1,884 research outputs found
Energies of knot diagrams
We introduce and begin the study of new knot energies defined on knot
diagrams. Physically, they model the internal energy of thin metallic solid
tori squeezed between two parallel planes. Thus the knots considered can
perform the second and third Reidemeister moves, but not the first one. The
energy functionals considered are the sum of two terms, the uniformization term
(which tends to make the curvature of the knot uniform) and the resistance term
(which, in particular, forbids crossing changes). We define an infinite family
of uniformization functionals, depending on an arbitrary smooth function
and study the simplest nontrivial case , obtaining neat normal forms
(corresponding to minima of the functional) by making use of the Gauss
representation of immersed curves, of the phase space of the pendulum, and of
elliptic functions
Cooling dynamics of ultracold two-species Fermi-Bose mixtures
We compare strategies for evaporative and sympathetic cooling of two-species
Fermi-Bose mixtures in single-color and two-color optical dipole traps. We show
that in the latter case a large heat capacity of the bosonic species can be
maintained during the entire cooling process. This could allow to efficiently
achieve a deep Fermi degeneracy regime having at the same time a significant
thermal fraction for the Bose gas, crucial for a precise thermometry of the
mixture. Two possible signatures of a superfluid phase transition for the Fermi
species are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
A Chandra Study of the Effects of a Major Merger on the Structure of Abell 2319
We present an analysis of a Chandra observation of the massive, nearby galaxy
cluster Abell 2319. A sharp surface brightness discontinuity--suggested by
previous, lower angular resolution X-ray imaging--is clearly visible in the
ACIS image. This roughly 300kpc feature suggests that a major merger is taking
place with a significant velocity component perpendicular to the line of sight.
The cluster emission-weighted mean temperature is 11.8+/-0.6kev, somewhat
higher than previous temperature measurements. The Chandra temperature map of
A2319 reveals substructure resembling that anticipated based on hydrodynamic
simulations of cluster mergers. The merger feature shows a pressure change
across the surface brightness discontinuity by a factor of <=2.5. The higher
density side of the front has a lower temperature, suggesting the presence of a
cold front similar to those in many other merging clusters. The velocity of the
front is roughly sonic.
We compare bulk properties of the ICM and galaxies in A2319 to the same
properties in a large sample of clusters as a way of gauging the effects of the
major merger. Interestingly, by comparing A2319 to a sample of 44 clusters
studied with the ROSAT PSPC we find that the X-ray luminosity, isophotal size,
and ICM mass are consistent with the expected values for a cluster of its
temperature; in addition, the K-band galaxy light is consistent with the
light--temperature scaling relation derived from a sample of about 100 clusters
studied with 2MASS. Together, these results indicate either that the merger in
A2319 has not been effective at altering the bulk properties of the cluster, or
that there are large but correlated displacements in these quantities.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, ApJ Submitte
Measurement of the Zero Crossing in a Feshbach Resonance of Fermionic 6-Li
We measure a zero crossing in the scattering length of a mixture of the two
lowest hyperfine states of 6-Li. To locate the zero crossing, we monitor the
decrease in temperature and atom number arising from evaporation in a CO2 laser
trap as a function of magnetic field B. The temperature decrease and atom loss
are minimized for B=528(4) G, consistent with no evaporation. We also present
preliminary calculations using potentials that have been constrained by the
measured zero crossing and locate a broad Feshbach resonance at approximately
860 G, in agreement with previous theoretical predictions. In addition, our
theoretical model predicts a second and much narrower Feshbach resonance near
550 G.Comment: Five pages, four figure
Numerical simulation of exciton dynamics in Cu2O at ultra low temperatures within a potential trap
We have studied theoretically the relaxation behaviour of excitons in cuprous
oxide (Cu2O) at ultra low temperatures when excitons are confined within a
potential trap by solving numerically the Boltzmann equation. As relaxation
processes, we have included in this paper deformation potential phonon
scattering, radiative and non-radiative decay and Auger decay. The relaxation
kinetics has been analysed for temperatures in the range between 0.3K and 5K.
Under the action of deformation potential phonon scattering only, we find for
temperatures above 0.5K that the excitons reach local equilibrium with the
lattice i.e. that the effective local temperature is coming down to bath
temperature, while below 0.5K a non-thermal energy distribution remains.
