20,334 research outputs found
Quantum Weakly Nondeterministic Communication Complexity
We study the weakest model of quantum nondeterminism in which a classical
proof has to be checked with probability one by a quantum protocol. We show the
first separation between classical nondeterministic communication complexity
and this model of quantum nondeterministic communication complexity for a total
function. This separation is quadratic.Comment: 12 pages. v3: minor correction
High-resolution thermal expansion measurements under Helium-gas pressure
We report on the realization of a capacitive dilatometer, designed for
high-resolution measurements of length changes of a material for temperatures
1.4 K 300 K and hydrostatic pressure 250 MPa. Helium
(He) is used as a pressure-transmitting medium, ensuring
hydrostatic-pressure conditions. Special emphasis has been given to guarantee,
to a good approximation, constant-pressure conditions during temperature
sweeps. The performance of the dilatometer is demonstrated by measurements of
the coefficient of thermal expansion at pressures 0.1 MPa (ambient
pressure) and 104 MPa on a single crystal of azurite,
Cu(CO)(OH), a quasi-one-dimensional spin S = 1/2 Heisenberg
antiferromagnet. The results indicate a strong effect of pressure on the
magnetic interactions in this system.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, published in Rev. Sci. Instrum with minor change
Tunnel Spectroscopy of a Proximity Josephson Junction
We present tunnel spectroscopy experiments on the proximity effect in lateral
superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) Josephson junctions. Our weak
link is embedded into a superconducting (S) ring allowing phase biasing of the
Josephson junction by an external magnetic field. We explore the temperature
and phase dependence of both the induced mini-gap and the modification of the
density of states in the normal (N) metal. Our results agree with a model based
on the quasiclassical theory in the diffusive limit. The device presents an
advanced version of the superconducting quantum interference proximity
transistor (SQUIPT), now reaching flux sensitivities of 3 nA where
is the flux quantum.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Windows in the dunes - the creation of sea inlets in the nature reserve de Westhoek in De Panne
The Flemish Nature Reserve 'De Westhoek' constitutes together with the French public domain 'La Dune du Perroquet' a transborder coastal dune area of 700ha, situated between De Panne (Belgium) and Bray-Dunes (France). From high-tide mark to polders, the range of dunes has a width of nearly 2km. In the 1950s heavy storms beat a breach through the foredunes of 'La Dune du Perroquet'. Consequently, the seawater could penetrate through the breach into a dune slack during high high tides. This phenomenon is called a 'sea inlet', or a 'slufter'. The seawater could also top over the foredunes of the Belgian 'Westhoek' in those days (during storm tides), but at the end of the 1970s a concrete dunefoot revetment was built in front of the foredunes to prevent further coastal erosion. Sea inlets in the dunes are a rare phenomenon along the sandy coasts of the southern North Sea. They usually harbour a highly specialised bird life and salt-tolerant flora. The management plan for the Nature Reserve 'De Westhoek' that was approved in 1996, includes the creation of sea inlets by locally removing the concrete dunefoot revetment. As the coastal protection policy of the Flemish Regional Authority has evolved to a more dynamic and risk-based approach, the Coastal Division decided to create two sea inlets. Projects that have an influence on the hydrological system of natural areas are however subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment, so that an EIA had to be drawn up for the creation of two sea inlets. After the approval of the EIA by the competent authority and the delivery of a building permit, the works were carried out between January 2004 and June 2004. The two new sea inlets' surface totals approximately 1ha. The deflation zones where the sea inlets were created consisted originally of sandy plains that were thickly strewn with debris from demolished blockhouses and had a scarce Marram-grass (Ammophila arenaria) vegetation. The creation of sea inlets should allow the development of the natural habitats of the annex I of the European Habitat-directive '1310 (15.11) Salicornia and other annuals colonising mud and sand' and '2110 (16.211) Embryonic shifting dunes', and also offer breeding opportunity to at least Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) and Great Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula). The results and effects of the sea inlets on the salinity of the groundwater is being meticulously monitored
Heat Capacity and Magnetic Phase Diagram of the Low-Dimensional Antiferromagnet YBaCuO
A study by specific heat of a polycrystalline sample of the low-dimensional
magnetic system YBaCuO is presented. Magnetic fields up to 14 T are
applied and permit to extract the (,) phase diagram. Below
T, the N\'eel temperature, associated with a
three-dimensional antiferromagnetic long-range ordering, is constant and equals
K. Above , increases linearly with and a
field-induced increase of the entropy at is related to the presence of an
isosbestic point at K, where all the specific heat curves cross.
