We present a nuclear medical imaging technique, employing triple-gamma trajectory intersections from beta^+ - gamma coincidences, able to reach sub-millimeter spatial resolution in 3 dimensions with a reduced requirement of reconstructed intersection
s per voxel compared to a conventional PET reconstruction analysis. This $gamma$-PET technique draws on specific beta^+ - decaying isotopes, simultaneously emitting an additional photon. Exploiting the triple coincidence between the positron annihilation and the third photon, it is possible to separate the reconstructed true events from background. In order to characterize this technique, Monte-Carlo simulations and image reconstructions have been performed. The achievable spatial resolution has been found to reach ca. 0.4 mm (FWHM) in each direction for the visualization of a 22Na point source. Only 40 intersections are sufficient for a reliable sub-millimeter image reconstruction of a point source embedded in a scattering volume of water inside a voxel volume of about 1 mm^3 (high-resolution mode). Moreover, starting with an injected activity of 400 MBq for ^76Br, the same number of only about 40 reconstructed intersections are needed in case of a larger voxel volume of 2 x 2 x 3~mm^3 (high-sensitivity mode). Requiring such a low number of reconstructed events significantly reduces the required acquisition time for image reconstruction (in the above case to about 140 s) and thus may open up the perspective for a quasi real-time imaging.
Electronic states at the ends of a narrow armchair nanoribbon give rise to a pair of non-locally entangled spins. We propose two experiments to probe these magnetic states, based on magnetometry and tunneling spectroscopy, in which correlation effect
s lead to a striking, nonlinear response to external magnetic fields. On the basis of low-energy theories that we derive here, it is remarkably simple to assess these nonlinear signatures for magnetic edge states. The effective theories are especially suitable in parameter regimes where other methods such as quantum Monte-Carlo simulations are exceedingly difficult due to exponentially small energy scales. The armchair ribbon setup discussed here provides a promisingly well-controlled (both experimentally and theoretically) environment for studying the principles behind edge magnetism in graphene-based nano-structures.
We describe a method for deriving effective low-energy theories of electronic interactions at graphene edges. Our method is applicable to general edges of honeycomb lattices (zigzag, chiral, and even disordered) as long as localized low-energy states
(edge states) are present. The central characteristic of the effective theories is a dramatically reduced number of degrees of freedom. As a consequence, the solution of the effective theory by exact diagonalization is feasible for reasonably large ribbon sizes. The quality of the involved approximations is critically assessed by comparing the correlation functions obtained from the effective theory with numerically exact quantum Monte-Carlo calculations. We discuss effective theories of two levels: a relatively complicated fermionic edge state theory and a further reduced Heisenberg spin model. The latter theory paves the way to an efficient description of the magnetic features in long and structurally disordered graphene edges beyond the mean-field approximation.
A localized qubit entangled with a propagating quantum field is well suited to study non-local aspects of quantum mechanics and may also provide a channel to communicate between spatially separated nodes in a quantum network. Here, we report the on d
emand generation and characterization of Bell-type entangled states between a superconducting qubit and propagating microwave fields composed of zero, one and two-photon Fock states. Using low noise linear amplification and efficient data acquisition we extract all relevant correlations between the qubit and the photon states and demonstrate entanglement with high fidelity.
We study the production of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine in (gamma,gamma) photoexcitation reactions or (gamma,xn + yp) photonuclear reactions for the examples of ^195mPt, ^117mSn and ^44Ti with high flux [(10^13 - 10^15) gamma/s], small beam dia
meter and small energy band width (Delta E/E ~ 10^-3 -10^-4) gamma beams. In order to realize an optimum gamma-focal spot, a refractive gamma-lens consisting of a stack of many concave micro-lenses will be used. It allows for the production of a high specific activity and the use of enriched isotopes. For photonuclear reactions with a narrow gamma beam, the energy deposition in the target can be reduced by using a stack of thin target wires, hence avoiding direct stopping of the Compton electrons and e^+e^- pairs. The well-defined initial excitation energy of the compound nucleus leads to a small number of reaction channels and enables new combinations of target isotope and final radioisotope. The narrow-bandwidth gamma excitation may make use of collective resonances in gamma-width, leading to increased cross sections. (gamma,gamma) isomer production via specially selected gamma cascades allows to produce high specific activity in multiple excitations, where no back-pumping of the isomer to the ground state occurs. The produced isotopes will open the way for completely new clinical applications of radioisotopes. For example ^195mPt could be used to verify the patients response to chemotherapy with platinum compounds before a complete treatment is performed. In targeted radionuclide therapy the short-range Auger and conversion electrons of ^195mPt and ^117mSn enable a very local treatment. The generator ^44Ti allows for a PET with an additional gamma-quantum (gamma-PET), resulting in a reduced dose or better spatial resolution.
