@article{12277, abstract = {Cell migration in confining physiological environments relies on the concerted dynamics of several cellular components, including protrusions, adhesions with the environment, and the cell nucleus. However, it remains poorly understood how the dynamic interplay of these components and the cell polarity determine the emergent migration behavior at the cellular scale. Here, we combine data-driven inference with a mechanistic bottom-up approach to develop a model for protrusion and polarity dynamics in confined cell migration, revealing how the cellular dynamics adapt to confining geometries. Specifically, we use experimental data of joint protrusion-nucleus migration trajectories of cells on confining micropatterns to systematically determine a mechanistic model linking the stochastic dynamics of cell polarity, protrusions, and nucleus. This model indicates that the cellular dynamics adapt to confining constrictions through a switch in the polarity dynamics from a negative to a positive self-reinforcing feedback loop. Our model further reveals how this feedback loop leads to stereotypical cycles of protrusion-nucleus dynamics that drive the migration of the cell through constrictions. These cycles are disrupted upon perturbation of cytoskeletal components, indicating that the positive feedback is controlled by cellular migration mechanisms. Our data-driven theoretical approach therefore identifies polarity feedback adaptation as a key mechanism in confined cell migration.}, author = {Brückner, David and Schmitt, Matthew and Fink, Alexandra and Ladurner, Georg and Flommersfeld, Johannes and Arlt, Nicolas and Hannezo, Edouard B and Rädler, Joachim O. and Broedersz, Chase P.}, issn = {2160-3308}, journal = {Physical Review X}, keywords = {General Physics and Astronomy}, number = {3}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, title = {{Geometry adaptation of protrusion and polarity dynamics in confined cell migration}}, doi = {10.1103/physrevx.12.031041}, volume = {12}, year = {2022}, } @article{12480, abstract = {We consider the problem of estimating a signal from measurements obtained via a generalized linear model. We focus on estimators based on approximate message passing (AMP), a family of iterative algorithms with many appealing features: the performance of AMP in the high-dimensional limit can be succinctly characterized under suitable model assumptions; AMP can also be tailored to the empirical distribution of the signal entries, and for a wide class of estimation problems, AMP is conjectured to be optimal among all polynomial-time algorithms. However, a major issue of AMP is that in many models (such as phase retrieval), it requires an initialization correlated with the ground-truth signal and independent from the measurement matrix. Assuming that such an initialization is available is typically not realistic. In this paper, we solve this problem by proposing an AMP algorithm initialized with a spectral estimator. With such an initialization, the standard AMP analysis fails since the spectral estimator depends in a complicated way on the design matrix. Our main contribution is a rigorous characterization of the performance of AMP with spectral initialization in the high-dimensional limit. The key technical idea is to define and analyze a two-phase artificial AMP algorithm that first produces the spectral estimator, and then closely approximates the iterates of the true AMP. We also provide numerical results that demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach.}, author = {Mondelli, Marco and Venkataramanan, Ramji}, issn = {1742-5468}, journal = {Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment}, keywords = {Statistics, Probability and Uncertainty, Statistics and Probability, Statistical and Nonlinear Physics}, number = {11}, publisher = {IOP Publishing}, title = {{Approximate message passing with spectral initialization for generalized linear models}}, doi = {10.1088/1742-5468/ac9828}, volume = {2022}, year = {2022}, } @article{12938, abstract = {In this work, a feed-forward artificial neural network (FF-ANN) design capable of locating eigensolutions to Schrödinger's equation via self-supervised learning is outlined. Based on the input potential determining the nature of the quantum problem, the presented FF-ANN strategy identifies valid solutions solely by minimizing Schrödinger's equation encoded in a suitably designed global loss function. In addition to benchmark calculations of prototype systems with known analytical solutions, the outlined methodology was also applied to experimentally accessible quantum systems, such as the vibrational states of molecular hydrogen H2 and its isotopologues HD and D2 as well as the torsional tunnel splitting in the phenol molecule. It is shown that in conjunction with the use of SIREN activation functions a high accuracy in the energy eigenvalues and wavefunctions is achieved without the requirement to adjust the implementation to the vastly different range of input potentials, thereby even considering problems under periodic boundary conditions.