13,022 research outputs found
Quantum description and properties of electrons emitted from pulsed nanotip electron sources
We present a quantum calculation of the electron degeneracy for electron
sources. We explore quantum interference of electrons in the temporal and
spatial domain and demonstrate how it can be utilized to characterize a pulsed
electron source. We estimate effects of Coulomb repulsion on two-electron
interference and show that currently available nano tip pulsed electron sources
operate in the regime where the quantum nature of electrons can be made
dominant
EBF1-deficient bone marrow stroma elicits persistent changes in HSC potential
Crosstalk between mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is essential for hematopoietic homeostasis and lineage output. Here, we investigate how transcriptional changes in bone marrow (BM) MSCs result in long-lasting effects on HSCs. Single-cell analysis of Cxcl12-abundant reticular (CAR) cells and PDGFRα+Sca1+ (PαS) cells revealed an extensive cellular heterogeneity but uniform expression of the transcription factor gene Ebf1. Conditional deletion of Ebf1 in these MSCs altered their cellular composition, chromatin structure and gene expression profiles, including the reduced expression of adhesion-related genes. Functionally, the stromal-specific Ebf1 inactivation results in impaired adhesion of HSCs, leading to reduced quiescence and diminished myeloid output. Most notably, HSCs residing in the Ebf1-deficient niche underwent changes in their cellular composition and chromatin structure that persist in serial transplantations. Thus, genetic alterations in the BM niche lead to long-term functional changes of HSCs
A simple derivation of Kepler's laws without solving differential equations
Proceeding like Newton with a discrete time approach of motion and a
geometrical representation of velocity and acceleration, we obtain Kepler's
laws without solving differential equations. The difficult part of Newton's
work, when it calls for non trivial properties of ellipses, is avoided by the
introduction of polar coordinates. Then a simple reconsideration of Newton's
figure naturally leads to en explicit expression of the velocity and to the
equation of the trajectory. This derivation, which can be fully apprehended by
beginners at university (or even before) can be considered as a first
application of mechanical concepts to a physical problem of great historical
and pedagogical interest
The role of Stewartson and Ekman layers in turbulent rotating Rayleigh-B\'enard convection
When the classical Rayleigh-B\'enard (RB) system is rotated about its
vertical axis roughly three regimes can be identified. In regime I (weak
rotation) the large scale circulation (LSC) is the dominant feature of the
flow. In regime II (moderate rotation) the LSC is replaced by vertically
aligned vortices. Regime III (strong rotation) is characterized by suppression
of the vertical velocity fluctuations. Using results from experiments and
direct numerical simulations of RB convection for a cell with a
diameter-to-height aspect ratio equal to one at ()
and we identified the characteristics of the
azimuthal temperature profiles at the sidewall in the different regimes. In
regime I the azimuthal wall temperature profile shows a cosine shape and a
vertical temperature gradient due to plumes that travel with the LSC close to
the sidewall. In regime II and III this cosine profile disappears, but the
vertical wall temperature gradient is still observed. It turns out that the
vertical wall temperature gradient in regimes II and III has a different origin
than that observed in regime I. It is caused by boundary layer dynamics
characteristic for rotating flows, which drives a secondary flow that
transports hot fluid up the sidewall in the lower part of the container and
cold fluid downwards along the sidewall in the top part.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figure
Boundaries of Siegel Disks: Numerical Studies of their Dynamics and Regularity
Siegel disks are domains around fixed points of holomorphic maps in which the maps are locally linearizable (i.e., become a rotation under an appropriate change of coordinates which is analytic in a neighborhood of the origin). The dynamical behavior of the iterates of the map on the boundary of the Siegel disk exhibits strong scaling properties which have been intensively studied in the physical and mathematical literature. In the cases we study, the boundary of the Siegel disk is a Jordan curve containing a critical point of the map (we consider critical maps of different orders), and there exists a natural parametrization which transforms the dynamics on the boundary into a rotation. We compute numerically this parameterization and use methods of harmonic analysis to compute the global Holder regularity of the parametrization for different maps and rotation numbers. We obtain that the regularity of the boundaries and the scaling exponents are universal numbers in the sense of renormalization theory (i.e., they do not depend on the map when the map ranges in an open set), and only depend on the order of the critical point of the map in the boundary of the Siegel disk and the tail of the continued function expansion of the rotation number. We also discuss some possible relations between the regularity of the parametrization of the boundaries and the corresponding scaling exponents. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.NSFMathematic
