4,917 research outputs found
Implementing Badhwar-O'Neill Galactic Cosmic Ray Model for the Analysis of Space Radiation Exposure
For the analysis of radiation risks to astronauts and planning exploratory space missions, accurate energy spectrum of galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) is necessary. Characterization of the ionizing radiation environment is challenging because the interplanetary plasma and radiation fields are modulated by solar disturbances and the radiation doses received by astronauts in interplanetary space are likewise influenced. A model of the BadhwarO'Neill 2011 (BO11) GCR environment, which is represented by GCR deceleration potential theta, has been derived by utilizing all of the GCR measurements from balloons, satellites, and the newer NASA Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE). In the BO11 model, the solar modulation level is derived from the mean international sunspot numbers with timedelay, which has been calibrated with actual flight instrument measurements to produce better GCR flux data fit during solar minima. GCR fluxes provided by the BO11 model were compared with various spacecraft measurements at 1 AU, and further comparisons were made for the tissue equivalent proportional counters measurements at low Earth orbits using the highcharge and energy transport (HZETRN) code and various GCR models. For the comparison of the absorbed dose and dose equivalent calculations with the measurements by Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) at Gale crater on Mars, the intensities and energies of GCR entering the heliosphere were calculated by using the BO11 model, which accounts for timedependent attenuation of the local interstellar spectrum of each element. The BO11 model, which has emphasized for the last 24 solar minima, showed in relatively good agreement with the RAD data for the first 200 sols, but it was resulted in to be less well during near the solar maximum of solar cycle 24 due to subtleties in the changing heliospheric conditions. By performing the error analysis of the BO11 model and the optimization in reducing overall uncertainty, the resultant BO13 model corrects the fit at solar maxima as well as being accurate at solar minima. The BO13 model is implemented to the NASA Space Cancer Risk model for the assessment of radiation risks. Overall cumulative probability distribution of solar modulation parameters represents the percentile rank of the average interplanetary GCR environment, and the probabilistic radiation risks can be assessed for various levels of GCR environment to support mission design and operational planning for future manned space exploration missions
Specific heat and validity of quasiparticle approximation in the half-filled Landau level
We calculate the specific heat of composite fermion system in the half-filled
Landau level. Two different methods are used to examine validity of the
quasiparticle approximation when the two-body interaction is given by (). The singular part of the specific heat
is calculated from the free energy of the gauge field, which is compared with
the specific heat calculated from the quasiparticle approximation via the
singular self-energy correction due to the gauge field fluctuations. It turns
out that two results are in general different and they coincide only for the
case of the Coulomb interaction (). This result supports the fact
that the quasiparticle approximation is valid only for the case of the Coulomb
interaction. It is emphasized that this result is obtained by looking at a
gauge-invariant quantity -- the specific heat.Comment: 8 pages, Revte
Massless Dirac Fermions, Gauge Fields, and Underdoped Cuprates
We study 2+1 dimensional massless Dirac fermions and bosons coupled to a U(1)
gauge field as a model for underdoped cuprates. We find that the uniform
susceptibility and the specific heat coefficient are logarithmically enhanced
(compared to linear-in-T behavior) due to the fluctuation of transverse gauge
field which is the only massless mode at finite boson density. We analyze
existing data, and find good agreement in the spin gap phase. Within our
picture, the drop of the susceptibility below the superconducting T_c arises
from the suppression of gauge fluctuations.Comment: 4 pages, REVTEX, 1 eps figur
Influence of gauge-field fluctuations on composite fermions near the half-filled state
Taking into account the transverse gauge field fluctuations, which interact
with composite fermions, we examine the finite temperature compressibility of
the fermions as a function of an effective magnetic field ( is the density of electrons) near the half-filled state. It is
shown that, after including the lowest order gauge field correction, the
compressibility goes as for , where . Here we assume that the interaction between
the fermions is given by , where is a dependent constant. This result can be
interpreted as a divergent correction to the activation energy gap and is
consistent with the divergent renormalization of the effective mass of the
composite fermions.Comment: Plain Tex, 24 pages, 5 figures available upon reques
Colossal Positive Magnetoresistance in a Doped Nearly Magnetic Semiconductor
We report on a positive colossal magnetoresistance (MR) induced by
metallization of FeSb, a nearly magnetic or "Kondo" semiconductor with 3d
ions. We discuss contribution of orbital MR and quantum interference to
enhanced magnetic field response of electrical resistivity.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
The onset of the vortex-like Nernst signal above Tc in La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 and Bi_2Sr_{2-y}La_yCuO_6
The diffusion of vortices down a thermal gradient produces a Josephson signal
which is detected as the vortex Nernst effect. In a recent report, Xu et al.,
Nature 406, 486 (2000), an enhanced Nernst signal identified with vortex-like
excitations was observed in a series of La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4 (LSCO) crystals at
temperatures 50-100 K above T_c. To pin down the onset temperature T_{\nu} of
the vortex-like signal in the lightly doped regime (0.03 < x < 0.07), we have
re-analyzed in detail the carrier contribution to the Nernst signal. By
supplementing new Nernst measurements with thermopower and Hall-angle data, we
isolate the off-diagonal Peltier conductivity \alpha_{xy} and show that its
profile provides an objective determination of T_{\nu}. With the new results,
we revise the phase diagram for the fluctuation regime in LSCO to accomodate
the lightly doped regime. In the cuprate Bi_2Sr_{2-y}La_yCuO_6, we find that
the carrier contribution is virtually negligible for y in the range 0.4-0.6.
