836 research outputs found
Exploiting lattice potentials for sorting chiral particles
Several ways are demonstrated of how periodic potentials can be exploited for
sorting molecules or other small objects which only differ by their chirality.
With the help of a static bias force, the two chiral partners can be made to
move along orthogonal directions. Time-periodic external forces even lead to
motion into exactly opposite directions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Liquid transport generated by a flashing field-induced wettability ratchet
We develop and analyze a model for ratchet-driven macroscopic transport of a
continuous phase. The transport relies on a field-induced dewetting-spreading
cycle of a liquid film with a free surface based on a switchable, spatially
asymmetric, periodic interaction of the liquid-gas interface and the substrate.
The concept is exemplified using an evolution equation for a dielectric liquid
film under an inhomogeneous voltage. We analyse the influence of the various
phases of the ratchet cycle on the transport properties. Conditions for maximal
transport and the efficiency of transport under load are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Magnetic Monopoles in Field Theory and Cosmology
The existence of magnetic monopoles is predicted by many theories of particle
physics beyond the Standard Model. However, in spite of extensive searches,
there is no experimental or observational sign of them. I review the role of
magnetic monopoles in quantum field theory and discuss their implications for
particle physics and cosmology. I also highlight their differences and
similarities with monopoles found in frustrated magnetic systems, and discuss
how experiments carried out in these systems could help us understand the
physics of fundamental monopoles.Comment: 15 pages, no figures. Based on a talk given at the discussion meeting
"Emergent magnetic monopoles in frustrated magnetic systems" at the Kavli
Royal Society International Centre, 17-18 October 2011. To be published in
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
Hidden heat transfer in equilibrium states implies directed motion in nonequilibrium states
We study a class of heat engines including Feynman's ratchet, which exhibits
a directed motion of a particle in nonequilibrium steady states maintained by
two heat baths. We measure heat transfer from each heat bath separately, and
average them using a careful procedure that reveals the nature of the heat
transfer associated with directed steps of the particle. Remarkably we find
that steps are associated with nonvanishing heat transfer even in equilibrium,
and there is a quantitative relation between this ``hidden heat transfer'' and
the directed motion of the particle. This relation is clearly understood in
terms of the ``principle of heat transfer enhancement'', which is expected to
apply to a large class of highly nonequilibrium systems.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; revise
Spin-polarization coupling in multiferroic transition-metal oxides
A systematic microscopic theory of magnetically induced ferroelectricity and
lattice modulation is presented for all electron configurations of
Mott-insulating transition-metal oxides. Various mechanisms of polarization are
identified in terms of a strong-coupling perturbation theory. Especially, the
spin-orbit interaction acting on the ligand p orbitals is shown to give the
ferroelectric polarization of the spin-current form, which plays a crucial role
particularly in eg systems. Semiquantitative agreements with the multiferroic
TbMnO3 are obtained. Predictions for X-ray and neutron scattering experiments
are proposed to clarify the microscopic mechanism of the spin-polarization
coupling in different materials
Dirac Quantization Condition for Monopole in Noncommutative Space-Time
Since the structure of space-time at very short distances is believed to get
modified possibly due to noncommutativity effects and as the Dirac Quantization
Condition (DQC), , probes the magnetic field point
singularity, a natural question arises whether the same condition will still
survive. We show that the DQC on a noncommutative space in a model of dynamical
noncommutative quantum mechanics remains the same as in the commutative case to
first order in the noncommutativity parameter , leading to the
conjecture that the condition will not alter in higher orders.Comment: 11 page
Experimental measurement of efficiency and transport coherence of a cold atom Brownian motor in optical lattices
The rectification of noise into directed movement or useful energy is
utilized by many different systems. The peculiar nature of the energy source
and conceptual differences between such Brownian motor systems makes a
characterization of the performance far from straightforward. In this work,
where the Brownian motor consists of atoms interacting with dissipative optical
lattices, we adopt existing theory and present experimental measurements for
both the efficiency and the transport coherence. We achieve up to 0.3% for the
efficiency and 0.01 for the P\'eclet number
Symmetries shape the current in ratchets induced by a bi-harmonic force
Equations describing the evolution of particles, solitons, or localized
structures, driven by a zero-average, periodic, external force, and invariant
under time reversal and a half-period time shift, exhibit a ratchet current
when the driving force breaks these symmetries. The bi-harmonic force
does
it for almost any choice of and , provided and are
two co-prime integers such that is odd. It has been widely observed, in
experiments in Josephson-junctions, photonic crystals, etc., as well as in
simulations, that the ratchet current induced by this force has the shape
for
small amplitudes, where depends on the damping ( if
there is no damping, and for overdamped systems). We rigorously
prove that this precise shape can be obtained solely from the broken symmetries
of the system and is independent of the details of the equation describing the
system.Comment: 4 page
In vivo imaging of the central and peripheral effects of sleep deprivation and suprachiasmatic nuclei lesion on PERIOD-2 protein in mice.
STUDY OBJECTIVES: That sleep deprivation increases the brain expression of various clock genes has been well documented. Based on these and other findings we hypothesized that clock genes not only underlie circadian rhythm generation but are also implicated in sleep homeostasis. However, long time lags have been reported between the changes in the clock gene messenger RNA levels and their encoded proteins. It is therefore crucial to establish whether also protein levels increase within the time frame known to activate a homeostatic sleep response. We report on the central and peripheral effects of sleep deprivation on PERIOD-2 (PER2) protein both in intact and suprachiasmatic nuclei-lesioned mice.
DESIGN: In vivo and in situ PER2 imaging during baseline, sleep deprivation, and recovery.
SETTINGS: Mouse sleep-recording facility.
PARTICIPANTS: Per2::Luciferase knock-in mice.
INTERVENTIONS: N/A.
MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Six-hour sleep deprivation increased PER2 not only in the brain but also in liver and kidney. Remarkably, the effects in the liver outlasted those observed in the brain. Within the brain the increase in PER2 concerned the cerebral cortex mainly, while leaving suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) levels unaffected. Against expectation, sleep deprivation did not increase PER2 in the brain of arrhythmic SCN-lesioned mice because of higher PER2 levels in baseline. In contrast, liver PER2 levels did increase in these mice similar to the sham and partially lesioned controls.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results stress the importance of considering both sleep-wake dependent and circadian processes when quantifying clock-gene levels. Because sleep deprivation alters PERIOD-2 in the brain as well as in the periphery, it is tempting to speculate that clock genes constitute a common pathway mediating the shared and well-known adverse effects of both chronic sleep loss and disrupted circadian rhythmicity on metabolic health
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