1,536 research outputs found
Analysis and calibration of absorptive images of Bose-Einstein condensate at non-zero temperatures
We describe the method allowing quantitative interpretation of absorptive
images of mixtures of BEC and thermal atoms which reduces possible systematic
errors associated with evaluation of the contribution of each fraction. By
using known temperature dependence of the BEC fraction, the analysis allows
precise calibration of the fitting results. The developed method is verified in
two different measurements and compares well with theoretical calculations and
with measurements performed by another group.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure
Epitaxial Ferromagnetic Nanoislands of Cubic GdN in Hexagonal GaN
Periodic structures of GdN particles encapsulated in a single crystalline GaN
matrix were prepared by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. High resolution
X-ray diffractometery shows that GdN islands, with rock salt structure are
epitaxially oriented to the wurtzite GaN matrix. Scanning transmission electron
microscopy combined with in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction
allows for the study of island formation dynamics, which occurs after 1.2
monolayers of GdN coverage. Magnetometry reveals two ferromagnetic phases, one
due to GdN particles with Curie temperature of 70K and a second, anomalous room
temperature phase.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Fabrication and structural characterization of highly ordered sub-100-nm planar magnetic nanodot arrays over 1 cm2 coverage area
Porous alumina masks are fabricated by anodization of aluminum films grown on both semiconducting and insulating substrates. For these self-assembled alumina masks, pore diameters and periodicities within the ranges of 10–130 and 20–200nm, respectively, can be controlled by varying anodization conditions. 20nm periodicities correspond to pore densities in excess of 1012 per square inch, close to the holy grail of media with 1Tbit∕in.2 density. With these alumina masks, ordered sub-100-nm planar ferromagnetic nanodot arrays covering over 1cm2 were fabricated by electron beam evaporation and subsequent mask lift-off. Moreover, exchange-biased bilayer nanodots were fabricated using argon-ion milling. The average dot diameter and periodicity are tuned between 25 and 130nm and between 45 and 200nm, respectively. Quantitative analyses of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of pore and dot arrays show a high degree of hexagonal ordering and narrow size distributions. The dot periodicity obtained from grazi..
Exchange biasing of single-domain Ni nanoparticles spontaneously grown in an antiferromagnetic MnO matrix
Exchange biased composites of ferromagnetic single-domain Ni nanoparticles
embedded within large grains of MnO have been prepared by reduction of
NiMnO phases in flowing hydrogen. The Ni precipitates are 15-30
nm in extent, and the majority are completely encased within the MnO matrix.
The manner in which the Ni nanoparticles are spontaneously formed imparts a
high ferromagnetic- antiferromagnetic interface/volume ratio, which results in
substantial exchange bias effects. Exchange bias fields of up to 100 Oe are
observed, in cases where the starting Ni content in the precursor
NiMnO phase is small. For particles of approximately the same
size, the exchange bias leads to significant hardening of the magnetization,
with the coercive field scaling nearly linearly with the exchange bias field.Comment: 6 pages PDFLaTeX with 9 figure
Existence of Dynamical Scaling in the Temporal Signal of Time Projection Chamber
The temporal signals from a large gas detector may show dynamical scaling due
to many correlated space points created by the charged particles while passing
through the tracking medium. This has been demonstrated through simulation
using realistic parameters of a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) being fabricated
to be used in ALICE collider experiment at CERN. An interesting aspect of this
dynamical behavior is the existence of an universal scaling which does not
depend on the multiplicity of the collision. This aspect can be utilised
further to study physics at the device level and also for the online monitoring
of certain physical observables including electronics noise which are a few
crucial parameters for the optimal TPC performance.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure
Rapid colour changes in Euglena sanguinea (Euglenophyceae) caused by internal lipid globule migration
The accumulation of red pigments under chronic stress is a response observed in most
groups of oxygenic photoautotrophs. It is thought that the red pigments in the cell shield
the chlorophyll located underneath from the light. Among these red pigments, the
accumulation of carotenoids is one of the most frequent cases. However, the synthesis
or degradation of carotenoids is a slow process and this response is usually only
observed when the stress is maintained over a period of time. In the Euglenophyte
Euglena sanguinea, this is due to the accumulation of a large amount of free and
