3,347 research outputs found
Rosen-Zener Transition in a Nonlinear Two-Level System
We study Rosen-Zener transition (RZT) in a nonlinear two-level system in
which the level energies depend on the occupation of the levels, representing a
mean-field type of interaction between the particles. We find that the
nonlinearity could affect the quantum transition dramatically. At certain
nonlinearity the 100% population transfer between two levels is observed and
found to be robust over a very wide range of external parameters. On the other
hand, the quantum transition could be completely blocked by a strong
nonlinearity. In the sudden and adiabatic limits we have derived analytical
expressions for the transition probability. Numerical explorations are made for
a wide range of parameters of the general case. Possible applications of our
theory to Bose-Einstern Condensates (BECs) are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
Void Growth in BCC Metals Simulated with Molecular Dynamics using the Finnis-Sinclair Potential
The process of fracture in ductile metals involves the nucleation, growth,
and linking of voids. This process takes place both at the low rates involved
in typical engineering applications and at the high rates associated with
dynamic fracture processes such as spallation. Here we study the growth of a
void in a single crystal at high rates using molecular dynamics (MD) based on
Finnis-Sinclair interatomic potentials for the body-centred cubic (bcc) metals
V, Nb, Mo, Ta, and W. The use of the Finnis-Sinclair potential enables the
study of plasticity associated with void growth at the atomic level at room
temperature and strain rates from 10^9/s down to 10^6/s and systems as large as
128 million atoms. The atomistic systems are observed to undergo a transition
from twinning at the higher end of this range to dislocation flow at the lower
end. We analyze the simulations for the specific mechanisms of plasticity
associated with void growth as dislocation loops are punched out to accommodate
the growing void. We also analyse the process of nucleation and growth of voids
in simulations of nanocrystalline Ta expanding at different strain rates. We
comment on differences in the plasticity associated with void growth in the bcc
metals compared to earlier studies in face-centred cubic (fcc) metals.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figure
1,2-Bis(2-chlorobenzylidene)hydrazine
The title Schiff base compound, C14H10Cl2N2, crystallizes with one half-molecule in the asymmetric unit. The mid-point of the N—N bond [1.418 (3) Å] lies on an inversion centre. The molecular skeleton is approximately planar, the largest deviation from the mean plane being 0.143 (4) Å for the N-bonded C atom. The crystal packing exhibits no classical intermolecular hydrogen bonds
Young stars at large distances from the galactic plane: mechanisms of formation
We have collected from the literature a list of early-type stars, situated at
large distances from the galactic plane, for which evidence of youth seems
convincing. We discuss two possible formation mechanisms for these stars:
ejection from the plane by dynamical interactions within small clusters, and
formation away from the plane, via induced shocks created by spiral density
waves. We identify the stars that could be explained by each mechanism. We
conclude that the ejection mechanism can account for about two thirds of the
stars, while a combination of star formation at z = 500-800 pc from the plane
and ejection, can account for 90 percent of these stars. Neither mechanism, nor
both together, can explain the most extreme examples.Comment: 6 pages, No figures. Sixth Pacific Rim Conference on Stellar
Astrophysics - A tribute to Helmut Abt, (Kluwer
N-(4,5-Diaza-9H-fluoren-9-ylidene)-4-methoxyaniline
In the title compound, C18H13N3O, the diazafluorene ring system is almost coplanar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0640 Å) and subtends an angle of 61.5 (4)° with the plane of the methoxy-substituted benzene ring. In the crystal structure, pairs of C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link molecules into centrosymmetric dimers parallel to the ab plane. Molecules are also stacked in an obverse fashion along the c axis by a variety of π–π interactions with centroid–centroid distances in the range 3.557 (2)–3.921 (2) Å
Distinct Patterns of Brain Metabolism in Patients at Risk of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy
Objective: To characterize regional brain metabolic differences in patients at high risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), using fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18FDG-PET). Methods: We studied patients with refractory focal epilepsy at high (n = 56) and low (n = 69) risk of SUDEP who underwent interictal 18FDG-PET as part of their pre-surgical evaluation. Binary SUDEP risk was ascertained by thresholding frequency of focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures (FBTCS). A whole brain analysis was employed to explore regional differences in interictal metabolic patterns. We contrasted these findings with regional brain metabolism more directly related to frequency of FBTCS. Results: Regions associated with cardiorespiratory and somatomotor regulation differed in interictal metabolism. In patients at relatively high risk of SUDEP, fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake was increased in the basal ganglia, ventral diencephalon, midbrain, pons, and deep cerebellar nuclei; uptake was decreased in the left planum temporale. These patterns were distinct from the effect of FBTCS frequency, where increasing frequency was associated with decreased uptake in bilateral medial superior frontal gyri, extending into the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Significance: Regions critical to cardiorespiratory and somatomotor regulation and to recovery from vital challenges show altered interictal metabolic activity in patients with frequent FBTCS considered to be at relatively high-risk of SUDEP, and shed light on the processes that may predispose patients to SUDEP
How large should whales be?
