9,909 research outputs found
Sound velocity and absorption measurements under high pressure using picosecond ultrasonics in diamond anvil cell. Application to the stability study of AlPdMn
We report an innovative high pressure method combining the diamond anvil cell
device with the technique of picosecond ultrasonics. Such an approach allows to
accurately measure sound velocity and attenuation of solids and liquids under
pressure of tens of GPa, overcoming all the drawbacks of traditional
techniques. The power of this new experimental technique is demonstrated in
studies of lattice dynamics, stability domain and relaxation process in a
metallic sample, a perfect single-grain AlPdMn quasicrystal, and rare gas, neon
and argon. Application to the study of defect-induced lattice stability in
AlPdMn up to 30 GPa is proposed. The present work has potential for application
in areas ranging from fundamental problems in physics of solid and liquid
state, which in turn could be beneficial for various other scientific fields as
Earth and planetary science or material research
Dirac neutrino mass from the beta decay end-point modified by the dynamics of a Lorentz-violating equation of motion
Using a generalized procedure for obtaining the equation of motion of a
propagating fermionic particle, we examine previous claims for a lightlike
preferred axis embedded in the framework of Lorentz-invariance violation with
preserved algebra. In a high energy scale, the corresponding equation of motion
is reduced to a conserving lepton number chiral (VSR) equation, and in a low
energy scale, the Dirac equation for a free is recovered. The new dynamics
introduces some novel ingredients (modified cross section) to the phenomenology
of the tritium beta decay end-point.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
Can a multi-model approach improve hydrological ensemble forecasting? A study on 29 French catchments using 16 hydrological model structures
An operational hydrological ensemble forecasting system based on a
meteorological ensemble prediction system (M-EPS) coupled with a
hydrological model searches to capture the uncertainties associated with the
meteorological prediction to better predict river flows. However, the
structure of the hydrological model is also an important source of
uncertainty that has to be taken into account. This study aims at evaluating
and comparing the performance and the reliability of different types of
hydrological ensemble prediction systems (H-EPS), when ensemble weather
forecasts are combined with a multi-model approach. The study is based on 29
catchments in France and 16 lumped hydrological model structures, driven by
the weather forecasts from the European centre for medium-range weather
forecasts (ECMWF). Results show that the ensemble predictions produced by a
combination of several hydrological model structures and meteorological
ensembles have higher skill and reliability than ensemble predictions given
either by one single hydrological model fed by weather ensemble predictions
or by several hydrological models and a deterministic meteorological
forecast
First-principles quantum dynamics for fermions: Application to molecular dissociation
We demonstrate that the quantum dynamics of a many-body Fermi-Bose system can
be simulated using a Gaussian phase-space representation method. In particular,
we consider the application of the mixed fermion-boson model to ultracold
quantum gases and simulate the dynamics of dissociation of a Bose-Einstein
condensate of bosonic dimers into pairs of fermionic atoms. We quantify
deviations of atom-atom pair correlations from Wick's factorization scheme, and
show that atom-molecule and molecule-molecule correlations grow with time, in
clear departures from pairing mean-field theories. As a first-principles
approach, the method provides benchmarking of approximate approaches and can be
used to validate dynamical probes for characterizing strongly correlated phases
of fermionic systems.Comment: Final published versio
The GRAVITY fringe tracker: correlation between optical path residuals and atmospheric parameters
After the first year of observations with the GRAVITY fringe tracker, we
compute correlations between the optical path residuals and atmospheric and
astronomical parameters. The median residuals of the optical path residuals are
180 nm on the ATs and 270 nm on the UTs. The residuals are uncorrelated with
the target magnitudes for Kmag below 5.5 on ATs (9 on UTs). The correlation
with the coherence time is however extremely clear, with a drop-off in fringe
tracking performance below 3 ms.Comment: submitted to SPIE Astronomical Telescopes & Instrumentation 201
Lorentz violating extension of the Standard Model and the Beta-decay end-point
The Standard Model extension with additional Lorentz violating terms allows
for redefining the equation of motion of a propagating left-handed fermionic
particle. The obtained Dirac-type equation can be embedded in a generalized
Lorentz-invariance preserving-algebra through the definition of Lorentz
algebra-like generators with a light-like preferred axis. The resulting
modification to the fermionic equation of motion introduces some novel
ingredients to the phenomenological analysis of the cross section of the
tritium -decay. Assuming lepton number conservation, our formalism
provides a natural explanation for the tritium -decay end-point via an
