2,213 research outputs found
Three-Dimensional Analysis of Wakefields Generated by Flat Electron Beams in Planar Dielectric-Loaded Structures
An electron bunch passing through dielectric-lined waveguide generates
erenkov radiation that can result in high-peak axial electric field
suitable for acceleration of a subsequent bunch. Axial field beyond
Gigavolt-per-meter are attainable in structures with sub-mm sizes depending on
the achievement of suitable electron bunch parameters. A promising
configuration consists of using planar dielectric structure driven by flat
electron bunches. In this paper we present a three-dimensional analysis of
wakefields produced by flat beams in planar dielectric structures thereby
extending the work of Reference [A. Tremaine, J. Rosenzweig, and P. Schoessow,
Phys. Rev. E 56, No. 6, 7204 (1997)] on the topic. We especially provide
closed-form expressions for the normal frequencies and field amplitudes of the
excited modes and benchmark these analytical results with finite-difference
time-domain particle-in-cell numerical simulations. Finally, we implement a
semi-analytical algorithm into a popular particle tracking program thereby
enabling start-to-end high-fidelity modeling of linear accelerators based on
dielectric-lined planar waveguides.Comment: 12 pages, 2 tables, 10 figure
Spatial Control of Photoemitted Electron Beams using a Micro-Lens-Array Transverse-Shaping Technique
A common issue encountered in photoemission electron sources used in electron
accelerators is the transverse inhomogeneity of the laser distribution
resulting from the laser-amplification process and often use of frequency up
conversion in nonlinear crystals. A inhomogeneous laser distribution on the
photocathode produces charged beams with lower beam quality. In this paper, we
explore the possible use of microlens arrays (fly-eye light condensers) to
dramatically improve the transverse uniformity of the drive laser pulse on UV
photocathodes. We also demonstrate the use of such microlens arrays to generate
transversely-modulated electron beams and present a possible application to
diagnose the properties of a magnetized beam.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1609.0166
Lowering of surface melting temperature in atomic clusters with a nearly closed shell structure
We investigate the interplay of particle number, N, and structural properties
of selected clusters with N=12 up to N=562 by employing Gupta potentials
parameterized for Aluminum and extensive Monte-Carlo simulations. Our analysis
focuses on closed shell structures with extra atoms. The latter can put the
cluster under a significant stress and we argue that typically such a strained
system exhibits a reduced energy barrier for (surface) diffusion of cluster
atoms. Consequently, also its surface melting temperature, T_S, is reduced, so
that T_S separates from and actually falls well below the bulk value. The
proposed mechanism may be responsible for the suppression of the surface
melting temperature observed in a recent experiments.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, REVTeX 4; submitted to Phys.Rev.
Whither Capitalism? Financial externalities and crisis
As with global warming, so with financial crises â externalities have a lot to answer for. We
look at three of them. First the financial accelerator due to âfire salesâ of collateral assets -- a
form of pecuniary externality that leads to liquidity being undervalued. Second the ârisk-
shiftingâ behaviour of highly-levered financial institutions who keep the upside of risky
investment while passing the downside to others thanks to limited liability. Finally, the
network externality where the structure of the financial industry helps propagate shocks
around the system unless this is checked by some form of circuit breaker, or âring-fenceâ.
The contrast between crisis-induced Great Recession and its aftermath of slow growth in the
West and the rapid - and (so far) sustained - growth in the East suggests that successful
economic progress may depend on how well these externalities are managed
Self-assembly of Nanometer-scale Magnetic Dots with Narrow Size Distributions on an Insulating Substrate
The self-assembly of iron dots on the insulating surface of NaCl(001) is
investigated experimentally and theoretically. Under proper growth conditions,
nanometer-scale magnetic iron dots with remarkably narrow size distributions
can be achieved in the absence of a wetting layer Furthermore, both the
vertical and lateral sizes of the dots can be tuned with the iron dosage
without introducing apparent size broadening, even though the clustering is
clearly in the strong coarsening regime. These observations are interpreted
using a phenomenological mean-field theory, in which a coverage-dependent
optimal dot size is selected by strain-mediated dot-dot interactions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Densely Entangled Financial Systems
In [1] Zawadoski introduces a banking network model in which the asset and
counter-party risks are treated separately and the banks hedge their assets
risks by appropriate OTC contracts. In his model, each bank has only two
counter-party neighbors, a bank fails due to the counter-party risk only if at
least one of its two neighbors default, and such a counter-party risk is a low
probability event. Informally, the author shows that the banks will hedge their
asset risks by appropriate OTC contracts, and, though it may be socially
optimal to insure against counter-party risk, in equilibrium banks will {\em
not} choose to insure this low probability event.
