12,542 research outputs found
Efimov Physics in 6Li Atoms
A new narrow 3-atom loss resonance associated with an Efimov trimer crossing
the 3-atom threshold has recently been discovered in a many-body system of
ultracold 6Li atoms in the three lowest hyperfine spin states at a magnetic
field near 895 G. O'Hara and coworkers have used measurements of the 3-body
recombination rate in this region to determine the complex 3-body parameter
associated with Efimov physics. Using this parameter as the input, we calculate
the universal predictions for the spectrum of Efimov states and for the 3-body
recombination rate in the universal region above 600 G where all three
scattering lengths are large. We predict an atom-dimer loss resonance at (672
+/- 2) G associated with an Efimov trimer disappearing through an atom-dimer
threshold. We also predict an interference minimum in the 3-body recombination
rate at (759 +/- 1) G where the 3-spin mixture may be sufficiently stable to
allow experimental study of the many-body system.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures, REVTeX4, published versio
Three-body Recombination of Lithium-6 Atoms with Large Negative Scattering Lengths
The 3-body recombination rate at threshold for distinguishable atoms with
large negative pair scattering lengths is calculated in the zero-range
approximation. The only parameters in this limit are the 3 scattering lengths
and the Efimov parameter, which can be complex valued. We provide semi-analytic
expressions for the cases of 2 or 3 equal scattering lengths and we obtain
numerical results for the general case of 3 different scattering lengths. Our
general result is applied to the three lowest hyperfine states of Lithium-6
atoms. Comparisons with recent experiments provide indications of loss features
associated with Efimov trimers near the 3-atom threshold.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, agrees with published versio
An application of the Observer/Kalman Filter Identification (OKID) technique to Hubble flight data
The objective of the current research is to identify vibration parameters, including frequencies, damping ratio and uncertainty characteristics, of the Hubble Space Telescope from flight data using an advanced system identification technique. The Observer/Kalman Filter Identification (OKID) technique is used to identify the vibration parameters. The OKID was recently developed by the researchers in the Spacecraft Dynamics Branch at NASA Langley Research Center
A simple interpretation of quantum mirages
In an interesting new experiment the electronic structure of a magnetic atom
adsorbed on the surface of Cu(111), observed by STM, was projected into a
remote location on the same surface. The purpose of the present paper is to
interpret this experiment with a model Hamiltonian, using ellipses of the size
of the experimental ones, containing about 2300 atoms. The charge distribution
for the different wavefunctions is analyzed, in particular, for those with
energy close to the Fermi energy of copper Ef. Some of them show two symmetric
maxima located on the principal axis of the ellipse but not necessarily at the
foci. If a Co atom is adsorbed at the site where the wavefunction with energy
has a maximum and the interaction is small, the main effect of the
adsorbed atom will be to split this particular wavefunction in two. The total
charge density will remain the same but the local density of states will
present a dip at Ef at any site where the charge density is large enough. We
relate the presence of this dip to the observation of quantum mirages. Our
interpretation suggests that other sites, apart from the foci of the ellipses,
can be used for projecting atomic images and also indicates the conditions for
other non magnetic adsorbates to produce mirages.Comment: 3 pages, 3 Fig
An Experimental Investigation of the Scaling of Columnar Joints
Columnar jointing is a fracture pattern common in igneous rocks in which
cracks self-organize into a roughly hexagonal arrangement, leaving behind an
ordered colonnade. We report observations of columnar jointing in a laboratory
analog system, desiccated corn starch slurries. Using measurements of moisture
density, evaporation rates, and fracture advance rates as evidence, we suggest
an advective-diffusive system is responsible for the rough scaling behavior of
columnar joints. This theory explains the order of magnitude difference in
scales between jointing in lavas and in starches. We investigated the scaling
of average columnar cross-sectional areas due to the evaporation rate, the
analog of the cooling rate of igneous columnar joints. We measured column areas
in experiments where the evaporation rate depended on lamp height and time, in
experiments where the evaporation rate was fixed using feedback methods, and in
experiments where gelatin was added to vary the rheology of the starch. Our
