3,785 research outputs found
Thin film superfluid optomechanics
Excitations in superfluid helium represent attractive mechanical degrees of
freedom for cavity optomechanics schemes. Here we numerically and analytically
investigate the properties of optomechanical resonators formed by thin films of
superfluid He covering micrometer-scale whispering gallery mode cavities.
We predict that through proper optimization of the interaction between film and
optical field, large optomechanical coupling rates kHz
and single photon cooperativities are achievable. Our analytical model
reveals the unconventional behaviour of these thin films, such as thicker and
heavier films exhibiting smaller effective mass and larger zero point motion.
The optomechanical system outlined here provides access to unusual regimes such
as and opens the prospect of laser cooling a liquid into its
quantum ground state.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure
Mutational escape from CD8+ T cell immunity: HCV evolution, from chimpanzees to man
The mechanisms by which the hepatitis C virus (HCV) establishes persistence are not yet fully understood. Previous chimpanzee and now human studies suggest that mutations within MHC class I–restricted HCV epitopes might contribute to viral escape from cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. However, there are several outstanding questions regarding the role of escape mutations in viral persistence and their fate in the absence of immune selection pressure
A GBT Survey for HI 21 cm Absorption in the Disks and Halos of Low-Redshift Galaxies
We present an HI 21 cm absorption survey with the Green Bank Telescope (GBT)
of galaxy-quasar pairs selected by combining data from the Sloan Digital Sky
Survey (SDSS) and the Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters
(FIRST) survey. Our sample consists of 23 sightlines through 15 low-redshift
foreground galaxy - background quasar pairs with impact parameters ranging from
1.7 kpc up to 86.7 kpc. We detected one absorber in the GBT survey from the
foreground dwarf galaxy, GQ1042+0747, at an impact parameter of 1.7 kpc and
another possible absorber in our follow-up Very Large Array (VLA) imaging of
the nearby foreground galaxy, UGC 7408. Both of the absorbers are narrow (FWHM
of 3.6 and 4.8 km/s), have sub Damped Lyman alpha column densities, and most
likely originate in the disk gas of the foreground galaxies. We also detected H
I emission from three foreground galaxies, including UGC 7408. Although our
sample contains both blue and red galaxies, the two H I absorbers as well as
the H I emissions are associated with blue galaxies. We discuss the physical
conditions in the 21 cm absorbers and some drawbacks of the large GBT beam for
this type of survey.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, 3 table
Magellan LDSS3 emission confirmation of galaxies hosting metal-rich Lyman-alpha absorption systems
Using the Low Dispersion Survey Spectrograph 3 at the Magellan II Clay
Telescope, we target {candidate absorption host galaxies} detected in deep
optical imaging {(reaching limiting apparent magnitudes of 23.0-26.5 in and filters) in the fields of three QSOs, each of which shows the
presence of high metallicity, high absorption systems in their
spectra (Q0826-2230: =0.9110, Q1323-0021: ,
Q1436-0051: ). We confirm three host galaxies {at
redshifts 0.7387, 0.7401, and 0.9286} for two of the Lyman- absorption
systems (one with two galaxies interacting). For these systems, we are able to
determine the star formation rates (SFRs); impact parameters (from previous
imaging detections); the velocity shift between the absorption and emission
redshifts; and, for one system, also the emission metallicity.} Based on
previous photometry, we find these galaxies have LL. The [O II]
SFRs for these galaxies are in the range M yr
{(uncorrected for dust)}, while the impact parameters lie in the range
kpc. {Despite the fact that we have confirmed galaxies at 50 kpc from the QSO,
no gradient in metallicity is indicated between the absorption metallicity
along the QSO line of sight and the emission line metallicity in the galaxies.}
We confirm the anti-correlation between impact parameter and from
the literature. We also report the emission redshift of five other galaxies:
three at , and two (LL) at not
corresponding to any known absorption systems.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables, accepted to MNRA
Liquid-like behaviour of gold nanowire bridges
A combination of Focused Ion Beam (FIB) and Reactive Ion Etch (RIE) was used to fabricate free standing gold nanowire bridges with radii of 30 nm and below. These were subjected to point loading to failure at their mid-points using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), providing strength and deformation data. The results demonstrate a dimensionally dependent transition from conventional solid metallic properties to liquid-like behaviour including the unexpected reformation of a fractured bridge. The work reveals mechanical and materials properties of nanowires which could have significant impact on nanofabrication processes and nanotechnology devices such as Nano Electro Mechanical Systems (NEMS)
Damped Lyman-alpha absorption from a nearby Low Surface Brightness galaxy
Ground-based & HST images of the nearby galaxy SBS 1543+593 (z=0.009) show it
to be a Low Surface Brightness (LSB) galaxy with a central surface brightness
of mu_B(0)=23.2 mag/arcsec-2 and scale length 0.9 h-1 kpc, values typical for
the local LSB galaxy population. The galaxy lies directly in front of the QSO
HS 1543+5921 (z=0.807); an HST STIS spectrum of the quasar reveals a damped
Lyman-alpha (DLA) line at the redshift of the interloper with an HI column
density of log N(HI) = 20.35, as well as several low-ionization metal lines
with strengths similar to those found in the Milky Way interstellar medium. Our
data show that LSB galaxies are certainly able to produce the DLA lines seen at
higher redshift, and fuels the speculation that LSB galaxies are a major
contributor to that population of absorbers.Comment: Submitted to A
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