Fluid dynamics of bacterial turbulence

Self-sustained turbulent structures have been observed in a wide range of living fluids, yet no quantitative theory exists to explain their properties. We report experiments on active turbulence in highly concentrated 3D suspensions of Bacillus subtilis and compare them with a minimal fourth-order vector-field theory for incompressible bacterial dynamics. Velocimetry of bacteria and surrounding fluid, determined by imaging cells and tracking colloidal tracers, yields consistent results for velocity statistics and correlations over two orders of magnitude in kinetic energy, revealing a decrease of fluid memory with increasing swimming activity and linear scaling between energy and enstrophy. The best-fit model parameters allow for quantitative agreement with experimental data.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Dynamical Signatures of Symmetry Broken and Liquid Phases in an S=1/2S=1/2 Heisenberg Antiferromagnet on the Triangular Lattice

We present the dynamical spin structure factor of the antiferromagnetic spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ $J_1-J_2$ Heisenberg model on a triangular lattice obtained from large-scale matrix-product state simulations. The high frustration due to the combination of antiferromagnetic nearest and next-to-nearest neighbour interactions yields a rich phase diagram. We resolve the low-energy excitations both in the $120^{\circ}$-ordered phase and in the putative spin liquid phase at $J_2/J_1 = 0.125$. In the ordered phase, we observe an avoided decay of the lowest magnon-branch, demonstrating the robustness of this phenomenon in the presence of gapless excitations. Our findings in the spin-liquid phase chime with the field-theoretical predictions for a gapless Dirac spin liquid, in particular the picture of low-lying monopole excitations at the corners of the Brillouin zone. We comment on possible practical difficulties of distinguishing proximate liquid and solid phases based on the dynamical structure factor

Sensitivity of the correlation between the depth of shower maximum and the muon shower size to the cosmic ray composition

The composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays is an important issue in astroparticle physics research, and additional experimental results are required for further progress. Here we investigate what can be learned from the statistical correlation factor r between the depth of shower maximum and the muon shower size, when these observables are measured simultaneously for a set of air showers. The correlation factor r contains the lowest-order moment of a two-dimensional distribution taking both observables into account, and it is independent of systematic uncertainties of the absolute scales of the two observables. We find that, assuming realistic measurement uncertainties, the value of r can provide a measure of the spread of masses in the primary beam. Particularly, one can differentiate between a well-mixed composition (i.e., a beam that contains large fractions of both light and heavy primaries) and a relatively pure composition (i.e., a beam that contains species all of a similar mass). The number of events required for a statistically significant differentiation is ~ 200. This differentiation, though diluted, is maintained to a significant extent in the presence of uncertainties in the phenomenology of high energy hadronic interactions. Testing whether the beam is pure or well-mixed is well motivated by recent measurements of the depth of shower maximum.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physics, LA-UR-12-2008

Spin-Peierls instability of the U(1) Dirac spin liquid

Quantum spin liquids are tantalizing phases of frustrated quantum magnets. A complicating factor in their realization and observation in materials is the ubiquitous presence of other degrees of freedom, in particular lattice distortion modes (phonons). These provide additional routes for relieving magnetic frustration, thereby possibly destabilizing spin-liquid ground states. In this work, we focus on triangular-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnets, where recent numerical evidence suggests the presence of an extended U(1) Dirac spin liquid phase which is described by compact quantum electrodynamics in 2+1 dimensions (QED$_3$), featuring gapless spinons and monopoles as gauge excitations. Its low energy theory is believed to flow to a strongly-coupled fixed point with conformal symmetries. Using complementary perturbation theory and scaling arguments, we show that a symmetry-allowed coupling between (classical) finite-wavevector lattice distortions and monopole operators of the U(1) Dirac spin liquid generally induces a spin-Peierls instability towards a (confining) 12-site valence-bond solid state. We support our theoretical analysis with state-of-the-art density matrix renormalization group simulations. Away from the limit of static distortions, we demonstrate that the phonon energy gap establishes a parameter regime where the spin liquid is expected to be stable.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figure

Molecular quantum spin network controlled by a single qubit

Scalable quantum technologies will require an unprecedented combination of precision and complexity for designing stable structures of well-controllable quantum systems. It is a challenging task to find a suitable elementary building block, of which a quantum network can be comprised in a scalable way. Here we present the working principle of such a basic unit, engineered using molecular chemistry, whose control and readout are executed using a nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond. The basic unit we investigate is a synthetic polyproline with electron spins localized on attached molecular sidegroups separated by a few nanometers. We demonstrate the readout and coherent manipulation of very few ($\leq 6$) of these $S=1/2$ electronic spin systems and access their direct dipolar coupling tensor. Our results show, that it is feasible to use spin-labeled peptides as a resource for a molecular-qubit based network, while at the same time providing simple optical readout of single quantum states through NV-magnetometry. This work lays the foundation for building arbitrary quantum networks using well-established chemistry methods, which has many applications ranging from mapping distances in single molecules to quantum information processing.Comment: Author name typ

Holzreste von spätglazialen Kiefern aus der tiefgründigen und tonreichen Permanentrutschung ‚Spiegelberg’, Kanton Schwyz (Schweiz)

Die Hauptstrasse Nr. 8 zwischen Schwyz und Sattel verläuft durch aktive und tiefgründige Permanentrutschungen. Im lehmigen, matrix-gestützten Gehängeschutt der Rutschung ‚Spiegelberg’ wurde zwischen 1979–81 die Gütschbrücke erstellt (LK: 690.314/211.943; 670 m ü.M.) und unter Anwendung von Gründungsschutzschächten im unterlagernden Fels fundiert. Beim Aushub des Schutzschachtes für den Pfeiler WL-Nord wurden in der Tiefe von 25 m bzw. 38 m unter Oberkante Terrain zwei Nadelbaumfragmente gefunden. Letzterer Holzfund lag wenige Meter über der Felsoberfläche. Die 14C-Altersdatierung der Holzfunde (beide Pinus sylvestris) ergaben kalibrierte Altersspannen zwischen 11.690–11.270 cal. a BP (2s) am Übergang vom Grönland Stadial 1 (GS-1; ‚Jüngere Dryas’) zum Holozän bzw. 13.830–13.640 cal. a BP (2s) zu Beginn der spätglazialen Wärmeschwankung GI-1c (Grönland Interstadial 1c; ‚Allerød’). Die vorliegenden Daten zeigen, dass die Hanginstabilitäten bei ‚Spiegelberg’ nach dem Zerfall des letzteiszeitlichen Muota/Reussgletschers zu Beginn des Spätglazials eingesetzt haben mussten, und die Waldkiefer schon kurz nach den Kälterückschlägen des GI-1d (‚Aegelsee-Schwankung’) bzw. des GS-1 am nördlichen Alpenrand präsent war.researc

Introducing LoCo, a Logic for Configuration Problems

In this paper we present the core of LoCo, a logic-based high-level representation language for expressing configuration problems. LoCo shall allow to model these problems in an intuitive and declarative way, the dynamic aspects of configuration notwithstanding. Our logic enforces that configurations contain only finitely many components and reasoning can be reduced to the task of model construction.Comment: In Proceedings LoCoCo 2011, arXiv:1108.609

Minimizing attosecond CEP jitter by carrier envelope phase tuning

Minimizing the CEP jitter of isolated attosecond pulses (IAP) will be important for future applications. This jitter is experimentally and theoretically investigated and can be minimized when the driving pulse is near its Fourier limit but with slightly negative chirp. Thus, understanding and characterization of the CEP jitter of IAPs is a first step towards exact control of the electric field of IAP pulses