}, author = {Gamper, Jakob and Kluibenschedl, Florian and Weiss, Alexander K. H. and Hofer, Thomas S.}, issn = {1463-9076}, journal = {Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics}, keywords = {Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, General Physics and Astronomy}, number = {41}, pages = {25191--25202}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry}, title = {{From vibrational spectroscopy and quantum tunnelling to periodic band structures – a self-supervised, all-purpose neural network approach to general quantum problems}}, doi = {10.1039/d2cp03921d}, volume = {24}, year = {2022}, } @article{13352, abstract = {Optoelectronic effects differentiating absorption of right and left circularly polarized photons in thin films of chiral materials are typically prohibitively small for their direct photocurrent observation. Chiral metasurfaces increase the electronic sensitivity to circular polarization, but their out-of-plane architecture entails manufacturing and performance trade-offs. Here, we show that nanoporous thin films of chiral nanoparticles enable high sensitivity to circular polarization due to light-induced polarization-dependent ion accumulation at nanoparticle interfaces. Self-assembled multilayers of gold nanoparticles modified with L-phenylalanine generate a photocurrent under right-handed circularly polarized light as high as 2.41 times higher than under left-handed circularly polarized light. The strong plasmonic coupling between the multiple nanoparticles producing planar chiroplasmonic modes facilitates the ejection of electrons, whose entrapment at the membrane–electrolyte interface is promoted by a thick layer of enantiopure phenylalanine. Demonstrated detection of light ellipticity with equal sensitivity at all incident angles mimics phenomenological aspects of polarization vision in marine animals. The simplicity of self-assembly and sensitivity of polarization detection found in optoionic membranes opens the door to a family of miniaturized fluidic devices for chiral photonics.}, author = {Cai, Jiarong and Zhang, Wei and Xu, Liguang and Hao, Changlong and Ma, Wei and Sun, Maozhong and Wu, Xiaoling and Qin, Xian and Colombari, Felippe Mariano and de Moura, André Farias and Xu, Jiahui and Silva, Mariana Cristina and Carneiro-Neto, Evaldo Batista and Gomes, Weverson Rodrigues and Vallée, Renaud A. L. and Pereira, Ernesto Chaves and Liu, Xiaogang and Xu, Chuanlai and Klajn, Rafal and Kotov, Nicholas A. and Kuang, Hua}, issn = {1748-3395}, journal = {Nature Nanotechnology}, keywords = {Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Condensed Matter Physics, General Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering, Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Bioengineering}, number = {4}, pages = {408--416}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Polarization-sensitive optoionic membranes from chiral plasmonic nanoparticles}}, doi = {10.1038/s41565-022-01079-3}, volume = {17}, year = {2022}, } @article{13991, abstract = {The prediction and realization of topological insulators have sparked great interest in experimental approaches to the classification of materials1,2,3. The phase transition between non-trivial and trivial topological states is important, not only for basic materials science but also for next-generation technology, such as dissipation-free electronics4. It is therefore crucial to develop advanced probes that are suitable for a wide range of samples and environments. Here we demonstrate that circularly polarized laser-field-driven high-harmonic generation is distinctly sensitive to the non-trivial and trivial topological phases in the prototypical three-dimensional topological insulator bismuth selenide5. The phase transition is chemically initiated by reducing the spin–orbit interaction strength through the substitution of bismuth with indium atoms6,7. We find strikingly different high-harmonic responses of trivial and non-trivial topological surface states that manifest themselves as a conversion efficiency and elliptical dichroism that depend both on the driving laser ellipticity and the crystal orientation. The origins of the anomalous high-harmonic response are corroborated by calculations using the semiconductor optical Bloch equations with pairs of surface and bulk bands. As a purely optical approach, this method offers sensitivity to the electronic structure of the material, including its nonlinear response, and is compatible with a wide range of samples and sample environments.