6,669 research outputs found
The direct evaluation of attosecond chirp from a streaking measurement
We derive an analytical expression, from classical electron trajectories in a
laser field, that relates the breadth of a streaked photoelectron spectrum to
the group-delay dispersion of an isolated attosecond pulse. Based on this
analytical expression, we introduce a simple, efficient and robust procedure to
instantly extract the attosecond pulse's chirp from the streaking measurement.Comment: 4 figure
Baryon Asymmetry of the Universe without Boltzmann or Kadanoff-Baym
We present a formalism that allows the computation of the baryon asymmetry of
the universe from first principles of statistical physics and quantum field
theory that is applicable to certain types of beyond the Standard Model physics
(such as the neutrino Minimal Standard Model -- MSM) and does not require
the solution of Boltzmann or Kadanoff-Baym equations. The formalism works if a
thermal bath of Standard Model particles is very weakly coupled to a new sector
(sterile neutrinos in the MSM case) that is out-of-equilibrium. The key
point that allows a computation without kinetic equations is that the number of
sterile neutrinos produced during the relevant cosmological period remains
small. In such a case, it is possible to expand the formal solution of the von
Neumann equation perturbatively and obtain a master formula for the lepton
asymmetry expressed in terms of non-equilibrium Wightman functions. The master
formula neatly separates CP-violating contributions from finite temperature
correlation functions and satisfies all three Sakharov conditions. These
correlation functions can then be evaluated perturbatively; the validity of the
perturbative expansion depends on the parameters of the model considered. Here
we choose a toy model (containing only two active and two sterile neutrinos) to
illustrate the use of the formalism, but it could be applied to other models.Comment: 26 pages, 10 figure
Precise overgrowth composition during biomineral culture and inorganic precipitation
We introduce a method to analyze element ratios and isotope ratios in mineral overgrowths. This general technique can quantify environmental controls on proxy behavior for a range of cultured biominerals and can also measure compositional effects during seeded mineral growth. Using a media enriched in multiple stable isotopes, the method requires neither the mass nor the composition of the initial seed or skeleton to be known and involves only bulk isotope measurements. By harnessing the stability and sensitivity of bulk analysis the new approach promises high precision measurements for a range of elements and isotopes. This list includes trace species and select non-traditional stable isotopes, systems where sensitivity and external reproducibility currently limit alternative approaches like secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and laser ablation mass spectrometry. Since the method separates isotopically labeled growth from unlabeled material, well-choreographed spikes can resolve the compositional effects of different events through time. Among other applications, this feature could be used to separate the impact of day and night on biomineral composition in organisms with photosymbionts
Angular position of nodes in the superconducting gap of YBCO
The thermal conductivity of a YBCO single crystal has been studied as a
function of the relative orientation of the crystal axes and a magnetic field
rotating in the Cu-O planes. Measurements were carried out at several
temperatures below T_c and at a fixed field of 30 kOe. A four-fold symmetry
characteristic of a superconducting gap with nodes at odd multiples of 45
degrees in k-space was resolved. Experiments were performed to exclude a
possible macroscopic origin for such a four-fold symmetry such as sample shape
or anisotropic pinning. Our results impose an upper limit of 10% on the weight
of the s-wave component of the essentially d-wave superconducting order
parameter of YBCO.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Accurate Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, and Ba/Ca ratio measurements in carbonates by SIMS and NanoSIMS and an assessment of heterogeneity in common calcium carbonate standards
As archives of past climate variability, the micron and sub-micron scales of element:calcium (Me/Ca) variability in both biogenic and inorganic carbonates contain important geochemical information. Ideally working at smaller and smaller scales leads to higher temporal resolution of past changes, but more often it has revealed the strong overprint of other processes on the climate signal. Therefore, the role of SIMS and NanoSIMS techniques in studying paleoenvironmental proxies continues to increase. We evaluate the accuracy and precision of the CAMECA ims 7F-GEO and NanoSIMS-50L ion probes for measurements of Sr/Ca, Mg/Ca, and Ba/Ca ratios in carbonate minerals. Nine carbonate reference materials were examined for their ^(88)Sr/^(42)Ca, ^(24)Mg/^(42)Ca, and ^(138)Ba/^(42)Ca ratios using a primary O^â beam with spot sizes of 20â40 ÎŒm (SIMS) and 0.8â2 ÎŒm (NanoSIMS). To assess accuracy, seven of these standards were analyzed for Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca with ID-ICP-MS. Variability in the elemental ratios arising from drift and changes in the tuning of the ims 7F-GEO over a nine month period is smaller than the chemical heterogeneity of the most frequently analyzed standards (OKA and Blue-CC). Across a whole crystal, Blue-CC is more homogeneous (1Ï of 2.39% and 1.60% for Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca respectively) than OKA, but in the bulk matrix of OKA there is even less variability (1Ï of 0.85% and 0.83% respectively). We find that carbonate samples can be accurately normalized to carbonate standards with significantly different absolute Me/Ca ratios. NanoSIMS intensity ratios follow counting statistics better than ± 1% (2Ï) at any one spot, but conversion to Me/Ca ratios increases the uncertainty. Two factors give rise to this limitation. First, the spatial heterogeneity of nominally homogeneous standards can lead to accuracy offsets that are as large as the ranges quoted above. Second, the NanoSIMS generates higher instrumental mass fractionation relative to SIMS. The combination of three different analytical techniques demonstrates that Blue-CC and homogeneous calcite zones in OKA are promising reference materials for precise analyses. Accuracy is crucially dependent on making independent measurements on exactly the same crystal of standard used in the SIMS and NanoSIMS machines
The prominent role of the heaviest fragment in multifragmentation and phase transition for hot nuclei
The role played by the heaviest fragment in partitions of multifragmenting
hot nuclei is emphasized. Its size/charge distribution (mean value,
fluctuations and shape) gives information on properties of fragmenting nuclei
and on the associated phase transition.Comment: 11 pages, Proceedings of IWND09, August 23-25, Shanghai (China
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