derived from a qubit-resonator coupling system modulated by two periodic driving fields. All effective parameters of the simulated system can be adjusted by tuning the initial phases, the frequencies and the amplitudes of the driving fields. We show that the periodic driving is able to drive a coupled system in dispersive regime to ultrastrong coupling regime, and even deep-strong coupling regime. The derived effective Hamiltonian allows us to obtain pure rotating term and counter-rotating term. Numerical simulation shows that such effective Hamiltonian is valid in ultrastrong coupling regime, and stronger coupling regime. Moreover, our scheme can be generalized to the multi-qubit case. We also give some applications of the simulated system to the Schrödinger cat states and quantum gate generalization. The presented proposal will pave a way to further study the stronger anisotropic Rabi model whose coupling strength is far away from ultrastrong coupling and deep-strong coupling regimes in quantum optics.

Effects of fluoride on proliferation and mineralization in periodontal ligament cells in vitro

Fluoride, which is often added to toothpaste or mouthwash in order to protect teeth from decay, may be a novel therapeutic approach for acceleration of periodontal regeneration. Therefore, we investigated the effects of fluoride on proliferation and mineralization in human periodontal ligament cells in vitro. The periodontal ligament cells were stimulated with various concentrations of NaF added into osteogenic inductive medium. Immunohistochemistry of cell identification, cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assay, Alizarin red S staining and quantitative real-time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were performed. Moderate concentrations of NaF (50-500 μmol/L) had pro-proliferation effects, while 500 μmol/L had the best effects. ALP activity and calcium content were significantly enhanced by 10 μmol/L NaF with osteogenic inductive medium. Quantitative RT-PCR data varied in genes as a result of different NaF concentrations and treatment periods. We conclude that moderate concentrations of NaF can stimulate proliferation and mineralization in periodontal ligament cells. These in vitro findings may provide a novel therapeutic approach for acceleration of periodontal regeneration by addition of suitable concentrations of NaF into the medication for periodontitis treatment, i.e., into periodontal packs and tissue patches.

A multi-pathway model for photosynthetic reaction center

Charge separation occurs in a pair of tightly coupled chlorophylls at the heart of photosynthetic reaction centers of both plants and bacteria. Recently it has been shown that quantum coherence can, in principle, enhance the efficiency of a solar cell, working like a quantum heat engine. Here, we propose a biological quantum heat engine (BQHE) motivated by Photosystem II reaction center (PSII RC) to describe the charge separation. Our model mainly considers two charge-separation pathways which is more than that typically considered in the published literature. We explore how these cross-couplings increase the current and power of the charge separation and discuss the effects of multiple pathways in terms of current and power. The robustness of the BQHE against the charge recombination in natural PSII RC and dephasing induced by environments is also explored, and extension from two pathways to multiple pathways is made. These results suggest that noise-induced quantum coherence helps to suppress the influence of acceptor-to-donor charge recombination, and besides, nature-mimicking architectures with engineered multiple pathways for charge separations might be better for artificial solar energy devices considering the influence of environments.

The Role of Feedback Loops in Targeted Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with limited treatment options and low long-term survival rates. The complex and variable signal regulation networks are one of the important reasons why it is difficult for pancreatic cancer to develop precise targeted therapy drugs. Numerous studies have associated feedback loop regulation with the development and therapeutic response of cancers including pancreatic cancer. Therefore, we review researches on the role of feedback loops in the progression of pancreatic cancer, and summarize the connection between feedback loops and several signaling pathways in pancreatic cancer, as well as recent advances in the intervention of feedback loops in pancreatic cancer treatment, highlighting the potential of capitalizing on feedback loops modulation in targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer.

Mechanism for Hall conductance of two-band systems against decoherence

The Kubo formula expresses a linear response of the quantum system to weak classical fields. Previous studies showed that the environment degrades the quantum Hall conductance. By studying the dynamics of dissipative two-band systems, in this paper we find that the formation of system-environment bound states is responsible for the Hall conductance immune to the effect of the environment. The bound states can form only when the system-environment couplings are below a threshold. Our results may be of both theoretical and experimental interest in exploring dissipative topological insulators in realistic situations, and may open new perspectives for designing active quantum Hall devices working in realistic environments.

Response of two-band systems to a single-mode quantized field

The response of topological insulators (TIs) to an external weakly classical field can be expressed in terms of Kubo formula, which predicts quantized Hall conductivity of the quantum Hall family. The response of TIs to a single-mode quantized field, however, remains unexplored. In this work, we take the quantum nature of the external field into account and define a Hall conductance to characterize the linear response of a two-band system to the quantized field. The theory is then applied to topological insulators. Comparisons with the traditional Hall conductance are presented and discussed.

