51 research outputs found
Supershells in Metal Clusters: Self-Consistent Calculations and their Semiclassical Interpretation
To understand the electronic shell- and supershell-structure in large metal
clusters we have performed self-consistent calculations in the homogeneous,
spherical jellium model for a variety of different materials. A scaling
analysis of the results reveals a surprisingly simple dependence of the
supershells on the jellium density. It is shown how this can be understood in
the framework of a periodic-orbit-expansion by analytically extending the
well-known semiclassical treatment of a spherical cavity to more realistic
potentials.Comment: 4 pages, revtex, 3 eps figures included, for additional information
see http://radix2.mpi-stuttgart.mpg.de/koch/Diss
Classical Analysis of Phenomenological Potentials for Metallic Clusters
The classical trajectories of single particle motion in a Wodds-Saxon and a
modified Nilsson potential are studied for axial quadrupole deformation. Both
cases give rise to chaotic behaviour when the deformation in the Woods-Saxon
and the l**2 term in the modified Nilsson potential are turned on. Important
similarities, in particular with regard to the shortest periodic orbits, have
been found.Comment: 9 pages LaTex + 4 figures available via e-mail requests from the
authors, to appear in Phys.Rev.Let
Periodic orbit theory for realistic cluster potentials: The leptodermous expansion
The formation of supershells observed in large metal clusters can be
qualitatively understood from a periodic-orbit-expansion for a spherical
cavity. To describe the changes in the supershell structure for different
materials, one has, however, to go beyond that simple model. We show how
periodic-orbit-expansions for realistic cluster potentials can be derived by
expanding only the classical radial action around the limiting case of a
spherical potential well. We give analytical results for the leptodermous
expansion of Woods-Saxon potentials and show that it describes the shift of the
supershells as the surface of a cluster potential gets softer. As a byproduct
of our work, we find that the electronic shell and supershell structure is not
affected by a lattice contraction, which might be present in small clusters.Comment: 15 pages RevTex, 11 eps figures, additional information at
http://www.mpi-stuttgart.mpg.de/docs/ANDERSEN/users/koch/Diss
Orbits in Large Aluminum Clusters: Five-Pointed Stars
The distinctions in the mass spectra of large sodium (Na_N) and aluminum
(Al_N) clusters are discussed. A semiclassical method is used to describe the
shell effects within a spherical jellium model. It allows one to analyze the
relative role of different classical trajectories in the formation of
electronic supershells in clusters of various sizes at zero and finite
temperatures. A criterion for the hardness of the self-consistent potential is
formulated. The conjecture that the five-point-star trajectories make the main
contribution to the spectral oscillations for large soft-potential Al_N
(250<N<900) clusters is substantiated. The computational results are in
agreement with the mass spectra of the Al_N clusters at T ~ 300 K.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, PDF forma
Rough droplet model for spherical metal clusters
We study the thermally activated oscillations, or capillary waves, of a
neutral metal cluster within the liquid drop model. These deformations
correspond to a surface roughness which we characterize by a single parameter
. We derive a simple analytic approximate expression determining
as a function of temperature and cluster size. We then estimate the
induced effects on shell structure by means of a periodic orbit analysis and
compare with recent data for shell energy of sodium clusters in the size range
. A small surface roughness \AA~ is seen to
give a reasonable account of the decrease of amplitude of the shell structure
observed in experiment. Moreover -- contrary to usual Jahn-Teller type of
deformations -- roughness correctly reproduces the shape of the shell energy in
the domain of sizes considered in experiment.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures, important modifications of the presentation, to
appear in Phys. Rev.
Mutation analysis of the ATR gene in breast and ovarian cancer families
INTRODUCTION: Mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, TP53, CHK2 and PTEN account for only 20–30% of the familial aggregation of breast cancer, which suggests the involvement of additional susceptibility genes. The ATR (ataxia-telangiectasia- and Rad3-related) kinase is essential for the maintenance of genomic integrity. It functions both in parallel and cooperatively with ATM, but whereas ATM is primarily activated by DNA double-strand breaks induced by ionizing radiation, ATR has been shown to respond to a much broader range of DNA damage. Upon activation, ATR phosphorylates several important tumor suppressors, including p53, BRCA1 and CHK1. Based on its central function in the DNA damage response, ATR is a plausible candidate gene for susceptibility to cancer. METHODS: We screened the entire coding region of the ATR gene for mutations in affected index cases from 126 Finnish families with breast and/or ovarian cancer, 75 of which were classified as high-risk and 51 as moderate-risk families, by using conformation sensitive gel electrophoresis and direct sequencing. RESULTS: A large number of novel sequence variants were identified, four of which – Glu254Gly, Ser1142Gly, IVS24-48G>A and IVS26+15C>T – were absent from the tested control individuals (n = 300). However, the segregation of these mutations with the cancer phenotype could not be confirmed, partly because of the lack of suitable DNA samples. CONCLUSION: The present study does not support a major role for ATR mutations in hereditary susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer
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