1,228 research outputs found
Increasing dependence on industry-funded research creates higher risk of biased reporting in medical physics
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Influence of external magnetic fields on growth of alloy nanoclusters
Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations are performed to study the influence of
external magnetic fields on the growth of magnetic fcc binary alloy
nanoclusters with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The underlying kinetic
model is designed to describe essential structural and magnetic properties of
CoPt_3-type clusters grown on a weakly interacting substrate through molecular
beam epitaxy. The results suggest that perpendicular magnetic anisotropy can be
enhanced when the field is applied during growth. For equilibrium bulk systems
a significant shift of the onset temperature for L1_2 ordering is found, in
agreement with predictions from Landau theory. Stronger field induced effects
can be expected for magnetic fcc-alloys undergoing L1_0 ordering.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
ASK/PSK-correspondence and the r-map
We formulate a correspondence between affine and projective special K\"ahler manifolds of the same dimension. As an application, we show that, under this correspondence, the affine special K\"ahler manifolds in the image of the rigid r-map are mapped to one-parameter deformations of projective special K\"ahler manifolds in the image of the supergravity r-map. The above one-parameter deformations are interpreted as perturbative -corrections in heterotic and type-II string compactifications with supersymmetry. Also affine special K\"ahler manifolds with quadratic prepotential are mapped to one-parameter families of projective special K\"ahler manifolds with quadratic prepotential. We show that the completeness of the deformed supergravity r-map metric depends solely on the (well-understood) completeness of the undeformed metric and the sign of the deformation parameter
Boundary lubrication with a glassy interface
Recently introduced constitutive equations for the rheology of dense,
disordered materials are investigated in the context of stick-slip experiments
in boundary lubrication. The model is based on a generalization of the shear
transformation zone (STZ) theory, in which plastic deformation is represented
by a population of mesoscopic regions which may undergo non affine deformations
in response to stress. The generalization we study phenomenologically
incorporates the effects of aging and glassy relaxation. Under experimental
conditions associated with typical transitions from stick-slip to steady
sliding and stop start tests, these effects can be dominant, although the full
STZ description is necessary to account for more complex, chaotic transitions
Acoustic radiation controls friction: Evidence from a spring-block experiment
Brittle failures of materials and earthquakes generate acoustic/seismic waves
which lead to radiation damping feedbacks that should be introduced in the
dynamical equations of crack motion. We present direct experimental evidence of
the importance of this feedback on the acoustic noise spectrum of
well-controlled spring-block sliding experiments performed on a variety of
smooth surfaces. The full noise spectrum is quantitatively explained by a
simple noisy harmonic oscillator equation with a radiation damping force
proportional to the derivative of the acceleration, added to a standard viscous
term.Comment: 4 pages including 3 figures. Replaced with version accepted in PR
Dynamics of Viscoplastic Deformation in Amorphous Solids
We propose a dynamical theory of low-temperature shear deformation in
amorphous solids. Our analysis is based on molecular-dynamics simulations of a
two-dimensional, two-component noncrystalline system. These numerical
simulations reveal behavior typical of metallic glasses and other viscoplastic
materials, specifically, reversible elastic deformation at small applied
stresses, irreversible plastic deformation at larger stresses, a stress
threshold above which unbounded plastic flow occurs, and a strong dependence of
the state of the system on the history of past deformations. Microscopic
observations suggest that a dynamically complete description of the macroscopic
state of this deforming body requires specifying, in addition to stress and
strain, certain average features of a population of two-state shear
transformation zones. Our introduction of these new state variables into the
constitutive equations for this system is an extension of earlier models of
creep in metallic glasses. In the treatment presented here, we specialize to
temperatures far below the glass transition, and postulate that irreversible
motions are governed by local entropic fluctuations in the volumes of the
transformation zones. In most respects, our theory is in good quantitative
agreement with the rich variety of phenomena seen in the simulations.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
Re-entrant hidden order at a metamagnetic quantum critical end point
Magnetization measurements of URu2Si2 in pulsed magnetic fields of 44 T
reveal that the hidden order phase is destroyed before appearing in the form of
a re-entrant phase between ~ 36 and 39 T. Evidence for conventional itinerant
electron metamagnetism at higher temperatures suggests that the re-entrant
phase is created in the vicinity of a quantum critical end point.Comment: 8 pages, including 3 figures (Physical Review Letters, in press) a
systematic error in the field calibration has been fixed since the original
submission of this manuscrip
Anomalous diffusion and asymmetric tempering memory in neutrophil chemotaxis.
The motility of neutrophils and their ability to sense and to react to chemoattractants in their environment are of central importance for the innate immunity. Neutrophils are guided towards sites of inflammation following the activation of G-protein coupled chemoattractant receptors such as CXCR2 whose signaling strongly depends on the activity of Ca2+ permeable TRPC6 channels. It is the aim of this study to analyze data sets obtained in vitro (murine neutrophils) and in vivo (zebrafish neutrophils) with a stochastic mathematical model to gain deeper insight into the underlying mechanisms. The model is based on the analysis of trajectories of individual neutrophils. Bayesian data analysis, including the covariances of positions for fractional Brownian motion as well as for exponentially and power-law tempered model variants, allows the estimation of parameters and model selection. Our model-based analysis reveals that wildtype neutrophils show pure superdiffusive fractional Brownian motion. This so-called anomalous dynamics is characterized by temporal long-range correlations for the movement into the direction of the chemotactic CXCL1 gradient. Pure superdiffusion is absent vertically to this gradient. This points to an asymmetric 'memory' of the migratory machinery, which is found both in vitro and in vivo. CXCR2 blockade and TRPC6-knockout cause tempering of temporal correlations in the chemotactic gradient. This can be interpreted as a progressive loss of memory, which leads to a marked reduction of chemotaxis and search efficiency of neutrophils. In summary, our findings indicate that spatially differential regulation of anomalous dynamics appears to play a central role in guiding efficient chemotactic behavior
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