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Abstract Organisms generate shapes across size scales. Whereas patterning and morphogenesis of macroscopic tissues has been extensively studied, the principles underlying the formation of micrometric and submicrometric structures remain largely enigmatic. Individual cells of polychaete annelids, so-called chaetoblasts, are associated with the generation of chitinous bristles of highly stereotypic geometry. Here we show that bristle formation requires a chitin-producing enzyme specifically expressed in the chaetoblasts. Chaetoblasts exhibit dynamic cell surfaces with stereotypical patterns of actin-rich microvilli. These microvilli can be matched with internal and external structures of bristles reconstructed from serial block-face electron micrographs. Individual chitin teeth are deposited by microvilli in an extension-disassembly cycle resembling a biological 3D printer. Consistently, pharmacological interference with actin dynamics leads to defects in tooth formation. Our study reveals that both material and shape of bristles are encoded by the same cell, and that microvilli play a role in micro- to submicrometric sculpting of biomaterials.

Trotterization is the most common and convenient approximation method for Hamiltonian simulations on digital quantum computers, but estimating its error accurately is computationally difficult for large quantum systems. Here, we develop a method for measuring the Trotter error without ancillary qubits on quantum circuits by combining the mth- and nth-order (m

When a time propagator $e^{\delta t A}$ for duration $\delta t$ consists of two noncommuting parts $A=X+Y$, Trotterization approximately decomposes the propagator into a product of exponentials of $X$ and $Y$. Various Trotterization formulas have been utilized in quantum and classical computers, but much less is known for the Trotterization with the time-dependent generator $A(t)$. Here, for $A(t)$ given by the sum of two operators $X$ and $Y$ with time-dependent coefficients $A(t) = x(t) X + y(t) Y$, we develop a systematic approach to derive high-order Trotterization formulas with minimum possible exponentials. In particular, we obtain fourth-order and sixth-order Trotterization formulas involving seven and fifteen exponentials, respectively, which are no more than those for time-independent generators. We also construct another fourth-order formula consisting of nine exponentials having a smaller error coefficient. Finally, we numerically benchmark the fourth-order formulas in a Hamiltonian simulation for a quantum Ising chain, showing that the 9-exponential formula accompanies smaller errors per local quantum gate than the well-known Suzuki formula.

Abstract Face squeezing, floor heave, and buckling of invert were found after a 10-day holiday in 2014 around the serpentinite face of a tunnel in Hokkaido, Japan. The damage continued for over 2 months, extending 400 m toward the entrance causing a massive roof fall. The tunnel was excavated again with a circular section and extra-thick shotcrete, and the face had crossed the damaged part 6 years after the damage occurred. Uniaxial and triaxial compression tests were carried out to obtain the mechanical properties of the serpentinite to clarify the severe damage mechanism at the tunnel. The main experimental findings are as follows. The uniaxial compressive strength of the serpentinite samples was very low, and the ratio of the strength to the estimated overburden pressure was extremely low. The parameter n indicated that the time-dependent deformation of the serpentinite was not large but the same as ordinary rocks. All specimens showed strain-hardening in the triaxial compression test, and the friction angle was very low by the brucite content. Only primary creep was observed in the multistage triaxial creep test. The pressure on the shotcrete from rock mass for the damaged tunnel was enough to cause creep deformation and failure of shotcrete. From the above findings, designing the concrete lining that can support the earth and water pressure is recommended for tunnel excavation in such a weak serpentinite rock mass, particularly with a very low friction angle by brucite. Highlights Face squeezing, floor heave, and buckling of invert were found after a 10-day holiday around the serpentinite face in Hokkaido, Japan. The time-dependent deformation of the serpentinite was not large but the same as ordinary rocks. All specimens showed strain-hardening in the triaxial compression test, and the friction angle was very low by the brucite content. Only primary creep was observed in the multistage triaxial creep test. The severe damage to the tunnel was not a brittle creep failure of the serpentinite rock mass itself but the shotcrete lining.

Abstract We report the first observation of room temperature spontaneous electric polarization in an electronic ferroelectric material, a YbFe2O4 single crystal. The observation was based on second harmonic generation (SHG), a nonlinear optical process. Tensor analysis of the SHG signal revealed that this material has a polar charge superstructure with Cm symmetry. This result settles the long-term discussion on the uncertainty about electronic ferroelectric properties, including the charge order structure. We present a complete picture of the polar charge ordering of this material via consistent results from two different characterization methods. The SHG signal shows the same temperature dependence as the superlattice signal observed in neutron diffraction experiments. These results prove ferroelectric coupling to electron ordering in YbFe2O4, which results in electronic ferroelectricity which is enabled by the real space ordering of iron cations with different valences. The existence of electronic ferroelectricity holds promise for future electronics technologies where devices run a thousand times faster than frequency of the present CPU (a few gigahertz) embedded in smartphones, etc.

