Surface Wave Inversion of the Upper Mantle Velocity Structure in the Ross Sea Region, Western Antarctica

The Ross Sea in Western Antarctica is the locale of several extensional basins formed during Cretaceous to Paleogene rifting. Several seismic studies along the Transantarctic Mountains and Victoria Land Basin’s Terror Rift have shown a general pattern of fast seismic velocities in East Antarctica and slow seismic velocities in West Antarctica. This study focuses on the mantle seismic velocity structure of the West Antarctic Rift System in the Ross Embayment and adjacent craton and Transantarctic Mountains to further refine details of the velocity structure. Teleseismic events were selected to satisfy the two-station great-circle-path method between 5 Polar Earth Observing Network and 2 Global Seismic Network stations circumscribing the Ross Sea. Multiple filter analysis and a phase match filter were used to determine the fundamental mode, and linearized least-square algorithm was used to invert the fundamental mode phase velocity to shear velocity as a function of depth. Observed velocities were then compared to the AK135-β reference earth model. Surface wave inversion results reveal three regions with distinct seismic velocity structures: the East Antarctic craton, the Transantarctic Mountains orogenic zone, and the extensionally rifted Ross Sea. The extensional zone of the Ross Sea displays slower seismic velocities than the global average. A seismic velocity structure faster than the global average is documented in the East Antarctic craton, while the Transantarctic Mountains display seismic velocities more closely resembling the rift zone than the craton. The low velocity zone in the upper mantle of West Antarctica extends from the Transantarctic Mountains through the Ross Sea to the Marie Byrd Land region. These slow seismic velocities are suggestive of a warm upper mantle. A warm upper mantel is difficult to reconcile with the lack of tectonic activity since approximately 30 Ma

Weekly periodicities of Aerosol Optical Thickness over Central Europe ? evidence of an anthropogenic direct aerosol effect

International audienceStatistical analyses of data from ground-based sun photometer stations in Central Europe are presented. All stations are part of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET), and only data of the highest data quality level 2.0 has been applied. The averages by weekday of Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) at a wavelength of 440 nm of 12 of the 14 stations in the investigation area show a weekly periodicity with lowest values on Sunday and Monday, but greatest values from Wednesday until Saturday, that is significant at least on a 90% level. The stations in Germany and in Greater Paris show weekly cycles with ranges of about 20% on average. In Northern Italy and Switzerland this range is about 10% on average. By applying several checks, we exclude that the weekly cycles were caused by a maintenance effect or by different retrieval conditions as a consequence of a weekly cycle in cloud cover. The corresponding weekly cycle of anthropogenic gaseous and particulate emissions leads us to the conclusion of the anthropogenic origin of the weekly AOT cycle. Since these AOT patterns are derived from the reduction of the direct sun radiation by the columnar atmospheric aerosol, this result represents strong evidence for an anthropogenic direct aerosol effect on shortwave radiation. Furthermore, this study makes a first contribution to the understanding and explanation of recently observed weekly periodicities in meteorological variables as temperature in Germany

Band gap and band parameters of InN and GaN from quasiparticle energy calculations based on exact-exchange density-functional theory

We have studied the electronic structure of InN and GaN employing G0W0 calculations based on exact-exchange density-functional theory. For InN our approach predicts a gap of 0.7 eV. Taking the Burnstein-Moss effect into account, the increase of the apparent quasiparticle gap with increasing electron concentration is in good agreement with the observed blue shift of the experimental optical absorption edge. Moreover, the concentration dependence of the effective mass, which results from the non-parabolicity of the conduction band, agrees well with recent experimental findings. Based on the quasiparticle band structure the parameter set for a 4x4 kp Hamiltonian has been derived.Comment: 3 pages including 3 figures; related publications can be found at http://www.fhi-berlin.mpg.de/th/th.htm

GaN/AlN Quantum Dots for Single Qubit Emitters

We study theoretically the electronic properties of $c$-plane GaN/AlN quantum dots (QDs) with focus on their potential as sources of single polarized photons for future quantum communication systems. Within the framework of eight-band k.p theory we calculate the optical interband transitions of the QDs and their polarization properties. We show that an anisotropy of the QD confinement potential in the basal plane (e.g. QD elongation or strain anisotropy) leads to a pronounced linear polarization of the ground state and excited state transitions. An externally applied uniaxial stress can be used to either induce a linear polarization of the ground-state transition for emission of single polarized photons or even to compensate the polarization induced by the structural elongation.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figures. Accepted at Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte

The POPC Citizen: Political Information in the Fourth Age of Political Communication

