1,398 research outputs found
van der Waals coefficients for positronium interactions with atoms
The random-phase approximation with exchange (RPAE) is used with a -spline
basis to compute dynamic dipole polarizabilities of noble-gas atoms and several
other closed-shell atoms (Be, Mg, Ca, Zn, Sr, Cd, and Ba). From these, values
of the van der Waals constants for positronium interactions with these
atoms are determined and compared with existing data. Our best predictions of
for Ps--noble-gas pairs are expected to be accurate to within 1%, and to
within a few per cent for the alkaline earths. We also used accurate dynamic
dipole polarizabilities from the literature to compute the coefficients
for the alkali-metal atoms. Implications of increased values for Ps
scattering from more polarizable atoms are discussed.Comment: 6 pages, submitted to Physical Review
High accuracy measure of atomic polarizability in an optical lattice clock
Despite being a canonical example of quantum mechanical perturbation theory,
as well as one of the earliest observed spectroscopic shifts, the Stark effect
contributes the largest source of uncertainty in a modern optical atomic clock
through blackbody radiation. By employing an ultracold, trapped atomic ensemble
and high stability optical clock, we characterize the quadratic Stark effect
with unprecedented precision. We report the ytterbium optical clock's
sensitivity to electric fields (such as blackbody radiation) as the
differential static polarizability of the ground and excited clock levels:
36.2612(7) kHz (kV/cm)^{-2}. The clock's fractional uncertainty due to room
temperature blackbody radiation is reduced an order of magnitude to 3 \times
10^{-17}.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 2 table
Narrow Line Photoassociation in an Optical Lattice
With ultracold Sr in a 1D magic wavelength optical lattice, we
performed narrow line photoassociation spectroscopy near the SP intercombination transition. Nine least-bound vibrational molecular
levels associated with the long-range and potential energy surfaces
were measured and identified. A simple theoretical model accurately describes
the level positions and treats the effects of the lattice confinement on the
line shapes. The measured resonance strengths show that optical tuning of the
ground state scattering length should be possible without significant atom
loss.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Relativistic coupled-cluster single-double calculations of positron-atom bound states
Relativistic coupled-cluster single-double approximation is used to calculate
positron-atom bound states. The method is tested on closed-shell atoms such as
Be, Mg, Ca, Zn, Cd, and Hg where a number of accurate calculations is
available. It is then used to calculate positron binding energies for a range
of open-shell transition metal atoms from Sc to Cu, from Y to Pd, and from Lu
to Pt. These systems possess Feshbach resonances, which can be used to search
for positron-atom binding experimentally through resonant annihilation or
scattering.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.
Strangers in the night: Discovery of a dwarf spheroidal galaxy on its first Local Group infall
We present spectroscopic observations of the AndXII dwarf spheroidal galaxy
using DEIMOS/Keck-II, showing it to be moving rapidly through the Local Group
(-556 km/s heliocentric velocity, -281 km/s relative to Andromeda from the MW),
falling into the Local Group from ~115 kpc beyond Andromeda's nucleus. AndXII
therefore represents a dwarf galaxy plausibly falling into the Local Group for
the first time, and never having experienced a dense galactic environment. From
Green Bank Telescope observations, a limit on the H{I} gas mass of <3000 Msun
suggests that AndXII's gas could have been removed prior to experiencing the
tides of the Local Group galaxies. Orbit models suggest the dwarf is close to
the escape velocity of M31 for published mass models. AndXII is our best direct
evidence for the late infall of satellite galaxies, a prediction of
cosmological simulations.Comment: 4 pages 5 figures 1 table, accepted in ApJ, july issu
Multi-Omics and Genome Editing Studies on Plant Cell Walls to Improve Biomass Quality
Biomass is one of the most important sources of renewable energy and plays an important role in reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. Efficient biomass production is essential to obtain large amounts of sustainable energy with minimal environmental cost. However, the biochemical and molecular processes behind the synthesis of the main components of biomass are still not fully understood. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the most relevant studies on cell wall biosynthesis and degradation mechanisms, focusing on the lignocellulosic component, in which the conversion process to fermentable sugars is expensive, due to its recalcitrant nature. A focus is placed on multi-omics research involving genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and phenomics, since multi-omics approaches offer a unique opportunity to investigate the biological pathways underlying the genotype traits characterizing cell wall energy crops. Furthermore, our study highlights the advances in genome editing approaches and proposes the modification of the genes that are involved in the complex cell wall structure as a feasible solution to an efficient biomass production. Several key points for future research activities based on these emerging technologies are also discussed, focusing on the combination of multi-omics and gene editing approaches, which offer potential for improved biomass valorization and the development of tangible bioproducts
Making optical atomic clocks more stable with level laser stabilization
The superb precision of an atomic clock is derived from its stability. Atomic
clocks based on optical (rather than microwave) frequencies are attractive
because of their potential for high stability, which scales with operational
frequency. Nevertheless, optical clocks have not yet realized this vast
potential, due in large part to limitations of the laser used to excite the
atomic resonance. To address this problem, we demonstrate a cavity-stabilized
laser system with a reduced thermal noise floor, exhibiting a fractional
frequency instability of . We use this laser as a stable
optical source in a Yb optical lattice clock to resolve an ultranarrow 1 Hz
transition linewidth. With the stable laser source and the signal to noise
ratio (S/N) afforded by the Yb optical clock, we dramatically reduce key
stability limitations of the clock, and make measurements consistent with a
clock instability of
Hyperpolarizability and operational magic wavelength in an optical lattice clock
Optical clocks benefit from tight atomic confinement enabling extended
interrogation times as well as Doppler- and recoil-free operation. However,
these benefits come at the cost of frequency shifts that, if not properly
controlled, may degrade clock accuracy. Numerous theoretical studies have
predicted optical lattice clock frequency shifts that scale nonlinearly with
trap depth. To experimentally observe and constrain these shifts in an
Yb optical lattice clock, we construct a lattice enhancement cavity
that exaggerates the light shifts. We observe an atomic temperature that is
proportional to the optical trap depth, fundamentally altering the scaling of
trap-induced light shifts and simplifying their parametrization. We identify an
"operational" magic wavelength where frequency shifts are insensitive to
changes in trap depth. These measurements and scaling analysis constitute an
essential systematic characterization for clock operation at the
level and beyond.Comment: 5 + 2 pages, 3 figures, added supplementa
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