Steady-state thermodynamics of non-interacting transport beyond weak coupling

We investigate the thermodynamics of simple (non-interacting) transport models beyond the scope of weak coupling. For a single fermionic or bosonic level -- tunnel-coupled to two reservoirs -- exact expressions for the stationary matter and energy current are derived from the solutions of the Heisenberg equations of motion. The positivity of the steady-state entropy production rate is demonstrated explicitly. Finally, for a configuration in which particles are pumped upwards in chemical potential by a downward temperature gradient, we demonstrate that the thermodynamic efficiency of this process decreases when the coupling strength between system and reservoirs is increased, as a direct consequence of the loss of a tight coupling between energy and matter currents.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, to appear in EP

An Easy-to-Construct Automated Winkler Titration System

The instrument described in this report is an updated version of the high precision, automated Winkler titration system described by Friederich et al.(1984). The original instrument was based on the work of Bryan et al. (1976) who developed a colorimetric endpoint detector and on the work of Williams and Jenkinson (1982) who produced an automated system that used this detector. The goals of our updated version of the device described by Friederich et al. (1984) were as follows: 1) Move control of the system to the MS-DOS environment because HP-85 computers are no longer in production and because more user-friendly programs could be written using the IBM XT or AT computers that control the new device. 2) Use more "off the shelf" components and reduce the parts count in the new system so that it could be easily constructed and maintained. This report describes how to construct and use the new automated Winkler titration device. It also includes information on the chemistry of the Winkler titration, and detailed instructions on how to prepare reagents, collect samples, standardize and perform the titrations (Appendix I: Codispoti, L.A. 1991 On the determination of dissolved oxygen in sea water, 15pp.). A disk containing the program needed to operate the new device is also included. (pdf contains 33 pages

Decoherence in the dynamical quantum phase transition of the transverse Ising chain

For the prototypical example of the Ising chain in a transverse field, we study the impact of decoherence on the sweep through a second-order quantum phase transition. Apart from the advance in the general understanding of the dynamics of quantum phase transitions, these findings are relevant for adiabatic quantum algorithms due to the similarities between them. It turns out that (in contrast to first-order transitions studied previously) the impact of decoherence caused by a weak coupling to a rather general environment increases with system size (i.e., number of spins/qubits), which might limit the scalability of the system.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, minor clarification

A new Pintalia species from Costa Rica (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae)

Eine neue Cixiidae-Art, Pintalia hannae nov. spec., wird aus den Regenwäldern der Cordillera Talamanca und des südlichen (pazifischen) Teils von Costa Rica beschrieben. Die Art ist leicht an ihrer auffälligen Färbung zu erkennen: Kopf und Thorax sind leuchtend orange, die Vor-derflügel-Ränder sind entlang des Clavus breit weiß, die übrigen Vorderflügel gelblich-stroh-farben mit nur wenigen dunkleren Flecken. A new Cixiidae species, Pintalia hannae nov. spec., is described from rainforests of the Cordillera Talamanca and the southern (Pacific) part of Costa Rica. The species is easily recognised by its stunning colouration: Head and thorax are bright orange, the forewing mar-gins are broad white along the clavus, and the remaining forewings are yellowish-straw col-oured with only a few darker spots.&nbsp

Sectoral crediting: getting governance right from the beginning

Several pathways lead into a low-carbon, high-efficiency future. Many go through something commonly called 'sectoral crediting', by which developing economies would both adopt emission reduction goals for entire economic sectors and allow reductions to be sold, via permits, into industrialized countries' compliance carbon markets. These twin elements of sectoral crediting contrast with project-by-project crediting, as is currently seen under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and sector-level emission standards not linked to any market mechanism. Properly designed and operated, sectoral crediting could unleash substantial investment in efficient emissions reductions across entire sectors. A quick look at the numbers makes the appeal of and need for sectoral crediting clear. The world now emits roughly 45,000 million CO2-equivalent tonnes of greenhouse gases annually. In order to avoid the most dangerous consequences of climate change, that number needs to decrease swiftly, and by at least one-half to two-thirds by mid-century. Neither the market-based project-by-project approach of the CDM nor sectoral non-market standards on their own are likely to achieve this goal

