Finally, results from Gravity Probe-B

Nearly fifty years after its inception, the Gravity Probe B satellite mission delivers the first measurements of how a spinning gyroscope precesses in the gravitational warping of spacetime.Comment: A Viewpoint article, published in Physics 4, 43 (2011), available at http://physics.aps.org/articles/v4/43 Submitted to the arXiv by permission of the American Physical Societ

Experimental Observation Of Energetic Ions Accelerated By Three-Dimensional Magnetic Reconnection In A Laboratory Plasma

Magnetic reconnection is widely believed responsible for heating the solar corona as well as for generating X-rays and energetic particles in solar flares. On astrophysical scales, reconnection in the intergalactic plasma is a prime candidate for a local source (Mpc) of cosmic rays exceeding the Greisen-Zatsepin-Kuzmin cutoff (∼10(19) eV). In a laboratory astrophysics experiment, we have made the first observation of particles accelerated by magnetic reconnection events to energies significantly above both the thermal and the characteristic magnetohydrodynamic energies. These particles are correlated temporally and spatially with the formation of three-dimensional magnetic structures in the reconnection region

Optimization Of Detergent-Mediated Reconstitution Of Influenza A M2 Protein Into Proteoliposomes

We report the optimization of detergent-mediated reconstitution of an integral membrane-bound protein, full-length influenza M2 protein, by direct insertion into detergent-saturated liposomes. Detergent-mediated reconstitution is an important method for preparing proteoliposomes for studying membrane proteins, and must be optimized for each combination of protein and membrane constituents used. The purpose of the reconstitution was to prepare samples for site-directed spin-labeling electron paramagnetic resonance (SDSL-EPR) studies. Our goals in optimizing the protocol were to minimize the amount of detergent used, reduce overall proteoliposome preparation time, and confirm the removal of all detergent. The liposomes were comprised of (1-palmitoyl-2-oleyl-sn-glycero-phosphocholine (POPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-oleyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)] (POPG), and the detergent octylglucoside (OG) was used for reconstitution. Rigorous physical characterization was applied to optimize each step of the reconstitution process. We used dynamic light scattering (DLS) to determine the amount of OG needed to saturate the preformed liposomes. During detergent removal by absorption with Bio-Beads, we quantified the detergent concentration by means of a colorimetric assay, thereby determining the number of Bio-Bead additions needed to remove all detergent from the final proteoliposomes. We found that the overnight Bio-Bead incubation used in previously published protocols can be omitted, reducing the time needed for reconstitution. We also monitored the size distribution of the proteoliposomes with DLS, confirming that the size distribution remains essentially constant throughout the reconstitution process

Temporal And Spatial Turbulent Spectra Of MHD Plasma And An Observation Of Variance Anisotropy

The nature of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence is analyzed through both temporal and spatial magnetic fluctuation spectra. A magnetically turbulent plasma is produced in the MHD wind tunnel configuration of the Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment. The power of magnetic fluctuations is projected into directions perpendicular and parallel to a local mean field; the ratio of these quantities shows the presence of variance anisotropy which varies as a function of frequency. Comparisons among magnetic, velocity, and density spectra are also made, demonstrating that the energy of the turbulence observed is primarily seeded by magnetic fields created during plasma production. Direct spatial spectra are constructed using multi-channel diagnostics and are used to compare to frequency spectra converted to spatial scales using the Taylor hypothesis. Evidence for the observation of dissipation due to ion inertial length scale physics is also discussed, as well as the role laboratory experiments can play in understanding turbulence typically studied in space settings such as the solar wind. Finally, all turbulence results are shown to compare fairly well to a Hall-MHD simulation of the experiment

Order Parameter Measurements Of Dichroic Dyes Dissolved In Smectic Liquid Crystals That Tilt Without Layer Contraction