General response formula and application to topological insulator in quantum open system

It is well-known that the quantum linear response theory is based on the first-order perturbation theory for a system in thermal equilibrium. Hence, this theory breaks down when the system is in a steady state far from thermal equilibrium and the response up to higher order in perturbation is not negligible. In this paper, we develop a nonlinear response theory for such quantum open system. We first formulate this theory in terms of general susceptibility, after which we apply it to the derivation of Hall conductance for open system at finite temperature. As an example, the Hall conductance of the two-band model is derived. Then we calculate the Hall conductance for a two-dimensional ferromagnetic electron gas and a two-dimensional lattice model. The calculations show that the transition points of topological phase are robust against the environment. Our results provide a promising platform for the coherent manipulation of the nonlinear response in quantum open system, which has potential applications for quantum information processing and statistical physics.

Exact optimal control of photon blockade with weakly nonlinear coupled cavities

We propose a scheme of photon blockade in a system comprising of coupled cavities embedded in Kerr nonlinear material, where two cavities are driven and dissipated. We analytically derive the exact optimal conditions for strong photon antibunching, which are in good agreement with those obtained by numerical simulations. We find that conventional and unconventional photon blockades have controllable flexibilities by tuning the strength ratio and relative phase between two complex driving fields. Such unconventional photon-blockade effects are ascribed to the quantum interference effect to avoid two-photon excitation of the coupled cavities. We also discuss the statistical properties of the photons under given optimal conditions. Our results provide a promising platform for the coherent manipulation of photon blockade, which has potential applications for quantum information processing and quantum optical devices.

Second-order nonlinearity induced transparency

In analogy to electromagnetically induced transparency, optomechanically induced transparency was proposed recently in [Science330, 1520 (2010)SCIEAS0036-807510.1126/science.1195596]. In this Letter, we demonstrate another form of induced transparency enabled by second-order nonlinearity. A practical application of the second-order nonlinearity induced transparency is to measure the second-order nonlinear coefficient. Our scheme might find applications in quantum optics and quantum information processing.

Dynamics and quantumness of excitation energy transfer through a complex quantum network

Understanding the mechanisms of efficient and robust energy transfer in organic systems provides us with insights for the optimal design of artificial systems. In this paper, we explore the dynamics of excitation energy transfer (EET) through a complex quantum network by a toy model consisting of three sites coupled to environments. We study how the coherent evolution and the noise-induced decoherence work together to reach efficient EET and illustrate the role of the phase factor attached to the coupling constant in the EET. By comparing the differences between the Markovian and non-Markovian dynamics, we discuss the effect of environment and the spatial structure of system on the dynamics and the efficiency of EET. A intuitive picture is given to show how the exciton is transferred through the system. Employing the simple model, we show the robustness of EET efficiency under the influence of the environment and elucidate the important role of quantum coherence in EET. We go further to study the quantum feature of the EET dynamics by quantumness and show the importance of quantum coherence from a different perspective. We calculate the energy current in the EET and its quantumness, and results for different system parameters are presented and discussed.

Quantum batteries in non-Markovian reservoirs

In this Letter, we propose schemes to improve the performance of quantum batteries and provide a new, to the best of our knowledge, quantum source for a quantum battery without an external driving field. We show that the memory effect of the non-Markovian reservoir can play a significant role in improving the performance of quantum batteries, which originates from a backflow on the ergotropy in the non-Markovian regime, while there is no counterpart in Markovian approximation. We find that the peak for the maximum average storing power in the non-Markovian regime can be enhanced by manipulating the coupling strength between the charger and the battery. Finally, we find that the battery can also be charged by non-rotating wave terms without driving fields.

Metal stent combined with ileus drainage tube for the treatment of delayed rectal perforation: A case report

BACKGROUND

Acute iatrogenic colorectal perforation (AICP) is a serious adverse event, and immediate AICP usually requires early endoscopic closure. Immediate surgical repair is required if the perforation is large, the endoscopic closure fails, or the patient's clinical condition deteriorates. In cases of delayed AICP (> 4 h), surgical repair or enterostomy is usually performed, but delayed rectal perforation is rare.

