3,786 research outputs found
Gravitational amplitudes in black-hole evaporation: the effect of non-commutative geometry
Recent work in the literature has studied the quantum-mechanical decay of a
Schwarzschild-like black hole, formed by gravitational collapse, into
almost-flat space-time and weak radiation at a very late time. The relevant
quantum amplitudes have been evaluated for bosonic and fermionic fields,
showing that no information is lost in collapse to a black hole. On the other
hand, recent developments in noncommutative geometry have shown that, in
general relativity, the effects of noncommutativity can be taken into account
by keeping the standard form of the Einstein tensor on the left-hand side of
the field equations and introducing a modified energy-momentum tensor as a
source on the right-hand side. The present paper, relying on the recently
obtained noncommutativity effect on a static, spherically symmetric metric,
considers from a new perspective the quantum amplitudes in black hole
evaporation. The general relativity analysis of spin-2 amplitudes is shown to
be modified by a multiplicative factor F depending on a constant
non-commutativity parameter and on the upper limit R of the radial coordinate.
Limiting forms of F are derived which are compatible with the adiabatic
approximation here exploited. Approximate formulae for the particle emission
rate are also obtained within this framework.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures, Latex macros. In the final version, section 5
has been amended, the presentation has been improved, and References 21-24
have been added. Last misprints amended in Section 5 and Ref. 2
Strain dependence of the Mn anisotropy in ferromagnetic semiconductors observed by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism
We demonstrate sensitivity of the Mn 3d valence states to strain in the
ferromagnetic semiconductors (Ga,Mn)As and (Al,Ga,Mn)As, using x-ray magnetic
circular dichroism (XMCD). The spectral shape of the Mn XMCD is
dependent on the orientation of the magnetization, and features with cubic and
uniaxial dependence are distinguished. Reversing the strain reverses the sign
of the uniaxial anisotropy of the Mn pre-peak which is ascribed to
transitions from the Mn 2p core level to p-d hybridized valence band hole
states. With increasing carrier localization, the pre-peak intensity
increases, indicating an increasing 3d character of the hybridized holes.Comment: 4 pages plus 2 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Mn Interstitial Diffusion in (Ga,Mn)As
We present a combined theoretical and experimental study of the ferromagnetic
semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As which explains the remarkably large changes observed on
low temperature annealing. Careful control of the annealing conditions allows
us to obtain samples with ferromagnetic transition temperatures up to 159 K. Ab
initio calculations, and resistivity measurements during annealing, show that
the observed changes are due to out-diffusion of Mn interstitials towards the
surface, governed by an energy barrier of about 0.7-0.8 eV. The Mn interstitial
is a double donor resulting in compensation of charge carriers and suppression
of ferromagnetism. Electric fields induced by high concentrations of
substitutional Mn acceptors have a significant effect on the diffusion.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter
Cystic fibrosis mice carrying the missense mutation G551D replicate human genotype phenotype correlations
We have generated a mouse carrying the human G551D mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene (CFTR) by a one-step gene targeting procedure. These mutant mice show cystic fibrosis pathology but have a reduced risk of fatal intestinal blockage compared with 'null' mutants, in keeping with the reduced incidence of meconium ileus in G551D patients. The G551D mutant mice show greatly reduced CFTR-related chloride transport, displaying activity intermediate between that of cftr(mlUNC) replacement ('null') and cftr(mlHGU) insertional (residual activity) mutants and equivalent to approximately 4% of wild-type CFTR activity. The long-term survival of these animals should provide an excellent model with which to study cystic fibrosis, and they illustrate the value of mouse models carrying relevant mutations for examining genotype-phenotype correlations
In-plane uniaxial anisotropy rotations in (Ga,Mn)As thin films
We show, by SQUID magnetometry, that in (Ga,Mn)As films the in-plane uniaxial
magnetic easy axis is consistently associated with particular crystallographic
directions and that it can be rotated from the [-110] direction to the [110]
direction by low temperature annealing. We show that this behavior is
hole-density-dependent and does not originate from surface anisotropy. The
