Gravitational radiation from pulsar glitches

The nonaxisymmetric Ekman flow excited inside a neutron star following a rotational glitch is calculated analytically including stratification and compressibility. For the largest glitches, the gravitational wave strain produced by the hydrodynamic mass quadrupole moment approaches the sensitivity range of advanced long-baseline interferometers. It is shown that the viscosity, compressibility, and orientation of the star can be inferred in principle from the width and amplitude ratios of the Fourier peaks (at the spin frequency and its first harmonic) observed in the gravitational wave spectrum in the plus and cross polarizations. These transport coefficients constrain the equation of state of bulk nuclear matter, because they depend sensitively on the degree of superfluidity.Comment: 28 page

Terahertz photoconductivity and plasmon modes in double-quantum-well field-effect transistors

Double-quantum-well field-effect transistors with a grating gate exhibit a sharply resonant, voltage tuned terahertz photoconductivity. The voltage tuned resonance is determined by the plasma oscillations of the composite structure. The resonant photoconductivity requires a double-quantum well but the mechanism whereby plasma oscillations produce changes in device conductance is not understood. The phenomenon is potentially important for fast, tunable terahertz detectors

Divergence-type 2+1 dissipative hydrodynamics applied to heavy-ion collisions

We apply divergence-type theory (DTT) dissipative hydrodynamics to study the 2+1 space-time evolution of the fireball created in Au+Au relativistic heavy-ion collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=$200 GeV. DTTs are exact hydrodynamic theories that do no rely on velocity gradient expansions and therefore go beyond second-order theories. We numerically solve the equations of motion of the DTT for Glauber initial conditions and compare the results with those of second-order theory based on conformal invariants (BRSS) and with data. We find that the charged-hadron minumum-bias elliptic flow reaches its maximum value at lower $p_T$ in the DTT, and that the DTT allows for a value of $\eta/s$ slightly larger than that of the BRSS. Our results show that the differences between viscous hydrodynamic formalisms are a significant source of uncertainty in the precise extraction of $\eta/s$ from experiments.Comment: v4: 29 pages, 12 figures, minor changes. Final version as published in Phys. Rev.

I-V curves of Fe/MgO (001) single- and double-barrier tunnel junctions

In this work, we calculate with ab initio methods the current-voltage characteristics for ideal single- and double-barrier Fe/MgO (001) magnetic tunnel junctions. The current is calculated in the phase-coherent limit by using the recently developed SMEAGOL code, combining the nonequilibrium Green function formalism with density-functional theory. In general we find that double-barrier junctions display a larger magnetoresistance, which decays with bias at a slower pace than their single-barrier counterparts. This is explained in terms of enhanced spin filtering from the middle Fe layer sandwiched in between the two MgO barriers. In addition, for double-barrier tunnel junctions, we find a well defined peak in the magnetoresistance at a voltage of V=0.1 V. This is the signature of resonant tunneling across a majority quantum well state. Our findings are discussed in relation to recent experiments

High-pressure behaviour of GeO2: a simulation study

In this work we study the high pressure behaviour of liquid and glassy GeO2 by means of molecular dynamics simulations. The interaction potential, which includes dipole polarization effects, was parameterized from first-principles calculations. Our simulations reproduce the most recent experimental data to a high degree of precision. The proportion of the various GeOn polyhedra is determined as a function of the pressure: a smooth transition from tetrahedral to octahedral network is observed. Finally, the study of high-pressure, liquid germania confirms that this material presents an anomalous behaviour of the diffusivity as observed in analog systems such as silica and water. The importance of penta-coordinated germanium ions for such behaviour is stressed.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, accepted as a Fast Track Communication on Journal of Physics: Condensed Matte

MM-ideals, yet again: the case of real JB∗^*-triples

We prove that a subspace of a real JBW$^*$-triple is an $M$-summand if and only if it is a weak$^*$-closed triple ideal. As a consequence, $M$-ideals of real JB$^*$-triples correspond to norm-closed triple ideals. As in the setting of complex JB$^*$-triples, a geometric property is characterized in purely algebraic terms. This is a newfangled treatment of the classical notion of $M$-ideal in the real setting by a fully new approach due to the unfeasibility of the known arguments in the setting of complex C$^*$-algebras and JB$^*$-triples. The results in this note also provide a full characterization of all $M$-ideals in real C$^*$-algebras, real JB$^*$-algebras and real TROs

Electron Beam Adjustment in PLATO RTS 2 Including the Effect of Air Gaps

Background and Purpose: Beam characterization for electron dose calculations in PLATO RTS 2 treatment planning system requires the tuning of two adjustment parameters: sqx (the initial angular spread) and FMCS (a "fudge" multiple Coulomb scattering parameter). This work provides a set of suggestions to optimise electron dose calculations with PLATO, taking into account the effect of air gaps between the electron applicator and the patient skin. Material and Methods: Two adjustment criteria have been followed: one which uses just one input data set corresponding to the standard (null) air gap and another one that takes into account the whole range of clinically used distances between the electron applicator and the patient surface. The adjusted values of sqx were compared with experimental data and GEANT3 Monte Carlo code results. A systematic study has been carried out of the effect of both adjustment parameters on electron dose calculations in water. Comparisons of dose distributions and point dose values have been done between PLATO RTS2, GEANT3 Monte Carlo code and experimental data. Also the dependence on field size has been assessed. The values of sqx for the different electron energies obtained through the different approaches are discussed. Results and conclusions: The first adjustment criteria yield unrealistic dose distributions whenever the air gap is different from the standard one. A sqx balanced with a proper FMCS parameter leads to reasonably good dose distributions and point dose values that agree with experimental results within less than 1%