Protostellar outflow-driven turbulence

Protostellar outflows crisscross the regions of star cluster formation, stirring turbulence and altering the evolution of the forming cluster. We model the stirring of turbulent motions by protostellar outflows, building on an observation that the scaling law of supersonic turbulence implies a momentum cascade analogous to the energy cascade in Kolmogorov turbulence. We then generalize this model to account for a diversity of outflow strengths, and for outflow collimation, both of which enhance turbulence. For a single value of its coupling coefficient the model is consistent with turbulence simulations by Li & Nakamura and, plausibly, with observations of the NGC 1333 cluster-forming region. Outflow-driven turbulence is strong enough to stall collapse in cluster-forming regions for several crossing times, relieving the mismatch between star formation and turbulent decay rates. The predicted line-width-size scaling implies radial density indices between -1 and -2 for regions supported by outflow-driven turbulence, with a tendency for steeper profiles in regions that are more massive or have higher column densities.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Ap

Few-baryon interactions from lattice QCD

We report the recent progress on the determination of three-nucleon forces (3NF) in lattice QCD. We utilize the Nambu-Bethe-Salpeter (NBS) wave function to define the potential in quantum field theory, and extract two-nucleon forces (2NF) and 3NF on equal footing. The enormous computational cost for calculating multi-baryon correlators on the lattice is drastically reduced by developing a novel contraction algorithm (the unified contraction algorithm). Quantum numbers of the three-nucleon (3N) system are chosen to be (I, J^P)=(1/2,1/2^+) (the triton channel), and we extract 3NF in which three nucleons are aligned linearly with an equal spacing. Lattice QCD simulations are performed using N_f=2 dynamical clover fermion configurations at the lattice spacing of a = 0.156 fm on a 16^3 x 32 lattice with a large quark mass corresponding to m(\pi)= 1.13 GeV. Repulsive 3NF is found at short distance.Comment: Plenary talk given at the 20th International IUPAP Conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics (FB20), Fukuoka, Japan, 20-25 Aug 2012, 9 pages, 2 figure

Mechanical strength of atomic chains, surface skins, and nanograins

This report deals with the correlation between the mechanical strength and thermal stability of systems extending from monatomic chains to surface skins and solids over the whole range of sizes with emphasis on the significance of atomic coordination imperfection. Derived solutions show that a competition between the bond order loss and the associated bond strength gain of the lower coordinated atoms dictate the thermo-mechanics of the low dimensional systems. Bond order loss lowers the atomic cohesive energy that determines the temperature of melting (Tm), or the activation energy for atomic dislocation, whereas bond strength gain enhances the energy density, or mechanical strength, in the surface skin. Therefore, the surface is harder at T << Tm whereas the surface becomes softer when the T approaches the surface Tm that is lower than the bulk due to bond order loss. Hence, the strained nanostructures are usually stiffer at low T whereas the harder skins melt easier. Quantitative information has been obtained about the bonding identities in metallic monatomic chains and carbon nanotubes. Solutions also enable us to reproduce the inverse Hall-Petch relationship with clarification of factors dominating the transition from hardening to softening in the nanometer regime.Comment: Review 42 pages, 12 figures 183 reference

Proctolin and an Endogenous Proctolin-Like Peptide Enhance the Contractility of the Limulus Heart

Synthetic proctolin increases the force but not the rate of heart contractions of Limulus in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The threshold of this effect is 3 × 10−10M and the ED50 is approximately 10−8M. At concentrations up to 10−7 M, proctolin has no effect on the rhythmic electrical activity of the isolated cardiac ganglion, and it does not change the simple and compound postsynaptic potentials recorded at the cardiac neuromuscular junction. Proctolin acts directly on the cardiac muscle fibres. Electrically stimulated myocardia show a proctolin-induced increase in contraction amplitude with the same concentration dependence as the intact heart. A compound with an apparent molecular weight of 700–800 occurs in the Limulus nervous system, particularly in the cardiac ganglion. This compound resembles proctolin in being heat-stable, resistant to trypsin and chymotrypsin cleavage, and losing activity in a time-dependent manner in response to treatment with leucine aminopeptidase or pronase. This peptide induces spontaneous contractions and a contracture of the cockroach hindgut in a manner similar to proctolin. Moreover, the Limulus inotropic peptide, like proctolin, increases the force of contraction of the Limulus heart without affecting beat frequency. It is concluded that an endogenous, proctolin-like peptide is an inotropic modulator of the Limulus heart, acting directly on the muscle fibres and not affecting cardiac ganglion activity

Realization of continuously electron doping in bulk iron selenides and identification of a new superconducting zone