Interestingly, for all temperatures the global spatial distribution of excitons
does not reach the equilibrium distribution, but stays at a much higher
effective temperature. If we include further a finite lifetime of the excitons
and the two-particle Auger decay, we find that both the local and the global
effective temperature are not coming down to bath temperature. In the first
case we find a Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) to occur for all temperatures
in the investigated range. Comparing our results with the thermal equilibrium
case, we find that BEC occurs for a significantly higher number of excitons in
the trap. This effect could be related to the higher global temperature, which
requires an increased number of excitons within the trap to observe the BEC. In
case of Auger decay, we do not find at any temperature a BEC due to the heating
of the exciton gas
Pure Gas of Optically Trapped Molecules Created from Fermionic Atoms
We report on the production of a pure sample of up to 3x10^5 optically
trapped molecules from a Fermi gas of 6Li atoms. The dimers are formed by
three-body recombination near a Feshbach resonance. For purification a
Stern-Gerlach selection technique is used that efficiently removes all trapped
atoms from the atom-molecule mixture. The behavior of the purified molecular
sample shows a striking dependence on the applied magnetic field. For very
weakly bound molecules near the Feshbach resonance, the gas exhibits a
remarkable stability with respect to collisional decay.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Efficient and robust initialization of a qubit register with fermionic atoms
We show that fermionic atoms have crucial advantages over bosonic atoms in
terms of loading in optical lattices for use as a possible quantum computation
device. After analyzing the change in the level structure of a non-uniform
confining potential as a periodic potential is superimposed to it, we show how
this structure combined with the Pauli principle and fermion degeneracy can be
exploited to create unit occupancy of the lattice sites with very high
efficiency.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Qualitative exploration of the Medical Examiner role in identifying problems with the quality of patient care
Objective: A national system of Medical Examiners (MEs) implemented in England and Wales from April 2019 was intended to ensure that every death receives scrutiny from an independent, senior doctor, resulting in early detection of problems in care. The aim of this study was to increase understanding of how the ME role operates to identify problems related to quality of patient care and to explore the potential for development to maximise learning opportunities.
Design: A qualitative approach involved the use of semi-structured interviews. Data analysis employed a framework approach.
Setting: Study participants were recruited from 11 acute hospitals in England, known to be operating an ME service.
Participants: A purposive sample of 20 MEs and one ME officer.
Results: MEs brought different perspectives to the role based on their medical background. The process for identifying and acting on quality of care concerns was broadly consistent, with a notable consensus regarding the value of speaking to bereaved relatives. Variation was identified within and between services in relation to how core components are carried out and the perceived salience of information, which appeared to reflect individual and service preferences as well as different organisational pathways. ME services required flexibility to accommodate fluctuating demand, but funding arrangements imposed restrictions. The majority of MEs highlighted limited opportunity for formal team contact and a lack of meaningful feedback as limiting scope for development.
Conclusion: Core components of the ME role were being conducted, although individual and systemic variations in practice were identified. The discussion with bereaved relatives is a unique feature of the ME role and was considered highly valuable, both for the organisation and relatives. Further development could consider the impact of the variation identified and address mechanisms for feedback and shared learning
Feshbach resonances in a quasi-2D atomic gas
Strongly confining an ultracold atomic gas in one direction to create a
quasi-2D system alters the scattering properties of this gas. We investigate
the effects of confinement on Feshbach scattering resonances and show that
strong confinement results in a shift in the position of the Feshbach resonance
as a function of the magnetic field. This shift, as well as the change of the
width of the resonance, are computed. We find that the resonance is strongly
damped in the thermal gas, but in the condensate the resonance remains sharp
due to many-body effects. We introduce a 2D model system, suited for the study
of resonant superfluidity, and having the same scattering properties as the
tightly confined real system near a Feshbach resonance. Exact relations are
derived between measurable quantities and the model parameters.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure
Auger decay, Spin-exchange, and their connection to Bose-Einstein condensation of excitons in Cu_2O
In view of the recent experiments of O'Hara, et al. on excitons in Cu_2O, we
examine the interconversion between the angular-momentum triplet-state excitons
and the angular-momentum singlet-state excitons by a spin-exchange process
which has been overlooked in the past. We estimate the rate of this
particle-conserving mechanism and find a substantially higher value than the
Auger process considered so far. Based on this idea, we give a possible
explanation of the recent experimental observations, and make certain
predictions, with the most important being that the singlet-state excitons in
Cu_2O is a very serious candidate for exhibiting the phenomenon of
Bose-Einstein condensation.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, 1 ps figur
- …