1,108 research outputs found
Lyman Alpha and MgII as Probes of Galaxies and their Environments
Ly{\alpha} emission, Ly{\alpha} absorption and MgII absorption are powerful
tracers of neutral hydrogen. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the
universe and plays a central role in galaxy formation via gas accretion and
outflows, as well as being the precursor to molecular clouds, the sites of star
formation. Since 21cm emission from neutral hydrogen can only be directly
observed in the local universe, we rely on Ly{\alpha} emission, and Ly{\alpha}
and MgII absorption to probe the physics that drives galaxy evolution at higher
redshifts. Furthermore, these tracers are sensitive to a range of hydrogen
densities that cover the interstellar medium, the circumgalactic medium and the
intergalactic medium, providing an invaluable means of studying gas physics in
regimes where it is poorly understood. At high redshift, Ly{\alpha} emission
line searches have discovered thousands of star-forming galaxies out to z = 7.
The large Ly{\alpha} scattering cross-section makes observations of this line
sensitive to even very diffuse gas outside of galaxies. Several thousand more
high-redshift galaxies are known from damped Ly{\alpha} absorption lines and
absorption by the MgII doublet in quasar and GRB spectra. MgII, in particular,
probes metal-enriched neutral gas inside galaxy haloes in a wide range of
environments and redshifts (0.1 < z < 6.3), including the so-called redshift
desert. Here we review what observations and theoretical models of Ly{\alpha}
emission, Ly{\alpha} and MgII absorption have told us about the interstellar,
circumgalactic and intergalactic medium in the context of galaxy formation and
evolution.Comment: 59 Pages, 19 Figures, 1 Table. Accepted for publication in
Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacifi
Delocalization transition of the selective interface model: distribution of pseudo-critical temperatures
According to recent progress in the finite size scaling theory of critical
disordered systems, the nature of the phase transition is reflected in the
distribution of pseudo-critical temperatures over the ensemble of
samples of size . In this paper, we apply this analysis to the
delocalization transition of an heteropolymeric chain at a selective
fluid-fluid interface. The width and the shift
are found to decay with the same exponent
, where . The distribution of
pseudo-critical temperatures is clearly asymmetric, and is well
fitted by a generalized Gumbel distribution of parameter . We also
consider the free energy distribution, which can also be fitted by a
generalized Gumbel distribution with a temperature dependent parameter, of
order in the critical region. Finally, the disorder averaged
number of contacts with the interface scales at like with
.Comment: 9 pages,6 figure
Glassy phases in Random Heteropolymers with correlated sequences
We develop a new analytic approach for the study of lattice heteropolymers,
and apply it to copolymers with correlated Markovian sequences. According to
our analysis, heteropolymers present three different dense phases depending
upon the temperature, the nature of the monomer interactions, and the sequence
correlations: (i) a liquid phase, (ii) a ``soft glass'' phase, and (iii) a
``frozen glass'' phase. The presence of the new intermediate ``soft glass''
phase is predicted for instance in the case of polyampholytes with sequences
that favor the alternation of monomers.
Our approach is based on the cavity method, a refined Bethe Peierls
approximation adapted to frustrated systems. It amounts to a mean field
treatment in which the nearest neighbor correlations, which are crucial in the
dense phases of heteropolymers, are handled exactly. This approach is powerful
and versatile, it can be improved systematically and generalized to other
polymeric systems
Cross-border care and healthcare quality improvement in Europe: the MARQuIS research project
Citizens are increasingly crossing borders within the European Union (EU). Europeans have always been free to travel to receive care abroad, but if they wished to benefit from their statutory social protection scheme, they were subject to their local or national legislation on social protection. This changed in 1991 with the European Court of Justice defining healthcare as a service, starting a debate on the right balance between different principles in European treaties: movement of persons, goods and services, versus the responsibility of member states to organise their healthcare systems. Simultaneously, cross-border cooperation has developed between member states
Adsorption of a random heteropolymer at a potential well revisited: location of transition point and design of sequences
The adsorption of an ideal heteropolymer loop at a potential point well is
investigated within the frameworks of a standard random matrix theory. On the
basis of semi-analytical/semi-numerical approach the histogram of transition
points for the ensemble of quenched heteropolymer structures with bimodal
symmetric distribution of types of chain's links is constructed. It is shown
that the sequences having the transition points in the tail of the histogram
display the correlations between nearest-neighbor monomers.Comment: 11 pages (revtex), 3 figure
Copolymer adsorption kinetics at a selective liquid-liquid interface: Scaling theory and computer experiment
We consider the adsorption kinetics of a regular block-copolymer of total
length and block size at a selective liquid-liquid interface in the
limit of strong localization. We propose a simple analytic theory based on
scaling considerations which describes the relaxation of the initial coil into
a flat-shaped layer. The characteristic times for attaining equilibrium values
of the gyration radius components perpendicular and parallel to the interface
are predicted to scale with chain length and block length as
(here is the Flory exponent)
and as , although initially the rate of coil
flattening is expected to decrease with block size as . Since
typically for multiblock copolymers, our results suggest that the
