5,023 research outputs found
Faking like a woman? Towards an interpretative theorization of sexual pleasure.
This article explores the possibility of developing a feminist approach to gendered and sexual embodiment which is rooted in the pragmatist/interactionist tradition derived from G.H. Mead, but which in turn develops this perspective by inflecting it through more recent feminist thinking. In so doing we seek to rebalance some of the rather abstract work on gender and embodiment by focusing on an instance of 'heterosexual' everyday/night life - the production of the female orgasm. Through engaging with feminist and interactionist work, we develop an approach to embodied sexual pleasure that emphasizes the sociality of sexual practices and of reflexive sexual selves. We argue that sexual practices and experiences must be understood in social context, taking account of the situatedness of sex as well as wider socio-cultural processes the production of sexual desire and sexual pleasure (or their non-production) always entails interpretive, interactional processes
Solitary waves in clouds of Bose-Einstein condensed atoms
We consider the conditions under which solitary waves can exist in elongated
clouds of Bose-Einstein condensed atoms. General expressions are derived for
the velocity, characteristic size, and spatial profile of solitary waves, and
the low- and high-density limits are examined.Comment: 6 pages, revtex, 1 ps figur
Lieb Mode in a Quasi One-Dimensional Bose-Einstein Condensate of Atoms
We calculate the dispersion relation associated with a solitary wave in a
quasi-one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate of atoms confined in a harmonic,
cylindrical trap in the limit of weak and strong interactions. In both cases,
the dispersion relation is linear for long wavelength excitations and
terminates at the point where the group velocity vanishes. We also calculate
the dispersion relation of sound waves in both limits of weak and strong
coupling.Comment: 4 pages, 2 ps figures, RevTe
Quantum reflection of ultracold atoms from thin films, graphene, and semiconductor heterostructures
We show that thin dielectric films can be used to enhance the performance of
passive atomic mirrors by enabling quantum reflection probabilities of over 90%
for atoms incident at velocities ~1 mm/s, achieved in recent experiments. This
enhancement is brought about by weakening the Casimir-Polder attraction between
the atom and the surface, which induces the quantum reflection. We show that
suspended graphene membranes also produce higher quantum reflection
probabilities than bulk matter. Temporal changes in the electrical resistance
of such membranes, produced as atoms stick to the surface, can be used to
monitor the reflection process, non-invasively and in real time. The resistance
change allows the reflection probability to be determined purely from
electrical measurements without needing to image the reflected atom cloud
optically. Finally, we show how perfect atom mirrors may be manufactured from
semiconductor heterostructures, which employ an embedded two-dimensional
electron gas to tailor the atom-surface interaction and so enhance the
reflection by classical means.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
On the future of astrostatistics: statistical foundations and statistical practice
This paper summarizes a presentation for a panel discussion on "The Future of
Astrostatistics" held at the Statistical Challenges in Modern Astronomy V
conference at Pennsylvania State University in June 2011. I argue that the
emerging needs of astrostatistics may both motivate and benefit from
fundamental developments in statistics. I highlight some recent work within
statistics on fundamental topics relevant to astrostatistical practice,
including the Bayesian/frequentist debate (and ideas for a synthesis),
multilevel models, and multiple testing. As an important direction for future
work in statistics, I emphasize that astronomers need a statistical framework
that explicitly supports unfolding chains of discovery, with acquisition,
cataloging, and modeling of data not seen as isolated tasks, but rather as
parts of an ongoing, integrated sequence of analyses, with information and
uncertainty propagating forward and backward through the chain. A prototypical
example is surveying of astronomical populations, where source detection,
demographic modeling, and the design of survey instruments and strategies all
interact.Comment: 8 pp, 2 figures. To appear in "Statistical Challenges in Modern
Astronomy V," (Lecture Notes in Statistics, Vol. 209), ed. Eric D. Feigelson
and G. Jogesh Babu; publication planned for Sep 2012; see
http://www.springer.com/statistics/book/978-1-4614-3519-
Measurement of the Neutron Lifetime by Counting Trapped Protons in a Cold Neutron Beam
A measurement of the neutron lifetime performed by the absolute
counting of in-beam neutrons and their decay protons has been completed.
Protons confined in a quasi-Penning trap were accelerated onto a silicon
detector held at a high potential and counted with nearly unit efficiency. The
neutrons were counted by a device with an efficiency inversely proportional to
neutron velocity, which cancels the dwell time of the neutron beam in the trap.
The result is s, which
is the most precise measurement of the lifetime using an in-beam method. The
systematic uncertainty is dominated by neutron counting, in particular the mass
of the deposit and the Li({\it{n,t}}) cross section. The measurement
technique and apparatus, data analysis, and investigation of systematic
uncertainties are discussed in detail.Comment: 71 pages, 20 figures, 9 tables; submitted to PR
Solitons and diffusive modes in the noiseless Burgers equation: Stability analysis
The noiseless Burgers equation in one spatial dimension is analyzed from the
point of view of a diffusive evolution equation in terms of nonlinear soliton
modes and linear diffusive modes. The transient evolution of the profile is
interpreted as a gas of right hand solitons connected by ramp solutions with
superposed linear diffusive modes. This picture is supported by a linear
stability analysis of the soliton mode. The spectrum and phase shift of the
diffusive modes are determined. In the presence of the soliton the diffusive
modes develop a gap in the spectrum and are phase-shifted in accordance with
Levinson's theorem. The spectrum also exhibits a zero-frequency translation or
Goldstone mode associated with the broken translational symmetry.Comment: 9 pages, Revtex file, 5 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev.
Many-body solitons in a one-dimensional condensate of hard core bosons
A mapping theorem leading to exact many-body dynamics of impenetrable bosons
in one dimension reveals dark and gray soliton-like structures in a toroidal
trap which is phase-imprinted. On long time scales revivals appear that are
beyond the usual mean-field theory
The Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation in the weak noise limit: Pattern formation and upper critical dimension
We extend the previously developed weak noise scheme, applied to the noisy
Burgers equation in 1D, to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation for a growing
interface in arbitrary dimensions. By means of the Cole-Hopf transformation we
show that the growth morphology can be interpreted in terms of dynamically
evolving textures of localized growth modes with superimposed diffusive modes.
In the Cole-Hopf representation the growth modes are static solutions to the
diffusion equation and the nonlinear Schroedinger equation, subsequently
boosted to finite velocity by a Galilei transformation. We discuss the dynamics
of the pattern formation and, briefly, the superimposed linear modes.
Implementing the stochastic interpretation we discuss kinetic transitions and
in particular the properties in the pair mode or dipole sector. We find the
Hurst exponent H=(3-d)/(4-d) for the random walk of growth modes in the dipole
sector. Finally, applying Derrick's theorem based on constrained minimization
we show that the upper critical dimension is d=4 in the sense that growth modes
cease to exist above this dimension.Comment: 27 pages, 19 eps figs, revte
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