effective neutrino mass term without the need of a sterile right-handed state.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figur
The interferometric baselines and GRAVITY astrometric error budget
GRAVITY is a new generation beam combination instrument for the VLTI. Its
goal is to achieve microarsecond astrometric accuracy between objects separated
by a few arcsec. This accuracy on astrometric measurements is the most
important challenge of the instrument, and careful error budget have been
paramount during the technical design of the instrument. In this poster, we
will focus on baselines induced errors, which is part of a larger error budget.Comment: SPIE Meeting 2014 -- Montrea
Les lésions médullaires traumatiques : épidémiologie et perspectives
AbstractObjectiveSpecify the epidemiological data on the acute spinal cord injuries and define a group of patients that could benefit from cellular transplantation therapy designed with the aim of repair and regeneration of damaged spinal cord tissues.Material and methodsFive years monocentric (Gui-de-Chauliac Hospital, Montpellier, France) retrospective analysis of patients suffering from spinal cord injury (SCI). Spinal cord injured-patients, defined as sensory-motor complete, underwent a clinical evaluation following American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) and functional type 2 Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM2) scorings as well as radiological evaluation through spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).ResultsOne hundred and fifty-seven medical records were reviewed and we selected and re-examined 20 patients with complete thoracic spinal cord lesion. Clinical and radiological evaluations of these patients demonstrated, in 75 % of the cases, an absence of clinical progression after a mean of 49months. Radiological abnormalities were constantly present in the initial (at the admission to hospital) and control (re-evaluation) MRI and no reliable predictive criteria of prognosis had been found.Discussion/ConclusionWe compare our results to the literature and discuss advantages and limits of cellular transplantation strategies for these patients.RĂ©sumĂ©ObjectifsConnaĂźtre les donnĂ©es Ă©pidĂ©miologiques de notre rĂ©gion sanitaire sur les traumatismes mĂ©dullaires. Au sein de cette population, sĂ©lectionner les patients susceptibles de bĂ©nĂ©ficier de thĂ©rapie cellulaire dans la moelle Ă©piniĂšre lĂ©sĂ©e dans lâobjectif de rĂ©gĂ©nĂ©rer le tissu nerveux. Ăvaluer Ă distance ces patients.Patients et mĂ©thodeAnalyse rĂ©trospective de tous les patients pris en charge pour un traumatisme vertĂ©bro-mĂ©dullaire. RĂ©Ă©valuation clinique et radiologique des patients prĂ©sentant une atteinte mĂ©dullaire thoracique sensitivomotrice complĂšte. RĂ©Ă©valuation rĂ©alisĂ©e par le score de lâAmerican Spinal Injury Association (ASIA), le score fonctionnel Type 2 Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM2) et contrĂŽle radiologique par une IRM mĂ©dullaire.RĂ©sultatsCent cinquante-sept dossiers de patients ont Ă©tĂ© analysĂ©s et 28 patients prĂ©sentaient une lĂ©sion mĂ©dullaire complĂšte. Une Ă©valuation clinique et radiologique rĂ©alisĂ©e chez 20 patients sur 28 (71 %) a montrĂ© lâabsence dâĂ©volution clinique dans 75 % des cas dans un dĂ©lai moyen de 49 mois. Les anomalies radiologiques Ă©taient prĂ©sentes dans 100 % des cas sur lâIRM initiale et de contrĂŽle sans quâaucun critĂšre fiable prĂ©dictif de bon pronostic nâest retrouvĂ©.Discussion/conclusionNous prĂ©sentons ces rĂ©sultats comparativement Ă ceux de la littĂ©rature et nous discutons chez ces malades les stratĂ©gies de transplantation cellulaire, leurs limites actuelles et les progrĂšs nĂ©cessaires pour obtenir des rĂ©sultats
Spectroscopy of Brown Dwarf Candidates in the rho Ophiuchi Molecular Core
We present an analysis of low resolution infrared spectra for 20 brown dwarf
candidates in the core of the Ophiuchi molecular cloud. Fifteen of the
sources display absorption-line spectra characteristic of late-type stars. By
comparing the depths of water vapor absorption bands in our candidate objects
with a grid of M dwarf standards, we derive spectral types which are
independent of reddening. Optical spectroscopy of one brown dwarf candidate
confirms the spectral type derived from the water bands. Combining their
spectral types with published near-infrared photometry, effective temperatures
and bolometric stellar luminosities are derived enabling us to place our sample
on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. We compare the positions of the brown dwarf
candidates in this diagram with two sets of theoretical models in order to
estimate their masses and ages. Considering uncertainties in placing the
candidates in the H-R diagram, six objects consistently lie in the brown dwarf
regime and another five objects lie in the transition region between stellar
and substellar objects. The ages inferred for the sample are consistent with
those derived for higher mass association members. Three of the newly
identified brown dwarfs display infrared excesses at =2.2 m
suggesting that young brown dwarfs can have active accretion disks. Comparing
our mass estimates of the brown dwarf candidates with those derived from
photometric data alone suggests that spectroscopy is an essential component of
investigations of the mass functions of young clusters.Comment: Astronomical Journal, in press: 25 pages, latex, 5 tables and 6
figures (separate
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