1,188 research outputs found
Predicting and verifying transition strengths from weakly bound molecules
We investigated transition strengths from ultracold weakly bound 41K87Rb
molecules produced via the photoassociation of laser-cooled atoms. An accurate
potential energy curve of the excited state (3)1Sigma+ was constructed by
carrying out direct potential fit analysis of rotational spectra obtained via
depletion spectroscopy. Vibrational energies and rotational constants extracted
from the depletion spectra of v'=41-50 levels were combined with the results of
the previous spectroscopic study, and they were used for modifying an ab initio
potential. An accuracy of 0.14% in vibrational level spacing and 0.3% in
rotational constants was sufficient to predict the large observed variation in
transition strengths among the vibrational levels. Our results show that
transition strengths from weakly bound molecules are a good measure of the
accuracy of an excited state potential.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Theory and Phenomenology of Heavy Flavor at RHIC
We review the problem of heavy-quark diffusion in the Quark-Gluon Plasma and
its ramifications for heavy-quark spectra in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC. In
particular, we attempt to reconcile underlying mechanisms of several seemingly
different approaches that have been put forward to explain the large
suppression and elliptic flow of non-photonic electron spectra. We also
emphasize the importance of a quantitative description of the bulk medium
evolution to extract reliable values for the heavy-quark diffusion coefficient.Comment: 8 pages latex, including 10 eps figures; plenary talk at SQM08,
Beijing (China), Oct. 06-10, 200
Coherent transfer of photoassociated molecules into the rovibrational ground state
We report on the direct conversion of laser-cooled 41K and 87Rb atoms into
ultracold 41K87Rb molecules in the rovibrational ground state via
photoassociation followed by stimulated Raman adiabatic passage.
High-resolution spectroscopy based on the coherent transfer revealed the
hyperfine structure of weakly bound molecules in an unexplored region. Our
results show that a rovibrationally pure sample of ultracold ground-state
molecules is achieved via the all-optical association of laser-cooled atoms,
opening possibilities to coherently manipulate a wide variety of molecules.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Measuring Affinities of Fission Yeast Spindle Pole Body Proteins in Live Cells across the Cell Cycle
AbstractCharacterizing protein-protein interactions is essential for understanding molecular mechanisms, although reproducing cellular conditions in vitro is challenging and some proteins are difficult to purify. We developed a method to measure binding to cellular structures using fission yeast cells as reaction vessels. We varied the concentrations of Sid2p and Mob1p (proteins of the septation initiation network) and measured their binding to spindle pole bodies (SPBs), the centrosome equivalent of yeast. From our measurements we infer that Sid2p and Mob1p both exist as monomeric, heterodimeric, and homodimeric species throughout the cell cycle. During interphase these species have widely different affinities for their common receptor Cdc11p on the SPB. The data support a model with a subset of Cdc11p binding the heterodimeric species with a Kd < 0.1 μM when Sid2p binds Mob1p-Cdc11p and Kd in the micromolar range when Mob1p binds Sid2p-Cdc11p. During mitosis an additional species presumed to be the phosphorylated Sid2p−Mob1p heterodimer binds SPBs with a lower affinity. Homodimers of Sid2p or Mob1p bind to the rest of Cdc11p at SPBs with lower affinity: Kds > 10 μM during interphase and somewhat stronger during mitosis. These measurements allowed us to account for the fluctuations in Sid2p binding to SPBs throughout the cell cycle
Optimising the multiplex factor of the frequency domain multiplexed readout of the TES-based microcalorimeter imaging array for the X-IFU instrument on the Athena Xray observatory
Athena is a space-based X-ray observatory intended for exploration of the hot
and energetic universe. One of the science instruments on Athena will be the
X-ray Integrated Field Unit (X-IFU), which is a cryogenic X-ray spectrometer,
based on a large cryogenic imaging array of Transition Edge Sensors (TES) based
microcalorimeters operating at a temperature of 100mK. The imaging array
consists of 3800 pixels providing 2.5 eV spectral resolution, and covers a
field of view with a diameter of of 5 arc minutes. Multiplexed readout of the
cryogenic microcalorimeter array is essential to comply with the cooling power
and complexity constraints on a space craft. Frequency domain multiplexing has
been under development for the readout of TES-based detectors for this purpose,
not only for the X-IFU detector arrays but also for TES-based bolometer arrays
for the Safari instrument of the Japanese SPICA observatory. This paper
discusses the design considerations which are applicable to optimise the
multiplex factor within the boundary conditions as set by the space craft. More
specifically, the interplay between the science requirements such as pixel
dynamic range, pixel speed, and cross talk, and the space craft requirements
