2,152 research outputs found
Optically mediated nonlinear quantum optomechanics
We consider theoretically the optomechanical interaction of several
mechanical modes with a single quantized cavity field mode for linear and
quadratic coupling. We focus specifically on situations where the optical
dissipation is the dominant source of damping, in which case the optical field
can be adiabatically eliminated, resulting in effective multimode interactions
between the mechanical modes. In the case of linear coupling, the coherent
contribution to the interaction can be exploited e.g. in quantum state swapping
protocols, while the incoherent part leads to significant modifications of cold
damping or amplification from the single-mode situation. Quadratic coupling can
result in a wealth of possible effective interactions including the analogs of
second-harmonic generation and four-wave mixing in nonlinear optics, with
specific forms depending sensitively on the sign of the coupling. The
cavity-mediated mechanical interaction of two modes is investigated in two
limiting cases, the resolved sideband and the Doppler regime. As an
illustrative application of the formal analysis we discuss in some detail a
two-mode system where a Bose-Einstein condensate is optomechanically linearly
coupled to the moving end mirror of a Fabry-P\'erot cavity.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
Passage-time statistics of superradiant light pulses from Bose-Einstein condensates
We discuss the passage-time statistics of superradiant light pulses generated
during the scattering of laser light from an elongated atomic Bose-Einstein
condensate. Focusing on the early-stage of the phenomenon, we analyze the
corresponding probability distributions and their scaling behaviour with
respect to the threshold photon number and the coupling strength. With respect
to these parameters, we find quantities which only vary significantly during
the transition between the Kapitza Dirac and the Bragg regimes. A possible
connection of the present observations to Brownian motion is also discussed.Comment: Close to the version published in J. Phys.
Infection levels and species diversity of ascaridoid nematodes in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, are correlated with geographic area and fish size
Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) is among the most important commercial fish species on the world market. Its
infection by ascaridoid nematodes has long been known, Pseudoterranova even being named cod worm. In the
present study, 755 individuals were sampled in the Barents, Baltic and North Seas during 2012–2014.
Prevalences for Anisakis in whole fish and in fillets in the different fishing areas varied from 16 to 100% and
from 12 to 90% respectively. Abundance was also greatly influenced by the sampling area. Generalized additive
model results indicate higher numbers of Anisakis in the North Sea, even after the larger body size was accounted
for. Numbers and prevalence of Anisakis were positively related to fish length or weight. The prevalence of
parasites in whole fish and in fillets was also influenced by the season, with the spring displaying a peak for the
prevalence in whole fish and, at the same time, a drop for the prevalence in fillets. Whereas 46% of cod had
Anisakis larvae in their fillets, the majority (39%) had parasites mainly in the ventral part of the fillet and only
12% had parasites in their dorsal part. This observation is of importance for the processing of the fish. Indeed,
the trimming of the ventral part of the cod fillet would allow the almost total elimination of ascaridoids except
for cod from the Baltic Sea where there was no difference between the dorsal and the ventral part.
The presence of other ascaridoid genera was also noticeable in some areas. For Pseudoterranova, the highest
prevalence (45%) in whole fish was observed in the Northern North Sea, whereas the other areas had prevalences between 3 and 16%. Contracaecum was present in every commercial size cod sampled in the Baltic Sea
with an intensity of up to 96 worms but no Contracaecum was isolated from the Central North Sea. Non-zoonotic
Hysterothylacium was absent from the Baltic Sea but with a prevalence of 83% in the Barents and the Northern
North Sea.
A subsample of worms was identified with genetic-molecular tools and assigned to the species A. simplex (s.s.),
A. pegreffii, P. decipiens (s.s.), P. krabbei, C. osculatum and H. aduncum. In addition to high prevalence and
abundance values, the cod sampled in this study presented a diversity of ascaridoid nematodes with a majority of
fish displaying a co-infection. Out of 295 whole infected fish, 269 were co-infected by at least 2 genera
Radiative decays of decuplet hyperons
We calculate the radiative decay widths of decuplet hyperons in a chiral
constituent quark model including electromagnetic exchange currents between
quarks. Exchange currents contribute significantly to the E2 transition
amplitude, while they largely cancel for the M1 transition amplitude.
Strangeness suppression of the radiative hyperon decays is found to be weakened
by exchange currents. Differences and similarities between our results and
other recent model predictions are discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 1 eps figure, revtex, accepted for publication in Phys.
Rev.
