ABSTRACT
Atmospheric organic aerosols (OA) have profound effects on air quality, visibility, and radiative forcing of climate. Quantitative assessment of gas-particle equilibrium of OA components is critical to understand formation, growth, distribution, and evolution of OA in the atmosphere. This study presents a novel ambient pressure measurement approach developed and tested for untargeted screening of individual components in complex OA mixtures, followed by targeted chemical speciation of identified species and assessment of their physicochemical properties such as saturation vapor pressure and enthalpies of sublimation/evaporation. The method employs temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) experiments coupled to "direct analysis in real time" (DART) ionization source and high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) detection. Progression of the mass spectra is acquired in the TPD experiments over a T = 25-350 °C temperature range, and extracted ion chromatograms (EIC) of individual species are used to infer their apparent enthalpies of sublimation/evaporation (ΔHsub*) and saturation vapor pressure (pT*, Pa, or CT*, µg m-3) as a function of T. We validate application of this method for analysis of selected organic compounds with known ΔHsub and CT values, which showed excellent agreement between our results and the existing data. We then extend these experiments to interrogate individual components in complex OA samples generated in the laboratory-controlled ozonolysis of α-pinene, limonene, and ß-ocimene monoterpenes. The abundant OA species of interest are distinguished based on their accurate mass measurements, followed by quantitation of their apparent ΔHsub* and CT* values from the corresponding EIC records. Comparison of C298K* values derived from our experiments for the individual OA components with the corresponding estimates based on their elemental composition using a "molecular corridors" (MC) parametrization suggests that the MC calculations tend to overestimate the saturation vapor pressures of OA components. Presented results indicate very promising applicability of the TPD-DART-HRMS method for the untargeted analysis of organic molecules in OA and other environmental mixtures, enabling rapid detection and quantification of organic pollutants in the real-world condensed-phase samples at atmospheric pressure and without sample preparation.
ABSTRACT
A discrete degree of freedom can be engineered to match the Hamiltonian of particles moving in a real-space lattice potential. Such synthetic dimensions are powerful tools for quantum simulation because of the control they offer and the ability to create configurations difficult to access in real space. Here, in an ultracold 84Sr atom, we demonstrate a synthetic-dimension based on Rydberg levels coupled with millimeter waves. Tunneling amplitudes between synthetic lattice sites and on-site potentials are set by the millimeter-wave amplitudes and detunings respectively. Alternating weak and strong tunneling in a one-dimensional configuration realizes the single-particle Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) Hamiltonian, a paradigmatic model of topological matter. Band structure is probed through optical excitation from the ground state to Rydberg levels, revealing symmetry-protected topological edge states at zero energy. Edge-state energies are robust to perturbations of tunneling-rates that preserve chiral symmetry, but can be shifted by the introduction of on-site potentials.
ABSTRACT
Recent years have seen an increase in the development of computational proteins, including symmetric ones. A ninefold-symmetric ß-propeller protein named Cake has recently been developed. Here, attempts were made to further engineer this protein into a threefold-symmetric nine-bladed propeller using computational design. Two nine-bladed propeller proteins were designed, named Scone-E and Scone-R. Crystallography, however, revealed the structure of both designs to adopt an eightfold conformation with distorted termini, leading to a pseudo-symmetric protein. One of the proteins could only be crystallized upon the addition of a polyoxometalate, highlighting the usefulness of these molecules as crystallization additives.
Subject(s)
Proteins/chemistry , Amino Acid Sequence , Binding Sites , Models, Molecular , Protein Conformation , Protein FoldingABSTRACT
We demonstrate magnetic confinement of an ultracold neutral plasma (UCNP) created at the null of a biconic cusp, or quadrupole magnetic field. Initially, the UCNP expands due to electron thermal pressure. As the plasma encounters stronger fields, expansion slows and the density distribution molds to the field. UCNP electrons are strongly magnetized over most of the plasma, while ion magnetization is only significant at the boundaries. Observations suggest that electrons and ions are predominantly trapped by magnetic mirroring and ambipolar electric fields, respectively. Confinement times approach 0.5 ms, while unmagnetized plasmas dissipate on a timescale of a few tens of microseconds.
