14,776 research outputs found
Dynamics of active membranes with internal noise
We study the time-dependent height fluctuations of an active membrane
containing energy-dissipating pumps that drive the membrane out of equilibrium.
Unlike previous investigations based on models that neglect either curvature
couplings or random fluctuations in pump activities, our formulation explores
two new models that take both of these effects into account. In the first
model, the magnitude of the nonequilibrium forces generated by the pumps is
allowed to fluctuate temporally. In the second model, the pumps are allowed to
switch between "on" and "off" states. We compute the mean squared displacement
of a membrane point for both models, and show that they exhibit distinct
dynamical behaviors from previous models, and in particular, a superdiffusive
regime specifically arising from the shot noise.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Quantum Arrival and Dwell Times via Idealised Clocks
A number of approaches to the problem of defining arrival and dwell time
probabilities in quantum theory make use of idealised models of clocks. An
interesting question is the extent to which the probabilities obtained in this
way are related to standard semiclassical results. In this paper we explore
this question using a reasonably general clock model, solved using path
integral methods. We find that in the weak coupling regime where the energy of
the clock is much less than the energy of the particle it is measuring, the
probability for the clock pointer can be expressed in terms of the probability
current in the case of arrival times, and the dwell time operator in the case
of dwell times, the expected semiclassical results. In the regime of strong
system-clock coupling, we find that the arrival time probability is
proportional to the kinetic energy density, consistent with an earlier model
involving a complex potential. We argue that, properly normalized, this may be
the generically expected result in this regime. We show that these conclusions
are largely independent of the form of the clock Hamiltonian.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures. Published versio
Impact of Secondary Reactive Species on the Apparent Decoupling of Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Diacrylate Hydrogel Average Mesh Size and Modulus
Poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels are widely used in biotechnology due to their in situ crosslinking capacity and tunable physical properties. However, as with all single component hydrogels, the modulus of PEGDA networks cannot be tailored independently of mesh size. This interdependence places significant limitations on their use for defined, 3D cell-microenvironment studies and for certain controlled release applications. The incorporation of secondary reactive species (SRS) into PEGDA hydrogels has previously been shown to allow the identification of up to 6 PEGDA hydrogel formulations for which distinct moduli can be obtained at consistent average mesh size (or vice versa). However, the modulus and mesh size ranges which can be probed by these formulations are quite restricted. This work presents an in-depth study of SRS incorporation into PEGDA hydrogels, with the goal of expanding the space for which decoupled examination of modulus and mesh size effects is achievable. Towards this end, over 100 PEGDA hydrogels containing either N-vinyl pyrrolidone or star PEG-tetraacrylate as SRS were characterized. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that SRS incorporation allows for the identification of a number of modulus ranges that can be probed at consistent average mesh size (or vice versa)
Evidence for directed percolation universality at the onset of spatiotemporal intermittency in coupled circle maps
We consider a lattice of coupled circle maps, a model arising naturally in
descriptions of solid state phenomena such as Josephson junction arrays. We
find that the onset of spatiotemporal intermittency (STI) in this system is
analogous to directed percolation (DP), with the transition being to an unique
absorbing state for low nonlinearities, and to weakly chaotic absorbing states
for high nonlinearities. We find that the complete set of static exponents and
spreading exponents at all critical points match those of DP very convincingly.
Further, hyperscaling relations are fulfilled, leading to independent controls
and consistency checks of the values of all the critical exponents. These
results lend strong support to the conjecture that the onset of STI in
deterministic models belongs to the DP universality class.Comment: Submitted to Physical Review
New VR magnification ratios of QSO 0957+561
We present VR magnification ratios of QSO 0957+561, which are inferred from
the GLITP light curves of Q0957+561A and new frames taken with the 2.56m Nordic
Optical Telescope about 14 months after the GLITP monitoring. From two
photometric approaches and a reasonable range for the time delay in the system
(415-430 days), we do not obtain achromatic optical continuum ratios, but
ratios depending on the wavelength. These new measurements are consistent with
differential extinction in the lens galaxy, the Lyman limit system, the damped
Ly-alpha system, or the host galaxy of the QSO. The possible values for the
differential extinction and the ratio of total to selective extinction in the V
band are reasonable. Moreover, crude probability arguments suggest that the ray
paths of the two components cross a similar dusty environment, including a
network of compact dust clouds and compact dust voids. As an alternative (in
fact, the usual interpretation of the old ratios), we also try to explain the
new ratios as caused by gravitational microlensing in the deflector. From
magnification maps for each of the gravitationally lensed images, using
different fractions of the surface mass density represented by the microlenses,
as well as different sizes and profiles of the V-band and R-band sources,
several synthetic distributions of V-band and R-band ratios are derived. In
some gravitational scenarios, there is an apparent disagreement between the
observed pair of ratios and the simulated distributions. However, several
microlensing pictures work well. To decide between either extinction, or
microlensing, or a mixed scenario (extinction + microlensing), new
observational and interpretation efforts are required.Comment: PS and PDF versions are created from the LaTeX file and 5 EPS
figures, two additional figues (Figs. 6 and 7) in JPEG format, scheduled for
the ApJ 20 January 2005 issu
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