363 research outputs found

    Strictly One-Dimensional Electron System in Au Chains on Ge(001) Revealed By Photoelectron K-Space Mapping

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    Atomic nanowires formed by Au on Ge(001) are scrutinized for the band topology of the conduction electron system by k-resolved photoemission. Two metallic electron pockets are observed. Their Fermi surface sheets form straight lines without undulations perpendicular to the chains within experimental uncertainty. The electrons hence emerge as strictly confined to one dimension. Moreover, the system is stable against a Peierls distortion down to 10 K, lending itself for studies of the spectral function. Indications for unusually low spectral weight at the chemical potential are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures - revised version with added Fig. 2e) and additional reference

    The horizontal resolution of MIPAS

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    Limb remote sensing from space provides atmospheric composition measurements at high vertical resolution while the information is smeared in the horizontal domain. The horizontal components of two-dimensional (altitude and along-track coordinate) averaging kernels of a limb retrieval constrained to horizontal homogeneity can be used to estimate the horizontal resolution of limb retrievals. This is useful for comparisons of measured data with modeled data, to construct horizontal observation operators in data assimilation applications or when measurements of different horizontal resolution are intercompared. We present these averaging kernels for retrievals of temperature, H2O, O3, CH4, N2O, HNO3 and NO2 from MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding) high-resolution limb emission spectra. The horizontal smearing of a MIPAS retrieval in terms of full width at half maximum of the rows of the horizontal averaging kernel matrix varies typically between about 200 and 350 km for most species, altitudes and atmospheric conditions. The range where 95% of the information originates from varies from about 260 to 440 km for these cases. This information spread is smaller than the MIPAS horizontal sampling, i.e. MIPAS data are horizontally undersampled, and the effective horizontal resolution is driven by the sampling rather than the smearing. The point where the majority of the information originates from is displaced from the tangent point towards the satellite by typically less than 10 km for trace gas profiles and about 50 to 100 km for temperature, with a few exceptions for uppermost altitudes. The geolocation of a MIPAS profile is defined as the tangent point of the middle line of sight in a MIPAS limb scan. The majority of the information displacement with respect to this nominal geolocation of the measurement is caused by the satellite movement and the geometrical displacement of the actual tangent point as a function of the elevation angle

    Limitations of Near Edge X Ray Absorption Fine Structure as a tool for observing conduction bands in chalcopyrite solar cell heterojunctions

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    A non optimized interface band alignment in a heterojunctionbased solar cell can have negative eff ects on the current and voltage characteristics of the resulting device. To evaluate the use of Near Edge X ray Absorption Fine Structure spectroscopy NEXAFS as a means to measure the conduction band position, Cu In,Ga S2 chalcopyrite thin film surfaces were investigated as these form the absorber layer in solar cells with the structure ZnO Buffer Cu In,Ga S2 Mo Glass. The composition dependence of the structure of the conduction bands of CuInxGa1 xS2 has been revealed for x 0, 0.67 and 1 with both hard and soft NEXAFS and the resulting changes in conduction band off set at the junction with the bu ffer layer discussed. A comprehensive study of the positions of the absorption edges of all elements was carried out and the development of the conduction band with Ga content was observed, also with respect to calculated densities of state

    Intercomparison of ILAS-II version 1.4 and version 2 target parameters with MIPAS-Envisat measurements

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    This paper assesses the mean differences between the two ILAS-II data versions (1.4 and 2) by comparing them with MIPAS measurements made between May and October 2003. For comparison with ILAS-II results, MIPAS data processed at the Institut fĂŒr Meteorologie und Klimaforschung, Karlsruhe, Germany (IMK) in cooperation with the Instituto de AstrofĂ­sica de AndalucĂ­a (IAA) in Granada, Spain, were used. The coincidence criteria of ±300 km in space and ±12 h in time for H<sub>2</sub>O, N<sub>2</sub>O, and CH<sub>4</sub> and the coincidence criteria of ±300 km in space and ±6 h in time for ClONO<sub>2</sub>, O<sub>3</sub>, and HNO<sub>3</sub> were used. The ILAS-II data were separated into sunrise (= Northern Hemisphere) and sunset (= Southern Hemisphere). For the sunrise data, a clear improvement from version 1.4 to version 2 was observed for H<sub>2</sub>O, CH<sub>4</sub>, ClONO<sub>2</sub>, and O<sub>3</sub>. In particular, the ILAS-II version 1.4 mixing ratios of H<sub>2</sub>O and CH<sub>4</sub> were unrealistically small, and those of ClONO<sub>2</sub> above altitudes of 30 km unrealistically large. For N<sub>2</sub>O and HNO<sub>3</sub>, there were no large differences between the two versions. Contrary to the Northern Hemisphere, where some exceptional profiles deviated significantly from known climatology, no such outlying profiles were found in the Southern Hemisphere for both versions. Generally, the ILAS-II version 2 data were in better agreement with the MIPAS data than the version 1.4, and are recommended for quantitative analysis in the stratosphere. For H<sub>2</sub>O data in the Southern Hemisphere, further data quality evaluation is necessary

    Reconstructing volcanic radiative forcing since 1990, using a comprehensive emission inventory and spatially resolved sulfur injections from satellite data in a chemistry-climate model

