3,097 research outputs found
Probing collective dynamics of active particles using modulation force spectroscopy
In this letter, we report a method of measuring the dynamic viscosity of self-propelled active particles using an intensity-modulated optical tweezer. We have used a 6 μm trapped polystyrene bead suspended in a bath of motile bacterial cells as a probe. The response function amplitude of the oscillatory bead directly measures the dynamics of the spatiotemporal structure of the motile particles. We find that unlike passive systems, the viscosity is defined by distributions of response function amplitudes that represent the long-range active temporal structures. Appropriate Langevin equations are set up that capture all these essential features
A new window on Strange Quark Matter as the ground state of strongly interacting matter
If strange quark matter is the true ground state of matter, it must have
lower energy than nuclear matter. Simultaneously, two-flavour quark matter must
have higher energy than nuclear matter, for otherwise the latter would convert
to the former. We show, using an effective chiral lagrangian, that the
existence of a new lower energy ground state for two-flavour quark matter, the
pion condensate, shrinks the window for strange quark matter to be the ground
state of matter and sets new limits on the current strange quark mass
Bose-Einstein condensates with attractive 1/r interaction: The case of self-trapping
Amplifying on a proposal by O'Dell et al. for the realization of
Bose-Einstein condensates of neutral atoms with attractive interaction,
we point out that the instance of self-trapping of the condensate, without
external trap potential, is physically best understood by introducing
appropriate "atomic" units. This reveals a remarkable scaling property: the
physics of the condensate depends only on the two parameters and
, where is the particle number, the scattering length,
the "Bohr" radius and the trap frequency in atomic units. We
calculate accurate numerical results for self-trapping wave functions and
potentials, for energies, sizes and peak densities, and compare with previous
variational results. As a novel feature we point out the existence of a second
solution of the extended Gross-Pitaevskii equation for negative scattering
lengths, with and without trapping potential, which is born together with the
ground state in a tangent bifurcation. This indicates the existence of an
unstable collectively excited state of the condensate for negative scattering
lengths.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Distinct levels in the nanoscale organization of DNA-histone complex revealed by its mechanical unfolding
Mechanical unfolding of nanoscale DNA-histone complex, using an atomic force microscope, shows a stepwise disassembly of histones from the nucleosome. A quantitative analysis of the rupture jump statistics and the length released per jump reveals insights into the possible histone contacts within the octamer complex. The measured ruptures correlate with the breakage of multiple contacts that stabilize the histone octamer. These results provide a mechanistic basis by which stepwise disassembly of histone proteins may result from an external force exerted by the adenosinetriphosphate (ATP) dependent chromatin remodeling machines to access regulatory sites on DNA
Anomalous Thermoelectric power of over-doped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 superconductor
Temperature dependence of thermoelectric power S(T) of three differently
processed Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 (Bi2212) samples, viz. as-processed melt quenched
(Bi2212-MQ), 6000C N2-annealed (Bi2212-N2) and 6000C O2-annealed (Bi2212-O2) is
reported here. All the samples possess single-phase character and their
superconducting transition temperatures (TcR=0) are 85 K, 90 K and 72 K
respectively for Bi2212-MQ, Bi2212-N2 and Bi2212-O2. While Bi2212-MQ and
Bi2212-N2 samples are in near optimum doping regime, Bi2212-O2 is an over-doped
sample. TcS=0 values obtained through S(T) data are also in line with those
deduced from the temperature dependence of resistance and DC magnetization.
Interestingly, S(T) behaviour of the optimally-doped Bi2212-MQ and Bi2212-N2
samples is seen to be positive in whole temperature range, it is found negative
for the over-doped Bi2212-O2 sample above TcS=0. These results have been seen
in the light of the recent band structure calculations and the ensuing split
Fermi surface as determined by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy
(ARPES).Comment: 11 Pages Text + Figs: comments welcome ([email protected]
Rheology of Active-Particle Suspensions
We study the interplay of activity, order and flow through a set of
coarse-grained equations governing the hydrodynamic velocity, concentration and
stress fields in a suspension of active, energy-dissipating particles. We make
several predictions for the rheology of such systems, which can be tested on
bacterial suspensions, cell extracts with motors and filaments, or artificial
machines in a fluid. The phenomena of cytoplasmic streaming, elastotaxis and
active mechanosensing find natural explanations within our model.Comment: 3 eps figures, submitted to Phys Rev Let
Asymptotically Free Non-Abelian Gauge Theories With Fermions and Scalars As Alternatives to QCD
In this paper we construct non-Abelian gauge theories with fermions and
scalars that nevertheless possess asymptotic freedom.The scalars are taken to
be in a chiral multiplet transforming as under
and transforming as singlets under the colour SU(3) group. We consider two
distinct scenarios, one in which the additional scalars are light and another
in which they are heavier than half the Z-boson mass. It is shown that
asymptotic freedom is obtained without requiring that all additional couplings
keep fixed ratios with each other. It is also shown that both scenarios can not
be ruled out by what are considered standard tests of QCD like R- parameter,
g-2 for muons or deep inelastic phenomena. The light mass scenario is however
ruled out by high precision Z-width data (and only by that one data).The heavy
mass scenario is still viable and is shown to naturally pass the test of
flavour changing neutral currents. It also is not ruled out by precision
electroweak oblique parameters. Many distinctive experimental signatures of
these models are also discussed.Comment: 37 pages in LATEX with 10 fig
Correlation Functions of Hadron Currents in the QCD Vacuum Calculated in Lattice QCD
Point-to-point vacuum correlation functions for spatially separated hadron
currents are calculated in quenched lattice QCD on a lattice
with . The lattice data are analyzed in terms of dispersion
relations, which enable us to extract physical information from small distances
where asymptotic freedom is apparent to large distances where the hadronic
resonances dominate. In the pseudoscalar, vector, and axial vector channels
where experimental data or phenomenological information are available,
semi-quantitative agreement is obtained. In the nucleon and delta channels,
where no experimental data exist, our lattice data complement experiments.
Comparison with approximations based on sum rules and interacting instantons
are made, and technical details of the lattice calculation are described.Comment: 31 pages in REVTeX (with 10 figures to be added using figures
command), MIT CTP #214
Does fix the Electromagnetic Form Factor at ?
We show that the decay is a reliable
source of information for the electromagnetic form factor of the pion at
by using general arguments to estimate, or
rather, put upper bounds on, the background processes that could spoil this
extraction. We briefly comment on the significance of the resulting
.Comment: 10 pages revtex manuscript, one figure--not included, U. of MD PP
#94-00
Lattice Calculation of Point-to-Point Hadron Current Correlation
Point-to-point correlation functions of hadron currents in the QCD vacuum are
calculated on a lattice and analyzed using dispersion relations, providing
physical information down to small spatial separations. Qualitative agreement
with phenomenological results is obtained in channels for which experimental
data are available, and these correlation functions are shown to be useful in
exploring approximations based on sum rules and interacting instantons.Comment: 11 page
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