presence of uniaxial anisotropy as well its dependence on the
hole-concentration and temperature can be explained in terms of the p-d Zener
model of the ferromagnetism assuming a small trigonal distortion.Comment: 4 pages, 6 Postscript figures, uses revtex
Is a combination of varenicline and nicotine patch more effective in helping smokers quit than varenicline alone? A randomised controlled trial
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
Protocols for in situ measurement of oxygen isotopes in goethite by ion microprobe
We present protocols for high-spatial resolution measurement of oxygen isotope ratios of goethite (α-FeOOH) with the Sensitive High Mass Resolution Ion Microprobe – Stable Isotopes (SHRIMP-SI) and propose a natural sample as a potential goethite reference material (RM) for ion microprobe analysis. We assess the effects of goethite chemical composition, crystallographic orientation, and texture on the accuracy and repeatability of SHRIMP-SI δ¹⁸O (δ¹⁸O_(SIMS)) results. Synthetic goethites evaluated as potential δ¹⁸O_(SIMS) RM are powdery, porous, and finely crystalline; they do not yield repeatable results. A dense colloform goethite from the Capão topaz mine, Minas Gerais, Brazil, fulfills major prerequisites: it is stoichiometrically relatively pure, yields repeatable oxygen isotope results, and occurs in abundance to produce a RM for long-term use. We use an average laser fluorination δ¹⁸O_(LF-VSMOW) value of −17.3 ± 0.3‰ (1SD) obtained for five aliquots of this RM to normalize all δ¹⁸O_(SIMS) measurements. Multiple δ¹⁸O_(SIMS) analyses of a large fragment of the Capão L4 (CL4) RM analyzed in three different runs yield an overall repeatability of −17.3 ± 0.5‰ (2SD, n = 294) for all three runs combined. Natural variability and crystal orientation effects are the main reasons for the excess spread of the δ¹⁸O_(SIMS) results compared to the spot internal precision (ca. 0.2‰). All δ¹⁸O_(SIMS) analyses (n = 1027) in various aliquots of CL4, randomly oriented and analyzed in 26 sessions during eight distinct runs, yield an overall repeatability of ±0.7‰ (2SD), confirming that CL4 is a suitable SIMS RM. After ascertaining its suitability as a RM, we used CL4 to standardize analyses of other natural goethite samples with the SHRIMP-SI and compared δ¹⁸O_(SIMS) and laser fluorination results to test the relationship between natural properties (e.g., porosity, minor elements substituting for Fe), preparation procedures (e.g., polish and relief), instrument conditions, and the overall precision and accuracy of the SIMS analyses. Samples containing minor elements substituting for Fe (e.g., Al, Mn, Cu, Zn, etc.) or as contaminants (e.g., Si, P) require significant matrix corrections. Because we could not find homogenous natural goethite samples showing a large range in metal concentrations, we extrapolate our calibration curves beyond the composition of our calibration goethite samples. δ¹⁸O_(SIMS) results corrected for instrument mass fractionation (using CL4) and compositionally dependent matrix effects (using several calibration goethites of known elemental composition) are less precise but statistically indistinguishable from their laser fluorination results. However, porous samples are unsuitable for SHRIMP-SI δ¹⁸O analysis. Dense colloform samples yield repeatable results for individual growth bands, showing that the high spatial resolution, moderate precision, and speed of analysis of the SHRIMP-SI can resolve variations in oxygen isotope composition acquired during sample growth. (U Th)/He geochronology of equivalent aliquots from the same goethite samples reveal that the combination of the two methods permits the extraction of temporal variation in the isotopic compositions of meteoric solutions in the geological past
Virtual discussions to support climate risk decision making on farms
Climate variability represents a significant risk to farming enterprises. Effective extension of climate information may improve climate risk decision making and adaptive management responses to climate variability on farms. This paper briefly reviews current agricultural extension approaches and reports stakeholder responses to new web-based virtual world ‘discussion-support’ tools developed for the Australian sugar cane farming industry. These tools incorporate current climate science and sugar industry better management practices, while leveraging the social-learning aspects of farming, to provide a stimulus for discussion and climate risk decision making. Responses suggest that such virtual world tools may provide effective support for climate risk decision making on Australian sugar cane farms. Increasing capacity to deliver such tools online also suggests potential to engage large numbers of farmers globally
- …