CASE SUMMARY

A 53-year-old male patient underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) at a local hospital for the treatment of a laterally spreading tumor of the rectum, and the wound was closed by an endoscopist using a purse-string suture. Unfortunately, the patient then presented with delayed rectal perforation (6 h after ESD). The surgeons at the local hospital attempted to treat the perforation and wound surface using transrectal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM); however, the perforation worsened and became enlarged, multiple injuries to the mucosa around the perforation and partial tearing of the rectal mucosa occurred, and the internal anal sphincter was damaged. As a result, the perforation became more complicated. Due to the increased bleeding, surgical treatment with suturing could not be performed using TEM. Therefore, the patient was sent to our medical center for follow-up treatment. After a multidisciplinary discussion, we believed that the patient should undergo an enterostomy. However, the patient strongly refused this treatment plan. Because the position of the rectal perforation was relatively low and the intestine had been adequately prepared, we attempted to treat the complicated delayed rectal perforation using a self-expanding covered mental stent (SECMS) in combination with a transanal ileus drainage tube (TIDT).

CONCLUSION

For patients with complicated delayed perforation in the lower rectum and adequate intestinal preparation, a SECMS combined with a TIDT can be used and may result in very good outcomes.

Controllable scattering of a single photon inside a one-dimensional coupled resonator waveguide with second-order nonlinearity

We note that most of the studies of the single photon scattering inside a one-dimensional coupled resonator waveguide are based on the waveguide coupling with the atom systems. In this paper, we will study the single photon scattering enabled by another system, i.e., the second-order nonlinearity, which can act as a single photon switch to control the single photon transmission and reflection inside the one-dimensional coupled resonator waveguide. The transmission rate is calculated to analyze the single-photon scattering properties. In addition, a more complicated second-order nonlinear form, i.e., three-wave mixing, is discussed to control single photon transmission inside the one-dimensional coupled resonator waveguide.

Is appendoscope a new option for the treatment of acute appendicitis?

Acute appendicitis is a common surgical emergency. It is commonly caused by obstruction of the appendiceal lumen due to fecaliths, tumors, or lymphoid hyperplasia. For over a century, appendectomy has been the primary treatment for acute appendicitis. Abraham Groves performed the first open appendectomy in 1883. In 1983, Kurt Semm completed the first laparoscopic appendectomy, heralding a new era in appendectomy. However, appendectomy is associated with certain complications and a rate of negative appendectomies. Studies have suggested controversy over the impact of appendectomy on the development of inflammatory bowel disease and Parkinson's disease, but an increasing number of studies indicate a possible positive correlation between appendectomy and colorectal cancer, gallstones, and cardiovascular disease. With the recognition that the appendix is not a vestigial organ and the advancement of endoscopic te-chnology, Liu proposed the endoscopic retrograde appendicitis therapy. It is an effective minimally invasive alternative for treating uncomplicated acute appendicitis. Our team has developed an appendoscope with a disposable digital imaging system operated through the biopsy channel of a colonoscope and successfully applied it in the treatment of appendicitis. This article provides an overview of the progress in endoscopic treatment for acute appendicitis and offers a new perspective on the future direction of appendiceal disease treatment.

Optically tunable spin texture of the surface state for Bi2Se3 and SmB6 topological insulators

The spin texture of the surface state for topological insulators can be manipulated by the polarization of light, which might play a potential role in the applications in spintronics. However, the study so far in this direction mainly focuses on the classical light-topological-insulators interactions; TIs coupled to quantized light remains barely explored. In this paper, we develop a formalism to deal with this issue of spin texture of the surface state for topological insulators (for example Bi₂Se₃ and SmB₆) irradiated by a quantum field, and we find that the coupling between an electron and a single-mode quantum field modulates only the arrow length that represents the spin polarization of a topological surface state. Specifically, when the photon number of a single-mode quantum field is fixed, the azimuth angle between the quantum light and the material surface manipulates the spin textures along the constant energy contour rotating (clockwise or counterclockwise) around the high symmetry point, and the polar angle controls the magnitude of the spin polarization. These results are quite different from the situation where an external field is not applied to an electron in a crystal or where a classical external field is utilized to control the spin polarization of a photoemitted electron in a vacuum. Our results have potential applications in quantum optics and condensed-matter physics.

Nonreciprocity in a strongly coupled three-mode optomechanical circulatory system

In this work, we propose a scheme in three-mode optical systems to simulate a strongly coupled optomechanical system. The nonreciprocity observed in such a three-mode optomechanical circulatory system (OMCS) is explored. To be specific, we first derive a quantum Langevin equation (QLE) for the strongly coupled OMCS by suitably choosing the laser field, then we give a condition for the frequency of the laser and the mechanical decay rate, beyond which the optomechanical system has a unidirectional transmission regardless of how strong the optomechanical coupling is. The optomechanically induced transparency is also studied. The present results can be extended to a more general two-dimensional optomechanical system and a planar quantum network, and the prediction is possible to be observed in an optomechanical crystal or integrated quantum superconducting circuit. This scheme paves a way for the construction of various quantum devices that are necessary for quantum information processing.