A comparison is made between YBaCuO and the quasi-two-dimensional
magnetic systems BaNiVO, SrCuOCl, and
PrCuO, for which very similar phase diagrams have been reported. An
effective field-induced magnetic anisotropy is proposed to explain these phase
diagrams.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure
Microscopic Model for Granular Stratification and Segregation
We study segregation and stratification of mixtures of grains differing in
size, shape and material properties poured in two-dimensional silos using a
microscopic lattice model for surface flows of grains. The model incorporates
the dissipation of energy in collisions between rolling and static grains and
an energy barrier describing the geometrical asperities of the grains. We study
the phase diagram of the different morphologies predicted by the model as a
function of the two parameters. We find regions of segregation and
stratification, in agreement with experimental finding, as well as a region of
total mixing.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, http://polymer.bu.edu/~hmakse/Home.htm
On the experimental determination of the one-way speed of light
In this contribution the question of the isotropy of the one-way speed of
light from an experimental perspective is addressed. In particular, we analyze
two experimental methods commonly used in its determination. The analysis is
aimed at clarifying the view that the one-way speed of light cannot be
determined by techniques in which physical entities close paths. The procedure
employed here will provide epistemological tools such that physicists
understand that a direct measurement of the speed not only of light but of any
physical entity is by no means trivial. Our results shed light on the physics
behind the experiments which may be of interest for both physicists with an
elemental knowledge in special relativity and philosophers of science.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. To appear in the European Journal of Physic
Significant differences in incubation times in sheep infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy result from variation at codon 141 in the PRNP gene
The susceptibility of sheep to prion infection is linked to variation in the PRNP gene, which
encodes the prion protein. Common polymorphisms occur at codons 136, 154 and 171. Sheep
which are homozygous for the A<sub>136</sub>R<sub>154</sub>Q<sub>171</sub> allele are the most susceptible to bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE). The effect of other polymorphisms on BSE susceptibility is unknown. We
orally infected ARQ/ARQ Cheviot sheep with equal amounts of BSE brain homogenate and a
range of incubation periods was observed. When we segregated sheep according to the amino
acid (L or F) encoded at codon 141 of the PRNP gene, the shortest incubation period was
observed in LL141 sheep, whilst incubation periods in FF<sub>141</sub> and LF<sub>141</sub> sheep were significantly
longer. No statistically significant differences existed in the expression of total prion protein or the
disease-associated isoform in BSE-infected sheep within each genotype subgroup. This
suggested that the amino acid encoded at codon 141 probably affects incubation times through
direct effects on protein misfolding rates
Systems of Linear Equations over and Problems Parameterized Above Average
In the problem Max Lin, we are given a system of linear equations
with variables over in which each equation is assigned a
positive weight and we wish to find an assignment of values to the variables
that maximizes the excess, which is the total weight of satisfied equations
minus the total weight of falsified equations. Using an algebraic approach, we
obtain a lower bound for the maximum excess.
Max Lin Above Average (Max Lin AA) is a parameterized version of Max Lin
introduced by Mahajan et al. (Proc. IWPEC'06 and J. Comput. Syst. Sci. 75,
2009). In Max Lin AA all weights are integral and we are to decide whether the
maximum excess is at least , where is the parameter.
It is not hard to see that we may assume that no two equations in have
the same left-hand side and . Using our maximum excess results,
we prove that, under these assumptions, Max Lin AA is fixed-parameter tractable
for a wide special case: for an arbitrary fixed function
.
Max -Lin AA is a special case of Max Lin AA, where each equation has at
most variables. In Max Exact -SAT AA we are given a multiset of
clauses on variables such that each clause has variables and asked
whether there is a truth assignment to the variables that satisfies at
least clauses. Using our maximum excess results, we
prove that for each fixed , Max -Lin AA and Max Exact -SAT AA can
be solved in time This improves
-time algorithms for the two problems obtained by Gutin et
al. (IWPEC 2009) and Alon et al. (SODA 2010), respectively
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