Optimal Prandtl number for heat transfer in rotating Rayleigh-Benard convection
Numerical data for the heat transfer as a function of the Prandtl (Pr) and
Rossby (Ro) numbers in turbulent rotating Rayleigh-Benard convection are
presented for Rayleigh number Ra = 10^8. When Ro is fixed the heat transfer
enhancement with respect to the non-rotating value shows a maximum as function
of Pr. This maximum is due to the reduced efficiency of Ekman pumping when Pr
becomes too small or too large. When Pr becomes small, i.e. for large thermal
diffusivity, the heat that is carried by the vertical vortices spreads out in
the middle of the cell, and Ekman pumping thus becomes less efficient. For
higher Pr the thermal boundary layers (BLs) are thinner than the kinetic BLs
and therefore the Ekman vortices do not reach the thermal BL. This means that
the fluid that is sucked into the vertical vortices is colder than for lower Pr
which limits the efficiency of the upwards heat transfer.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure
Moir\'e patterns in quantum images
We observed moir\'e fringes in spatial quantum correlations between twin
photons generated by parametric down-conversion. Spatially periodic structures
were nonlocally superposed giving rise to beat frequencies typical of moir\'e
patterns. This result brings interesting perspectives regarding metrological
applications of such a quantum optical setup.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Comparison between two methods of solution of coupled equations for low-energy scattering
Cross sections from low-energy neutron-nucleus scattering have been evaluated
using a coupled channel theory of scattering. Both a coordinate-space and a
momentum-space formalism of that coupled-channel theory are considered.A simple
rotational model of the channel interaction potentials is used to find results
using two relevant codes, ECIS97 and MCAS, so that they may be compared. The
very same model is then used in the MCAS approach to quantify the changes that
occur when allowance is made for effects of the Pauli principle.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Observation of Pure Spin Transport in a Diamond Spin Wire
Spin transport electronics - spintronics - focuses on utilizing electron spin
as a state variable for quantum and classical information processing and
storage. Some insulating materials, such as diamond, offer defect centers whose
associated spins are well-isolated from their environment giving them long
coherence times; however, spin interactions are important for transport,
entanglement, and read-out. Here, we report direct measurement of pure spin
transport - free of any charge motion - within a nanoscale quasi 1D 'spin
wire', and find a spin diffusion length ~ 700 nm. We exploit the statistical
fluctuations of a small number of spins ( < 100 net spins) which are
in thermal equilibrium and have no imposed polarization gradient. The spin
transport proceeds by means of magnetic dipole interactions that induce
flip-flop transitions, a mechanism that can enable highly efficient, even
reversible, pure spin currents. To further study the dynamics within the spin
wire, we implement a magnetic resonance protocol that improves spatial
resolution and provides nanoscale spectroscopic information which confirms the
observed spin transport. This spectroscopic tool opens a potential route for
spatially encoding spin information in long-lived nuclear spin states. Our
measurements probe intrinsic spin dynamics at the nanometre scale, providing
detailed insight needed for practical devices which seek to control spin.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, under consideration at Nature Nanotechnolog
Structural and electronic properties of Pb1-xCdxTe and Pb1-xMnxTe ternary alloys
A systematic theoretical study of two PbTe-based ternary alloys, Pb1-xCdxTe
and Pb1-xMnxTe, is reported. First, using ab initio methods we study the
stability of the crystal structure of CdTe - PbTe solid solutions, to predict
the composition for which rock-salt structure of PbTe changes into zinc-blende
structure of CdTe. The dependence of the lattice parameter on Cd (Mn) content x
in the mixed crystals is studied by the same methods. The obtained decrease of
the lattice constant with x agrees with what is observed in both alloys. The
band structures of PbTe-based ternary compounds are calculated within a
tight-binding approach. To describe correctly the constituent materials new
tight-binding parameterizations for PbTe and MnTe bulk crystals as well as a
tight-binding description of rock-salt CdTe are proposed. For both studied
ternary alloys, the calculated band gap in the L point increases with x, in
qualitative agreement with photoluminescence measurements in the infrared. The
results show also that in p-type Pb1-xCdxTe and Pb1-xMnxTe mixed crystals an
enhancement of thermoelectrical power can be expected.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Physical Review
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