Spontaneous Excitation Research Articles

Erratum: Spontaneous excitation of an atom in a Kerr spacetime [Phys. Rev. D 95 , 065015 (2017)

Received 22 December 2017DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.97.029901© 2018 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasQuantum aspects of black holesQuantum fields in curved spacetimeQuantum InformationGravitation, Cosmology & AstrophysicsParticles & Fields

Extracellular field potential recording of single cardiomyocytes in agarose microchambers using microelectrode array

To study cell communication, it is essential that single cell responses in cellular networks are analyzed. Cardiomyocyte networks are known to simultaneously change membrane potential with spontaneous excitation. To measure the extracellular potential change in single cardiomyocytes in networks, we developed a microelectrode array (MEA) chip consisting of 8-µm-diameter and 3-µm-thick platinum-black (Pt-B)-coated indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes with agarose microchambers. Single cardiomyocytes were seeded individually on this MEA chip with a micropipette. The extracellular potential of a single cardiomyocyte could be measured with this MEA chip. The amplitude of the extracellular potential change in a single cardiomyocyte was very small (<100 µV) and the beating rate was not constant. We expected that these results would accelerate the measurement of membrane potential changes of single cardiomyocytes in cellular networks.

ATPase N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive Fusion Protein: A Novel Key Player for Causing Spontaneous Network Excitation in Human Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

The molecular basis for onset, maintenance and propagation of excitation along neuronal networks in epilepsy is still poorly understood. Besides different neurotransmitter receptors that control signal transfer at the synapse, one key regulator involved in all of these processes is the ATPase N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein (NSF). Therefore, we analyzed receptor subunits and NSF levels in tissues from the medial temporal gyrus (MTG) of patients with pharmaco-resistant focal temporal lobe epilepsy resected during epilepsy surgery and autopsy controls. The resected tissues were further characterized by field potential recordings into tissues with and without spontaneous sharp wave activity. We detected increased levels of NSF, NMDA 1.1, 2A and GABAAγ2 receptor subunits associated with spontaneous sharp wave spiking activity. We further identified correlations between NSF, AMPA receptor subunit, metabotropic glutamate receptor and adenosine 1 receptor levels in the spontaneous sharp wave spiking tissues. Our findings suggest that NSF plays a key role in controlling spontaneous network excitation in epilepsy by two mechanisms of action: (1) directly via controlling transmitter release at the presynaptic side, and (2) indirectly via altering the function of possible receptor crosstalk and directing/integrating specific receptor compounds through/into the postsynaptic membrane.

Noise suppression via generalized-Markovian processes

It is by now well established that noise itself can be useful for performing quantum information processing tasks. We present results which show how one can effectively reduce the error rate associated with a noisy quantum channel by counteracting its detrimental effects with another form of noise. In particular, we consider the effect of adding on top of a purely Markovian (Lindblad) dynamics, a more general form of dissipation, which we refer to as generalized-Markovian noise. This noise has an associated memory kernel and the resulting dynamics are described by an integrodifferential equation. The overall dynamics are characterized by decay rates which depend not only on the original dissipative time scales but also on the new integral kernel. We find that one can engineer this kernel such that the overall rate of decay is lowered by the addition of this noise term. We illustrate this technique for the case where the bare noise is described by a dephasing Pauli channel. We analytically solve this model and show that one can effectively double (or even triple) the length of the channel, while achieving the same fidelity, entanglement, and error threshold. We numerically verify this scheme can also be used to protect against thermal Markovian noise (at nonzero temperature), which models spontaneous emission and excitation processes. A physical interpretation of this scheme is discussed, whereby the added generalized-Markovian noise causes the system to become periodically decoupled from the background Markovian noise.

