110 research outputs found
Disappearance of Ensemble-Averaged Josephson Current in Dirty SNS Junctions of d-wave Superconductors
We discuss the Josephson current in superconductor / dirty normal conductor /
superconductor junctions, where the superconductors have pairing
symmetry. The low-temperature behavior of the Josephson current depends on the
orientation angle between the crystalline axis and the normal of the junction
interface. We show that the ensemble-averaged Josephson current vanishes when
the orientation angle is and the normal conductor is in the diffusive
transport regime. The -wave pairing symmetry is responsible for
this fact.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
DC Josephson Effect in SNS Junctions of Anisotropic Superconductors
A formula for the Josephson current between two superconductors with
anisotropic pairing symmetries is derived based on the mean-field theory of
superconductivity. Zero-energy states formed at the junction interfaces is one
of basic phenomena in anisotropic superconductor junctions. In the obtained
formula, effects of the zero-energy states on the Josephson current are taken
into account through the Andreev reflection coefficients of a quasiparticle. In
low temperature regimes, the formula can describe an anomaly in the Josephson
current which is a direct consequence of the exsitence of zero-energy states.
It is possible to apply the formula to junctions consist of superconductors
with spin-singlet Cooper pairs and those with spin-triplet Cooper pairs
Opto-mechanical measurement of micro-trap via nonlinear cavity enhanced Raman scattering spectrum
High-gain resonant nonlinear Raman scattering on trapped cold atoms within a
high-fineness ring optical cavity is simply explained under a nonlinear
opto-mechanical mechanism, and a proposal using it to detect frequency of
micro-trap on atom chip is presented. The enhancement of scattering spectrum is
due to a coherent Raman conversion between two different cavity modes mediated
by collective vibrations of atoms through nonlinear opto-mechanical couplings.
The physical conditions of this technique are roughly estimated on Rubidium
atoms, and a simple quantum analysis as well as a multi-body semiclassical
simulation on this nonlinear Raman process is conducted.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure
Pilot scale microwave sorting of porphyry copper ores: Part 1: laboratory investigations
Microwave treatment followed by infrared thermal imaging (MWâIRT) has been proposed as a potential excitation-discrimination technique to facilitate sorting of porphyry copper ores. A continuous, high throughput (up to 100t/h), beltâbased microwave cavity operating at up to 100kW has been designed to interface directly with commercially available sorters at industrially relevant scales. In this paper, the fragment-by-fragment thermal response of 16 porphyry copper ore samples following microwave treatment in the bespoke system is evaluated to elucidate key performance criteria and identify likely candidate ores for microwave sorting. Microwave treatment energy dose was found to be the driving force behind the ultimate average temperature fragments experience, with other process variables (e.g. belt speed, power, belt mass loading, thermal equilibration time) having little effect on sortability performance. While fragment mineralogical texture and ore textural heterogeneity were shown to influence the average temperature rise of the fragment surface presented to the thermal camera, in most cases this variability did not adversely affect sortability performance. An abundance of microwave-heating gangue minerals (e.g. iron sulphides, iron oxides and hydrated clays) was shown to be the dominant source of deviation from intrinsic sortability. However, low average moisture content and co-mineralisation of copper and iron sulphides (or bulk sulphide sorting) was found to mitigate the deviation and provide better sortability performance. An attractive separation could be proposed for many of the ores tested, either to remove a large proportion of barren fragments from ore-grade material or concentrate a large proportion of copper values from waste-grade material
Analysis of microstructure effects on edge crack of thin strip during cold rolling
Edge cracks in cold rolling of the thin strip affect the strip quality and productivity significantly. In this study, an experimental and mechanical investigation on microstructures has been carried out to study the edge crack formation during cold rolling of the thin strip. The effects of the feed material microstructures on the edge crack evolution were studied employing optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Experimental observation indicates that fine grain occurs in hot-rolled microstructure and coarse grain is produced in ferritic rolled microstructure. Different grain sizes affect significantly the formation mechanics of the microcrack, crack initiation, and orientation of crack extension. The grain size and grain boundaries effects on crack retardation are discussed also during edge crack initiation. During the crack growth in coarse grain, most edge crack tips will blunt, which improves the crack toughness by causing less stress concentration. Overall, the fine microstructure shows a good crack initiation resistance, whereas the coarse microstructure has a better resistance to crack propagation. This research provides additional understanding of the mechanism of microstructure influence on edge crack evolution of cold strip rolling, which could be helpful for developing defect-free thin strip
Active Brownian Particles. From Individual to Collective Stochastic Dynamics
We review theoretical models of individual motility as well as collective
dynamics and pattern formation of active particles. We focus on simple models
of active dynamics with a particular emphasis on nonlinear and stochastic
dynamics of such self-propelled entities in the framework of statistical
mechanics. Examples of such active units in complex physico-chemical and
biological systems are chemically powered nano-rods, localized patterns in
reaction-diffusion system, motile cells or macroscopic animals. Based on the
description of individual motion of point-like active particles by stochastic
differential equations, we discuss different velocity-dependent friction
functions, the impact of various types of fluctuations and calculate
characteristic observables such as stationary velocity distributions or
diffusion coefficients. Finally, we consider not only the free and confined
individual active dynamics but also different types of interaction between
active particles. The resulting collective dynamical behavior of large
assemblies and aggregates of active units is discussed and an overview over
some recent results on spatiotemporal pattern formation in such systems is
given.Comment: 161 pages, Review, Eur Phys J Special-Topics, accepte
Enhanced generation of VUV radiation by four-wave mixing in mercury using pulsed laser vaporization
The efficiency of a coherent VUV source at 125 nm, based on 2-photon resonant
four-wave mixing in mercury vapor, has been enhanced by up to 2 orders of
magnitude. This enhancement was obtained by locally heating a liquid Hg surface
with a pulsed excimer laser, resulting in a high density vapor plume in which
the nonlinear interaction occurred. Energies up to 5 μJ (1 kW peak power)
have been achieved while keeping the overall Hg cell at room temperature,
avoiding the use of a complex heat pipe. We have observed a strong saturation
of the VUV yield when peak power densities of the fundamental beams exceed the
GW/cm2 range, as well as a large intensity-dependant broadening (up to ~30
cm-1) of the two-photon resonance. The source has potential applications for
high resolution interference lithography and photochemistry
Genome-wide meta-analyses reveal novel loci for verbal short-term memory and learning
Understanding the genomic basis of memory processes may help in combating neurodegenerative disorders. Hence, we examined the associations of common genetic variants with verbal short-term memory and verbal learning in adults without dementia or stroke (Nâ=â53,637). We identified novel loci in the intronic region of CDH18, and at 13q21 and 3p21.1, as well as an expected signal in the APOE/APOC1/TOMM40 region. These results replicated in an independent sample. Functional and bioinformatic analyses supported many of these loci and further implicated POC1. We showed that polygenic score for verbal learning associated with brain activation in right parieto-occipital region during working memory task. Finally, we showed genetic correlations of these memory traits with several neurocognitive and health outcomes. Our findings suggest a role of several genomic loci in verbal memory processes
New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias
Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE Δ4 allele
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