Abstract: We apply the exact diagonalization technique to calculate the ground and excited states of a bipolar artificial molecule composed of two vertically coupled quantum dots containing different types of carriers electrons and holes in equilibrium. In this system, the magnetic field tunes the relative role of intra-dot Coulomb interaction while the inter-dot separation sets the strength of inter-dot correlations. We find an intricate pattern of the switching of the ground-state angular momentum with increasing magnetic field and a rearrangement of approximate single-particle levels as a function of the inter-dot coupling strength.

Abstract: Responses of mesoscopic superconducting rings and disks to perpendicular magnetic fields are studied by using the multiple-small-tunnel-junction method, in which transport properties of several small tunnel junctions attached to the sample are measured simultaneously. This allows us for a direct experimental observation of the paramagnetic supercurrent, which is closely related to the paramagnetic Meissner effect. The results are compared with numerical results based on the nonlinear Ginzburg-Landau theory.

Abstract: Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is increasingly applied in the respiratory domain. The ability to simulate the flow through a bifurcating tubular system has increased the insight into the internal flow dynamics and the particular characteristics of respiratory flows such as secondary motions and inertial effects. The next step in the evolution is to apply the technique to patient-specific cases, in order to provide more information about pathological airways. This study presents a patient-specific approach where both the geometry and the boundary conditions (BC) are based on individual imaging methods using computed tomography (CT). The internal flow distribution of a 73-year-old female suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is assessed. The validation is performed through the comparison of lung ventilation with gamma scintigraphy. The results show that in order to obtain agreement within the accuracy limits of the gamma scintigraphy scan, both the patient-specific geometry and the BC (driving pressure) play a crucial role. A minimal invasive test (CT scan) supplied enough information to perform an accurate CFD analysis. In the end it was possible to capture the pathological features of the respiratory system using the imaging and computational fluid dynamics techniques. This brings the introduction of this new technique in the clinical practice one step closer.