Smooth causal patches for AdS black holes

We review the paradox of low energy excitations about an AdS black hole. An appropriately chosen unitary operator in the boundary theory can create a locally strong excitation near the black hole horizon, whose global energy is small as a result of the gravitational redshift. The paradox is that this seems to violate a general rule of statistical mechanics, which states that an operator with energy parametrically smaller than $k T$ cannot create a significant excitation in a thermal system. When we carefully examine the position dependence of the boundary unitary operator that produces the excitation and the bulk observable necessary to detect the anomalously large effect, we find that they do not both fit in a single causal patch. This follows from a remarkable property of position space AdS correlators that we establish explicitly, and resolves the paradox in a generic state of the system, since no combination of observers can both create the excitation and observe its effect. As a special case of our analysis, we show how this resolves the "Born rule" paradox of arXiv:1506.01337 and we verify our solution using an independent calculation. We then consider boundary states that are finely tuned to display a spontaneous excitation outside the causal patch of the infalling observer, and we propose a version of causal patch complementarity in AdS/CFT that resolves the paradox for such states as well.

Anti-stokes luminescence of CsCdBr3:Tm crystals

Transmission and spontaneous photoluminescence excitation spectra of CsCdBr3:Tm (1 and 2.5 at % Tm) crystals have been studied under different optical pumping conditions. The results demonstrate that the anti-Stokes luminescence intensity in the thulium-doped crystals is higher at the higher doping level. We have determined the resonance wavelengths of IR photons for two-photon excitation of visible luminescence in CsCdBr3:Tm and identified the corresponding electronic transitions in thulium-related emission centers for Stokes and anti-Stokes luminescence.

Nonlinear excitation of finite-radial-scale zonal structures by toroidal Alfvén eigenmode

The set of equations describing nonlinear evolution of a single toroidal Alfvén eigenmode are derived, including both zero frequency zonal structure (ZFZS) generation and wave-particle phase space nonlinearities. The simplified case of neglecting wave-particle phase space nonlinearity is then investigated to focus on different roles of energetic particles and bulk plasmas on ZFZS generation. It is shown that energetic particles and bulk plasma play dominant roles in ZFZS generation in different nonlinear stages, and the corresponding processes are qualitatively different. Several properties of ZFZS generation, e.g. fine- versus meso-scale, forced driven versus spontaneous excitation, are clarified by the present analysis.

Spontaneous excitation of an atom in a Kerr spacetime

We consider radiative processes of an atom in a rotating black-hole background. We assume the atom, represented by a hypothetical two-level system, is coupled via a monopole interaction with a massless quantum scalar field prepared in each one of the usual physical vacuum states of interest. We constrain ourselves to two different states of motion for the atom, namely a static situation in which the atom is placed at a fixed radial distance, and also the case in which it has a stationary motion but with zero angular momentum. We study the structure of the rate of variation of the atomic energy. The intention is to clarify in a quantitative way the effect of the distinguished contributions of vacuum fluctuations and radiation reaction on spontaneous excitation and on spontaneous emission of atoms. In particular, we are interested in the comprehension of the combined action of the different physical processes underlying the Hawking effect in the scenario of rotating black holes as well as the Unruh-Starobinskii effect. We demonstrate that, in the case of static atoms, spontaneous excitation is also connected with the Unruh-Starobinskii effect, but only in the case of the quantum field prepared in the Frolov-Thorne vacuum state. In addition, we show that, in the ZAMOs perspective, the Boulware vacuum state contains an outward flux of particles as a consequence of the black-hole superradiance. The possible relevance of the findings in the present work is discussed.

Spontaneous excitation of a uniformly accelerated atom in the cosmic string spacetime

Spontaneous excitation of a uniformly accelerated atom in the cosmic string spacetime

Photocontrol of Voltage-Gated Ion Channel Activity by Azobenzene Trimethylammonium Bromide in Neonatal Rat Cardiomyocytes.

