260 research outputs found
Oblique scattering from non-Hermitian optical waveguides
A judicious design of gain and loss leads to counterintuitive wave phenomena
that are inaccessible by conservative systems. Notably, such designs can give
rise to laser-absorber modes and anisotropic transmission resonances. Here, we
analyze the emergence of these phenomena in an optical scatterer with sinusoid
gain-loss modulation that is subjected to monochromatic oblique waves. We
derive an analytical solution to the problem, with which we show how the
scatterer parameters, and specifically the modulation phase and incident angle,
constitute a real design space to access these phenomena.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figure
Stellar Dynamics of Extreme-Mass-Ratio Inspirals
Inspiral of compact stellar remnants into massive black holes (MBHs) is
accompanied by the emission of gravitational waves at frequencies that are
potentially detectable by space-based interferometers. Event rates computed
from statistical (Fokker-Planck, Monte-Carlo) approaches span a wide range due
to uncertaintities about the rate coefficients. Here we present results from
direct integration of the post-Newtonian N-body equations of motion descrbing
dense clusters of compact stars around Schwarzschild MBHs. These simulations
embody an essentially exact (at the post-Newtonian level) treatment of the
interplay between stellar dynamical relaxation, relativistic precession, and
gravitational-wave energy loss. The rate of capture of stars by the MBH is
found to be greatly reduced by relativistic precession, which limits the
ability of torques from the stellar potential to change orbital angular
momenta. Penetration of this "Schwarzschild barrier" does occasionally occur,
resulting in capture of stars onto orbits that gradually inspiral due to
gravitational wave emission; we discuss two mechanisms for barrier penetration
and find evidence for both in the simulations. We derive an approximate formula
for the capture rate, which predicts that captures would be strongly disfavored
from orbits with semi-major axes below a certain value; this prediction, as
well as the predicted rate, are verified in the N-body integrations. We discuss
the implications of our results for the detection of extreme-mass-ratio
inspirals from galactic nuclei with a range of physical properties.Comment: 28 pages, 16 figures. Version 2 is significantly revised to reflect
new insights into J and Q effects, to be published late
Origin of the Canonical Ensemble: Thermalization with Decoherence
We solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for the combination of a
spin system interacting with a spin bath environment. In particular, we focus
on the time development of the reduced density matrix of the spin system. Under
normal circumstances we show that the environment drives the reduced density
matrix to a fully decoherent state, and furthermore the diagonal elements of
the reduced density matrix approach those expected for the system in the
canonical ensemble. We show one exception to the normal case is if the spin
system cannot exchange energy with the spin bath. Our demonstration does not
rely on time-averaging of observables nor does it assume that the coupling
between system and bath is weak. Our findings show that the canonical ensemble
is a state that may result from pure quantum dynamics, suggesting that quantum
mechanics may be regarded as the foundation of quantum statistical mechanics.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication by J. Phys. Soc. Jp
A Marine Snail Neurotoxin Shares with Scorpion Toxins a Convergent Mechanism of Blockade on the Pore of Voltage-Gated K Channels
Îș-Conotoxin-PVIIA (Îș-PVIIA) belongs to a family of peptides derived from a hunting marine snail that targets to a wide variety of ion channels and receptors. Îș-PVIIA is a small, structurally constrained, 27-residue peptide that inhibits voltage-gated K channels. Three disulfide bonds shape a characteristic four-loop folding. The spatial localization of positively charged residues in Îș-PVIIA exhibits strong structural mimicry to that of charybdotoxin, a scorpion toxin that occludes the pore of K channels. We studied the mechanism by which this peptide inhibits Shaker K channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes with the N-type inactivation removed. Chronically applied to whole oocytes or outside-out patches, Îș-PVIIA inhibition appears as a voltage-dependent relaxation in response to the depolarizing pulse used to activate the channels. At any applied voltage, the relaxation rate depended linearly on the toxin concentration, indicating a bimolecular stoichiometry. Time constants and voltage dependence of the current relaxation produced by chronic applications agreed with that of rapid applications to open channels. Effective valence of the voltage dependence, zÎŽ, is âŒ0.55 and resides primarily in