Linear response theory for periodically driven systems with non-Markovian effects

In the linear response theory, it is well known that the response of a quantum system to an external perturbation described by the susceptibility is formulated in the Schrödinger picture. The theory might apply to open quantum systems (or Floquet systems); however, it has ignored the non-Markovian effect in almost all works so far. In this Letter, we propose a new method to address those issues by introducing Heisenberg operators to derive an exact susceptibility for the non-Markovian Floquet periodic driving system. The susceptibility includes all the influences of the environment on the Floquet system. We will show that the susceptibility connects closely to the structure of the Floquet energy spectrum of the whole system (system plus environment). Moreover, we can read out Floquet bound states in the first Brillouin zone of the whole system from the susceptibility. The presented results may find applications in quantum engineering with open systems following modulated periodic evolution in quantum optics.

System susceptibility and bound-states in structured reservoirs

We propose a formulation to obtain the exact susceptibility for system arbitrary operators to the external fields by means of the whole-system Hamiltonian (system plus reservoir) diagonalization methods, where the dissipative effects directly reflect the nature of the structured non-Markovian reservoir. This treatment does not make the Born-Markovian approximation in structured non-Markovian reservoir. The relations between linear response function and bound-states for the system as well as structured reservoir are found, which shows the photon bound-states and continuous energy spectrum can be readout from the susceptibility, respectively. These results are then used to examine the validity of second-order Born-Markovian approximation, where we find interesting features (e.g., bound-states) are lost in the approximate treatments for open systems. We study the dependence of the response function on the type (spectrum density) of interaction between the system and structured reservoir. We also give the physical reasons behind the disappearance of the bound-states in the approximation method. Finally, these results are also extended to a more general quantum network involving an arbitrary number of coupled-bosonic system without rotating-wave approximation. The presented results might open a new door to understand the linear response and the energy spectrum for non-Markovian open systems with structured reservoirs.

Shortcuts to adiabaticity in non-Hermitian quantum systems without rotating-wave approximation

The technique of shortcuts to adiabaticity (STA) has attracted broad attention due to their possible applications in quantum information processing and quantum control. However, most studies published so far have been only focused on Hermitian systems under the rotating-wave approximation (RWA). In this paper, we propose a modified shortcuts to adiabaticity technique to realize population transfer for a non-Hermitian system without RWA. We work out an exact expression for the control function and present examples consisting of two-and three-level systems with decay to show the theory. The results suggest that the shortcuts to adiabaticity technique presented here is robust for fast passages. We also find that the decay has small effect on the population transfer in the three-level system. To shed more light on the physics behind this result, we reduce the quantum three-level system to an effective two-level one with large detunings. The shortcuts to adiabaticity technique of effective two-level system is studied. Thereby the high-fidelity population transfer can be implemented in non-Hermitian systems by our method, and it works even without RWA.

Efficacy and safety of early pancreatic duct stenting for unresectable pancreatic cancer: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Palliative care for unresectable pancreatic cancer (PC) focuses mainly on the symptoms of the disease, including abdominal pain, obstructive jaundice, and malnutrition. Biliary stent placement using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to relieve biliary obstruction has become an internationally recognized treatment. Although a few studies have evaluated the efficacy of endoscopic pancreatic duct stenting in advanced PC, no consensus exists on the use of endoscopic treatment to relieve pain and improve nutritional status.

AIM

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of early pancreatic duct stenting in patients with unresectable PC.

METHODS

Patients with unresectable PC were recruited. The participants were randomized into two groups: The double-stent group underwent ERCP with a fully-covered self-expandable metallic biliary stent (FCSEMS) and a pancreatic duct stent, while the single-stent group underwent ERCP with an FCSEMS only. Abdominal pain, nutritional status, and incidence of adverse events were compared between the two groups using the SPSS software.

RESULTS

Seventy-eight patients with unresectable PC were included in the analysis (40 and 38 in the double- and single-stent groups, respectively). The median pain scores of patients in the double-stent group were lower than those in the single-stent group at 1 (0 vs 2.5, P = 0.002), 2 (0 vs 3, P < 0.001), 3 (0 vs 4, P < 0.001), and 6 months (0 vs 4, P < 0.001) after ERCP. Total serum protein levels in patients in the double-stent group were higher than those in the single-stent group (66.6 ± 8.4 g/L vs 60.4 ± 4.0 g/L, P = 0.046) 6 months postoperatively. The body mass index (BMI) of patients in both groups decreased at six months. However, the BMI in the single-stent group was higher than that in the double-stent group (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Early pancreatic duct stenting reduces abdominal pain and improves nutritional status in patients with unresectable PC without reducing the technical success rate or increasing the incidence of adverse events.