2,829 research outputs found
Local entropic effects of polymers grafted to soft interfaces
In this paper, we study the equilibrium properties of polymer chains
end-tethered to a fluid membrane. The loss of conformational entropy of the
polymer results in an inhomogeneous pressure field that we calculate for
gaussian chains. We estimate the effects of excluded volume through a relation
between pressure and concentration. Under the polymer pressure, a soft surface
will deform. We calculate the deformation profile for a fluid membrane and show
that close to the grafting point, this profile assumes a cone-like shape,
independently of the boundary conditions. Interactions between different
polymers are also mediated by the membrane deformation. This pair-additive
potential is attractive for chains grafted on the same side of the membrane and
repulsive otherwise.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
Depletion forces between two spheres in a rod solution
We study the depletion interaction between spherical particles of radius R
immersed in a dilute solution of rigid rods of length L. The computed
interaction potential is, within numerical accuracy, exact for any value of
L/R. In particular we find that for L of order R, the depth of the depletion
well is smaller than the prediction of the Derjaguin approximation. Our results
bring new light into the discussion on the lack of phase separation in
colloidal mixtures of spheres and rods.Comment: 12 pages including figures. 5 eps figures. LaTeX with REVTe
A detector for continuous measurement of ultra-cold atoms in real time
We present the first detector capable of recording high-bandwidth real time
atom number density measurements of a Bose Einstein condensate. Based on a
two-color Mach-Zehnder interferometer, our detector has a response time that is
six orders of magnitude faster than current detectors based on CCD cameras
while still operating at the shot-noise limit. With this minimally destructive
system it may be possible to implement feedback to stabilize a Bose-Einstein
condensate or an atom laser.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, submitted to optics letter
Approaching the Heisenberg limit in an atom laser
We present experimental and theoretical results showing the improved beam quality and reduced divergence
of an atom laser produced by an optical Raman transition, compared to one produced by an rf transition. We
show that Raman outcoupling can eliminate the diverging lens effect that the condensate has on the outcoupled
atoms. This substantially improves the beam quality of the atom laser, and the improvement may be greater
than a factor of 10 for experiments with tight trapping potentials. We show that Raman outcoupling can
produce atom lasers whose quality is only limited by the wave function shape of the condensate that produces
them, typically a factor of 1.3 above the Heisenberg limit
Observation of transverse interference fringes on an atom laser beam
Using the unique detection properties offered by metastable
helium atoms we have produced high resolution images of the transverse
spatial profiles of an atom laser beam. We observe fringes on the beam,
resulting from quantum mechanical interference between atoms that start
from rest at different transverse locations within the outcoupling surface
and end up at a later time with different velocities at the same transverse
position. Numerical simulations in the low output-coupling limit give good
quantitative agreement with our experimental data
From multimode to monomode guided atom lasers: an entropic analysis
We have experimentally demonstrated a high level of control of the mode
populations of guided atom lasers (GALs) by showing that the entropy per
particle of an optically GAL, and the one of the trapped Bose Einstein
condensate (BEC) from which it has been produced are the same. The BEC is
prepared in a crossed beam optical dipole trap. We have achieved isentropic
outcoupling for both magnetic and optical schemes. We can prepare GAL in a
nearly pure monomode regime (85 % in the ground state). Furthermore, optical
outcoupling enables the production of spinor guided atom lasers and opens the
possibility to tailor their polarization
All-optical 160 Gbit/s RZ data retiming system incorporating a pulse shaping fibre Bragg grating
We characterize a 160Gbit/s retimer based on flat-topped pulses shaped using a superstructured fibre Bragg grating. The benefits of using shaped rather than conventional pulse forms in terms of timing jitter reduction are confirmed by bit-error-rate measurements
Investigation and comparison of multi-state and two-state atom laser output-couplers
We investigate the spatial structure and temporal dynamics created in a
Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) by radio-frequency (RF) atom laser
output-couplers using a one-dimensional mean-field model. We compare the
behavior of a `pure' two-state atom laser to the multi-level systems
demonstrated in laboratories. In particular, we investigate the peak
homogeneous output flux, classical fluctuations in the beam and the onset of a
bound state which shuts down the atom laser output.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure
Effects of submerged vegetation on water clarity across climates
A positive feedback between submerged vegetation and water clarity forms the backbone of the alternative state theory in shallow lakes. The water clearing effect of aquatic vegetation may be caused by different physical, chemical, and biological mechanisms and has been studied mainly in temperate lakes. Recent work suggests differences in biotic interactions between (sub)tropical and cooler lakes might result in a less pronounced clearing effect in the (sub)tropics. To assess whether the effect of submerged vegetation changes with climate, we sampled 83 lakes over a gradient ranging from the tundra to the tropics in South America. Judged from a comparison of water clarity inside and outside vegetation beds, the vegetation appeared to have a similar positive effect on the water clarity across all climatic regions studied. However, the local clearing effect of vegetation decreased steeply with the contribution of humic substances to the underwater light attenuation. Looking at turbidity on a whole-lake scale, results were more difficult to interpret. Although lakes with abundant vegetation (>30%) were generally clear, sparsely vegetated lakes differed widely in clarity. Overall, the effect of vegetation on water clarity in our lakes appears to be smaller than that found in various Northern hemisphere studies. This might be explained by differences in fish communities and their relation to vegetation. For instance, unlike in Northern hemisphere studies, we find no clear relation between vegetation coverage and fish abundance or their diet preference. High densities of omnivorous fish and coinciding low grazing pressures on phytoplankton in the (sub)tropics may, furthermore, weaken the effect of vegetation on water clarity
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