837 research outputs found
Nonmonotonic dependence of the absolute entropy on temperature in supercooled Stillinger-Weber silicon
Using a recently developed thermodynamic integration method, we compute the
precise values of the excess Gibbs free energy (G^e) of the high density liquid
(HDL) phase with respect to the crystalline phase at different temperatures (T)
in the supercooled region of the Stillinger-Weber (SW) silicon [F. H.
Stillinger and T. A. Weber, Phys. Rev. B. 32, 5262 (1985)]. Based on the slope
of G^e with respect to T, we find that the absolute entropy of the HDL phase
increases as its enthalpy changes from the equilibrium value at T \ge 1065 K to
the value corresponding to a non-equilibrium state at 1060 K. We find that the
volume distribution in the equilibrium HDL phases become progressively broader
as the temperature is reduced to 1060 K, exhibiting van-der-Waals (VDW) loop in
the pressure-volume curves. Our results provides insight into the thermodynamic
cause of the transition from the HDL phase to the low density phases in SW
silicon, observed in earlier studies near 1060 K at zero pressure.Comment: This version is accepted for publication in Journal of Statistical
Physics (11 figures, 1 table
Where and when to revegetate : a quantitative method for scheduling landscape reconstruction
Restoration of native vegetation is required in many regions of the world, but determining priority locations for revegetation is a complex problem. We consider the problem of determining spatial and temporal priorities for revegetation to maximize habitat for 62 bird species within a heavily cleared agricultural region, 11 000 km2 in area. We show how a reserve-selection framework can be applied to a complex, large-scale restoration-planning problem to account for multi-species objectives and connectivity requirements at a spatial extent and resolution relevant to management. Our approach explicitly accounts for time lags in planting and development of habitat resources, which is intended to avoid future population bottlenecks caused by delayed provision of critical resources, such as tree hollows. We coupled species-specific models of expected habitat quality and fragmentation effects with the dynamics of habitat suitability following replanting to produce species-specific maps for future times. Spatial priorities for restoration were determined by ranking locations (150-m grid cells) by their expected contribution to species habitat through time using the conservation planning tool, ‘‘Zonation.’’ We evaluated solutions by calculating expected trajectories of habitat availability for each species. We produced a spatially explicit revegetation schedule for the region that resulted in a balanced increase in habitat for all species. Priority areas for revegetation generally were clustered around existing vegetation, although not always. Areas on richer soils and with high rainfall were more highly ranked, reflecting their potential to support high-quality habitats that have been disproportionately cleared for agriculture. Accounting for delayed development of habitat resources altered the rank-order of locations in the derived revegetation plan and led to improved expected outcomes for fragmentation-sensitive species. This work demonstrates the potential for systematic restoration planning at large scales that accounts for multiple objectives, which is urgently needed by land and natural resource managers
Entangled Light in Moving Frames
We calculate the entanglement between a pair of polarization-entangled photon
beams as a function of the reference frame, in a fully relativistic framework.
We find the transformation law for helicity basis states and show that, while
it is frequency independent, a Lorentz transformation on a momentum-helicity
eigenstate produces a momentum-dependent phase. This phase leads to changes in
the reduced polarization density matrix, such that entanglement is either
decreased or increased, depending on the boost direction, the rapidity, and the
spread of the beam.Comment: 4 pages and 3 figures. Minor corrections, footnote on optimal basis
state
Author correction:Senescence of song revealed by a long-term study of the Seychelles warbler (<i>Acrocephalus sechellensis</i>) (Scientific Reports, (2020), 10, 1, (20479), 10.1038/s41598-020-77405-3)
An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.</jats:p
Retention and intracellular distribution of instilled iron oxide particles in human alveolar macrophages
Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was used to sample retention of particles within the alveolar macrophage (AM) compartment at various times from 1 to 91 d following intrapulmonary instillation of 2.6-μm-diameter iron oxide (Fe2O3) particles in human subjects. Particles were cleared from the lavagable AM compartment in a biphasic pattern, with a rapid-phase clearance half-time of 0.5 d and long-term clearance half-time of 110 d, comparable to retention kinetics determined by more traditional methods. The intracellular distribution of particles within lavaged AMs was similar in bronchial and alveolar BAL fractions. AMs with high intracellular particle burdens disappeared from the lavagable phagocytic AM population disproportionately more rapidly (shorter clearance half-time) than did AMs with lower particle burdens, consistent with the occurrence of a particle redistribution phenomenon as previously described in similar studies in rats. The rates of AM disappearance from the various particle burden categories was generally slightly slower in bronchial fractions than in alveolar fractions. The instillation of particles induced a transient acute inflammatory response at 24 h postinstillation (PI), characterized by increased numbers of neutrophils and alveolar macrophages in BAL fluids. This response was subclinical and was resolved within 4 d PI
