847 research outputs found
Microfluidic and Nanofluidic Cavities for Quantum Fluids Experiments
The union of quantum fluids research with nanoscience is rich with
opportunities for new physics. The relevant length scales in quantum fluids,
3He in particular, are comparable to those possible using microfluidic and
nanofluidic devices. In this article, we will briefly review how the physics of
quantum fluids depends strongly on confinement on the microscale and nanoscale.
Then we present devices fabricated specifically for quantum fluids research,
with cavity sizes ranging from 30 nm to 11 microns deep, and the
characterization of these devices for low temperature quantum fluids
experiments.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, Accepted to Journal of Low Temperature Physic
Order Parameter at the Boundary of a Trapped Bose Gas
Through a suitable expansion of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation near the
classical turning point, we obtain an explicit solution for the order parameter
at the boundary of a trapped Bose gas interacting with repulsive forces. The
kinetic energy of the system, in terms of the classical radius and of the
harmonic oscillator length , follows the law , approaching, for large , the
results obtained by solving numerically the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. The
occurrence of a Josephson-type current in the presence of a double trap
potential is finally discussed.Comment: 11 pages, REVTEX, 4 figures (uuencoded-gzipped-tar file) also
available at http://anubis.science.unitn.it/~dalfovo/papers/papers.htm
High frequency sound in superfluid 3He-B
We present measurements of the absolute phase velocity of transverse and
longitudinal sound in superfluid 3He-B at low temperature, extending from the
imaginary squashing mode to near pair-breaking. Changes in the transverse phase
velocity near pair-breaking have been explained in terms of an order parameter
collective mode that arises from f-wave pairing interactions, the so-called
J=4- mode. Using these measurements, we establish lower bounds on the energy
gap in the B-phase. Measurement of attenuation of longitudinal sound at low
temperature and energies far above the pair-breaking threshold, are in
agreement with the lower bounds set on pair-breaking. Finally, we discuss our
estimations for the strength of the f-wave pairing interactions and the Fermi
liquid parameter, F4s.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, accepted to J. Low Temp. Phy
On the gravitational, dilatonic and axionic radiative damping of cosmic strings
We study the radiation reaction on cosmic strings due to the emission of
dilatonic, gravitational and axionic waves. After verifying the (on average)
conservative nature of the time-symmetric self-interactions, we concentrate on
the finite radiation damping force associated with the half-retarded minus
half-advanced ``reactive'' fields. We revisit a recent proposal of using a
``local back reaction approximation'' for the reactive fields. Using
dimensional continuation as convenient technical tool, we find, contrary to
previous claims, that this proposal leads to antidamping in the case of the
axionic field, and to zero (integrated) damping in the case of the
gravitational field. One gets normal positive damping only in the case of the
dilatonic field. We propose to use a suitably modified version of the local
dilatonic radiation reaction as a substitute for the exact (non-local)
gravitational radiation reaction. The incorporation of such a local
approximation to gravitational radiation reaction should allow one to complete,
in a computationally non-intensive way, string network simulations and to give
better estimates of the amount and spectrum of gravitational radiation emitted
by a cosmologically evolving network of massive strings.Comment: 48 pages, RevTex, epsfig, 1 figure; clarification of the domain of
validity of the perturbative derivation of the string equations of motion,
and of their renormalizabilit
Simple, reliable protocol for high-yield solubilization of seedless amyloid-β monomer
Self-assembly of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide to form toxic oligomers and fibrils is a key causal event in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, and Aβ is the focus of intense research in neuroscience, biophysics, and structural biology aimed at therapeutic development. Due to its rapid self-assembly and extreme sensitivity to aggregation conditions, preparation of seedless, reproducible Aβ solutions is highly challenging, and there are serious ongoing issues with consistency in the literature. In this paper, we use a liquid-phase separation technique, asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation with multiangle light scattering (AF4-MALS), to develop and validate a simple, effective, economical method for re-solubilization and quality control of purified, lyophilized Aβ samples. Our findings were obtained with recombinant peptide but are physicochemical in nature and thus highly relevant to synthetic peptide. We show that much of the variability in the literature stems from the inability of overly mild solvent treatments to produce consistently monomeric preparations and is rectified by a protocol involving high-pH (>12) dissolution, sonication, and rapid freezing to prevent modification. Aβ treated in this manner is chemically stable, can be stored over long timescales at −80 °C, and exhibits remarkably consistent self-assembly behavior when returned to near-neutral pH. These preparations are highly monomeric, seedless, and do not require additional rounds of size exclusion, eliminating the need for this costly procedure and increasing the flexibility of use. We propose that our improved protocol is the simplest, fastest, and most effective way to solubilize Aβ from diverse sources for sensitive self-assembly and toxicity assays
Biharmonic pattern selection
A new model to describe fractal growth is discussed which includes effects
due to long-range coupling between displacements . The model is based on the
biharmonic equation in two-dimensional isotropic defect-free
media as follows from the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation for pattern formation
-or, alternatively, from the theory of elasticity. As a difference with
Laplacian and Poisson growth models, in the new model the Laplacian of is
neither zero nor proportional to . Its discretization allows to reproduce a
transition from dense to multibranched growth at a point in which the growth
velocity exhibits a minimum similarly to what occurs within Poisson growth in
planar geometry. Furthermore, in circular geometry the transition point is
estimated for the simplest case from the relation
such that the trajectories become stable at the growing surfaces in a
continuous limit. Hence, within the biharmonic growth model, this transition
depends only on the system size and occurs approximately at a distance far from a central seed particle. The influence of biharmonic patterns on
the growth probability for each lattice site is also analysed.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev. E. Copies upon request to
[email protected]
Vortex Rings in two Component Bose-Einstein Condensates
We study the structure of the vortex core in two-component Bose-Einstein
condensates. We demonstrate that the order parameter may not vanish and the
symmetry may not be restored in the core of the vortex. In this case such
vortices can form vortex rings known as vortons in particle physics literature.
