17,475 research outputs found
Conical: an extended module for computing a numerically satisfactory pair of solutions of the differential equation for conical functions
Conical functions appear in a large number of applications in physics and
engineering. In this paper we describe an extension of our module CONICAL for
the computation of conical functions. Specifically, the module includes now a
routine for computing the function , a
real-valued numerically satisfactory companion of the function for . In this way, a natural basis for solving
Dirichlet problems bounded by conical domains is provided.Comment: To appear in Computer Physics Communication
Cluster phases of membrane proteins
A physical scenario accounting for the existence of size-limited
submicrometric domains in cell membranes is proposed. It is based on the
numerical investigation of the counterpart, in lipidic membranes where proteins
are diffusing, of the recently discovered cluster phases in colloidal
suspensions. I demonstrate that the interactions between proteins, namely
short-range attraction and longer-range repulsion, make possible the existence
of stable small clusters. The consequences are explored in terms of membrane
organization and diffusion properties. The connection with lipid rafts is
discussed and the apparent protein diffusion coefficient as a function of their
concentration is analyzed.Comment: 5 pages - enhanced versio
Spin-Exchange Interaction in ZnO-based Quantum Wells
Wurtzitic ZnO/(Zn,Mg)O quantum wells grown along the (0001) direction permit
unprecedented tunability of the short-range spin exchange interaction. In the
context of large exciton binding energies and electron-hole exchange
interaction in ZnO, this tunability results from the competition between
quantum confinement and giant quantum confined Stark effect. By using
time-resolved photoluminescence we identify, for well widths under 3 nm, the
redistribution of oscillator strengths between the A and B excitonic
transitions, due to the enhancement of the exchange interaction. Conversely,
for wider wells, the redistribution is cancelled by the dominant effect of
internal electric fields, which dramatically reduce the exchange energy.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure
Electron-impact rotational and hyperfine excitation of HCN, HNC, DCN and DNC
Rotational excitation of isotopologues of HCN and HNC by thermal
electron-impact is studied using the molecular {\bf R}-matrix method combined
with the adiabatic-nuclei-rotation (ANR) approximation. Rate coefficients are
obtained for electron temperatures in the range 56000 K and for transitions
among all levels up to J=8. Hyperfine rates are also derived using the
infinite-order-sudden (IOS) scaling method. It is shown that the dominant
rotational transitions are dipole allowed, that is those for which . The hyperfine propensity rule is found to be stronger
than in the case of HeHCN collisions. For dipole allowed transitions,
electron-impact rates are shown to exceed those for excitation of HCN by He
atoms by 6 orders of magnitude. As a result, the present rates should be
included in any detailed population model of isotopologues of HCN and HNC in
sources where the electron fraction is larger than 10, for example in
interstellar shocks and comets.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, accepted in MNRAS (2007 september 3
The spark-associated soliton model for pulsar radio emission
We propose a new, self-consistent theory of coherent pulsar radio emission
based on the non-stationary sparking model of Ruderman & Sutherland (1975),
modified by Gil & Sendyk (2000) in the accompanying Paper I. According to these
authors, the polar cap is populated as densely as possible by a number of
sparks with a characteristic perpendicular dimension D approximately equal to
the polar gap height scale h, separated from each other also by about h. Each
spark reappears in approximately the same place on the polar cap for a time
scale much longer than its life-time and delivers to the open magnetosphere a
sequence of electron-positron clouds which flow orderly along a flux tube of
dipolar magnetic field lines. The overlapping of particles with different
momenta from consecutive clouds leads to effective two-stream instability,
which triggers electrostatic Langmuir waves at the altitudes of about 50
stellar radii. The electrostatic oscillations are modulationally unstable and
their nonlinear evolution results in formation of ``bunch-like'' charged
solitons. A characteristic soliton length along magnetic field lines is about
30 cm, so they are capable of emitting coherent curvature radiation at radio
wavelengths. The net soliton charge is about 10^21 fundamental charges,
contained within a volume of about 10^14 cm^3. For a typical pulsar, there are
about 10^5 solitons associated with each of about 25 sparks operating on the
polar cap at any instant. One soliton moving relativisticaly along dipolar
field lines with a Lorentz factor of the order of 100 generates a power of
about 10^21 erg/s by means of curvature radiation. Then the total power of a
typical radio pulsar can be estimated as being about 10^(27-28) erg/s.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figures, accepted by Ap
Efficient single photon emission from a high-purity hexagonal boron nitride crystal
Among a variety of layered materials used as building blocks in van der Waals
heterostructures, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) appears as an ideal platform
for hosting optically-active defects owing to its large bandgap ( eV).
Here we study the optical response of a high-purity hBN crystal under green
laser illumination. By means of photon correlation measurements, we identify
individual defects emitting a highly photostable fluorescence under ambient
conditions. A detailed analysis of the photophysical properties reveals a high
quantum efficiency of the radiative transition, leading to a single photon
source with very high brightness. These results illustrate how the wide range
of applications offered by hBN could be further extended to photonic-based
quantum information science and metrology.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Water-ice driven activity on Main-Belt Comet P/2010 A2 (LINEAR) ?
The dust ejecta of Main-Belt Comet P/2010 A2 (LINEAR) have been observed with
several telescopes at the at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on La
Palma, Spain. Application of an inverse dust tail Monte Carlo method to the
images of the dust ejecta from the object indicates that a sustained, likely
water-ice driven, activity over some eight months is the mechanism responsible
for the formation of the observed tail. The total amount of dust released is
estimated to be 5E7 kg, which represents about 0.3% of the nucleus mass. While
the event could have been triggered by a collision, this cannot be decided from
the currently available data.Comment: Accepted for ApJ Letter
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