esterified astaxanthin (representing 80% of the carotenoid pool). While reddening is a
slow and sometimes irreversible process in other phototrophs, reducing the efficiency of
light harvesting by chlorophyll, in E. sanguinea it is highly dynamic, capable of shifting
from red to green (and vice-versa) in 10-20 min. This change is not due to de novo
carotenogenesis, but to the relocation of cytoplasmic lipid globules where astaxanthin
accumulates. Thus, red globules migrate from the centre of the cell to peripheral
locations when photoprotection is demanded. This protective system seems to be so
efficient that other classical mechanisms are not operative in this species. For example,
despite the presence and operation of the diadino-diatoxanthin cycle, nonphotochemical
quenching (NPQ) is almost undetectable. Since E. sanguinea forms
extensive floating colonies, reddening can be observed at much greater scale than at a
cellular level, the mechanism described here being one of the fastest and most dramatic
colour changes attributable to photosynthetic organisms at cell and landscape level. In
sum, these data indicate an extremely dynamic and efficient photoprotective mechanism
based on organelle migration more than on carotenoid biosynthesis that prevents excess
light absorption by chlorophylls reducing the need for other protective processes related
to energy dissipation.This work was supported by the Basque Government [UPV/EHU-GV IT-1018-16] [UPV/EHU PPG17/67 – GV IT-1040-16], and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and the European Research and Development Foundation (FEDER) through (i) [CTM2014-53902-C2-2-P] national grant and (ii) a “Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación” postdoctoral grant [IJCI-2014-22489] to BFM
Multiphase Ferrofluid Flows for Micro-Particle Focusing and Separation
Ferrofluids have demonstrated great potential for a variety of manipulations of diamagnetic (or non-magnetic) micro-particles/cells in microfluidics, including sorting, focusing, and enriching. By utilizing size dependent magnetophoresis velocity, most of the existing techniques employ single phase ferrofluids to push the particles towards the channel walls. In this work, we demonstrate a novel strategy for focusing and separating diamagnetic micro-particles by using the laminar fluid interface of two co-flowing fluids—a ferrofluid and a non-magnetic fluid. Next to the microfluidic channel, microscale magnets are fabricated to generate strong localized magnetic field gradients and forces. Due to the magnetic force, diamagnetic particles suspended in the ferrofluid phase migrate across the ferrofluid stream at the size-dependent velocities. Because of the low Reynolds number and high Péclet number associated with the flow, the fluid interface is sharp and stable. When the micro-particles migrate to the interface, they are accumulated near the interface, resulting in effective focusing and separation of particles. We investigated several factors that affect the focusing and separation efficiency, including susceptibility of the ferrofluid, distance between the microfluidic channel and microscale magnet, and width of the microfluidic channel. This concept can be extended to multiple fluid interfaces. For example, a complete separation of micro-particles was demonstrated by using a three-stream multiphase flow configuration
Drift versus selection as drivers of phenotypic divergence at small spatial scales: The case of Belgjarskógur threespine stickleback
Divergence in phenotypic traits is facilitated by a combination of natural selection, phenotypic plasticity, gene flow, and genetic drift, whereby the role of drift is expected to be particularly important in small and isolated populations. Separating the components of phenotypic divergence is notoriously difficult, particularly for multivariate phenotypes. Here, we assessed phenotypic divergence of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) across 19 semi‐interconnected ponds within a small geographic region (~7.5 km2) using comparisons of multivariate phenotypic divergence (PST), neutral genetic (FST), and environmental (EST) variation. We found phenotypic divergence across the ponds in a suite of functionally relevant phenotypic traits, including feeding, defense, and swimming traits, and body shape (geometric morphometric). Comparisons of PSTs with FSTs suggest that phenotypic divergence is predominantly driven by neutral processes or stabilizing selection, whereas phenotypic divergence in defensive traits is in accordance with divergent selection. Comparisons of population pairwise PSTs with ESTs suggest that phenotypic divergence in swimming traits is correlated with prey availability, whereas there were no clear associations between phenotypic divergence and environmental difference in the other phenotypic groups. Overall, our results suggest that phenotypic divergence of these small populations at small geographic scales is largely driven by neutral processes (gene flow, drift), although environmental determinants (natural selection or phenotypic plasticity) may play a role.ISSN:2045-775
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