We theoretically study THz-light-driven high-harmonic generation (HHG) in the spin-liquid states of the Kitaev honeycomb model with a magnetostriction coupling between spin and electric polarization. To compute the HHG spectra, we numerically solve the Lindblad equation, taking account of the dissipation effect. We find that isotropic Kitaev models possess a dynamical symmetry, which is broken by a static electric field, analogous to HHG in electron systems. We show that the HHG spectra exhibit characteristic continua of Majorana fermion excitations, and their broad peaks can be controlled by applying static electric or magnetic fields. In particular, the magnetic-field dependence of the HHG spectra drastically differs from those of usual ordered magnets. These results indicate that an intense THz laser provides a powerful tool to observe dynamic features of quantum spin liquids.

We develop the Landau-Zener transfer matrix theory for the instantaneous Floquet states (IFSs) for quantum systems driven by a strong pulse laser. Applying this theory to the pulse excitation probability in two-level quantum systems, we show unexpectedly good quantitative agreement for few-cycle pulses. This approach enables us to qualitatively understand the probability's peculiar behaviors as quantum path interference between IFSs. We also study the pulse-width dependence, finding that this Floquet-state interpretation remains useful for shorter pulses down to two-cycle ones in the present model. These results imply that the Floquet theory is meaningful in experimental few-cycle lasers if applied appropriately in the sense of IFSs.

The ferromagnetic state of the spin-polarized ferromagnet La1−xSrxMnO3 is stabilized in the metallic region by strong coupling between localized spins in the t2g orbital and conduction electrons in the eg orbital. We prepared polycrystalline La1−xSrxMnO3 films (x = 0.15, 0.25, or 0.30) by deposition on an oxidized Si substrate. The three types of La1−xSrxMnO3 films were in the ferromagnetic rhombohedral phase, and their Curie temperatures, TC, evaluated from the midpoint of ac magnetization, were 305 K, 335 K, and 338 K, respectively. By applying expansion-mode acoustic vibration to the crystal structure of La1−xSrxMnO3, we observed a remarkable decrease (as large as 70 K) in TC. The applied structural perturbation causes a decrease in the possibility of conduction electron hopping and an increase in the Jahn–Teller distortion. The former is more effective for decreasing TC than the latter.

We consider a dissipative quantum Ising model periodically driven by a train of π pulses and investigate dissipative discrete time crystals (DTCs) in solids. In this model, the interaction between the spins spontaneously breaks the discrete time translation symmetry, giving rise to a dissipative DTC, where two ferromagnetic states are switched alternately by each pulse. We microscopically describe the generic dissipation due to thermal contact to an equilibrium heat bath using the Bloch-Redfield equation. In contrast to other DTC studies, this dissipation stabilizes, rather than destroys, the DTC order without fine-tuning as long as the temperature is low enough. Invoking the time-dependent mean-field theory and solving self-consistently the periodic drive, dissipation, and DTC order parameter, we investigate the nonequilibrium DTC phase transition and determine the critical exponents, including a dynamical one. We also find phase transitions without an equilibrium counterpart: a nontrivial interplay of the periodic drive and dissipation gives rise to reentrant DTC transition when changing the pulse interval at a fixed temperature. Also, to demonstrate the rigidity of the DTC, we consider imperfect π pulses, showing that the DTC is robust against the small imperfections and finding that discrete time quasicrystals can appear for the larger imperfections. Together with experimental proposals in magnetic materials, our results pave the way for realizing the DTC and for uncovering nonequilibrium critical phenomena in real solid-state materials.

Nonequilibrium steady states (NESSs) in periodically driven dissipative quantum systems are vital in Floquet engineering. We develop a general theory for high-frequency drives with Lindblad-type dissipation to characterize and analyze NESSs. This theory is based on the high-frequency (HF) expansion with linear algebraic numerics and without numerically solving the time evolution. Using this theory, we show that NESSs can deviate from the Floquet-Gibbs state depending on the dissipation type. We also show the validity and usefulness of the HF-expansion approach in concrete models for a diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center, a kicked open XY spin chain with topological phase transition under boundary dissipation, and the Heisenberg spin chain in a circularly-polarized magnetic field under bulk dissipation. In particular, for the isotropic Heisenberg chain, we propose the dissipation-assisted terahertz (THz) inverse Faraday effect in quantum magnets. Our theoretical framework applies to various time-periodic Lindblad equations that are currently under active research.

