Results in Kalb-Ramond field localization and resonances on deformed branes

We make an analysis about several aspects of localization of the Kalb-Ramond gauge field in a specific four dimensional AdS membrane embedded in a five dimensional space-time. The membrane is generated from a deformation of the $\lambda \phi^4$ potential and belongs to a new class of defect solutions. In this context we find resonance structures in the analysis of massive modes. The study of deformed defects is important because they contain internal structures and these may have implications to the way the background space-time is constructed and the way its curvature behaves. The main objective here is to observe the contributions of the deformation procedure to the resonances and the well known field localization methods.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, Latex with EPL macr

Recording from two neurons: second order stimulus reconstruction from spike trains and population coding

We study the reconstruction of visual stimuli from spike trains, recording simultaneously from the two H1 neurons located in the lobula plate of the fly Chrysomya megacephala. The fly views two types of stimuli, corresponding to rotational and translational displacements. If the reconstructed stimulus is to be represented by a Volterra series and correlations between spikes are to be taken into account, first order expansions are insufficient and we have to go to second order, at least. In this case higher order correlation functions have to be manipulated, whose size may become prohibitively large. We therefore develop a Gaussian-like representation for fourth order correlation functions, which works exceedingly well in the case of the fly. The reconstructions using this Gaussian-like representation are very similar to the reconstructions using the experimental correlation functions. The overall contribution to rotational stimulus reconstruction of the second order kernels - measured by a chi-squared averaged over the whole experiment - is only about 8% of the first order contribution. Yet if we introduce an instant-dependent chi-square to measure the contribution of second order kernels at special events, we observe an up to 100% improvement. As may be expected, for translational stimuli the reconstructions are rather poor. The Gaussian-like representation could be a valuable aid in population coding with large number of neurons

Study, Design and Test of a LENZ-type Wind Turbine

The current concern about reducing dependence on fossil fuels and issues about environmental conditions have guided the survey for renewable energies around the world. The present work was focused in the study, design, construction and laboratorial tests of a small-size vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) of Lenz-type. The wind turbine was chosen based on criteria of operation in turbulent winds and mainly due to low-cost of fabrication and possibility to use it in farms. The study was carried out in the description of wind resources in a specific area from countryside of Brazil. The Lenz turbine was designed, drawn, built and later tested in a low-speed wind tunnel. Experimental data were gathered to describe the characteristics of the prototype and to guide for further modifications to improve wind power efficiency

Influence of the external pressure on the quantum correlations of molecular magnets

The study of quantum correlations in solid state systems is a large avenue for research and their detection and manipulation are an actual challenge to overcome. In this context, we show by using first-principles calculations on the prototype material KNaCuSi$_{4}$O$_{10}$ that the degree of quantum correlations in this spin cluster system can be managed by external hydrostatic pressure. Our results open the doors for research in detection and manipulation of quantum correlations in magnetic systems with promising applications in quantum information science

Conservation of Orbital Angular Momentum in Stimulated Down-Conversion

We report on an experiment demonstrating the conservation of orbital angular momentum in stimulated down-conversion. The orbital angular momentum is not transferred to the individual beams of the spontaneous down-conversion, but it is conserved when twin photons are taken individually. We observe the conservation law for an individual beam of the down-conversion through cavity-free stimulated emission.Comment: Submitted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let