277 research outputs found
Nonadiabatic wavepacket dynamics: k-space formulation
The time evolution of wavepackets in crystals in the presence of a
homogeneous electric field is formulated in k-space in a numerically tractable
form. The dynamics is governed by separate equations for the motion of the
waveform in k-space and for the evolution of the underlying Bloch-like states.
A one-dimensional tight-binding model is studied numerically, and both Bloch
oscillations and Zener tunneling are observed. The long-lived Bloch
oscillations of the wavepacket center under weak fields are accompanied by
oscillations in its spatial spread. These are analyzed in terms of a k-space
expression for the spread having contributions from both the quantum metric and
the Berry connection of the Bloch states. We find that when sizeable spread
oscillations do occur, they are mostly due to the latter term
Recommended from our members
Program for certification of waste from contained firing facility: Establishment of waste as non-reactive and discussion of potential waste generation problems
Debris from explosives testing in a shot tank that contains 4 weight percent or less of explosive is shown to be non-reactive under the specified testing protocol in the Code of Federal Regulations. This debris can then be regarded as a non-hazardous waste on the basis of reactivity, when collected and packaged in a specified manner. If it is contaminated with radioactive components (e.g. depleted uranium), it can therefore be disposed of as radioactive waste or mixed waste, as appropriate (note that debris may contain other materials that render it hazardous, such as beryllium). We also discuss potential waste generation issues in contained firing operations that are applicable to the planned new Contained Firing Facility (CFF). The goal of this program is to develop and document conditions under which shot debris from the planned Contained Firing Facility (CFF) can be handled, shipped, and accepted for waste disposal as non-reactive radioactive or mixed waste. This report fulfills the following requirements as established at the outset of the program: 1. Establish through testing the maximum level of explosive that can be in a waste and still have it certified as non-reactive. 2. Develop the procedure to confirm the acceptability of radioactive-contaminated debris as non-reactive waste at radioactive waste disposal sites. 3. Outline potential disposal protocols for different CFF scenarios (e.g. misfires with scattered explosive)
Recommended from our members
Testing of explosives mixed with clay to determine maximum explosive content of non-reactive mixtures
This report contains a detailed description of the experiments conducted to demonstrate that debris from explosives testing in a shot tank that contains 4 weight percent or less of explosive is non-reactive under the specified testing protocol in the Code of Federal Regulations. As such it is a companion report to UCRL-ID-128999, "Program for Certification of Waste from Contained Firing Facility - Establishment of Waste as Non-Reactive and Discussion of Potential Waste Generation Problems.
Recommended from our members
Recent advances in the molten salt technology for the destruction of energetic materials
The DOE has thousands of pounds of energetic materials which result from dismantlement operations at the Pantex Plant. The authors have demonstrated the Molten Salt Destruction (MSD) Process for the treatment of explosives and explosive-containing wastes on a 1.5 kilogram of explosive per hour scale and are currently building a 5 kilogram per hour unit. MSD converts the organic constituents of the waste into non-hazardous substances such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water. Any inorganic constituents of the waste, such as binders and metallic particles, are retained in the molten salt. The destruction of energetic material waste is accomplished by introducing it, together with air, into a crucible containing a molten salt, in this case a eutectic mixture of Na, K, and Li carbonates. The following pure component DOE and DoD explosives have been destroyed in LLNL`s experimental unit at their High Explosives Applications Facility (HEAF): ammonium picrate, HMX, K-6, NQ, NTO, PETN, RDX, TATB, and TNT. In addition, the following formulations were also destroyed: Comp B, LX-10, LX-16, LX-17, PBX-9404, and XM46, a US Army liquid gun propellant. In this 1.5 kg/hr unit, the fractions of carbon converted to CO and of chemically bound nitrogen converted to NOx were found to be well below 1T. In addition to destroying explosive powders and molding powders the authors have also destroyed materials that are typical of real world wastes. These include shavings from machined pressed parts of plastic bonded explosives and sump waste containing both explosives and non-explosive debris. Based on the information obtained on the smaller unit, the authors have constructed a 5 kg/hr MSD unit, incorporating LLNL`s advanced chimney design. This unit is currently under shakedown tests and evaluation