the rate of dissociation from the channel, while the association rate is voltage independent with a magnitude of 107â108 Mâ1 sâ1, consistent with diffusion-limited binding. Compatible with a purely competitive interaction for a site in the external vestibule, tetraethylammonium, a well-known K-pore blocker, reduced Îș-PVIIA's association rate only. Removal of internal K+ reduced, but did not eliminate, the effective valence of the toxin dissociation rate to a value <0.3. This trans-pore effect suggests that: (a) as in the α-KTx, a positively charged side chain, possibly a Lys, interacts electrostatically with ions residing inside the Shaker pore, and (b) a part of the toxin occupies an externally accessible K+ binding site, decreasing the degree of pore occupancy by permeant ions. We conclude that, although evolutionarily distant to scorpion toxins, Îș-PVIIA shares with them a remarkably similar mechanism of inhibition of K channels
On looking into words (and beyond): Structures, Relations, Analyses
On Looking into Words is a wide-ranging volume spanning current research into word structure and morphology, with a focus on historical linguistics and linguistic theory. The papers are offered as a tribute to Stephen R. Anderson, the Dorothy R. Diebold Professor of Linguistics at Yale, who is retiring at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year. The contributors are friends, colleagues, and former students of Professor Anderson, all important contributors to linguistics in their own right. As is typical for such volumes, the contributions span a variety of topics relating to the interests of the honorand. In this case, the central contributions that Anderson has made to so many areas of linguistics and cognitive science, drawing on synchronic and diachronic phenomena in diverse linguistic systems, are represented through the papers in the volume.
The 26 papers that constitute this volume are unified by their discussion of the interplay between synchrony and diachrony, theory and empirical results, and the role of diachronic evidence in understanding the nature of language. Central concerns of the volume include morphological gaps, learnability, increases and declines in productivity, and the interaction of different components of the grammar. The papers deal with a range of linked synchronic and diachronic topics in phonology, morphology, and syntax (in particular, cliticization), and their implications for linguistic theory
On looking into words (and beyond): Structures, Relations, Analyses
On Looking into Words is a wide-ranging volume spanning current research into word structure and morphology, with a focus on historical linguistics and linguistic theory. The papers are offered as a tribute to Stephen R. Anderson, the Dorothy R. Diebold Professor of Linguistics at Yale, who is retiring at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year. The contributors are friends, colleagues, and former students of Professor Anderson, all important contributors to linguistics in their own right. As is typical for such volumes, the contributions span a variety of topics relating to the interests of the honorand. In this case, the central contributions that Anderson has made to so many areas of linguistics and cognitive science, drawing on synchronic and diachronic phenomena in diverse linguistic systems, are represented through the papers in the volume.
The 26 papers that constitute this volume are unified by their discussion of the interplay between synchrony and diachrony, theory and empirical results, and the role of diachronic evidence in understanding the nature of language. Central concerns of the volume include morphological gaps, learnability, increases and declines in productivity, and the interaction of different components of the grammar. The papers deal with a range of linked synchronic and diachronic topics in phonology, morphology, and syntax (in particular, cliticization), and their implications for linguistic theory
On looking into words (and beyond): Structures, Relations, Analyses
On Looking into Words is a wide-ranging volume spanning current research into word structure and morphology, with a focus on historical linguistics and linguistic theory. The papers are offered as a tribute to Stephen R. Anderson, the Dorothy R. Diebold Professor of Linguistics at Yale, who is retiring at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year. The contributors are friends, colleagues, and former students of Professor Anderson, all important contributors to linguistics in their own right. As is typical for such volumes, the contributions span a variety of topics relating to the interests of the honorand. In this case, the central contributions that Anderson has made to so many areas of linguistics and cognitive science, drawing on synchronic and diachronic phenomena in diverse linguistic systems, are represented through the papers in the volume.
