10,117 research outputs found
Interferometric thermometry of a single sub-Doppler cooled atom
Efficient self-interference of single-photons emitted by a sideband-cooled
Barium ion is demonstrated. First, the technical tools for performing efficient
coupling to the quadrupolar transition of a single Ba ion are
presented. We show efficient Rabi oscillations of the internal state of the ion
using a highly stabilized 1.76 fiber laser resonant with the
S-D transition. We then show sideband cooling of the ion's
motional modes and use it as a means to enhance the interference contrast of
the ion with its mirror-image to up to 90%. Last, we measure the dependence of
the self-interference contrast on the mean phonon number, thereby demonstrating
the potential of the set-up for single-atom thermometry close to the motional
ground state.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Pion gas viscosity at low temperature and density
By using Chiral Perturbation Theory and the Uehling-Uhlenbeck equation we
compute the viscosity of a pion gas, in the low temperature and low density
regime, in terms of the temperature, and the pion fugacity. The viscosity turns
out to be proportional to the squared root of the temperature over the pion
mass. Next to leading corrections are proportional to the temperature over the
pion mass to the 3/2.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures. RevTeX
Chandra Observations of Extended X-ray Emission in Arp 220
We resolve the extended X-ray emission from the prototypical ultraluminous
infrared galaxy Arp 220. Extended, faint edge-brightened, soft X-ray lobes
outside the optical galaxy are observed to a distance of 10 to 15 kpc on each
side of the nuclear region. Bright plumes inside the optical isophotes coincide
with the optical line emission and extend 11 kpc from end to end across the
nucleus. The data for the plumes cannot be fit by a single temperature plasma,
and display a range of temperatures from 0.2 to 1 keV. The plumes emerge from
bright, diffuse circumnuclear emission in the inner 3 kpc centered on the
Halpha peak, which is displaced from the radio nuclei. There is a close
morphological correspondence between the Halpha and soft X-ray emission on all
spatial scales. We interpret the plumes as a starburst-driven superwind, and
discuss two interpretations of the emission from the lobes in the context of
simulations of the merger dynamics of Arp 220.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; see also astro-ph/0208477 (Paper 1
Variability of selected trace elements of different meat cuts determined by ICP-MS and DRC-ICPMS
The aim of this study was to determine the levels of cadmium, lead, iron, zinc, selenium, manganese, copper and molybdenum in different cuts of beef, pork, lamb, chicken and foal collected from supermarkets and butcheries in Switzerland. The concentrations of manganese, copper, molybdenum, zinc, iron, selenium, cadmium and lead were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after microwave digestion. Mean values and their respective coefficients of variation were calculated from the measured concentrations. The concentrations found for cadmium and lead ranged from 0.6 to 3.9 μg/100 g and 1.0 to 2.1 μg/100 g, respectively. Concentrations ranged between 0.5 and 3.3 mg/100 g for iron, 0.7 and 5.1 mg/100 g for zinc, 9 and 44 μg/100 g for selenium, 3.1 and 16.7 μg/100 g for manganese, 0.3 and 132 μg/100 g for copper and 0.9 and 3.2 μg/100 g for molybdenum. Differences found for the concentrations in meat from different species as well as between the individual meat cuts were notable for iron, zinc, selenium and copper. Manganese concentrations were found to vary unsystematically within muscles and species. Molybdenum concentrations were higher in chicken meat in comparison with the mammalian meats. The highest coefficients of variation were found for manganese (13% to 142%) and copper (13% to 224%), while the lowest was found for zinc (4% to 45%). In conclusion, in order to provide an accurate overview and to be able to calculate reliable dietary intakes, it is important to include the variability in food composition dat
Direct observation of the quantum critical point in heavy fermion CeRhSi
We report on muon spin rotation studies of the noncentrosymmetric heavy
fermion antiferromagnet CeRhSi. A drastic and monotonic suppression of the
internal fields, at the lowest measured temperature, was observed upon an
increase of external pressure. Our data suggest that the ordered moments are
gradually quenched with increasing pressure, in a manner different from the
pressure dependence of the N\'eel temperature. At \unit{23.6}{kbar}, the
ordered magnetic moments are fully suppressed via a second-order phase
transition, and is zero. Thus, we directly observed the quantum
critical point at \unit{23.6}{kbar} hidden inside the superconducting phase
of CeRhSi
Chandra Observations of the Interacting NGC 4410 Galaxy Group
We present high resolution X-ray imaging data from the ACIS-S instrument on
the Chandra telescope of the nearby interacting galaxy group NGC 4410. Four
galaxies in the inner portion of this group are clearly detected by Chandra,
including the peculiar low luminosity radio galaxy NGC 4410A. In addition to a
nuclear point source, NGC 4410A contains diffuse X-ray emission, including an
X-ray ridge extending out to about 12" (6 kpc) to the northwest of the nucleus.
