On the stability of the extracellular hemoglobin of Glossoscolex paulistus, in two iron oxidation states, in the presence of urea

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Two-photon final states in peripheral heavy ion collisions

We discuss processes leading to two photon final states in peripheral heavy ion collisions at RHIC. Due to the large photon luminosity we show that the continuum subprocess γγ→ γγ can be observed with a large number of events. We study this reaction when it is intermediated by a resonance made of quarks or gluons and discuss its interplay with the continuum process, verifying that in several cases the resonant process overwhelms the continuum one. It also investigated the possibility of observing a scalar resonance (the σ meson) in this process. Assuming for the σ the mass and total decay width values recently reported by the E791 Collaboration we show that RHIC may detect this particle in its two photon decay mode if its partial photonic decay width is of the order of the ones discussed in the literature.

Solution of two-body bound state problems with confining potentials

The homogeneous Lippmann-Schwinger integral equation is solved in momentum space by using confining potentials. Since the confining potentials are unbounded at large distances, they lead to a singularity at small momentum. In order to remove the singularity of the kernel of the integral equation, a regularized form of the potentials is used. As an application of the method, the mass spectra of heavy quarkonia, mesons consisting from heavy quark and antiquark (Υ(bb̄), ψ(cc̄)), are calculated for linear and quadratic confining potentials. The results are in good agreement with configuration space and experimental results. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.

Three-Dimensional Low-Momentum Interaction in Two-Body Bound State Calculations

The deuteron binding energy and wave function are calculated by using the recently developed three-dimensional form of low-momentum nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction. The homogeneous Lippmann-Schwinger equation is solved in momentum space by using the low-momentum two-body interaction, which is constructed from Malfliet-Tjon potential. The results for both, deuteron binding energy and wave function, obtained with low-momentum interaction, are compared with the corresponding results obtained with bare potential. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Scattering and bound states of fermions in a mixed vector-scalar smooth step potential

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Entanglement universality of two-qubit X-states

We demonstrate that for every two-qubit state there is a X-counterpart, i.e., a corresponding two-qubit X-state of same spectrum and entanglement, as measured by concurrence, negativity or relative entropy of entanglement. By parametrizing the set of two-qubit X-states and a family of unitary transformations that preserve the sparse structure of a two-qubit X-state density matrix, we obtain the parametric form of a unitary transformation that converts arbitrary two-qubit states into their X-counterparts. Moreover, we provide a semi-analytic prescription on how to set the parameters of this unitary transformation in order to preserve concurrence or negativity. We also explicitly construct a set of X-state density matrices, parametrized by their purity and concurrence, whose elements are in one-to-one correspondence with the points of the concurrence versus purity (CP) diagram for generic two-qubit states. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Scattering and bound states of fermions in the modified Hulthen potential

In the present work the scattering of a fermion in the modified Hulthen potential is considered with a general vector and scalar and we solved the Dirac equation in the one-dimensional space. The transmission and reflection coefficients are reported. The bound-state solution is also given. The study shows the asymptotic behavior of the wave function in bound-state and scattering states solutions.

On the stability of the extracellular hemoglobin of Glossoscolex paulistus, in two iron oxidation states, in the presence of urea

The stability of the Glossoscolex paulistus hemoglobin (HbGp), in two iron oxidation states (and three forms), as monitored by optical absorption, fluorescence emission and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies, in the presence of the chaotropic agent urea, is studied. HbGp oligomeric dissociation, denaturation and iron oxidation are observed. CD data show that the cyanomet-HbGp is more stable than the oxy-form. Oxy- and cyanomet-HbGp show good fits on the basis of a two state model with critical urea concentrations at 220-222 nm of 5.1 +/- 0.2 and 6.1 +/- 0.1 mol/L, respectively. The three-state model was able to reveal a subtle second transition at lower urea concentration (1.0-2.0 mol/L) associated to partial oligomeric dissociation. The intermediate state for oxy- and cyanomet-HbGp is very similar to the native state. For met-HbGp, a different equilibrium, in the presence of urea, is observed. A sharp transition at 1.95 +/- 0.05 mol/L of denaturant is observed, associated to oligomeric dissociation and hemichrome formation. In this case, analysis by a three-state model reveals the great similarity between the intermediate and the unfolded states. Analysis of spectroscopic data, by two-state and three-state models, reveals consistency of obtained thermodynamic parameters for HbGp urea denaturation. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural invariance of constitutively active and inactive mutants of Acanthamoeba myosin IC bound to F-actin in the rigor and ADP-bound states