The evidence for an extended temperature interval with vortex-like excitations
is even stronger in this system. Finally, we discuss how T_{\nu} relates to the
pseudogap temperature T* and the implications of strong fluctuations between
the pseudogap state and the d-wave superconducting state.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure
Quantum Boltzmann equation of composite fermions interacting with a gauge field
We derive the quantum Boltzmann equation (QBE) of composite fermions at/near
the state using the non-equilibrium Green's function technique. The
lowest order perturbative correction to the self-energy due to the strong gauge
field fluctuations suggests that there is no well defined
Landau-quasi-particle. Therefore, we cannot assume the existence of the
Landau-quasi-particles {\it a priori} in the derivation of the QBE. Using an
alternative formulation, we derive the QBE for the generalized Fermi surface
displacement which corresponds to the local variation of the chemical potential
in momentum space. {}From this QBE, one can understand in a unified fashion the
Fermi-liquid behaviors of the density-density and the current-current
correlation functions at (in the long wave length and the low
frequency limits) and the singular behavior of the energy gap obtained from the
finite temperature activation behavior of the compressibility near .
Implications of these results to the recent experiments are also discussed.Comment: 44 pages, Plain Tex, 5 figures (ps files) available upon reques
Fabrication and characterization of dual function nanoscale pH-scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) probes for high resolution pH mapping
The easy fabrication and use of nanoscale dual function pH-scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) probes is reported. These probes incorporate an iridium oxide coated carbon electrode for pH measurement and an SICM barrel for distance control, enabling simultaneous pH and topography mapping. These pH-SICM probes were fabricated rapidly from laser pulled theta quartz pipets, with the pH electrode prepared by in situ carbon filling of one of the barrels by the pyrolytic decomposition of butane, followed by electrodeposition of a thin layer of hydrous iridium oxide. The other barrel was filled with an electrolyte solution and Ag/AgCl electrode as part of a conductance cell for SICM. The fabricated probes, with pH and SICM sensing elements typically on the 100 nm scale, were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and various electrochemical measurements. They showed a linear super-Nernstian pH response over a range of pH (pH 2–10). The capability of the pH-SICM probe was demonstrated by detecting both pH and topographical changes during the dissolution of a calcite microcrystal in aqueous solution. This system illustrates the quantitative nature of pH-SICM imaging, because the dissolution process changes the crystal height and interfacial pH (compared to bulk), and each is sensitive to the rate. Both measurements reveal similar dissolution rates, which are in agreement with previously reported literature values measured by classical bulk methods
Organization of Block Copolymers using NanoImprint Lithography: Comparison of Theory and Experiments
We present NanoImprint lithography experiments and modeling of thin films of
block copolymers (BCP). The NanoImprint lithography is used to align
perpendicularly lamellar phases, over distances much larger than the natural
lamellar periodicity. The modeling relies on self-consistent field calculations
done in two- and three-dimensions. We get a good agreement with the NanoImprint
lithography setups. We find that, at thermodynamical equilibrium, the ordered
BCP lamellae are much better aligned than when the films are deposited on
uniform planar surfaces
Chronic HCV Infection Affects the NK Cell Phenotype in the Blood More than in the Liver
Although epidemiological and functional studies have implicated NK cells in protection and early clearance of HCV, the mechanism by which they may contribute to viral control is poorly understood, particularly at the site of infection, the liver. We hypothesized that a unique immunophenotypic/functional NK cell signature exists in the liver that may provide insights into the contribution of NK cells to viral control. Intrahepatic and blood NK cells were profiled from chronically infected HCV-positive and HCV-negative individuals. Baseline expression of activating and inhibitory receptors was assessed, as well as functional responses following stimulation through classic NK cell pathways. Independent of HCV infection, the liver was enriched for the immunoregulatory CD56bright NK cell population, which produced less IFNγ and CD107a but comparable levels of MIP1β, and was immunophenotypically distinct from their blood counterparts. This profile was mostly unaltered in chronic HCV infection, though different expression levels of NKp46 and NKG2D were associated with different grades of fibrosis. In contrast to the liver, chronic HCV infection associated with an enrichment of CD161lowperforinhigh NK cells in the blood correlated with increased AST and 2B4 expression. However, the association of relatively discrete changes in the NK cell phenotype in the liver with the fibrosis stage nevertheless suggests an important role for the NK response. Overall these data suggest that tissue localization has a more pervasive effect on NK cells than the presence of chronic viral infection, during which these cells might be mostly attuned to limiting immunopathology. It will be important to characterize NK cells during early HCV infection, when they should have a critical role in limiting infection
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