798 research outputs found
Characteristics of long-duration inhibitory postsynaptic potentials in rat neocortical neurons in vitro
1. The characteristics of long-duration inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (l-IPSPs) which are evoked in rat frontal neocortical neurons by local electrical stimulation were investigated with intracellular recordings from anin vitro slice preparation.
2. Stimulation with suprathreshold intensities evoked l-IPSPs with typical durations of 600–900 msec at resting membrane potential. Conductance increases of 15–60% were measured at the peak amplitude of l-IPSPs (150–250 msec poststimulus).
3. The duration of the conductance increases during l-IPSPs displayed a significant voltage dependence, decreasing as the membrance potential was depolarized and increasing with hyperpolarization.
4. The reversal potential of l-IPSPs is significantly altered by reductions in the extracellular potassium concentration. Therefore it is concluded that l-IPSPs in rat neocortical neurons are generated by the activation of a potassium conductance.
5. l-IPSPs exhibit stimulation fatigue. Stimulation with a frequency of 1 Hz produces a complete fatigue of the conductance increases during l-IPSPs after approximately 20 consecutive stimuli. Recovery from this fatigue requires minutes.
6. l-IPSPs are not blocked by bicuculline but are blocked by baclofen
Information-theoretic significance of the Wigner distribution
A coarse grained Wigner distribution p_{W}(x,u) obeying positivity derives
out of information-theoretic considerations. Let p(x,u) be the unknown joint
PDF (probability density function) on position- and momentum fluctuations x,u
for a pure state particle. Suppose that the phase part Psi(x,z) of its Fourier
transform F.T.[p(x,u)]=|Z(x,z)|exp[iPsi(x,z)] is constructed as a hologram.
(Such a hologram is often used in heterodyne interferometry.) Consider a
particle randomly illuminating this phase hologram. Let its two position
coordinates be measured. Require that the measurements contain an extreme
amount of Fisher information about true position, through variation of the
phase function Psi(x,z). The extremum solution gives an output PDF p(x,u) that
is the convolution of the Wigner p_{W}(x,u) with an instrument function
defining uncertainty in either position x or momentum u. The convolution arises
naturally out of the approach, and is one-dimensional, in comparison with the
two-dimensional convolutions usually proposed for coarse graining purposes. The
output obeys positivity, as required of a PDF, if the one-dimensional
instrument function is sufficiently wide. The result holds for a large class of
systems: those whose amplitudes a(x) are the same at their boundaries
(Examples: states a(x) with positive parity; with periodic boundary conditions;
free particle trapped in a box).Comment: pdf version has 16 pages. No figures. Accepted for publ. in PR
What is in a pebble shape?
We propose to characterize the shapes of flat pebbles in terms of the
statistical distribution of curvatures measured along the pebble contour. This
is demonstrated for the erosion of clay pebbles in a controlled laboratory
apparatus. Photographs at various stages of erosion are analyzed, and compared
with two models. We find that the curvature distribution complements the usual
measurement of aspect ratio, and connects naturally to erosion processes that
are typically faster at protruding regions of high curvature.Comment: Phys. Rev. Lett. (to appear
Phase Diagram Of A Hard-sphere System In A Quenched Random Potential: A Numerical Study
We report numerical results for the phase diagram in the density-disorder
plane of a hard sphere system in the presence of quenched, random, pinning
disorder. Local minima of a discretized version of the Ramakrishnan-Yussouff
free energy functional are located numerically and their relative stability is
studied as a function of the density and the strength of disorder. Regions in
the phase diagram corresponding to liquid, glassy and nearly crystalline states
are mapped out, and the nature of the transitions is determined. The liquid to
glass transition changes from first to second order as the strength of the
disorder is increased. For weak disorder, the system undergoes a first order
crystallization transition as the density is increased. Beyond a critical value
of the disorder strength, this transition is replaced by a continuous glass
transition. Our numerical results are compared with those of analytical work on
the same system. Implications of our results for the field-temperature phase
diagram of type-II superconductors are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 10 postscript figures (included), submitted to Phys. Rev.