It is known that iron selenide superconductors exhibit unique characteristics distinct from iron pnicitides, especially in the electron-doped region. However, acomprehensive study of continuous carrier doping ang the corresponding crystal structures of FeSe is still lacking, mainly due to the difficulties in controlling the carrier density in bulk materials. Here, we report the successful synthesis of a new family of bulk Lix(C3H10N2)0.37FeSe, which features a continue superconducting dome harboring Lifshitz transition within the wide range of 0.06~0.68. We demonstrate that with electron-doped, the anion height of FeSe layers deviates lineraly away from the optimized values of pnictides and pressurized FeSe. This feature leads to anew superconducting zone with unique doping dependence of the electronic structures and strong orbital-selective electronic correlation. Optimal superconductivity is achieved when the Fe 3d t2g orbitals have almost the same intermediate electronic correlation strength, with moderate mass enhancement between 3~4 in the two separate superconducting zone. Our result shed light on archieving unified mechanism of superconductivity in iron-based materials

Photostrictive materials

Light-matter interactions that lead to nonthermal changes in size of the sample constitute a photostrictive effect in many compounds. The photostriction phenomenon was observed in four main groups of materials, ferroelectrics, polar, and non-polar semiconductors, as well as in organic-based materials that are reviewed here. The key mechanisms of photostriction and its dependence on several parameters and perturbations are assessed. The major literature of the photostriction is surveyed, and the review ends with a summary of the proposed technical applications.Comment: Photostriction review, Photostrictive materials are summarized, Photostrictive efficiency is described, 13 page

Tunable magnetic orders in CePd2_2As2−x_{2-x}Px_x

We report the successful synthesis of the polycrystalline compounds CePd$_2$As$_{2-x}$P$_x$ ($0 \leq x \leq 2$) and their physical properties by measuring the transport, magnetic and thermodynamic behaviors as a function of temperature and/or magnetic field. Powder x-ray diffraction (XRD) indicates that CePd$_2$As$_{2-x}$P$_x$ crystallizes in the ThCr$_2$Si$_2$-type tetragonal structure. CePd$_2$As$_2$ exhibits a moderate Sommerfeld coefficient of $\gamma$ $\approx$ 88 mJ/mol-K$^2$, and undergoes an antiferromagnetic (AFM) transition at the N\'{e}el temperature $T_N \approx$ 15 K. Upon substituting As with P, the $T_N$ is nearly unchanged up to $x \simeq 0.6$, while a ferromagnetic (FM) transition develops below $T_N$ for $x \simeq 0.4$. The Curie temperature $T_C$ increases with increasing $x$ and eventually merges with the AFM transition at $x \simeq 0.6$. With further increase of $x$, the system follows typical FM behaviors and its $T_C$ monotonically increases and reaches $T_C \approx 28$ K in CePd$_2$P$_2$. Moreover, a metamagnetic transition is observed in the As-rich samples, but vanishes for $x \geq 0.4$. Such a tunable magnetic ground state may provide an opportunity to explore the possible quantum critical behavior in CePd$_2$As$_{2-x}$P$_x$.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Production of isoscalar pion pairs in the pd -> 3He pi pi reaction near threshold

The production near threshold of isoscalar pion pairs in the pd -> 3He(pi pi)^0 reaction is estimated in a two-step model which successfully describes the production of eta, omega and eta' mesons. A virtual pion beam, generated through an NN -> d pi reaction on one of the nucleons in the deuteron, produces a second pion via a pi N -> pi pi N reaction on the other nucleon. Using the same scale factor as for heavy meson production, the model reproduces the total pi^0 pi^0 production rate determined at an excess energy of 37 MeV. There are some indications in the data for a suppression of events with low pi pi masses, as in the pi^- p -> pi^0 pi^0 n reaction, and this is confirmed within the model. The model suggests that a significant fraction of the charged pion production in the p d -> 3He pi^+ pi^- reaction at Q=70 MeV might be associated with isoscalar pion pairs, though this does not explain the strong dependence observed on the pi^+ pi^- relative momentum angle.Comment: 13 pages including 4 eps figure

Causality Violations in Cascade Models of Nuclear Collisions

Transport models have successfully described many aspects of intermediate energy heavy-ion collision dynamics. As the energies increase in these models to the ultrarelativistic regime, Lorentz covariance and causality are not strictly respected. The standard argument is that such effects are not important to final results; but they have not been seriously considered at high energies. We point out how and why these happen, how serious of a problem they may be and suggest ways of reducing or eliminating the undesirable effects.Comment: RevTeX, 23 pages, 9 (uuencoded) figures; to appear in Phys. Rev