Simulations of Sisyphus cooling including multiple excited states

We extend the theory for laser cooling in a near-resonant optical lattice to include multiple excited hyperfine states. Simulations are performed treating the external degrees of freedom of the atom, i.e., position and momentum, classically, while the internal atomic states are treated quantum mechanically, allowing for arbitrary superpositions. Whereas theoretical treatments including only a single excited hyperfine state predict that the temperature should be a function of lattice depth only, except close to resonance, experiments have shown that the minimum temperature achieved depends also on the detuning from resonance of the lattice light. Our results resolve this discrepancy.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Explicit approximate controllability of the Schr\"odinger equation with a polarizability term

We consider a controlled Schr\"odinger equation with a dipolar and a polarizability term, used when the dipolar approximation is not valid. The control is the amplitude of the external electric field, it acts non linearly on the state. We extend in this infinite dimensional framework previous techniques used by Coron, Grigoriu, Lefter and Turinici for stabilization in finite dimension. We consider a highly oscillating control and prove the semi-global weak $H^2$ stabilization of the averaged system using a Lyapunov function introduced by Nersesyan. Then it is proved that the solutions of the Schr\"odinger equation and of the averaged equation stay close on every finite time horizon provided that the control is oscillating enough. Combining these two results, we get approximate controllability to the ground state for the polarizability system

Viscous photons in relativistic heavy ion collisions

Theoretical studies of the production of real thermal photons in relativistic heavy ion collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) are performed. The space-time evolution of the colliding system is modelled using MUSIC, a 3+1D relativistic hydrodynamic simulation, using both its ideal and viscous versions. The inclusive spectrum and its azimuthal angular anisotropy are studied separately, and the relative contributions of the different photon sources are highlighted. It is shown that the photon v2 coefficient is especially sensitive to the details of the microscopic dynamics like the equation of state, the ratio of shear viscosity over entropy density, eta/s, and to the morphology of the initial state.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures. References updated and discussion adde

Organic electrochemical transistor incorporating an ionogel as solid state electrolyte for lactate sensing

Room temperature Ionic liquids (RTILs) have evolved as a new type of solvent for biocatalysis, mainly due to their unique and tunable physical properties.[1] In addition, within the family of organic semiconductor-based sensors, organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) have attracted particular interest.[2] Here, we present a simple and robust biosensor, based on a OECT, capable of measuring lactic acid using a gel-like polymeric materials that endow RTIL (ionogel)[3] as solid-state electrolyte both to immobilise the enzyme and to serve as a supporting electrolyte.[4] This represents the first step towards the achievement of a fast, flexible, miniaturised and cheap way of measuring lactate concentration in sweat

Constraining Scalar Leptoquarks from the K and B Sectors

Upper bounds at the weak scale are obtained for all $\lambda_{ij}\lambda_{im}$ type product couplings of the scalar leptoquark model which may affect K-K(bar), B_d-B_d(bar), and B_s-B_s(bar)$ mixing, as well as leptonic and semileptonic K and B decays. Constraints are obtained for both real and imaginary parts of the couplings. We also discuss the role of leptoquarks in explaining the anomalously large CP-violating phase in B_s-B_s(bar) mixing.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, more constraints analyzed, added a number of reference

The Conserved nhaAR Operon Is Drastically Divergent between B2 and Non-B2 Escherichia coli and Is Involved in Extra-Intestinal Virulence

The Escherichia coli species is divided in phylogenetic groups that differ in their virulence and commensal distribution. Strains belonging to the B2 group are involved in extra-intestinal pathologies but also appear to be more prevalent as commensals among human occidental populations. To investigate the genetic specificities of B2 sub-group, we used 128 sequenced genomes and identified genes of the core genome that showed marked difference between B2 and non-B2 genomes. We focused on the gene and its surrounding region with the strongest divergence between B2 and non-B2, the antiporter gene nhaA. This gene is part of the nhaAR operon, which is in the core genome but flanked by mobile regions, and is involved in growth at high pH and high sodium concentrations. Consistently, we found that a panel of non-B2 strains grew faster than B2 at high pH and high sodium concentrations. However, we could not identify differences in expression of the nhaAR operon using fluorescence reporter plasmids. Furthermore, the operon deletion had no differential impact between B2 and non-B2 strains, and did not result in a fitness modification in a murine model of gut colonization. Nevertheless, sequence analysis and experiments in a murine model of septicemia revealed that recombination in nhaA among B2 strains was observed in strains with low virulence. Finally, nhaA and nhaAR operon deletions drastically decreased virulence in one B2 strain. This effect of nhaAR deletion appeared to be stronger than deletion of all pathogenicity islands. Thus, a population genetic approach allowed us to identify an operon in the core genome without strong effect in commensalism but with an important role in extra-intestinal virulence, a landmark of the B2 strains

Development of a telescope for medium-energy gamma-ray astronomy

The Advanced Energetic Pair Telescope (AdEPT) is being developed at GSFC as a future NASA MIDEX mission to explore the medium-energy (5–200 MeV) gamma-ray range. The enabling technology for AdEPT is the Three- Dimensional Track Imager (3-DTI), a gaseous time projection chamber. The high spatial resolution 3-D electron tracking of 3-DTI enables AdEPT to achieve high angular resolution gamma-ray imaging via pair production and triplet production (pair production on electrons) in the medium-energy range. The low density and high spatial resolution of 3-DTI allows the electron positron track directions to be measured before they are dominated by Coulomb scattering. Further, the significant reduction of Coulomb scattering allows AdEPT to be the first medium-energy gamma-ray telescope to have high gamma-ray polarization sensitivity. We review the science goals that can be addressed with a medium-energy pair telescope, how these goals drive the telescope design, and the realization of this design with AdEPT. The AdEPT telescope for a future MIDEX mission is envisioned as a 8 m3 active volume filled with argon at 2 atm. The design and performance of the 3-DTI detectors for the AdEPT telescope are described as well as the outstanding instrument challenges that need to be met for the AdEPT mission

Spin-accumulation induced magnetic texture in a metal-insulator bilayer

We consider the influence of a spin accumulation in a normal metal on the magnetic statics and dynamics in an adjacent magnetic insulator. In particular, we focus on arbitary angles between the spin accumulation and the easy-axis of the magnetic insulator. Based on Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert phenomenology supplemented with magnetoelectronic circuit theory, we find that the magnetic texture twists into a stable configuration that turns out to be described by a virtual, or image, domain wall configuration, i.e., a domain wall outside the ferromagnet. We show that even when the spin accumulation is perpendicular to the anisotropy axis, the magnetic texture develops a component parallel to the spin accumulation for sufficiently large spin bias. The emergence of this parallel component gives rise to threshold behavior in the spin Hall magnetoresistance and nonlocal magnon transport. This threshold can be used to design novel spintronic and magnonic devices that can be operated without external magnetic fields.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, including appendice