15,989 research outputs found
Nanowire Acting as a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device
We present the results from an experimental study of the magneto-transport of
superconducting wires of amorphous Indium-Oxide, having widths in the range 40
- 120 nm. We find that, below the superconducting transition temperature, the
wires exhibit clear, reproducible, oscillations in their resistance as a
function of magnetic field. The oscillations are reminiscent of those which
underlie the operation of a superconducting quantum interference device.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl
Cyclotron resonance lineshape in a Wigner crystal
The cyclotron resonance absorption spectrum in a Wigner crystal is
calculated. Effects of spin-splitting are modelled by substitutional disorder,
and calculated in the coherent potential approximation. Due to the increasing
strength of the dipole-dipole interaction, the results show a crossover from a
double-peak spectrum at small filling factors to a single-peak spectrum at
filling factors \agt 1/6. Radiation damping and magnetophonon scattering can
also influence the cyclotron resonance. The results are in very good agreement
with experiments.Comment: 4 pages REVTEX, attempt to append 3 figures that seem to have been
lost last tim
Reversing quantum trajectories with analog feedback
We demonstrate the active suppression of transmon qubit dephasing induced by
dispersive measurement, using parametric amplification and analog feedback. By
real-time processing of the homodyne record, the feedback controller reverts
the stochastic quantum phase kick imparted by the measurement on the qubit. The
feedback operation matches a model of quantum trajectories with measurement
efficiency , consistent with the result obtained by
postselection. We overcome the bandwidth limitations of the amplification chain
by numerically optimizing the signal processing in the feedback loop and
provide a theoretical model explaining the optimization result.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, and Supplementary Information (7 figures
Relativistic nucleon optical potentials with isospin dependence in Dirac Brueckner Hartree-Fock approach
The relativistic optical model potential (OMP) for nucleon-nucleus scattering
is investigated in the framework of Dirac-Brueckner-Hartree-Fock (DBHF)
approach using the Bonn-B One-Boson- Exchange potential for the bare
nucleon-nucleon interaction. Both real and imaginary parts of isospin-dependent
nucleon self-energies in nuclear medium are derived from the DBHF approach
based on the projection techniques within the subtracted T -matrix
representation. The Dirac potentials as well as the corresponding Schrodinger
equivalent potentials are evaluated. An improved local density approximation is
employed in this analysis, where a range parameter is included to account for a
finite-range correction of the nucleon-nucleon interaction. As an example the
total cross sections, differential elastic scattering cross sections, analyzing
powers for n, p + 27Al at incident energy 100 keV < E < 250 MeV are calculated.
The results derived from this microscopic approach of the OMP are compared to
the experimental data, as well as the results obtained with a phenomenological
OMP. A good agreement between the theoretical results and the measurements can
be achieved for all incident energies using a constant value for the range
parameter.Comment: 10 pages, 16 figure
Infrared FeII Emission in Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies
We obtained 0.8-2.4 micron spectra at a resolution of 320 km/s of four
narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies in order to study the near-infrared properties
of these objects. We focus on the analysis of the FeII emission in that region
and the kinematics of the low-ionization broad lines. We found that the 1
micron FeII lines (9997 A, 10501 A, 10863 A and 11126 A) are the strongest FeII
lines in the observed interval. For the first time, primary cascade lines of
FeII arising from the decay of upper levels pumped by Ly-alpha fluorescence are
resolved and identified in active galactic nuclei. Excitation mechanisms
leading to the emission of the 1 micron FeII features are discussed. A
combination of Ly-alpha fluorescence and collisional excitation are found to be
the main contributors. The flux ratio between near-IR FeII lines varies from
object to object, in contrast to what is observed in the optical region. A good
correlation between the 1 micron and optical FeII emission is found. This
suggests that the upper z4Fo and z4Do levels from which the bulk of the optical
lines descend are mainly populated by the transitions leading to the 1 micron
lines. The width and profile shape of FeII 11127, CaII 8642 and OI 8446 are
very similar but significantly narrower than Pa-beta, giving strong
observational support to the hypothesis that the region where FeII, CaII and OI
are produced are co-spatial, interrelated kinematically and most probably
located in the outermost portion of the BLR.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ - 35 page
Gravity vs radiation model: on the importance of scale and heterogeneity in commuting flows
We test the recently introduced radiation model against the gravity model for
the system composed of England and Wales, both for commuting patterns and for
public transportation flows. The analysis is performed both at macroscopic
scales, i.e. at the national scale, and at microscopic scales, i.e. at the city
level. It is shown that the thermodynamic limit assumption for the original
radiation model significantly underestimates the commuting flows for large
cities. We then generalize the radiation model, introducing the correct
normalisation factor for finite systems. We show that even if the gravity model
has a better overall performance the parameter-free radiation model gives
competitive results, especially for large scales.Comment: in press Phys. Rev. E, 201
Blocking entry of hepatitis B and D viruses to hepatocytes as a novel immunotherapy for treating chronic infections
Background. Chronic hepatitis B and D virus (HBV/HDV) infections can cause cancer. Current HBV therapy using nucleoside analogues (NAs) is life-long and reduces but does not eliminate the risk of cancer. A hallmark of chronic hepatitis B is a dysfunctional HBV-specific T-cell response. We therefore designed an immunotherapy driven by naive healthy T cells specific for the HDV antigen (HDAg) to bypass the need for HBV-specific T cells in order to prime PreS1-specific T cells and PreS1 antibodies blocking HBV entry.
Methods. Ten combinations of PreS1 and/or HDAg sequences were evaluated for induction of PreS1 antibodies and HBV- and HDV-specific T cells in vitro and in vivo. Neutralization of HBV by PreS1-specific murine and rabbit antibodies was evaluated in cell culture, and rabbit anti-PreS1 were tested for neutralization of HBV in mice repopulated with human hepatocytes.
Results. The best vaccine candidate induced T cells to PreS1 and HDAg, and PreS1 antibodies blocking HBV entry in vitro. Importantly, adoptive transfer of PreS1 antibodies prevented, or modulated, HBV infection after a subsequent challenge in humanized mice.
Conclusions. We here describe a novel immunotherapy for chronic HBV/HDV that targets viral entry to complement NAs and coming therapies inhibiting viral maturation
Eta Carinae -- Physics of the Inner Ejecta
Eta Carinae's inner ejecta are dominated observationally by the bright
Weigelt blobs and their famously rich spectra of nebular emission and
absorption lines. They are dense (n_e ~ 10^7 to 10^8 cm^-3), warm (T_e ~ 6000
to 7000 K) and slow moving (~40 km/s) condensations of mostly neutral (H^0)
gas. Located within 1000 AU of the central star, they contain heavily
CNO-processed material that was ejected from the star about a century ago.
Outside the blobs, the inner ejecta include absorption-line clouds with similar
conditions, plus emission-line gas that has generally lower densities and a
wider range of speeds (reaching a few hundred km/s) compared to the blobs. The
blobs appear to contain a negligible amount of dust and have a nearly dust-free
view of the central source, but our view across the inner ejecta is severely
affected by uncertain amounts of dust having a patchy distribution in the
foreground. Emission lines from the inner ejecta are powered by photoionization
and fluorescent processes. The variable nature of this emission, occurring in a
5.54 yr event cycle, requires specific changes to the incident flux that hold
important clues to the nature of the central object.Comment: This is Chapter 5 in a book entitled: Eta Carinae and the Supernova
Impostors, Kris Davidson and Roberta M. Humphreys, editors Springe
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