1,164 research outputs found
Optical bistability in subwavelength apertures containing nonlinear media
We develop a self-consistent method to study the optical response of metallic
gratings with nonlinear media embedded within their subwavelength slits. An
optical Kerr nonlinearity is considered. Due to the large E-fields associated
with the excitation of the transmission resonances appearing in this type of
structures, moderate incoming fluxes result in drastic changes in the
transmission spectra. Importantly, optical bistability is obtained for certain
ranges of both flux and wavelength.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Pomelo, a tool for computing Generic Set Voronoi Diagrams of Aspherical Particles of Arbitrary Shape
We describe the development of a new software tool, called "Pomelo", for the
calculation of Set Voronoi diagrams. Voronoi diagrams are a spatial partition
of the space around the particles into separate Voronoi cells, e.g. applicable
to granular materials. A generalization of the conventional Voronoi diagram for
points or monodisperse spheres is the Set Voronoi diagram, also known as
navigational map or tessellation by zone of influence. In this construction, a
Set Voronoi cell contains the volume that is closer to the surface of one
particle than to the surface of any other particle. This is required for
aspherical or polydisperse systems.
Pomelo is designed to be easy to use and as generic as possible. It directly
supports common particle shapes and offers a generic mode, which allows to deal
with any type of particles that can be described mathematically. Pomelo can
create output in different standard formats, which allows direct visualization
and further processing. Finally, we describe three applications of the Set
Voronoi code in granular and soft matter physics, namely the problem of
packings of ellipsoidal particles with varying degrees of particle-particle
friction, mechanical stable packings of tetrahedra and a model for liquid
crystal systems of particles with shapes reminiscent of pearsComment: 4 pages, 9 figures, Submitted to Powders and Grains 201
A Characterisation of the Weylian Structure of Space-Time by Means of Low Velocity Tests
The compatibility axiom in Ehlers, Pirani and Schild's (EPS) constructive
axiomatics of the space-time geometry that uses light rays and freely falling
particles with high velocity, is replaced by several constructions with low
velocity particles only. For that purpose we describe in a space-time with a
conformal structure and an arbitrary path structure the radial acceleration, a
Coriolis acceleration and the zig-zag construction. Each of these quantities
give effects whose requirement to vanish can be taken as alternative version of
the compatibility axiom of EPS. The procedural advantage lies in the fact, that
one can make null-experiments and that one only needs low velocity particles to
test the compatibility axiom. We show in addition that Perlick's standard clock
can exist in a Weyl space only.Comment: to appear in Gen.Rel.Gra
Potential Energy Surface for H_2 Dissociation over Pd(100)
The potential energy surface (PES) of dissociative adsorption of H_2 on
Pd(100) is investigated using density functional theory and the full-potential
linear augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. Several dissociation pathways are
identified which have a vanishing energy barrier. A pronounced dependence of
the potential energy on ``cartwheel'' rotations of the molecular axis is found.
The calculated PES shows no indication of the presence of a precursor state in
front of the surface. Both results indicate that steering effects determine the
observed decrease of the sticking coefficient at low energies of the H_2
molecules. We show that the topology of the PES is related to the dependence of
the covalent H(s)-Pd(d) interactions on the orientation of the H_2 molecule.Comment: RevTeX, 8 pages, 5 figures in uufiles forma
Nogo-A Regulates Neural Precursor Migration in the Embryonic Mouse Cortex
Although Nogo-A has been intensively studied for its inhibitory effect on axonal regeneration in the adult central nervous system, little is known about its function during brain development. In the embryonic mouse cortex, Nogo-A is expressed by radial precursor/glial cells and by tangentially migrating as well as postmigratory neurons. We studied radially migrating neuroblasts in wild-type and Nogo-A knockout (KO) mouse embryos. In vitro analysis showed that Nogo-A and its receptor components NgR, Lingo-1, TROY, and p75 are expressed in cells emigrating from embryonic forebrain–derived neurospheres. Live imaging revealed an increased cell motility when Nogo-A was knocked out or blocked with antibodies. Antibodies blocking NgR or Lingo-1 showed the same motility-enhancing effect supporting a direct role of surface Nogo-A on migration. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling of embryonic day (E)15.5 embryos demonstrated that Nogo-A influences the radial migration of neuronal precursors. At E17.5, the normal transient accumulation of radially migrating precursors within the subventricular zone was not detectable in the Nogo-A KO mouse cortex. At E19, migration to the upper cortical layers was disturbed. These findings suggest that Nogo-A and its receptor complex play a role in the interplay of adhesive and repulsive cell interactions in radial migration during cortical development
Nogo-a regulates neural precursor migration in the embryonic mouse cortex
Although Nogo-A has been intensively studied for its inhibitory effect on axonal regeneration in the adult central nervous system, little is known about its function during brain development. In the embryonic mouse cortex, Nogo-A is expressed by radial precursor/glial cells and by tangentially migrating as well as postmigratory neurons. We studied radially migrating neuroblasts in wild-type and Nogo-A knockout (KO) mouse embryos. In vitro analysis showed that Nogo-A and its receptor components NgR, Lingo-1, TROY, and p75 are expressed in cells emigrating from embryonic forebrain-derived neurospheres. Live imaging revealed an increased cell motility when Nogo-A was knocked out or blocked with antibodies. Antibodies blocking NgR or Lingo-1 showed the same motility-enhancing effect supporting a direct role of surface Nogo-A on migration. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling of embryonic day (E)15.5 embryos demonstrated that Nogo-A influences the radial migration of neuronal precursors. At E17.5, the normal transient accumulation of radially migrating precursors within the subventricular zone was not detectable in the Nogo-A KO mouse cortex. At E19, migration to the upper cortical layers was disturbed. These findings suggest that Nogo-A and its receptor complex play a role in the interplay of adhesive and repulsive cell interactions in radial migration during cortical developmen
Non-universal Voronoi cell shapes in amorphous ellipsoid packings
In particulate systems with short-range interactions, such as granular matter
or simple fluids, local structure plays a pivotal role in determining the
macroscopic physical properties. Here, we analyse local structure metrics
derived from the Voronoi diagram of configurations of oblate ellipsoids, for
various aspect ratios and global volume fractions . We focus
on jammed static configurations of frictional ellipsoids, obtained by
tomographic imaging and by discrete element method simulations. In particular,
we consider the local packing fraction , defined as the particle's
volume divided by its Voronoi cell volume. We find that the probability
for a Voronoi cell to have a given local packing fraction shows the
same scaling behaviour as function of as observed for random sphere
packs. Surprisingly, this scaling behaviour is further found to be independent
of the particle aspect ratio. By contrast, the typical Voronoi cell shape,
quantified by the Minkowski tensor anisotropy index ,
points towards a significant difference between random packings of spheres and
those of oblate ellipsoids. While the average cell shape of all cells
with a given value of is very similar in dense and loose jammed sphere
packings, the structure of dense and loose ellipsoid packings differs
substantially such that this does not hold true. This non-universality has
implications for our understanding of jamming of aspherical particles.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
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