7,476 research outputs found
Laboratory Tests of Low Density Astrophysical Equations of State
Clustering in low density nuclear matter has been investigated using the
NIMROD multi-detector at Texas A&M University. Thermal coalescence modes were
employed to extract densities, , and temperatures, , for evolving
systems formed in collisions of 47 MeV Ar + Sn,Sn
and Zn + Sn, Sn. The yields of , , He, and
He have been determined at = 0.002 to 0.032 nucleons/fm and
= 5 to 10 MeV. The experimentally derived equilibrium constants for
particle production are compared with those predicted by a number of
astrophysical equations of state. The data provide important new constraints on
the model calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Experimental Determination of In-Medium Cluster Binding Energies and Mott Points in Nuclear Matter
In medium binding energies and Mott points for , , He and
clusters in low density nuclear matter have been determined at specific
combinations of temperature and density in low density nuclear matter produced
in collisions of 47 MeV Ar and Zn projectiles with Sn
and Sn target nuclei. The experimentally derived values of the in
medium modified binding energies are in good agreement with recent theoretical
predictions based upon the implementation of Pauli blocking effects in a
quantum statistical approach.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Evidence of Critical Behavior in the Disassembly of Nuclei with A ~ 36
A wide variety of observables indicate that maximal fluctuations in the
disassembly of hot nuclei with A ~ 36 occur at an excitation energy of 5.6 +-
0.5 MeV/u and temperature of 8.3 +- 0.5 MeV. Associated with this point of
maximal fluctuations are a number of quantitative indicators of apparent
critical behavior. The associated caloric curve does not appear to show a
flattening such as that seen for heavier systems. This suggests that, in
contrast to similar signals seen for liquid-gas transitions in heavier nuclei,
the observed behavior in these very light nuclei is associated with a
transition much closer to the critical point.Comment: v2: Major changes, new model calculations, new figure
Critical Behavior in Light Nuclear Systems: Experimental Aspects
An extensive experimental survey of the features of the disassembly of a
small quasi-projectile system with 36, produced in the reactions of 47
MeV/nucleon Ar + Al, Ti and Ni, has been carried
out. Nuclei in the excitation energy range of 1-9 MeV/u have been investigated
employing a new method to reconstruct the quasi-projectile source. At an
excitation energy 5.6 MeV/nucleon many observables indicate the presence
of maximal fluctuations in the de-excitation processes. The fragment
topological structure shows that the rank sorted fragments obey Zipf's law at
the point of largest fluctuations providing another indication of a liquid gas
phase transition. The caloric curve for this system shows a monotonic increase
of temperature with excitation energy and no apparent plateau. The temperature
at the point of maximal fluctuations is MeV. Taking this
temperature as the critical temperature and employing the caloric curve
information we have extracted the critical exponents , and
from the data. Their values are also consistent with the values of the
universality class of the liquid gas phase transition. Taken together, this
body of evidence strongly suggests a phase change in an equilibrated mesoscopic
system at, or extremely close to, the critical point.Comment: Physical Review C, in press; some discussions about the validity of
excitation energy in peripheral collisions have been added; 24 pages and 32
figures; longer abstract in the preprin
Towards the critical behavior for the light nuclei by NIMROD detector
The critical behavior for the light nuclei with A has been
investigated experimentally by the NIMROD multi-detectors. The wide variety of
observables indicate the critical point has been reached in the disassembly of
hot nuclei at an excitation energy of 5.60.5 MeV/u.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; Proceeding of 18th Nuclear Physics Division
Conference of the Euro. Phys. Society (NPDC18) "Phase transitions in strongly
interacting matter", Prague, 23.8.-29.8. 2004. To be published in Nuclear
Physics
Properties of the Initial Participant Matter Interaction Zone in Near Fermi-Energy Heavy Ion Collisions
The sizes, temperatures and free neutron to proton ratios of the initial
interaction zones produced in the collisions of 40 MeV/nucleon Ar +
Sn and 55 MeV/nucleonAl + Sn are derived using total
detected neutron plus charged particle multiplicity as a measure of the impact
parameter range and number of participant nucleons. The size of the initial
interaction zone, determined from a coalescence model analysis, increases
significantly with decreasing impact parameter. The temperatures and free
neutron to proton ratios in the interaction zones are relatively similar for
different impact parameter ranges and evolve in a similar fashion.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure
Tracing the Evolution of Temperature in Near Fermi Energy Heavy Ion Collisions
The kinetic energy variation of emitted light clusters has been employed as a
clock to explore the time evolution of the temperature for thermalizing
composite systems produced in the reactions of 26A, 35A and 47A MeV Zn
with Ni, Mo and Au. For each system investigated, the
double isotope ratio temperature curve exhibits a high maximum apparent
temperature, in the range of 10-25 MeV, at high ejectile velocity. These
maximum values increase with increasing projectile energy and decrease with
increasing target mass. The time at which the maximum in the temperature curve
is reached ranges from 80 to 130 fm/c after contact. For each different target,
the subsequent cooling curves for all three projectile energies are quite
similar. Temperatures comparable to those of limiting temperature systematics
are reached 30 to 40 fm/c after the times corresponding to the maxima, at a
time when AMD-V transport model calculations predict entry into the final
evaporative or fragmentation stage of de-excitation of the hot composite
systems. Evidence for the establishment of thermal and chemical equilibrium is
discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
A Ghoshal-like Test of Equilibration in Near-Fermi-Energy Heavy Ion Collisions
Calorimetric and coalescence techniques have been employed to probe
equilibration for hot nuclei produced in heavy ion collisions of 35 to 55 MeV/u
projectiles with medium mass targets. Entrance channel mass asymmetries and
energies were selected in order that very hot composite nuclei of similar mass
and excitation would remain after early stage pre-equilibrium particle
emission. Inter-comparison of the properties and de-excitation patterns for
these different systems provides evidence for the production of hot nuclei with
decay patterns relatively independent of the specific entrance channel.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure
Restoration of visual function in advanced disease after transplantation of purified human pluripotent stem cell-derived cone photoreceptors
Age-related macular degeneration and other macular diseases result in the loss of light-sensing cone photoreceptors, causing irreversible sight impairment. Photoreceptor replacement may restore vision by transplanting healthy cells, which must form new synaptic connections with the recipient retina. Despite recent advances, convincing evidence of functional connectivity arising from transplanted human cone photoreceptors in advanced retinal degeneration is lacking. Here, we show restoration of visual function after transplantation of purified human pluripotent stem cell-derived cones into a mouse model of advanced degeneration. Transplanted human cones elaborate nascent outer segments and make putative synapses with recipient murine bipolar cells (BCs), which themselves undergo significant remodeling. Electrophysiological and behavioral assessments demonstrate restoration of surprisingly complex light-evoked retinal ganglion cell responses and improved light-evoked behaviors in treated animals. Stringent controls exclude alternative explanations, including material transfer and neuroprotection. These data provide crucial validation for photoreceptor replacement therapy and for the potential to rescue cone-mediated vision
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