}, author = {Heide, Christian and Kobayashi, Yuki and Baykusheva, Denitsa Rangelova and Jain, Deepti and Sobota, Jonathan A. and Hashimoto, Makoto and Kirchmann, Patrick S. and Oh, Seongshik and Heinz, Tony F. and Reis, David A. and Ghimire, Shambhu}, issn = {1749-4893}, journal = {Nature Photonics}, keywords = {Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials}, number = {9}, pages = {620--624}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Probing topological phase transitions using high-harmonic generation}}, doi = {10.1038/s41566-022-01050-7}, volume = {16}, year = {2022}, } @article{13994, abstract = {Ultrafast lasers are an increasingly important tool to control and stabilize emergent phases in quantum materials. Among a variety of possible excitation protocols, a particularly intriguing route is the direct light engineering of microscopic electronic parameters, such as the electron hopping and the local Coulomb repulsion (Hubbard U). In this work, we use time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy to demonstrate the light-induced renormalization of the Hubbard U in a cuprate superconductor, La1.905Ba0.095CuO4. We show that intense femtosecond laser pulses induce a substantial redshift of the upper Hubbard band while leaving the Zhang-Rice singlet energy unaffected. By comparing the experimental data to time-dependent spectra of single- and three-band Hubbard models, we assign this effect to an approximately 140-meV reduction of the on-site Coulomb repulsion on the copper sites. Our demonstration of a dynamical Hubbard U renormalization in a copper oxide paves the way to a novel strategy for the manipulation of superconductivity and magnetism as well as to the realization of other long-range-ordered phases in light-driven quantum materials.}, author = {Baykusheva, Denitsa Rangelova and Jang, Hoyoung and Husain, Ali A. and Lee, Sangjun and TenHuisen, Sophia F. R. and Zhou, Preston and Park, Sunwook and Kim, Hoon and Kim, Jin-Kwang and Kim, Hyeong-Do and Kim, Minseok and Park, Sang-Youn and Abbamonte, Peter and Kim, B. J. and Gu, G. D. and Wang, Yao and Mitrano, Matteo}, issn = {2160-3308}, journal = {Physical Review X}, keywords = {General Physics and Astronomy}, number = {1}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, title = {{Ultrafast renormalization of the on-site Coulomb repulsion in a cuprate superconductor}}, doi = {10.1103/physrevx.12.011013}, volume = {12}, year = {2022}, } @article{10600, abstract = {We show that recent results on adiabatic theory for interacting gapped many-body systems on finite lattices remain valid in the thermodynamic limit. More precisely, we prove a generalized super-adiabatic theorem for the automorphism group describing the infinite volume dynamics on the quasi-local algebra of observables. The key assumption is the existence of a sequence of gapped finite volume Hamiltonians, which generates the same infinite volume dynamics in the thermodynamic limit. Our adiabatic theorem also holds for certain perturbations of gapped ground states that close the spectral gap (so it is also an adiabatic theorem for resonances and, in this sense, “generalized”), and it provides an adiabatic approximation to all orders in the adiabatic parameter (a property often called “super-adiabatic”). In addition to the existing results for finite lattices, we also perform a resummation of the adiabatic expansion and allow for observables that are not strictly local. Finally, as an application, we prove the validity of linear and higher order response theory for our class of perturbations for infinite systems. While we consider the result and its proof as new and interesting in itself, we also lay the foundation for the proof of an adiabatic theorem for systems with a gap only in the bulk, which will be presented in a follow-up article.}, author = {Henheik, Sven Joscha and Teufel, Stefan}, issn = {1089-7658}, journal = {Journal of Mathematical Physics}, keywords = {mathematical physics, statistical and nonlinear physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {AIP Publishing}, title = {{Adiabatic theorem in the thermodynamic limit: Systems with a uniform gap}}, doi = {10.1063/5.0051632}, volume = {63}, year = {2022}, } @article{10623, abstract = {We investigate the BCS critical temperature Tc in the high-density limit and derive an asymptotic formula, which strongly depends on the behavior of the interaction potential V on the Fermi-surface. Our results include a rigorous confirmation for the behavior of Tc at high densities proposed by Langmann et al. (Phys Rev Lett 122:157001, 2019) and identify precise conditions under which superconducting domes arise in BCS theory.