1,189 research outputs found
Phase space spinor amplitudes for spin 1/2 systems
The concept of phase space amplitudes for systems with continuous degrees of
freedom is generalized to finite-dimensional spin systems. Complex amplitudes
are obtained on both a sphere and a finite lattice, in each case enabling a
more fundamental description of pure spin states than that previously given by
Wigner functions. In each case the Wigner function can be expressed as the star
product of the amplitude and its conjugate, so providing a generalized Born
interpretation of amplitudes that emphasizes their more fundamental status. The
ordinary product of the amplitude and its conjugate produces a (generalized)
spin Husimi function. The case of spin-\half is treated in detail, and it is
shown that phase space amplitudes on the sphere transform correctly as spinors
under under rotations, despite their expression in terms of spherical
harmonics. Spin amplitudes on a lattice are also found to transform as spinors.
Applications are given to the phase space description of state superposition,
and to the evolution in phase space of the state of a spin-\half magnetic
dipole in a time-dependent magnetic field.Comment: 19 pages, added new results, fixed typo
Twitter Use and its Effects on Student Perception of Instructor Credibility
This study investigates college student perceptions of instructor credibility based on the content of an instructor’s Twitterfeed and student beliefs about Twitter as a communication tool. Quantitative and qualitative methods were utilized to explore the effects of three manipulated Twitter feeds (e.g., tweeting social topics, professional topics, or a blend) on student perceptions of instructor credibility and examine how students perceive Twitter as a teaching tool. Quantitative results suggest that the profile with professional content was most credible. Credibility ratings were also associated with other Twitter use variables, including positive student attitudes about instructors who use Twitter and Tweet frequency. Coded qualitative responses indicated that Twitter may be both an asset and an obstacle for instructors
Derivatives of spin dynamics simulations
We report analytical equations for the derivatives of spin dynamics
simulations with respect to pulse sequence and spin system parameters. The
methods described are significantly faster, more accurate and more reliable
than the finite difference approximations typically employed. The resulting
derivatives may be used in fitting, optimization, performance evaluation and
stability analysis of spin dynamics simulations and experiments.
Keywords: NMR, EPR, simulation, analytical derivatives, optimal control, spin
chemistry, radical pair.Comment: Accepted by The Journal of Chemical Physic
Kepler Presearch Data Conditioning I - Architecture and Algorithms for Error Correction in Kepler Light Curves
Kepler provides light curves of 156,000 stars with unprecedented precision.
However, the raw data as they come from the spacecraft contain significant
systematic and stochastic errors. These errors, which include discontinuities,
systematic trends, and outliers, obscure the astrophysical signals in the light
curves. To correct these errors is the task of the Presearch Data Conditioning
(PDC) module of the Kepler data analysis pipeline. The original version of PDC
in Kepler did not meet the extremely high performance requirements for the
detection of miniscule planet transits or highly accurate analysis of stellar
activity and rotation. One particular deficiency was that astrophysical
features were often removed as a side-effect to removal of errors. In this
paper we introduce the completely new and significantly improved version of PDC
which was implemented in Kepler SOC 8.0. This new PDC version, which utilizes a
Bayesian approach for removal of systematics, reliably corrects errors in the
light curves while at the same time preserving planet transits and other
astrophysically interesting signals. We describe the architecture and the
algorithms of this new PDC module, show typical errors encountered in Kepler
data, and illustrate the corrections using real light curve examples.Comment: Submitted to PASP. Also see companion paper "Kepler Presearch Data
Conditioning II - A Bayesian Approach to Systematic Error Correction" by Jeff
C. Smith et a
Minimum Decision Cost for Quantum Ensembles
For a given ensemble of independent and identically prepared particles,
we calculate the binary decision costs of different strategies for measurement
of polarised spin 1/2 particles. The result proves that, for any given values
of the prior probabilities and any number of constituent particles, the cost
for a combined measurement is always less than or equal to that for any
combination of separate measurements upon sub-ensembles. The Bayes cost, which
is that associated with the optimal strategy (i.e., a combined measurement) is
obtained in a simple closed form.Comment: 11 pages, uses RevTe
Galaxy Merger Candidates in High-Redshift Cluster Environments
We compile a sample of spectroscopically- and photometrically-selected
cluster galaxies from four high-redshift galaxy clusters ()
from the Spitzer Adaptation of the Red-Sequence Cluster Survey (SpARCS), and a
comparison field sample selected from the UKIDSS Deep Survey. Using
near-infrared imaging from the \textit{Hubble Space Telescope} we classify
potential mergers involving massive () cluster members by eye, based on morphological
properties such as tidal distortions, double nuclei, and projected near
neighbors within 20 kpc. With a catalogue of 23 spectroscopic and 32
photometric massive cluster members across the four clusters and 65
spectroscopic and 26 photometric comparable field galaxies, we find that after
taking into account contamination from interlopers, of
the cluster members are involved in potential mergers, compared to
of the field galaxies. We see no evidence of merger
enhancement in the central cluster environment with respect to the field,
suggesting that galaxy-galaxy merging is not a stronger source of galaxy
evolution in cluster environments compared to the field at these redshifts.Comment: Accepted by Ap
The cytoplasm of living cells: A functional mixture of thousands of components
Inside every living cell is the cytoplasm: a fluid mixture of thousands of
different macromolecules, predominantly proteins. This mixture is where most of
the biochemistry occurs that enables living cells to function, and it is
perhaps the most complex liquid on earth. Here we take an inventory of what is
actually in this mixture. Recent genome-sequencing work has given us for the
first time at least some information on all of these thousands of components.