ABSTRACT
We report spectroscopic observation of Rydberg polarons in an atomic Bose gas. Polarons are created by excitation of Rydberg atoms as impurities in a strontium Bose-Einstein condensate. They are distinguished from previously studied polarons by macroscopic occupation of bound molecular states that arise from scattering of the weakly bound Rydberg electron from ground-state atoms. The absence of a p-wave resonance in the low-energy electron-atom scattering in Sr introduces a universal behavior in the Rydberg spectral line shape and in scaling of the spectral width (narrowing) with the Rydberg principal quantum number, n. Spectral features are described with a functional determinant approach (FDA) that solves an extended Fröhlich Hamiltonian for a mobile impurity in a Bose gas. Excited states of polyatomic Rydberg molecules (trimers, tetrameters, and pentamers) are experimentally resolved and accurately reproduced with a FDA.
ABSTRACT
We develop an approach to generate finite-range atomic interactions via optical Rydberg-state excitation and study the underlying excitation dynamics in theory and experiment. In contrast to previous work, the proposed scheme is based on resonant optical driving and the establishment of a dark state under conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). Analyzing the driven dissipative dynamics of the atomic gas, we show that the interplay between coherent light coupling, radiative decay, and strong Rydberg-Rydberg atom interactions leads to the emergence of sizable effective interactions while providing remarkably long coherence times. The latter are studied experimentally in a cold gas of strontium atoms for which the proposed scheme is most efficient. Our measured atom loss is in agreement with the theoretical prediction based on binary effective interactions between the driven atoms.
ABSTRACT
This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.93.023201.
ABSTRACT
The Yukawa one-component plasma (OCP) model is a paradigm for describing plasmas that contain one component of interest and one or more other components that can be treated as a neutralizing, screening background. In appropriately scaled units, interactions are characterized entirely by a screening parameter, κ. As a result, systems of similar κ show the same dynamics, regardless of the underlying parameters (e.g., density and temperature). We demonstrate this behavior using ultracold neutral plasmas (UNPs) created by photoionizing a cold (T≤10 mK) gas. The ions in UNP systems are well described by the Yukawa model, with the electrons providing the screening. Creation of the plasma through photoionization can be thought of as a rapid quench of the interaction potential from κ=∞ to a final κ value set by the electron density and temperature. We demonstrate experimentally that the postquench dynamics are universal in κ over a factor of 30 in density and an order of magnitude in temperature. Results are compared with molecular-dynamics simulations. We also demonstrate that features of the postquench kinetic energy evolution, such as disorder-induced heating and kinetic-energy oscillations, can be used to determine the plasma density and the electron temperature.
Subject(s)
Plasma Gases/chemistry , Electrons , Hot Temperature , Kinetics , Molecular Dynamics SimulationABSTRACT
The aortic valve consists of valvular interstitial cells (VICs) and endothelial cells (VECs). While these cells are understood to work synergistically to maintain leaflet structure and valvular function, few co-culture models of these cell types exist. In this study, aortic valve co-cultures (AVCCs) were assembled using magnetic levitation and cultured for 3 days. Immunohistochemistry and quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction were used to assess the maintenance of cellular phenotype and function, and the formation of extracellular matrix. AVCCs stained positive for CD31 and α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA), demonstrating that the phenotype was maintained. Functional markers endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), von Willebrand factor (VWF) and prolyl-4-hydroxylase were present. Extracellular matrix components collagen type I, laminin and fibronectin also stained positive, with reduced gene expression of these proteins in three dimensions compared to two dimensions. Genes for collagen type I, lysyl oxidase and αSMA were expressed less in AVCCs than in 2-D cultures, indicating that VICs are quiescent. Co-localization of CD31 and αSMA in the AVCCs suggests that endothelial-mesenchymal transdifferentiation might be occurring. Differences in VWF and eNOS in VECs cultured in two and three dimensions also suggests that the AVCCs possibly have anti-thrombotic potential. Overall, a co-culture model of the aortic valve was designed, and serves as a basis for future experiments to understand heart valve biology.
