505 research outputs found
Spatial distribution of ions in a linear octopole radio-frequency ion trap in the space-charge limit
We have explored the spatial distribution of an ion cloud trapped in a linear
octopole radio-frequency (rf) ion trap. The two-dimensional distribution of the
column density of stored silver dimer cations was measured via
photofragment-ion yields as a function of the position of the incident laser
beam over the transverse cross section of the trap. The profile of the ion
distribution was found to be dependent on the number of loaded ions. Under high
ion-loading conditions with a significant space-charge effect, ions form a ring
profile with a maximum at the outer region of the trap, whereas they are
localized near the center axis region at low loading of the ions. These results
are explained quantitatively by a model calculation based on equilibrium
between the space-charge-induced potential and the effective potential of the
multipole rf field. The maximum adiabaticity parameter \eta_max is estimated to
be about 0.13 for the high ion-density condition in the present octopole ion
trap, which is lower than typical values reported for low ion densities; this
is probably due to additional instability caused by the space charge.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Probing ice-nucleation processes on the molecular level using second harmonic generation spectroscopy
We present and characterize a novel setup to apply Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) spectroscopy in total internal reflection geometry (TIR) to heterogeneous freezing research. It allows to monitor the evolution of water structuring at solid surfaces at low temperatures prior to heterogeneous ice nucleation. Apart from the possibility of investigating temperature dependence, a major novelty in our setup is the ability of measuring sheet-like samples in TIR geometry in a direct way. As a main experimental result, we find that our method can discriminate between good and poor ice nucleating surfaces. While at the sapphire basal plane, which is known to be a poor ice nucleator, no structural rearrangement of the water molecules is found prior to freezing, the basal plane surface of mica, an analogue to ice active mineral dust surfaces, exhibits a strong change in the nonlinear optical properties at temperatures well above the freezing transition. This is interpreted as a pre-activation, i.e. an increase in the local ordering of the interfacial water which is expected to facilitate the crystallization of ice at the surface. The results are in line with recent predictions by Molecular Dynamics simulations on a similar system
Using a high finesse optical resonator to provide a long light path for differential optical absorption spectroscopy: CE-DOAS
International audienceCavity enhanced methods in absorption spectroscopy have seen a considerable increase in popularity during the past decade. Especially Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy (CEAS) established itself in atmospheric trace gas detection by providing tens of kilometers of effective light path length using a cavity as short as 1 m. In this paper we report on the construction and testing of a compact and power efficient light emitting diode based broadband Cavity Enhanced Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometer (CE-DOAS) for in situ field observation of atmospheric NO3. This device combines the small size of the cavity with the enormous advantages of the DOAS approach in terms of sensitivity and specificity. In particular, no selective removal of the analyte (here NO3) is necessary, thus the CE-DOAS technique can ? in principle ? measure any gas detectable by DOAS. We will discuss the advantages of using a light emitting diode (LED) as light source particularly the precautions which have to be satisfied for the use of LEDs. The instrument was tested in the lab by detecting NO3 in a mixture of NO2 and O3 in air. It was then compared to other trace gas detection techniques in an intercomparison campaign in the atmosphere simulation chamber SAPHIR at NO3 concentrations as low as 6.3 ppt
Charge induced stability of water droplets in subsaturated environment
Atmospheric liquid and solid water particles are stabilized if they
are coated with either negative or positive electric charge. The
surface charge causes an increase of the partial pressure of water
vapour close to the surface of each particle, effectively allowing the
particles to remain in their condensed phase even if the environmental
relative humidity drops below unity. The theory, briefly presented in
this paper, predicts a zero parameter relation between surface charge
density and water vapour pressure. This relation was tested in
a series of Electrodynamic Balance experiments. The measurements
were performed by stabilizing charged droplets of pure water near an
ice-surface. We observed a divergence in radius as the temperature
approached the freezing point from below. We find that the
measurements confirm the theory within the experimental uncertainty.
In some cases this generally overlooked effect may have impact on
cloud processes and on results produced by Electrodynamic Balance
experiments
Bacterial viruses enable their host to acquire antibiotic resistance genes from neighbouring cells
Prophages are quiescent viruses located in the chromosomes of bacteria. In the human
pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus, prophages are omnipresent and are believed to be responsible
for the spread of some antibiotic resistance genes. Here we demonstrate that release of
phages from a subpopulation of S. aureus cells enables the intact, prophage-containing
population to acquire beneficial genes from competing, phage-susceptible strains present in
the same environment. Phage infection kills competitor cells and bits of their DNA are
occasionally captured in viral transducing particles. Return of such particles to the prophagecontaining
population can drive the transfer of genes encoding potentially useful traits such
as antibiotic resistance. This process, which can be viewed as ‘auto-transduction’, allows
S. aureus to efficiently acquire antibiotic resistance both in vitro and in an in vivo virulence
model (wax moth larvae) and enables it to proliferate under strong antibiotic selection
pressure. Our results may help to explain the rapid exchange of antibiotic resistance genes
observed in S. aureus
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