Quantum Langevin model for exoergic ion-molecule reactions and inelastic processes

We presents a fully quantal version of the Langevin model for the total rate of exoergic ion-molecule reactions or inelastic processes. The model, which is derived from a rigorous multichannel quantum-defect formulation of bimolecular processes, agrees with the classical Langevin model at sufficiently high temperatures. It also gives the first analytic description of ion-molecule reactions and inelastic processes in the ultracold regime where the quantum nature of the relative motion between the reactants becomes important.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Recovery of surface reflectance spectra and evaluation of the optical depth of aerosols in the near-IR using a Monte-Carlo approach: Application to the OMEGA observations of high latitude regions of Mars

We present a model of radiative transfer through atmospheric particles based on Monte Carlo methods. This model can be used to analyze and remove the contribution of aerosols in remote sensing observations. We have developed a method to quantify the contribution of atmospheric dust in near-IR spectra of the Martian surface obtained by the OMEGA imaging spectrometer on board Mars Express. Using observations in the nadir pointing mode with significant differences in solar incidence angles, we can infer the optical depth of atmospheric dust, and we can retrieve the surface reflectance spectra free of aerosol contribution. Martian airborne dust properties are discussed and constrained from previous studies and OMEGA data. We have tested our method on a region at 90{\deg}E and 77{\deg}N extensively covered by OMEGA, where significant variations of the albedo of ice patches in the visible have been reported. The consistency between reflectance spectra of ice-covered and ice-free regions recovered at different incidence angles validates our approach. The optical depth of aerosols varies by a factor 3 in this region during the summer of Martian year 27. The observed brightening of ice patches does not result from frost deposition but from a decrease in the dust contamination of surface ice and (to a lower extent) from a decrease in the optical thickness of atmospheric dust. Our Monte Carlo-based model can be applied to recover the spectral reflectance characteristics of the surface from OMEGA spectral imaging data when the optical thickness of aerosols can be evaluated. It could prove useful for processing image cubes from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)

Recombination in polymer-fullerene bulk heterojunction solar cells

Recombination of photogenerated charge carriers in polymer bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells reduces the short circuit current (Jsc) and the fill factor (FF). Identifying the mechanism of recombination is, therefore, fundamentally important for increasing the power conversion efficiency. Light intensity and temperature dependent current-voltage measurements on polymer BHJ cells made from a variety of different semiconducting polymers and fullerenes show that the recombination kinetics are voltage dependent and evolve from first order recombination at short circuit to bimolecular recombination at open circuit as a result of increasing the voltage-dependent charge carrier density in the cell. The "missing 0.3V" inferred from comparison of the band gaps of the bulk heterojunction materials and the measured open circuit voltage at room temperature results from the temperature dependence of the quasi-Fermi-levels in the polymer and fullerene domains - a conclusion based upon the fundamental statistics of Fermions.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review B. http://prb.aps.org/accepted/B/6b07cO3aHe71bd1b149e1425e58bf2868cda2384d?ajax=1&height=500&width=50

The effect of Coulombic friction on spatial displacement statistics

The phenomenon of Coulombic friction enters the stochastic description of dry friction between two solids and the statistic characterization of vibrating granular media. Here we analyze the corresponding Fokker-Planck equation including both velocity and spatial components, exhibiting a formal connection to a quantum mechanical harmonic oscillator in the presence of a delta potential. Numerical solutions for the resulting spatial displacement statistics show a crossover from exponential to Gaussian displacement statistics. We identify a transient intermediate regime that exhibits multiscaling properties arising from the contribution of Coulombic friction. The possible role of these effects during observations in diffusion experiments is shortly discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figure

A simple measure of memory for dynamical processes described by the generalized Langevin equation

Memory effects are a key feature in the description of the dynamical systems governed by the generalized Langevin equation, which presents an exact reformulation of the equation of motion. A simple measure for the estimation of memory effects is introduced within the framework of this description. Numerical calculations of the suggested measure and the analysis of memory effects are also applied for various model physical systems as well as for the phenomena of ``long time tails'' and anomalous diffusion

Preface

Water and chemical fluxes across the sea bottom provide an important linkage between terrestrial and marine environments. From the marine perspective, these water fluxes, commonly referred to as submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), may contain elevated nutrient concentrations or high levels of other potentially harmful contaminants. Terrestrially derived SGD can also be an important source of freshwater for estuarine ecosystems that require relatively low salinities. For these reasons, the past decade has shown a rapid increase in the level of interest from estuary and marine scientists toward a better understanding of SGD. From the terrestrial perspective, SGD has also been a topic of interest to those studying saltwater intrusion and management of coastal aquifers. Saltwater intrusion studies commonly employ some form of a water balance method, whether through numerical modelling or volumetric calculations, to explain intrusion patterns and develop predictions and management plans. In developing a water balance for a coastal aquifer, estimates for all of the key components, including SGD, are synthesized. Although the motivation may be different depending on whether one works from the marine or terrestrial perspective, both groups have a common goal of obtaining accurate SGD estimate

Penicillin kills chlamydia following the fusion of bacteria with Lysosomes and prevents genital inflammatory lesions in C. muridarum-infected mice

The obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia exists as two distinct forms. Elementary bodies (EBs) are infectious and extra-cellular, whereas reticulate bodies (RBs) replicate within a specialized intracellular compartment termed an ‘inclusion’. Alternative persistent intra-cellular forms can be induced in culture by diverse stimuli such as IFNγ or adenosine/EHNA. They do not grow or divide but revive upon withdrawal of the stimulus and are implicated in several widespread human diseases through ill-defined in vivo mechanisms. β-lactam antibiotics have also been claimed to induce persistence in vitro. The present report shows that upon penicillin G (pG) treatment, inclusions grow as fast as those in infected control cells. After removal of pG, Chlamydia do not revert to RBs. These effects are independent of host cell type, serovar, biovar and species of Chlamydia. Time-course experiments demonstrated that only RBs were susceptible to pG. pG-treated bacteria lost their control over host cell apoptotic pathways and no longer expressed pre-16S rRNA, in contrast to persistent bacteria induced with adenosine/EHNA. Confocal and live-video microscopy showed that bacteria within the inclusion fused with lysosomal compartments in pG-treated cells. That leads to recruitment of cathepsin D as early as 3 h post pG treatment, an event preceding bacterial death by several hours. These data demonstrate that pG treatment of cultured cells infected with Chlamydia results in the degradation of the bacteria. In addition we show that pG is significantly more efficient than doxycycline at preventing genital inflammatory lesions in C. muridarum-C57Bl/6 infected mice. These in vivo results support the physiological relevance of our findings and their potential therapeutic applications

Background and summary: a new focus on groundwater-seawater interactions

Water and chemical fluxes across the sea floor provide an important linkage between terrestrial and marine environments. Oceanographers recognize that these fluxes may act as a source of nutrients or other harmful contaminants to marine systems (e.g. Johannes, 1980; Valiela et al., 1990). These fluxes may also act as a beneficial source of freshwater for coastal marine estuaries that require relatively low salinities. Hydrologists and hydrogeologists recognize that fluxes across the sea floor comprise an important part of the water balance for coastal aquifers. Most fresh groundwater discharge to the ocean is derived from terrestrial aquifer recharge. Management of coastal aquifers requires careful estimates of recharge and other hydrological components, such as groundwater discharge. These estimates are commonly combined into a comprehensive water budget to evaluate how much groundwater might be available for municipal uses and whether saltwater intrusion may be a potential concern. Excessive groundwater withdrawals can cause saltwater intrusion by intercepting the seaward flux of freshwater that prevents saltwater from intruding a coastal aquifer. Quantitative estimates of fresh groundwater discharge toward the coast can provide a basis for determining safe withdrawal rates. Oceanographers, marine scientists, and those studying and managing saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers, share a common goal of quantification and understanding of groundwater and seawater interactions. Submarine groundwater discharge, or SGD, has become a popular term in the literature for describing the flux of water across the sea floor. Burnett et al. (2003) specifically define SGD as the discharge of aquifer porewater across the sea floor and into the ocean. They define flow in the opposite direction as submarine groundwater recharge (SGR). SGR is the recharging flux of seawater into the aquifer. The presence of SGR does not necessarily indicate saltwater intrusion, which occurs when saline water moves into parts of the aquifer previously occupied by freshwater. A conceptual model of the types of flow patterns that are expected to exist in many coastal aquifers at the terrestrial–marine boundary is shown. Through a detailed field study, Kohout (1960) showed that as fresh groundwater flows seaward, it meets and mixes with saline groundwater before discharging into the ocean. Because of this mixing and subsequent discharge to the ocean, seawater is drawn into the aquifer to replace the saline groundwater that discharged to the ocean. Seawater drawn into the aquifer is sometimes referred to as recirculated seawater. Michael et al. (2005) suggest that the seasonality of terrestrial recharge may also act as a mechanism for recirculating seawater through a coastal aquifer. As the mixing zone moves landward and seaward in response to seasonal fluctuations in recharge, seawater may be drawn in and flushed out of the aquifer over the course of a year. SGD can also occur at the bottom of the open ocean, even in the absence of a terrestrial connection. Waves, tides, and ocean currents can create hydraulic gradients that pump seawater across the sea floor. Interest in groundwater–seawater interactions continues to receive a significant amount of attention in the literature. Saltwater intrusion, freshwater deliveries to marine estuaries, and nutrient loading are persistent problems of global importance. The problems are difficult to address, however, because of the elusive nature of SGD. Fortunately, the science is advancing. The journal Biogeochemistry, dedicated the entire November 2003 issue to the subject of SGD as did the journal Ground Water, in the December 2004 issue. Zektser & Dzhamalov (2007) released a comprehensive review on the subject of SGD and groundwater–seawater interactions in a new book: Submarine Groundwater. In their book, they suggest that SGD and related studies should be categorized into a new field called “Marine Hydrogeology”. The concentrated efforts of numerous researchers from a wide range of disciplines have led to substantial advancements in characterizing SGD, but there is still more work to be done

Determination of the trap-assisted recombination strength in polymer light emitting diodes

The recombination processes in poly(p-phenylene vinylene) based polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs) are investigated. Photogenerated current measurements on PLED device structures reveal that next to the known Langevin recombination also trap-assisted recombination is an important recombination channel in PLEDs, which has not been considered until now. The dependence of the open-circuit voltage on light intensity enables us to determine the strength of this process. Numerical modeling of the current-voltage characteristics incorporating both Langevin and trap-assisted recombination yields a correct and consistent description of the PLED, without the traditional correction of the Langevin prefactor. At low bias voltage the trap-assisted recombination rate is found to be dominant over the free carrier recombination rate.

Simulation laser d'impacts de particules de très grande vitesse

Le laser au néodyme du GRECO I.L.M. délivrant des impulsions de l'ordre de 100 J en quelques ns, nous a permis de simuler des impacts de micrométéorites silicatées de quelques dixièmes de μg, de vitesse comprise entre 5 et 45 km/s, sur une cible d'aluminium. Les cratères produits dans la cible sont hémisphériques, et le rapport Km, de la masse éjectée sur la masse de la particule incidente simulée, varie avec la vitesse d'impact Vp selon la loi Km = 1,17 V 1,52p