3,890 research outputs found
The Jabal Akhdar Dome in the Oman Mountains : evolution of a dynamic fracture system
Acknowledgments: This study was carried out within the framework of DGMK (German Society for Petroleum and Coal Science and Technology) research project 718 “Mineral Vein Dynamics Modelling,” which is funded by the companies ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH, GDF SUEZ E&P Deutschland GmbH, RWE Dea AG and Wintershall Holding GmbH, within the basic research program of the WEG Wirtschaftsverband Erdo¨l- und Erdgasgewinnung e.V. We thank the companies for their financial support and their permission to publish these results. The German University of Technology in Oman (GU-Tech) is acknowledged for its logistic support. We gratefully acknowledge the reviewers Andrea Billi and Jean-Paul Breton, whose constructive reviews greatly improved the manuscriptPeer reviewedPreprin
RNA denaturation: excluded volume, pseudoknots and transition scenarios
A lattice model of RNA denaturation which fully accounts for the excluded
volume effects among nucleotides is proposed. A numerical study shows that
interactions forming pseudoknots must be included in order to get a sharp
continuous transition. Otherwise a smooth crossover occurs from the swollen
linear polymer behavior to highly ramified, almost compact conformations with
secondary structures. In the latter scenario, which is appropriate when these
structures are much more stable than pseudoknot links, probability
distributions for the lengths of both loops and main branches obey scaling with
nonclassical exponents.Comment: 4 pages 3 figure
To freeze or not to: Quantum correlations under local decoherence
We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for freezing of quantum
correlations as measured by quantum discord and quantum work deficit in the
case of bipartite as well as multipartite states subjected to local noisy
channels. We recognize that inhomogeneity of the magnetizations of the shared
quantum states plays an important role in the freezing phenomena. We show that
the frozen value of the quantum correlation and the time interval for freezing
follow a complementarity relation. For states which do not exhibit "exact"
freezing, but can be frozen "effectively", by having a very slow decay rate
with suitable tuning of the state parameters, we introduce an index -- the
freezing index -- to quantify the goodness of freezing. We find that the
freezing index can be used to detect quantum phase transitions and discuss the
corresponding scaling behavior.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, close to published version, title changed by
Phys. Rev. A. to 'Freezing of quantum correlations under local decoherence
Hipster: Integrating Theory Exploration in a Proof Assistant
This paper describes Hipster, a system integrating theory exploration with
the proof assistant Isabelle/HOL. Theory exploration is a technique for
automatically discovering new interesting lemmas in a given theory development.
Hipster can be used in two main modes. The first is exploratory mode, used for
automatically generating basic lemmas about a given set of datatypes and
functions in a new theory development. The second is proof mode, used in a
particular proof attempt, trying to discover the missing lemmas which would
allow the current goal to be proved. Hipster's proof mode complements and
boosts existing proof automation techniques that rely on automatically
selecting existing lemmas, by inventing new lemmas that need induction to be
proved. We show example uses of both modes
From temporary arrangements to permanent change: Assessing the transitional capacity of city street experiments.
Bogoliubov space of a Bose--Einstein condensate and quantum spacetime fluctuations
In the present work we consider the role that metric fluctuations could have
upon the properties of a Bose--Einstein condensate. In particular we consider
the Bogoliubov space associated to it and show that there are, at least, two
independent ways in which the average size of these metric fluctuations could
be, experimentally, determined. Indeed, we prove that the pressure and the
speed of sound of the ground state define an expression allowing us to
determine the average size of these fluctuations. Afterwards, an
interferometric experiment involving Bogoliubov excitations of the condensate
and the pressure (or the speed of sound of the ground state) provides a second
and independent way in which this average size could be determined,
experimentally
Dynamic effect of phase conjugation on wave localization
We investigate what would happen to the time dependence of a pulse reflected
by a disordered single-mode waveguide, if it is closed at one end not by an
ordinary mirror but by a phase-conjugating mirror. We find that the waveguide
acts like a virtual cavity with resonance frequency equal to the working
frequency omega_0 of the phase-conjugating mirror. The decay in time of the
average power spectrum of the reflected pulse is delayed for frequencies near
omega_0. In the presence of localization the resonance width is
tau_s^{-1}exp(-L/l), with L the length of the waveguide, l the mean free path,
and tau_s the scattering time. Inside this frequency range the decay of the
average power spectrum is delayed up to times t simeq tau_s exp(L/l).Comment: 10 pages including 2 figure
Hyperbolic Scar Patterns in Phase Space
We develop a semiclassical approximation for the spectral Wigner and Husimi
functions in the neighbourhood of a classically unstable periodic orbit of
chaotic two dimensional maps. The prediction of hyperbolic fringes for the
Wigner function, asymptotic to the stable and unstable manifolds, is verified
computationally for a (linear) cat map, after the theory is adapted to a
discrete phase space appropriate to a quantized torus. The characteristic
fringe patterns can be distinguished even for quasi-energies where the fixed
point is not Bohr-quantized. The corresponding Husimi function dampens these
fringes with a Gaussian envelope centered on the periodic point. Even though
the hyperbolic structure is then barely perceptible, more periodic points stand
out due to the weakened interference.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, Submited to Phys. Rev.
Structural Stability of the PsbQ Protein of Higher Plant Photosystem II
We have characterized the stability and folding behavior of the isolated extrinsic PsbQ protein of photosystem II (PSII) from a higher plant, Spinacia oleracea, using intrinsic protein fluorescence emission and near- and far-UV circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy in combination with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Experimental results reveal that both chemical denaturation using guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) and thermal unfolding of PsbQ proceed as a two-state reversible process. The denaturation free-energy changes (GD) at 20 C extrapolated from GdnHCl (4.0 ± 0.6 kcal mol-1) or thermal unfolding (4.4 ± 0.8 kcal mol-1) are very close. Moreover, the far-UV CD spectra of the denatured PsbQ registered at 90 C in the absence and presence of 6.0 M GdnHCl superimpose, leading us to conclude that both denatured states of PsbQ are structurally and energetically similar. The thermal unfolding of PsbQ has been also characterized by CD and DSC over a wide pH range. The stability of PsbQ is at its maximum at pH comprised between 5 and 8, being wider than the optimal pH for oxygen evolution in the lumen of thylakoid membranes. In addition, no significant structural changes were detected in PsbQ between 50 and 55 C in the pH range of 3-8, suggesting that PsbQ behaves as a soluble and stable particle in the lumen when it detaches from PSII under physiological stress conditions such as high temperature (45-50 C) or low pH (<5.0). Sedimentation experiments showed that, in solution at 20 C, the PsbQ protein is a monomer with an elongated shape.Spanish Minitry of Science and Technology (PB1998-0480 and AGL2004-00045)This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology (project references PB1998-0480 and AGL2003-0045). M.B. holds a fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology.Peer reviewe
- …