2,091 research outputs found
Influence of rotational force fields on the determination of the work done on a driven Brownian particle
For a Brownian system the evolution of thermodynamic quantities is a
stochastic process. In particular, the work performed on a driven colloidal
particle held in an optical trap changes for each realization of the
experimental manipulation, even though the manipulation protocol remains
unchanged. Nevertheless, the work distribution is governed by established laws.
Here, we show how the measurement of the work distribution is influenced by the
presence of rotational, i.e. nonconservative, radiation forces. Experiments on
particles of different materials show that the rotational radiation forces, and
therefore their effect on the work distributions, increase with the particle
refractive index.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
Microrheology with optical tweezers: data analysis
We present a data analysis procedure that provides the solution to a long-standing issue in microrheology studies, i.e. the evaluation of the fluids' linear viscoelastic properties from the analysis of a finite set of experimental data, describing (for instance) the time-dependent mean-square displacement of suspended probe particles experiencing Brownian fluctuations. We report, for the first time in the literature, the linear viscoelastic response of an optically trapped bead suspended in a Newtonian fluid, over the entire range of experimentally accessible frequencies. The general validity of the proposed method makes it transferable to the majority of microrheology and rheology techniques
ASCA and contemporaneous ground-based observations of the BL Lacertae objects 1749+096 and 2200+420 (BL Lac)
We present ASCA observations of the radio-selected BL Lacertae objects
1749+096 (z=0.32) and 2200+420 (BL Lac, z=0.069) performed in 1995 Sept and
Nov, respectively. The ASCA spectra of both sources can be described as a first
approximation by a power law with photon index Gamma ~ 2. This is flatter than
for most X-ray-selected BL Lacs observed with ASCA, in agreement with the
predictions of current blazar unification models. While 1749+096 exhibits
tentative evidence for spectral flattening at low energies, a concave continuum
is detected for 2200+420: the steep low-energy component is consistent the
high-energy tail of the synchrotron emission responsible for the longer
wavelengths, while the harder tail at higher energies is the onset of the
Compton component. The spectral energy distributions from radio to gamma-rays
are consistent with synchrotron-self Compton emission from a single homogeneous
region shortward of the IR/optical wavelengths, with a second component in the
radio domain related to a more extended emission region. For 2200+420,
comparing the 1995 Nov state with the optical/GeV flare of 1997 July, we find
that models requiring inverse Compton scattering of external photons provide a
viable mechanism for the production of the highest (GeV) energies during the
flare. An increase of the external radiation density and of the power injected
in the jet can reproduce the flat gamma-ray continuum observed in 1997 July. A
directly testable prediction of this model is that the line luminosity in
2200+420 should vary shortly after (~1 month) a non-thermal synchrotron flare.Comment: 28 pages,6 figures, 5 tables; LaTeX document. accepted for
publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Ultraviolet and Multiwavelength Variability of the Blazar 3C 279: Evidence for Thermal Emission
The gamma-ray blazar 3C 279 was monitored on a nearly daily basis with IUE,
ROSAT and EGRET for three weeks between December 1992 and January 1993. During
this period, the blazar was at a historical minimum at all wavelengths. Here we
present the UV data obtained during the above multiwavelength campaign. A
maximum UV variation of ~50% is detected, while during the same period the
X-ray flux varied by no more than 13%. At the lowest UV flux level the average
spectrum in the 1230-2700 A interval is unusually flat for this object
(~1). The flattening could represent the lowest energy tail of the
inverse Compton component responsible for the X-ray emission, or could be due
to the presence of a thermal component at ~20000 K possibly associated with an
accretion disk. The presence of an accretion disk in this blazar object, likely
observable only in very low states and otherwise hidden by the beamed, variable
synchrotron component, would be consistent with the scenario in which the seed
photons for the inverse Compton mechanism producing the gamma-rays are external
to the relativistic jet. We further discuss the long term correlation of the UV
flux with the X-ray and gamma-ray fluxes obtained at various epochs. All UV
archival data are included in the analysis. Both the X- and gamma-ray fluxes
are generally well correlated with the UV flux, approximately with square root
and quadratic dependences, respectively.Comment: 22 pages, Latex, 7 PostScript figures, to appear in The Astrophysical
Journa
Toward polarized antiprotons: Machine development for spin-filtering experiments
The paper describes the commissioning of the experimental equipment and the
machine studies required for the first spin-filtering experiment with protons
at a beam kinetic energy of MeV in COSY. The implementation of a
low- insertion made it possible to achieve beam lifetimes of
s in the presence of a dense polarized hydrogen
storage-cell target of areal density . The developed techniques can be directly
applied to antiproton machines and allow for the determination of the
spin-dependent cross sections via spin filtering
Further Closing the Resolution Gap: Integrating Cryo-Soft X-Ray and Light Microscopies
Abstract
