The footprint of large scale cosmic structure on the ultra-high energy cosmic ray distribution

Current experiments collecting high statistics in ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are opening a new window on the universe. In this work we discuss a large scale structure model for the UHECR origin which evaluates the expected anisotropy in the UHECR arrival distribution starting from a given astronomical catalogue of the local universe. The model takes into account the main selection effects in the catalogue and the UHECR propagation effects. By applying this method to the IRAS PSCz catalogue, we derive the minimum statistics needed to significatively reject the hypothesis that UHECRs trace the baryonic distribution in the universe, in particular providing a forecast for the Auger experiment.Comment: 21 pages, 14 figures. Reference added, minor changes, matches published versio

Spin-wave instabilities in spin-transfer-driven magnetization dynamics

We study the stability of magnetization precessions induced in spin-transfer devices by the injection of spin-polarized electric currents. Instability conditions are derived by introducing a generalized, far-from-equilibrium interpretation of spin-waves. It is shown that instabilities are generated by distinct groups of magnetostatically coupled spin-waves. Stability diagrams are constructed as a function of external magnetic field and injected spin-polarized current. These diagrams show that applying larger fields and currents has a stabilizing effect on magnetization precessions. Analytical results are compared with numerical simulations of spin-transfer-driven magnetization dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Analysis and comparison between electric and magnetic power couplers for accelerators in Free Electron Lasers (FEL)

Abstract Free-electron lasers represent a new and exciting class of coherent optical sources possessing broad wavelength tunability and excellent optical-beam quality. The FERMI seeded free-electron laser (FEL), located at the Elettra laboratory in Trieste, is driven by a 200 m long, S-band linac: the high energy part of the linac is equipped with 6 m long backward traveling wave (BTW) structures. The structures have small iris radius and a nose cone geometry which allows for high gradient operation. Development of new high-gradient, S-band accelerating structures for the replacement of the existing BTWs is under consideration. This paper investigates two possible solutions for the RF power couplers suitable for a linac driven FEL which require reduced wakefields effects, high operating gradient and very high reliability. The first part of the manuscript focuses on the reduction of residual field asymmetries, while in the second analyzes RF performances, the peak surface fields and the expected breakdown rate. In the conclusion, two solutions are compared and pros and cons are highlighted

The Milky Way as a Kiloparsec-Scale Axionscope

Very high energy gamma-rays are expected to be absorbed by the extragalactic background light over cosmological distances via the process of electron-positron pair production. Recent observations of cosmologically distant gamma-ray emitters by ground based gamma-ray telescopes have, however, revealed a surprising degree of transparency of the universe to very high energy photons. One possible mechanism to explain this observation is the oscillation between photons and axion-like-particles (ALPs). Here we explore this possibility further, focusing on photon-ALP conversion in the magnetic fields in and around gamma-ray sources and in the magnetic field of the Milky Way, where some fraction of the ALP flux is converted back into photons. We show that this mechanism can be efficient in allowed regions of the ALP parameter space, as well as in typical configurations of the Galactic Magnetic Field. As case examples, we consider the spectrum observed from two HESS sources: 1ES1101-232 at redshift z=0.186 and H 2356-309 at z=0.165. We also discuss features of this scenario which could be used to distinguish it from standard or other exotic models.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures. Matches published versio

Parallel pumping of magnetic vortex gyrations in spin-torque nano-oscillators

We experimentally demonstrate that large magnetic vortex oscillations can be parametrically excited in a magnetic tunnel junction by the injection of radio-frequency (rf) currents at twice the natural frequency of the gyrotropic vortex core motion. The mechanism of excitation is based on the parallel pumping of vortex motion by the rf orthoradial field generated by the injected current. Theoretical analysis shows that experimental results can be interpreted as the manifestation of parametric amplification when rf current is small, and of parametric instability when rf current is above a certain threshold. By taking into account the energy nonlinearities, we succeed to describe the amplitude saturation of vortex oscillations as well as the coexistence of stable regimes.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Magnetization reversal in exchange-spring bilayer system under circularly polarized microwave field

Microwave assisted magnetization reversal are studied in the bulk bilayer exchange coupled system. We investigate the nonlinear magnetization reversal dynamics in a perpendicular exchange spring media using Landau-Lifshitz equation. In the limit of the infinite thickness of the system, the propagation field leads the reversal of the system. The reduction of the switching field and the magnetization profile in the extended system are studied numerically. The possibility to study the dynamics analytically is discussed and an approximation where two P-modes are coupled by an interaction field is presented. The ansatz used for the interaction field is validated by comparison with the numerical results. This approach is shown to be equivalent to two exchange coupled macrospins

Cosmological implications of the KATRIN experiment

The upcoming Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment will put unprecedented constraints on the absolute mass of the electron neutrino, \mnue. In this paper we investigate how this information on \mnue will affect our constraints on cosmological parameters. We consider two scenarios; one where \mnue=0 (i.e., no detection by KATRIN), and one where \mnue=0.3eV. We find that the constraints on \mnue from KATRIN will affect estimates of some important cosmological parameters significantly. For example, the significance of $n_s<1$ and the inferred value of $\Omega_\Lambda$ depend on the results from the KATRIN experiment.Comment: 13 page

High-Definition Ultrasound Characterization of Squamous Carcinoma of the Tongue: A Descriptive Observational Study

High-definition ultrasonography is a diagnostic tool that uses sound echoes to produce images of tissues and organs. In the head and neck region, ultrasounds have been used to diagnose different types of lesions. The intraoral approach was shown to be a real-time, non-invasive way to characterize oral lesions. The tongue is the most often examined region because of its accessibility. This observational study aimed to describe the qualitative characteristics of tongue squamous cell carcinoma images obtained with high-definition intraoral ultrasound by comparing them with the corresponding histopathological sample. Twenty patients were enrolled in this study. The scans of the lesions were carried out with an 18 MHz linear ultrasound probe following the long axis of the lesion. For each lesion, five frames were selected, on which descriptive analysis was performed. A histological sample was taken and then compared to the ultrasonographic acquisition. The so-nographic appearance of the tissue layers has a good correlation between ultrasound and histolog-ical morphology, and it was easy to distinguish the tumor from the homogenous composition of the tongue tissues. Furthermore, a correlation between the structure by section and pattern of tumor margin features by ultrasound was obtained. Intraoral ultrasonography appears to be a promising technique in the non-invasive characterization of tongue squamous cell carcinoma. Further studies will be needed to improve the technique in terms of ergonomics and repeatability

Using BBN in cosmological parameter extraction from CMB: a forecast for Planck

Data from future high-precision Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) measurements will be sensitive to the primordial Helium abundance $Y_p$. At the same time, this parameter can be predicted from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) as a function of the baryon and radiation densities, as well as a neutrino chemical potential. We suggest to use this information to impose a self-consistent BBN prior on $Y_p$ and determine its impact on parameter inference from simulated Planck data. We find that this approach can significantly improve bounds on cosmological parameters compared to an analysis which treats $Y_p$ as a free parameter, if the neutrino chemical potential is taken to vanish. We demonstrate that fixing the Helium fraction to an arbitrary value can seriously bias parameter estimates. Under the assumption of degenerate BBN (i.e., letting the neutrino chemical potential $\xi$ vary), the BBN prior's constraining power is somewhat weakened, but nevertheless allows us to constrain $\xi$ with an accuracy that rivals bounds inferred from present data on light element abundances.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures; v2: minor changes, matches published versio