321 research outputs found
Dynamical study on polaron formation in a metal/polymer/metal structure
By considering a metal/polymer/metal structure within a tight-binding
one-dimensional model, we have investigated the polaron formation in the
presence of an electric field. When a sufficient voltage bias is applied to one
of the metal electrodes, an electron is injected into the polymer chain, then a
self-trapped polaron is formed at a few hundreds of femtoseconds while it moves
slowly under a weak electric field (not larger than V/cm).
At an electric field between V/cm and V/cm,
the polaron is still formed, since the injected electron is bounded between the
interface barriers for quite a long time. It is shown that the electric field
applied at the polymer chain reduces effectively the potential barrier in the
metal/polymer interface
Neutron beam test of CsI crystal for dark matter search
We have studied the response of Tl-doped and Na-doped CsI crystals to nuclear
recoils and 's below 10 keV. The response of CsI crystals to nuclear
recoil was studied with mono-energetic neutrons produced by the
H(p,n)He reaction. This was compared to the response to Compton
electrons scattered by 662 keV -ray. Pulse shape discrimination between
the response to these 's and nuclear recoils was studied, and quality
factors were estimated. The quenching factors for nuclear recoils were derived
for both CsI(Na) and CsI(Tl) crystals.Comment: 21pages, 14figures, submitted to NIM
Using data mining for wine quality assessment
CertiïŹcation and quality assessment are crucial issues within
the wine industry. Currently, wine quality is mostly assessed by physico-
chemical (e.g alcohol levels) and sensory (e.g. human expert evaluation)
tests. In this paper, we propose a data mining approach to predict wine
preferences that is based on easily available analytical tests at the certiïŹ-
cation step. A large dataset is considered with white vinho verde samples
from the Minho region of Portugal. Wine quality is modeled under a re-
gression approach, which preserves the order of the grades. Explanatory
knowledge is given in terms of a sensitivity analysis, which measures the
response changes when a given input variable is varied through its do-
main. Three regression techniques were applied, under a computationally
efficient procedure that performs simultaneous variable and model selec-
tion and that is guided by the sensitivity analysis. The support vector
machine achieved promising results, outperforming the multiple regres-
sion and neural network methods. Such model is useful for understand-
ing how physicochemical tests affect the sensory preferences. Moreover,
it can support the wine expert evaluations and ultimately improve the
production
Nonlinear atom optics and bright gap soliton generation in finite optical lattices
We theoretically investigate the transmission dynamics of coherent matter
wave pulses across finite optical lattices in both the linear and the nonlinear
regimes. The shape and the intensity of the transmitted pulse are found to
strongly depend on the parameters of the incident pulse, in particular its
velocity and density: a clear physical picture for the main features observed
in the numerical simulations is given in terms of the atomic band dispersion in
the periodic potential of the optical lattice. Signatures of nonlinear effects
due the atom-atom interaction are discussed in detail, such as atom optical
limiting and atom optical bistability. For positive scattering lengths, matter
waves propagating close to the top of the valence band are shown to be subject
to modulational instability. A new scheme for the experimental generation of
narrow bright gap solitons from a wide Bose-Einstein condensate is proposed:
the modulational instability is seeded in a controlled way starting from the
strongly modulated density profile of a standing matter wave and the solitonic
nature of the generated pulses is checked from their shape and their
collisional properties
Coherent electron-phonon coupling and polaron-like transport in molecular wires
We present a technique to calculate the transport properties through
one-dimensional models of molecular wires. The calculations include inelastic
electron scattering due to electron-lattice interaction. The coupling between
the electron and the lattice is crucial to determine the transport properties
in one-dimensional systems subject to Peierls transition since it drives the
transition itself. The electron-phonon coupling is treated as a quantum
coherent process, in the sense that no random dephasing due to electron-phonon
interactions is introduced in the scattering wave functions. We show that
charge carrier injection, even in the tunneling regime, induces lattice
