391 research outputs found
Coexisting ordinary elasticity and superfluidity in a model of defect-free supersolid
We present the mechanics of a model of supersolid in the frame of the
Gross-Pitaevskii equation at that do not require defects nor vacancies.
A set of coupled nonlinear partial differential equations plus boundary
conditions is derived. The mechanical equilibrium is studied under external
constrains as steady rotation or external stress. Our model displays a
paradoxical behavior: the existence of a non classical rotational inertia
fraction in the limit of small rotation speed and no superflow under small (but
finite) stress nor external force. The only matter flow for finite stress is
due to plasticity.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure
Vortex Dynamics in Dissipative Systems
We derive the exact equation of motion for a vortex in two- and three-
dimensional non-relativistic systems governed by the Ginzburg-Landau equation
with complex coefficients. The velocity is given in terms of local gradients of
the magnitude and phase of the complex field and is exact also for arbitrarily
small inter-vortex distances. The results for vortices in a superfluid or a
superconductor are recovered.Comment: revtex, 5 pages, 1 encapsulated postscript figure (included), uses
aps.sty, epsf.te
Dynamics of a Vortex in a Trapped Bose-Einstein Condensate
We consider a large condensate in a rotating anisotropic harmonic trap. Using
the method of matched asymptotic expansions, we derive the velocity of an
element of vortex line as a function of the local gradient of the trap
potential, the line curvature and the angular velocity of the trap rotation.
This velocity yields small-amplitude normal modes of the vortex for 2D and 3D
condensates. For an axisymmetric trap, the motion of the vortex line is a
superposition of plane-polarized standing-wave modes. In a 2D condensate, the
planar normal modes are degenerate, and their superposition can result in
helical traveling waves, which differs from a 3D condensate. Including the
effects of trap rotation allows us to find the angular velocity that makes the
vortex locally stable. For a cigar-shape condensate, the vortex curvature makes
a significant contribution to the frequency of the lowest unstable normal mode;
furthermore, additional modes with negative frequencies appear. As a result, it
is considerably more difficult to stabilize a central vortex in a cigar-shape
condensate than in a disc-shape one. Normal modes with imaginary frequencies
can occur for a nonaxisymmetric condensate (in both 2D and 3D). In connection
with recent JILA experiments, we consider the motion of a straight vortex line
in a slightly nonspherical condensate. The vortex line changes its orientation
in space at the rate proportional to the degree of trap anisotropy and can
exhibit periodic recurrences.Comment: 19 pages, 6 eps figures, REVTE
Stability of vortices in rotating taps: a 3d analysis
We study the stability of vortex-lines in trapped dilute gases subject to
rotation. We solve numerically both the Gross-Pitaevskii and the Bogoliubov
equations for a 3d condensate in spherically and cilyndrically symmetric
stationary traps, from small to very large nonlinearities. In the stationary
case it is found that the vortex states with unit and charge are
energetically unstable. In the rotating trap it is found that this energetic
instability may only be suppressed for the vortex-line, and that the
multicharged vortices are never a local minimum of the energy functional, which
implies that the absolute minimum of the energy is not an eigenstate of the
operator, when the angular speed is above a certain value, .Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures in EPS forma
Brownian Carnot engine
The Carnot cycle imposes a fundamental upper limit to the efficiency of a
macroscopic motor operating between two thermal baths. However, this bound
needs to be reinterpreted at microscopic scales, where molecular bio-motors and
some artificial micro-engines operate. As described by stochastic
thermodynamics, energy transfers in microscopic systems are random and thermal
fluctuations induce transient decreases of entropy, allowing for possible
violations of the Carnot limit. Despite its potential relevance for the
development of a thermodynamics of small systems, an experimental study of
microscopic Carnot engines is still lacking. Here we report on an experimental
realization of a Carnot engine with a single optically trapped Brownian
particle as working substance. We present an exhaustive study of the energetics
of the engine and analyze the fluctuations of the finite-time efficiency,
showing that the Carnot bound can be surpassed for a small number of
non-equilibrium cycles. As its macroscopic counterpart, the energetics of our
Carnot device exhibits basic properties that one would expect to observe in any
microscopic energy transducer operating with baths at different temperatures.
