9,344 research outputs found
Comment on "Optical Response of Strongly Coupled Nanopraticles in Dimer Arrays" (Phys. Rev. B 71(4), 045404, 2005)
I have re-calculated the extinction spectra of aggregates of two silver
nanospheres shown in Figs.~2 and 3 of Ref.~8. I have used the approximate
method of images according to Ref.~8 and an exact numerical technique. I have
found that the three sets of data (those I have obtained by the method of
images, the numerical results, and the results published in Ref.~8) do not
coincide. In this Comment, I discuss the reasons for these discrepancies and
the general applicability of the method of images to the quasi-static
electromagnetic problem of two interacting nanospheres.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Generalized Paraxial Ray Trace Procedure Derived from Geodesic Deviation
Paraxial ray tracing procedures have become widely accepted techniques for
acoustic models in seismology and underwater acoustics. To date a generic form
of these procedures including fluid motion and time dependence has not appeared
in the literature. A detailed investigation of the characteristic curves of the
equations of hydrodynamics allows for an immediate generalization of the
procedure to be extracted from the equation form geodesic deviation. The
general paraxial ray trace equations serve as an ideal supplement to ordinary
ray tracing in predicting the deformation of acoustic beams in random
environments. The general procedure is derived in terms of affine
parameterization and in a coordinate time parameterization ideal for
application to physical acoustic ray propagation. The formalism is applied to
layered media, where the deviation equation reduces to a second order
differential equation for a single field with a general solution in terms of a
depth integral along the ray path. Some features are illustrated through
special cases which lead to exact solutions in terms of either ordinary or
special functions.Comment: Original; 40 pages (double spaced), 1 figure Replaced version; 36
pages single spaced, 7 figures. Expanded content; Complete derivation of the
equations from the equations of hydrodynamics, introduction of an auxiliary
basis for three dimensional wave-front modeling. Typos in text and equations
correcte
Structure of human transthyretin complexed with bromophenols: a new mode of binding
The binding of two organohalogen substances, pentabromophenol (PBP) and 2,4,6-tribromophenol (TBP), to human transthyretin (TTR), a thyroid hormone transport protein, has been studied by in vitro competitive binding assays and by X-ray crystallography. Both compounds bind to TTR with high affinity, in competition with the natural ligand thyroxine (
Easy on that trigger dad: a study of long term family photo retrieval
We examine the effects of new technologies for digital photography on people's longer term storage and access to collections of personal photos. We report an empirical study of parents' ability to retrieve photos related to salient family events from more than a year ago. Performance was relatively poor with people failing to find almost 40% of pictures. We analyze participants' organizational and access strategies to identify reasons for this poor performance. Possible reasons for retrieval failure include: storing too many pictures, rudimentary organization, use of multiple storage systems, failure to maintain collections and participants' false beliefs about their ability to access photos. We conclude by exploring the technical and theoretical implications of these findings
Submillimetre water masers at 437, 439, 471, and 474 GHz towards evolved stars. APEX observations and radiative transfer modelling
Here we aim to characterise submillimetre water masers at 437, 439, 471, and
474 GHz towards a sample of evolved stars.
We used the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) to observe submillimetre
water transitions and the CO (4-3) line towards 11 evolved stars. The sample
included semi-regular and Mira variables, plus a red supergiant star. We
performed radiative transfer modelling for the water masers. We also used the
CO observations to determine mass loss rates for the stars.
From the sample of 11 evolved stars, 7 display one or more of the masers at
437, 439, 471, and 474 GHz. We therefore find that these masers are common in
evolved star circumstellar envelopes. The fact that the maser lines are
detected near the stellar velocity indicates that they are likely to originate
from the inner circumstellar envelopes of our targets. We tentatively link the
presence of masers to the degree of variability of the target star, that is,
masers are more likely to be present in Mira variables than in semi-regular
variables. We suggest that this indicates the importance of strong shocks in
creating the necessary conditions for the masers. Typically, the 437 GHz line
is the strongest maser line observed among those studied here. We cannot
reproduce the above finding in our radiative transfer models. In general, we
find that maser emission is very sensitive to dust temperature in the lines
studied here. To produce strong maser emission, the dust temperature must be
significantly lower than the gas kinetic temperature. In addition to running
grids of models in order to determine the optimum physical conditions for
strong masers in these lines, we performed smooth wind modelling for which we
cannot reproduce the observed line shapes. This also suggests that the masers
must originate predominantly from the inner envelopes.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
HD101584: Circumstellar characteristics and evolutionary status
We have performed a study of the characteristics of the circumstellar
environment of the binary object HD101584, that provides information on a
likely evolutionary scenario. We have obtained and analysed ALMA observations,
complemented with observations using APEX, of a large number of molecular
lines. An analysis of the spectral energy distribution has also been performed.