The evolution and distribution of species body sizes for terrestrial mammals
is well-explained by a macroevolutionary tradeoff between short-term selective
advantages and long-term extinction risks from increased species body size,
unfolding above the 2g minimum size induced by thermoregulation in air. Here,
we consider whether this same tradeoff, formalized as a constrained
convection-reaction-diffusion system, can also explain the sizes of fully
aquatic mammals, which have not previously been considered. By replacing the
terrestrial minimum with a pelagic one, at roughly 7000g, the terrestrial
mammal tradeoff model accurately predicts, with no tunable parameters, the
observed body masses of all extant cetacean species, including the 175,000,000g
Blue Whale. This strong agreement between theory and data suggests that a
universal macroevolutionary tradeoff governs body size evolution for all
mammals, regardless of their habitat. The dramatic sizes of cetaceans can thus
be attributed mainly to the increased convective heat loss is water, which
shifts the species size distribution upward and pushes its right tail into
ranges inaccessible to terrestrial mammals. Under this macroevolutionary
tradeoff, the largest expected species occurs where the rate at which
smaller-bodied species move up into large-bodied niches approximately equals
the rate at which extinction removes them.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 2 data table
Cosmic ray diffusion near the Bohm limit in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant
Supernova remnants (SNRs) are believed to be the primary location of the
acceleration of Galactic cosmic rays, via diffusive shock (Fermi) acceleration.
Despite considerable theoretical work the precise details are still unknown, in
part because of the difficulty in directly observing nucleons that are
accelerated to TeV energies in, and affect the structure of, the SNR shocks.
However, for the last ten years, X-ray observatories ASCA, and more recently
Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku have made it possible to image the synchrotron
emission at keV energies produced by cosmic-ray electrons accelerated in the
SNR shocks. In this article, we describe a spatially-resolved spectroscopic
analysis of Chandra observations of the Galactic SNR Cassiopeia A to map the
cutoff frequencies of electrons accelerated in the forward shock. We set upper
limits on the electron diffusion coefficient and find locations where particles
appear to be accelerated nearly as fast as theoretically possible (the Bohm
limit).Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in Nature Physics (DOI
below), final version available week of August 28, 2006 at
http://www.nature.com/nphy
The Mood of the Silver Economy: A Data Science Analysis of the Mood States of Older Adults and the Implications on their Wellbeing
For the first time in the history of humanity, the
number of people over 65 surpassed those under 5 in 2018. Undoubtedly, older people will play a significant role in the future of the economy and society in general, and technological innovation will be indispensable to support them. Thus, we were interested in learning how home automation could enable older people to live independently for longer. To better understand this, we held focus groups with UK senior citizens in 2021, and we analyzed the data derived from them from the perspective of affective computing. We have trained a machine learning classifier capable of distinguishing moods commonly associated with older adults. We have identified depression, sadness and anger as the most prominent mood states conveyed in our focus groups. Our practical insights can aid the design of strategic choices concerning the wellbeing of the ageing population
GLAST: Understanding the High Energy Gamma-Ray Sky
We discuss the ability of the GLAST Large Area Telescope (LAT) to identify,
resolve, and study the high energy gamma-ray sky. Compared to previous
instruments the telescope will have greatly improved sensitivity and ability to
localize gamma-ray point sources. The ability to resolve the location and
identity of EGRET unidentified sources is described. We summarize the current
knowledge of the high energy gamma-ray sky and discuss the astrophysics of
known and some prospective classes of gamma-ray emitters. In addition, we also
describe the potential of GLAST to resolve old puzzles and to discover new
classes of sources.Comment: To appear in Cosmic Gamma Ray Sources, Kluwer ASSL Series, Edited by
K.S. Cheng and G.E. Romer
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