6,594 research outputs found
Parametric Feedback Resonance in Chaotic Systems
If one changes the control parameter of a chaotic system proportionally to the distance between an arbitrary point on the strange attractor and the actual trajectory, the lifetime τ of the most stable unstable periodic orbit in the vicinity of this point starts to diverge with a power law. The volume in parameter space where τ becomes infinite is finite and from its nonfractal boundaries one can determine directly the local Liapunov exponents. The experimental applicability of the method is demonstrated for two coupled diode resonators
Bifurcation analysis of a normal form for excitable media: Are stable dynamical alternans on a ring possible?
We present a bifurcation analysis of a normal form for travelling waves in
one-dimensional excitable media. The normal form which has been recently
proposed on phenomenological grounds is given in form of a differential delay
equation. The normal form exhibits a symmetry preserving Hopf bifurcation which
may coalesce with a saddle-node in a Bogdanov-Takens point, and a symmetry
breaking spatially inhomogeneous pitchfork bifurcation. We study here the Hopf
bifurcation for the propagation of a single pulse in a ring by means of a
center manifold reduction, and for a wave train by means of a multiscale
analysis leading to a real Ginzburg-Landau equation as the corresponding
amplitude equation. Both, the center manifold reduction and the multiscale
analysis show that the Hopf bifurcation is always subcritical independent of
the parameters. This may have links to cardiac alternans which have so far been
believed to be stable oscillations emanating from a supercritical bifurcation.
We discuss the implications for cardiac alternans and revisit the instability
in some excitable media where the oscillations had been believed to be stable.
In particular, we show that our condition for the onset of the Hopf bifurcation
coincides with the well known restitution condition for cardiac alternans.Comment: to be published in Chao
Codes for Key Generation in Quantum Cryptography
As an alternative to the usual key generation by two-way communication in
schemes for quantum cryptography, we consider codes for key generation by
one-way communication. We study codes that could be applied to the raw key
sequences that are ideally obtained in recently proposed scenarios for quantum
key distribution, which can be regarded as communication through symmetric
four-letter channels.Comment: IJQI format, 13 pages, 1 tabl
Acquired heart block: A possible complication of patent ductus arteriosus in a preterm infant
A large patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a frequently encountered clinical problem in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. It leads to an increased pulmonary blood flow and in a decreased or reversed diastolic flow in the systemic circulation, resulting in complications. Here we report a possible complication of PDA not previously published. On day 8 of life, a male ELBW infant (birth weight 650 g) born at a gestational age of 23 weeks and 3 days developed an atrioventricular block (AV block). The heart rate dropped from 168/min to 90/min, and the ECG showed a Wenckebach second-degree AV block and intraventricular conduction disturbances. Echocardiography demonstrated a PDA with a large left-to-right shunt and large left atrium and left ventricle with high contractility. Within several minutes after surgical closure of the PDA, the heart rate increased, and after 30 min the AV block had improved to a 1: 1 conduction ratio. Echocardiography after 2 h revealed a significant decrease of the left ventricular and atrial dimensions. Within 12 h, the AV block completely reversed together with the intraventricular conduction disturbances. We suggest that PDA with a large left-to-right shunt and left ventricular volume overload may lead to an AV block in an ELBW infant. Surgical closure of the PDA may be indicated. Copyright (C) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel
Electron-, Mu-, and Tau-Number Conservation in a Supernova Core
We study if the neutrino mixing parameters suggested by the atmospheric
neutrino anomaly imply chemical equilibrium between mu- and tau-flavored
leptons in a supernova (SN) core. The initial flavor-conversion rate would
indeed be fast if the nu_mu-nu_tau-mixing angle were not suppressed by
second-order refractive effects. The neutrino diffusion coefficients are
different for nu_mu, anti-nu_mu, nu_tau and anti-nu_tau so that neutrino
transport will create a net mu and tau lepton number density. This will