Abstract Background Fluorescence-guided surgery using 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is a promising real-time navigation method in the surgical resection of malignant gliomas. In order to determine whether this method is applicable to metastatic brain tumors, we evaluated the usefulness of intraoperative fluorescence patterns and histopathological features in patients with metastatic brain tumors. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 16 patients with metastatic brain tumors who underwent intraoperative 5-ALA fluorescence-guided resection. Patients were given 20 mg/kg of 5-ALA orally 2 h prior to the surgery. High-powered excitation illumination and a low-pass filter (420, 450, or 500 nm) were used to visualize the fluorescence of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), the 5-ALA metabolite. We evaluated the relationships between the fluorescence and histopathological findings in both tumoral and peritumoral brain tissue. Results Tumoral PpIX fluorescence was seen in only 5 patients (31%); in the remaining 11 patients (69%), there was no fluorescence in the tumor bulk itself. In 14 patients (86%), vague fluorescence was seen in peritumoral brain tissue, at a thickness of 2–6 mm. The histopathological examination found cancer cell invasion of adjacent brain tissue in 75% of patients (12/16), at a mean ± SD depth of 1.4 ± 1.0 mm (range 0.2–3.4 mm) from the microscopic border of the tumor. There was a moderate correlation between vague fluorescence in adjacent brain tissue and the depth of cancer cell invasion (P = 0.004). Conclusion Peritumoral fluorescence may be a good intraoperative indicator of tumor extent, preceding more complete microscopic gross total resection. Trial registration Institutional Review Board of Osaka Medical College No. 42, registered February 17, 1998, and No. 300, registered April 1, 2008. They were retrospectively registered.

The generalized Gibbs ensemble (GGE), which involves multiple conserved quantities other than the Hamiltonian, has served as the statistical-mechanical description of the long-time behavior for several isolated integrable quantum systems. We argue that the GGE may involve a noncommutative set of conserved quantities in view of the maximum entropy principle and show that the GGE thus generalized (noncommutative GGE, NCGGE) gives a more qualitatively accurate description of the long-time behaviors than that of the conventional GGE. Providing a clear understanding of why the (NC)GGE well describes the long-time behaviors, we construct, for noninteracting models, the exact NCGGE that describes the long-time behaviors without an error even at finite system size. It is noteworthy that the NCGGE involves nonlocal conserved quantities, which can be necessary for describing long-time behaviors of local observables. We also give some extensions of the NCGGE and demonstrate how accurately they describe the long-time behaviors of few-body observables.

Focusing on the twist angle for the minimal commensurate structure, we perform nonperturbative calculations of electron dynamics in the twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) under intense laser fields. We show that the TBG exhibits enriched high-harmonic generation that cannot occur in monolayer or conventional bilayers. We elucidate the mechanism of these nonlinear responses by analyzing dynamical symmetries, momentum-resolved dynamics, and roles of interlayer coupling. Our results imply nonlinear “optotwistronics,” or controlling optical properties of layered materials by artificial twists.

We report the modulation in charge ordering structure of ferroelectric YbFe2O4 by magnetic ordering from x-ray diffraction experiments and magnetic measurements. The incommensurate modulation was observed on (n n 3m+3/2) type diffraction signal around magnetic ordering temperature where n and m are integer. The modulation was also observed on charge ordering signal, indicating spin-charge coupling. The incommensurate modulation was observed only on (n/3 n/3 3m) type charge ordering signal. This selectivity can be explained by polar charge ordering models.

We consider noninteracting electrons coupled to laser fields and study perturbatively the effects of the lattice potential involving disorder on the harmonic components of the electric current, which are sources of high-order harmonic generation (HHG). By using the Floquet-Keldysh Green functions, we show that each harmonic component consists of the coherent and the incoherent parts, which arise respectively from the coherent and the incoherent scatterings by the local ion potentials. As the disorder increases, the coherent part decreases, the incoherent one increases, and the total harmonic component of the current first decreases rapidly and then approaches a nonzero value. Our results highlight the importance of the periodicity of crystals, which builds up the Bloch states extending over the solid. This is markedly different from the traditional HHG in atomic gases, where the positions of individual atoms are irrelevant.

The development of small sized laser operating above room temperature is important in the realization of optical integrated circuits. Recently, micro-lasers consisting of photonic crystals (PhCs) and whispering gallery mode cavities have been demonstrated. Optically pumped laser devices could be easily designed using photonic crystal-slab waveguides (PhC-WGs) with an air-bridge type structure. In this study, we observe lasing at 1.3μm from two-photon pumped InAs-quantum-dots embedded GaAs PhC-WGs above room temperature. This type of compact laser shows promise as a new light source in ultra-compact photonics integrated circuits.

We study the coupled charge-lattice dynamics in the commensurate charge density wave (CDW) phase of the layered compound 1T-TaS 2 driven by an ultrashort laser pulse. For describing its electronic structure, we employ a tight-binding model of previous studies including the effects of lattice distortion associated with the CDW order. We further add on-site Coulomb interactions and reproduce an energy gap at the Fermi level within a mean-field analysis. On the basis of coupled equations of motion for electrons and the lattice distortion, we numerically study their dynamics driven by an ultrashort laser pulse. We find that the CDW order decreases and even disappears during the laser irradiation while the lattice distortion is almost frozen. We also find that the lattice motion sets in on a longer time scale and causes a further decrease in the CDW order even after the laser irradiation.