1,098 research outputs found
Thermo-mechanical behavior of surface acoustic waves in ordered arrays of nanodisks studied by near infrared pump-probe diffraction experiments
The ultrafast thermal and mechanical dynamics of a two-dimensional lattice of
metallic nano-disks has been studied by near infrared pump-probe diffraction
measurements, over a temporal range spanning from 100 fs to several
nanoseconds. The experiments demonstrate that, in these systems, a
two-dimensional surface acoustic wave (2DSAW), with a wavevector given by the
reciprocal periodicity of the array, can be excited by ~120 fs Ti:sapphire
laser pulses. In order to clarify the interaction between the nanodisks and the
substrate, numerical calculations of the elastic eigenmodes and simulations of
the thermodynamics of the system are developed through finite-element analysis.
At this light, we unambiguously show that the observed 2DSAW velocity shift
originates from the mechanical interaction between the 2DSAWs and the
nano-disks, while the correlated 2DSAW damping is due to the energy radiation
into the substrate.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure
Quantum chaos in nanoelectromechanical systems
We present a theoretical study of the electron-phonon coupling in suspended
nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) and investigate the resulting quantum
chaotic behavior. The phonons are associated with the vibrational modes of a
suspended rectangular dielectric plate, with free or clamped boundary
conditions, whereas the electrons are confined to a large quantum dot (QD) on
the plate's surface. The deformation potential and piezoelectric interactions
are considered. By performing standard energy-level statistics we demonstrate
that the spectral fluctuations exhibit the same distributions as those of the
Gaussian Orthogonal Ensemble (GOE) or the Gaussian Unitary Ensemble (GUE),
therefore evidencing the emergence of quantum chaos. That is verified for a
large range of material and geometry parameters. In particular, the GUE
statistics occurs only in the case of a circular QD. It represents an anomalous
phenomenon, previously reported for just a small number of systems, since the
problem is time-reversal invariant. The obtained results are explained through
a detailed analysis of the Hamiltonian matrix structure.Comment: 14 pages, two column
Anomalous quantum chaotic behavior in nanoelectromechanical structures
It is predicted that for sufficiently strong electron-phonon coupling an
anomalous quantum chaotic behavior develops in certain types of suspended
electro-mechanical nanostructures, here comprised by a thin cylindrical quantum
dot (billiard) on a suspended rectangular dielectric plate. The deformation
potential and piezoelectric interactions are considered. As a result of the
electron-phonon coupling between the two systems the spectral statistics of the
electro-mechanic eigenenergies exhibit an anomalous behavior. If the center of
the quantum dot is located at one of the symmetry axes of the rectangular
plate, the energy level distributions correspond to the Gaussian Orthogonal
Ensemble (GOE), otherwise they belong to the Gaussian Unitary Ensemble (GUE),
even though the system is time-reversal invariant.Comment: 4 pages, pdf forma
The Arecibo Galaxy Environment Survey: II. A HI view of the Abell cluster 1367 and its outskirts
We present 21 cm HI line observations of 5x1 square degrees centered on the
local Abell cluster 1367 obtained as part of the Arecibo Galaxy Environment
Survey. One hundred sources are detected (79 new HI measurements and 50 new
redshifts), more than half belonging to the cluster core and its infalling
region. Combining the HI data with SDSS optical imaging we show that our HI
selected sample follows scaling relations similar to the ones usually observed
in optically selected samples. Interestingly all galaxies in our sample appear
to have nearly the same baryon fraction independently of their size, surface
brightness and luminosity. The most striking difference between HI and
optically selected samples resides in their large scale distribution: whereas
optical and X-ray observations trace the cluster core very well, in HI there is
almost no evidence of the presence of the cluster. Some implications on the
determination of the cluster luminosity function and HI distribution for
samples selected at different wavelength are also discussed.Comment: 22 pages, 15 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication on MNRAS
Main Journal. High resolution version of this paper can be downloaded at
http://www.astro.cf.ac.uk/pub/Luca.Cortese/papers/ages_a1367.pdf . Datacubes
and catalogs can be downloaded at http://www.naic.edu/~ages/public_data.htm
Quantum statistical effects in nano-oscillator arrays
We have theoretically predicted the density of states(DOS), the low
temperature specific heat, and Brillouin scattering spectra of a large, free
standing array of coupled nano-oscillators. We have found significant gaps in
the DOS of 2D elastic systems, and predict the average DOS to be nearly
independent of frequency over a broad band f < 50GHz. At low temperatures, the
measurements probe the quantum statistics obeyed by rigid body modes of the
array and, thus, could be used to verify the quantization of the associated
energy levels. These states, in turn, involve center-of mass motion of large
numbers of atoms, N > 1.e14, and therefore such observations would extend the
domain in which quantum mechanics has been experimentally tested. We have found
the required measurement capability to carry out this investigation to be
within reach of current technology.Comment: 1 tex file, 3 figures, 1 bbl fil
A search for debris disks in the Herschel-ATLAS