typically lead to a situation where the usual first-order refractive effects
dominate, further suppressing the rate of flavor conversion. Altogether,
neutrino refraction has the nontrivial consequence of guaranteeing the separate
conservation of e, mu, and tau lepton number in a SN core on the infall and
cooling time scales, even when neutrino mixing angles are large.Comment: Slightly expanded version with improved presentation, no changes of
substanc
Monte Carlo Study of Supernova Neutrino Spectra Formation
The neutrino flux and spectra formation in a supernova core is studied by
using a Monte Carlo code. The dominant opacity contribution for nu_mu and
nu_tau is elastic scattering on nucleons. In addition we switch on or off a
variety of processes which allow for the exchange of energy or the creation and
destruction of neutrino pairs, notably nucleon bremsstrahlung, the e^+ e^- pair
annihilation process and nu_e-bar nu_e -> nu_{mu,tau} nu_{mu,tau}-bar, recoil
and weak magnetism in elastic nucleon scattering, elastic scattering on
electrons and positrons and elastic scattering on electron neutrinos and
anti-neutrinos. The least important processes are neutrino-neutrino scattering
and e^+ e^- annihilation. The formation of the spectra and fluxes of nu_mu is
dominated by the nucleonic processes, i.e. bremsstrahlung and elastic
scattering with recoil, but also nu_e nu_e-bar annihilation and nu_mu e^\pm
scattering contribute significantly. When all processes are included, the
spectral shape of the emitted neutrino flux is always ``pinched,'' i.e. the
width of the spectrum is smaller than that of a thermal spectrum with the same
average energy. In all of our cases we find that the average nu_mu-bar energy
exceeds the average nu_e-bar energy by only a small amount, 10% being a typical
number. Weak magnetism effects cause the opacity of nu_mu to differ slightly
from that of nu_mu-bar, translating into differences of the luminosities and
average energies of a few percent. Depending on the density, temperature, and
composition profile, the flavor-dependent luminosities L_{nu_e}$, L_{nu_e-bar},
and L_{nu_mu} can mutually differ from each other by up to a factor of two in
either direction.Comment: 33 pages, 16 eps-figs, submitted to ApJ. Sections added: weak
magnetism, discussion of different analytic fits to the spectra and detailed
spectral shap
Hadron production in heavy relativistic systems
We investigate particle production in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC energies
as function of incident energy, and centrality in a three-sources Relativistic
Diffusion Model. Pseudorapidity distributions of produced charged hadrons in Au
+ Au and Cu + Cu collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 19.6 GeV, 62.4 GeV, 130 GeV and 200
GeV show an almost equilibrated midrapidity source that tends to increase in
size towards higher incident energy, and more central collisions. It may
indicate quark-gluon plasma formation prior to hadronization.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure
Supernova Neutrino Oscillations
Observing a high-statistics neutrino signal from a galactic supernova (SN)
would allow one to test the standard delayed explosion scenario and may allow
one to distinguish between the normal and inverted neutrino mass ordering due
to the effects of flavor oscillations in the SN envelope. One may even observe
a signature of SN shock-wave propagation in the detailed time-evolution of the
neutrino spectra. A clear identification of flavor oscillation effects in a
water Cherenkov detector probably requires a megatonne-class experiment.Comment: Proc. 129 Nobel Symposium "Neutrino Physics", 19-24 Aug 2004, Swede
The meV mass frontier of axion physics
We explore consequences of the idea that the cooling speed of white dwarfs
can be interpreted in terms of axion emission. In this case the Yukawa coupling
to electrons has to be g_{ae} 10^-13, corresponding to an axion mass of a few
meV. Axions then provide only a small fraction of the cosmic cold dark matter,
whereas core-collapse supernovae release a large fraction of their energy in
the form of axions. We estimate the diffuse supernova axion background (DSAB)
in the universe, consisting of 30 MeV-range axions with a radiation density
comparable to the extra-galactic background light. The DSAB would be
challenging to detect. However, axions with white-dwarf inspired parameters can
be accessible in a next generation axion helioscope.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figur
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