In contrast with well-studied superfluid , where similar vortex rings can
be stable due to Magnus force only if they move, the vortex rings in
two-component BECs can be stable even if they are at rest. This beautiful
effect was first discussed by Witten in the cosmic string context, where it was
shown that the stabilization occurs due to condensation of the second component
of the field in the vortex core. This second condensate trapped in the core may
carry a current along the vortex ring counteracting the effect of string
tension that causes the loop to shrink. We speculate that such vortons may have
been already observed in the laboratory. We also speculate that the
experimental study of topological structures in BECs can provide a unique
opportunity to study cosmology and astrophysics by doing laboratory
experiments.Comment: 21 pages, 2 figure
Adiabatic following criterion, estimation of the nonadiabatic excitation fraction and quantum jumps
An accurate theory describing adiabatic following of the dark, nonabsorbing
state in the three-level system is developed. An analytical solution for the
wave function of the particle experiencing Raman excitation is found as an
expansion in terms of the time varying nonadiabatic perturbation parameter. The
solution can be presented as a sum of adiabatic and nonadiabatic parts. Both
are estimated quantitatively. It is shown that the limiting value to which the
amplitude of the nonadiabatic part tends is equal to the Fourier component of
the nonadiabatic perturbation parameter taken at the Rabi frequency of the
Raman excitation. The time scale of the variation of both parts is found. While
the adiabatic part of the solution varies slowly and follows the change of the
nonadiabatic perturbation parameter, the nonadiabatic part appears almost
instantly, revealing a jumpwise transition between the dark and bright states.
This jump happens when the nonadiabatic perturbation parameter takes its
maximum value.Comment: 33 pages, 8 figures, submitted to PRA on 28 Oct. 200
Mental Fatigue Negatively Influences Manual Dexterity and Anticipation Timing but not Repeated High-intensity Exercise Performance in Trained Adults
In situ measurement of fluid flow from cold seeps at active continental margins
In situ measurement of fluid flow rates from active margins is an important parameter in evaluating dissolved mass fluxes and global geochemical balances as well as tectonic dewatering during developments of accretionary prisms. We have constructed and deployed various devices that allow for the direct measurement of this parameter. An open bottom barrel with an exhaust port at the top and equipped with a mechanical flowmeter was initially used to measure flow rates in the Cascadia accretionary margin during an Alvin dive program in 1988. Sequentially activated water bottles inside the barrel sampled the increase of venting methane in the enclosed body of water. Subsequently, a thermistor flowmeter was developed to measure flow velocities from cold seeps. It can be used to measure velocities between 0.01 and 50 cm s−1, with a response time of 200 ms. It was deployed again by the submersible Alvin in visits to the Cascadia margin seeps (1990) and in conjunction with sequentially activated water bottles inside the barrel. We report the values for the flow rates based on the thermistor flowmeter and estimated from methane flux calculations. These results are then compared with the first measurement at Cascadia margin employing the mechanical flowmeter. The similarity between water flow and methane expulsion rates over more than one order of magnitude at these sites suggests that the mass fluxes obtained by our in situ devices may be reasonably realistic values for accretionary margins. These values also indicate an enormous variability in the rates of fluid expulsion within the same accretionary prism.
Finally, during a cruise to the active margin off Peru, another version of the same instrument was deployed via a TV-controlled frame within an acoustic transponder net from a surface ship, the R.V. Sonne. The venting rates obtained with the thermistor flowmeter used in this configuration yielded a value of 4411 m−2 day−1 at an active seep on the Peru slope. The ability for deployment of deep-sea instruments capable of measuring fluid flow rates and dissolved mass fluxes from conventional research vessels will allow easier access to these seep sites and a more widespread collection of the data needed to evaluate geochemical processes resulting from venting at cold seeps on a global basis. Comparison of the in situ flow rates from steady-state compactive dewatering models differ by more than 4 orders of magnitude. This implies that only a small area of the margin is venting and that there must be recharge zones associated with venting at convergent margin
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