336 research outputs found
Microscopic Derivation of Non-Markovian Thermalization of a Brownian Particle
In this paper, the first microscopic approach to the Brownian motion is
developed in the case where the mass density of the suspending bath is of the
same order of magnitude as that of the Brownian (B) particle. Starting from an
extended Boltzmann equation, which describes correctly the interaction with the
fluid, we derive systematicaly via the multiple time-scale analysis a reduced
equation controlling the thermalization of the B particle, i.e. the relaxation
towards the Maxwell distribution in velocity space. In contradistinction to the
Fokker-Planck equation, the derived new evolution equation is non-local both in
time and in velocity space, owing to correlated recollision events between the
fluid and particle B. In the long-time limit, it describes a non-markovian
generalized Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. However, in spite of this complex
dynamical behaviour, the Stokes-Einstein law relating the friction and
diffusion coefficients is shown to remain valid. A microscopic expression for
the friction coefficient is derived, which acquires the form of the Stokes law
in the limit where the mean-free in the gas is small compared to the radius of
particle B.Comment: 28 pages, no figure, submitted to Journal of Statistical Physic
Phase diffusion as a model for coherent suppression of tunneling in the presence of noise
We study the stabilization of coherent suppression of tunneling in a driven
double-well system subject to random periodic function ``kicks''. We
model dissipation due to this stochastic process as a phase diffusion process
for an effective two-level system and derive a corresponding set of Bloch
equations with phase damping terms that agree with the periodically kicked
system at discrete times. We demonstrate that the ability of noise to localize
the system on either side of the double-well potenital arises from overdamping
of the phase of oscillation and not from any cooperative effect between the
noise and the driving field. The model is investigated with a square wave
drive, which has qualitatively similar features to the widely studied
cosinusoidal drive, but has the additional advantage of allowing one to derive
exact analytic expressions.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Electron energy loss and induced photon emission in photonic crystals
The interaction of a fast electron with a photonic crystal is investigated by
solving the Maxwell equations exactly for the external field provided by the
electron in the presence of the crystal. The energy loss is obtained from the
retarding force exerted on the electron by the induced electric field. The
features of the energy loss spectra are shown to be related to the photonic
band structure of the crystal. Two different regimes are discussed: for small
lattice constants relative to the wavelength of the associated electron
excitations , an effective medium theory can be used to describe the
material; however, for the photonic band structure plays an
important role. Special attention is paid to the frequency gap regions in the
latter case.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
SHIFTING THE PARADIGM IN RADIATION SAFETY
The current radiation safety paradigm using the linear no-threshold (LNT) model is based on the premise that even the smallest amount of radiation may cause mutations increasing the risk of cancer. Autopsy studies have shown that the presence of cancer cells is not a decisive factor in the occurrence of clinical cancer. On the other hand, suppression of immune system more than doubles the cancer risk in organ transplant patients, indicating its key role in keeping occult cancers in check. Low dose radiation (LDR) elevates immune response, and so it may reduce rather than increase the risk of cancer. LNT model pays exclusive attention to DNA damage, which is not a decisive factor, and completely ignores immune system response, which is an important factor, and so is not scientifically justifiable. By not recognizing the importance of the immune system in cancer, and not exploring exercise intervention, the current paradigm may have missed an opportunity to reduce cancer deaths among atomic bomb survivors. Increased antioxidants from LDR may reduce aging-related non-cancer diseases since oxidative damage is implicated in these. A paradigm shift is warranted to reduce further casualties, reduce fear of LDR, and enable investigation of potential beneficial applications of LDR
Statistical Theory of Spin Relaxation and Diffusion in Solids
A comprehensive theoretical description is given for the spin relaxation and
diffusion in solids. The formulation is made in a general
statistical-mechanical way. The method of the nonequilibrium statistical
operator (NSO) developed by D. N. Zubarev is employed to analyze a relaxation
dynamics of a spin subsystem. Perturbation of this subsystem in solids may
produce a nonequilibrium state which is then relaxed to an equilibrium state
due to the interaction between the particles or with a thermal bath (lattice).
The generalized kinetic equations were derived previously for a system weakly
coupled to a thermal bath to elucidate the nature of transport and relaxation
processes. In this paper, these results are used to describe the relaxation and
diffusion of nuclear spins in solids. The aim is to formulate a successive and
coherent microscopic description of the nuclear magnetic relaxation and
diffusion in solids. The nuclear spin-lattice relaxation is considered and the
Gorter relation is derived. As an example, a theory of spin diffusion of the
nuclear magnetic moment in dilute alloys (like Cu-Mn) is developed. It is shown
that due to the dipolar interaction between host nuclear spins and impurity
spins, a nonuniform distribution in the host nuclear spin system will occur and
consequently the macroscopic relaxation time will be strongly determined by the
spin diffusion. The explicit expressions for the relaxation time in certain
physically relevant cases are given.Comment: 41 pages, 119 Refs. Corrected typos, added reference
Perturbations of Noise: The origins of Isothermal Flows
We make a detailed analysis of both phenomenological and analytic background
for the "Brownian recoil principle" hypothesis (Phys. Rev. A 46, (1992), 4634).