A woman checking messages on her phone while standing next to a newspaper rack. A girl waiting in line scrolling down the Facebook timeline, stumbling upon a video clip about the outcome of the recent US presidential elections. A young man playing a game on his tablet, with TV news running in another window. These are just three everyday scenarios that illustrate how today’s “permanently online, permanently connected” (POPC) communication environment has created new conditions for the access to and consumption of political information. A myriad of options to choose from regarding the form and content of communication make it easy to acquire political information continuously, but also to avoid political content given the many other interesting things to do online. At the same time, social networking sites (SNS) have made it more difficult to abstain completely from political information, as they often push news to unsuspecting users. With the permanent potential to activate social ties through SNS and instant messaging services, the political information of citizens has become embedded into their mediated social networks whose members like, share, and comment on it. The implications of widespread digitization and mediatization for the political domain are so profound and far-reaching that they have recently led Jay Blumler (2016) to announce a new “fourth age of political communication.” Political communication in the fourth age is characterized by “yet more communication abundance” (p. 24) compared to the preceding ages, particularly due to new, mobile-access devices that have led to an ever more intense competition for audience attention. The fact that the Internet has gone mobile reinforces developments it initiated much earlier: Mobility increases the frequency of communication and thus the frequency of situations in which more or less conscious choices regarding the modes and content of communication are necessary. Because people often initiate and process digital communication in parallel with an ongoing “offline life,” communication acts may also become more impulsive and automatic (van Koningsbruggen, Hartmann, & Du, this volume), and attention paid to content more superficial than in the past

The comprehensive model system COSMO-ART - Radiative impact of aerosol on the state of the atmosphere on the regional scale

A new fully online coupled model system developed for the evaluation of the interaction of aerosol particles with the atmosphere on the regional scale is described. The model system is based on the operational weather forecast model of the Deutscher Wetterdienst. Physical processes like transport, turbulent diffusion, and dry and wet deposition are treated together with photochemistry and aerosol dynamics using the modal approach. Based on detailed calculations we have developed parameterisations to examine the impact of aerosol particles on photolysis and on radiation. Currently the model allows feedback between natural and anthropogenic aerosol particles and the atmospheric variables that are initialized by the modification of the radiative fluxes. The model system is applied to two summer episodes, each lasting five days, with a model domain covering Western Europe and adjacent regions. The first episode is characterised by almost cloud free conditions and the second one by cloudy conditions. The simulated aerosol concentrations are compared to observations made at 700 stations distributed over Western Europe. <br><br> For each episode two model runs are performed; one where the feedback between the aerosol particles and the atmosphere is taken into account and a second one where the feedback is neglected. Comparing these two sets of model runs, the radiative feedback on temperature and other variables is evaluated. <br><br> In the cloud free case a clear correlation between the aerosol optical depth and changes in global radiation and temperature is found. In the case of cloudy conditions the pure radiative effects are superposed by changes in the liquid water content of the clouds due to changes in the thermodynamics of the atmosphere. In this case the correlation between the aerosol optical depth and its effects on temperature is low. However, on average a decrease in the 2 m temperature is still found. <br><br> For the area of Germany we found on average for both cases a reduction in the global radiation of about 6 W m<sup>2</sup>, a decrease of the 2 m temperature of 0.1 K, and a reduction in the daily temperature range of −0.13 K

Strain effects and band parameters in MgO, ZnO, and CdO

We have derived consistent sets of band parameters (bandgaps, crystal-field splittings, effective masses, Luttinger, and EP parameters) and strain deformation potentials for MgO, ZnO, and CdO in the wurtzite phase. To overcome the limitations of density-functional theory in the local-density and generalized gradient approximations, we employ a hybrid functional as well as exact-exchange-based quasiparticle energy calculations in the G0W0 approach. We demonstrate that the band and strain parameters derived in this fashion are in very good agreement with the available experimental data and provide predictions for all parameters that have not been determined experimentally so far. VC 2012 American Institute of Physics

Image resonance in the many-body density of states at a metal surface

The electronic properties of a semi-infinite metal surface without a bulk gap are studied by a formalism that is able to account for the continuous spectrum of the system. The density of states at the surface is calculated within the GW approximation of many-body perturbation theory. We demonstrate the presence of an unoccupied surface resonance peaked at the position of the first image state. The resonance encompasses the whole Rydberg series of image states and cannot be resolved into individual peaks. Its origin is the shift in spectral weight when many-body correlation effects are taken into account

A Microfluidic Device for the Investigation of Rapid Gold Nanoparticle Formation in Continuous Turbulent Flow

A new setup with an integrated microfluidic chip with small dead time, high time resolution and compatibility with in situ X-ray absorption (XAS) measurements is presented. It can also be combined with a free liquid jet. By using the microfluidic chip the short reaction times from 2 to 20 milliseconds can be observed, beyond that an external cyclone mixer for extended observation times was applied. The reduction of gold ions with tetrakis(hydroxy-methyl)phosphonium (THPC) has been investigated in the microfluidic setup to monitor this reaction yielding small gold nanoparticles, requiring preferentially a free liquid jet

European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (ENETS) 2023 guidance paper for colorectal neuroendocrine tumours.

This ENETS guidance paper, developed by a multidisciplinary working group, provides an update on the previous colorectal guidance paper in a different format. Guided by key clinical questions practical advice on the diagnosis and management of neuroendocrine tumours (NET) of the caecum, colon, and rectum is provided. Although covered in one guidance paper colorectal NET comprises a heterogeneous group of neoplasms. The most common rectal NET are often small G1 tumours that can be treated by adequate endoscopic resection techniques. Evidence from prospective clinical trials on the treatment of metastatic colorectal NET is limited and discussion of patients in experienced multidisciplinary tumour boards strongly recommended. Neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC) and mixed neuroendocrine non-neuroendocrine neoplasms (MiNEN) are discussed in a separate guidance paper