Generation of mechanical squeezing via magnetic dipoles on cantilevers
A scheme to squeeze the center-of-mass motional quadratures of a quantum
mechanical oscillator below its standard quantum limit is proposed and analyzed
theoretically. It relies on the dipole-dipole coupling between a magnetic
dipole mounted on the tip of a cantilever to equally oriented dipoles located
on a mesoscopic tuning fork. We also investigate the influence of several
sources of noise on the achievable squeezing, including classical noise in the
driving fork and the clamping noise in the oscillator. A detection of the state
of the cantilever based on state transfer to a light field is considered. We
investigate possible limitations of that scheme.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures, submitted to PR
Fasting plasma glucose and risk factor assessment: Comparing sensitivity and specificity in identifying gestational diabetes in urban black African women
Background. Identifying women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) allows interventions to improve perinatal outcomes. A fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level ≥5.1 mmol/L is 100% specific for a diagnosis of GDM. The International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups acknowledges that FPG <4.5 mmol/L is associated with a low probability of GDM.Objectives. The validity of selective screening based on the presence of risk factors was compared with the universal application of FPG ≥4.5 mmol/L to identify women with GDM. FPG ≥4.5 mmol/L or the presence of one or more risk factors was assumed to indicate an intermediate to high risk of GDM and therefore the need for an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).Methods. Consecutive black South African (SA) women were recruited to a 2-hour 75 g OGTT at 24 - 28 weeks’ gestation in an urban community health clinic. Of 969 women recruited, 666 underwent an OGTT, and of these 589 were eligible for analysis. The glucose oxidase laboratory method was used to measure plasma glucose concentrations. The World Health Organization GDM diagnostic criteria were applied. All participants underwent a risk factor assessment. The χ2 test was used to determine associations between risk factors and a positive diagnosis of GDM. The sensitivity and specificity of a positive diagnosis of GDM were calculated for FPG ≥4.5 mmol/L, FPG ≥5.1 mmol/L, and the presence of one or more risk factors.Results. The prevalence of overt diabetes mellitus and GDM was 0.5% and 7.0%, respectively. Risk factor-based selective screening indicated that 204/589 (34.6%) of participants needed an OGTT, but 18/41 (43.9%) of positive GDM diagnoses were missed. Universal screening using the FPG threshold of ≥4.5 mmol/L indicated that 152/589 (25.8%) of participants needed an OGTT, and 1/41 (2.4%) of positive diagnoses were missed. An FPG of ≥5.1 mmol/L identified 36/41 (87.8%) of GDM-positive participants. The sensitivity and specificity of the presence of one or more risk factors were 56% and 67%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of FPG ≥4.5 mmol/L were 98% and 80%, respectively.Conclusions. Universal screening using FPG ≥4.5 mmol/L had greater sensitivity and specificity in identifying GDM-affected women and required fewer women to undergo a resource-intensive diagnostic OGTT than risk factor-based selective screening. A universal screening strategy using FPG ≥4.5 mmol/L may be more efficient and cost-effective than risk factor-based selective screening for GDM in black SA women.
Continuous isotopic composition measurements of tropospheric CO<sub>2</sub> at Jungfraujoch (3580 m a.s.l.), Switzerland: real-time observation of regional pollution events
A quantum cascade laser based absorption spectrometer (QCLAS) is applied for the first time to perform in situ, continuous and high precision isotope ratio measurements of CO<sub>2</sub> in the free troposphere. Time series of the three main CO<sub>2</sub> isotopologue mixing ratios (<sup>12</sup>C<sup>16</sup>CO<sub>2</sub>, <sup>13</sup>C<sup>16</sup>CO<sub>2</sub> and <sup>12</sup>C<sup>18</sup>O<sup>16</sup>O) have simultaneously been measured at one second time resolution over two years (from August 2008 to present) at the High Altitude Research Station Jungfraujoch (3580 m a.s.l., Switzerland). This work focuses on periods in February 2009 only, when sudden and pronounced enhancements in the tropospheric CO<sub>2</sub> were observed. These short-term changes were closely correlated with variations in CO mixing ratios measured at the same site, indicating combustion related emissions as potential source. The analytical precision of 0.046‰ (at 50 s integration time) for both δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>18</sup>O and the high temporal resolution allowed the application of the Keeling plot method for source signature identification. The spatial origin of these CO<sub>2</sub> emission sources was then determined by backward Lagrangian particle dispersion simulations
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