3,719 research outputs found
Simple Ginzburg-Landau Theory for Vortices in a Crystal Lattice
We study the Ginzburg-Landau model with a nonlocal quartic term as a simple
phenomenological model for superconductors in the presence of coupling between
the vortex lattice and the underlying crystal lattice. In mean-field theory,
our model is consistent with a general oblique vortex lattice ranging from a
triangular lattice to a square lattice. This simple formulation enables us to
study the effect of thermal fluctuations in the vortex liquid regime. We
calculate the structure factor of the vortex liquid nonperturbatively and find
Bragg-like peaks with four-fold symmetry appearing in the structure factor even
though there is only a short-range crystalline order.Comment: Revised version with new title and additional results for the vortex
liquid regime, to be published in Phys. Rev. Lett. 5 pages RevTeX, 1 figure
include
The nature of solar brightness variations
The solar brightness varies on timescales from minutes to decades.
Determining the sources of such variations, often referred to as solar noise,
is of importance for multiple reasons: a) it is the background that limits the
detection of solar oscillations, b) variability in solar brightness is one of
the drivers of the Earth's climate system, c) it is a prototype of stellar
variability which is an important limiting factor for the detection of
extra-solar planets. Here we show that recent progress in simulations and
observations of the Sun makes it finally possible to pinpoint the source of the
solar noise. We utilise high-cadence observations from the Solar Dynamic
Observatory and the SATIRE model to calculate the magnetically-driven
variations of solar brightness. The brightness variations caused by the
constantly evolving cellular granulation pattern on the solar surface are
computed with the MURAM code. We find that surface magnetic field and
granulation can together precisely explain solar noise on timescales from
minutes to decades, i.e. ranging over more than six orders of magnitude in the
period. This accounts for all timescales that have so far been resolved or
covered by irradiance measurements. We demonstrate that no other sources of
variability are required to explain the data. Recent measurements of Sun-like
stars by CoRoT and Kepler uncovered brightness variations similar to that of
the Sun but with much wider variety of patterns. Our finding that solar
brightness variations can be replicated in detail with just two well-known
sources will greatly simplify future modelling of existing CoRoT and Kepler as
well as anticipated TESS and PLATO data.Comment: This is the submitted version of the paper published in Nature
Astronom
Efficient out-coupling of high-purity single photons from a coherent quantum dot in a photonic-crystal cavity
We demonstrate a single-photon collection efficiency of from
a quantum dot in a low-Q mode of a photonic-crystal cavity with a single-photon
purity of recorded above the saturation power. The high
efficiency is directly confirmed by detecting up to kilocounts per
second on a single-photon detector on another quantum dot coupled to the cavity
mode. The high collection efficiency is found to be broadband, as is explained
by detailed numerical simulations. Cavity-enhanced efficient excitation of
quantum dots is obtained through phonon-mediated excitation and under these
conditions, single-photon indistinguishability measurements reveal long
coherence times reaching ns in a weak-excitation regime. Our work
demonstrates that photonic crystals provide a very promising platform for
highly integrated generation of coherent single photons including the efficient
out-coupling of the photons from the photonic chip.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, submitte
Air-Loads Prediction of a UH-60A Rotor inside the 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel
The presented research extends the capability of a loose coupling computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational structure dynamics (CSD) code to calculate the flow-field around a rotor and test stand mounted inside a wind tunnel. Comparison of predicted air-load results for a full-scale UH-60A rotor recently tested inside the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel at Ames Research Center and in free-air flight are made for three challenging flight data points from the earlier conducted UH-60A Air-loads Program. Overall results show that the extension of the coupled CFD/CSD code to the wind-tunnel environment is generally successful
Non-commutative field theory approach to two-dimensional vortex liquid system
We investigate the non-commutative (NC) field theory approach to the vortex
liquid system restricted to the lowest Landau level (LLL) approximation. NC
field theory effectively takes care of the phase space reduction of the LLL
physics in a -product form and introduces a new gauge invariant form of
a quartic potential of the order parameter in the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) free
energy. This new quartic interaction coupling term has a non-trivial
equivalence relation with that obtained by Br\'ezin, Nelson and Thiaville in
the usual GL framework. The consequence of the equivalence is discussed.Comment: Add vortex lattice formation, more references, and one autho
Parquet Graph Resummation Method for Vortex Liquids
We present in detail a nonperturbative method for vortex liquid systems. This
method is based on the resummation of an infinite subset of Feynman diagrams,
the so-called parquet graphs, contributing to the four-point vertex function of
the Ginzburg-Landau model for a superconductor in a magnetic field. We derive a
set of coupled integral equations, the parquet equations, governing the
structure factor of the two-dimensional vortex liquid system with and without
random impurities and the three-dimensional system in the absence of disorder.
