796 research outputs found
Echo spectroscopy and Atom Optics Billiards
We discuss a recently demonstrated type of microwave spectroscopy of trapped
ultra-cold atoms known as "echo spectroscopy" [M.F. Andersen et. al., Phys.
Rev. Lett., in press (2002)]. Echo spectroscopy can serve as an extremely
sensitive experimental tool for investigating quantum dynamics of trapped atoms
even when a large number of states are thermally populated. We show numerical
results for the stability of eigenstates of an atom-optics billiard of the
Bunimovich type, and discuss its behavior under different types of
perturbations. Finally, we propose to use special geometrical constructions to
make a dephasing free dipole trap
Electronic structure and dynamics of optically excited single-wall carbon nanotubes
We have studied the electronic structure and charge-carrier dynamics of
individual single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and nanotube ropes using
optical and electron-spectroscopic techniques. The electronic structure of
semiconducting SWNTs in the band-gap region is analyzed using near-infrared
absorption spectroscopy. A semi-empirical expression for
transition energies, based on tight-binding calculations is found to give
striking agreement with experimental data. Time-resolved PL from dispersed
SWNT-micelles shows a decay with a time constant of about 15 ps. Using
time-resolved photoemission we also find that the electron-phonon ({\it e-ph})
coupling in metallic tubes is characterized by a very small {\it e-ph}
mass-enhancement of 0.0004. Ultrafast electron-electron scattering of
photo-excited carriers in nanotube ropes is finally found to lead to internal
thermalization of the electronic system within about 200 fs.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Applied Physics
Targeting Conservation Investments in Heterogeneous Landscapes: A distance function approach and application to watershed management
To achieve a given level of an environmental amenity at least cost, decision-makers must integrate information about spatially variable biophysical and economic conditions. Although the biophysical attributes that contribute to supplying an environmental amenity are often known, the way in which these attributes interact to produce the amenity is often unknown. Given the difficulty in converting multiple attributes into a unidimensional physical measure of an environmental amenity (e.g., habitat quality), analyses in the academic literature tend to use a single biophysical attribute as a proxy for the environmental amenity (e.g., species richness). A narrow focus on a single attribute, however, fails to consider the full range of biophysical attributes that are critical to the supply of an environmental amenity. Drawing on the production efficiency literature, we introduce an alternative conservation targeting approach that relies on distance functions to cost-efficiently allocate conservation funds across a spatially heterogeneous landscape. An approach based on distance functions has the advantage of not requiring a parametric specification of the amenity function (or cost function), but rather only requiring that the decision-maker identify important biophysical and economic attributes. We apply the distance-function approach empirically to an increasingly common, but little studied, conservation initiative: conservation contracting for water quality objectives. The contract portfolios derived from the distance-function application have many desirable properties, including intuitive appeal, robust performance across plausible parametric amenity measures, and the generation of ranking measures that can be easily used by field practitioners in complex decision-making environments that cannot be completely modeled. Working Paper # 2002-01
Introduction to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee guideline for the prevention of surgical site infections
Anthropogenic Space Weather
Anthropogenic effects on the space environment started in the late 19th
century and reached their peak in the 1960s when high-altitude nuclear
explosions were carried out by the USA and the Soviet Union. These explosions
created artificial radiation belts near Earth that resulted in major damages to
several satellites. Another, unexpected impact of the high-altitude nuclear
tests was the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) that can have devastating effects
over a large geographic area (as large as the continental United States). Other
anthropogenic impacts on the space environment include chemical release ex-
periments, high-frequency wave heating of the ionosphere and the interaction of
VLF waves with the radiation belts. This paper reviews the fundamental physical
process behind these phenomena and discusses the observations of their impacts.Comment: 71 pages, 35 figure
Arbitrary rotation and entanglement of flux SQUID qubits
We propose a new approach for the arbitrary rotation of a three-level SQUID
qubit and describe a new strategy for the creation of coherence transfer and
entangled states between two three-level SQUID qubits. The former is succeeded
by exploring the coupled-uncoupled states of the system when irradiated with
two microwave pulses, and the latter is succeeded by placing the SQUID qubits
into a microwave cavity and used adiabatic passage methods for their
manipulation.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Effects of Impurity Content on the Sintering Characteristics of Plasma-Sprayed Zirconia
Yttria-stabilized zirconia powders, containing different levels of SiO2 and Al2O3, have been plasma sprayed onto metallic substrates. The coatings were detached from their substrates and a dilatometer was used to monitor the dimensional changes they exhibited during prolonged heat treatments. It was found that specimens containing higher levels of silica and alumina exhibited higher rates of linear contraction, in both in-plane and through-thickness directions. The in-plane stiffness and the through-thickness thermal conductivity were also measured after different heat treatments and these were found to increase at a greater rate for specimens with higher impurity (silica and alumina) levels. Changes in the pore architecture during heat treatments were studied using Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP). Fine scale porosity (<_50 nm) was found to be sharply reduced even by relatively short heat treatments. This is correlated with improvements in inter-splat bonding and partial healing of intra-splat microcracks, which are responsible for the observed changes in stiffness and conductivity, as well as the dimensional changes
Constraints Imposed by the Wilshire Methodology on Creep Rupture Data and Procedures for Testing the Validity of Such Constraints: Illustration Using 1Cr-1Mo-0.25V Steel
A new parametric approach, termed the Wilshire equations, offers the realistic potential of being able to accurately life materials operating at in service conditions from accelerated test results lasting no more than 5000 hours. These Wilshire equations contain discontinuities that have in the literature been interpreted either in terms of changing deformation mechanisms or changes in where deformation occurs within a material (i.e., within boundaries or crystals). This paper demonstrates that the rather restrictive nature of these discontinuities within the Wilshire equations can lead to problems in identifying an appropriate model for long-term life prediction. An alternative framework is developed that removes these restrictions but still maintains the fundamental nature and characteristics of the Wilshire methodology. Further, when this alternative structure is applied to 1Cr-1Mo-0.25V steel, it produces more accurate and realistic looking long-term predictions of the time to failure
Scale in object and process ontologies
Scale is of great importance to the analysis of real world
phenomena, be they enduring objects or perduring processes. This paper
presents a new perspective on the concept of scale by considering it within two
complementary ontological views. The first, called SNAP, recognizes enduring
entities or objects, the other, called SPAN, perduring entities or processes.
Within the meta-theory provided by the complementary SNAP and SPAN
ontologies, we apply different theories of formal ontology such as mereology
and granular partitions, and ideas derived from hierarchy theory. These
theories are applied to objects and processes and form the framework within
which we present tentative definitions of scale, which are found to differ
between the two ontologies
First High-Speed Video Camera Observations of a Lightning Flash Associated With a Downward Terrestrial Gamma-Ray Flash
In this paper, we present the first high-speed video observation of a cloud-to-ground lightning flash and its associated downward-directed Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flash (TGF). The optical emission of the event was observed by a high-speed video camera running at 40,000 frames per second in conjunction with the Telescope Array Surface Detector, Lightning Mapping Array, interferometer, electric-field fast antenna, and the National Lightning Detection Network. The cloud-to-ground flash associated with the observed TGF was formed by a fast downward leader followed by a very intense return stroke peak current of −154 kA. The TGF occurred while the downward leader was below cloud base, and even when it was halfway in its propagation to ground. The suite of gamma-ray and lightning instruments, timing resolution, and source proximity offer us detailed information and therefore a unique look at the TGF phenomena
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