Analytic scaling function for island-size distributions.

We obtain an explicit solution for the island-size distribution described by the rate equations for irreversible growth with the simplified capture rates of the form σ(s)(Θ)∝Θ(p)(a+s-1) for all s≥1, where s is the size and Θ is the time-dependent coverage. The intrinsic property of this solution is its scaling form in the continuum limit. The analytic scaling function depends on the two parameters a and p and is capable of describing very dissimilar distribution shapes, both monomodal and monotonically decreasing.

Non-equilibrium scale invariance and shortcuts to adiabaticity in a one-dimensional Bose gas.

We present experimental evidence for scale invariant behaviour of the excitation spectrum in phase-fluctuating quasi-1d Bose gases after a rapid change of the external trapping potential. Probing density correlations in free expansion, we find that the temperature of an initial thermal state scales with the spatial extension of the cloud as predicted by a model based on adiabatic rescaling of initial eigenmodes with conserved quasiparticle occupation numbers. Based on this result, we demonstrate that shortcuts to adiabaticity for the rapid expansion or compression of the gas do not induce additional heating.

Weak lasing in one-dimensional polariton superlattices.

Bosons with finite lifetime exhibit condensation and lasing when their influx exceeds the lasing threshold determined by the dissipative losses. In general, different one-particle states decay differently, and the bosons are usually assumed to condense in the state with the longest lifetime. Interaction between the bosons partially neglected by such an assumption can smear the lasing threshold into a threshold domain--a stable lasing many-body state exists within certain intervals of the bosonic influxes.

Framed carbon nanostructures: synthesis and applications in functional SPM tips.

We present a synthesis method to fabricate framed carbon-based nanostructures having highly anisotropic shapes, in particular, the nanofork and nanoscalpel structures which are obtained systematically under optimized growth conditions. A theoretical model is developed to explain the formation of such nanostructures on Si cantilevers and W etched wires exposed to a focused electron beam. We then demonstrate the potentials of these nanostructures as functional tips for scanning probe microscopy.

Giant electrode effect on tunnelling electroresistance in ferroelectric tunnel junctions.

Among recently discovered ferroelectricity-related phenomena, the tunnelling electroresistance (TER) effect in ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) has been attracting rapidly increasing attention owing to the emerging possibilities of non-volatile memory, logic and neuromorphic computing applications of these quantum nanostructures. Despite recent advances in experimental and theoretical studies of FTJs, many questions concerning their electrical behaviour still remain open. In particular, the role of ferroelectric/electrode interfaces and the separation of the ferroelectric-driven TER effect from electrochemical ('redox'-based) resistance-switching effects have to be clarified.

Giant Rydberg excitons in the copper oxide Cu2O.

A highly excited atom having an electron that has moved into a level with large principal quantum number is a hydrogen-like object, termed a Rydberg atom. The giant size of Rydberg atoms leads to huge interaction effects. Monitoring these interactions has provided insights into atomic and molecular physics on the single-quantum level.

Quantum-memory effects in the emission of quantum-dot microcavities.

The experimentally measured input-output characteristics of optically pumped semiconductor microcavities exhibits unexpected oscillations modifying the fundamentally linear slope in the excitation power regime below lasing. A systematic microscopic analysis reproduces these oscillations, identifying them as a genuine quantum-memory effect, i.e.

Firing clamp: a novel method for single-trial estimation of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic neuronal conductances.

Understanding non-stationary neuronal activity as seen in vivo requires estimation of both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic conductances from a single trial of recording. For this purpose, we propose a new intracellular recording method, called "firing clamp." Synaptic conductances are estimated from the characteristics of artificially evoked probe spikes, namely the spike amplitude and the mean subthreshold potential, which are sensitive to both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic input signals.

Radiative topological states in resonant photonic crystals.

We present a theory of topological edge states in one-dimensional resonant photonic crystals with a compound unit cell. Contrary to the conventional electronic topological states, the modes under consideration are radiative; i.e.