Our results characterize the sources of irreversibility in the engine and the
statistical properties of the efficiency -an insight that could inspire novel
strategies in the design of efficient nano-motors.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
The determinants of election to the United Nations Security Council
This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11127-013-0096-4.The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the foremost international body responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security. Members vote on issues of global importance and consequently receive perks—election to the UNSC predicts, for instance, World Bank and IMF loans. But who gets elected to the UNSC? Addressing this question empirically is not straightforward as it requires a model that allows for discrete choices at the regional and international levels; the former nominates candidates while the latter ratifies them. Using an original multiple discrete choice model to analyze a dataset of 180 elections from 1970 to 2005, we find that UNSC election appears to derive from a compromise between the demands of populous countries to win election more frequently and a norm of giving each country its turn. We also find evidence that richer countries from the developing world win election more often, while involvement in warfare lowers election probability. By contrast, development aid does not predict election
Transcription of toll-like receptors 2, 3, 4 and 9, FoxP3 and Th17 cytokines in a susceptible experimental model of canine Leishmania infantum infection
Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) due to Leishmania infantum is a chronic zoonotic systemic disease resulting from complex interactions between protozoa and the canine immune system. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are essential components of the innate immune system and facilitate the early detection of many infections. However, the role of TLRs in CanL remains unknown and information describing TLR transcription during infection is extremely scarce. The aim of this research project was to investigate the impact of L. infantum infection on canine TLR transcription using a susceptible model. The objectives of this study were to evaluate transcription of TLRs 2, 3, 4 and 9 by means of quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in skin, spleen, lymph node and liver in the presence or absence of experimental L. infantum infection in Beagle dogs. These findings were compared with clinical and serological data, parasite densities in infected tissues and transcription of IL-17, IL-22 and FoxP3 in different tissues in non-infected dogs (n = 10), and at six months (n = 24) and 15 months (n = 7) post infection. Results revealed significant down regulation of transcription with disease progression in lymph node samples for TLR3, TLR4, TLR9, IL-17, IL-22 and FoxP3. In spleen samples, significant down regulation of transcription was seen in TLR4 and IL-22 when both infected groups were compared with controls. In liver samples, down regulation of transcription was evident with disease progression for IL-22. In the skin, upregulation was seen only for TLR9 and FoxP3 in the early stages of infection. Subtle changes or down regulation in TLR transcription, Th17 cytokines and FoxP3 are indicative of the silent establishment of infection that Leishmania is renowned for. These observations provide new insights about TLR transcription, Th17 cytokines and Foxp3 in the liver, spleen, lymph node and skin in CanL and highlight possible markers of disease susceptibility in this model
Effect of Solution Composition on the Energy Production by Capacitive Mixing in Membrane-Electrode Assembly
The final edited version of the paper can be found at: http://pubs.acs.org/articlesonrequest/AOR-c9UMxSzGY3eiU5SENNgT The complete citation is: Ahualli, S.; et al. Effect of Solution Composition on the Energy Production by Capacitive Mixing in Membrane-Electrode Assembly. Journal of Physical Chemistry, 118(29): 15590-15599 (2014). DOI:10.1021/jp504461mOpen access in the Journal on May 26, 2015In this work we consider the extent to which the presence of multi-valent ions in solution modifies the equilibrium and dynamics of the energy production in a capacitive cell built with ion-exchange membranes in contact with high surface area electrodes. The cell potential in open circuit (OCV) is controlled by the difference between both membrane potentials, simulated as constant volume charge regions. A theoretical model is elaborated for steady state OCV, first in the case of monovalent solutions, as a reference. This is compared to the results in multi-ionic systems, containing divalent cations in concentrations similar to those in real sea water. It is found that the OCV is reduced by about 25 % (as compared to the results in pure NaCl solutions) due to the presence of the divalent ions, even in low concentrations. Interestingly, this can be related to the “uphill” transport of such ions against their concentration gradients. On the contrary, their effect on the dynamics of the cell potential is negligible in the case of highly charged membranes. The comparison between model predictions and experimental results shows a very satisfactory agreement, and gives clues for the practical application of these recently introduced energy production methods.The research leading to these results received funding from the European Union 7th
Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under agreement No. 256868. Further financial
support from Junta de Andalucia, Spain (PE2012-FQM 694) is also acknowledged. One of us, M.M.F., received financial support throughan FPU grant from the Universityof Granada
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