The gravitational mass of Proxima Centauri measured with SPHERE from a microlensing event
Proxima Centauri, our closest stellar neighbour, is a low-mass M5 dwarf
orbiting in a triple system. An Earth-mass planet with an 11 day period has
been discovered around this star. The star's mass has been estimated only
indirectly using a mass-luminosity relation, meaning that large uncertainties
affect our knowledge of its properties. To refine the mass estimate, an
independent method has been proposed: gravitational microlensing. By taking
advantage of the close passage of Proxima Cen in front of two background stars,
it is possible to measure the astrometric shift caused by the microlensing
effect due to these close encounters and estimate the gravitational mass of the
lens (Proxima Cen). Microlensing events occurred in 2014 and 2016 with impact
parameters, the closest approach of Proxima Cen to the background star, of
1\farcs6 0\farcs1 and 0\farcs5 0\farcs1, respectively. Accurate
measurements of the positions of the background stars during the last two years
have been obtained with HST/WFC3, and with VLT/SPHERE from the ground. The
SPHERE campaign started on March 2015, and continued for more than two years,
covering 9 epochs. The parameters of Proxima Centauri's motion on the sky,
along with the pixel scale, true North, and centering of the instrument
detector were readjusted for each epoch using the background stars visible in
the IRDIS field of view. The experiment has been successful and the astrometric
shift caused by the microlensing effect has been measured for the second event
in 2016. We used this measurement to derive a mass of
0.150 (an error of 40\%) \MSun for Proxima
Centauri acting as a lens. This is the first and the only currently possible
measurement of the gravitational mass of Proxima Centauri.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted by MNRA
Discovery of the Coldest Imaged Companion of a Sun-Like Star
We present the discovery of a brown dwarf or possible planet at a projected
separation of 1.9" = 29 AU around the star GJ 758, placing it between the
separations at which substellar companions are expected to form by core
accretion (~5 AU) or direct gravitational collapse (typically >100 AU). The
object was detected by direct imaging of its thermal glow with Subaru/HiCIAO.
At 10-40 times the mass of Jupiter and a temperature of 550-640 K, GJ 758 B
constitutes one of the few known T-type companions, and the coldest ever to be
imaged in thermal light around a Sun-like star. Its orbit is likely eccentric
and of a size comparable to Pluto's orbit, possibly as a result of
gravitational scattering or outward migration. A candidate second companion is
detected at 1.2" at one epoch.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Near-Infrared Multi-Band Photometry of the Substellar Companion GJ 758 B
GJ 758 B is a cold (~600K) companion to a Sun-like star at 29 AU projected
separation, which was recently detected with high-contrast imaging. Here we
present photometry of the companion in seven photometric bands from
Subaru/HiCIAO, Gemini/NIRI and Keck/NIRC2, providing a rich sampling of the
spectral energy distribution in the 1-5 micron wavelength range. A clear
detection at 1.58 micron combined with an upper limit at 1.69 micron shows
methane absorption in the atmosphere of the companion. The mass of the
companion remains uncertain, but an updated age estimate indicates that the
most likely mass range is ~30-40 Mjup. In addition, we present an updated
astrometric analysis that imposes tighter constraints on GJ 758 B's orbit and
identifies the proposed second candidate companion, "GJ 758 C", as a background
star.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letters. New
version: Corrected a few numbers in the astrometry section (which were
already correct in the print version, but were based on an outdated
simulation in the astro-ph version
Imaging of a Transitional Disk Gap in Reflected Light: Indications of Planet Formation Around the Young Solar Analog LkCa 15
We present H- and Ks-band imaging data resolving the gap in the transitional
disk around LkCa 15, revealing the surrounding nebulosity. We detect sharp
elliptical contours delimiting the nebulosity on the inside as well as the
outside, consistent with the shape, size, ellipticity, and orientation of
starlight reflected from the far-side disk wall, whereas the near-side wall is
shielded from view by the disk's optically thick bulk. We note that
forward-scattering of starlight on the near-side disk surface could provide an
alternate interpretation of the nebulosity. In either case, this discovery
provides confirmation of the disk geometry that has been proposed to explain
the spectral energy distributions (SED) of such systems, comprising an
optically thick outer disk with an inner truncation radius of ~46 AU enclosing
a largely evacuated gap. Our data show an offset of the nebulosity contours
along the major axis, likely corresponding to a physical pericenter offset of
the disk gap. This reinforces the leading theory that dynamical clearing by at
least one orbiting body is the cause of the gap. Based on evolutionary models,
our high-contrast imagery imposes an upper limit of 21 Jupiter masses on
companions at separations outside of 0.1" and of 13 Jupiter masses outside of
0.2". Thus, we find that a planetary system around LkCa 15 is the most likely
explanation for the disk architecture.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letters. Minor
change to Figure
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