The ability of azobenzene trimethylammonium bromide (azoTAB) to sensitize cardiac tissue excitability to light was recently reported. The dark, thermally relaxed trans- isomer of azoTAB suppressed spontaneous activity and excitation propagation speed, whereas the cis- isomer had no detectable effect on the electrical properties of cardiomyocyte monolayers. As the membrane potential of cardiac cells is mainly controlled by activity of voltage-gated ion channels, this study examined whether the sensitization effect of azoTAB was exerted primarily via the modulation of voltage-gated ion channel activity. The effects of trans- and cis- isomers of azoTAB on voltage-dependent sodium (INav), calcium (ICav), and potassium (IKv) currents in isolated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were investigated using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. The experiments showed that azoTAB modulated ion currents, causing suppression of sodium (Na+) and calcium (Ca2+) currents and potentiation of net potassium (K+) currents. This finding confirms that azoTAB-effect on cardiac tissue excitability do indeed result from modulation of voltage-gated ion channels responsible for action potential.

A New In Vitro Co-Culture Model Using Magnetic Force-Based Nanotechnology.

Skeletal myoblast (SkMB) transplantation has been conducted as a therapeutic strategy for severe heart failure. However, arrhythmogenicity following transplantation remains unsolved. We developed an in vitro model of myoblast transplantation with "patterned" or "randomly-mixed" co-culture of SkMBs and cardiomyocytes enabling subsequent electrophysiological, and arrhythmogenic evaluation. SkMBs were magnetically labeled with magnetite nanoparticles and co-cultured with neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) on multi-electrode arrays. SkMBs were patterned by a magnet beneath the arrays. Excitation synchronicity was evaluated by Ca(2+) imaging using a gene-encoded Ca(2+) indicator, G-CaMP2. In the monoculture of NRVMs (control), conduction was well-organized. In the randomly-mixed co-culture of NRVMs and SkMBs (random group), there was inhomogeneous conduction from multiple origins. In the "patterned" co-culture where an en bloc SKMB-layer was inserted into the NRVM-layer, excitation homogenously propagated although conduction was distorted by the SkMB-area. The 4-mm distance conduction time (CT) in the random group was significantly longer (197 ± 126 ms) than in control (17 ± 3 ms). In the patterned group, CT through NRVM-area did not change (25 ± 3 ms), although CT through the SkMB-area was significantly longer (132 ± 77 ms). The intervals between spontaneous excitation varied beat-to-beat in the random group, while regular beating was recorded in the control and patterned groups. Synchronized Ca(2+) transients of NRVMs were observed in the patterned group, whereas those in the random group were asynchronous. Patterned alignment of SkMBs is feasible with magnetic nanoparticles. Using the novel in vitro model mimicking cell transplantation, it may become possible to predict arrhythmogenicity due to heterogenous cell transplantation. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 2249-2256, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Development of Single Cardiomyocyte Measurement of Extracellular Potential

For studying the cell communication, it was essential that the single cell response in cellular network was analyzed. Cardiomyocytes networks are known to change simultaneously the membrane potential with spontaneous excitation. To measure the extracellular potential change in single cardiomyocytes in networks, we developed the micro-electrode array (MEA) chip consisted of 10 μm diameter and 3 μm height of Pt-black-coated ITO electrode with agarose microchambers. Single cardiomyocytes were arranged one by one on this MEA chip with a micropipette. The extracellular potential in a single cardiomyocyte could be measured with this MEA chip. The amplitude of the extracellular potential change in a single cardiomyocyte was very small (<100 μV) and the beating rate was fluctuated. These results would promote to measure the membrane potential changes of single cardiomyocytes in cellular networks.

