1,073 research outputs found
Vertex Operators and Soliton Time Delays in Affine Toda Field Theory
In a space-time of two dimensions the overall effect of the collision of two
solitons is a time delay (or advance) of their final trajectories relative to
their initial trajectories. For the solitons of affine Toda field theories, the
space-time displacement of the trajectories is proportional to the logarithm of
a number depending only on the species of the colliding solitons and their
rapidity difference. is the factor arising in the normal ordering of the
product of the two vertex operators associated with the solitons. is shown
to take real values between and . This means that, whenever the solitons
are distinguishable, so that transmission rather than reflection is the only
possible interpretation of the classical scattering process, the time delay is
negative and so an indication of attractive forces between the solitons.Comment: p. 24 Latex, Swansea-SWAT/93-94/3
Oil palm land conversion in Pará, Brazil, from 2006-2014: evaluating the 2010 Brazilian Sustainable Palm Oil Production Program.
Global models of biophysical suitability for oil palm consistently rank Brazil as having the greatest potential for expansion, with estimates as high as 238 Mha of suitable lands. In 2010, Brazil launched the Sustainable Palm Oil Production Program (SPOPP) to incentivize oil palm development without deforestation on as much as 30Mha. Here we examine oil palm expansion before and after the SPOPP?s launch. In Par´a, the major oil palm producing state in Brazil, we analyze the extent and change in oil palm cultivation from 2006−2014 using satellite imagery, ground-truthed verification, site-based interviews, and rural environmental (land) registration data. Between 2006−2014, oil palm area (≥9 ha) expanded >200% to ∼219 000 ha. Of the ∼148 000 ha of oil palm developed, ∼91% converted pasturelands while ∼8% replaced natural vegetation, including intact and secondary forests. Although >80% of all oil palm parcels rest <0.5 km from intact forests, direct conversion of intact forests declined from ∼4% pre-SPOPP (2006−2010) to <1% post-SPOPP (2010−2014). Despite low and declining deforestation rates associated with oil palm expansion in Par´a, our results also show a low area of oil palm development overall compared with reported land suitability. To explore potential contributing factors, we conducted semi-structured interviews with researchers, company representatives, and government officials involved in the sector to characterize the perceived factors influencing oil palm development and the role of agro-ecological suitability mapping among them. Interviews indicated that: (1) individual effects of suitability mapping efforts to encourage oil palm expansion on cleared areas, i.e. without deforestation, cannot be disentangled from pre-existing public and private deforestation reduction initiatives; and, (2) socio-economic constraints, e.g. high relative production costs and limited familiarity with this crop, appear to partially explain the major discrepancy between estimated potential suitable areas with realized oil palm development
Vortex Strings and Four-Dimensional Gauge Dynamics
We study the low-energy quantum dynamics of vortex strings in the Higgs phase
of N=2 supersymmetric QCD. The exact BPS spectrum of the stretched string is
shown to coincide with the BPS spectrum of the four-dimensional parent gauge
theory. Perturbative string excitations correspond to bound W-bosons and quarks
while the monopoles appear as kinks on the vortex string. This provides a
physical explanation for an observation by N. Dorey relating the quantum
spectra of theories in two and four dimensions.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure. v2: Two extra appendices included: one on the
brane construction, the other describing the potential on the vortex moduli
space. Two figures added. Typos corrected and references added. v3: BPS
nature of quarks correcte
Monopoles in the Higgs Phase
We describe new solutions of Yang-Mills-Higgs theories consisting of magnetic
monopoles in a phase with fully broken gauge symmetry. Rather than spreading
out radially, the magnetic field lines form flux tubes. The solution is
topologically stable and, when embedded in N=2 SQCD, preserves 1/4 of the
supercharges. From the perspective of the flux-tube the monopole appears as a
kink. Many monopoles may be threaded onto a single flux tube and placed at
arbitrary separation to create a stable, BPS necklace of solitons.Comment: 8 Pages, 1 Figure. v2: Added references and comments on 3He. v3:
Another reference and corrected term in Lagrangia
Graphene plasmonics: A platform for strong light-matter interaction
Graphene plasmons provide a suitable alternative to noble-metal plasmons
because they exhibit much larger confinement and relatively long propagation
distances, with the advantage of being highly tunable via electrostatic gating.