Subject(s)
Aortic Valve/cytology , Coculture Techniques/methods , Magnetic Phenomena , Models, Biological , Animals , Biomarkers/metabolism , Endothelial Cells/cytology , Extracellular Matrix/metabolism , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Phenotype , Sus scrofaABSTRACT
There is a growing demand for in vitro assays for toxicity screening in three-dimensional (3D) environments. In this study, 3D cell culture using magnetic levitation was used to create an assay in which cells were patterned into 3D rings that close over time. The rate of closure was determined from time-lapse images taken with a mobile device and related to drug concentration. Rings of human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293) and tracheal smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were tested with ibuprofen and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Ring closure correlated with the viability and migration of cells in two dimensions (2D). Images taken using a mobile device were similar in analysis to images taken with a microscope. Ring closure may serve as a promising label-free and quantitative assay for high-throughput in vivo toxicity in 3D cultures.
Subject(s)
Cell Movement/drug effects , High-Throughput Screening Assays/instrumentation , High-Throughput Screening Assays/methods , Microscopy , Cell Culture Techniques , Cell Line , Cell Survival/drug effects , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Humans , Ibuprofen/toxicity , Inhibitory Concentration 50 , Microscopy/methods , ToxicologyABSTRACT
We demonstrate coherent one-color photoassociation of a Bose-Einstein condensate, which results in Rabi oscillations between atomic and molecular condensates. We attain atom-molecule Rabi frequencies that are comparable to decoherence rates by driving photoassociation of atoms in an ^{88}Sr condensate to a weakly bound level of the metastable 1S0+3P1 molecular potential, which has a long lifetime and a large Franck-Condon overlap integral with the ground scattering state. Transient shifts and broadenings of the excitation spectrum are clearly seen at short times, and they create an asymmetric excitation profile that only displays Rabi oscillations for blue detuning from resonance.
ABSTRACT
Recently, biomedical research has moved toward cell culture in three dimensions to better recapitulate native cellular environments. This protocol describes one method for 3D culture, the magnetic levitation method (MLM), in which cells bind with a magnetic nanoparticle assembly overnight to render them magnetic. When resuspended in medium, an external magnetic field levitates and concentrates cells at the air-liquid interface, where they aggregate to form larger 3D cultures. The resulting cultures are dense, can synthesize extracellular matrix (ECM) and can be analyzed similarly to the other culture systems using techniques such as immunohistochemical analysis (IHC), western blotting and other biochemical assays. This protocol details the MLM and other associated techniques (cell culture, imaging and IHC) adapted for the MLM. The MLM requires 45 min of working time over 2 d to create 3D cultures that can be cultured in the long term (>7 d).
Subject(s)
Cell Culture Techniques , Magnetics/methods , Cells, Cultured , Nanoparticles/chemistryABSTRACT
We propose and analyze a new scheme to produce ultracold neutral plasmas deep in the strongly coupled regime. The method exploits the interaction blockade between cold atoms excited to high-lying Rydberg states and therefore does not require substantial extensions of current ultracold plasma experiments. Extensive simulations reveal a universal behavior of the resulting Coulomb coupling parameter, providing a direct connection between the physics of strongly correlated Rydberg gases and ultracold plasmas. The approach is shown to reduce currently accessible temperatures by more than an order of magnitude, which opens up a new regime for ultracold plasma research and cold ion-beam applications with readily available experimental techniques.
ABSTRACT
We demonstrate control of the collapse and expansion of an (88)Sr Bose-Einstein condensate using an optical Feshbach resonance near the (1)S(0)-(3)P(1) intercombination transition at 689 nm. Significant changes in dynamics are caused by modifications of scattering length by up to ± 10a(bg), where the background scattering length of (88)Sr is a(bg) = -2a(0) (1a(0) = 0.053 nm). Changes in scattering length are monitored through changes in the size of the condensate after a time-of-flight measurement. Because the background scattering length is close to zero, blue detuning of the optical Feshbach resonance laser with respect to a photoassociative resonance leads to increased interaction energy and a faster condensate expansion, whereas red detuning triggers a collapse of the condensate. The results are modeled with the time-dependent nonlinear Gross-Pitaevskii equation.