Acanalonia conica (Say, 1830) and three other true hopper species new for Austria (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha)

Acanalonia conica (Say, 1830) und drei weitere Zikadenarten neu für Österreich (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha). – Drei Neozoen, Acanalonia conica (Say, 1830), Aplos simplex (Germar, 1830) und Hishimonus hamatus Kuoh, 1976 wurden in einer Gärtnerei in Graz erstmals für Österreich nachgewiesen. Sie wurden wahrscheinlich mit Ziersträuchern aus Italien importiert. Ein weiterer Erstnachweis betrifft Chiasmus conspurcatus (Perris, 1857). Diese Art ist heimisch und wurde an zwei Salzlacken des Nationalparks Neusiedlersee-Seewinkel nachgewiesen. Eine Gesamtliste jener 71 Zikadenarten, die an den beiden Lacken gefunden wurden, wird ebenfalls vorgelegt.  Acanalonia conica (Say, 1830), Aplos simplex (Germar, 1830) and Hishimonus hamatus Kuoh, 1976 are three alien species reported for the first time from Austria. They were found in a garden centre in Graz and presumably imported with ornamental shrubs from Italy. Another first record is Chiasmus conspurcatus (Perris, 1857), an indigenous species found in the Neusiedlersee-Seewinkel National Park. In addition, we present a list of 71 Auchenorrhyncha species found at the two inland salt marshes, where C. conspurcatus occurs

N=2 central charge superspace and a minimal supergravity multiplet

We extend the notion of central charge superspace to the case of local supersymmetry. Gauged central charge transformations are identified as diffeomorphisms at the same footing as space-time diffeomorphisms and local supersymmetry transformations. Given the general structure we then proceed to the description of a particular vector-tensor supergravity multiplet of 24+24 components, identified by means of rather radical constraints

Liquid-vapor transition of systems with mean field universality class

We have considered a system where the interaction, v(r) = v_IS(r) + xi^2 v_MF(r), is given as a linear combination of two potentials, each of which being characterized with a well-defined critical behavior: for v_IS(r) we have chosen the potential of the restricted primitive model which is known to belong to the Ising 3D (IS) universality class, while for v_MF(r) we have considered a long-range interaction in the Kac-limit, displaying mean field (MF) behavior. We study the performance of two theoretical approaches and of computer simulations in the critical region for this particular system and give a detailed comparison between theories and simulation of the critical region and the location of the critical point. Both, theory and simulation give evidence that the system belongs to the MF universality class for any positive value of xi and that it shows only non-classical behavior for xi=0. While in this limiting case theoretical approaches are known to fail, we find good agreement for the critical properties between the theoretical approaches and the simulations for xi^2 larger than 0.05.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, 3 table

Nitrogen isotope ratios trace high-pH conditions in a terrestrial Mars analog site

This research was financially supported by the Leverhulme Trust to T.W.L. E.E.S. acknowledges start-up funds from the University of St. Andrews. The NASA Astrobiology Institute under Cooperative Agreement no. NNA15BB03A issued through the Science Mission Directorate also provided funds as did a NASA Fellowship in support of C.T. under Cooperative Agreement no. 80NSSC19K1739 issued through the NASA Office of STEM Engagement.High-pH alkaline lakes are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth and prime targets in the search for life on Mars; however, a robust proxy for such settings does not yet exist. Nitrogen isotope fractionation resulting from NH3 volatilization at high pH has the potential to fill this gap. To validate this idea, we analyzed samples from the Nördlinger Ries, a Miocene impact crater lake that displayed pH values up to 9.8 as inferred from mineralogy and aqueous modeling. Our data show a peak in δ15N of +17‰ in the most alkaline facies, followed by a gradual decline to around +5‰, concurrent with the proposed decline in pH, highlighting the utility of nitrogen isotopes as a proxy for high-pH conditions. In combination with independent mineralogical indicators for high alkalinity, nitrogen isotopes can provide much-needed quantitative constraints on ancient atmospheric Pco2 (partial pressure of CO2) and thus climatic controls on early Earth and Mars.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe