17,771 research outputs found
Planet Shadows in Protoplanetary Disks. I: Temperature Perturbations
Planets embedded in optically thick passive accretion disks are expected to
produce perturbations in the density and temperature structure of the disk. We
calculate the magnitudes of these perturbations for a range of planet masses
and distances. The model predicts the formation of a shadow at the position of
the planet paired with a brightening just beyond the shadow. We improve on
previous work on the subject by self-consistently calculating the temperature
and density structures under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium and
taking the full three-dimensional shape of the disk into account rather than
assuming a plane-parallel disk. While the excursion in temperatures is less
than in previous models, the spatial size of the perturbation is larger. We
demonstrate that a self-consistent calculation of the density and temperature
structure of the disk has a large effect on the disk model. In addition, the
temperature structure in the disk is highly sensitive to the angle of incidence
of stellar irradition at the surface, so accurately calculating the shape of
the disk surface is crucial for modeling the thermal structure of the disk.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figures. To appear in Ap
Constraints on the Formation of the Planet Around HD188753A
The claimed discovery of a Jupiter-mass planet in the close triple star
system HD 188753 poses a problem for planet formation theory. A circumstellar
disk around the planet's parent star would be truncated close to the star,
leaving little material available for planet formation. In this paper, we
attempt to model a protoplanetary disk around HD 188753A using a fairly simple
alpha-disk model, exploring a range of parameters constrained by observations
of T Tauri-type stars. The disk is truncated to within 1.5 to 2.7 AU, depending
on model parameters. We find that the in situ formation of the planet around HD
188753A is implausible.Comment: Accepted version, to appear in ApJ. 23 pages, 5 figures (3 in color
Surface segregation and the Al problem in GaAs quantum wells
Low-defect two-dimensional electron systems (2DESs) are essential for studies
of fragile many-body interactions that only emerge in nearly-ideal systems. As
a result, numerous efforts have been made to improve the quality of
modulation-doped AlGaAs/GaAs quantum wells (QWs), with an emphasis
on purifying the source material of the QW itself or achieving better vacuum in
the deposition chamber. However, this approach overlooks another crucial
component that comprises such QWs, the AlGaAs barrier. Here we show
that having a clean Al source and hence a clean barrier is instrumental to
obtain a high-quality GaAs 2DES in a QW. We observe that the mobility of the
2DES in GaAs QWs declines as the thickness or Al content of the
AlGaAs barrier beneath the QW is increased, which we attribute to
the surface segregation of Oxygen atoms that originate from the Al source. This
conjecture is supported by the improved mobility in the GaAs QWs as the Al cell
is cleaned out by baking
Two-dimensional mapping of triaxial strain fields in a multiferroic BiFeO3 thin film using scanning x-ray microdiffraction
The dramatically enhanced polarizations and saturation magnetizations observed in the epitaxially constrained BiFeO3 (BFO) thin films with their pronounced grain-orientation dependence have attracted much attention and are attributed largely to the constrained in-plane strain. Thus, it is highly desirable to directly obtain information on the two-dimensional (2D) distribution of the in-plane strain and its correlation with the grain orientation of each corresponding microregion. Here the authors report a 2D quantitative mapping of the grain orientation and the local triaxial strain field in a 250 nm thick multiferroic BFO film using a synchrotron x-ray microdiffraction technique. This direct scanning measurement demonstrates that the deviatoric component of the in-plane strain tensor is between 5x10(-3) and 6x10(-3) and that the local triaxial strain is fairly well correlated with the grain orientation in that particular region. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.X1145Nsciescopu
Parallel analysis of ribonucleotide-dependent deletions produced by yeast Top1 in vitro and in vivo
Ribonucleotides are the most abundant non-canonical component of yeast genomic DNA and their persistence is associated with a distinctive mutation signature characterized by deletion of a single repeat unit from a short tandem repeat. These deletion events are dependent on DNA topoisomerase I (Top1) and are initiated by Top1 incision at the relevant ribonucleotide 3′-phosphodiester. A requirement for the re-ligation activity of Top1 led us to propose a sequential cleavage model for Top1-dependent mutagenesis at ribonucleotides. Here, we test key features of this model via parallel in vitro and in vivo analyses. We find that the distance between two Top1 cleavage sites determines the deletion size and that this distance is inversely related to the deletion frequency. Following the creation of a gap by two Top1 cleavage events, the tandem repeat provides complementarity that promotes realignment to a nick and subsequent Top1-mediated ligation. Complementarity downstream of the gap promotes deletion formation more effectively than does complementarity upstream of the gap, consistent with constraints to realignment of the strand to which Top1 is covalently bound. Our data fortify sequential Top1 cleavage as the mechanism for ribonucleotide-dependent deletions and provide new insight into the component steps of this process
Magnetic-field and doping dependence of low-energy spin fluctuations in the antiferroquadrupolar compound Ce(1-x)La(x)B(6)
CeB(6) is a model compound exhibiting antiferroquadrupolar (AFQ) order, its
magnetic properties being typically interpreted within localized models. More
recently, the observation of strong and sharp magnetic exciton modes forming in
its antiferromagnetic (AFM) state at both ferromagnetic and AFQ wave vectors
suggested a significant contribution of itinerant electrons to the spin
dynamics. Here we investigate the evolution of the AFQ excitation upon the
application of an external magnetic field and the substitution of Ce with
non-magnetic La, both parameters known to suppress the AFM phase. We find that
the exciton energy decreases proportionally to T_N upon doping. In field, its
intensity is suppressed, while its energy remains constant. Its disappearance
above the critical field of the AFM phase is preceded by the formation of two
modes, whose energies grow linearly with magnetic field upon entering the AFQ
phase. These findings suggest a crossover from itinerant to localized spin
dynamics between the two phases, the coupling to heavy-fermion quasiparticles
being crucial for a comprehensive description of the magnon spectrum.Comment: Extended version with a longer introduction and an additional figure.
6 pages and 5 figure
GABA(A) receptor phospho-dependent modulation is regulated by phospholipase C-related inactive protein type 1, a novel protein phosphatase 1 anchoring protein
GABA(A) receptors are critical in controlling neuronal activity. Here, we examined the role for phospholipase C-related inactive protein type 1 (PRIP-1), which binds and inactivates protein phosphatase 1alpha (PP1alpha) in facilitating GABA(A) receptor phospho-dependent regulation using PRIP-1(-/-) mice. In wild-type animals, robust phosphorylation and functional modulation of GABA(A) receptors containing beta3 subunits by cAMP-dependent protein kinase was evident, which was diminished in PRIP-1(-/-) mice. PRIP-1(-/-) mice exhibited enhanced PP1alpha activity compared with controls. Furthermore, PRIP-1 was able to interact directly with GABA(A) receptor beta subunits, and moreover, these proteins were found to be PP1alpha substrates. Finally, phosphorylation of PRIP-1 on threonine 94 facilitated the dissociation of PP1alpha-PRIP-1 complexes, providing a local mechanism for the activation of PP1alpha. Together, these results suggest an essential role for PRIP-1 in controlling GABA(A) receptor activity via regulating subunit phosphorylation and thereby the efficacy of neuronal inhibition mediated by these receptors
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