The tumor suppressor TMEM127 is a Nedd4-family E3 ligase adaptor required by Salmonella SteD to ubiquitinate and degrade MHC class II molecules
The Salmonella enterica effector SteD depletes mature MHC class II (mMHCII) molecules from the surface of infected antigen-presenting cells through ubiquitination of the cytoplasmic tail of the mMHCII β chain. Here, through a genome-wide mutant screen of human antigen-presenting cells, we show that the NEDD4 family HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase WWP2 and a tumor-suppressing transmembrane protein of unknown biochemical function, TMEM127, are required for SteD-dependent ubiquitination of mMHCII. Although evidently not involved in normal regulation of mMHCII, TMEM127 was essential for SteD to suppress both mMHCII antigen presentation in mouse dendritic cells and MHCII-dependent CD4+ T cell activation. We found that TMEM127 contains a canonical PPxY motif, which was required for binding to WWP2. SteD bound to TMEM127 and enabled TMEM127 to interact with and induce ubiquitination of mature MHCII. Furthermore, SteD also underwent TMEM127- and WWP2-dependent ubiquitination, which both contributed to its degradation and augmented its activity on mMHCII
Nanospintronics with carbon nanotubes
One of the actual challenges of spintronics is the realization of a
spin-transistor allowing to control spin transport through an electrostatic
gate. In this review, we report on different experiments which demonstrate a
gate control of spin transport in a carbon nanotube connected to ferromagnetic
leads. We also discuss some theoretical approaches which can be used to analyze
spin transport in these systems. We emphasize the roles of the gate-tunable
quasi-bound states inside the nanotube and the coherent spin-dependent
scattering at the interfaces between the nanotube and its ferromagnetic
contacts.Comment: 35 pages, 15 figures, some figures in gi
Efficient index handling of multidimensional periodic boundary conditions
An efficient method is described to handle mesh indexes in multidimensional
problems like numerical integration of partial differential equations, lattice
model simulations, and determination of atomic neighbor lists. By creating an
extended mesh, beyond the periodic unit cell, the stride in memory between
equivalent pairs of mesh points is independent of their position within the
cell. This allows to contract the mesh indexes of all dimensions into a single
index, avoiding modulo and other implicit index operations.Comment: 2 pages, 0 figure
Linking photoreceptor excitation to changes in plant architecture
Plants sense neighbor proximity as a decrease in the ratio of red to far-red light, which triggers a series of developmental responses. In Arabidopsis, phytochrome B (PHYB) is the major sensor of shade, but PHYB excitation has not been linked directly to a growth response. We show that the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor PIF7 (phytochrome-interacting factor 7), an interactor of PHYB, accumulates in its dephosphorylated form in shade, allowing it to bind auxin biosynthetic genes and increase their expression. New auxin synthesized through a PIF7-regulated pathway is required for shade-induced growth, linking directly the perception of a light quality signal to a rapid growth response
Transformation of spin information into large electrical signals via carbon nanotubes
Spin electronics (spintronics) exploits the magnetic nature of the electron,
and is commercially exploited in the spin valves of disc-drive read heads.
There is currently widespread interest in using industrially relevant
semiconductors in new types of spintronic devices based on the manipulation of
spins injected into a semiconducting channel between a spin-polarized source
and drain. However, the transformation of spin information into large
electrical signals is limited by spin relaxation such that the magnetoresistive
signals are below 1%. We overcome this long standing problem in spintronics by
demonstrating large magnetoresistance effects of 61% at 5 K in devices where
the non-magnetic channel is a multiwall carbon nanotube that spans a 1.5 micron
gap between epitaxial electrodes of the highly spin polarized manganite
La0.7Sr0.3MnO3. This improvement arises because the spin lifetime in nanotubes
is long due the small spin-orbit coupling of carbon, because the high nanotube
Fermi velocity permits the carrier dwell time to not significantly exceed this
spin lifetime, because the manganite remains highly spin polarized up to the
manganite-nanotube interface, and because the interfacial barrier is of an
appropriate height. We support these latter statements regarding the interface
using density functional theory calculations. The success of our experiments
with such chemically and geometrically different materials should inspire
adventure in materials selection for some future spintronicsComment: Content highly modified. New title, text, conclusions, figures and
references. New author include
- …