A new stochastic model for subgenomic hepatitis C virus replication considers drug resistant mutants.

As an RNA virus, hepatitis C virus (HCV) is able to rapidly acquire drug resistance, and for this reason the design of effective anti-HCV drugs is a real challenge. The HCV subgenomic replicon-containing cells are widely used for experimental studies of the HCV genome replication mechanisms, for drug testing in vitro and in studies of HCV drug resistance. The NS3/4A protease is essential for virus replication and, therefore, it is one of the most attractive targets for developing specific antiviral agents against HCV.

Local immobilization of particles in mass transfer described by a Jeffreys-type equation.

We consider the Jeffreys-type equation as the foundation in three different models of mass transfer, namely, the Jeffreys-type and two-phase models and the D(1) approximation to the linear Boltzmann equation. We study two classic (1+1)-dimensional problems in the framework of each model. The first problem is the transfer of a substance initially confined at a point.

A simple Markov model of sodium channels with a dynamic threshold.

Characteristics of action potential generation are important to understanding brain functioning and, thus, must be understood and modeled. It is still an open question what model can describe concurrently the phenomena of sharp spike shape, the spike threshold variability, and the divisive effect of shunting on the gain of frequency-current dependence. We reproduced these three effects experimentally by patch-clamp recordings in cortical slices, but we failed to simulate them by any of 11 known neuron models, including one- and multi-compartment, with Hodgkin-Huxley and Markov equation-based sodium channel approximations, and those taking into account sodium channel subtype heterogeneity.

Dual-channel spontaneous emission of quantum dots in magnetic metamaterials.

Metamaterials, artificial electromagnetic media realized by subwavelength nano-structuring, have become a paradigm for engineering electromagnetic space, allowing for independent control of both electric and magnetic responses of the material. Whereas most metamaterials studied so far are limited to passive structures, the need for active metamaterials is rapidly growing. However, the fundamental question on how the energy of emitters is distributed between both (electric and magnetic) interaction channels of the metamaterial still remains open.

Origin of easy magnetization switching in magnetic tunnel junctions with voltage-controlled interfacial anisotropy.

Spin-polarized currents represent an efficient tool for manipulating ferromagnetic nanostructures but the critical current density necessary for the magnetization switching is usually too high for applications. Here we show theoretically that, in magnetic tunnel junctions having electric-field-dependent interfacial anisotropy, the critical density may reduce down to a very low level (~10(4) A cm(-2)) when the junction combines small conductance with the proximity of free layer to a size-driven spin reorientation transition. The theory explains easy magnetization switching recently discovered in CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB tunnel junctions, surprisingly showing that it happens when the spin-transfer torque is relatively small, and provides a recipe for the fabrication of magnetic tunnel junctions suitable for industrial memory applications.

A look inside epitaxial cobalt-on-fluorite nanoparticles with three-dimensional reciprocal space mapping using GIXD, RHEED and GISAXS.

In this work epitaxial growth of cobalt on CaF(111), (110) and (001) surfaces has been extensively studied. It has been shown by atomic force microscopy that at selected growth conditions stand-alone faceted Co nanoparticles are formed on a fluorite surface. Grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) and reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) studies have revealed that the particles crystallize in the face-centered cubic lattice structure otherwise non-achievable in bulk cobalt under normal conditions.

Polarization of molecular angular momentum in the chemical reactions Li + HF and F + HD.

The quantum mechanical approach to vector correlation of angular momentum orientation and alignment in chemical reactions [G. Balint-Kurti and O. S.

Mechanisms of developmental robustness.

We present a review of noise buffering mechanisms responsible for developmental robustness. We focus on functions of chaperone Hsp90, miRNA, and cross-regulation of gap genes in Drosophila. The noise buffering mechanisms associated with these functions represent specific examples of the developmental canalization, reducing the phenotypical variability in presence of either genetic or environmental perturbations.