Original article can be found at: http://www.aanda.org/ Copyright The European Southern Observatory (ESO)Aims. We aim to demonstrate that the Herschel-ATLAS (H-ATLAS) is suitable for a blind and unbiased survey for debris disks by identifying candidate debris disks associated with main sequence stars in the initial science demonstration field of the survey. We show that H-ATLAS reveals a population of far-infrared/sub-mm sources that are associated with stars or star-like objects on the SDSS main-sequence locus. We validate our approach by comparing the properties of the most likely candidate disks to those of the known population. Methods. We use a photometric selection technique to identify main sequence stars in the SDSS DR7 catalogue and a Bayesian Likelihood Ratio method to identify H-ATLAS catalogue sources associated with these main sequence stars. Following this photometric selection we apply distance cuts to identify the most likely candidate debris disks and rule out the presence of contaminating galaxies using UKIDSS LAS K-band images. Results. We identify 78 H-ATLAS sources associated with SDSS point sources on the main-sequence locus, of which two are the most likely debris disk candidates: H-ATLAS J090315.8 and H-ATLAS J090240.2. We show that they are plausible candidates by comparing their properties to the known population of debris disks. Our initial results indicate that bright debris disks are rare, with only 2 candidates identified in a search sample of 851 stars. We also show that H-ATLAS can derive useful upper limits for debris disks associated with Hipparcos stars in the field and outline the future prospects for our debris disk search programme.Peer reviewe
Me against who? Male guppies adjust mating behaviour according to their rivalâs presence and attractiveness
This work was supported by Portuguese National Funds through FCT (Fundação para a CiĂȘncia e a Tecnologia), within the cE3c Unit FCT funding (grant number UID/BIA/00329/2013), IO PhD grant (SFRH/BD/90686/2012) and SAMV (SFRH/BPD/66042/2009 and PTDC/BIAâANM/0810/14) and MB (SFRH/BPD/82259/2011) PostâDoctoral research grants. This work was also supported by the ERC (European Research Council) AdG BioTIME (250189) to AEM.Sexual selection theory suggests that males need to constantly reappraise their mating decisions to take account of the presence and the phenotypes of their rivals. Here we examine this expectation by asking: (i) If the presence of a rival influences male mating behaviour; (ii) How important is the attractiveness of the rival (absolute attractiveness) in shaping male behaviour; and (iii) How does a male's attractiveness in comparison to his rival (relative attractiveness) influence a male's mating decisions. Using the Trinidadian guppy, a species in which female mate choice (based on malesâ attractive traits) plays an important role in male mating outcomes, we recorded the frequency of courtship displays and unsolicited attempts by focal males. First, we quantified focal male mating behaviour with and without a rival. Since the probability of a successful mating is, on average, halved by the presence of a rival, we predicted that under competition the focal male would invest more in less costly mating tacticâunsolicited attempts. Second, we examined how the rival's standard length and area of orange coloration mediated focal male mating behaviour. We found that rival presence influenced how focal males responded to females in terms of both mating tactics. However, the rival attractiveness elicited changes only in male courtship display. Focal males increased courtship display rate if his rival was small or if possessed large amounts of orange, regardless of considering rival absolute or relative attractiveness. Our results show that males invest in the costlier mating tactic when there is no rival or in the presence of a smaller rival. Interestingly, they make a similar investment in the presence of an attractive orange rival. Overall, this study highlights the importance of fineâgrained male decisions in mating encounters and shows that mating tactics are differentially shaped by multiple competition risk cues.PostprintPeer reviewe
Herschel-ATLAS: The angular correlation function of submillimetre galaxies at high and low redshift
Original article can be found at: http://www.aanda.org/ Copyright The European Southern ObservatoryWe present measurements of the angular correlation function of galaxies selected from the first field of the H-ATLAS survey. Careful removal of the background from galactic cirrus is essential, and currently dominates the uncertainty in our measurements. For our 250 ÎŒm-selected sample we detect no significant clustering, consistent with the expectation that the 250 ÎŒm-selected sources are mostly normal galaxies at z 1. For our 350 ÎŒm and 500 ÎŒm-selected samples we detect relatively strong clustering with correlation amplitudes A of 0.2 and 1.2 at 1', but with relatively large uncertainties. For samples which preferentially select high redshift galaxies at z~2â3 we detect significant strong clustering, leading to an estimate of r0 ~ 7â11 h-1 Mpc. The slope of our clustering measurements is very steep, ÎŽ ~ 2. The measurements are consistent with the idea that sub-mm sources consist of a low redshift population of normal galaxies and a high redshift population of highly clustered star-bursting galaxies.Peer reviewe
Identification of a Framework for Best Practices in Nutrition Education for Low-Income Audiences
To promote effective low-income nutrition education programs, an expert panel of nutrition education and public health researchers built consensus around 28 best practices grouped into 5 domains (Program Design, Program Delivery, Educator Characteristics, Educator Training, and Evaluation) targeting direct delivery of nutrition education. These best practices can be used to assess program strengths, promote fidelity in delivery and evaluation, and design research to strengthen programsâ evidence base. A survey of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ProgramâEducation nutrition education leaders helped identify staff development needs and interest relative to specific best practices. Best practices can be used to identify staff development needs among frontline educators, supervisors, and program leaders in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ProgramâEducation, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, and other programs targeting low-income audiences
Moving frames applied to shell elasticity
Exterior calculus and moving frames are used to describe curved elastic
shells. The kinematics follow from the Lie-derivative on forms whereas the
dynamics via stress-forms.Comment: 20 pages, 1 figur
- âŠ