Methods for the rapid detection of biological and chemical weapons

This is the final report of a one-year, Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). This work undertook the development of technology for the detection of chemical and biological agents. The project consisted of three tasks: (1) modifying a transportable mass spectrometer for the detection of chemical gents; (2) demonstrating the detection of a specific bacterial DNA sequence using a fluorescence-based single- copy gene detector; and (3) upgrading a surface acoustic wave measurement station

Penentration of dynamic localized states in DC-driven Josephson junction ladders by discrete jumps

We give a theoretical study of unusual resistive (dynamic) localized states in anisotropic Josephson junction ladders, driven by a DC current at one edge. These states comprise nonlinearly coupled rotating Josephson phases in adjacent cells, and with increasing current they are found to expand into neighboring cells by a sequence of sudden jumps. We argue that the jumps arise from instabilities in the ladder's superconducting part, and our analytic expressions for the peculiar voltage (rotational frequency) ratios and I-V curves are in very good agreement with direct numerical simulations.Comment: Accepted, Physical Review E. 5 pages, 5 figures. Revtex, with postscript figure

Spontaneous creation of discrete breathers in Josephson arrays

We report on the experimental generation of discrete breather states (intrinsic localized modes) in frustrated Josephson arrays. Our experiments indicate the formation of discrete breathers during the transition from the static to the dynamic (whirling) system state, induced by a uniform external current. Moreover, spatially extended resonant states, driven by a uniform current, are observed to evolve into localized breather states. Experiments were performed on single Josephson plaquettes as well as open-ended Josephson ladders with 10 and 20 cells. We interpret the breather formation as the result of the penetration of vortices into the system.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Pressure-induced phase transitions of halogen-bridged binuclear metal complexes R_4[Pt_2(P_2O_5H_2)_4X]nH_2O

Recent contrasting observations for halogen (X)-bridged binuclear platinum complexes R_4[Pt_2(P_2O_5H_2)_4X]nH_2O, that is, pressure-induced Peierls and reverse Peierls instabilities, are explained by finite-temperature Hartree-Fock calculations. It is demonstrated that increasing pressure transforms the initial charge-polarization state into a charge-density-wave state at high temperatures, whereas the charge-density-wave state oppositely declines with increasing pressure at low temperatures. We further predict that higher-pressure experiments should reveal successive phase transitions around room temperature.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures embedded, to be published in Phys. Rev. B 64, September 1 (2001) Rapid Commu

Observation of breather-like states in a single Josephson cell

We present experimental observation of broken-symmetry states in a superconducting loop with three Josephson junctions. These states are generic for discrete breathers in Josephson ladders. The existence region of the breather-like states is found to be in good accordance with the theoretical expectations. We observed three different resonant states in the current-voltage characteristics of the broken-symmetry state, as predicted by theory. The experimental dependence of the resonances on the external magnetic field is studied in detail.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Characterization of halogen-bridged binuclear metal complexes as hybridized two-band materials

We study the electronic structure of halogen-bridged binuclear metal (MMX) complexes with a two-band Peierls-Hubbard model. Based on a symmetry argument, various density-wave states are derived and characterized. The ground-state phase diagram is drawn within the Hartree-Fock approximation, while the thermal behavior is investigated using a quantum Monte Carlo method. All the calculations conclude that a typical MMX compound Pt_2(CH_3CS_2)_4I should indeed be regarded as a d-p-hybridized two-band material, where the oxidation of the halogen ions must be observed even in the ground state, whereas another MMX family (NH_4)_4[Pt_2(P_2O_5H_2)_4X] may be treated as single-band materials.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures embedded, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Tunneling of quantum rotobreathers

We analyze the quantum properties of a system consisting of two nonlinearly coupled pendula. This non-integrable system exhibits two different symmetries: a permutational symmetry (permutation of the pendula) and another one related to the reversal of the total momentum of the system. Each of these symmetries is responsible for the existence of two kinds of quasi-degenerated states. At sufficiently high energy, pairs of symmetry-related states glue together to form quadruplets. We show that, starting from the anti-continuous limit, particular quadruplets allow us to construct quantum states whose properties are very similar to those of classical rotobreathers. By diagonalizing numerically the quantum Hamiltonian, we investigate their properties and show that such states are able to store the main part of the total energy on one of the pendula. Contrary to the classical situation, the coupling between pendula necessarily introduces a periodic exchange of energy between them with a frequency which is proportional to the energy splitting between quasi-degenerated states related to the permutation symmetry. This splitting may remain very small as the coupling strength increases and is a decreasing function of the pair energy. The energy may be therefore stored in one pendulum during a time period very long as compared to the inverse of the internal rotobreather frequency.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, REVTeX4 styl

Identification of Putative Cytoskeletal Protein Homologues in the Protozoan Host \u3cem\u3eHartmannella vermiformis\u3c/em\u3e as Substrates for Induced Tyrosine Phosphatase Activity Upon Attachment to the Legionnaires\u27 Disease Bacterium, \u3cem\u3eLegionella pneumophila\u3c/em\u3e