Measurements of the orientational order parameter of dissolved dichroic dyes are reported for two smectic-A liquid crystals that tilt in the presence of an in-plane electric field without any decrease in the layer spacing. The dye order parameter is determined by measuring the anisotropic absorption of linearly polarized light. Different dyes are used and measurements are also performed on a smectic liquid crystal that tilts with the expected layer contraction to check how closely the measurements reflect the order parameter of the liquid crystal. The variation of the dye order parameter with electric field is in accordance with the recently proposed model of azimuthal disorder of the tilt angle direction, but the surprising finding is that the local dye orientational order parameter is significantly lower than for the smectic liquid crystal that tilts with the expected layer contraction. This suggests that another mechanism might be contributing significantly to the smectic order, one possibility of which is the tendency for different parts of these siloxane-containing molecules to segregate within each layer. Another possible explanation is that the azimuthal disorder is due to a modulated phase with a high enough density of defects to decrease the value of the local order parameter

Polarization Asymmetry In The Photodisintegration Of The Deuteron

The reaction ²(γ,p)n has been studied using a monochromatic and polarized gamma ray beam at energies E(γ)=19.8, 29.0, 38.6, and 60.8 MeV. The beam of an intensity ∼4×10⁵ γ/sec was obtained by Compton back scattering of mode-locked laser light off electron bunches in the Adone storage ring. Photoneutron yields were measured at nine neutron angles thetan≃15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 135, 150, and 165 deg in the center of mass (c.m.) for E(γ)=19.8, 29.0, and 38.6 MeV, and at thetan≃30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 deg c.m. for E(γ)=60.8 MeV. The polarization independent component Iₒ(theta) of the differential cross section and the polarization dependent component PI₁(theta) were deduced and the angular distribution of the azimuthal asymmetry factor Σ(theta)=I₁(theta)/Iₒ(theta) was obtained. An extensive comparison with theory has been carried out and the inclusion of corrections due to meson exchange currents and to Δ-isobar configurations have been shown to be mandatory at energies E(γ)≳40 MeV. Theoretical and experimental implications of intermediate energy deuteron photo- disintegration studies are discussed in some detail

Resolved Young Binary Systems And Their Disks

We have conducted a survey of young single and multiple systems in the Taurus–Auriga star-forming region with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), substantially improving both the spatial resolution and sensitivity with which individual protoplanetary disks in these systems have been observed. These ALMA observations can resolve binary separations as small as 25–30 au and have an average 3σ detection level of 0.35 mJy, equivalent to a disk mass of 4 × 10−5 M ⊙ for an M3 star. Our sample was constructed from stars that have an infrared excess and/or signs of accretion and have been classified as Class II. For the binary and higher-order multiple systems observed, we detect λ = 1.3 mm continuum emission from one or more stars in all of our target systems. Combined with previous surveys of Taurus, our 21 new detections increase the fraction of millimeter-detected disks to over 75% in all categories of stars (singles, primaries, and companions) earlier than spectral type M6 in the Class II sample. Given the wealth of other information available for these stars, this has allowed us to study the impact of multiplicity with a much larger sample. While millimeter flux and disk mass are related to stellar mass as seen in previous studies, we find that both primary and secondary stars in binary systems with separations of 30–4200 au have lower values of millimeter flux as a function of stellar mass than single stars. We also find that for these systems, the circumstellar disk around the primary star does not dominate the total disk mass in the system and contains on average 62% of the total mass

Realistic Sensitivity Curves For Pulsar Timing Arrays

We construct realistic sensitivity curves for pulsar timing array searches for gravitational waves, incorporating both red and white noise contributions to individual pulsar noise spectra, and the effect of fitting to a pulsar timing model. We demonstrate the method on both simulated pulsars and a realistic array consisting of a subset of NANOGrav pulsars used in recent analyses. A comparison between the results presented here and measured upper limit curves from actual analyses shows agreement to tens of percent. The resulting sensitivity curves can be used to assess the detectability of predicted gravitational-wave signals in the nanohertz frequency band in a coherent, flexible, and computationally efficient manner