results suggest that the column area at a particular depth is related to both
the current conditions, and hysteretically to the geometry of the pattern at
previous depths. We argue that there exists a range of stable column scales
allowed for any particular evaporation rate.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, for supporting online movies, go to
http://www.physics.utoronto.ca/nonlinear/movies/starch_movies.htm
A calcium ion in a cavity as a controlled single-photon source
We present a single calcium ion, coupled to a high-finesse cavity, as an almost ideal system for the controlled generation of single photons. Photons from a pump beam are Raman-scattered by the ion into the cavity mode, which subsequently emits the photon into a well-defined output channel. In contrast with comparable atomic systems, the ion is localized at a fixed position in the cavity mode for indefinite times, enabling truly continuous operation of the device. We have performed numeric calculations to assess the performance of the system and present the first experimental indication of single-photon emission in our set-up
Experiments with a Malkus-Lorenz water wheel: Chaos and Synchronization
We describe a simple experimental implementation of the Malkus-Lorenz water
wheel. We demonstrate that both chaotic and periodic behavior is found as wheel
parameters are changed in agreement with predictions from the Lorenz model. We
furthermore show that when the measured angular velocity of our water wheel is
used as an input signal to a computer model implementing the Lorenz equations,
high quality chaos synchronization of the model and the water wheel is
achieved. This indicates that the Lorenz equations provide a good description
of the water wheel dynamics.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures. The following article has been accepted by the
American Journal of Physics. After it is published, it will be found at
http://scitation.aip.org/ajp
Quality engineering of a traction alternator by robust design
Robust design is an engineering methodology for improving productivity during research and development so that high-quality products can be developed and produced quickly and at low cost. A large electrical company was developing traction alternators for a diesel electrical engine. Customer requirement was to obtain very high efficiency which, in turn, was influenced by several design parameters. The usual approach of the 'design-build-test' cycle was considered time-consuming and costly; it used to take anywhere from 4 months to 1 year before finalizing the product design parameters as it involved physical assembly and also testing. Instead, the authors used Taguchi's parameter design approach. This approach took about 8 weeks to arrive at optimum design parameter values; clearly demonstrating the cutting edge of this methodology over the traditional design-build-test approach. The prototype built and tested accordingly gave satisfactory overall performance, meeting and even exceeding customer requirements
UV Circular Polarisation in Star Formation Regions : The Origin of Homochirality?
Ultraviolet circularly polarised light has been suggested as the initial cause of the homochirality of organic molecules in terrestrial organisms, via enantiomeric selection of prebiotic molecules by asymmetric photolysis. We present a theoretical investigation of mechanisms by which ultraviolet circular polarisation may be produced in star formation regions. In the scenarios considered here, light scattering produces only a small percentage of net circular polarisation at any point in space, due to the forward throwing nature of the phase function in the ultraviolet. By contrast, dichroic extinction can produce a fairly high percentage of net circular polarisation (∼10%) and may therefore play a key role in producing an enantiomeric excessPeer reviewe
New Eruptive YSOs from SPICY and WISE
© Published under Creative Commons license CC BY-SA 4.0.This work presents four high-amplitude variable YSOs (≃3 mag at near-or mid-IR wavelengths) arising from the SPICY catalog. Three outbursts show a duration that is longer than 1 year, and are still ongoing. And additional YSO brightened over the last two epochs of NEOWISE observations and the duration of the outburst is thus unclear. Analysis of the spectra of the four sources confirms them as new members of the eruptive variable class. We find two YSOs that can be firmly classified as bona fide FUors and one object that falls in the V1647 Ori-like class. Given the uncertainty in the duration of its outburst, an additional YSO can only be classified as a candidate FUor. Continued monitoring and follow-up of these particular sources is important to better understand the accretion process of YSOs.Peer reviewe
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