4,585 research outputs found
Dynamic masses for the close PG1159 binary SDSSJ212531.92-010745.9
SDSSJ212531.92-010745.9 is the first known PG1159 star in a close binary with
a late main sequence companion allowing a dynamical mass determination. The
system shows flux variations with a peak-to-peak amplitude of about 0.7 mag and
a period of about 6.96h. In August 2007, 13 spectra of SDSSJ212531.92-010745.9
covering the full orbital phase range were taken at the TWIN 3.5m telescope at
the Calar Alto Observatory (Alm\'{e}ria, Spain). These confirm the typical
PG1159 features seen in the SDSS discovery spectrum, together with the Balmer
series of hydrogen in emission (plus other emission lines), interpreted as
signature of the companion's irradiated side. A radial velocity curve was
obtained for both components. Using co-added radial-velocity-corrected spectra,
the spectral analysis of the PG1159 star is being refined.
The system's lightcurve, obtained during three seasons of photometry with the
G\"ottingen 50cm and T\"ubingen 80cm telescopes, was fitted with both the
NIGHTFALL and PHOEBE binary simulation programs. An accurate mass determination
of the PG1159 component from the radial velocity measurements requires to first
derive the inclination, which requires light curve modelling and yields further
constraints on radii, effective temperature and separation of the system's
components. From the analysis of all data available so far, we present the
possible mass range for the PG1159 component of SDSSJ212531.92-010745.9.Comment: 8 pages, in "White dwarfs", proceedings of the 16th European White
Dwarf Workshop, eds. E. Garcia-Berro, M. Hernanz, J. Isern, S. Torres, to be
published in J. Phys.: Conf. Se
Protease inhibitors prevent plasminogen-mediated, but not pemphigus vulgaris-induced, acantholysis in human epidermis
Pemphigus is an autoimmune blistering disease of the skin and mucous membranes. It is caused by autoantibodies directed against desmosomes, which are the principal adhesion structures between epidermal keratinocytes. Binding of autoantibodies leads to the destruction of desmosomes resulting in the loss of cell-cell adhesion (acantholysis) and epidermal blisters. The plasminogen activator system has been implicated as a proteolytic effector in pemphigus. We have tested inhibitors of the plasminogen activator system with regard to their potential to prevent pemphigus-induced cutaneous pathology. In a human split skin culture system, IgG preparations of sera from pemphigus vulgaris patients caused histopathologic changes (acantholysis) similar to those observed in the original pemphigus disease. All inhibitors that were tested (active site inhibitors directed against uPA, tPA, and/or plasmin; antibodies neutralizing the enzymatic activity of uPA or tPA; substances interfering with the binding of uPA to its specific cell surface receptor uPAR) failed to prevent pemphigus vulgaris IgG-mediated acantholysis. Plasminogen-mediated acantholysis, however, was effectively antagonized by the synthetic active site serine protease inhibitor WX-UK1 or by p-aminomethylbenzoic acid. Our data argue against applying anti-plasminogen activator/anti-plasmin strategies in the management of pemphigus
Quantum Hall Effect in a Two-Dimensional Electron System Bent by 90 Degrees
Using a new MBE growth technique, we fabricate a two-dimensional electron
system which is bent around an atomically sharp 90 degree corner. In the
quantum Hall regime under tilted magnetic fields, we can measure equilibration
between both co- and counter-propagating edge channels of arbitrary filling
factor ratio. We present here 4-point magnetotransport characterization of the
corner junction with filling factor combinations which can all be explained
using the standard Landauer-Buttiker edge channel picture. The success of this
description confirms the realization of a new type of quantum Hall edge
geometry.Comment: 4 pages, figures included Typographical errors corrected, reference
adde
Coulomb Drag as a Probe of the Nature of Compressible States in a Magnetic Field
Magneto-drag reveals the nature of compressible states and the underlying
interplay of disorder and interactions. At \nu=3/2 a clear T^{4/3} dependence
is observed, which signifies the metallic nature of the N=0 Landau level. In
contrast, drag in higher Landau levels reveals an additional contribution,
which anomalously grows with decreasing T before turning to zero following a
thermal activation law. The anomalous drag is discussed in terms of
electron-hole asymmetry arising from disorder and localization, and the
crossover to normal drag at high fields as due to screening of disorder.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Exciton condensate at a total filling factor of 1 in Corbino 2D electron bilayers
Magneto-transport and drag measurements on a quasi-Corbino 2D electron
bilayer at the systems total filling factor 1 (v_tot=1) reveal a drag voltage
that is equal in magnitude to the drive voltage as soon as the two layers begin
to form the expected v_tot=1 exciton condensate. The identity of both voltages
remains present even at elevated temperatures of 0.25 K. The conductance in the
current carrying layer vanishes only in the limit of strong coupling between
the two layers and at T->0 K which suggests the presence of an excitonic
circular current
Novel metallic and insulating states at a bent quantum Hall junction
A non-planar geometry for the quantum Hall (QH) effect is studied, whereby
two quantum Hall (QH) systems are joined at a sharp right angle. When both
facets are at equal filling factor nu the junction hosts a channel with
non-quantized conductance, dependent on nu. The state is metallic at nu = 1/3,
with conductance along the junction increasing as the temperature T drops. At
nu = 1, 2 it is strongly insulating, and at nu = 3, 4 shows only weak T
dependence. Upon applying a dc voltage bias along the junction, the
differential conductance again shows three different behaviors. Hartree
calculations of the dispersion at the junction illustrate possible
explanations, and differences from planar QH structures are highlighted.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, text + figs revised for clarit
Dynamic photoconductive gain effect in shallow-etched AlGaAs/GaAs quantum wires
We report on a dynamic photoconductive gain effect in quantum wires which are
lithographically fabricated in an AlGaAs/GaAs quantum well via a shallow-etch
technique. The effect allows resolving the one-dimensional subbands of the
quantum wires as maxima in the photoresponse across the quantum wires. We
interpret the results by optically induced holes in the valence band of the
quantum well which shift the chemical potential of the quantum wire. The
non-linear current-voltage characteristics of the quantum wires also allow
detecting the photoresponse effect of excess charge carriers in the conduction
band of the quantum well. The dynamics of the photoconductive gain are limited
by the recombination time of both electrons and holes
Activated Transport in the individual Layers that form the =1 Exciton Condensate
We observe the total filling factor =1 quantum Hall state in a
bilayer two-dimensional electron system with virtually no tunnelling. We find
thermally activated transport in the balanced system with a monotonic increase
of the activation energy with decreasing below 1.65. In the
imbalanced system we find activated transport in each of the layers separately,
yet the activation energies show a striking asymmetry around the balance point.
This implies that the gap to charge-excitations in the {\em individual} layers
is substantially different for positive and negative imbalance.Comment: 4 pages. 4 figure
Forming and confining of dipolar excitons by quantizing magnetic fields
We show that a magnetic field perpendicular to an AlGaAs/GaAs coupled quantum
well efficiently traps dipolar excitons and leads to the stabilization of the
excitonic formation and confinement in the illumination area. Hereby, the
density of dipolar excitons is remarkably enhanced up to . By means of Landau level spectroscopy we study the density of excess
holes in the illuminated region. Depending on the excitation power and the
applied electric field, the hole density can be tuned over one order of
magnitude up to - a value comparable with typical
carrier densities in modulation-doped structures.Comment: 4.3 Pages, 4 Figure
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