such as the power dissipation budget, available bandwidth, and electromagnetic
compatibility will be discussed
X-ray study of the double radio relic galaxy cluster CIZA J2242.8+5301
Content: We present the results from observations of the merging
cluster of galaxies CIZA J2242.8+5301 at =0.192. Aims. To study the physics
of gas heating and particle acceleration in cluster mergers, we investigated
the X-ray emission from CIZA J2242.8+5301, which hosts two giant radio relics
in the northern/southern part of the cluster. Methods. We analyzed data from
three-pointed Suzaku observations of CIZA J2242.8+5301 to derive the
temperature distribution in four different directions. Results: The
Intra-Cluster Medium (ICM) temperature shows a remarkable drop from
8.5 keV to 2.7 keV across the northern radio
relic. The temperature drop is consistent with a Mach number and a shock velocity
. We also confirm the
temperature drop across the southern radio relic. However, the ICM temperature
beyond this relic is much higher than beyond the northern one, which gives a
Mach number and shock velocity
. These results agree with
other systems showing a relationship between the radio relics and shock fronts
which are induced by merging activity. We compare the X-ray derived Mach
numbers with the radio derived Mach numbers from the radio spectral index under
the assumption of diffusive shock acceleration in the linear test particle
regime. For the northern radio relic, the Mach numbers derived from X-ray and
radio observations agree with each other. Based on the shock velocities, we
estimate that CIZA J2242.8+5301 is observed approximately 0.6 Gyr after core
passage. The magnetic field pressure at the northern relic is estimated to be
9% of the thermal pressure.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, A&A accepte
Quasiperiodic Tip Splitting in Directional Solidification
We report experimental results on the tip splitting dynamics of seaweed
growth in directional solidification of succinonitrile alloys with
poly(ethylene oxide) or acetone as solutes. The seaweed or dense branching
morphology was selected by solidifying grains which are oriented close to the
{111} plane. Despite the random appearance of the growth, a quasiperiodic tip
splitting morphology was observed in which the tip alternately splits to the
left and to the right. The tip splitting frequency f was found to be related to
the growth velocity V as a power law f V^{1.5}. This finding
is consistent with the predictions of a tip splitting model that is also
presented. Small anisotropies are shown to lead to different kinds of seaweed
morphologies.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter
Gaussian quantum computation with oracle-decision problems
We study a simple-harmonic-oscillator quantum computer solving oracle
decision problems. We show that such computers can perform better by using
nonorthogonal Gaussian wave functions rather than orthogonal top-hat wave
functions as input to the information encoding process. Using the Deutsch-Jozsa
problem as an example, we demonstrate that Gaussian modulation with optimized
width parameter results in a lower error rate than for the top-hat encoding. We
conclude that Gaussian modulation can allow for an improved trade-off between
encoding, processing and measurement of the information.Comment: RevTeX4, 10 pages with 4 figure
The radio relic in Abell 2256: overall spectrum and implications for electron acceleration
The galaxy cluster Abell 2256 hosts one of the most intriguing examples in
the class of radio relics. It has been found that this radio relic has a rather
flat integrated spectrum at low frequencies that would imply an injection
spectral index for the electrons that is inconsistent with the flattest allowed
by the test particle diffusive shock acceleration (DSA). We performed new
high-frequency observations at 2273, 2640, and 4850 MHz. Combining these new
observations with images available in the literature, we constrain the radio
integrated spectrum of the radio relic in Abell 2256 over the widest sampled
frequency range collected so far for this class of objects (63 -10450 MHz).
Moreover, we used X-ray observations of the cluster to check the temperature
structure in the regions around the radio relic. We find that the relic keeps
an unusually flat behavior up to high frequencies. Although the relic
integrated spectrum between 63 and 10450 MHz is not inconsistent with a single
power law with , we find hints of a
steepening at frequencies > 1400 MHz. The two frequency ranges 63-1369 MHz and
1369-10450 MHz are, indeed, best represented by two different power laws, with
and .
This broken power law would require special conditions to be explained in terms
of test-particle DSA, e.g., non-stationarity of the spectrum and/or
non-stationarity of the shock. On the other hand, the single power law would
make of this relic the one with the flattest integrated spectrum known so far,
even flatter than what allowed in the test-particle approach to DSA. We find a
rather low temperature ratio of across the G region of the
radio relic and no temperature jump across the H region.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, 9 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy
& Astrophysic
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