flattening dynamics proceeds faster perpendicular rather than parallel to the
interface. We also demonstrate that these scaling predictions agree well with
the results of extensive Monte Carlo simulations of the localization dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submited to Europhys. Let
Statistics of first-passage times in disordered systems using backward master equations and their exact renormalization rules
We consider the non-equilibrium dynamics of disordered systems as defined by
a master equation involving transition rates between configurations (detailed
balance is not assumed). To compute the important dynamical time scales in
finite-size systems without simulating the actual time evolution which can be
extremely slow, we propose to focus on first-passage times that satisfy
'backward master equations'. Upon the iterative elimination of configurations,
we obtain the exact renormalization rules that can be followed numerically. To
test this approach, we study the statistics of some first-passage times for two
disordered models : (i) for the random walk in a two-dimensional self-affine
random potential of Hurst exponent , we focus on the first exit time from a
square of size if one starts at the square center. (ii) for the
dynamics of the ferromagnetic Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model of spins, we
consider the first passage time to zero-magnetization when starting from
a fully magnetized configuration. Besides the expected linear growth of the
averaged barrier , we find that the rescaled
distribution of the barrier decays as for large
with a tail exponent of order . This value can be simply
interpreted in terms of rare events if the sample-to-sample fluctuation
exponent for the barrier is .Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
A Solvable Model of Secondary Structure Formation in Random Hetero-Polymers
We propose and solve a simple model describing secondary structure formation
in random hetero-polymers. It describes monomers with a combination of
one-dimensional short-range interactions (representing steric forces and
hydrogen bonds) and infinite range interactions (representing polarity forces).
We solve our model using a combination of mean field and random field
techniques, leading to phase diagrams exhibiting second-order transitions
between folded, partially folded and unfolded states, including regions where
folding depends on initial conditions. Our theoretical results, which are in
excellent agreement with numerical simulations, lead to an appealing physical
picture of the folding process: the polarity forces drive the transition to a
collapsed state, the steric forces introduce monomer specificity, and the
hydrogen bonds stabilise the conformation by damping the frustration-induced
multiplicity of states.Comment: 24 pages, 14 figure
Lyapunov exponents as a dynamical indicator of a phase transition
We study analytically the behavior of the largest Lyapunov exponent
for a one-dimensional chain of coupled nonlinear oscillators, by
combining the transfer integral method and a Riemannian geometry approach. We
apply the results to a simple model, proposed for the DNA denaturation, which
emphasizes a first order-like or second order phase transition depending on the
ratio of two length scales: this is an excellent model to characterize
as a dynamical indicator close to a phase transition.Comment: 8 Pages, 3 Figure
Erasmus experience between the University of Cadiz (Spain) and the University of Algarve (Portugal)
A mobility program was carried out during the last two years between the Universities of Cadiz (Spain)
and Algarve (Portugal) under the EU funded Erasmus+ Mobility for Teaching. The objective of the
mobility was twofold: on one hand, it included the strengthening of the existing scientific cooperation
between the University of Cadiz (home institution) and the University of Algarve (host institution) in the
field of the Gulf of Cadiz Physical Oceanography; on the other hand, it pretended to improve the
teaching quality, focusing on both the lecturers and the students. Both institutions have long ties of
cooperation that have recently been intensified under the umbrella of the International Campus of
Marine Excellence (CeiMar). Specific objectives oriented towards the lecturers included the exchange
of teaching experiences among them as well as the comparison of teaching strategies and
methodologies between the host and home institutions at the Master level in order to evaluate and
enhance the best teaching practices with the aim of improving the students learning process. Specific
objectives oriented towards the students included: (1) to provide local students that cannot afford
studying a Master degree abroad with a foreign teacher in the discipline that will offer them different
added expectations; (2) to teach students different subjects from those taught at the host institution,
thus benefitting from new scientific knowledge and experiences. It must be pointed out that the subject
taught by the home institution lecturer represents a competence lacking at the host institution, hence
complementing the program of the discipline and providing an added value to the Master degree.
Informal questionnaires carried out among students by the host institution revealed that they evaluated
having a foreign teacher as a very positive experience. In terms of research, collaboration among both
institutions is of great importance because they are both located within the same geographic region
and hence, they share common interests. The mobility promoted finishing on-going collaborative
publications as well as sharing new research experiences, data and knowledge, hence leading to an
improvement of the Physical Oceanography state-of-the-art in the Gulf of Cadiz. In fact, two scientific
papers on the Gulf of Cadiz circulation system and two on the storm climate along the Gulf of Cadiz
and its relation with coastal hazards have been recently published as a direct result of the mobility
program.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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