distortions localized around the tunneling electron. The transport in the
molecular wire is due to polaron-like propagation. We show typical examples of
the lattice distortions induced by charge injection into the wire. In the
tunneling regime, the electron transmission is strongly enhanced in comparison
with the case of elastic scattering through the undistorted molecular wire. We
also show that although lattice fluctuations modify the electron transmission
through the wire, the modifications are qualitatively different from those
obtained by the quantum electron-phonon inelastic scattering technique. Our
results should hold in principle for other one-dimensional atomic-scale wires
subject to Peierls transitions.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B (to
appear march 2001
Controlled release strategies for bone, cartilage, and osteochondral engineering: part I: recapitulation of native tissue healing and variables for the design of delivery systems
The potential of growth factors to stimulate tissue healing through the enhancement of cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation is undeniable. However, critical parameters on the design of adequate carriers, such as uncontrolled spatiotemporal presence of bioactive factors, inadequate release profiles, and supraphysiological dosages of growth factors, have impaired the translation of these systems onto clinical practice. This review describes the healing cascades for bone, cartilage, and osteochondral interface, highlighting the role of specific growth factors for triggering the reactions leading to tissue regeneration. Critical criteria on the design of carriersfor controlled release of bioactive factors are also reported, focusing on the need to provide a spatiotemporal control over the delivery and presentation of these molecules.The authors thank Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia for V.E.Santo's PhD grant (SFRH/BD/39486/2007). This work was carried out under the scope of the European FP7 Project Find and Bind (NMP4-SL-2009-229292) and Project MIT/ECE/0047/2009
Protons in near earth orbit
The proton spectrum in the kinetic energy range 0.1 to 200 GeV was measured
by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) during space shuttle flight STS-91 at
an altitude of 380 km. Above the geomagnetic cutoff the observed spectrum is
parameterized by a power law. Below the geomagnetic cutoff a substantial second
spectrum was observed concentrated at equatorial latitudes with a flux ~ 70
m^-2 sec^-1 sr^-1. Most of these second spectrum protons follow a complicated
trajectory and originate from a restricted geographic region.Comment: 19 pages, Latex, 7 .eps figure
Search for antihelium in cosmic rays
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) was flown on the space shuttle
Discovery during flight STS-91 in a 51.7 degree orbit at altitudes between 320
and 390 km. A total of 2.86 * 10^6 helium nuclei were observed in the rigidity
range 1 to 140 GV. No antihelium nuclei were detected at any rigidity. An upper
limit on the flux ratio of antihelium to helium of < 1.1 * 10^-6 is obtained.Comment: 18 pages, Latex, 9 .eps figure
Measurement of the W+W-gamma Cross Section and Direct Limits on Anomalous Quartic Gauge Boson Couplings at LEP
The process e+e- -> W+W-gamma is analysed using the data collected with the
L3 detector at LEP at a centre-of-mass energy of 188.6GeV, corresponding to an
integrated luminosity of 176.8pb^-1. Based on a sample of 42 selected W+W-
candidates containing an isolated hard photon, the W+W-gamma cross section,
defined within phase-space cuts, is measured to be: sigma_WWgamma = 290 +/- 80
+/- 16 fb, consistent with the Standard Model expectation. Including the
process e+e- -> nu nu gamma gamma, limits are derived on anomalous
contributions to the Standard Model quartic vertices W+W- gamma gamma and W+W-Z
gamma at 95% CL: -0.043 GeV^-2 < a_0/Lambda^2 < 0.043 GeV^-2 0.08 GeV^-2 <
a_c/Lambda^2 < 0.13 GeV^-2 0.41 GeV^-2 < a_n/Lambda^2 < 0.37 GeV^-2
Production of Single W Bosons at \sqrt{s}=189 GeV and Measurement of WWgamma Gauge Couplings
Single W boson production in electron-positron collisions is studied with the
L3 detector at LEP. The data sample collected at a centre-of-mass energy of
\sqrt{s} = 188.7GeV corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 176.4pb^-1.
Events with a single energetic lepton or two acoplanar hadronic jets are
selected. Within phase-space cuts, the total cross-section is measured to be
0.53 +/- 0.12 +/- 0.03 pb, consistent with the Standard Model expectation.
Including our single W boson results obtained at lower \sqrt{s}, the WWgamma
gauge couplings kappa_gamma and lambda_gamma are determined to be kappa_gamma =
0.93 +/- 0.16 +/- 0.09 and lambda_gamma = -0.31 +0.68 -0.19 +/- 0.13
- âŠ