ABSTRACT
Collisional relaxation of Coulomb systems is studied in the strongly coupled regime. We use an optical pump-probe approach to manipulate and monitor the dynamics of ions in an ultracold neutral plasma, which allows direct measurement of relaxation rates in a regime where common Landau-Spitzer theory breaks down. Numerical simulations confirm the experimental results and display non-Markovian dynamics at early times.
ABSTRACT
The application of forces to cell membranes is a powerful method for studying membrane mechanics. To apply controlled dynamic forces on the piconewton scale, we designed and characterized a microfabricated magnetic force transducer (MMFT) consisting of current-carrying gold wires patterned on a sapphire substrate. The experimentally measured forces applied to paramagnetic and ferromagnetic beads as a function of applied current agree well with theoretical models. We used this device to pull tethers from microaspirated giant unilamellar vesicles and measure the threshold force for tether formation. In addition, the interlayer drag coefficient of the membrane was determined from the tether-return velocity under magnetic force-free conditions. At high levels of current, vesicles expanded as a result of local temperature changes. A finite element thermal model of the MMFT provided absolute temperature calibration, allowing determination of the thermal expansivity coefficient of stearoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidycholine vesicles (1.7 ± 0.4 × 10(-3) K(-1)) and characterization of the Joule heating associated with current passing through the device. This effect can be used as a sensitive probe of temperature changes on the microscale. These studies establish the MMFT as an effective tool for applying precise forces to membranes at controlled rates and quantitatively studying membrane mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties.
Subject(s)
Cell Membrane/physiology , Micromanipulation/methods , Biomechanical Phenomena , Magnetic Fields , Micromanipulation/instrumentation , Models, Biological , TemperatureABSTRACT
We report quantum degeneracy in a gas of ultracold fermionic (87)Sr atoms. By evaporatively cooling a mixture of spin states in an optical dipole trap for 10.5 s, we obtain samples well into the degenerate regime with T/T(F)=0.26(-0.06)(+0.05). The main signature of degeneracy is a change in the momentum distribution as measured by time-of-flight imaging, and we also observe a decrease in evaporation efficiency below T/T(F) â¼0.5.
ABSTRACT
We photoionize laser-cooled atoms with a laser beam possessing spatially periodic intensity modulations to create ultracold neutral plasmas with controlled density perturbations. Laser-induced fluorescence imaging reveals that the density perturbations oscillate in space and time, and the dispersion relation of the oscillations matches that of ion acoustic waves, which are long-wavelength, electrostatic, density waves.
ABSTRACT
Cell culture is an essential tool in drug discovery, tissue engineering and stem cell research. Conventional tissue culture produces two-dimensional cell growth with gene expression, signalling and morphology that can be different from those found in vivo, and this compromises its clinical relevance. Here, we report a three-dimensional tissue culture based on magnetic levitation of cells in the presence of a hydrogel consisting of gold, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and filamentous bacteriophage. By spatially controlling the magnetic field, the geometry of the cell mass can be manipulated, and multicellular clustering of different cell types in co-culture can be achieved. Magnetically levitated human glioblastoma cells showed similar protein expression profiles to those observed in human tumour xenografts. Taken together, these results indicate that levitated three-dimensional culture with magnetized phage-based hydrogels more closely recapitulates in vivo protein expression and may be more feasible for long-term multicellular studies.
Subject(s)
Ferrosoferric Oxide/chemistry , Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate/chemistry , Magnetics/methods , Tissue Culture Techniques/methods , Astrocytes , Cell Line, Tumor , Glioblastoma , Gold/chemistry , Humans , Inovirus/chemistry , Microscopy, Fluorescence , Proteins/metabolismABSTRACT
We report Bose-Einstein condensation of (84)Sr in an optical dipole trap. Efficient laser cooling on the narrow intercombination line and an ideal s-wave scattering length allow the creation of large condensates (N(0) approximately 3 x 10(5)) even though the natural abundance of this isotope is only 0.6%. Condensation is heralded by the emergence of a low-velocity component in time-of-flight images.