164 research outputs found
Fabrication and electrical transport properties of embedded graphite microwires in a diamond matrix
Micrometer width and nanometer thick wires with different shapes were
produced \approx 3~\upmum below the surface of a diamond crystal using a
microbeam of He ions with 1.8~MeV energy. Initial samples are amorphous and
after annealing at ~K, the wires crystallized into a
graphite-like structures, according to confocal Raman spectroscopy
measurements. The electrical resistivity at room temperature is only one order
of magnitude larger than the in-plane resistivity of highly oriented pyrolytic
bulk graphite and shows a small resistivity ratio(). A small negative magnetoresistance below ~K was
measured and can be well understood taking spin-dependent scattering processes
into account. The used method provides the means to design and produce
millimeter to micrometer sized conducting circuits with arbitrary shape
embedded in a diamond matrix.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, to be published in Journal of Physics D: Applied
Physics (Feb. 2017
A Multi-wavelength MOCASSIN Model of the Magellanic-type Galaxy NGC 4449
We use the photoionisation and dust radiative transfer code MOCASSIN to
create a model of the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 4449. The best-matching model
reproduces the global optical emission line fluxes and the observed spectral
energy distribution (SED) spanning wavelengths from the UV to sub-mm, and
requires the bolometric luminosity of 6.25e9 Lsolar for the underlying stellar
component, M_d/M_g of 1/680 and M_d of 2.2e6 Msolar.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Proceedings of the IAU Symposium
284: The Spectral Energy Distribution of Galaxies (SED2011
Differential localization of flavonoid glucosides in an aquatic plant implicates different functions under abiotic stress
Abstract Flavonoids may mediate UV protection in plants either by screening of harmful radiation or by minimizing the resulting oxidative stress. To help distinguish between these alternatives, more precise knowledge of flavonoid distribution is needed. We used confocal laser scanning microscopy (cLSM) with the âemission fingerprintingâ feature to study the cellular and subcellular distribution of flavonoid glucosides in the giant duckweed ( Spirodela polyrhiza ), and investigated the fitness effects of these compounds under natural UV radiation and copper sulphate addition (oxidative stress) using common garden experiments indoors and outdoors. cLSM âemission fingerprintingâ allowed us to individually visualize the major dihydroxylated Bâringâsubstituted flavonoids, luteolin 7âOâglucoside and luteolin 8âCâglucoside, in crossâsections of the photosynthetic organs. While luteolin 8âCâglucoside accumulated mostly in the vacuoles and chloroplasts of mesophyll cells, luteolin 7âOâglucoside was predominantly found in the vacuoles of epidermal cells. In congruence with its cellular distribution, the mesophyllâassociated luteolin 8âCâglucoside increased plant fitness under copper sulphate addition but not under natural UV light treatment, whereas the epidermisâassociated luteolin 7âOâglucoside tended to increase fitness under both stresses across chemically diverse genotypes. Taken together, we demonstrate that individual flavonoid glucosides have distinct cellular and subcellular locations and promote duckweed fitness under different abiotic stresses
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A semiconductor laser system for the production of antihydrogen
Laser-controlled charge exchange is a promising method for producing cold antihydrogen. Caesium atoms in Rydberg states collide with positrons and create positronium. These positronium atoms then interact with antiprotons, forming antihydrogen. Laser excitation of the caesium atoms is essential to increase the cross section of the charge-exchange collisions. This method was demonstrated in 2004 by the ATRAP collaboration by using an available copper vapour laser. For a second generation of charge-exchange experiments we have designed a new semiconductor laser system that features several improvements compared to the copper vapour laser. We describe this new laser system and show the results from the excitation of caesium atoms to Rydberg states within the strong magnetic fields in the ATRAP apparatus
Black hole solutions in Euler-Heisenberg theory
We construct static and spherically symmetric black hole solutions in the
Einstein-Euler-Heisenberg (EEH) system which is considered as an effective
action of a superstring theory. We considered electrically charged,
magnetically charged and dyon solutions. We can solve analytically for the
magnetically charged case. We find that they have some remarkable properties
about causality and black hole thermodynamics depending on the coupling
constant of the EH theory and , though they have central singularity as
in the Schwarzschild black hole.Comment: 8 pages, 13 figures, figures corrected and some comments adde
Pockmarks in the Witch Ground Basin, central north sea
Marine sediments host large amounts of methane (CH4), which is a potent greenhouse gas. Quantitative estimates for methane release from marine sediments are scarce, and a poorly constrained temporal variability leads to large uncertainties in methane emission scenarios. Here, we use 2âD and 3âD seismic reflection, multibeam bathymetric, geochemical, and sedimentological data to (I) map and describe pockmarks in the Witch Ground Basin (central North Sea), (II) characterize associated sedimentological and fluid migration structures, and (III) analyze the related methane release. More than 1,500 pockmarks of two distinct morphological classes spread over an area of 225 km2. The two classes form independently from another and are corresponding to at least two different sources of fluids. Class 1 pockmarks are large in size (>6 m deep, >250 m long, and >75 m wide), show active venting, and are located above vertical fluid conduits that hydraulically connect the seafloor with deep methane sources. Class 2 pockmarks, which comprise 99.5% of all pockmarks, are smaller (0.9â3.1 m deep, 26â140 m long, and 14â57 m wide) and are limited to the soft, fineâgrained sediments of the Witch Ground Formation and possibly sourced by compactionârelated dewatering. Buried pockmarks within the Witch Ground Formation document distinct phases of pockmark formation, likely triggered by external forces related to environmental changes after deglaciation. Thus, greenhouse gas emissions from pockmark fields cannot be based on pockmark numbers and presentâday fluxes but require an analysis of the pockmark forming processes through geological time
