Formation of dispersive hybrid bands at an organic-metal interface

An electronic band with quasi-one dimensional dispersion is found at the interface between a monolayer of a charge-transfer complex (TTF-TCNQ) and a Au(111) surface. Combined local spectroscopy and numerical calculations show that the band results from a complex mixing of metal and molecular states. The molecular layer folds the underlying metal states and mixes with them selectively, through the TTF component, giving rise to anisotropic hybrid bands. Our results suggest that, by tuning the components of such molecular layers, the dimensionality and dispersion of organic-metal interface states can be engineered

Particle Orbits in a Force-Balanced, Wave-Driven, Rotating Torus

The wave-driven rotating torus (WDRT) is a recently proposed fusion concept where the rotational transform is provided by the E x B drift resulting from a minor radial electric field. This field can be produced, for instance, by the RF-wave-mediated extraction of fusion-born alpha particles. In this paper, we discuss how macroscopic force balance, i.e. balance of the thermal hoop force, can be achieved in such a device. We show that this requires the inclusion of a small plasma current and vertical magnetic field, and identify the desirable reactor regime through free energy considerations. We then analyze particle orbits in this desirable regime, identifying velocity-space anisotropies in trapped (banana) orbits, resulting from the cancellation of rotational transforms due to the radial electric and poloidal magnetic fields. The potential neoclassical effects of these orbits on the perpendicular conductivity, current drive, and transport are discussed.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure

Are perytons signatures of ball lightning?

The enigmatic downchirped signals, called "perytons", that are detected by radio telescopes in the GHz frequency range may be produced by an atmospheric phenomenon known as ball lightning (BL). If BLs act as nonstationary radiofrequency cavities, their characteristic emission frequencies and evolution time scales are consistent with peryton observations, and so are general patterns in which BLs are known to occur. Based on this evidence, testable predictions are made that can confirm or rule out a causal connection between perytons and BLs. In either case, how perytons are searched for in observational data may warrant reconsideration, for existing procedures may be discarding events that has the same nature as known perytons

An Evening Spent with Bill van Zwet

Willem Rutger van Zwet was born in Leiden, the Netherlands, on March 31, 1934. He received his high school education at the Gymnasium Haganum in The Hague and obtained his Masters degree in Mathematics at the University of Leiden in 1959. After serving in the army for almost two years, he obtained his Ph.D. at the University of Amsterdam in 1964, with Jan Hemelrijk as advisor. In 1965, he was appointed Associate Professor of Statistics at the University of Leiden and promoted to Full Professor in 1968. He remained in Leiden until his retirement in 1999, while also serving as Associate Professor at the University of Oregon (1965), William Newman Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1990--1996), frequent visitor and Miller Professor (1997) at the University of California at Berkeley, director of the Thomas Stieltjes Institute of Mathematics in the Netherlands (1992--1999), and founding director of the European research institute EURANDOM (1997--2000). At Leiden, he was Dean of the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (1982--1984). He served as chair of the scientific council and member of the board of the Mathematics Centre at Amsterdam (1983--1996) and the Leiden University Fund (1993--2005).Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/08-STS261 the Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org