Magnetized Fast Isochoric Laser Heating for Efficient Creation of Ultra-High-Energy-Density States

The quest for the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) ignition is a grand challenge, as exemplified by extraordinary large laser facilities. Fast isochoric heating of a pre-compressed plasma core with a high-intensity short-pulse laser is an attractive and alternative approach to create ultra-high-energy-density states like those found in ICF ignition sparks. This avoids the ignition quench caused by the hot spark mixing with the surrounding cold fuel, which is the crucial problem of the currently pursued ignition scheme. High-intensity lasers efficiently produce relativistic electron beams (REB). A part of the REB kinetic energy is deposited in the core, and then the heated region becomes the hot spark to trigger the ignition. However, only a small portion of the REB collides with the core because of its large divergence. Here we have demonstrated enhanced laser-to-core energy coupling with the magnetized fast isochoric heating. The method employs a kilo-tesla-level magnetic field that is applied to the transport region from the REB generation point to the core which results in guiding the REB along the magnetic field lines to the core. 7.7 $\pm$ 1.3 % of the maximum coupling was achieved even with a relatively small radial area density core ($\rho R$ $\sim$ 0.1 g/cm$^2$). The guided REB transport was clearly visualized in a pre-compressed core by using Cu-$K_\alpha$ imaging technique. A simplified model coupled with the comprehensive diagnostics yields 6.2\% of the coupling that agrees fairly with the measured coupling. This model also reveals that an ignition-scale areal density core ($\rho R$ $\sim$ 0.4 g/cm$^2$) leads to much higher laser-to-core coupling ($>$ 15%), this is much higher than that achieved by the current scheme

Effect of Touch-produced Sounds on Surface Texture Perception

Texture is an important source of information for distinguishing surface properties. We are able to perceive varioustextural properties of surfaces from tactile or visual inputs. However, it is unclear how touch-produced sounds influence thevarious surface texture perceptions. In this study, we examined whether the touch sounds produced by different surface texturesinfluence the various surface perceptions. Consequently, the surface textures with high height and wide interval resulted inrough, bumpy, soft and cool perceptions and the surface textures with the low height and narrow interval resulted in smooth,flat, hard and warm perception. Also, there were statistically significant differences in these measures between two surfacetexture groups. Furthermore, significantly positive correlations were found in “rough – smooth”, “bumpy – flat”, “sticky –slippery”, “wet – dry” and “unpleasant – pleasant” measures between touch-produced sounds and actual touch. This indicatethat the touch-produced sounds influence various surface perceptions

Effect of chemical fertilizer and manure application on N2O emission from reed canary grassland in Hokkaido, Japan

We evaluated the effect of chemical fertilizer and manure applications on N2O emission from a managed grassland by establishing three treatment plots of chemical N fertilizer (chemical fertilizer), manure combined chemical N fertilizer (manure) and no N fertilizer (control) at the Shizunai Experimental Livestock Farm in southern Hokkaido, Japan. N2O fluxes from soils were measured by a closed-chamber method from May 2005 to April 2008. Soil denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA) in root-mat layer (0-2.5cm) and mineral soil layer (2.5-5cm) of each treatment plot was measured by an acetylene inhibition method after treatment with NO^[-]_[3]-N and glucose addition and neither NO^[-]_[3]-N nor glucose addition, respectively. Annual N2O emission ranged from 0.6 4.9 kg N2O-N ha^[-1]yr^[-1], with the highest observed in manure plot and lowest in control plot. Chemical fertilizer-induced emission factor (EF) (range: 0.85-1.32%) was significantly higher than manure-induced EF (range 0.35-0.85%). Denitrification potential of soil horizons was measured with addition of both NO^[-]_[3]-N and glucose, which was significantly higher in root-mat soil than that in mineral soil. Soil DEA in root-mat in NO^[-]_[3]-N addition with and without addition of glucose had a significantly positive correlation with soil pH (P < 0.05). Soil pH was significantly influenced by N source, which was significantly lower in chemical fertilizer plot than that in control and manure plot. For a fixed quantity of available N, the application of manure could result in higher N2O emission compared with chemical fertilizer owing to high soil pH values under manure application than under chemical fertilizer application

Plasma density limits for hole boring by intense laser pulses

High-power lasers in the relativistic intensity regime with multi-picosecond pulse durations are available in many laboratories around the world. Laser pulses at these intensities reach giga-bar level radiation pressures, which can push the plasma critical surface where laser light is reflected. This process is referred to as the laser hole boring (HB), which is critical for plasma heating, hence essential for laser-based applications. Here we derive the limit density for HB, which is the maximum plasma density the laser can reach, as a function of laser intensity. The time scale for when the laser pulse reaches the limit density is also derived. These theories are confirmed by a series of particle-in-cell simulations. After reaching the limit density, the plasma starts to blowout back toward the laser, and is accompanied by copious superthermal electrons; therefore, the electron energy can be determined by varying the laser pulse length

Concurrent isolated retroperitoneal HGSC and STIC defined by somatic mutation analysis: a case report

Abstract Background Retroperitoneal high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is extremely rare and the origin remains unclear. We present a case of retroperitoneal HGSC and coexisting serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC), which is considered as the main origin of ovarian HGSC. We reviewed the available literature and discussed about the origin of this rare disease. Case presentation A 58-year-old female with a 93 × 65 × 62 mm-solid tumor with a cystic part was located immediately dorsal to the rectum underwent bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, total abdominal hysterectomy, and en bloc resection of the retroperitoneal tumor together with lower anterior resection of the rectum. Histological diagnosis was retroperitoneal HGSC and STIC at the right fallopian tube. Two deleterious somatic mutations in TP53 and BRCA2 genes were shared between retroperitoneal HGSC and STIC. Conclusions In addition to clinical features in the previous reports, our genetic findings suggest the origin of retroperitoneal HGSC might be STIC