Emissions from 12 molecular species (not counting isotopologues) have been
observed, and most of them mapped with angular resolutions in the range 0.1" to
0.6". Four circumstellar components are identified: i) a central compact source
of size 0.15", ii) an expanding equatorial density enhancement (a flattened
density distribution in the plane of the orbit) of size 3", iii) a bipolar
high-velocity outflow (150 km/s), and iv) an hourglass structure. The outflow
is directed almost along the line of sight. There is evidence of a second
bipolar outflow. The mass of the circumstellar gas is 0.5[D/1 kpc]^2 Msun,
about half of it lies in the equatorial density enhancement. The dust mass is
0.01[D/1 kpc]^2 Msun, and a substantial fraction of this is in the form of
large-sized, up to 1 mm, grains. The estimated kinetic age of the outflow is
770[D/1 kpc] yr. The kinetic energy and the scalar momentum of the accelerated
gas are estimated to be 7x10^(45)[D/1 kpc]^2 erg and 10^(39)[D/1 kpc]^2 g cm/s,
respectively. We provide good evidence that the binary system HD101584 is in a
post-common-envelope-evolution phase, that ended before a stellar merger.
Isotope ratios combined with stellar mass estimates suggest that the primary
star's evolution was terminated already on the first red giant branch (RGB).
Most of the energy required to drive the outflowing gas was probably released
when material fell towards the companion.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Theory of Optical Transmission through Elliptical Nanohole Arrays
We present a theory which explains (in the quasistatic limit) the
experimentally observed [R. Gordon, {\it et al}, Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 92},
037401 (2004)] squared dependence of the depolarization ratio on the aspect
ratio of the holes, as well as other features of extraordinary light
transition. We calculated the effective dielectric tensor of a metal film
penetrated by elliptical cylindrical holes and found the extraordinarily light
transmission at special frequencies related to the surface plasmon resonances
of the composite film. We also propose to use the magnetic field for getting a
strong polarization effect, which depends on the ratio of the cyclotron to
plasmon frequencies.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
High volumetric capacitance near insulator-metal percolation transition
A new type of a capacitor with a very high volumetric capacitance is
proposed. It is based upon the known phenomenon of a sharp increase of the
dielectric constant of the metal-insulator composite in the vicinity of the
percolation threshold, but still on the insulator side. The optimization
suggests that the metallic particles should be of nanoscale and that the
distance between planar electrodes should be somewhat larger than the
correlation length of the percolation theory and 10 to 20 times larger than the
size of the particles while the area of the electrodes might be unlimited. The
random electric field in the capacitors is found to be larger than the average
field corresponding to the potential difference of electrodes. This random
field is potentially responsible for dielectric breakdown. The estimated
breakdown voltage of the new capacitor shows that the stored energy density
might be significantly larger than that of electrolytic capacitors while the
volumetric capacitances might be comparable. The charging and discharging times
should be significantly smaller than corresponding times of batteries and even
electrolytic capacitors.Comment: 10 pages 1 EPS figur
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The Influence of Natural Convection and Radiation Heat Transfer on Sintering of Polycarbonate Powders
The influence ofsurface radiation and natural convection on sintering of
polycarbonate powders processed under non-isothermal conditions is investigated. These
modes of heat transfer affect local powder temperatures and thus local sintering rates which
in turn influence part growth (uncontrolled sintering). This paper presents a 2-dimensional
sintering simulation of powder whose free surface exchanges energy with the surrounding
enclosure surfaces. Modeling is accomplished using a commercial finite element code
(FIDAP) in conjunction with a model for viscous sintering.Mechanical Engineerin
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