Spontaneous excitation of an accelerated atom: (i) Acceleration of infinite duration (the Unruh effect), (ii) acceleration of finite duration

We consider a proton and an electron bound by scalar electrodynamics with the proton forced by an external agency to move along an asymptotically inertial trajectory. We apply previously developed methods for atoms constrained to move relativistically (Barton and Calogeracos, 2005) to examine spontaneous excitation of the atom accompanied by photon emission. In the limit where the asymptotically inertial trajectory tends to the well-known hyperbolic trajectory we do recover the constant transition rate first obtained by Unruh a long time ago: the atom radiates as if it is found in a bath of photons at the Unruh temperature (Barton and Calogeracos, 2008 [7]). In the case of a truncated hyperbolic trajectory and for small accelerations we obtain a transition probability proportional to the square of the acceleration scaled by the acceleration at the Bohr orbit. On the other hand it is to be noted that the Unruh transition rate is exponentially small for small accelerations. Hence accelerations of finite duration provide a more promising context for the observation of spontaneous excitation.

Commentary: GABA Depolarizes Immature Neurons and Inhibits Network Activity in the Neonatal Neocortex In vivo.

Commentary: GABA Depolarizes Immature Neurons and Inhibits Network Activity in the Neonatal Neocortex In vivo.

Spontaneous excitation of convective cells by kinetic Alfvén waves

Spontaneous excitation of convective cells by kinetic Alfvén waves in a uniform plasma is investigated analytically employing the nonlinear gyrokinetic equations. Self-consistent theoretical analysis demonstrates the novel results that excitation via modulational instability can only occur when the finite ion Larmor radius effects are properly included, and, furthermore, both the electrostatic and magnetostatic convective cells are excited simultaneously. Theoretical predictions are verified with direct numerical simulations; showing excellent agreement in the modulational growth rate and field structures. Significant implications of the present results to the cross-field transport in space and fusion plasmas are also briefly discussed.

Abnormal cell-intrinsic and network excitability in the neocortex of serotonin-deficient Pet-1 knockout mice.

Neurons originating from the raphe nuclei of the brain stem are the exclusive source of serotonin (5-HT) to the cortex. Their serotonergic phenotype is specified by the transcriptional regulator Pet-1, which is also necessary for maintaining their neurotransmitter identity across development. Transgenic mice in which Pet-1 is genetically ablated (Pet-1(-/-)) show a dramatic reduction (∼80%) in forebrain 5-HT levels, yet no investigations have been carried out to assess the impact of such severe 5-HT depletion on the function of target cortical neurons. Using whole cell patch-clamp methods, two-dimensional (2D) multielectrode arrays (MEAs), 3D morphological neuronal reconstructions, and animal behavior, we investigated the impact of 5-HT depletion on cortical cell-intrinsic and network excitability. We found significant changes in several parameters of cell-intrinsic excitability in cortical pyramidal cells (PCs) as well as an increase in spontaneous synaptic excitation through 5-HT3 receptors. These changes are associated with increased local network excitability and oscillatory activity in a 5-HT2 receptor-dependent manner, consistent with previously reported hypersensitivity of cortical 5-HT2 receptors. PC morphology was also altered, with a significant reduction in dendritic complexity that may possibly act as a compensatory mechanism for increased excitability. Consistent with this interpretation, when we carried out experiments with convulsant-induced seizures to asses cortical excitability in vivo, we observed no significant differences in seizure parameters between wild-type and Pet-1(-/-) mice. Moreover, MEA recordings of propagating field potentials showed diminished propagation of activity across the cortical sheath. Together these findings reveal novel functional changes in neuronal and cortical excitability in mice lacking Pet-1.

Optimal Size for Maximal Energy Efficiency in Information Processing of Biological Systems Due to Bistability**Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 11105062 and 11265014, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities under Grant Nos LZUJBKY-2011-57 and LZUJBKY-2015-119.

Energy efficiency is closely related to the evolution of biological systems and is important to their information processing. In this work, we calculate the excitation probability of a simple model of a bistable biological unit in response to pulsatile inputs, and its spontaneous excitation rate due to noise perturbation. Then we analytically calculate the mutual information, energy cost, and energy efficiency of an array of these bistable units. We find that the optimal number of units could maximize this array's energy efficiency in encoding pulse inputs, which depends on the fixed energy cost. We conclude that demand for energy efficiency in biological systems may strongly influence the size of these systems under the pressure of natural selection.

