3,826 research outputs found
Spatiotemporal dynamics of quantum jumps with Rydberg atoms
We study the nonequilibrium dynamics of quantum jumps in a one-dimensional
chain of atoms. Each atom is driven on a strong transition to a short-lived
state and on a weak transition to a metastable state. We choose the metastable
state to be a Rydberg state so that when an atom jumps to the Rydberg state, it
inhibits or enhances jumps in the neighboring atoms. This leads to rich
spatiotemporal dynamics that are visible in the fluorescence of the strong
transition.Comment: 10 page
Two-Level Systems in Evaporated Amorphous Silicon
In -beam evaporated amorphous silicon (-Si), the densities of two-level
systems (TLS), and , determined from specific heat
and internal friction measurements, respectively, have been shown to
vary by over three orders of magnitude. Here we show that and
are proportional to each other with a constant of
proportionality that is consistent with the measurement time dependence
proposed by Black and Halperin and does not require the introduction of
additional anomalous TLS. However, and depend strongly
on the atomic density of the film () which depends on both film
thickness and growth temperature suggesting that the -Si structure is
heterogeneous with nanovoids or other lower density regions forming in a dense
amorphous network. A review of literature data shows that this atomic density
dependence is not unique to -Si. These findings suggest that TLS are not
intrinsic to an amorphous network but require a heterogeneous structure to
form
Versatile compact atomic source for high resolution dual atom interferometry
We present a compact Rb atomic source for high precision dual atom
interferometers. The source is based on a double-stage magneto-optical trap
(MOT) design, consisting of a 2-dimensional (2D)-MOT for efficient loading of a
3D-MOT. The accumulated atoms are precisely launched in a horizontal moving
molasses. Our setup generates a high atomic flux ( atoms/s) with
precise and flexibly tunable atomic trajectories as required for high
resolution Sagnac atom interferometry. We characterize the performance of the
source with respect to the relevant parameters of the launched atoms, i.e.
temperature, absolute velocity and pointing, by utilizing time-of-flight
techniques and velocity selective Raman transitions.Comment: uses revtex4, 9 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Structural dichroism in the antiferromagnetic insulating phase of V_2O_3
We performed near-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES) at V K edge in
the antiferromagnetic insulating (AFI) phase of a 2.8% Cr-doped V_2O_3 single
crystal. Linear dichroism of several percent is measured in the hexagonal plane
and found to be in good agreement with ab-initio calculations based on multiple
scattering theory. This experiment definitively proves the structural origin of
the signal and therefore solves a controversy raised by previous
interpretations of the same dichroism as non-reciprocal. It also calls for a
further investigation of the role of the magnetoelectric annealing procedure in
cooling to the AFI phase.Comment: 4 pages 3 figures. To be published in Phys. Rev. B (2005
Shallow-water Strontium-90 anomaly about the Antilles Arc----1970
Vertical profiles about the southeastern approaches to the Caribbean in early 1970 have shown a consistent Sr-90 inversion, with the maximum concentrations at depths of about room. It appears that four water masses may be involved, in this area, in a very complicated mixing and overlayering phenomenon
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Impact on Epidemic Measles of Vaccination Campaigns Triggered by Disease Outbreaks or Serosurveys: A Modeling Study.
BACKGROUND: Routine vaccination supplemented by planned campaigns occurring at 2-5 y intervals is the core of current measles control and elimination efforts. Yet, large, unexpected outbreaks still occur, even when control measures appear effective. Supplementing these activities with mass vaccination campaigns triggered when low levels of measles immunity are observed in a sample of the population (i.e., serosurveys) or incident measles cases occur may provide a way to limit the size of outbreaks. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Measles incidence was simulated using stochastic age-structured epidemic models in settings conducive to high or low measles incidence, roughly reflecting demographic contexts and measles vaccination coverage of four heterogeneous countries: Nepal, Niger, Yemen, and Zambia. Uncertainty in underlying vaccination rates was modeled. Scenarios with case- or serosurvey-triggered campaigns reaching 20% of the susceptible population were compared to scenarios without triggered campaigns. The best performing of the tested case-triggered campaigns prevent an average of 28,613 (95% CI 25,722-31,505) cases over 15 y in our highest incidence setting and 599 (95% CI 464-735) cases in the lowest incidence setting. Serosurvey-triggered campaigns can prevent 89,173 (95% CI, 86,768-91,577) and 744 (612-876) cases, respectively, but are triggered yearly in high-incidence settings. Triggered campaigns reduce the highest cumulative incidence seen in simulations by up to 80%. While the scenarios considered in this strategic modeling exercise are reflective of real populations, the exact quantitative interpretation of the results is limited by the simplifications in country structure, vaccination policy, and surveillance system performance. Careful investigation into the cost-effectiveness in different contexts would be essential before moving forward with implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Serologically triggered campaigns could help prevent severe epidemics in the face of epidemiological and vaccination uncertainty. Hence, small-scale serology may serve as the basis for effective adaptive public health strategies, although, in high-incidence settings, case-triggered approaches are likely more efficient
Persistence in epidemic metapopulations: quantifying the rescue effects for measles, mumps, rubella and whooping cough
Metapopulation rescue effects are thought to be key to the persistence of many acute immunizing infections. Yet the enhancement of persistence through spatial coupling has not been previously quantified. Here we estimate the metapopulation rescue effects for four childhood infections using global WHO reported incidence data by comparing persistence on island countries vs all other countries, while controlling for key variables such as vaccine cover, birth rates and economic development. The relative risk of extinction on islands is significantly higher, and approximately double the risk of extinction in mainland countries. Furthermore, as may be expected, infections with longer infectious periods tend to have the strongest metapopulation rescue effects. Our results quantitate the notion that demography and local community size controls disease persistence
Strong-coupling effects in the relaxation dynamics of ultracold neutral plasmas
We describe a hybrid molecular dynamics approach for the description of
ultracold neutral plasmas, based on an adiabatic treatment of the electron gas
and a full molecular dynamics simulation of the ions, which allows us to follow
the long-time evolution of the plasma including the effect of the strongly
coupled ion motion. The plasma shows a rather complex relaxation behavior,
connected with temporal as well as spatial oscillations of the ion temperature.
Furthermore, additional laser cooling of the ions during the plasma evolution
drastically modifies the expansion dynamics, so that crystallization of the ion
component can occur in this nonequilibrium system, leading to lattice-like
structures or even long-range order resulting in concentric shells
Using Absorption Imaging to Study Ion Dynamics in an Ultracold Neutral Plasma
We report optical absorption imaging of ultracold neutral plasmas.Images are
used to measure the ion absorption spectrum, which is Doppler-broadened.
Through the spectral width, we monitor ion equilibration in the first 250ns
after plasma formation. The equilibration leaves ions on the border between the
weakly coupled gaseous and strongly coupled liquid states. On a longer
timescale of microseconds, we observe radial acceleration of ions resulting
from pressure exerted by the trapped electron gas.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
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