Two-dimensional order-disorder transition of argon monolayer adsorbed on graphitized carbon black: kinetic Monte Carlo method.

We present results of application of the kinetic Monte Carlo technique to simulate argon adsorption on a graphite surface at temperatures below and above the triple point. We show that below the triple point the densification of the adsorbed layer with loading results in the rearrangement of molecules to form a hexagonal structure, which is accompanied by the release of an additional heat, associated with this disorder-order transition. This appears as a spike in the plot of the heat of adsorption versus loading at the completion of a monolayer on the surface.

Delayed uncoupled continuous-time random walks do not provide a model for the telegraph equation.

It has been alleged in several papers that the so-called delayed continuous-time random walks (DCTRWs) provide a model for the one-dimensional telegraph equation at microscopic level. This conclusion, being widespread now, is strange, since the telegraph equation describes phenomena with finite propagation speed, while the velocity of the motion of particles in the DCTRWs is infinite. In this paper we investigate the accuracy of the approximations to the DCTRWs provided by the telegraph equation.

Ordered porous diamond films fabricated by colloidal crystal templating.

We have developed a colloidal crystal templating method for preparation of diamond films with 2D and 3D ordered porous structures. The technological process involved breaks down into (a) impregnation into the pores of silica colloidal crystal (opal) films of detonation nanodiamond (DND) particles from their hydrosol; (b) microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MWPECVD) regrowth with diamond of pores with high DND filling; (c) Ar(+) ion dry etching of fragments of shells of coalesced diamond crystallites which form in the course of MWPECVD on the surface of the SiO(2) beads making up the outer surface of a film and (d) wet etching of the SiO(2) template in aqueous HF solution. The final samples are either connected to the substrate or free-standing films of various thicknesses having 2D or 3D ordered porous structures.

Application of kinetic Monte Carlo method to equilibrium systems: vapour-liquid equilibria.

Kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulations were carried out to describe the vapour-liquid equilibria of argon at various temperatures. This paper aims to demonstrate the potential of the kMC technique in the analysis of equilibrium systems and its advantages over the traditional Monte Carlo method, which is based on the Metropolis algorithm. The key feature of the kMC is the absence of discarded trial moves of molecules, which ensures larger number of configurations that are collected for time averaging.

Mechanisms of gap gene expression canalization in the Drosophila blastoderm.

Background: Extensive variation in early gap gene expression in the Drosophila blastoderm is reduced over time because of gap gene cross regulation. This phenomenon is a manifestation of canalization, the ability of an organism to produce a consistent phenotype despite variations in genotype or environment. The canalization of gap gene expression can be understood as arising from the actions of attractors in the gap gene dynamical system.

Peculiarities of the band structure of multi-component photonic crystals with different dimensions.

In this work we offer a simple analytical method which allows us to determine and study the effects of the selective switching of photonic stop-bands in multi-component photonic crystals (Mc-PhCs) of any dimensionality. The calculations for Mc-PhCs with low dielectric contrast have been performed in the framework of the model based on the scattering form factor analysis. It has been shown that the effects of selective switching of photonic stop-bands predicted theoretically and found experimentally before in three-dimensional (3D) Mc-PhC have a general character and may be observed also in one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) Mc-PhCs.

Interface Phonons and Polaron Effect in Quantum Wires.

The theory of large radius polaron in the quantum wire is developed. The interaction of charge particles with interface optical phonons as well as with optical phonons localized in the quantum wire is taken into account. The interface phonon contribution is shown to be dominant for narrow quantum wires.

Coherent magnetization precession in ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As induced by picosecond acoustic pulses.

We show that the magnetization of a thin ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As layer can be modulated by picosecond acoustic pulses. In this approach a picosecond strain pulse injected into the structure induces a tilt of the magnetization vector M, followed by the precession of M around its equilibrium orientation. This effect can be understood in terms of changes in magnetocrystalline anisotropy induced by the pulse.