Spontaneous excitation of a detector in circular motion coupled to massless Rarita–Schwinger fields in vacuum

We study the spontaneous excitation of a detector (modeled by a two-level atom) in circular motion coupled nonlinearly to vacuum massless Rarita–Schwinger fields in the ultrarelativistic limit and demonstrate that the spontaneous excitation occurs for ground-state atoms in circular motion in vacuum but the excitation rate is not of a pure thermal form as that of the atoms in linear uniform acceleration. An interesting feature is that terms of odd powers in acceleration appear in the excitation rate whereas in the linear acceleration case there are only terms of even powers present. On the other hand, what makes the present case unique in comparison to the atom’s coupling to other fields that are previously studied is the appearance of the terms proportional to the seventh and ninth powers of acceleration in the mean rate of change of atomic energy which are absent in the scalar, electromagnetic and Dirac field cases.

Gap Junction-associated Na+ Influx Is Involved in the Mediation of Ca2+ Transients in Neonatal Rat Ventricular Myocytes.

Gap junction (GJ) coupling is involved in the regulation of spontaneous Ca(2+) transients in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs); however, the underlying mechanism(s) remains incompletely clear. In this study, we investigated Na influx mediated by Cx43-associated GJ modulating the spontaneous NRVM excitation. Intracellular Na(+) and Ca(2+) concentrations ([Na(+)](i) and [Ca(2+)](i)) were assessed using CoroNa Green and Fluo-4 fluorescent probes, respectively, by confocal microscopy. GJ function was evaluated by measuring fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. The results showed that [Na(+)](i) and spontaneous Ca(2+) oscillating were significantly decreased by the treatment of NRVMs with GJ uncouplers or adenovirus-mediated Cx43 gene knockdown using short hairpin RNA, while both of the intracellular cation levels were increased by adenovirus-mediated Cx43 overexpression. Neither Na(+) channel blocker (tetrodotoxin) nor the GJ uncoupler (Gap27) or Cx43-short hairpin RNA adenovirus could completely suppress the Ca(2+) transients, but their combination usage could. In addition, Ca(2+) transients disappeared in NRVMs incubated in Na(+)-free, but not in Ca(2+) -free medium, in which the remained transients could be further abolished by Gap27. Collectively, our findings suggest that Cx43-associated GJ function is involved in the regulation of Na(+) influx into cardiomyocytes, which contributes, at least in part, to triggering spontaneous excitation and regulation of cardiomyocyte automaticity.

The pattern of acoustic emission under fluid initiation of failure: Laboratory modeling

The results of the laboratory experiment on the initiation of acoustic emission in a loaded specimen by wetting a part of its surface without a material increase in the pore pressure are analyzed. The experiment was conducted on the lever press at the Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences (Sobolev and Ponomarev, 2011). Infusion of water into the surface of the specimen initiated the swarm acoustic emission, which, after having migrated to the area with higher stresses, culminated in the formation of a macrofracture. The analysis revealed the regularities in the excitation and relaxation of the acoustic activity in response to different types of initiation: the forced excitation by stepwise increasing the load at the initial stage of the experiment; excitation resulting from fluid diffusion, which can be associated with the reduction in the material strength due to wetting; excitation that reflects the preparation for the emergence of a macrofracture in the area with the highest Coulomb stresses; and spontaneous excitation of swarm activity at the stage of relaxation of the acoustic emission after the formation of a macrofracture. The features revealed in the acoustic time series at the stages of excitation and decay of the emission are qualitatively similar to the trends identified in the variations of seismic parameters during the natural swarms, preparation of the sources of the strong earthquakes, and relaxation of the aftershocks. In particular, the obtained results support the hypothesis of fluid initiation of nonvolcanic seismic swarms.