Vannstandsendringer i Vågsbøpollen og Ådlandsstraumen som følge av kanalbygging. Målinger og befaringer, juli-oktober 1998

Høsten 1996 ble det åpnet en ny båtkanal mellom Vestrepollen og Vågsbøpollen i Fana. Kanalen har medført økte tidevannsforskjeller og bedre vannutskifting i Vågsbøpollen. Tidligere var Ådlandsstraumen eneste forbindelse mellom Vågsbøpollen og sjøen. På grunn av kanalen er vanngjennomstrømmingen i Ådlandsstraumen blitt mindre, og lavvann-nivået er senket. For å dokumentere eventuelle effekter som følge av kanalen gjennomførte NIVA i samarbeid med UiB et prosjekt sommeren 1998 for å registrere biologiske endringer i strandsonen. I tillegg ble det gjort målinger av vannstand og utført modellsimuleringer. Den biologiske kartleggingen ga ingen entydige verdier for endringer i høyvann- og lavvannsnivå, men indikerer lavvannssenking på 20-30 cm i Vågsbøpollen. Vannstandsmålingene viser en økning av vannstandsamplituden på inntil 50 cm (i det vesentligste lavvanns-senking) og en middel amplitudeendring på 25 cm. I Ådlandsstraumen oppstrøms den nederste innsnevringen er det tale om senking av vann-nivået ved fjære sjø på inntil 29 cm i forhold til tidligere. Dette forekommer kun kortvarig ved spring lavvann. Lavvanns-senking med 25 cm eller mer i dette området skjer i følge beregningene i 1,2% av tiden, tilsvarende mange korte perioder med lavvann med samlet varighet på 8,6 timer i løpet av en måned

The Role of Stakeholder Engagement in Developing New Technologies and Innovation for Nitrogen Reduction in Waters:A Longitudinal Study

Better nitrogen management, technologies, and regulation are required to reduce nitrogen losses in the aquatic environment. New innovative technologies can support farmers in a more targeted planning of fertilizer application and crop management at the field level to increase the effect of measures when reducing nitrogen losses. However, if farmers do not perceive the need for such a concept, the demand (market pull) will be minimal, making the implementation of such a technology difficult. The lack of this market pull could, however, be counterbalanced by a market push from research or requirements from public sector stakeholders (regulators). Within this domain, the main objective of this paper was to study technological change over time and identify and understand the crucial stakeholder involvement using the Functions of Innovation Systems Approach. This article shows how stakeholders’ perceptions and participation evolved over a 10-year period. It examines the interplay between technology readiness and the perceived readiness and acceptance by affected stakeholders. We demonstrate how stakeholder engagement was crucial to ensure the development of the technologies by creating marketable options for their future implementation. A key dynamic that emerged in this process was the transition from a research push to a regulator pull. We demonstrate the fact that without the regulatory requirement linked to changes towards more targeting of measures, the technology would not, on its own, be a business case, although it would provide new knowledge, thus representing a gain for society. The specific findings can be used in countries where new technologies need to be developed, and where a link to the regulation can ensure the active use of the new technology and, therefore, make their implementation worthwhile

Vortex line in a neutral finite-temperature superfluid Fermi gas

The structure of an isolated vortex in a dilute two-component neutral superfluid Fermi gas is studied within the context of self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory. Various thermodynamic properties are calculated and the shift in the critical temperature due to the presence of the vortex is analyzed. The gapless excitations inside the vortex core are studied and a scheme to detect these states and thus the presence of the vortex is examined. The numerical results are compared with various analytical expressions when appropriate.Comment: 8 pages, 6 embedded figure

Superconductivity enhanced conductance fluctuations in few layer graphene nanoribbons

We investigate the mesoscopic disorder induced rms conductance variance $\delta G$ in a few layer graphene nanoribbon (FGNR) contacted by two superconducting (S) Ti/Al contacts. By sweeping the back-gate voltage, we observe pronounced conductance fluctuations superimposed on a linear background of the two terminal conductance G. The linear gate-voltage induced response can be modeled by a set of inter-layer and intra-layer capacitances. $\delta G$ depends on temperature T and source-drain voltage $V_{sd}$. $\delta G$ increases with decreasing T and $|V_{sd}|$. When lowering $|V_{sd}|$, a pronounced cross-over at a voltage corresponding to the superconducting energy gap $\Delta$ is observed. For |V_{sd}|\ltequiv \Delta the fluctuations are markedly enhanced. Expressed in the conductance variance $G_{GS}$ of one graphene-superconducutor (G-S) interface, values of 0.58 e^2/h are obtained at the base temperature of 230 mK. The conductance variance in the sub-gap region are larger by up to a factor of 1.4-1.8 compared to the normal state. The observed strong enhancement is due to phase coherent charge transfer caused by Andreev reflection at the nanoribbon-superconductor interface.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Electron Drift Velocities In Xenon

The electron drift velocity has been measured in xenon over the range of reduced field strength 1 T

Theory of the optical absorption of light carrying orbital angular momentum by semiconductors

We develop a free-carrier theory of the optical absorption of light carrying orbital angular momentum (twisted light) by bulk semiconductors. We obtain the optical transition matrix elements for Bessel-mode twisted light and use them to calculate the wave function of photo-excited electrons to first-order in the vector potential of the laser. The associated net electric currents of first and second-order on the field are obtained. It is shown that the magnetic field produced at the center of the beam for the $\ell=1$ mode is of the order of a millitesla, and could therefore be detected experimentally using, for example, the technique of time-resolved Faraday rotation.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. (23 Jan 2008