866 research outputs found
Histoire récente d'une formation forestière du Sud-Ouest Cameroun à partir de l'analyse pollinique
Végétation et climat dans les forêts du sud-ouest Cameroun depuis 4770 ans BP : analyse pollinique des sédiments du lac Ossa
L'analyse palynologique détaillée d'une carotte prélevée dans le lac Ossa, situé au coeur de la forêt littorale atlantique du SW Cameroun, apporte de nouvelles informations sur l'histoire botanique et climatique de cette région depuis 4 770 ans BP. La microflore pollinique inventoriée, riche et très diversifiée, indique la permanence de l'environnement forestier durant toute cette période. De 4 770 à 2 730 BP, les forêts Biafréenne et afromontagnarde sont bien représentées dans les spectres polliniques. Puis vers 2 730 BP (âge estimé), une modification majeure du paysage apparaît. La forêt de type primaire est remplacée par une forêt perturbée riche en arbres pionniers (#Alchornea, #Macaranga). Ultérieurement on note l'extension du palmier à huile (#Elaeis guineensis$) qui culmine vers 1 600 BP. (Résumé d'auteur
Bounds on gravitational wave backgrounds from large distance clock comparisons
Our spacetime is filled with gravitational wave backgrounds that constitute a
fluctuating environment created by astrophysical and cosmological sources.
Bounds on these backgrounds are obtained from cosmological and astrophysical
data but also by analysis of ranging and Doppler signals from distant
spacecraft. We propose here a new way to set bounds on those backgrounds by
performing clock comparisons between a ground clock and a remote spacecraft
equipped with an ultra-stable clock, rather than only ranging to an onboard
transponder. This technique can then be optimized as a function of the signal
to be measured and the dominant noise sources, leading to significant
improvements on present bounds in a promising frequency range where different
theoretical models are competing. We illustrate our approach using the SAGAS
project which aims to fly an ultra stable optical clock in the outer solar
system.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, minor amendment
Casimir energy and geometry : beyond the Proximity Force Approximation
We review the relation between Casimir effect and geometry, emphasizing
deviations from the commonly used Proximity Force Approximation (PFA). We use
to this aim the scattering formalism which is nowadays the best tool available
for accurate and reliable theory-experiment comparisons. We first recall the
main lines of this formalism when the mirrors can be considered to obey
specular reflection. We then discuss the more general case where non planar
mirrors give rise to non-specular reflection with wavevectors and field
polarisations mixed. The general formalism has already been fruitfully used for
evaluating the effect of roughness on the Casimir force as well as the lateral
Casimir force or Casimir torque appearing between corrugated surfaces. In this
short review, we focus our attention on the case of the lateral force which
should make possible in the future an experimental demonstration of the
nontrivial (i.e. beyond PFA) interplay of geometry and Casimir effect.Comment: corrected typos, added references, QFEXT'07 special issue in J. Phys.
Computing the Casimir energy using the point-matching method
We use a point-matching approach to numerically compute the Casimir
interaction energy for a two perfect-conductor waveguide of arbitrary section.
We present the method and describe the procedure used to obtain the numerical
results. At first, our technique is tested for geometries with known solutions,
such as concentric and eccentric cylinders. Then, we apply the point-matching
technique to compute the Casimir interaction energy for new geometries such as
concentric corrugated cylinders and cylinders inside conductors with focal
lines.Comment: 11 pages, 18 figure
Ultimate decoherence border for matter-wave interferometry
Stochastic backgrounds of gravitational waves are intrinsic fluctuations of
spacetime which lead to an unavoidable decoherence mechanism. This mechanism
manifests itself as a degradation of the contrast of quantum interferences. It
defines an ultimate decoherence border for matter-wave interferometry using
larger and larger molecules. We give a quantitative characterization of this
border in terms of figures involving the gravitational environment as well as
the sensitivity of the interferometer to gravitational waves. The known level
of gravitational noise determines the maximal size of the molecular probe for
which interferences may remain observable. We discuss the relevance of this
result in the context of ongoing progresses towards more and more sensitive
matter-wave interferometry.Comment: 4 page
Disorder in quantum vacuum: Casimir-induced localization of matter waves
Disordered geometrical boundaries such as rough surfaces induce important
modifications to the mode spectrum of the electromagnetic quantum vacuum. In
analogy to Anderson localization of waves induced by a random potential, here
we show that the Casimir-Polder interaction between a cold atomic sample and a
rough surface also produces localization phenomena. These effects, that
represent a macroscopic manifestation of disorder in quantum vacuum, should be
observable with Bose-Einstein condensates expanding in proximity of rough
surfaces
Quantum fluctuations for drag free geodesic motion
The drag free technique is used to force a proof mass to follow a geodesic
motion. The mass is protected from perturbations by a cage, and the motion of
the latter is actively controlled to follow the motion of the proof mass. We
present a theoretical analysis of the effects of quantum fluctuations for this
technique. We show that a perfect drag free operation is in principle possible
at the quantum level, in spite of the back action exerted on the mass by the
position sensor.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, RevTeX, minor change
Post-Einsteinian tests of linearized gravitation
The general relativistic treatment of gravitation can be extended by
preserving the geometrical nature of the theory but modifying the form of the
coupling between curvature and stress tensors. The gravitation constant is thus
replaced by two running coupling constants which depend on scale and differ in
the sectors of traceless and traced tensors. When calculated in the solar
system in a linearized approximation, the metric is described by two
gravitation potentials. This extends the parametrized post-Newtonian (PPN)
phenomenological framework while allowing one to preserve compatibility with
gravity tests performed in the solar system. Consequences of this extension are
drawn here for phenomena correctly treated in the linear approximation. We
obtain a Pioneer-like anomaly for probes with an eccentric motion as well as a
range dependence of Eddington parameter to be seen in light deflection
experiments.Comment: 15 pages. Accepted version, to appear in Classical and Quantum
Gravit
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