Computational study of structural and elastic properties of random AlGaInN alloys

In this work we present a detailed computational study of structural and elastic properties of cubic AlGaInN alloys in the framework of Keating valence force field model, for which we perform accurate parametrization based on state of the art DFT calculations. When analyzing structural properties, we focus on concentration dependence of lattice constant, as well as on the distribution of the nearest and the next nearest neighbour distances. Where possible, we compare our results with experiment and calculations performed within other computational schemes. We also present a detailed study of elastic constants for AlGaInN alloy over the whole concentration range. Moreover, we include there accurate quadratic parametrization for the dependence of the alloy elastic constants on the composition. Finally, we examine the sensitivity of obtained results to computational procedures commonly employed in the Keating model for studies of alloys

The Wide-Field X and Gamma-Ray Telescope ECLAIRs aboard the Gamma-Ray Burst Multi-Wavelength Space Mission SVOM

The X and Gamma-ray telescope ECLAIRs is foreseen to be launched on a low Earth orbit (h=630 km, i=30 degrees) aboard the SVOM satellite (Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor), a French-Chinese mission with Italian contribution. Observations are expected to start in 2013. It has been designed to detect and localize Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) or persistent sources of the sky, thanks to its wide field of view (about 2 sr) and its remarkable sensitivity in the 4-250 keV energy range, with enhanced imaging sensitivity in the 4-70 keV energy band. These characteristics are well suited to detect highly redshifted GRBs, and consequently to provide fast and accurate triggers to other onboard or ground-based instruments able to follow-up the detected events in a very short time from the optical wavelength bands up to the few MeV Gamma-Ray domain.Comment: Proccedings of the "2008 Nanjing GRB Conference", June 23-27 2008, Nanjing, Chin

Flavor ordering of elliptic flows at high transverse momentum

Based on the quark coalescence model for the parton-to-hadron phase transition in ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions, we relate the elliptic flow ($v_2$) of high \pt hadrons to that of high \pt quarks. For high \pt hadrons produced from an isospin symmetric and quark-antiquark symmetric partonic matter, magnitudes of their elliptic flows follow a flavor ordering as $(v_{2,\pi}=v_{2,N}) > (v_{2,\Lambda}=v_{2,\Sigma}) > v_{2,K} > v_{2,\Xi} > (v_{2,\phi}=v_{2,\Omega})$ if strange quarks have a smaller elliptic flow than light quarks. The elliptic flows of high \pt hadrons further follow a simple quark counting rule if strange quarks and light quarks have same high \pt spectrum and coalescence probability.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, revte

Photoaffinity labeling with cholesterol analogues precisely maps a cholesterol-binding site in voltage-dependent anion channel-1

Voltage-dependent anion channel-1 (VDAC1) is a highly regulated β-barrel membrane protein that mediates transport of ions and metabolites between the mitochondria and cytosol of the cell. VDAC1 co-purifies with cholesterol and is functionally regulated by cholesterol, among other endogenous lipids. Molecular modeling studies based on NMR observations have suggested five cholesterol-binding sites in VDAC1, but direct experimental evidence for these sites is lacking. Here, to determine the sites of cholesterol binding, we photolabeled purified mouse VDAC1 (mVDAC1) with photoactivatable cholesterol analogues and analyzed the photolabeled sites with both top-down mass spectrometry (MS), and bottom-up MS paired with a clickable, stable isotope-labeled tag, FLI-tag. Using cholesterol analogues with a diazirine in either the 7 position of the steroid ring (LKM38) or the aliphatic tail (KK174), we mapped a binding pocket in mVDAC1 localized to Thr83 and Glu73, respectively. When Glu73 was mutated to a glutamine, KK174 no longer photolabeled this residue, but instead labeled the nearby Tyr62 within this same binding pocket. The combination of analytical strategies employed in this work permits detailed molecular mapping of a cholesterol-binding site in a protein, including an orientation of the sterol within the site. Our work raises the interesting possibility that cholesterol-mediated regulation of VDAC1 may be facilitated through a specific binding site at the functionally important Glu73 residue

Tail emission from a ring-like jet: its application to shallow decays of early afterglows and to GRB 050709

Similar to the pulsar, the magnetic axis and the spin axis of the gamma-ray burst source may not lie on the same line. This may cause a ring-like jet due to collimation of the precessing magnetic axis. We analyze the tail emission from such a jet, and find that it has a shallow decay phase with temporal index equal to -1/2 if the Lorentz factor of the ejecta is not very high. This phase is consistent with the shallow decay phase of some early X-ray afterglow detected by {\it{swift}}. The ring-like jet has a tail cusp with sharp rising and very sharp decay. This effect can provide an explanation for the re-brightening and sharp decay of the X-ray afterglow of GRB 050709.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Accepted by ChJA

Superconducting properties of nanocrystalline MgB2_2 thin films made by an in situ annealing process

We have studied the structural and superconducting properties of MgB$_2$ thin films made by pulsed laser deposition followed by in situ annealing. The cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy reveals a nanocrystalline mixture of textured MgO and MgB$_2$ with very small grain sizes. A zero-resistance transition temperature ($T_{c0}$) of 34 K and a zero-field critical current density ($J_c$) of $1.3 \times 10^6$ A/cm$^2$ were obtained. The irreversibility field was $\sim$ 8 T at low temperatures, although severe pinning instability was observed. These bulk-like superconducting properties show that the in situ deposition process can be a viable candidate for MgB$_2$ Josephson junction technologies

Effect of atomic transfer on the decay of a Bose-Einstein condensate

We present a model describing the decay of a Bose-Einstein condensate, which assumes the system to remain in thermal equilibrium during the decay. We show that under this assumption transfer of atoms occurs from the condensate to the thermal cloud enhancing the condensate decay rate

Matrix product decomposition and classical simulation of quantum dynamics in the presence of a symmetry

We propose a refined matrix product state representation for many-body quantum states that are invariant under SU(2) transformations, and indicate how to extend the time-evolving block decimation (TEBD) algorithm in order to simulate time evolution in an SU(2) invariant system. The resulting algorithm is tested in a critical quantum spin chain and shown to be significantly more efficient than the standard TEBD.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Universal quantum gates based on both geometric and dynamic phases in quantum dots

A large-scalable quantum computer model, whose qubits are represented by the subspace subtended by the ground state and the single exciton state on semiconductor quantum dots, is proposed. A universal set of quantum gates in this system may be achieved by a mixed approach, composed of dynamic evolution and nonadibatic geometric phase.Comment: 4 pages, to appear in Chin. Phys. Let