}, author = {Henheik, Sven Joscha}, issn = {1572-9656}, journal = {Mathematical Physics, Analysis and Geometry}, keywords = {geometry and topology, mathematical physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{The BCS critical temperature at high density}}, doi = {10.1007/s11040-021-09415-0}, volume = {25}, year = {2022}, } @article{10642, abstract = {Based on a result by Yarotsky (J Stat Phys 118, 2005), we prove that localized but otherwise arbitrary perturbations of weakly interacting quantum spin systems with uniformly gapped on-site terms change the ground state of such a system only locally, even if they close the spectral gap. We call this a strong version of the local perturbations perturb locally (LPPL) principle which is known to hold for much more general gapped systems, but only for perturbations that do not close the spectral gap of the Hamiltonian. We also extend this strong LPPL-principle to Hamiltonians that have the appropriate structure of gapped on-site terms and weak interactions only locally in some region of space. While our results are technically corollaries to a theorem of Yarotsky, we expect that the paradigm of systems with a locally gapped ground state that is completely insensitive to the form of the Hamiltonian elsewhere extends to other situations and has important physical consequences.}, author = {Henheik, Sven Joscha and Teufel, Stefan and Wessel, Tom}, issn = {1573-0530}, journal = {Letters in Mathematical Physics}, keywords = {mathematical physics, statistical and nonlinear physics}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Local stability of ground states in locally gapped and weakly interacting quantum spin systems}}, doi = {10.1007/s11005-021-01494-y}, volume = {112}, year = {2022}, } @article{10643, abstract = {We prove a generalised super-adiabatic theorem for extended fermionic systems assuming a spectral gap only in the bulk. More precisely, we assume that the infinite system has a unique ground state and that the corresponding Gelfand–Naimark–Segal Hamiltonian has a spectral gap above its eigenvalue zero. Moreover, we show that a similar adiabatic theorem also holds in the bulk of finite systems up to errors that vanish faster than any inverse power of the system size, although the corresponding finite-volume Hamiltonians need not have a spectral gap. }, author = {Henheik, Sven Joscha and Teufel, Stefan}, issn = {2050-5094}, journal = {Forum of Mathematics, Sigma}, keywords = {computational mathematics, discrete mathematics and combinatorics, geometry and topology, mathematical physics, statistics and probability, algebra and number theory, theoretical computer science, analysis}, publisher = {Cambridge University Press}, title = {{Adiabatic theorem in the thermodynamic limit: Systems with a gap in the bulk}}, doi = {10.1017/fms.2021.80}, volume = {10}, year = {2022}, } @article{10851, abstract = {Superconductor-semiconductor hybrid devices are at the heart of several proposed approaches to quantum information processing, but their basic properties remain to be understood. We embed a twodimensional Al-InAs hybrid system in a resonant microwave circuit, probing the breakdown of superconductivity due to an applied magnetic field. We find a fingerprint from the two-component nature of the hybrid system, and quantitatively compare with a theory that includes the contribution of intraband p±ip pairing in the InAs, as well as the emergence of Bogoliubov-Fermi surfaces due to magnetic field. Separately resolving the Al and InAs contributions allows us to determine the carrier density and mobility in the InAs.}, author = {Phan, Duc T and Senior, Jorden L and Ghazaryan, Areg and Hatefipour, M. and Strickland, W. M. and Shabani, J. and Serbyn, Maksym and Higginbotham, Andrew P}, issn = {1079-7114}, journal = {Physical Review Letters}, keywords = {General Physics and Astronomy}, number = {10}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, title = {{Detecting induced p±ip pairing at the Al-InAs interface with a quantum microwave circuit}}, doi = {10.1103/physrevlett.128.107701}, volume = {128}, year = {2022}, } @article{11373, abstract = {The actin-homologue FtsA is essential for E. coli cell division, as it links FtsZ filaments in the Z-ring to transmembrane proteins. FtsA is thought to initiate cell constriction by switching from an inactive polymeric to an active monomeric conformation, which recruits downstream proteins and stabilizes the Z-ring. However, direct biochemical evidence for this mechanism is missing. Here, we use reconstitution experiments and quantitative fluorescence microscopy to study divisome activation in vitro. By comparing wild-type FtsA with FtsA R286W, we find that this hyperactive mutant outperforms FtsA WT in replicating FtsZ treadmilling dynamics, FtsZ filament stabilization and recruitment of FtsN. We could attribute these differences to a faster exchange and denser packing of FtsA R286W below FtsZ filaments. Using FRET microscopy, we also find that FtsN binding promotes FtsA self-interaction. We propose that in the active divisome FtsA and FtsN exist as a dynamic copolymer that follows treadmilling filaments of FtsZ.