Perceptions of Positive Relationship Traits in Gay and Lesbian Couples

The following study examined perceptions of positive traits in homosexual relationships. Students (n = 216) and professional counselors (n = 96) read one of three variations of a transcript of a couple’s counseling session that were identical in all aspects except for the names of the couple members and associated pronouns, implying sexual orientation (either John and Amy, Amy and Jennifer, or John and David). Participants then rated the couple’s level of commitment, satisfaction, investment, and closeness. Surprisingly, the student group perceived no differences between the couples, but the counselor group perceived the gay and lesbian couples as having higher levels of the positive relationship traits. Implications regarding counselor bias are discussed

Stress relief as the driving force for self-assembled Bi nanolines

Stress resulting from mismatch between a substrate and an adsorbed material has often been thought to be the driving force for the self-assembly of nanoscale structures. Bi nanolines self-assemble on Si(001), and are remarkable for their straightness and length -- they are often more than 400 nm long, and a kink in a nanoline has never been observed. Through electronic structure calculations, we have found an energetically favourable structure for these nanolines that agrees with our scanning tunneling microscopy and photoemission experiments; the structure has an extremely unusual subsurface structure, comprising a double core of 7-membered rings of silicon. Our proposed structure explains all the observed features of the nanolines, and shows that surface stress resulting from the mismatch between the Bi and the Si substrate are responsible for their self-assembly. This has wider implications for the controlled growth of nanostructures on semiconductor surfaces.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Disks around massive young stellar objects: are they common?

We present K-band polarimetric images of several massive young stellar objects at resolutions $\sim$ 0.1-0.5 arcsec. The polarization vectors around these sources are nearly centro-symmetric, indicating they are dominating the illumination of each field. Three out of the four sources show elongated low-polarization structures passing through the centers, suggesting the presence of polarization disks. These structures and their surrounding reflection nebulae make up bipolar outflow/disk systems, supporting the collapse/accretion scenario as their low-mass siblings. In particular, S140 IRS1 show well defined outflow cavity walls and a polarization disk which matches the direction of previously observed equatorial disk wind, thus confirming the polarization disk is actually the circumstellar disk. To date, a dozen massive protostellar objects show evidence for the existence of disks; our work add additional samples around MYSOs equivalent to early B-type stars.Comment: 9 pages, including 2 figures, 1 table, to appear on ApJ

Quantum cloning machines for equatorial qubits

Quantum cloning machines for equatorial qubits are studied. For the case of 1 to 2 phase-covariant quantum cloning machine, we present the networks consisting of quantum gates to realize the quantum cloning transformations. The copied equatorial qubits are shown to be separable by using Peres-Horodecki criterion. The optimal 1 to M phase-covariant quantum cloning transformations are given.Comment: Revtex, 9 page

Picosecond timing of Microwave Cherenkov Impulses from High-Energy Particle Showers Using Dielectric-loaded Waveguides

We report on the first measurements of coherent microwave impulses from high-energy particle-induced electromagnetic showers generated via the Askaryan effect in a dielectric-loaded waveguide. Bunches of 12.16 GeV electrons with total bunch energy of $\sim 10^3-10^4$ GeV were pre-showered in tungsten, and then measured with WR-51 rectangular (12.6 mm by 6.3 mm) waveguide elements loaded with solid alumina ($Al_2 O_3$) bars. In the 5-8 GHz $TE_{10}$ single-mode band determined by the presence of the dielectric in the waveguide, we observed band-limited microwave impulses with amplitude proportional to bunch energy. Signals in different waveguide elements measuring the same shower were used to estimate relative time differences with 2.3 picosecond precision. These measurements establish a basis for using arrays of alumina-loaded waveguide elements, with exceptional radiation hardness, as very high precision timing planes for high-energy physics detectors.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figure

The LAOG-Planet Imaging Surveys

With the development of high contrast imaging techniques and infrared detectors, vast efforts have been devoted during the past decade to detect and characterize lighter, cooler and closer companions to nearby stars, and ultimately image new planetary systems. Complementary to other observing techniques (radial velocity, transit, micro-lensing, pulsar-timing), this approach has opened a new astrophysical window to study the physical properties and the formation mechanisms of brown dwarfs and planets. I here will briefly present the observing challenge, the different observing techniques, strategies and samples of current exoplanet imaging searches that have been selected in the context of the LAOG-Planet Imaging Surveys. I will finally describe the most recent results that led to the discovery of giant planets probably formed like the ones of our solar system, offering exciting and attractive perspectives for the future generation of deep imaging instruments.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, Invited talk of "Exoplanets and disks: their formation and diversity" conference, 9-12 March 200

Quantum Cloning Machines of a d-level System

The optimal N to M ($M>N$) quantum cloning machines for the d-level system are presented. The unitary cloning transformations achieve the bound of the fidelity.Comment: Revtex, 4 page

Motion of rotatory molecular motor and chemical reaction rate

We examine the dependence of the physical quantities of the rotatory molecular motor, such as the rotation velocity and the proton translocation rate, on the chemical reaction rate using the model based only on diffusion process. A peculiar behavior of proton translocation is found and the energy transduction efficiency of the motor protein is enhanced by this behavior. We give a natural explanation that this behavior is universal when certain inequalities between chemical reaction rates hold. That may give a clue to examine whether the motion of the molecular motor is dominated by diffusion process or not.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

Direct photons ~basis for characterizing heavy ion collisions~

After years of experimental and theoretical efforts, direct photons become a strong and reliable tool to establish the basic characteristics of a hot and dense matter produced in heavy ion collisions. The recent direct photon measurements are reviewed and a future prospect is given.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, Invited plenary talk at Quark Matter 200