A corresponding theory of the isothermal Brownian motion of particle ensembles
(Smoluchowski diffusion process approximation), gives account of the
environmental recoil effects due to locally induced tiny heat flows. By means
of local expectation values we elevate the individually negligible phenomena to
a non-negligible (accumulated) recoil effect on the ensemble average. The main
technical input is a consequent exploitation of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation as
a natural substitute for the local momentum conservation law. Together with the
continuity equation (alternatively, Fokker-Planck), it forms a closed system of
partial differential equations which uniquely determines an associated
Markovian diffusion process. The third Newton law in the mean is utilised to
generate diffusion-type processes which are either anomalous (enhanced), or
generically non-dispersive.Comment: Latex fil
Copy Number Variants in Extended Autism Spectrum Disorder Families Reveal Candidates Potentially Involved in Autism Risk
Copy number variations (CNVs) are a major cause of genetic disruption in the human genome with far more nucleotides being altered by duplications and deletions than by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In the multifaceted etiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), CNVs appear to contribute significantly to our understanding of the pathogenesis of this complex disease. A unique resource of 42 extended ASD families was genotyped for over 1 million SNPs to detect CNVs that may contribute to ASD susceptibility. Each family has at least one avuncular or cousin pair with ASD. Families were then evaluated for co-segregation of CNVs in ASD patients. We identified a total of five deletions and seven duplications in eleven families that co-segregated with ASD. Two of the CNVs overlap with regions on 7p21.3 and 15q24.1 that have been previously reported in ASD individuals and two additional CNVs on 3p26.3 and 12q24.32 occur near regions associated with schizophrenia. These findings provide further evidence for the involvement of ICA1 and NXPH1 on 7p21.3 in ASD susceptibility and highlight novel ASD candidates, including CHL1, FGFBP3 and POUF41. These studies highlight the power of using extended families for gene discovery in traits with a complex etiology
R-Ras Regulates Migration through an Interaction with Filamin A in Melanoma Cells
Changes in cell adhesion and migration in the tumor microenvironment are key in the initiation and progression of metastasis. R-Ras is one of several small GTPases that regulate cell adhesion and migration on the extracellular matrix, however the mechanism has not been completely elucidated. Using a yeast two-hybrid approach we sought to identify novel R-Ras binding proteins that might mediate its effects on integrins.We identified Filamin A (FLNa) as a candidate interacting protein. FLNa is an actin-binding scaffold protein that also binds to integrin β1, β2 and β7 tails and is associated with diverse cell processes including cell migration. Indeed, M2 melanoma cells require FLNa for motility. We further show that R-Ras and FLNa interact in co-immunoprecipitations and pull-down assays. Deletion of FLNa repeat 3 (FLNaΔ3) abrogated this interaction. In M2 melanoma cells active R-Ras co-localized with FLNa but did not co-localize with FLNa lacking repeat 3. Thus, activated R-Ras binds repeat 3 of FLNa. The functional consequence of this interaction was that active R-Ras and FLNa coordinately increased cell migration. In contrast, co-expression of R-Ras and FLNaΔ3 had a significantly reduced effect on migration. While there was enhancement of integrin activation and fibronectin matrix assembly, cell adhesion was not altered. Finally, siRNA knockdown of endogenous R-Ras impaired FLNa-dependent fibronectin matrix assembly.These data support a model in which R-Ras functionally associates with FLNa and thereby regulates integrin-dependent migration. Thus in melanoma cells R-Ras and FLNa may cooperatively promote metastasis by enhancing cell migration
Nature of the 5f states in actinide metals
Actinide elements produce a plethora of interesting physical behaviors due to
the 5f states. This review compiles and analyzes progress in understanding of
the electronic and magnetic structure of the 5f states in actinide metals.
Particular interest is given to electron energy-loss spectroscopy and
many-electron atomic spectral calculations, since there is now an appreciable
library of core d -> valence f transitions for Th, U, Np, Pu, Am, and Cm. These
results are interwoven and discussed against published experimental data, such
as x-ray photoemission and absorption spectroscopy, transport measurements, and
electron, x-ray, and neutron diffraction, as well as theoretical results, such
as density-functional theory and dynamical mean-field theory.Comment: 136 pages in Word format, 29 Figures; Accepted to Reviews of Modern
Physic
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