}, author = {Radler, Philipp and Baranova, Natalia S. and Dos Santos Caldas, Paulo R and Sommer, Christoph M and Lopez Pelegrin, Maria D and Michalik, David and Loose, Martin}, issn = {2041-1723}, journal = {Nature Communications}, keywords = {General Physics and Astronomy, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, General Chemistry}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{In vitro reconstitution of Escherichia coli divisome activation}}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-022-30301-y}, volume = {13}, year = {2022}, } @article{11400, abstract = {By varying the concentration of molecules in the cytoplasm or on the membrane, cells can induce the formation of condensates and liquid droplets, similar to phase separation. Their thermodynamics, much studied, depends on the mutual interactions between microscopic constituents. Here, we focus on the kinetics and size control of 2D clusters, forming on membranes. Using molecular dynamics of patchy colloids, we model a system of two species of proteins, giving origin to specific heterotypic bonds. We find that concentrations, together with valence and bond strength, control both the size and the growth time rate of the clusters. In particular, if one species is in large excess, it gradually saturates the binding sites of the other species; the system then becomes kinetically arrested and cluster coarsening slows down or stops, thus yielding effective size selection. This phenomenology is observed both in solid and fluid clusters, which feature additional generic homotypic interactions and are reminiscent of the ones observed on biological membranes.}, author = {Palaia, Ivan and Šarić, Anđela}, issn = {1089-7690}, journal = {The Journal of Chemical Physics}, keywords = {Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, General Physics and Astronomy}, number = {19}, publisher = {AIP Publishing}, title = {{Controlling cluster size in 2D phase-separating binary mixtures with specific interactions}}, doi = {10.1063/5.0087769}, volume = {156}, year = {2022}, } @article{11438, abstract = {Lasers with well-controlled relative frequencies are indispensable for many applications in science and technology. We present a frequency-offset locking method for lasers based on beat-frequency discrimination utilizing hybrid electronic LC filters. The method is specifically designed for decoupling the tightness of the lock from the broadness of its capture range. The presented demonstration locks two free-running diode lasers at 780 nm with a 5.5-GHz offset. It displays an offset frequency instability below 55 Hz for time scales in excess of 1000 s and a minimum of 12 Hz at 10-s averaging. The performance is complemented with a 190-MHz lock-capture range, a tuning range of up to 1 GHz, and a frequency ramp agility of 200kHz/μs.}, author = {Li, Vyacheslav and Diorico, Fritz R and Hosten, Onur}, issn = {2331-7019}, journal = {Physical Review Applied}, keywords = {General Physics and Astronomy}, number = {5}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, title = {{Laser frequency-offset locking at 10-Hz-level instability using hybrid electronic filters}}, doi = {10.1103/physrevapplied.17.054031}, volume = {17}, year = {2022}, } @article{11556, abstract = {We revisit two basic Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Methods to model aggregation kinetics and extend them for aggregation processes with collisional fragmentation (shattering). We test the performance and accuracy of the extended methods and compare their performance with efficient deterministic finite-difference method applied to the same model. We validate the stochastic methods on the test problems and apply them to verify the existence of oscillating regimes in the aggregation-fragmentation kinetics recently detected in deterministic simulations. We confirm the emergence of steady oscillations of densities in such systems and prove the stability of the oscillations with respect to fluctuations and noise.}, author = {Kalinov, Aleksei and Osinskiy, A.I. and Matveev, S.A. and Otieno, W. and Brilliantov, N.V.}, issn = {0021-9991}, journal = {Journal of Computational Physics}, keywords = {Computer Science Applications, Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous), Applied Mathematics, Computational Mathematics, Modeling and Simulation, Numerical Analysis}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Direct simulation Monte Carlo for new regimes in aggregation-fragmentation kinetics}}, doi = {10.1016/j.jcp.2022.111439}, volume = {467}, year = {2022}, } @article{11732, abstract = {We study the BCS energy gap Ξ in the high–density limit and derive an asymptotic formula, which strongly depends on the strength of the interaction potential V on the Fermi surface. In combination with the recent result by one of us (Math. Phys. Anal. Geom. 25, 3, 2022) on the critical temperature Tc at high densities, we prove the universality of the ratio of the energy gap and the critical temperature.