The three single-headed monomeric myosin I isozymes of Acanthamoeba castellanii (AMIs)—AMIA, AMIB, and AMIC—are among the best-studied of all myosins. We have used AMIC to study structural correlates of myosin’s actin-activated ATPase. This activity is normally controlled by phosphorylation of Ser-329, but AMIC may be switched into constitutively active or inactive states by substituting this residue with Glu or Ala, respectively. To determine whether activation status is reflected in structural differences in the mode of attachment of myosin to actin, these mutant myosins were bound to actin filaments in the absence of nucleotide (rigor state) and visualized at 24-Å resolution by using cryoelectron microscopy and image reconstruction. No such difference was observed. Consequently, we suggest that regulation may be affected not by altering the static (time-averaged) structure of AMIC but by modulating its dynamic properties, i.e., molecular breathing. The tail domain of vertebrate intestinal brush-border myosin I has been observed to swing through 31° on binding of ADP. However, it was predicted on grounds of differing kinetics that any such effects with AMIC should be small [Jontes, J. D., Ostap, E. M., Pollard, T. D. & Milligan, R. A. (1998) J. Cell Biol. 141, 155–162]. We have confirmed this hypothesis by observing actin-associated AMIC in its ADP-bound state. Finally, we compared AMIC to brush-border myosin I and AMIB, which were previously studied under similar conditions. In each case, the shape and angle of attachment to F-actin of the catalytic domain is largely conserved, but the domain structure and disposition of the tail is distinctively different for each myosin.

Pair breaking and bound states in disordered superconductors

We study the effects of inhomogeneous pairing interactions and impurities in short-coherence-length superconductors. Within the Born approximation, the effects of pairing disorder and magnetic impurities are identical. The T-matrices for pairing disorder sites with and without an impurity give rise to bound states within the BCS (Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer) gap, consistent with scanning tunnelling microscopy results on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ with Zn or Ni impurities.

Approach to chaos in ultracold atomic and molecular physics: Statistics of near-threshold bound states for Li+CaH and Li+CaF

We calculate near-threshold bound states and Feshbach resonance positions for atom–rigid-rotor models of the highly anisotropic systems Li+CaH and Li+CaF. We perform statistical analysis on the resonance positions to compare with the predictions of random matrix theory. For Li+CaH with total angular momentum J=0 we find fully chaotic behavior in both the nearest-neighbor spacing distribution and the level number variance. However, for J>0 we find different behavior due to the presence of a nearly conserved quantum number. Li+CaF (J=0) also shows apparently reduced levels of chaotic behavior despite its stronger effective coupling. This may indicate the development of another good quantum number relating to a bending motion of the complex. However, continuously varying the rotational constant over a wide range shows unexpected structure in the degree of chaotic behavior, including a dramatic reduction around the rotational constant of CaF. This demonstrates the complexity of the relationship between coupling and chaotic behavior.

Formation of positron-atom bound states in collisions between Rydberg Ps and neutral atoms

Predicted 20 years ago, positron binding to neutral atoms has not yet been observed experimentally. A scheme is proposed to detect positron-atom bound states by colliding Rydberg positronium (Ps) with neutral atoms. Estimates of the charge-transfer reaction cross section are obtained using the first Born approximation for a selection of neutral atom targets and a wide range of incident Ps energies and principal quantum numbers. We also estimate the corresponding Ps ionization cross section. The accuracy of the calculations is tested by comparison with earlier predictions for charge transfer in Ps collisions with hydrogen and antihydrogen. We describe an existing Rydberg Ps beam suitable for producing positron-atom bound states and estimate signal rates based on the calculated cross sections and realistic experimental parameters. We conclude that the proposed methodology is capable of producing such states and of testing theoretical predictions of their binding energies.

Flow-enhanced pairing and other unusual effects in Fermi gases in synthetic gauge fields

Recent experiments on fermions in synthetic gauge fields result in systems with a spin-orbit coupling along one spatial axis, a detuning field, and a Zeeman field. We show theoretically that the presence of all three results in interesting and unusual phenomena in a system of interacting fermions (interactions described by a scattering length). For two fermions, bound states appear only over a certain range of the center-of-mass momenta. The deepest bound state appears at a nonzero center-of-mass momentum. For center-of-mass momenta without a bound state, the gauge field induces a resonance-like feature in the scattering continuum resulting in a large scattering phase shift. In the case of many particles, we demonstrate that the system, in a parameter range, shows flow-enhanced pairing, i.e., a Fulde-Farrell-Larkin-Ovchnnikov superfluid state made of robust pairs with a finite center-of-mass momentum. Yet another regime of parameters offers the opportunity to study strongly interacting normal states of spin-orbit-coupled fermionic systems utilizing the resonance-like feature induced by the synthetic gauge field.