1,282 research outputs found
High-temperature LM cathode ion thrusters Quarterly progress report, 5 May - 4 Aug. 1968
Design and operation of high temperature liquid mercury cathode ion thruster
High-temperature LM cathode ion thrusters Quarterly progress report, 5 Feb. - 4 May 1968
Poiseuille flow measurements for high temperature liquid metal cathode ion thruster
High-temperature LM cathodes for ion thrusters Summary report, 1 Jun. 1966 - 31 Jul. 1967
Performance of liquid metal cathodes in electron bombardment thrusto
Griffiths effects and quantum critical points in dirty superconductors without spin-rotation invariance: One-dimensional examples
We introduce a strong-disorder renormalization group (RG) approach suitable
for investigating the quasiparticle excitations of disordered superconductors
in which the quasiparticle spin is not conserved. We analyze one-dimensional
models with this RG and with elementary transfer matrix methods. We find that
such models with broken spin rotation invariance {\it generically} lie in one
of two topologically distinct localized phases. Close enough to the critical
point separating the two phases, the system has a power-law divergent
low-energy density of states (with a non-universal continuously varying
power-law) in either phase, due to quantum Griffiths singularities. This
critical point belongs to the same infinite-disorder universality class as the
one dimensional particle-hole symmetric Anderson localization problem, while
the Griffiths phases in the vicinity of the transition are controlled by lines
of strong (but not infinite) disorder fixed points terminating in the critical
point.Comment: 14 pages (two-column PRB format), 9 eps figure
Axiomatic geometric formulation of electromagnetism with only one axiom: the field equation for the bivector field F with an explanation of the Trouton-Noble experiment
In this paper we present an axiomatic, geometric, formulation of
electromagnetism with only one axiom: the field equation for the Faraday
bivector field F. This formulation with F field is a self-contained, complete
and consistent formulation that dispenses with either electric and magnetic
fields or the electromagnetic potentials. All physical quantities are defined
without reference frames, the absolute quantities, i.e., they are geometric
four dimensional (4D) quantities or, when some basis is introduced, every
quantity is represented as a 4D coordinate-based geometric quantity comprising
both components and a basis. The new observer independent expressions for the
stress-energy vector T(n)(1-vector), the energy density U (scalar), the
Poynting vector S and the momentum density g (1-vectors), the angular momentum
density M (bivector) and the Lorentz force K (1-vector) are directly derived
from the field equation for F. The local conservation laws are also directly
derived from that field equation. The 1-vector Lagrangian with the F field as a
4D absolute quantity is presented; the interaction term is written in terms of
F and not, as usual, in terms of A. It is shown that this geometric formulation
is in a full agreement with the Trouton-Noble experiment.Comment: 32 pages, LaTex, this changed version will be published in Found.
Phys. Let
The "Unromantic Pictures" of Quantum Theory
I am concerned with two views of quantum mechanics that John S. Bell called
``unromantic'': spontaneous wave function collapse and Bohmian mechanics. I
discuss some of their merits and report about recent progress concerning
extensions to quantum field theory and relativity. In the last section, I
speculate about an extension of Bohmian mechanics to quantum gravity.Comment: 37 pages LaTeX, no figures; written for special volume of J. Phys. A
in honor of G.C. Ghirard
Modeling the bacterial protein toxin, pneumolysin, in its monomeric and oligomeric form
Pneumolysin is a member of the family of related bacterial thiol-activated toxins, which share structural similarities and a proposed common cytolytic mechanism. Currently the molecular mechanism of membrane damage caused by these toxins remains a matter of controversy. A prerequisite for defining this mechanism is a detailed knowledge of the monomeric and oligomeric pneumolysin structures. We present for the first time details of the monomeric structure of a thiol-activated toxin, pneumolysin. Electron microscope images of metal-shadowed pneumolysin monomers show an asymmetric molecule composed of four domains. We have studied the conformation of pneumolysin monomer by low resolution hydrodynamic bead modeling procedures. The bead model dimensions and shape are derived solely from the electron micrographs. The bead model has been evaluated in terms of the predicted solution properties, which in turn have been compared to the experimental values of the sedimentation coefficient, s(20,w)0, obtained by analytical ultracentrifugation and the intrinsic viscosity, [eta]. Pneumolysin oligomers, observed as ring- and arc-shaped structures, were also examined by electron microscopy. Metal shadowing and negative staining methods were used to establish the overall dimensions of the oligomer and were used to produce a morphological model for the oligomer, incorporating monomer subunits based on the hydrodynamic bead model
Hole doping and disorder effects on the one-dimensional Kondo lattice, for ferromagnetic Kondo couplings
We investigate the one-dimensional Kondo lattice model (1D KLM) for
ferromagnetic Kondo couplings. The so-called ferromagnetic 2-leg spin ladder
and the S=1 antiferromagnet occur as new one-dimensional Kondo insulators. Both
exhibit a spin gap. But, in contrast to the strong coupling limit, the Haldane
state which characterizes the 2-leg spin ladder Kondo insulator cannot fight
against very weak exterior perturbations. First, by using standard bosonization
techniques, we prove that an antiferromagnetic ground state occurs by doping
with few holes; it is characterized by a form factor of the spin-spin
correlation functions which exhibits two structures respectively at and
. Second, we prove precisely by using renormalization group methods
that the Anderson-localization inevitably takes place in that weak-coupling
Haldane system, by the introduction of quenched randomness; the spin-fixed
point rather corresponds to a ``glass'' state. Finally, a weak-coupling
``analogue'' of the S=1 antiferromagnet Kondo insulator is proposed; we show
that the transition into the Anderson-localization state may be avoided in that
unusual weak-coupling Haldane system.Comment: 22 pages, TEX and 2 figures (long version); to be published in Phys.
Rev. B (December 97
Modeling oscillatory Microtubule--Polymerization
Polymerization of microtubules is ubiquitous in biological cells and under
certain conditions it becomes oscillatory in time. Here simple reaction models
are analyzed that capture such oscillations as well as the length distribution
of microtubules. We assume reaction conditions that are stationary over many
oscillation periods, and it is a Hopf bifurcation that leads to a persistent
oscillatory microtubule polymerization in these models. Analytical expressions
are derived for the threshold of the bifurcation and the oscillation frequency
in terms of reaction rates as well as typical trends of their parameter
dependence are presented. Both, a catastrophe rate that depends on the density
of {\it guanosine triphosphate} (GTP) liganded tubulin dimers and a delay
reaction, such as the depolymerization of shrinking microtubules or the decay
of oligomers, support oscillations. For a tubulin dimer concentration below the
threshold oscillatory microtubule polymerization occurs transiently on the
route to a stationary state, as shown by numerical solutions of the model
equations. Close to threshold a so--called amplitude equation is derived and it
is shown that the bifurcation to microtubule oscillations is supercritical.Comment: 21 pages and 12 figure
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