15,437 research outputs found
Direct measurement of penetration length in ultra-thin and/or mesoscopic superconducting structures
We describe a method for direct measurement of the magnetic penetration
length in thin (10 - 100 nm) superconducting structures having overall
dimensions in the range 1 to 100 micrometers. The method is applicable for
broadband magnetic fields from dc to MHz frequencies.Comment: Accepted by Journal of Applied P:hysics (Jun 2006).5 pages, 5 figure
Dynamin-related protein 1 is required for normal mitochondrial bioenergetic and synaptic function in CA1 hippocampal neurons.
Disrupting particular mitochondrial fission and fusion proteins leads to the death of specific neuronal populations; however, the normal functions of mitochondrial fission in neurons are poorly understood, especially in vivo, which limits the understanding of mitochondrial changes in disease. Altered activity of the central mitochondrial fission protein dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) may contribute to the pathophysiology of several neurologic diseases. To study Drp1 in a neuronal population affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD), stroke, and seizure disorders, we postnatally deleted Drp1 from CA1 and other forebrain neurons in mice (CamKII-Cre, Drp1lox/lox (Drp1cKO)). Although most CA1 neurons survived for more than 1 year, their synaptic transmission was impaired, and Drp1cKO mice had impaired memory. In Drp1cKO cell bodies, we observed marked mitochondrial swelling but no change in the number of mitochondria in individual synaptic terminals. Using ATP FRET sensors, we found that cultured neurons lacking Drp1 (Drp1KO) could not maintain normal levels of mitochondrial-derived ATP when energy consumption was increased by neural activity. These deficits occurred specifically at the nerve terminal, but not the cell body, and were sufficient to impair synaptic vesicle cycling. Although Drp1KO increased the distance between axonal mitochondria, mitochondrial-derived ATP still decreased similarly in Drp1KO boutons with and without mitochondria. This indicates that mitochondrial-derived ATP is rapidly dispersed in Drp1KO axons, and that the deficits in axonal bioenergetics and function are not caused by regional energy gradients. Instead, loss of Drp1 compromises the intrinsic bioenergetic function of axonal mitochondria, thus revealing a mechanism by which disrupting mitochondrial dynamics can cause dysfunction of axons
Activation Energy of Metastable Amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 from Room Temperature to Melt
Resistivity of metastable amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) measured at device level
show an exponential decline with temperature matching with the steady-state
thin-film resistivity measured at 858 K (melting temperature). This suggests
that the free carrier activation mechanisms form a continuum in a large
temperature scale (300 K - 858 K) and the metastable amorphous phase can be
treated as a super-cooled liquid. The effective activation energy calculated
using the resistivity versus temperature data follow a parabolic behavior, with
a room temperature value of 333 meV, peaking to ~377 meV at ~465 K and reaching
zero at ~930 K, using a reference activation energy of 111 meV (3kBT/2) at
melt. Amorphous GST is expected to behave as a p-type semiconductor at Tmelt ~
858 K and transitions from the semiconducting-liquid phase to the
metallic-liquid phase at ~ 930 K at equilibrium. The simultaneous Seebeck (S)
and resistivity versus temperature measurements of amorphous-fcc mixed-phase
GST thin-films show linear S-T trends that meet S = 0 at 0 K, consistent with
degenerate semiconductors, and the dS/dT and room temperature activation energy
show a linear correlation. The single-crystal fcc is calculated to have dS/dT =
0.153 {\mu}V/K for an activation energy of zero and a Fermi level 0.16 eV below
the valance band edge.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Children's Use of Electronic Games: Choices of Game Mode and Challenge Levels
Introduction. Interactive electronic games are popular and are believed to contribute to physical activity accrual. The purpose of this study was to examine children's electronic game use during conditions in which they had free access to selecting interactive and seated screen-based versions of electronic games and during the interactive versions had free choice in making adjustments to the activity intensity. Methods. We systematically observed 60 Hong Kong primary school children during two 60-minute game sessions while simultaneously recording their game mode choices and physical activity levels using SOFIT (System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time). Results. When given free choice, children spent more than half of their available time participating in interactive versions of games. These versions of games provided significantly more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and greater energy expenditure than the computer screen versions. Children with the opportunity to modify intensity levels spent more time playing the interactive versions and accrued more physical activity. Conclusions. The tenets of behavioral choice theory were supported. Access to new-generation interactive games, particularly those with modifiable intensity levels, may facilitate children's participation in physical activity
Pulsed squeezed light: simultaneous squeezing of multiple modes
We analyze the spectral properties of squeezed light produced by means of
pulsed, single-pass degenerate parametric down-conversion. The multimode output
of this process can be decomposed into characteristic modes undergoing
independent squeezing evolution akin to the Schmidt decomposition of the
biphoton spectrum. The main features of this decomposition can be understood
using a simple analytical model developed in the perturbative regime. In the
strong pumping regime, for which the perturbative approach is not valid, we
present a numerical analysis, specializing to the case of one-dimensional
propagation in a beta-barium borate waveguide. Characterization of the
squeezing modes provides us with an insight necessary for optimizing homodyne
detection of squeezing. For a weak parametric process, efficient squeezing is
found in a broad range of local oscillator modes, whereas the intense
generation regime places much more stringent conditions on the local
oscillator. We point out that without meeting these conditions, the detected
squeezing can actually diminish with the increasing pumping strength, and we
expose physical reasons behind this inefficiency
Self-aligned nanoscale SQUID on a tip
A nanometer-sized superconducting quantum interference device (nanoSQUID) is
fabricated on the apex of a sharp quartz tip and integrated into a scanning
SQUID microscope. A simple self-aligned fabrication method results in
nanoSQUIDs with diameters down to 100 nm with no lithographic processing. An
aluminum nanoSQUID with an effective area of 0.034 m displays flux
sensitivity of 1.8 \mu_B/\mathrm{Hz}^{1/2}$ and high bandwidth, the SQUID on a tip is a highly
promising probe for nanoscale magnetic imaging and spectroscopy.Comment: 14 manuscript pages, 5 figure
Origin of the different conductive behavior in pentavalent-ion-doped anatase and rutile TiO
The electronic properties of pentavalent-ion (Nb, Ta, and
I) doped anatase and rutile TiO are studied using spin-polarized
GGA+\emph{U} calculations. Our calculated results indicate that these two
phases of TiO exhibit different conductive behavior upon doping. For doped
anatase TiO, some up-spin-polarized Ti 3\emph{d} states lie near the
conduction band bottom and cross the Fermi level, showing an \emph{n}-type
half-metallic character. For doped rutile TiO, the Fermi level is pinned
between two up-spin-polarized Ti 3\emph{d} gap states, showing an insulating
character. These results can account well for the experimental different
electronic transport properties in Nb (Ta)-doped anatase and rutile TiO.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
XUV Frequency Combs via Femtosecond Enhancement Cavities
We review the current state of tabletop extreme ultraviolet (XUV) sources
based on high harmonic generation (HHG) in femtosecond enhancement cavities
(fsEC). Recent developments have enabled generation of high photon flux (1014
photons/sec) in the XUV, at high repetition rates (>50 MHz) and spanning the
spectral region from 40 nm - 120 nm. This level of performance has enabled
precision spectroscopy with XUV frequency combs and promises further
applications in XUV spectroscopic and photoemission studies. We discuss the
theory of operation and experimental details of the fsEC and XUV generation
based on HHG, including current technical challenges to increasing the photon
flux and maximum photon energy produced by this type of system. Current and
future applications for these sources are also discussed.Comment: invited review article, 38 page
Quantum study of information delay in electromagetically induced transparency
Using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), it is possible to delay
and store light in atomic ensembles. Theoretical modelling and recent
experiments have suggested that the EIT storage mechanism can be used as a
memory for quantum information. We present experiments that quantify the noise
performance of an EIT system for conjugate amplitude and phase quadratures. It
is shown that our EIT system adds excess noise to the delayed light that has
not hitherto been predicted by published theoretical modelling. In analogy with
other continuous-variable quantum information systems, the performance of our
EIT system is characterised in terms of conditional variance and signal
transfer.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
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