Lorenz function of BiTe/SbTe superlattices
Combining first principles density functional theory and semi-classical
Boltzmann transport, the anisotropic Lorenz function was studied for
thermoelectric BiTe/SbTe superlattices and their bulk
constituents. It was found that already for the bulk materials BiTe
and SbTe, the Lorenz function is not a pellucid function on charge
carrier concentration and temperature. For electron-doped
BiTe/SbTe superlattices large oscillatory deviations
for the Lorenz function from the metallic limit were found even at high charge
carrier concentrations. The latter can be referred to quantum well effects,
which occur at distinct superlattice periods
Volcanic Flank Collapse, Secondary Sediment Failure and FlowâTransition:MultiâStage Landslide Emplacement Offshore Montserrat, Lesser Antilles
Volcanic flank collapses, especially those in island settings, have generated some of the most voluminous mass transport deposits on Earth and can trigger devastating tsunamis. Reliable tsunami hazard assessments for flank collapseâdriven tsunamis require an understanding of the complex emplacement processes involved. The seafloor sequence southeast of Montserrat (Lesser Antilles) is a key site for the study of volcanic flank collapse emplacement processes that span subaerial to submarine environments. Here, we present new 2D and 3D seismic data as well as MeBo drill core data from one of the most extensive mass transport deposits offshore Montserrat, which exemplifies multiâphase landslide deposition from volcanic islands. The deposits reveal emplacement in multiple stages including two blocky volcanic debris avalanches, secondary seafloor failure and a lateâstage erosive density current that carved channelâlike incisions into the hummocky surface of the deposit about 15 km from the source region. The highly erosive density current potentially originated from downslopeâacceleration of fineâgrained material that was suspended in the water column earlier during the slide. Lateâstage erosive turbidity currents may be a more common process following volcanic sector collapse than has been previously recognized, exerting a potentially important control on the observed deposit morphology as well as on the runout and the overall shape of the deposit
The influence of anesthetics, neurotransmitters and antibiotics on the relaxation processes in lipid membranes
In the proximity of melting transitions of artificial and biological
membranes fluctuations in enthalpy, area, volume and concentration are
enhanced. This results in domain formation, changes of the elastic constants,
changes in permeability and slowing down of relaxation processes. In this study
we used pressure perturbation calorimetry to investigate the relaxation time
scale after a jump into the melting transition regime of artificial lipid
membranes. This time corresponds to the characteristic rate of domain growth.
The studies were performed on single-component large unilamellar and
multilamellar vesicle systems with and without the addition of small molecules
such as general anesthetics, neurotransmitters and antibiotics. These drugs
interact with membranes and affect melting points and profiles. In all systems
we found that heat capacity and relaxation times are related to each other in a
simple manner. The maximum relaxation time depends on the cooperativity of the
heat capacity profile and decreases with a broadening of the transition. For
this reason the influence of a drug on the time scale of domain formation
processes can be understood on the basis of their influence on the heat
capacity profile. This allows estimations of the time scale of domain formation
processes in biological membranes.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
Seismic chimney characterisation in the North Sea â Implications for pockmark formation and shallow gas migration
Fluid-escape structures within sedimentary basins permit pressure-driven focused fluid flow through inter-connected faults, fractures and sediment. Seismically-imaged chimneys are recognised as fluid migration pathways which cross-cut overburden stratigraphy, hydraulically connecting deeper strata with the seafloor. However, the geological processes in the sedimentary overburden which control the mechanisms of genesis and temporal evolution require improved understanding. We integrate high resolution 2D and 3D seismic reflection data with sediment core data to characterise a natural, active site of seafloor methane venting in the UK North Sea and Witch Ground Basin, the Scanner pockmark complex. A regional assessment of shallow gas distribution presents direct evidence of active and palaeo-fluid migration pathways which terminate at the seabed pockmarks. We show that these pockmarks are fed from a methane gas reservoir located at 70 metres below the seafloor. We find that the shallow reservoir is a glacial outwash fan, that is laterally sealed by glacial tunnel valleys. Overpressure generation leading to chimney and pockmark genesis is directly controlled by the shallow geological and glaciogenic setting. Once formed, pockmarks act as drainage cells for the underlying gas accumulations. Fluid flow occurs through gas chimneys, comprised of a sub-vertical gas-filled fracture zone. Our findings provide an improved understanding of focused fluid flow and pockmark formation within the sediment overburden, which can be applied to subsurface geohazard assessment and geological storage of CO2
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