Thermally excited Trivelpiece–Gould modes as a pure electron plasma temperature diagnostic

Thermally excited plasma modes are observed in trapped, near-thermal-equilibrium pure electron plasmas over a temperature range of 0.05<kT<5 eV. The modes are excited and damped by thermal fluctuations in both the plasma and the receiver electronics. The thermal emission spectra together with a plasma-antenna coupling coefficient calibration uniquely determine the plasma (and load) temperature. This calibration is obtained from the mode spectra themselves when the receiver-generated noise absorption is measurable; or from separate wave reflection/absorption measurements; or from kinetic theory. This nondestructive temperature diagnostic agrees well with standard diagnostics, and may be useful for expensive species such as antimatter

Thermally excited fluctuations as a pure electron plasma temperature diagnostic

Thermally excited charge fluctuations in pure electron plasma columns provide a diagnostic for the plasma temperature over a range of 0.05 0.2, so that Landau damping is dominant and well modeled by theory. The third method compares the total (frequency-integrated) number delta N of fluctuating image charges on the wall antenna to a simple thermodynamic calculation. This method works when lambda(D)/R-p > 0.2

Towards single-electron metrology

We review the status of the understanding of single-electron transport (SET) devices with respect to their applicability in metrology. Their envisioned role as the basis of a high-precision electrical standard is outlined and is discussed in the context of other standards. The operation principles of single electron transistors, turnstiles and pumps are explained and the fundamental limits of these devices are discussed in detail. We describe the various physical mechanisms that influence the device uncertainty and review the analytical and numerical methods needed to calculate the intrinsic uncertainty and to optimise the fabrication and operation parameters. Recent experimental results are evaluated and compared with theoretical predictions. Although there are discrepancies between theory and experiments, the intrinsic uncertainty is already small enough to start preparing for the first SET-based metrological applications.Comment: 39 pages, 14 figures. Review paper to be published in International Journal of Modern Physics

Electrical transport in amorphous semiconducting AlMgB14 films

The electrical transport properties of semiconducting AlMgB14films deposited at room temperature and 573K are reported in this letter. The as-deposited films are amorphous, and they exhibit high n-type electrical conductivity, which is believed to stem from the conduction electrons donated by Al, Mg, and/or Fe impurities in these films. The film deposited at 573K is less conductive than the room-temperature-deposited film. This is attributed to the nature of donor or trap states in the band gap related to the different deposition temperatures

Laser Cooling of Optically Trapped Molecules

Calcium monofluoride (CaF) molecules are loaded into an optical dipole trap (ODT) and subsequently laser cooled within the trap. Starting with magneto-optical trapping, we sub-Doppler cool CaF and then load $150(30)$ CaF molecules into an ODT. Enhanced loading by a factor of five is obtained when sub-Doppler cooling light and trapping light are on simultaneously. For trapped molecules, we directly observe efficient sub-Doppler cooling to a temperature of $60(5)$ $\mu\text{K}$. The trapped molecular density of $8(2)\times10^7$ cm$^{-3}$ is an order of magnitude greater than in the initial sub-Doppler cooled sample. The trap lifetime of 750(40) ms is dominated by background gas collisions.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Characteristics of Cosmic Time

The nature of cosmic time is illuminated using Hamilton-Jacobi theory for general relativity. For problems of interest to cosmology, one may solve for the phase of the wavefunctional by using a line integral in superspace. Each contour of integration corresponds to a particular choice of time hypersurface, and each yields the same answer. In this way, one can construct a covariant formalism where all time hypersurfaces are treated on an equal footing. Using the method of characteristics, explicit solutions for an inflationary epoch with several scalar fields are given. The theoretical predictions of double inflation are compared with recent galaxy data and large angle microwave background anisotropies.Comment: 20 pages, RevTex using Latex 2.09, Submitted to Physical Review D Two figures included in fil

The effects of nitroxyl (HNO) on soluble guanylate cyclase activity: interactions at ferrous heme and cysteine thiols

It has been previously proposed that nitric oxide (NO) is the only biologically relevant nitrogen oxide capable of activating the enzyme soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). However, recent reports implicate HNO as another possible activator of sGC. Herein, we examine the affect of HNO donors on the activity of purified bovine lung sGC and find that, indeed, HNO is capable of activating this enzyme. Like NO, HNO activation appears to occur via interaction with the regulatory ferrous heme on sGC. Somewhat unexpectedly, HNO does not activate the ferric form of the enzyme. Finally, HNO-mediated cysteine thiol modification appears to also affect enzyme activity leading to inhibition. Thus, sGC activity can be regulated by HNO via interactions at both the regulatory heme and cysteine thiols