804 research outputs found
Self-steepening of light pulses
Self-steepening of light pulses due to propagation in medium with intensity-dependent index of refractio
Cold guided beams of water isotopologs
Electrostatic velocity filtering and guiding is an established technique to
produce high fluxes of cold polar molecules. In this paper we clarify different
aspects of this technique by comparing experiments to detailed calculations. In
the experiment, we produce cold guided beams of the three water isotopologs
H2O, D2O and HDO. Their different rotational constants and orientations of
electric dipole moments lead to remarkably different Stark shift properties,
despite the molecules being very similar in a chemical sense. Therefore, the
signals of the guided water isotopologs differ on an absolute scale and also
exhibit characteristic electrode voltage dependencies. We find excellent
agreement between the relative guided fractions and voltage dependencies of the
investigated isotopologs and predictions made by our theoretical model of
electrostatic velocity filtering.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures; small changes to the text, updated reference
The Keck Aperture Masking Experiment: spectro-interferometry of 3 Mira Variables from 1.1 to 3.8 microns
We present results from a spectro-interferometric study of the Miras o Cet, R
Leo and W Hya obtained with the Keck Aperture Masking Experiment from 1998 Sep
to 2002 Jul. The spectrally dispersed visibility data permit fitting with
circularly symmetric brightness profiles such as a simple uniform disk. The
stellar angular diameter obtained over up to ~ 450 spectral channels spaning
the region 1.1-3.8 microns is presented. Use of a simple uniform disk
brightness model facilitates comparison between epochs and with existing data
and theoretical models. Strong size variations with wavelength were recorded
for all stars, probing zones of H2O, CO, OH, and dust formation. Comparison
with contemporaneous spectra extracted from our data show a strong
anti-correlation between the observed angular diameter and flux. These
variations consolidate the notion of a complex stellar atmosphere consisting of
molecular shells with time-dependent densities and temperatures. Our findings
are compared with existing data and pulsation models. The models were found to
reproduce the functional form of the wavelength vs. angular diameter curve
well, although some departures are noted in the 2.8-3.5 micron range.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures Accepted to Ap
Water vapor at a translational temperature of one kelvin
We report the creation of a confined slow beam of heavy-water (D2O) molecules
with a translational temperature around 1 kelvin. This is achieved by filtering
slow D2O from a thermal ensemble with inhomogeneous static electric fields
exploiting the quadratic Stark shift of D2O. All previous demonstrations of
electric field manipulation of cold dipolar molecules rely on a predominantly
linear Stark shift. Further, on the basis of elementary molecular properties
and our filtering technique we argue that our D2O beam contains molecules in
only a few ro-vibrational states.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl
A Review of H2CO 6cm Masers in the Galaxy
We present a review of the field of formaldehyde (H2CO) 6cm masers in the
Galaxy. Previous to our ongoing work, H2CO 6cm masers had been detected in the
Galaxy only toward three regions: NGC7538 IRS1, Sgr B2, and G29.96-0.02.
Current efforts by our group using the Very Large Array, Arecibo, and the Green
Bank Telescope have resulted in the detection of four new H2CO 6cm maser
regions. We discuss the characteristics of the known H2CO masers and the
association of H2CO 6cm masers with very young regions of massive star
formation. We also review the current ideas on the pumping mechanism for H2CO
6cm masers.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, IAU Symposium 242: Astrophysical Masers and
their Environment
Elevated dry-season malaria prevalence associated with fine-scale spatial patterns of environmental risk: a case–control study of children in rural Malawi
Abstract
Background
Understanding the role of local environmental risk factors for malaria in holo-endemic, poverty-stricken settings will be critical to more effectively implement- interventions aimed at eventual elimination. Household-level environmental drivers of malaria risk during the dry season were investigated in rural southern Malawi among children < five years old in two neighbouring rural Traditional Authority (TA) regions dominated by small-scale agriculture.
Methods
Ten villages were randomly selected from TA Sitola (n = 6) and Nsamala (n = 4). Within each village, during June to August 2011, a census was conducted of all households with children under-five and recorded their locations with a geographic position system (GPS) device. At each participating house, a nurse administered a malaria rapid diagnostic test (RDT) to children under five years of age, and a questionnaire to parents. Environmental data were collected for each house, including land cover within 50-m radius. Variables found to be significantly associated with P. falciparum infection status in bivariate analysis were included in generalized linear models, including multivariate logistic regression (MLR) and multi-level multivariate logistic regression (MLLR). Spatial clustering of RDT status, environmental factors, and Pearson residuals from MLR and MLLR were analysed using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic.
Results
Of 390 children enrolled from six villages in Sitola (n = 162) and four villages in Nsamala (n = 228), 45.6% tested positive (n = 178) for Plasmodium infection by RDT. The MLLR modelled the statistical relationship of Plasmodium positives and household proximity to agriculture ( 2.58, p < 0.01) predominantly within TA Sitola, while residuals from MLLR showed no such clustering.
Conclusion
This study provides evidence for significant, dry-season heterogeneity of malaria prevalence strongly linked to peridomestic land use, and particularly of elevated risk associated with nearby crop production.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112703/1/12936_2013_Article_3017.pd
The Hyperfine Molecular Hubbard Hamiltonian
An ultracold gas of heteronuclear alkali dimer molecules with hyperfine
structure loaded into a one-dimensional optical lattice is investigated. The
\emph{Hyperfine Molecular Hubbard Hamiltonian} (HMHH), an effective low-energy
lattice Hamiltonian, is derived from first principles. The large permanent
electric dipole moment of these molecules gives rise to long range
dipole-dipole forces in a DC electric field and allows for transitions between
rotational states in an AC microwave field. Additionally, a strong magnetic
field can be used to control the hyperfine degrees of freedom independently of
the rotational degrees of freedom. By tuning the angle between the DC electric
and magnetic fields and the strength of the AC field it is possible to control
the number of internal states involved in the dynamics as well as the degree of
correlation between the spatial and internal degrees of freedom. The HMHH's
unique features have direct experimental consequences such as quantum
dephasing, tunable complexity, and the dependence of the phase diagram on the
molecular state
Electrostatic extraction of cold molecules from a cryogenic reservoir
We present a method which delivers a continuous, high-density beam of slow
and internally cold polar molecules. In our source, warm molecules are first
cooled by collisions with a cryogenic helium buffer gas. Cold molecules are
then extracted by means of an electrostatic quadrupole guide. For ND the
source produces fluxes up to molecules/s with
peak densities up to molecules/cm. For
HCO the population of rovibrational states is monitored by depletion
spectroscopy, resulting in single-state populations up to .Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, changes to the text, updated figures and
reference
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