2,039 research outputs found
Metallic properties of magnesium point contacts
We present an experimental and theoretical study of the conductance and
stability of Mg atomic-sized contacts. Using Mechanically Controllable Break
Junctions (MCBJ), we have observed that the room temperature conductance
histograms exhibit a series of peaks, which suggests the existence of a shell
effect. Its periodicity, however, cannot be simply explained in terms of either
an atomic or electronic shell effect. We have also found that at room
temperature, contacts of the diameter of a single atom are absent. A possible
interpretation could be the occurrence of a metal-to-insulator transition as
the contact radius is reduced, in analogy with what it is known in the context
of Mg clusters. However, our first principle calculations show that while an
infinite linear chain can be insulating, Mg wires with larger atomic
coordinations, as in realistic atomic contacts, are alwaysmetallic. Finally, at
liquid helium temperature our measurements show that the conductance histogram
is dominated by a pronounced peak at the quantum of conductance. This is in
good agreement with our calculations based on a tight-binding model that
indicate that the conductance of a Mg one-atom contact is dominated by a single
fully open conduction channel.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure
Statistical fluctuations of the parametric derivative of the transmission and reflection coefficients in absorbing chaotic cavities
Motivated by recent theoretical and experimental works, we study the
statistical fluctuations of the parametric derivative of the transmission T and
reflection R coefficients in ballistic chaotic cavities in the presence of
absorption. Analytical results for the variance of the parametric derivative of
T and R, with and without time-reversal symmetry, are obtained for both
asymmetric and left-right symmetric cavities. These results are valid for
arbitrary number of channels, in completely agreement with the one channel case
in the absence of absorption studied in the literature.Comment: Modified version as accepted in PR
Distribution of the S-matrix in chaotic microwave cavities with direct processes and absorption
We quantify the presence of direct processes in the S-matrix of chaotic
microwave cavities with absorption in the one-channel case. To this end the
full distribution P_S(S) of the S-matrix, i.e. S=\sqrt{R}e^{i\theta}, is
studied in cavities with time-reversal symmetry for different antenna coupling
strengths T_a or direct processes. The experimental results are compared with
random-matrix calculations and with numerical simulations based on the
Heidelberg approach including absorption. The theoretical result is a
generalization of the Poisson kernel. The experimental and the numerical
distributions are in excellent agreement with random-matrix predictions for all
cases.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Poynting's theorem for planes waves at an interface: a scattering matrix approach
We apply the Poynting theorem to the scattering of monochromatic
electromagnetic planes waves with normal incidence to the interface of two
different media. We write this energy conservation theorem to introduce a
natural definition of the scattering matrix S. For the dielectric-dielectric
interface the balance equation lead us to the energy flux conservation which
express one of the properties of S: it is a unitary matrix. For the
dielectric-conductor interface the scattering matrix is no longer unitary due
to the presence of losses at the conductor. However, the dissipative term
appearing in the Poynting theorem can be interpreted as a single absorbing mode
at the conductor such that a whole S, satisfying flux conservation and
containing this absorbing mode, can be defined. This is a simplest version of a
model introduced in the current literature to describe losses in more complex
systems.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Am. J. Phy
Chaotic scattering with direct processes: A generalization of Poisson's kernel for non-unitary scattering matrices
The problem of chaotic scattering in presence of direct processes or prompt
responses is mapped via a transformation to the case of scattering in absence
of such processes for non-unitary scattering matrices, \tilde S. In the absence
of prompt responses, \tilde S is uniformly distributed according to its
invariant measure in the space of \tilde S matrices with zero average, < \tilde
S > =0. In the presence of direct processes, the distribution of \tilde S is
non-uniform and it is characterized by the average (\neq 0). In
contrast to the case of unitary matrices S, where the invariant measures of S
for chaotic scattering with and without direct processes are related through
the well known Poisson kernel, here we show that for non-unitary scattering
matrices the invariant measures are related by the Poisson kernel squared. Our
results are relevant to situations where flux conservation is not satisfied.
For example, transport experiments in chaotic systems, where gains or losses
are present, like microwave chaotic cavities or graphs, and acoustic or elastic
resonators.Comment: Added two appendices and references. Corrected typo
Statistical wave scattering through classically chaotic cavities in the presence of surface absorption
We propose a model to describe the statistical properties of wave scattering
through a classically chaotic cavity in the presence of surface absorption.
Experimentally, surface absorption could be realized by attaching an "absorbing
patch" to the inner wall of the cavity. In our model, the cavity is connected
to the outside by a waveguide with N open modes (or channels), while an
experimental patch is simulated by an "absorbing mirror" attached to the inside
wall of the cavity; the mirror, consisting of a waveguide that supports Na
channels, with absorption inside and a perfectly reflecting wall at its end, is
described by a subunitary scattering matrix Sa. The number of channels Na, as a
measure of the geometric cross section of the mirror, and the lack of unitarity
of Sa as a measure of absorption, are under our control: these parameters have
an important physical significance for real experiments. The absorption
strength in the cavity is quantified by the trace of the lack of unitarity. The
statistical distribution of the resulting S matrix for N=1 open channel and
only one absorbing channel, Na =1, is solved analytically for the orthogonal
and unitary universality classes, and the results are compared with those
arising from numerical simulations. The relation with other models existing in
the literature, in some of which absorption has a volumetric character, is also
studied.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Pharmacotherapeutic targeting of cation-chloride cotransporters in neonatal seizures
Seizures are a common manifestation of acute neurologic insults in neonates and are often resistant to the standard antiepileptic drugs that are efficacious in children and adults. The paucity of evidence-based treatment guidelines, coupled with a rudimentary understanding of disease pathogenesis, has made the current treatment of neonatal seizures empiric and often ineffective, highlighting the need for novel therapies. Key developmental differences in Îł-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurotransmission between the immature and mature brain, and trauma-induced alterations in the function of the cation-chloride cotransporters (CCCs) NKCC1 and KCC2, probably contribute to the poor efficacy of standard antiepileptic drugs used in the treatment of neonatal seizures. Although CCCs are attractive drug targets, bumetanide and other existing CCC inhibitors are suboptimal because of pharmacokinetic constraints and lack of target specificity. Newer approaches including isoform-specific NKCC1 inhibitors with increased central nervous system penetration, and direct and indirect strategies to enhance KCC2-mediated neuronal chloride extrusion, might allow therapeutic modulation of the GABAergic system for neonatal seizure treatment.Peer reviewe
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