For the pure two-dimensional system, we simplify the parquet equations
considerably and obtain one simple equation for the structure factor. In two
dimensions, we solve the parquet equations numerically and find growing
translational order characterized by a length scale as the temperature is
lowered. The temperature dependence of is obtained in both pure and
weakly disordered cases. The effect of disorder appears as a smooth decrease of
as the strength of disorder increases.Comment: 15 pages, 12 PostScript figures, uses multicols.sty and epsf.st
Liquid-to-liquid phase transition in pancake vortex systems
We study the thermodynamics of a model of pancake vortices in layered
superconductors. The model is based on the effective pair potential for the
pancake vortices derived from the London approximation of a version of the
Lawrence-Doniach model which is valid for extreme type-II superconductors.
Using the hypernetted-chain (HNC) approximation, we find that there is a
temperature below which multiple solutions to the HNC equations exist. By
explicitly evaluating the free energy for each solution we find that the system
undergoes a first-order transition between two vortex liquid phases. The
low-temperature phase has larger correlations along the field direction than
the high-temperature phase. We discuss the possible relation of this phase
transition to the liquid-to-liquid phase transition recently observed in
Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductors in high magnetic fields in the presence of disorder.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
What is the best way of delivering virtual nature for improving mood?: An experimental comparison of high definition TV, 360Âș video, and computer generated virtual reality
This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.âŻExposure to ârealâ nature can increase positive affect and decrease negative affect, but direct access is not always
possible, e.g. for people in health/care settings who often experience chronic boredom. In these settings âvirtualâ
forms of nature may also have mood-related benefits (e.g. reducing boredom) but it has been difficult to separate
effects of nature content from those of delivery mode. The present laboratory-based study explored whether
exposure to three different delivery modes of virtual nature could reduce negative affect (including boredom)
and/or increase positive affect. Adult volunteer participants (n = 96) took part in a boredom induction task (to
simulate the emotional state of many people in health/care settings) before being randomly assigned to view/
interact with a virtual underwater coral reef in one of three experimental conditions: (a) 2D video viewed on a
high-definition TV screen; (b) 3600 video VR (360-VR) viewed via a head mounted display (HMD); or (c)
interactive computer-generated VR (CG-VR), also viewed via a HMD and interacted with using a hand-held
controller. Visual and auditory content was closely matched across conditions with help from the BBCâs Blue
Planet II series team. Supporting predictions, virtual exposure to a coral reef reduced boredom and negative
affect and increased positive affect and nature connectedness. Although reductions in boredom and negative
affect were similar across all three conditions, CG-VR was associated with significantly greater improvements in
positive affect than TV, which were mediated by greater experienced presence and increases in nature
connectedness. Results improve our understanding of the importance of virtual nature delivery mode and will
inform studies in real care settings.EU Horizon 202
The RNA Helicase DDX6 Controls Cellular Plasticity by Modulating P-Body Homeostasis
Post-transcriptional mechanisms have the potential to influence complex changes in gene expression, yet their role in cell fate transitions remains largely unexplored. Here, we show that suppression of the RNA helicase DDX6 endows human and mouse primed embryonic stem cells (ESCs) with a differentiation-resistant, âhyper-pluripotentâ state, which readily reprograms to a naive state resembling the preimplantation embryo. We further demonstrate that DDX6 plays a key role in adult progenitors where it controls the balance between self-renewal and differentiation in a context-dependent manner. Mechanistically, DDX6 mediates the translational suppression of target mRNAs in P-bodies. Upon loss of DDX6 activity, P-bodies dissolve and release mRNAs encoding fate-instructive transcription and chromatin factors that re-enter the ribosome pool. Increased translation of these targets impacts cell fate by rewiring the enhancer, heterochromatin, and DNA methylation landscapes of undifferentiated cell types. Collectively, our data establish a link between P-body homeostasis, chromatin organization, and stem cell potency
- âŠ