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    This paper presents model simulations of stratospheric aerosols with a focus on explosive volcanic eruptions. Using various (occultation and limb-based) satellite instruments, providing vertical profiles of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and aerosol extinction, we characterized the chemical and radiative inïŹ‚uence of volcanic aerosols for the period between 1990 and 2019. We established an improved and extended volcanic SO2 emission inventory that includes more than 500 explosive volcanic eruptions reaching the upper troposphere and the stratosphere. Each perturbation identified was derived from the satellite data and incorporated as a three-dimensional SO2 plume into a chemistry-climate model without the need for additional assumptions about altitude distribution and eruption duration as needed for a “point source” approach. The simultaneous measurements of SO2 and aerosol extinction by up to four satellite instruments enabled a reliable conversion of extinction measurements into injected SO2. In the chemistry-climate model, the SO2 from each individual plume was converted into aerosol particles and their optical properties were determined. Furthermore, the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and the instantaneous radiative forcing on climate were calculated online. Combined with model improvements, the results of the simulations are consistent with the observations of the various satellites. Slight deviations between the observations and model simulations were found for the large volcanic eruption of Pinatubo in 1991 and cases where simultaneous satellite observations were not unique or too sparse. Weak- and medium-strength volcanic eruptions captured in satellite data and the Smithsonian database typically inject about 10 to 50 kt SO2 directly into the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere (UTLS) region or the sulfur species are transported via convection and advection. Our results confirm that these relatively minor eruptions, which occur quite frequently, can nevertheless contribute to the stratospheric aerosol layer and are relevant for the Earth's radiation budget. These minor eruptions cause a total global instantaneous radiative forcing of the order of −0.1 W m−2 at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) compared to a background stratospheric aerosol forcing of about −0.04 W m−2. Medium-strength eruptions injecting about 400 kt SO2 into the stratosphere or accumulation of consecutive smaller eruptions can lead to a total instantaneous forcing of about −0.3 W m−2. We show that it is critical to include the contribution of the extratropical lowermost stratospheric aerosol in the forcing calculations.</p

    Design and description of the MUSICA IASI full retrieval product

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    IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) is the core instrument of the currently three Metop (Meteorological operational) satellites of EUMETSAT (European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites). The MUSICA IASI processing has been developed in the framework of the European Research Council project MUSICA (MUlti-platform remote Sensing of Isotopologues for investigating the Cycle of Atmospheric water). The processor performs an optimal estimation of the vertical distributions of water vapour (H2_{2}O), the ratio between two water vapour isotopologues (the HDO/H2_{2}O ratio), nitrous oxide (N2_{2}O), methane (CH4_{4}), and nitric acid (HNO3_{3}) and works with IASI radiances measured under cloud-free conditions in the spectral window between 1190 and 1400 cm−1^{-1}. The retrieval of the trace gas profiles is performed on a logarithmic scale, which allows the constraint and the analytic treatment of ln [HDO]−ln [H2_{2}O] as a proxy for the HDO/H2_{2}O ratio. Currently, the MUSICA IASI processing has been applied to all IASI measurements available between October 2014 and June 2021 and about two billion individual retrievals have been performed

    Structural Adaptation and Heterogeneity of Normal and Tumor Microvascular Networks

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    Relative to normal tissues, tumor microcirculation exhibits high structural and functional heterogeneity leading to hypoxic regions and impairing treatment efficacy. Here, computational simulations of blood vessel structural adaptation are used to explore the hypothesis that abnormal adaptive responses to local hemodynamic and metabolic stimuli contribute to aberrant morphological and hemodynamic characteristics of tumor microcirculation. Topology, vascular diameter, length, and red blood cell velocity of normal mesenteric and tumor vascular networks were recorded by intravital microscopy. Computational models were used to estimate hemodynamics and oxygen distribution and to simulate vascular diameter adaptation in response to hemodynamic, metabolic and conducted stimuli. The assumed sensitivity to hemodynamic and conducted signals, the vascular growth tendency, and the random variability of vascular responses were altered to simulate ‘normal’ and ‘tumor’ adaptation modes. The heterogeneous properties of vascular networks were characterized by diameter mismatch at vascular branch points (d3var) and deficit of oxygen delivery relative to demand (O2def). In the tumor, d3var and O2def were higher (0.404 and 0.182) than in normal networks (0.278 and 0.099). Simulated remodeling of the tumor network with ‘normal’ parameters gave low values (0.288 and 0.099). Conversely, normal networks attained tumor-like characteristics (0.41 and 0.179) upon adaptation with ‘tumor’ parameters, including low conducted sensitivity, increased growth tendency, and elevated random biological variability. It is concluded that the deviant properties of tumor microcirculation may result largely from defective structural adaptation, including strongly reduced responses to conducted stimuli

    GluA4-Targeted AAV Vectors Deliver Genes Selectively to Interneurons while Relying on the AAV Receptor for Entry

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    Selective gene delivery into subtypes of interneurons remains an important challenge in vector development. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector particles are especially promising for intracerebral injections. For cell entry, AAV2 particles are supposed to attach to heparan-sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) followed by endocytosis via the AAV receptor (AAVR). Here, we assessed engineered AAV particles deficient in HSPG attachment but competent in recognizing the glutamate receptor 4 (GluA4, also known as GluRD or GRIA4) through a displayed GluA4-specific DARPin (designed ankyrin repeat protein). When injected into the mouse brain, histological evaluation revealed that in various regions, more than 90% of the transduced cells were interneurons, mainly of the parvalbumin-positive subtype. Although part of the selectivity was mediated by the DARPin, the chosen spleen focus-forming virus (SFFV) promoter had contributed as well. Further analysis revealed that the DARPin mediated selective attachment to GluA4-positive cells, whereas gene delivery required expression of AAVR. Our data suggest that cell selectivity of AAV particles can be modified rationally and efficiently through DARPins, but expression of the AAV entry receptor remains essential
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