The Legionnaires\u27 disease bacterium, Legionella pneumophila, is a facultative intracellular pathogen that invades and replicates within two evolutionarily distant hosts, free living protozoa and mammalian cells. Invasion and intracellular replication within protozoa are thought to be major factors in the transmission of Legionnaires\u27 disease. We have recently reported the identification of a galactose/N-acetyl-d-galactosamine (Gal/GalNAc) lectin in the protozoan host Hartmannella vermiformis as a receptor for attachment and invasion by L. pneumophila (Venkataraman, C., B.J. Haack, S. Bondada, and Y.A. Kwaik. 1997. J. Exp. Med. 186:537–547). In this report, we extended our studies to the effects of bacterial attachment and invasion on the cytoskeletal proteins of H. vermiformis. We first identified the presence of many protozoan cytoskeletal proteins that were putative homologues to their mammalian counterparts, including actin, pp125FAK, paxillin, and vinculin, all of which were basally tyrosine phosphorylated in resting H. vermiformis. In addition to L. pneumophila–induced tyrosine dephosphorylation of the lectin, bacterial attachment and invasion was associated with tyrosine dephosphorylation of paxillin, pp125FAK, and vinculin, whereas actin was minimally affected. Inhibition of bacterial attachment to H. vermiformis by Gal or GalNAc monomers blocked bacteria-induced tyrosine dephosphorylation of detergent-insoluble proteins. In contrast, inhibition of bacterial invasion but not attachment failed to block bacteria-induced tyrosine dephosphorylation of H. vermiformis proteins. This was further supported by the observation that 10 mutants of L. pneumophila that were defective in invasion of H. vermiformis were capable of inducing tyrosine dephosphorylation of H. vermiformis proteins. Entry of L. pneumophila into H. vermiformis was predominantly mediated by noncoated receptor-mediated endocytosis (93%) but coiling phagocytosis was infrequently observed (7%). We conclude that attachment but not invasion by L. pneumophila into H. vermiformis was sufficient and essential to induce protein tyrosine dephosphorylation in H. vermiformis. These manipulations of host cell processes were associated with, or followed by, entry of the bacteria by a noncoated receptor-mediated endocytosis. A model for attachment and entry of L. pneumophila into H. vermiformis is proposed

Heavy quarkonium: progress, puzzles, and opportunities

A golden age for heavy quarkonium physics dawned a decade ago, initiated by the confluence of exciting advances in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and an explosion of related experimental activity. The early years of this period were chronicled in the Quarkonium Working Group (QWG) CERN Yellow Report (YR) in 2004, which presented a comprehensive review of the status of the field at that time and provided specific recommendations for further progress. However, the broad spectrum of subsequent breakthroughs, surprises, and continuing puzzles could only be partially anticipated. Since the release of the YR, the BESII program concluded only to give birth to BESIII; the $B$-factories and CLEO-c flourished; quarkonium production and polarization measurements at HERA and the Tevatron matured; and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC have opened a window on the deconfinement regime. All these experiments leave legacies of quality, precision, and unsolved mysteries for quarkonium physics, and therefore beg for continuing investigations. The plethora of newly-found quarkonium-like states unleashed a flood of theoretical investigations into new forms of matter such as quark-gluon hybrids, mesonic molecules, and tetraquarks. Measurements of the spectroscopy, decays, production, and in-medium behavior of c\bar{c}, b\bar{b}, and b\bar{c} bound states have been shown to validate some theoretical approaches to QCD and highlight lack of quantitative success for others. The intriguing details of quarkonium suppression in heavy-ion collisions that have emerged from RHIC have elevated the importance of separating hot- and cold-nuclear-matter effects in quark-gluon plasma studies. This review systematically addresses all these matters and concludes by prioritizing directions for ongoing and future efforts.Comment: 182 pages, 112 figures. Editors: N. Brambilla, S. Eidelman, B. K. Heltsley, R. Vogt. Section Coordinators: G. T. Bodwin, E. Eichten, A. D. Frawley, A. B. Meyer, R. E. Mitchell, V. Papadimitriou, P. Petreczky, A. A. Petrov, P. Robbe, A. Vair

Spectroscopic studies of carbon disulfide at high pressure

The authors have identified the pressure for the onset of CS/sub 2/ chemistry at ambient temperature and have correlated it with the several other indicators of increasing electronic interaction. They further explained the rather small shift of v/sub 1/ and v/sub 3/ with pressure as due to compensating effects of intermolecular repulsion and electronic ground-state mixing. Their measurement of the uv absorption edge with pressure matches that measured in an isothermal ramp shock and they have been able to estimate the temperature of a step shock at 2.4 GPa as well. There are further indications of various molecular and polymer species present as a result of their infrared work and the relative amounts of these species are affected by the temperature, pressure, and physical state of the CS/sub 2/. 14 refs., 6 figs