This ridge is coincident with an arc of optical emission-line gas, which has
previously been shown to have optical line ratios consistent with shock
ionization. This structure may be due to an expanding superbubble of hot gas
caused by supernovae and stellar winds or by the active nucleus. The Chandra
observations also show four or five possible compact ultra-luminous X-ray (ULX)
sources (L(x) >= 10^39 erg/s) associated with NGC 4410A. At least one of these
candidate ULXs appears to have a radio counterpart, suggesting that it may be
due to an X-ray binary with a stellar-mass black hole, rather than an
intermediate mass black hole. In addition, a faint diffuse intragroup X-ray
component has been detected between the galaxies (L(x) ~ 10^41 erg/s). This
supports the hypothesis that the NGC 4410 group is in the process of evolving
via mergers from a spiral-dominated group (which typically have no
X-ray-emitting intragroup gas) to an elliptical-dominated group (which often
have a substantial intragroup medium).Comment: 27 pages, 14 figures; Accepted by Astronomical Journal; color images
at http://www.etsu.edu/physics/bsmith/research/n4410.htm
Characterization of an outbreak of equine coronavirus infection in adult horses in Switzerland.
INTRODUCTION
Outbreaks of equine coronavirus (ECoV) infections have been described in different parts of the world including Europe. The aim of this report was to describe clinical signs, diagnostic work-up and outcome of the first documented outbreak of ECoV in Switzerland in order to raise the awareness for the disease and its various clinical presentations. The outbreak occurred on a farm with 26 horses. Of these, seven horses developed clinical disease ranging from mild signs such as fever and anorexia to severe signs of acute colitis. One horse died due to severe endotoxemia and circulatory shock secondary to severe acute necrotizing enteritis and colitis. Out of the 26 horses, five horses tested positive for ECoV, including two ponies without any clinical signs of infection. The low number of positive cases should nevertheless be interpreted with caution as testing was only performed on one occasion, over a month after the onset of clinical signs in the first suspected case. This report highlights the importance of diagnostic testing and early implementation of biosecurity measures on a farm with an ECoV outbreak. It should furthermore raise the awareness for unspecific and mild clinical signs such as fever and anorexia in affected animals that are potentially able to spread the disease
Anatomical study of serotonergic innervation and 5-HT1A receptor in the human spinal cord
Serotonergic innervation of the spinal cord in mammals has multiple roles in the control of motor, sensory and visceral functions. In rats, functional consequences of spinal cord injury at thoracic level can be improved by a substitutive transplantation of serotonin (5-HT) neurons or regeneration under the trophic influence of grafted stem cells. Translation to either pharmacological and/or cellular therapies in humans requires the mapping of the spinal cord 5-HT innervation and its receptors to determine their involvement in specific functions. Here, we have performed a preliminary mapping of serotonergic processes and serotonin-lA (5-HT1A) receptors in thoracic and lumbar segments of the human spinal cord. As in rodents and non-human primates, 5-HT profiles in human spinal cord are present in the ventral horn, surrounding motoneurons, and also contact their presumptive dendrites at lumbar level. 5-HT1A receptors are present in the same area, but are more densely expressed at lumbar level. 5-HT profiles are also present in the intermediolateral region, where 5-HT1A receptors are absent. Finally, we observed numerous serotonergic profiles in the superficial part (equivalent of Rexed lamina II) of the dorsal horn, which also displayed high levels of 5-HT1A receptors. These findings pave the way for local specific therapies involving cellular and/or pharmacological tools targeting the serotonergic system
Subtlety of Determining the Critical Exponent of the Spin-1/2 Heisenberg Model with a Spatially Staggered Anisotropy on the Honeycomb Lattice
Puzzled by the indication of a new critical theory for the spin-1/2
Heisenberg model with a spatially staggered anisotropy on the square lattice as
suggested in \cite{Wenzel08}, we study a similar anisotropic spin-1/2
Heisenberg model on the honeycomb lattice. The critical point where the phase
transition occurs due to the dimerization as well as the critical exponent
are analyzed in great detail. Remarkly, using most of the available data
points in conjunction with the expected finite-size scaling ansatz with a
sub-leading correction indeed leads to a consistent with that
calculated in \cite{Wenzel08}. However by using the data with large number of
spins , we obtain which agrees with the most accurate Monte
Carlo O(3) value as well.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, version accepted for publishin
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