On universal decoherence under gravity: a perspective through the Equivalence Principle

In Nature Phys. 11, 668 (2015) (Ref. [1]), a composite particle prepared in a pure initial quantum state and propagated in a uniform gravitational field is shown to undergo a decoherence process at a rate determined by the gravitational acceleration. By assuming Einstein's Equivalence Principle to be valid, we demonstrate, first in a Lorentz frame with accelerating detectors, and then directly in the Lab frame with uniform gravity, that the dephasing between the different internal states arise not from gravity but rather from differences in their rest mass, and the mass dependence of the de Broglie wave's dispersion relation. We provide an alternative view to the situation considered by Ref. [1], where we propose that gravity plays a kinematic role in the loss of fringe visibility by giving the detector a transverse velocity relative to the particle beam; visibility can be easily recovered by giving the screen an appropriate uniform velocity. We finally propose that dephasing due to gravity may in fact take place for certain modifications to the gravitational potential where the Equivalence Principle is violated.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Correlation between Peak Energy and Peak Luminosity in Short Gamma-Ray Bursts

A correlation between the peak luminosity and the peak energy has been found by Yonetoku et al. as $L_{p}\propto E_{p,i}^{2.0}$ for 11 pre-Swift long gamma-ray bursts. In this study, for a greatly expanded sample of 148 long gamma-ray bursts in the Swift era, we find that the correlation still exists, but most likely with a slightly different power-law index, i.e., $L_{p}\propto E_{p,i} ^{1.7}$. In addition, we have collected 17 short gamma-ray bursts with necessary data. It is found that the correlation of $L_{p}\propto E_{p,i} ^{1.7}$ also exists for this sample of short events. It is argued that the radiation mechanism of both long and short gamma-ray bursts should be similar, i.e., of quasi-thermal origin caused by the photosphere and the dissipation occurring very near the central engine. Some key parameters of the process are constrained. Our results suggest that the radiation process of both long and short bursts may be dominated by thermal emission, rather than the single synchrotron radiation. This might put strong physical constraints on the theoretical models.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures and 1 table, Accepted for publication in Ap

Doppler Amplification of Motion of a Trapped Three-Level Ion

The system of a trapped ion translationally excited by a blue-detuned near-resonant laser, sometimes described as an instance of a phonon laser, has recently received attention as interesting in its own right and for its application to non-destructive readout of internal states of non-fluorescing ions. Previous theoretical work has been limited to cases of two-level ions. Here, we perform simulations to study the dynamics of a phonon laser involving the $\Lambda$-type ^{138}\mbox{Ba}^{+} ion, in which coherent population trapping effects lead to different behavior than in the previously studied cases. We also explore optimization of the laser parameters to maximize amplification gain and signal-to-noise ratio for internal state readout

Marginally Trapped Surfaces in the Nonsymmetric Gravitational Theory

We consider a simple, physical approach to the problem of marginally trapped surfaces in the Nonsymmetric Gravitational Theory (NGT). We apply this approach to a particular spherically symmetric, Wyman sector gravitational field, consisting of a pulse in the antisymmetric field variable. We demonstrate that marginally trapped surfaces do exist for this choice of initial data.Comment: REVTeX 3.0 with epsf macros and AMS symbols, 3 pages, 1 figur

Heterodimerization of apelin receptor and neurotensin receptor 1 induces phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and cell proliferation via Gαq-mediated mechanism

Dimerization of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is crucial for receptor function including agonist affinity, efficacy, trafficking and specificity of signal transduction, including G protein coupling. Emerging data suggest that the cardiovascular system is the main target of apelin, which exerts an overall neuroprotective role, and is a positive regulator of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in heart failure. Moreover, ACE2 cleaves off C-terminal residues of vasoactive peptides including apelin-13, and neurotensin that activate the apelin receptor (APJ) and neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1) respectively, that belong to the A class of GPCRs. Therefore, based on the similar mode of modification by ACE2 at peptide level, the homology at amino acid level and the capability of forming dimers with other GPCRs, we have been suggested that APJ and NTSR1 can form a functional heterodimer. Using co-immunoprecipitation, BRET and FRET, we provided conclusive evidence of heterodimerization between APJ and NTSR1 in a constitutive and induced form. Upon agonist stimulation, hetrodimerization enhanced ERK1/2 activation and increased proliferation via activation of Gq α-subunits. These novel data provide evidence for a physiological role of APJ/NTSR1 heterodimers in terms of ERK1/2 activation and increased intracellular calcium and induced cell proliferation and provide potential new pharmaceutical targets for cardiovascular disease. © 2014 The Authors