The Shastry-Sutherland model, which consists of a set of spin 1/2 dimers on a 2-dimensional square lattice, is simple and soluble, but captures a central theme of condensed matter physics by sitting precariously on the quantum edge between isolated,
gapped excitations and collective, ordered ground states. We compress the model Shastry-Sutherland material, SrCu2(BO3)2, in a diamond anvil cell at cryogenic temperatures to continuously tune the coupling energies and induce changes in state. High-resolution x-ray measurements exploit what emerges as a remarkably strong spin-lattice coupling to both monitor the magnetic behavior and the absence or presence of structural discontinuities. In the low-pressure spin-singlet regime, the onset of magnetism results in an expansion of the lattice with decreasing temperature, which permits a determination of the pressure dependent energy gap and the almost isotropic spin-lattice coupling energies. The singlet-triplet gap energy is suppressed continuously with increasing pressure, vanishing completely by 2 GPa. This continuous quantum phase transition is followed by a structural distortion at higher pressure.
We study the two-dimensional Kane-Mele-Hubbard model at half filling by means of quantum Monte Carlo simulations. We present a refined phase boundary for the quantum spin liquid. The topological insulator at finite Hubbard interaction strength is adi
abatically connected to the groundstate of the Kane-Mele model. In the presence of spin-orbit coupling, magnetic order at large Hubbard U is restricted to the transverse direction. The transition from the topological band insulator to the antiferromagnetic Mott insulator is in the universality class of the three-dimensional XY model. The numerical data suggest that the spin liquid to topological insulator and spin liquid to Mott insulator transitions are both continuous.
At sufficiently low temperatures, condensed-matter systems tend to develop order. An exception are quantum spin-liquids, where fluctuations prevent a transition to an ordered state down to the lowest temperatures. While such states are possibly reali
zed in two-dimensional organic compounds, they have remained elusive in experimentally relevant microscopic two-dimensional models. Here, we show by means of large-scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations of correlated fermions on the honeycomb lattice, a structure realized in graphene, that a quantum spin-liquid emerges between the state described by massless Dirac fermions and an antiferromagnetically ordered Mott insulator. This unexpected quantum-disordered state is found to be a short-range resonating valence bond liquid, akin to the one proposed for high temperature superconductors. Therefore, the possibility of unconventional superconductivity through doping arises. We foresee its realization with ultra-cold atoms or with honeycomb lattices made with group IV elements.
The spin- and charge-density-wave order parameters of the itinerant antiferromagnet chromium are measured directly with non-resonant x-ray diffraction as the system is driven towards its quantum critical point with high pressure using a diamond anvil
cell. The exponential decrease of the spin and charge diffraction intensities with pressure confirms the harmonic scaling of spin and charge, while the evolution of the incommensurate ordering vector provides important insight into the difference between pressure and chemical doping as means of driving quantum phase transitions. Measurement of the charge density wave over more than two orders of magnitude of diffraction intensity provides the clearest demonstration to date of a weakly-coupled, BCS-like ground state. Evidence for the coexistence of this weakly-coupled ground state with high-energy excitations and pseudogap formation above the ordering temperature in chromium, the charge-ordered perovskite manganites, and the blue bronzes, among other such systems, raises fundamental questions about the distinctions between weak and strong coupling.
We summarize three recent publications which suggest that the Galactic center region Sagittarius B (Sgr B) may contain non-thermal radio components (Crocker et al. 2007, Hollis et al. 2007 and Yusef-Zadeh et al. 2007a). Based on new VLA matched-resol
ution continuum data at 327 MHz and 1.4 GHz, we find no evidence for large scale non-thermal radio emission at these frequencies; the spectral behavior is likely determined by the complex summation of multiple HII region components with a wide range of emission measures and hence radio turn-over frequencies. Also, we discuss a possible additional interpretation of the radio continuum spectrum of individual component Sgr B2-F carried out by Yusef-Zadeh et al; confusion from nearby HII components with widely different turn-over frequencies may contribute to the the change in slope of the radio continuum in this direction at low frequencies. Finally, we discuss the uncertainties in the determination of the spectral index of the GBT continuum data of Sgr B carried out by Hollis et al. We find that the apparent spectral index determined by their procedure is also likely due to a summation over the many diverse thermal components in this direction.