The 26 papers that constitute this volume are unified by their discussion of the interplay between synchrony and diachrony, theory and empirical results, and the role of diachronic evidence in understanding the nature of language. Central concerns of the volume include morphological gaps, learnability, increases and declines in productivity, and the interaction of different components of the grammar. The papers deal with a range of linked synchronic and diachronic topics in phonology, morphology, and syntax (in particular, cliticization), and their implications for linguistic theory
On looking into words (and beyond): Structures, Relations, Analyses
On Looking into Words is a wide-ranging volume spanning current research into word structure and morphology, with a focus on historical linguistics and linguistic theory. The papers are offered as a tribute to Stephen R. Anderson, the Dorothy R. Diebold Professor of Linguistics at Yale, who is retiring at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year. The contributors are friends, colleagues, and former students of Professor Anderson, all important contributors to linguistics in their own right. As is typical for such volumes, the contributions span a variety of topics relating to the interests of the honorand. In this case, the central contributions that Anderson has made to so many areas of linguistics and cognitive science, drawing on synchronic and diachronic phenomena in diverse linguistic systems, are represented through the papers in the volume.
The 26 papers that constitute this volume are unified by their discussion of the interplay between synchrony and diachrony, theory and empirical results, and the role of diachronic evidence in understanding the nature of language. Central concerns of the volume include morphological gaps, learnability, increases and declines in productivity, and the interaction of different components of the grammar. The papers deal with a range of linked synchronic and diachronic topics in phonology, morphology, and syntax (in particular, cliticization), and their implications for linguistic theory
On looking into words (and beyond): Structures, Relations, Analyses
On Looking into Words is a wide-ranging volume spanning current research into word structure and morphology, with a focus on historical linguistics and linguistic theory. The papers are offered as a tribute to Stephen R. Anderson, the Dorothy R. Diebold Professor of Linguistics at Yale, who is retiring at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year. The contributors are friends, colleagues, and former students of Professor Anderson, all important contributors to linguistics in their own right. As is typical for such volumes, the contributions span a variety of topics relating to the interests of the honorand. In this case, the central contributions that Anderson has made to so many areas of linguistics and cognitive science, drawing on synchronic and diachronic phenomena in diverse linguistic systems, are represented through the papers in the volume.
The 26 papers that constitute this volume are unified by their discussion of the interplay between synchrony and diachrony, theory and empirical results, and the role of diachronic evidence in understanding the nature of language. Central concerns of the volume include morphological gaps, learnability, increases and declines in productivity, and the interaction of different components of the grammar. The papers deal with a range of linked synchronic and diachronic topics in phonology, morphology, and syntax (in particular, cliticization), and their implications for linguistic theory
On looking into words (and beyond): Structures, Relations, Analyses
On Looking into Words is a wide-ranging volume spanning current research into word structure and morphology, with a focus on historical linguistics and linguistic theory. The papers are offered as a tribute to Stephen R. Anderson, the Dorothy R. Diebold Professor of Linguistics at Yale, who is retiring at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year. The contributors are friends, colleagues, and former students of Professor Anderson, all important contributors to linguistics in their own right. As is typical for such volumes, the contributions span a variety of topics relating to the interests of the honorand. In this case, the central contributions that Anderson has made to so many areas of linguistics and cognitive science, drawing on synchronic and diachronic phenomena in diverse linguistic systems, are represented through the papers in the volume.
The 26 papers that constitute this volume are unified by their discussion of the interplay between synchrony and diachrony, theory and empirical results, and the role of diachronic evidence in understanding the nature of language. Central concerns of the volume include morphological gaps, learnability, increases and declines in productivity, and the interaction of different components of the grammar. The papers deal with a range of linked synchronic and diachronic topics in phonology, morphology, and syntax (in particular, cliticization), and their implications for linguistic theory
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