On Urabe's criteria of isochronicity

We give a short proof of Urabe's criteria for the isochronicity of periodical solutions of the equation $\ddot{x}+g(x)=0$. We show that apart from the harmonic oscillator there exists a large family of isochronous potentials which must all be non-polynomial and not symmetric (an even function of the coordinate x).Comment: 8 page

Bubbles, clusters and denaturation in genomic DNA: modeling, parametrization, efficient computation

The paper uses mesoscopic, non-linear lattice dynamics based (Peyrard-Bishop-Dauxois, PBD) modeling to describe thermal properties of DNA below and near the denaturation temperature. Computationally efficient notation is introduced for the relevant statistical mechanics. Computed melting profiles of long and short heterogeneous sequences are presented, using a recently introduced reparametrization of the PBD model, and critically discussed. The statistics of extended open bubbles and bound clusters is formulated and results are presented for selected examples.Comment: to appear in a special issue of the Journal of Nonlinear Mathematical Physics (ed. G. Gaeta

Le cadre géologique d'un site hydrothermal actif : la campagne STARMER 1 du submersible Nautile dans le Bassin Nord-Fidjien

International audienc

In situ geological and geochemical study of an active hydrothermal site on the North Fiji basin ridge

International audienc

Distribution-based bisimulation for labelled Markov processes

In this paper we propose a (sub)distribution-based bisimulation for labelled Markov processes and compare it with earlier definitions of state and event bisimulation, which both only compare states. In contrast to those state-based bisimulations, our distribution bisimulation is weaker, but corresponds more closely to linear properties. We construct a logic and a metric to describe our distribution bisimulation and discuss linearity, continuity and compositional properties.Comment: Accepted by FORMATS 201

Destabilization of dark states and optical spectroscopy in Zeeman-degenerate atomic systems

We present a general discussion of the techniques of destabilizing dark states in laser-driven atoms with either a magnetic field or modulated laser polarization. We show that the photon scattering rate is maximized at a particular evolution rate of the dark state. We also find that the atomic resonance curve is significantly broadened when the evolution rate is far from this optimum value. These results are illustrated with detailed examples of destabilizing dark states in some commonly-trapped ions and supported by insights derived from numerical calculations and simple theoretical models.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figure

Open Problems on Central Simple Algebras

We provide a survey of past research and a list of open problems regarding central simple algebras and the Brauer group over a field, intended both for experts and for beginners.Comment: v2 has some small revisions to the text. Some items are re-numbered, compared to v

Heteroepitaxy of La2O3La_2O_3 and La2−xYxO3La_{2-x}Y_xO_3 on GaAs (111)A by Atomic Layer Deposition: Achieving Low Interface Trap Density

GaAs metal–oxide–semiconductor devices historically suffer from Fermi-level pinning, which is mainly due to the high trap density of states at the oxide/GaAs interface. In this work, we present a new way of passivating the interface trap states by growing an epitaxial layer of high-k dielectric oxide, $La_{2–x}Y_xO_3$, on GaAs(111)A. High-quality epitaxial $La_{2–x}Y_xO_3$ thin films are achieved by an ex situ atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, and GaAs MOS capacitors made from this epitaxial structure show very good interface quality with small frequency dispersion and low interface trap densities $(D_{it})$. In particular, the $La_2O_3$/GaAs interface, which has a lattice mismatch of only 0.04%, shows very low $D_{it}$ in the GaAs bandgap, below $3 × 10^{11} cm^{–2} eV^{–1}$ near the conduction band edge. The $La_2O_3$/GaAs capacitors also show the lowest frequency dispersion of any dielectric on GaAs. This is the first achievement of such low trap densities for oxides on GaAs.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog

Water Dynamics at Protein Interfaces: Ultrafast Optical Kerr Effect Study

The behavior of water molecules surrounding a protein can have an important bearing on its structure and function. Consequently, a great deal of attention has been focused on changes in the relaxation dynamics of water when it is located at the protein surface. Here we use the ultrafast optical Kerr effect to study the H-bond structure and dynamics of aqueous solutions of proteins. Measurements are made for three proteins as a function of concentration. We find that the water dynamics in the first solvation layer of the proteins are slowed by up to a factor of 8 in comparison to those in bulk water. The most marked slowdown was observed for the most hydrophilic protein studied, bovine serum albumin, whereas the most hydrophobic protein, trypsin, had a slightly smaller effect. The terahertz Raman spectra of these protein solutions resemble those of pure water up to 5 wt % of protein, above which a new feature appears at 80 cm–1, which is assigned to a bending of the protein amide chain