Sympathetic cooling and collisional properties of a Rb-Cs mixture

We report on measurements of the collisional properties of a mixture of $^{133}$Cs and $^{87}$Rb atoms in a magnetic trap at $\mu\mathrm{K}$ temperatures. By selectively evaporating the Rb atoms using a radio-frequency field, we achieved sympathetic cooling of Cs down to a few $\mu\mathrm{K}$. The inter-species collisional cross-section was determined through rethermalization measurements, leading to an estimate of $a_s=595 a_0$ for the s-wave scattering length for Rb in the $|F=2, m_F=2>$ and Cs in the $|F=4, m_F=4>$ magnetic states. We briefly speculate on the prospects for reaching Bose-Einstein condensation of Cs inside a magnetic trap through sympathetic cooling

Coarse Grained Liouville Dynamics of piecewise linear discontinuous maps

We compute the spectrum of the classical and quantum mechanical coarse-grained propagators for a piecewise linear discontinuous map. We analyze the quantum - classical correspondence and the evolution of the spectrum with increasing resolution. Our results are compared to the ones obtained for a mixed system.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

Relativistic Hadron-Hadron Collisions in the Ultra-Relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics Model (UrQMD)

Hadron-hadron collisions at high energies are investigated in the Ultra-relativistic-Quantum-Molecular-Dynamics approach (UrQMD). This microscopic transport model is designed to study pp, pA and A+A collisions. It describes the phenomenology of hadronic interactions at low and intermediate energies ($\sqrt s <5$ GeV) in terms of interactions between known hadrons and their resonances. At high energies, $\sqrt s >5$ GeV, the excitation of color strings and their subsequent fragmentation into hadrons dominates the multiple production of particles in the UrQMD model. The model shows a fair overall agreement with a large body of experimental h-h data over a wide range of h-h center-of-mass energies. Hadronic reaction data with higher precision would be useful to support the use of the UrQMD model for relativistic heavy ion collisions.Comment: 66 pages, Download the UrQMD model from http://www.th.physik.uni-frankfurt.de/~urqmd/urqmd.htm

Motherhood, Moral Authority and the Charismatic Matriarch in the Aftermath of Lethal Violence

Images of maternal suffering are an evocative and powerful means of communication in a world where the private grief of victims has increasingly become subject to commodification and public consumption. This article looks at the influence of bereaved mothers as symbols of respect, peace and dignity in the aftermath of violence, and as a result their persuasive presence in family activism. Drawing upon two case studies, this article explores the importance of victims’ stories in public life and, in particular, the presence of the charismatic matriarch in creating communities of solidarity, raising awareness of harms that have previously gone unheard and prompting policy change. It considers the ‘canonical’ story of the mother in public life and concludes by arguing that more attention should be paid to victims’ stories and their influence on policy-making, politics and eventually in becoming public grievances

Forty-Four Pass Fibre Optic Loop for Improving the Sensitivity of Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors

A forty-four pass fibre optic surface plasmon resonance sensor that enhances detection sensitivity according to the number of passes is demonstrated for the first time. The technique employs a fibre optic recirculation loop that passes the detection spot forty- four times, thus enhancing sensitivity by a factor of forty-four. Presently, the total number of passes is limited by the onset of lasing action of the recirculation loop. This technique offers a significant sensitivity improvement for various types of plasmon resonance sensors that may be used in chemical and biomolecule detections.Comment: Submitted for publication; patent disclosure submitte

Beyond deficiency:Potential benefits of increased intakesof vitamin K for bone and vascular health

Vitamin K is wellknown for its role in the synthesisof a number of blood coagulationfactors.During recent years vitaminK-dependent proteins werediscovered to be of vital importancefor bone and vascular health.Recommendations for dietary vitaminK intake have been made onthe basis of the hepatic requirementsfor the synthesis of bloodcoagulation factors.Accumulatingevidence suggests that the requirementsfor other functions thanblood coagulation may be higher.This paper is the result of a closedworkshop (Paris,November 2002)in which a number of Europeanvitamin K experts reviewed theavailable data and formulated theirstandpoint with respect to recommendeddietary vitamin K intakeand the use of vitamin K-containingsupplements

Coulomb corrections to the extrinsic spin-Hall effect of a two-dimensional electron gas

We develop the microscopic theory of the extrinsic spin Hall conductivity of a two-dimensional electron gas, including skew-scattering, side-jump, and Coulomb interaction effects. We find that while the spin-Hall conductivity connected with the side-jump is independent of the strength of electron-electron interactions, the skew-scattering term is reduced by the spin-Coulomb drag, so the total spin current and the total spin-Hall conductivity are reduced for typical experimental mobilities. Further, we predict that in paramagnetic systems the spin-Coulomb drag reduces the spin accumulations in two different ways: (i) directly through the reduction of the skew-scattering contribution (ii) indirectly through the reduction of the spin diffusion length. Explicit expressions for the various contributions to the spin Hall conductivity are obtained using an exactly solvable model of the skew-scattering.Comment: The Coulomb corrections to the spin-Hall conductivity and spin accumulations to first order in strength of spin-orbit coupling and electron-electron interactions are include

Non-sequential triple ionization in strong fields

We consider the final stage of triple ionization of atoms in a strong linearly polarized laser field. We propose that for intensities below the saturation value for triple ionization the process is dominated by the simultaneous escape of three electrons from a highly excited intermediate complex. We identify within a classical model two pathways to triple ionization, one with a triangular configuration of electrons and one with a more linear one. Both are saddles in phase space. A stability analysis indicates that the triangular configuration has the larger cross sections and should be the dominant one. Trajectory simulations within the dominant symmetry subspace reproduce the experimentally observed distribution of ion momenta parallel to the polarization axis.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.