959 research outputs found
Magnetic relaxation in the "Bragg-glass" phase in BSCCO
Magnetic relaxation in the Bragg-glass phase of overdoped Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_8
crystals was investigated using time-resolved magneto-optical visualisation of
the flux distribution. This has permitted us to extract the current-voltage
characteristic, which can be well described by a power-law, although fits to a
stretched exponential E \sim \exp(- j_{c} / j)^{\mu} with 0.3 < \mu < 0.8 are
possible at long times in excess of 100 s.Comment: 2 pages, 3 figures submitted to conference proceedings of M2S-2000
Houston T
Landau Damping of Spin Waves in Trapped Boltzmann Gases
A semiclassical method is used to study Landau damping of transverse
pseudo-spin waves in harmonically trapped ultracold gases in the collisionless
Boltzmann limit. In this approach, the time evolution of a spin is calculated
numerically as it travels in a classical orbit through a spatially dependent
mean field. This method reproduces the Landau damping results for spin-waves in
unbounded systems obtained with a dielectric formalism. In trapped systems, the
simulations indicate that Landau damping occurs for a given spin-wave mode
because of resonant phase space trajectories in which spins are "kicked out" of
the mode (in spin space). A perturbative analysis of the resonant and nearly
resonant trajectories gives the Landau damping rate, which is calculated for
the dipole and quadrupole modes as a function of the interaction strength. The
results are compared to a numerical solution of the kinetic equation by Nikuni
et al.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure
Regular consumption of black tea increases circulating kynurenine concentrations: A randomized controlled trial
AbstractBackgroundCirculating neopterin and the ratio of kynurenine to tryptophan (KYN/TRP) concentrations are biomarkers of immune activation that have been linked to cardiovascular and total mortality. Several in vitro studies indicated that tea flavonoids and other antioxidants can modulate tryptophan breakdown rates and neopterin production in immune cells. We aimed to assess the effects of regular black tea consumption on tryptophan and neopterin metabolisms in vivo.MethodsParticipants were healthy individuals, with no major illnesses and having normal to mildly elevated systolic blood pressure. They were randomly assigned to consume 3cups/day of either powdered black tea solids (tea; n=45) or a flavonoid-free caffeine-matched beverage (control; n=49). Serum concentrations of tryptophan, kynurenine and neopterin were assessed at baseline and again at 3 and 6months after daily ingestion of the respective beverage.ResultsRegular consumption of tea over 6months, compared to control, did not significantly alter neopterin (p=0.13) or tryptophan (p=0.85) concentrations, but did result in significantly higher kynurenine (p=0.016) and KYN/TRP (p=0.012). Relative to the control group, in the tea group kynurenine and KYN/TRP increased during the treatment period by 0.28μmol/L (95% CI: −0.04, 0.60) and 3.2μmol/mmol (95% CI: −1.6, 8.0), respectively at 3months, and by 0.48μmol/L (95% CI: 0.16, 0.80) and 7.5μmol/mmol (95% CI: 2.5, 12.5), respectively at 6months.ConclusionsIncreased circulation of kynurenine and KYN/TRP following regular black tea consumption may indicate enhanced tryptophan breakdown, possibly due to immune activation-induced tryptophan degrading enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase.General significanceThe influence of black tea consumption on biomarkers of immune system activation could relate to its general health benefits. Data suggests that the net effect strongly depends on the individual immune state, being stimulatory in healthy individuals, while acting more immune dampening in situations with an inflammatory background
Asymmetric nuclear matter in a Hartree-Fock approach to non-linear QHD
The Equation of State (EOS) for asymmetric nuclear matter is discussed
starting from a phenomenological hadronic field theory of Serot-Walecka type
including exchange terms. In a model with self interactions of the scalar
sigma-meson we show that the Fock terms naturally lead to isospin effects in
the nuclear EOS. These effects are quite large and dominate over the
contribution due to isovector mesons. We obtain a potential symmetry term of
"stiff" type, i.e. increasing with baryon density and an interesting behaviour
of neutron/proton effective masses of relevance for transport properties of
asymmetric dense matter.Comment: 12 pages (LATEX), 3 Postscript figures, revised versio
Collective modes of asymmetric nuclear matter in Quantum HadroDynamics
We discuss a fully relativistic Landau Fermi liquid theory based on the
Quantum Hadro-Dynamics () effective field picture of Nuclear Matter
({\it NM}).
