986 research outputs found
Ferroelectricity in the Dion-Jacobson CsBiNbO from first principles
We have studied ferroelectricity in Dion-Jacobson CsBiNbO from first
principles. Using group-theoretical analysis and first-principles density
functional calculations of the total energy and phonons, we perform a
systematic study of the energy surface around a paraelectric prototypic phase.
Our results suggest that CsBiNbO is a ferroelectric with a polarization
of P=40C cm. We propose further experiments to clarify this
point
Out-of-phase oscillation between superfluid and thermal components for a trapped Bose condensate under oscillatory excitation
The vortex nucleation and the emergence of quantum turbulence induced by
oscillating magnetic fields, introduced by Henn E A L, et al. 2009 (Phys. Rev.
A 79, 043619) and Henn E A L, et al. 2009 (Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 045301), left
a few open questions concerning the basic mechanisms causing those interesting
phenomena. Here, we report the experimental observation of the slosh dynamics
of a magnetically trapped Rb Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) under the
influence of a time-varying magnetic field. We observed a clear relative
displacement in between the condensed and the thermal fraction center-of-mass.
We have identified this relative counter move as an out-of-phase oscillation
mode, which is able to produce ripples on the condensed/thermal fractions
interface. The out-of-phase mode can be included as a possible mechanism
involved in the vortex nucleation and further evolution when excited by time
dependent magnetic fields.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, 25 reference
Injection locking of a low cost high power laser diode at 461 nm
Stable laser sources at 461 nm are important for optical cooling of strontium
atoms. In most existing experiments this wavelength is obtained by frequency
doubling infrared lasers, since blue laser diodes either have low power or
large emission bandwidths. Here, we show that injecting less than 10 mW of
monomode laser radiation into a blue multimode 500 mW high power laser diode is
capable of slaving at least 50% of the power to the desired frequency. We
verify the emission bandwidth reduction by saturation spectroscopy on a
strontium gas cell and by direct beating of the slave with the master laser. We
also demonstrate that the laser can efficiently be used within the Zeeman
slower for optical cooling of a strontium atomic beam.Comment: 2nd corrected version (minor revisions); Manuscript accepted for
publication in Review of Scientific Instruments; 5 pages, 6 figure
Route to turbulence in a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate
We have studied a Bose-Einstein condensate of atoms under an
oscillatory excitation. For a fixed frequency of excitation, we have explored
how the values of amplitude and time of excitation must be combined in order to
produce quantum turbulence in the condensate. Depending on the combination of
these parameters different behaviors are observed in the sample. For the lowest
values of time and amplitude of excitation, we observe a bending of the main
axis of the cloud. Increasing the amplitude of excitation we observe an
increasing number of vortices. The vortex state can evolve into the turbulent
regime if the parameters of excitation are driven up to a certain set of
combinations. If the value of the parameters of these combinations is exceeded,
all vorticity disappears and the condensate enters into a different regime
which we have identified as the granular phase. Our results are summarized in a
diagram of amplitude versus time of excitation in which the different
structures can be identified. We also present numerical simulations of the
Gross-Pitaevskii equation which support our observations.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Engineering a Dimeric Caspase-9: A Re-evaluation of the Induced Proximity Model for Caspase Activation
Caspases are responsible for the execution of programmed cell death (apoptosis) and must undergo proteolytic activation, in response to apoptotic stimuli, to function. The mechanism of initiator caspase activation has been generalized by the induced proximity model, which is thought to drive dimerization-mediated activation of caspases. The initiator caspase, caspase-9, exists predominantly as a monomer in solution. To examine the induced proximity model, we engineered a constitutively dimeric caspase-9 by relieving steric hindrance at the dimer interface. Crystal structure of the engineered caspase-9 closely resembles that of the wild-type (WT) caspase-9, including all relevant structural details and the asymmetric nature of two monomers. Compared to the WT caspase-9, this engineered dimer exhibits a higher level of catalytic activity in vitro and induces more efficient cell death when expressed. However, the catalytic activity of the dimeric caspase-9 is only a small fraction of that for the Apaf-1-activated caspase-9. Furthermore, in contrast to the WT caspase-9, the activity of the dimeric caspase-9 can no longer be significantly enhanced in an Apaf-1-dependent manner. These findings suggest that dimerization of caspase-9 may be qualitatively different from its activation by Apaf-1, and in conjunction with other evidence, posit an induced conformation model for the activation of initiator caspases
Three-vortex configurations in trapped Bose-Einstein condensates
We report on the creation of three-vortex clusters in a
Bose-Einstein condensate by oscillatory excitation of the condensate. This
procedure can create vortices of both circulation, so that we are able to
create several types of vortex clusters using the same mechanism. The
three-vortex configurations are dominated by two types, namely, an
equilateral-triangle arrangement and a linear arrangement. We interpret these
most stable configurations respectively as three vortices with the same
circulation, and as a vortex-antivortex-vortex cluster. The linear
configurations are very likely the first experimental signatures of predicted
stationary vortex clusters.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Spin-wave scattering at low temperatures in manganite films
The temperature and magnetic field dependence of the resistivity
has been measured for LaSrMnO (y=0 and 0.128)
films grown on (100) SrTiO substrates. The low-temperature in the
ferromagnetic metallic region follows well with being the residual resistivity. We attribute the second and third term to
small-polaron and spin-wave scattering, respectively. Our analysis based on
these scattering mechanisms also gives the observed difference between the
metal-insulator transition temperatures of the films studied. Transport
measurements in applied magnetic field further indicate that spin-wave
scattering is a key transport mechanism at low temperatures.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. to appear in Phys. Rev.
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