Triple cascade behaviour in QG and drift turbulence and generation of zonal jets

We study quasigeostrophic (QG) and plasma drift turbulence within the Charney-Hasegawa-Mima (CHM) model. We focus on the zonostrophy, an extra invariant in the CHM model, and on its role in the formation of zonal jets. We use a generalized Fjørtoft argument for the energy, enstrophy, and zonostrophy and show that they cascade anisotropically into nonintersecting sectors in k space with the energy cascading towards large zonal scales. Using direct numerical simulations of the CHM equation, we show that zonostrophy is well conserved, and the three invariants cascade as predicted by the Fjørtoft argument

Measurements of Nanoscale Domain Wall Flexing in a Ferromagnetic Thin Film

We use the high spatial sensitivity of the anomalous Hall effect in the ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs, combined with the magneto-optical Kerr effect, to probe the nanoscale elastic flexing behavior of a single magnetic domain wall in a ferromagnetic thin film. Our technique allows position sensitive characterization of the pinning site density, which we estimate to be around 10^14 cm^{-3}. Analysis of single site depinning events and their temperature dependence yields estimates of pinning site forces (10 pN range) as well as the thermal deactivation energy. Finally, our data hints at a much higher intrinsic domain wall mobility for flexing than previously observed in optically-probed micron scale measurements

Equilibrium solutions of the shallow water equations

A statistical method for calculating equilibrium solutions of the shallow water equations, a model of essentially 2-d fluid flow with a free surface, is described. The model contains a competing acoustic turbulent {\it direct} energy cascade, and a 2-d turbulent {\it inverse} energy cascade. It is shown, nonetheless that, just as in the corresponding theory of the inviscid Euler equation, the infinite number of conserved quantities constrain the flow sufficiently to produce nontrivial large-scale vortex structures which are solutions to a set of explicitly derived coupled nonlinear partial differential equations.Comment: 4 pages, no figures. Submitted to Physical Review Letter

Clustering of matter in waves and currents

The growth rate of small-scale density inhomogeneities (the entropy production rate) is given by the sum of the Lyapunov exponents in a random flow. We derive an analytic formula for the rate in a flow of weakly interacting waves and show that in most cases it is zero up to the fourth order in the wave amplitude. We then derive an analytic formula for the rate in a flow of potential waves and solenoidal currents. Estimates of the rate and the fractal dimension of the density distribution show that the interplay between waves and currents is a realistic mechanism for providing patchiness of pollutant distribution on the ocean surface.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

The HQET/NRQCD Lagrangian to order alpha/m^3

The HQET/NRQCD Lagrangian is computed to order alpha/m^3. The computation is performed using dimensional regularization to regulate the ultraviolet and infrared divergences. The results are consistent with reparametrization invariance to order 1/m^3. Some subtleties in the matching conditions for NRQCD are discussed.Comment: Two terms added to Lagrangian. Explicit value of G^3 coefficient given. Some references added, and TeX problems fixed. (18 pages, uses revtex

Action minimizing fronts in general FPU-type chains

We study atomic chains with nonlinear nearest neighbour interactions and prove the existence of fronts (heteroclinic travelling waves with constant asymptotic states). Generalizing recent results of Herrmann and Rademacher we allow for non-convex interaction potentials and find fronts with non-monotone profile. These fronts minimize an action integral and can only exists if the asymptotic states fulfil the macroscopic constraints and if the interaction potential satisfies a geometric graph condition. Finally, we illustrate our findings by numerical simulations.Comment: 19 pages, several figure

Magneto-optical Kerr Effect Studies of Square Artificial Spin Ice

We report a magneto-optical Kerr effect study of the collective magnetic response of artificial square spin ice, a lithographically-defined array of single-domain ferromagnetic islands. We find that the anisotropic inter-island interactions lead to a non-monotonic angular dependence of the array coercive field. Comparisons with micromagnetic simulations indicate that the two perpendicular sublattices exhibit distinct responses to island edge roughness, which clearly influence the magnetization reversal process. Furthermore, such comparisons demonstrate that disorder associated with roughness in the island edges plays a hitherto unrecognized but essential role in the collective behavior of these systems.Comment: Physical Review B, Rapid Communications (in press

Topological Alterations of the Structural Brain Connectivity Network in Children with Juvenile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We used diffusion MR imaging to investigate the structural brain connectivity networks in juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, a neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease of childhood. Although changes in conventional MR imaging are typically not visually apparent in children agedPeer reviewe

A heavy quark effective field lagrangian keeping particle and antiparticle mixed sectors

We derive a tree-level heavy quark effective Lagrangian keeping particle-antiparticle mixed sectors allowing for heavy quark-antiquark pair annihilation and creation. However, when removing the unwanted degrees of freedom from the effective Lagrangian one has to be careful in using the classical equations of motion obeyed by the effective fields in order to get a convergent expansion on the reciprocal of the heavy quark mass. Then the application of the effective theory to such hard processes should be sensible for special kinematic regimes as for example heavy quark pair production near threshold.Comment: LaTeX, 14 pages, 1 EPS figure

Pitfalls in the normalization of real-time polymerase chain reaction data

Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is commonly used for a sensitive and specific quantification of messenger RNA (mRNA). The levels of mRNA are frequently compared between two or more experimental groups. However, such comparisons require normalization procedures, and reference genes are frequently used for this purpose. We discuss pitfalls in normalization and specifically in the choice of reference genes. Reference genes, which prove suitable for some experimental conditions, are not necessarily similarly appropriate for others. Therefore,a proper validation of the suitability of a given reference gene or sets thereof is required for each experimental setting. Several computer programmes are available to aid such validation