In this paper, we consider the above model for more general network
topologies, namely when each node has exactly 2r counter-party neighbors for
some integer r>0. We extend the analysis of [1] to show that as the number of
counter-party neighbors increase the probability of counter-party risk also
increases, and in particular the socially optimal solution becomes privately
sustainable when each bank hedges its risk to at least n/2 banks, where n is
the number of banks in the network, i.e., when 2r is at least n/2, banks not
only hedge their asset risk but also hedge its counter-party risk.Comment: to appear in Network Models in Economics and Finance, V. Kalyagin, P.
M. Pardalos and T. M. Rassias (editors), Springer Optimization and Its
Applications series, Springer, 201
Nanodiamonds-induced effects on neuronal firing of mouse hippocampal microcircuits
Fluorescent nanodiamonds (FND) are carbon-based nanomaterials that can
efficiently incorporate optically active photoluminescent centers such as the
nitrogen-vacancy complex, thus making them promising candidates as optical
biolabels and drug-delivery agents. FNDs exhibit bright fluorescence without
photobleaching combined with high uptake rate and low cytotoxicity. Focusing on
FNDs interference with neuronal function, here we examined their effect on
cultured hippocampal neurons, monitoring the whole network development as well
as the electrophysiological properties of single neurons. We observed that FNDs
drastically decreased the frequency of inhibitory (from 1.81 Hz to 0.86 Hz) and
excitatory (from 1.61 Hz to 0.68 Hz) miniature postsynaptic currents, and
consistently reduced action potential (AP) firing frequency (by 36%), as
measured by microelectrode arrays. On the contrary, bursts synchronization was
preserved, as well as the amplitude of spontaneous inhibitory and excitatory
events. Current-clamp recordings revealed that the ratio of neurons responding
with AP trains of high-frequency (fast-spiking) versus neurons responding with
trains of low-frequency (slow-spiking) was unaltered, suggesting that FNDs
exerted a comparable action on neuronal subpopulations. At the single cell
level, rapid onset of the somatic AP ("kink") was drastically reduced in
FND-treated neurons, suggesting a reduced contribution of axonal and dendritic
components while preserving neuronal excitability.Comment: 34 pages, 9 figure
Experimental Observation of Energy Modulation in Electron Beams Passing Through Terahertz Dielectric Wakefield Structures
We report observation of a strong wakefield induced energy modulation in an
energy-chirped electron bunch passing through a dielectric-lined waveguide.
This modulation can be effectively converted into a spatial modulation forming
micro-bunches with a periodicity of 0.5 - 1 picosecond, hence capable of
driving coherent THz radiation. The experimental results agree well with
theoretical predictions.Comment: v3. Reviewers' suggestions incorporated. Accepted by PR
Calibration of a two-phase xenon time projection chamber with a Ar source
We calibrate a two-phase xenon detector at 0.27 keV in the charge channel and
at 2.8 keV in both the light and charge channels using a Ar source that
is directly released into the detector. We map the light and charge yields as a
function of electric drift field. For the 2.8 keV peak, we calculate the
Thomas-Imel box parameter for recombination and determine its dependence on
drift field. For the same peak, we achieve an energy resolution,
, between 9.8% and 10.8% for 0.1 kV/cm to 2 kV/cm electric
drift fields.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
Reduced prevalence of placental malaria in primiparae with blood group O
Background Blood group O protects African children against severe malaria and
has reached high prevalence in malarious regions. However, its role in malaria
in pregnancy is ambiguous. In 839 delivering Ghanaian women, associations of
ABO blood groups with Plasmodium falciparum infection were examined. Methods
Plasmodium falciparum infection was diagnosed in placental blood samples by
microscopy and PCR assays. Present or past infection was defined as the
detection of parasitaemia or haemozoin by microscopy, or a positive PCR
result. Blood groups were inferred from genotyping rs8176719 (indicating the O
allele) and rs8176746/rs8176747 (distinguishing the B allele from the A
allele). Results The majority of women had blood group O (55.4%); present or
past P. falciparum infection was seen in 62.3% of all women. Among multiparae,
the blood groups had no influence on P. falciparum infection. In contrast,
primiparae with blood group O had significantly less present or past infection
than women with non-O blood groups (61.5 vs 76.2%, Pâ=â0.007). In multivariate
analysis, the odds of present or past placental P. falciparum infection were
reduced by 45% in blood group O primiparae (aOR, 0.55 [95% CI, 0.33â0.94]).
Conclusions The present study shows a clear protective effect of blood group O
against malaria in primiparae. This accords with findings in severe malaria
and in vitro results. The data underline the relevance of host genetic
protection among primiparae, i.e. the high-risk group for malaria in
pregnancy, and contribute to the understanding of high O allele frequencies in
Africa
- âŠ