Water megamasers from circumnuclear disks in galaxy centers provide the most accurate measurements of supermassive black hole masses and uniquely probe the subparsec accretion processes. At the same time, these systems offer independent crucial constraints of the Hubble constant in the nearby universe, and thus, the arguably best single constraint on the nature of dark energy. The chances of finding these golden standards are, however, abysmally low, at ?3% overall for any level of water maser emission detected at 22 GHz and ?1% for those exhibiting disk-like configuration. We provide here a thorough summary of the current state of detection of water megamaser disks along with a novel investigation of the likelihood of increasing their detection rates based on a multivariate parameter analysis of the optical and mid-infrared (mid-IR) photometric properties of the largest database of galaxies surveyed for 22 GHz emission. We find that galaxies with water megamaser emission tend to be associated with strong emission in all Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mid-IR wavelengths, with the strongest enhancement in the W4 band, at 22 μm, as well as with previously proposed and newly found indicators of active galactic nucleus strength in the mid-IR, such as red W1???W2 and W1???W4 colors, and the integrated mid-IR luminosity of the host galaxy. These trends offer a potential boost of the megamaser detection rates to 6%–15%, or a factor of 2–8 relative to the current rates, depending on the chosen sample selection criteria, while fostering real chances for discovering ?20 new megamaser disks
Alternatively activated dendritic cells regulate CD4+ T-cell polarization in vitro and in vivo
Interleukin-4 is a cytokine widely known for its role in CD4(+) T cell polarization and its ability to alternatively activate macrophage populations. In contrast, the impact of IL-4 on the activation and function of dendritic cells (DCs) is poorly understood. We report here that DCs respond to IL-4 both in vitro and in vivo by expression of multiple alternative activation markers with a different expression pattern to that of macrophages. We further demonstrate a central role for DC IL-4Rα expression in the optimal induction of IFNγ responses in vivo in both Th1 and Th2 settings, through a feedback loop in which IL-4 promotes DC secretion of IL-12. Finally, we reveal a central role for RELMα during T-cell priming, establishing that its expression by DCs is critical for optimal IL-10 and IL-13 promotion in vitro and in vivo. Together, these data highlight the significant impact that IL-4 and RELMα can have on DC activation and function in the context of either bacterial or helminth pathogens
Measuring the Polarization of a Rapidly Precessing Deuteron Beam
This paper describes a time-marking system that enables a measurement of the
in-plane (horizontal) polarization of a 0.97-GeV/c deuteron beam circulating in
the Cooler Synchrotron (COSY) at the Forschungszentrum J\"ulich. The clock time
of each polarimeter event is used to unfold the 120-kHz spin precession and
assign events to bins according to the direction of the horizontal
polarization. After accumulation for one or more seconds, the down-up
scattering asymmetry can be calculated for each direction and matched to a
sinusoidal function whose magnitude is proportional to the horizontal
polarization. This requires prior knowledge of the spin tune or polarization
precession rate. An initial estimate is refined by re-sorting the events as the
spin tune is adjusted across a narrow range and searching for the maximum
polarization magnitude. The result is biased toward polarization values that
are too large, in part because of statistical fluctuations but also because
sinusoidal fits to even random data will produce sizeable magnitudes when the
phase is left free to vary. An analysis procedure is described that matches the
time dependence of the horizontal polarization to templates based on
emittance-driven polarization loss while correcting for the positive bias. This
information will be used to study ways to extend the horizontal polarization
lifetime by correcting spin tune spread using ring sextupole fields and thereby
to support the feasibility of searching for an intrinsic electric dipole moment
using polarized beams in a storage ring. This paper is a combined effort of the
Storage Ring EDM Collaboration and the JEDI Collaboration.Comment: 28 pages, 15 figures, prepared for Physical Review ST - Accelerators
and Beam
Optical characterization of the impact of 100 keV protons on the optical properties of ZrO2 films prepared by ALD on fused silica substrates
Phase Measurement for Driven Spin Oscillations in a Storage Ring
This paper reports the first simultaneous measurement of the horizontal and
vertical components of the polarization vector in a storage ring under the
influence of a radio frequency (rf) solenoid. The experiments were performed at
the Cooler Synchrotron COSY in J\"ulich using a vector polarized, bunched
deuteron beam. Using the new spin feedback system, we
set the initial phase difference between the solenoid field and the precession
of the polarization vector to a predefined value. The feedback system was then
switched off, allowing the phase difference to change over time, and the
solenoid was switched on to rotate the polarization vector. We observed an
oscillation of the vertical polarization component and the phase difference.
The oscillations can be described using an analytical model. The results of
this experiment also apply to other rf devices with horizontal magnetic fields,
such as Wien filters. The precise manipulation of particle spins in storage
rings is a prerequisite for measuring the electric dipole moment (EDM) of
charged particles
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