From the linearized kinetic equations we get the dispersion relations of the
propagating collective modes. We focus our attention on the dynamical effects
of the interplay between scalar and vector channel contributions. A beautiful
``mirror'' structure in the form of the dynamical response in the
isoscalar/isovector degree of freedom is revealed, with a complete parallelism
in the role respectively played by the compressibility and the symmetry energy.
All that strongly supports the introduction of an explicit coupling to the
scalar-isovector channel of the nucleon-nucleon interaction. In particular we
study the influence of this coupling (to a -meson-like effective field)
on the collective response of asymmetric nuclear matter (). Interesting
contributions are found on the propagation of isovector-like modes at normal
density and on an expected smooth transition to isoscalar-like oscillations at
high baryon density. Important ``chemical'' effects on the neutron-proton
structure of the mode are shown. For dilute we have the isospin
distillation mechanism of the unstable isoscalar-like oscillations, while at
high baryon density we predict an almost pure neutron wave structure of the
propagating sounds.Comment: 18 pages (LATEX), 8 Postscript figures, uses "epsfig
A microscopic estimate of the nuclear matter compressibility and symmetry energy in relativistic mean-field models
The relativistic mean-field plus RPA calculations, based on effective
Lagrangians with density-dependent meson-nucleon vertex functions, are employed
in a microscopic analysis of the nuclear matter compressibility and symmetry
energy. We compute the isoscalar monopole and the isovector dipole response of
Pb, as well as the differences between the neutron and proton radii for
Pb and several Sn isotopes. The comparison of the calculated excitation
energies with the experimental data on the giant monopole resonance in
Pb, restricts the nuclear matter compression modulus of structure
models based on the relativistic mean-field approximation to MeV. The isovector giant dipole resonance in Pb, and the
available data on differences between neutron and proton radii, limit the range
of the nuclear matter symmetry energy at saturation (volume asymmetry) to 32
MeV 36 MeV.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure
Relativistic Mean Field Approximation in a Density Dependent Parametrization Model at Finite Temperature
In this work we calculate the equation of state of nuclear matter for
different proton fractions at zero and finite temperature within the Thomas
Fermi approach considering three different parameter sets: the well-known NL3
and TM1 and a density dependent parametrization proposed by Typel and Wolter.
The main differences are outlined and the consequences of imposing
beta-stability in these models are discussed.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure
Castaing Instability and Precessing Domains in Confined Alkali Gases
We explore analogy between two-component quantum alkali gases and
spin-polarized helium systems. Recent experiments in trapped gases are put into
the frame of the existing theory for Castaing instability in transverse channel
and formation of homogeneous precessing domains in spin-polarized systems.
Analogous effects have already been observed in spin-polarized and
mixtures systems. The threshold effect of the confining
potential on the instability is analyzed. New experimental possibilities for
observation of transverse instability in a trap are discussed.Comment: 6 RevTex pages, no figure
Exact time-localized solutions in Vacuum String Field Theory
We address the problem of finding star algebra projectors that exhibit
localized time profiles. We use the double Wick rotation method, starting from
an Euclidean (unconventional) lump solution, which is characterized by the
Neumann matrix being the conventional one for the continuous spectrum, while
the inverse of the conventional one for the discrete spectrum. This is still a
solution of the projector equation and we show that, after inverse
Wick-rotation, its time profile has the desired localized time dependence. We
study it in detail in the low energy regime (field theory limit) and in the
extreme high energy regime (tensionless limit) and show its similarities with
the rolling tachyon solution.Comment: 27 pages, 2 figures. v2: typos corrected, ref added, comment added in
last section, to appear on NP
Relativistic Mean Field Model with Generalized Derivative Nucleon-Meson Couplings
The quantum hadrodynamics (QHD) model with minimal nucleon-meson couplings is
generalized by introducing couplings of mesons to derivatives of the nucleon
field in the Lagrangian density. This approach allows an effective description
of a state-dependent in-medium interaction in the mean-field approximation.
Various parametrizations for the generalized couplings are developed and
applied to infinite nuclear matter. In this approach, scalar and vector
self-energies depend on both density and momentum similarly as in the
Dirac-Brueckner theory. The Schr\"{o}diger-equivalent optical potential is much
less repulsive at high nucleon energies as compared to standard relativistic
mean field models and thus agrees better with experimental findings. The
derivative couplings in the extended model have significant effects on
properties of symmetric nuclear matter and neutron matter.Comment: 35 pages, 1 table, 10 figure
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