Entanglement entropy in quantum spin chains with finite range interaction
We study the entropy of entanglement of the ground state in a wide family of
one-dimensional quantum spin chains whose interaction is of finite range and
translation invariant. Such systems can be thought of as generalizations of the
XY model. The chain is divided in two parts: one containing the first
consecutive L spins; the second the remaining ones. In this setting the entropy
of entanglement is the von Neumann entropy of either part. At the core of our
computation is the explicit evaluation of the leading order term as L tends to
infinity of the determinant of a block-Toeplitz matrix whose symbol belongs to
a general class of 2 x 2 matrix functions. The asymptotics of such determinant
is computed in terms of multi-dimensional theta-functions associated to a
hyperelliptic curve of genus g >= 1, which enter into the solution of a
Riemann-Hilbert problem. Phase transitions for thes systems are characterized
by the branch points of the hyperelliptic curve approaching the unit circle. In
these circumstances the entropy diverges logarithmically. We also recover, as
particular cases, the formulae for the entropy discovered by Jin and Korepin
(2004) for the XX model and Its, Jin and Korepin (2005,2006) for the XY model.Comment: 75 pages, 10 figures. Revised version with minor correction
Structural Evolution in a Melt-Quenched Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Glass during Heat-treatment
Foreground removal from CMB temperature maps using an MLP neural network
One of the main obstacles in extracting the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)
signal from observations in the mm-submm range is the foreground contamination
by emission from galactic components: mainly synchrotron, free-free and thermal
dust emission. Due to the statistical nature of the intrinsic CMB signal it is
essential to minimize the systematic errors in the CMB temperature
determinations. Following the available knowledge of the spectral behavior of
the galactic foregrounds simple, power law-like spectra have been assumed. The
feasibility of using a simple neural network for extracting the CMB temperature
signal from the combined CMB and foreground signals has been investigated. As a
specific example, we have analysed simulated data, like that expected from the
ESA Planck Surveyor mission. A simple multilayer perceptron neural network with
2 hidden layers can provide temperature estimates, over more than 80 percent of
the sky, that are to a high degree uncorrelated with the foreground signals. A
single network will be able to cover the dynamic range of the Planck noise
level over the entire sky.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics and Space Scienc
Parity nonconservation in heavy atoms: The radiative correction enhanced by the strong electric field of the nucleus
Parity nonconservation due to the nuclear weak charge is considered. We
demonstrate that the radiative corrections to this effect due to the vacuum
fluctuations of the characteristic size larger than the nuclear radius
and smaller than the electron Compton wave-length are enhanced
because of the strong electric field of the nucleus. The parameter that allows
one to classify the corrections is the large logarithm .
The vacuum polarization contribution is enhanced by the second power of the
logarithm. Although the self-energy and the vertex corrections do not vanish,
they contain only the first power of the logarithm. The value of the radiative
correction is 0.4% for Cs and 0.9% for Tl, Pb, and Bi. We discuss also how the
correction affects the interpretation of the experimental data on parity
nonconservation in atoms.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, RevTe
Parity Violating Measurements of Neutron Densities
Parity violating electron nucleus scattering is a clean and powerful tool for
measuring the spatial distributions of neutrons in nuclei with unprecedented
accuracy. Parity violation arises from the interference of electromagnetic and
weak neutral amplitudes, and the of the Standard Model couples primarily
to neutrons at low . The data can be interpreted with as much confidence
as electromagnetic scattering. After briefly reviewing the present theoretical
and experimental knowledge of neutron densities, we discuss possible parity
violation measurements, their theoretical interpretation, and applications. The
experiments are feasible at existing facilities. We show that theoretical
corrections are either small or well understood, which makes the interpretation
clean. The quantitative relationship to atomic parity nonconservation
observables is examined, and we show that the electron scattering asymmetries
can be directly applied to atomic PNC because the observables have
approximately the same dependence on nuclear shape.Comment: 38 pages, 7 ps figures, very minor changes, submitted to Phys. Rev.
- …