3,279 research outputs found
Sequential pattern formation governed by signaling gradients
Rhythmic and sequential segmentation of the embryonic body plan is a vital
developmental patterning process in all vertebrate species. However, a
theoretical framework capturing the emergence of dynamic patterns of gene
expression from the interplay of cell oscillations with tissue elongation and
shortening and with signaling gradients, is still missing. Here we show that a
set of coupled genetic oscillators in an elongating tissue that is regulated by
diffusing and advected signaling molecules can account for segmentation as a
self-organized patterning process. This system can form a finite number of
segments and the dynamics of segmentation and the total number of segments
formed depend strongly on kinetic parameters describing tissue elongation and
signaling molecules. The model accounts for existing experimental perturbations
to signaling gradients, and makes testable predictions about novel
perturbations. The variety of different patterns formed in our model can
account for the variability of segmentation between different animal species.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure
A modern retrospective on probabilistic numerics
This article attempts to place the emergence of probabilistic numerics as a mathematical–statistical research field within its historical context and to explore how its gradual development can be related both to applications and to a modern formal treatment. We highlight in particular the parallel contributions of Sul′din and Larkin in the 1960s and how their pioneering early ideas have reached a degree of maturity in the intervening period, mediated by paradigms such as average-case analysis and information-based complexity. We provide a subjective assessment of the state of research in probabilistic numerics and highlight some difficulties to be addressed by future works
Measurement of excited-state transitions in cold calcium atoms by direct femtosecond frequency-comb spectroscopy
We apply direct frequency-comb spectroscopy, in combination with precision cw
spectroscopy, to measure the transition
frequency in cold calcium atoms. A 657 nm ultrastable cw laser was used to
excite atoms on the narrow ( Hz) clock transition, and the direct output of the frequency comb was
used to excite those atoms from the state to the state. The resonance of this second stage was detected by observing a
decrease in population of the ground state as a result of atoms being optically
pumped to the metastable states. The transition frequency is measured to be kHz; which is an improvement by almost four orders of magnitude over
the previously measured value. In addition, we demonstrate spectroscopy on
magnetically trapped atoms in the state.Comment: 4 pages 5 figure
Frequency evaluation of the doubly forbidden transition in bosonic Yb
We report an uncertainty evaluation of an optical lattice clock based on the
transition in the bosonic isotope Yb by use
of magnetically induced spectroscopy. The absolute frequency of the
transition has been determined through comparisons
with optical and microwave standards at NIST. The weighted mean of the
evaluations is (Yb)=518 294 025 309 217.8(0.9) Hz. The uncertainty
due to systematic effects has been reduced to less than 0.8 Hz, which
represents in fractional frequency.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure -Submitted to PRA Rapid Communication
Quenched Narrow-Line Laser Cooling of 40Ca to Near the Photon Recoil Limit
We present a cooling method that should be generally applicable to atoms with
narrow optical transitions. This technique uses velocity-selective pulses to
drive atoms towards a zero-velocity dark state and then quenches the excited
state to increase the cooling rate. We demonstrate this technique of quenched
narrow-line cooling by reducing the 1-D temperature of a sample of neutral 40Ca
atoms. We velocity select and cool with the 1S0(4s2) to 3P1(4s4p) 657 nm
intercombination line and quench with the 3P1(4s4p) to 1S0(4s5s)
intercombination line at 553 nm, which increases the cooling rate eight-fold.
Limited only by available quenching laser power, we have transferred 18 % of
the atoms from our initial 2 mK velocity distribution and achieved temperatures
as low as 4 microK, corresponding to a vrms of 2.8 cm/s or 2 recoils at 657 nm.
This cooling technique, which is closely related to Raman cooling, can be
extended to three dimensions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; Submitted to PRA Rapid Communication
Laser frequency stabilization to a single ion
A fundamental limit to the stability of a single-ion optical frequency
standard is set by quantum noise in the measurement of the internal state of
the ion. We discuss how the interrogation sequence and the processing of the
atomic resonance signal can be optimized in order to obtain the highest
possible stability under realistic experimental conditions. A servo algorithm
is presented that stabilizes a laser frequency to the single-ion signal and
that eliminates errors due to laser frequency drift. Numerical simulations of
the servo characteristics are compared to experimental data from a frequency
comparison of two single-ion standards based on a transition at 688 THz in
171Yb+. Experimentally, an instability sigma_y(100 s)=9*10^{-16} is obtained in
the frequency difference between both standards.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, submitted to J. Phys.
Observation and absolute frequency measurements of the 1S0 - 3P0 optical clock transition in ytterbium
We report the direct excitation of the highly forbidden (6s^2) 1S0 - (6s6p)
3P0 optical transition in two odd isotopes of ytterbium. As the excitation
laser frequency is scanned, absorption is detected by monitoring the depletion
from an atomic cloud at ~70 uK in a magneto-optical trap. The measured
frequency in 171Yb (F=1/2) is 518,295,836,593.2 +/- 4.4 kHz. The measured
frequency in 173Yb (F=5/2) is 518,294,576,850.0 +/- 4.4 kHz. Measurements are
made with a femtosecond-laser frequency comb calibrated by the NIST cesium
fountain clock and represent nearly a million-fold reduction in uncertainty.
The natural linewidth of these J=0 to J=0 transitions is calculated to be ~10
mHz, making them well-suited to support a new generation of optical atomic
clocks based on confinement in an optical lattice.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
High accuracy measure of atomic polarizability in an optical lattice clock
Despite being a canonical example of quantum mechanical perturbation theory,
as well as one of the earliest observed spectroscopic shifts, the Stark effect
contributes the largest source of uncertainty in a modern optical atomic clock
through blackbody radiation. By employing an ultracold, trapped atomic ensemble
and high stability optical clock, we characterize the quadratic Stark effect
with unprecedented precision. We report the ytterbium optical clock's
sensitivity to electric fields (such as blackbody radiation) as the
differential static polarizability of the ground and excited clock levels:
36.2612(7) kHz (kV/cm)^{-2}. The clock's fractional uncertainty due to room
temperature blackbody radiation is reduced an order of magnitude to 3 \times
10^{-17}.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 2 table
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