Having done so we consider two physical phenomena in the cytoplasm: diffusion
and possible phase separation. Diffusion is slower in the highly crowded
cytoplasm than in dilute solution. Reasonable estimates of this slowdown can be
obtained and their consequences explored, for example, monomer-dimer equilibria
are established approximately twenty times slower than in a dilute solution.
Phase separation in all except exceptional cells appears not to be a problem,
despite the high density and so strong protein-protein interactions present. We
suggest that this may be partially a byproduct of the evolution of other
properties, and partially a result of the huge number of components present.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, 1 tabl
Drag in paired electron-hole layers
We investigate transresistance effects in electron-hole double layer systems
with an excitonic condensate. Our theory is based on the use of a minimum
dissipation premise to fix the current carried by the condensate. We find that
the drag resistance jumps discontinuously at the condensation temperature and
diverges as the temperature approaches zero.Comment: 12 pages, 1 Figure, .eps file attache
ALMA Observations of Gas-Rich Galaxies in z~1.6 Galaxy Clusters: Evidence for Higher Gas Fractions in High-Density Environments
We present ALMA CO (2-1) detections in 11 gas-rich cluster galaxies at z~1.6,
constituting the largest sample of molecular gas measurements in z>1.5 clusters
to date. The observations span three galaxy clusters, derived from the Spitzer
Adaptation of the Red-sequence Cluster Survey. We augment the >5sigma
detections of the CO (2-1) fluxes with multi-band photometry, yielding stellar
masses and infrared-derived star formation rates, to place some of the first
constraints on molecular gas properties in z~1.6 cluster environments. We
measure sizable gas reservoirs of 0.5-2x10^11 solar masses in these objects,
with high gas fractions and long depletion timescales, averaging 62% and 1.4
Gyr, respectively. We compare our cluster galaxies to the scaling relations of
the coeval field, in the context of how gas fractions and depletion timescales
vary with respect to the star-forming main sequence. We find that our cluster
galaxies lie systematically off the field scaling relations at z=1.6 toward
enhanced gas fractions, at a level of ~4sigma, but have consistent depletion
timescales. Exploiting CO detections in lower-redshift clusters from the
literature, we investigate the evolution of the gas fraction in cluster
galaxies, finding it to mimic the strong rise with redshift in the field. We
emphasize the utility of detecting abundant gas-rich galaxies in high-redshift
clusters, deeming them as crucial laboratories for future statistical studies.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, published in ApJ Letters; updated to match
published versio
Half-Metallic Ferrimagnetism in Mn_2VAl
We show that Mn_2VAl is a compound for which the generalized gradient
approximation (GGA) to the exchange-correlation functional in density
functional theory makes a qualitative change in predicted behavior compared to
the usual local density approximation (LDA). Application of GGA leads to
prediction of Mn_2VAl being a half-metallic ferrimagnet, with the minority
channel being the conducting one. The electronic and magnetic structure is
analyzed and contrasted with the isostructural enhanced semimetal Fe_2VAl.Comment: 5 pages, Latex, 6 postscript figures. Description and figures of the
(minority) Fermi surfaces have been adde
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