863 research outputs found
Probing the atmosphere of a sub-Jovian planet orbiting a cool dwarf
We derive the 0.01 m binned transmission spectrum, between 0.74 and 1.0
m, of WASP-80b from low resolution spectra obtained with the FORS2
instrument attached to ESO's Very Large Telescope. The combination of the fact
that WASP-80 is an active star, together with instrumental and telluric
factors, introduces correlated noise in the observed transit light curves,
which we treat quantitatively using Gaussian Processes. Comparison of our
results together with those from previous studies, to theoretically calculated
models reveals an equilibrium temperature in agreement with the previously
measured value of 825K, and a sub-solar metallicity, as well as an atmosphere
depleted of molecular species with absorption bands in the IR ().
Our transmission spectrum alone shows evidence for additional absorption from
the potassium core and wing, whereby its presence is detected from analysis of
narrow 0.003 m bin light curves (). Further observations with
visible and near-UV filters will be required to expand this spectrum and
provide more in-depth knowledge of the atmosphere. These detections are only
made possible through an instrument-dependent baseline model and a careful
analysis of systematics in the data.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Measurement and Particle Statistics in the Szilard Engine
A Szilard Engine is a hypothetical device which is able to extract work from
a single thermal reservoir by measuring the position of particles within the
engine. We derive the amount of work that can be extracted from such a device
in the low temperature limit. Interestingly, we show this work is determined by
the information gain of the initial measurement rather than by the number and
type of particles which constitute the working substance. Our work provides
another clear connection between information gain and extractable work in
thermodynamical processes.Comment: 4 page
Lipofuscin Accumulation into and Clearance from Retinal Pigment Epithelium Lysosomes: Physiopathology and Emerging Therapeutics
Photoreceptors undergo a constant renewal of their light sensitive outer segments (POSs). In the renewal process, 10% of the POS mass is daily phagocytized by the adjacent retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). POS contain vast amounts of 11-cis retinal and all-trans-retinal, two highly reactive vitamin A aldehydes that spontaneously dimerize into lipid bisretinoids (LBs) and accumulate into RPE lysosomes during phagocytosis. As LBs are refractory to lysosomal hydrolases and RPE cells do not divide, this accumulation is irreversible and results in the formation of lipofuscin granules. Lipofuscin accumulation is toxic for RPE cells through a variety of light-dependent and light-independent mechanisms. Beyond a threshold, RPE cells die resulting in secondary loss of overlying photoreceptors. Currently, there are no effective treatments for retinal disorders associated with genetic or age-associated LB accumulation, such as Stargardt disease and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Thus, there is a great need for medical interventions. Here, we discuss the current understanding of lipofuscin\u27s pathogenicity and the status of different strategies under development to promote LB elimination from RPE lysosomes
Designing optimal discrete-feedback thermodynamic engines
Feedback can be utilized to convert information into useful work, making it
an effective tool for increasing the performance of thermodynamic engines.
Using feedback reversibility as a guiding principle, we devise a method for
designing optimal feedback protocols for thermodynamic engines that extract all
the information gained during feedback as work. Our method is based on the
observation that in a feedback-reversible process the measurement and the
time-reversal of the ensuing protocol both prepare the system in the same
probabilistic state. We illustrate the utility of our method with two examples
of the multi-particle Szilard engine.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, submitted to New J. Phy
Layer-Resolved Ultrafast XUV Measurement of Hole Transport in a Ni-TiO2-Si Photoanode
Metal-oxide-semiconductor junctions are central to most electronic and
optoelectronic devices. Here, the element-specificity of broadband extreme
ultraviolet (XUV) ultrafast pulses is used to measure the charge transport and
recombination kinetics in each layer of a Ni-TiO2-Si junction. After
photoexcitation of silicon, holes are inferred to transport from Si to Ni
ballistically in ~100 fs, resulting in spectral shifts in the Ni M2,3 XUV edge
that are characteristic of holes and the absence of holes initially in TiO2.
Meanwhile, the electrons are observed to remain on Si. After picoseconds, the
transient hole population on Ni is observed to back-diffuse through the TiO2,
shifting the Ti spectrum to higher oxidation state, followed by electron-hole
recombination at the Si-TiO2 interface and in the Si bulk. Electrical
properties, such as the hole diffusion constant in TiO2 and the initial hole
mobility in Si, are fit from these transient spectra and match well with values
reported previously
Nonequilibrium Detailed Fluctuation Theorem for Repeated Discrete Feedback
We extend the framework of forward and reverse processes commonly utilized in
the derivation and analysis of the nonequilibrium work relations to
thermodynamic processes with repeated discrete feedback. Within this framework,
we derive a generalization of the detailed fluctuation theorem, which is
modified by the addition of a term that quantifies the change in uncertainty
about the microscopic state of the system upon making measurements of physical
observables during feedback. As an application, we extend two nonequilibrium
work relations: the nonequilibrium work fluctuation theorem and the
relative-entropy work relation.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
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