280 research outputs found
Solid molecular hydrogen: The Broken Symmetry Phase
By performing constant-pressure variable-cell ab initio molecular dynamics
simulations we find a quadrupolar orthorhombic structure, of symmetry,
for the broken symmetry phase (phase II) of solid H2 at T=0 and P =110 - 150
GPa. We present results for the equation of state, lattice parameters and
vibronic frequencies, in very good agreement with experimental observations.
Anharmonic quantum corrections to the vibrational frequencies are estimated
using available data on H2 and D2. We assign the observed modes to specific
symmetry representations.Comment: 5 pages (twocolumn), 4 Postscript figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.
Let
Structural Phase Transition at High Temperatures in Solid Molecular Hydrogen and Deuterium
We study the effect of temperature up to 1000K on the structure of dense
molecular para-hydrogen and ortho-deuterium, using the path-integral Monte
Carlo method. We find a structural phase transition from orientationally
disordered hexagonal close packed (hcp) to an orthorhombic structure of Cmca
symmetry before melting. The transition is basically induced by thermal
fluctuations, but quantum fluctuations of protons (deuterons) are important in
determining the transition temperature through effectively hardening the
intermolecular interaction. We estimate the phase line between hcp and Cmca
phases as well as the melting line of the Cmca solid.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures; accepted in Phys. Rev.
Power laws in microrheology experiments on living cells: comparative analysis and modelling
We compare and synthesize the results of two microrheological experiments on
the cytoskeleton of single cells. In the first one, the creep function J(t) of
a cell stretched between two glass plates is measured after applying a constant
force step. In the second one, a micrometric bead specifically bound to
transmembrane receptors is driven by an oscillating optical trap, and the
viscoelastic coefficient is retrieved. Both and
exhibit power law behavior: and , with the same exponent
. This power law behavior is very robust ; is
distributed over a narrow range, and shows almost no dependance on the cell
type, on the nature of the protein complex which transmits the mechanical
stress, nor on the typical length scale of the experiment. On the contrary, the
prefactors and appear very sensitive to these parameters. Whereas
the exponents are normally distributed over the cell population, the
prefactors and follow a log-normal repartition. These results are
compared with other data published in the litterature. We propose a global
interpretation, based on a semi-phenomenological model, which involves a broad
distribution of relaxation times in the system. The model predicts the power
law behavior and the statistical repartition of the mechanical parameters, as
experimentally observed for the cells. Moreover, it leads to an estimate of the
largest response time in the cytoskeletal network: s.Comment: 47 pages, 14 figures // v2: PDF file is now Acrobat Reader 4 (and up)
compatible // v3: Minor typos corrected - The presentation of the model have
been substantially rewritten (p. 17-18), in order to give more details -
Enhanced description of protocols // v4: Minor corrections in the text : the
immersion angles are estimated and not measured // v5: Minor typos corrected.
Two references were clarifie
High-Pressure Amorphous Nitrogen
The phase diagram and stability limits of diatomic solid nitrogen have been
explored in a wide pressure--temperature range by several optical spectroscopic
techniques. A newly characterized narrow-gap semiconducting phase has
been found to exist in a range of 80--270 GPa and 10--510 K. The vibrational
and optical properties of the phase produced under these conditions
indicate that it is largely amorphous and back transforms to a new molecular
phase. The band gap of the phase is found to decrease with pressure
indicating possible metallization by band overlap above 280 GPa.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
The Mission Accessibility of Near-Earth Asteroids
The population of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) that may be accessible for human space flight missions is defined by the Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study (NHATS). The NHATS is an automated system designed to monitor the accessibility of, and particular mission opportunities offered by, the NEA population. This is analogous to systems that automatically monitor the impact risk posed to Earth by the NEA population. The NHATS system identifies NEAs that are potentially accessible for future round-trip human space flight missions and provides rapid notification to asteroid observers so that crucial follow-up observations can be obtained following discovery of accessible NEAs. The NHATS was developed in 2010 and was automated by early 2012. NHATS data are provided via an interactive web-site, and daily NHATS notification emails are transmitted to a mailing list; both resources are available to the public
Observation of an Isotope Shift in the Superconducting Transition Temperature of La\u3csub\u3e1.85\u3c/sub\u3eSr\u3csub\u3e0.15\u3c/sub\u3eCuO\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e
An oxygen isotope shift is observed in superconducting La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 when 18O is substituted partially for 16O; the superconducting transition temperature Tc is lowered by 0.3 to 1.0 K in different samples. We examine these results using conventioanl phonon-mediated BCS theory and conclude that, for La1.85Sr0.15CuO4, phonons play an important role in the pairing mechanism
Deformable Nanolaminate Optics
We are developing a new class of deformable optic based on electrostatic actuation of nanolaminate foils. These foils are engineered at the atomic level to provide optimal opto-mechanical properties, including surface quality, strength and stiffness, for a wide range of deformable optics. We are combining these foils, developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), with commercial metal processing techniques to produce prototype deformable optics with aperture sizes up to 10 cm and actuator spacing from 1 mm to 1 cm and with a range of surface deformation designed to be as much as 10 microns. The existing capability for producing nanolaminate foils at LLNL, coupled with the commercial metal processing techniques being used, enable the potential production of these deformable optics with aperture sizes of over 1 m, and much larger deformable optics could potentially be produced by tiling multiple deformable segments. In addition, based on the fabrication processes being used, deformable nanolaminate optics could potentially be produced with areal densities of less than 1 kg per square m for applications in which lightweight deformable optics are desirable, and deformable nanolaminate optics could potentially be fabricated with intrinsically curved surfaces, including aspheric shapes. We will describe the basic principles of these devices, and we will present details of the design, fabrication and characterization of the prototype deformable nanolaminate optics that have been developed to date. We will also discuss the possibilities for future work on scaling these devices to larger sizes and developing both devices with lower areal densities and devices with curved surfaces
Nanolaminate Deformable Mirrors
LLNL is developing nanolaminate-based deformable mirrors for terrestrial and space-based optical systems. We are combining two complementary technologies: high-spatial-density electrostatic actuators and thin, flexible, lightweight nanolaminate foils. Electrostatic actuation of MEMS-like structures provides densely-spaced, repeatable deflections on the order of 10 {micro}m. Nanolaminate foils provide a mirror surface that is simultaneously flexible enough to deform under electrostatic forces and tough enough to survive handling and bonding. We are working on two similar deformable mirrors that will demonstrate the feasibility of nanolaminate-based deformable mirrors over a wide range of size scales. The high-density device has a pitch of 1.255 mm between 1,024 square pixels. The large-scale device has a pitch of 9 mm between 76 hexagonal pixels [1], [2]
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High Brightness, Laser-Driven X-ray Source for Nanoscale Metrology and Femtosecond Dynamics
This project developed and demonstrated a new, bright, ultrafast x-ray source based upon laser-driven K-alpha generation, which can produce an x-ray flux 10 to 100 times greater than current microfocus x-ray tubes. The short-pulse (sub-picosecond) duration of this x-ray source also makes it ideal for observing time-resolved dynamics of atomic motion in solids and thin films
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