1,224 research outputs found
Can Deflagration-Detonation-Transitions occur in Type Ia Supernovae?
The mechanism for deflagration-detonation-transition (DDT) by turbulent
preconditioning, suggested to explain the possible occurrence of delayed
detonations in Type Ia supernova explosions, is argued to be conceptually
inconsistent. It relies crucially on diffusive heat losses of the burned
material on macroscopic scales. Regardless of the amplitude of turbulent
velocity fluctuations, the typical gradient scale for temperature fluctuations
is shown to be the laminar flame width or smaller, rather than the factor of
thousand more required for a DDT. Furthermore, thermonuclear flames cannot be
fully quenched in regions much larger than the laminar flame width as a
consequence of their simple ``chemistry''. Possible alternative explosion
scenarios are briefly discussed.Comment: 8 pages, uses aastex; added references. Accepted by ApJ Letter
Indirect coupling between spins in semiconductor quantum dots
The optically induced indirect exchange interaction between spins in two
quantum dots is investigated theoretically. We present a microscopic
formulation of the interaction between the localized spin and the itinerant
carriers including the effects of correlation, using a set of canonical
transformations. Correlation effects are found to be of comparable magnitude as
the direct exchange. We give quantitative results for realistic quantum dot
geometries and find the largest couplings for one dimensional systems.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Photoluminescence Spectroscopy of the Molecular Biexciton in Vertically Stacked Quantum Dot Pairs
We present photoluminescence studies of the molecular neutral
biexciton-exciton spectra of individual vertically stacked InAs/GaAs quantum
dot pairs. We tune either the hole or the electron levels of the two dots into
tunneling resonances. The spectra are described well within a few-level,
few-particle molecular model. Their properties can be modified broadly by an
electric field and by structural design, which makes them highly attractive for
controlling nonlinear optical properties.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, (v2, revision based on reviewers comments,
published
A Model for Multidimensional Delayed Detonations in SN Ia Explosions
We show that a flame tracking/capturing scheme originally developed for
deflagration fronts can be used to model thermonuclear detonations in
multidimensional explosion simulations of type Ia supernovae. After testing the
accuracy of the front model, we present a set of two-dimensional simulations of
delayed detonations with a physically motivated off-center
deflagration-detonation-transition point. Furthermore, we demonstrate the
ability of the front model to reproduce the full range of possible interactions
of the detonation with clumps of burned material. This feature is crucial for
assessing the viability of the delayed detonation scenario.Comment: 7 pages, accepted by A&
Electrically tunable g-factors in quantum dot molecular spin states
We present a magneto-photoluminescence study of individual vertically stacked
InAs/GaAs quantum dot pairs separated by thin tunnel barriers. As an applied
electric field tunes the relative energies of the two dots, we observe a strong
resonant increase or decrease in the g-factors of different spin states that
have molecular wavefunctions distributed over both quantum dots. We propose a
phenomenological model for the change in g-factor based on resonant changes in
the amplitude of the wavefunction in the barrier due to the formation of
bonding and antibonding orbitals.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, Accepted by Phys. Rev. Lett. New version reflects
response to referee comment
Spin Fine Structure in Optically Excited Quantum Dot Molecules
The interaction between spins in coupled quantum dots is revealed in distinct
fine structure patterns in the measured optical spectra of InAs/GaAs double
quantum dot molecules containing zero, one, or two excess holes. The fine
structure is explained well in terms of a uniquely molecular interplay of spin
exchange interactions, Pauli exclusion and orbital tunneling. This knowledge is
critical for converting quantum dot molecule tunneling into a means of
optically coupling not just orbitals, but spins.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, added material, (published
Acute symptomatic seizures in the emergency room: predictors and characteristics
Background: When treating patients with epileptic seizures in the emergency room (ER), it is of paramount importance to rapidly assess whether the seizure was acute symptomatic or unprovoked as the former points to a potentially life-threatening underlying condition. In this study, we seek to identify predictors and analyze characteristics of acute symptomatic seizures (ASS).
Methods: Data from patients presenting with seizures to highly frequented ERs of two sites of a university hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Seizures were classified as acute symptomatic or unprovoked according to definitions of the International League Against Epilepsy. Univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted to identify predictors; furthermore, characteristics of ASS were assessed.
Results: Finally, 695 patients were included, 24.5% presented with ASS. Variables independently associated with ASS comprised male sex (OR 3.173, 95% CI 1.972-5.104), no prior diagnosis of epilepsy (OR 11.235, 95% CI 7.195-17.537), and bilateral/generalized tonic-clonic seizure semiology (OR 2.982, 95% CI 1.172-7.588). Alcohol withdrawal was the most common cause of ASS (74.1%), with hemorrhagic stroke being the second most prevalent etiology. Neuroimaging was performed more often in patients with the final diagnosis of ASS than in those with unprovoked seizures (82.9% vs. 67.2%, p < 0.001). Patients with ASS were more likely to receive acute antiseizure medication in the ER (55.9% vs. 30.3%, p < 0.001).
Conclusions: In one quarter of patients presenting to the ER after an epileptic fit, the seizure had an acute symptomatic genesis. The independently associated variables may help to early identify ASS and initiate management of the underlying condition
Nucleosynthesis in thermonuclear supernovae with tracers: convergence and variable mass particles
Nucleosynthetic yield predictions for multi-dimensional simulations of
thermonuclear supernovae generally rely on the tracer particle method to obtain
isotopic information of the ejected material for a given supernova simulation.
We investigate how many tracer particles are required to determine converged
integrated total nucleosynthetic yields. For this purpose, we conduct a
resolution study in the number of tracer particles for different hydrodynamical
explosion models at fixed spatial resolution. We perform hydrodynamic
simulations on a co-expanding Eulerian grid in two dimensions assuming
rotational symmetry for both pure deflagration and delayed detonation Type Ia
supernova explosions. Within a given explosion model, we vary the number of
tracer particles to determine the minimum needed for the method to give a
robust prediction of the integrated yields of the most abundant nuclides. For
the first time, we relax the usual assumption of constant tracer particle mass
and introduce a radially vary- ing distribution of tracer particle masses. We
find that the nucleosynthetic yields of the most abundant species (mass
fraction > 10E-5) are reasonably well predicted for a tracer number as small as
32 per axis and direction - more or less independent of the explosion model. We
conclude that the number of tracer particles that were used in extant published
works appear to have been sufficient as far as integrated yields are concerned
for the most copiously produced nuclides. Additionally we find that a suitably
chosen tracer mass distribution can improve convergence for nuclei produced in
the outer layer of the supernova where the constant tracer mass prescription
suffers from poor spatial resolution.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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