We report strong light- matter interaction assisted by graphene plasmons, and
in particular, we predict unprecedented high decay rates of quantum emitters in
the proximity of a carbon sheet, large vacuum Rabi splitting and Purcell
factors, and extinction cross sections exceeding the geometrical area in
graphene ribbons and nanometer-sized disks. Our results provide the basis for
the emerging and potentially far-reaching field of graphene plasmonics,
offering an ideal platform for cavity quantum electrodynamics and supporting
the possibility of single-molecule, single-plasmon devices.Comment: 39 pages, 15 figure
Plasmon oscillations in ellipsoid nanoparticles: beyond dipole approximation
The plasmon oscillations of a metallic triaxial ellipsoid nanoparticle have
been studied within the framework of the quasistatic approximation. A general
method has been proposed for finding the analytical expressions describing the
potential and frequencies of the plasmon oscillations of an arbitrary
multipolarity order. The analytical expressions have been derived for an
electric potential and plasmon oscillation frequencies of the first 24 modes.
Other higher orders plasmon modes are investigated numerically.Comment: 33 pages, 12 figure
Light scattering from disordered overlayers of metallic nanoparticles
We develop a theory for light scattering from a disordered layer of metal
nanoparticles resting on a sample. Averaging over different disorder
realizations is done by a coherent potential approximation. The calculational
scheme takes into account effects of retardation, multipole excitations, and
interactions with the sample. We apply the theory to a system similar to the
one studied experimentally by Stuart and Hall [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 80}, 5663
(1998)] who used a layered Si/SiO/Si sample. The calculated results agree
rather well with the experimental ones. In particular we find conspicuous
maxima in the scattering intensity at long wavelengths (much longer than those
corresponding to plasmon resonances in the particles). We show that these
maxima have their origin in interference phenomena in the layered sample.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figure
In situ biospectroscopic investigation of rapid ischemic and postmortem induced biochemical alterations in the rat brain
© 2014 American Chemical Society. Rapid advances in imaging technologies have pushed novel spectroscopic modalities such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the sulfur K-edge to the forefront of direct in situ investigation of brain biochemistry. However, few studies have examined the extent to which sample preparation artifacts confound results. Previous investigations using traditional analyses, such as tissue dissection, homogenization, and biochemical assay, conducted extensive research to identify biochemical alterations that occur ex vivo during sample preparation. In particular, altered metabolism and oxidative stress may be caused by animal death. These processes were a concern for studies using biochemical assays, and protocols were developed to minimize their occurrence. In this investigation, a similar approach was taken to identify the biochemical alterations that are detectable by two in situ spectroscopic methods (FTIR, XAS) that occur as a consequence of ischemic conditions created during humane animal killing. FTIR and XAS are well suited to study markers of altered metabolism such as lactate and creatine (FTIR) and markers of oxidative stress such as aggregated proteins (FTIR) and altered thiol redox (XAS). The results are in accordance with previous investigations using biochemical assays and demonstrate that the time between animal death and tissue dissection results in ischemic conditions that alter brain metabolism and initiate oxidative stress. Therefore, future in situ biospectroscopic investigations utilizing FTIR and XAS must take into consideration that brain tissue dissected from a healthy animal does not truly reflect the in vivo condition, but rather reflects a state of mild ischemia. If studies require the levels of metabolites (lactate, creatine) and markers of oxidative stress (thiol redox) to be preserved as close as possible to the in vivo condition, then rapid freezing of brain tissue via decapitation into liquid nitrogen, followed by chiseling the brain out at dry ice temperatures is required
Optical detection of single non-absorbing molecules using the surface plasmon of a gold nanorod
Current optical detection schemes for single molecules require light
absorption, either to produce fluorescence or direct absorption signals. This
severely limits the range of molecules that can be detected, because most
molecules are purely refractive. Metal nanoparticles or dielectric resonators
detect non-absorbing molecules by a resonance shift in response to a local
perturbation of the refractive index, but neither has reached single-protein
sensitivity. The most sensitive plasmon sensors to date detect single molecules
only when the plasmon shift is amplified by a highly polarizable label or by a
localized precipitation reaction on the particle's surface. Without
amplification, the sensitivity only allows for the statistical detection of
single molecules. Here we demonstrate plasmonic detection of single molecules
in realtime, without the need for labeling or amplification. We monitor the
plasmon resonance of a single gold nanorod with a sensitive photothermal assay
and achieve a ~ 700-fold increase in sensitivity compared to state-of-the-art
plasmon sensors. We find that the sensitivity of the sensor is intrinsically
limited due to spectral diffusion of the SPR. We believe this is the first
optical technique that detects single molecules purely by their refractive
index, without any need for photon absorption by the molecule. The small size,
bio-compatibility and straightforward surface chemistry of gold nanorods may
open the way to the selective and local detection of purely refractive proteins
in live cells
- …