}, author = {Henheik, Sven Joscha and Lauritsen, Asbjørn Bækgaard}, issn = {1572-9613}, journal = {Journal of Statistical Physics}, keywords = {Mathematical Physics, Statistical and Nonlinear Physics}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{The BCS energy gap at high density}}, doi = {10.1007/s10955-022-02965-9}, volume = {189}, year = {2022}, } @article{11783, abstract = {We consider a gas of N bosons with interactions in the mean-field scaling regime. We review the proof of an asymptotic expansion of its low-energy spectrum, eigenstates, and dynamics, which provides corrections to Bogoliubov theory to all orders in 1/ N. This is based on joint works with Petrat, Pickl, Seiringer, and Soffer. In addition, we derive a full asymptotic expansion of the ground state one-body reduced density matrix.}, author = {Bossmann, Lea}, issn = {1089-7658}, journal = {Journal of Mathematical Physics}, keywords = {Mathematical Physics, Statistical and Nonlinear Physics}, number = {6}, publisher = {AIP Publishing}, title = {{Low-energy spectrum and dynamics of the weakly interacting Bose gas}}, doi = {10.1063/5.0089983}, volume = {63}, year = {2022}, } @article{11917, abstract = {We study the many-body dynamics of an initially factorized bosonic wave function in the mean-field regime. We prove large deviation estimates for the fluctuations around the condensate. We derive an upper bound extending a recent result to more general interactions. Furthermore, we derive a new lower bound which agrees with the upper bound in leading order.}, author = {Rademacher, Simone Anna Elvira and Seiringer, Robert}, issn = {1572-9613}, journal = {Journal of Statistical Physics}, keywords = {Mathematical Physics, Statistical and Nonlinear Physics}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Large deviation estimates for weakly interacting bosons}}, doi = {10.1007/s10955-022-02940-4}, volume = {188}, year = {2022}, } @article{11951, abstract = {The mammalian hippocampal formation (HF) plays a key role in several higher brain functions, such as spatial coding, learning and memory. Its simple circuit architecture is often viewed as a trisynaptic loop, processing input originating from the superficial layers of the entorhinal cortex (EC) and sending it back to its deeper layers. Here, we show that excitatory neurons in layer 6b of the mouse EC project to all sub-regions comprising the HF and receive input from the CA1, thalamus and claustrum. Furthermore, their output is characterized by unique slow-decaying excitatory postsynaptic currents capable of driving plateau-like potentials in their postsynaptic targets. Optogenetic inhibition of the EC-6b pathway affects spatial coding in CA1 pyramidal neurons, while cell ablation impairs not only acquisition of new spatial memories, but also degradation of previously acquired ones. Our results provide evidence of a functional role for cortical layer 6b neurons in the adult brain.}, author = {Ben Simon, Yoav and Käfer, Karola and Velicky, Philipp and Csicsvari, Jozsef L and Danzl, Johann G and Jonas, Peter M}, issn = {2041-1723}, journal = {Nature Communications}, keywords = {General Physics and Astronomy, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, General Chemistry, Multidisciplinary}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{A direct excitatory projection from entorhinal layer 6b neurons to the hippocampus contributes to spatial coding and memory}}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-022-32559-8}, volume = {13}, year = {2022}, } @article{12130, abstract = {Germline determination is essential for species survival and evolution in multicellular organisms. In most flowering plants, formation of the female germline is initiated with specification of one megaspore mother cell (MMC) in each ovule; however, the molecular mechanism underlying this key event remains unclear. Here we report that spatially restricted auxin signaling promotes MMC fate in Arabidopsis. Our results show that the microRNA160 (miR160) targeted gene ARF17 (AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR17) is required for promoting MMC specification by genetically interacting with the SPL/NZZ (SPOROCYTELESS/NOZZLE) gene. Alterations of auxin signaling cause formation of supernumerary MMCs in an ARF17- and SPL/NZZ-dependent manner. Furthermore, miR160 and ARF17 are indispensable for attaining a normal auxin maximum at the ovule apex via modulating the expression domain of PIN1 (PIN-FORMED1) auxin transporter. Our findings elucidate the mechanism by which auxin signaling promotes the acquisition of female germline cell fate in plants.}, author = {Huang, Jian and Zhao, Lei and Malik, Shikha and Gentile, Benjamin R. and Xiong, Va and Arazi, Tzahi and Owen, Heather A. and Friml, Jiří and Zhao, Dazhong}, issn = {2041-1723}, journal = {Nature Communications}, keywords = {General Physics and Astronomy, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, General Chemistry, Multidisciplinary}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Specification of female germline by microRNA orchestrated auxin signaling in Arabidopsis}}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-022-34723-6}, volume = {13}, year = {2022}, }