9,143 research outputs found
Excessive noise as a test for many-body localization
Recent experimental reports suggested the existence of a finite-temperature insulator in the vicinity of the superconductor-insulator transition. The rapid decay of conductivity over a narrow temperature range was theoretically linked to both a finite-temperature transition to a many-body-localized state, and to a charge-Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition. Here we report of low-frequency noise measurements of such insulators to test for many-body localization. We observed a huge enhancement of the low-temperatures noise when exceeding a threshold voltage for nonlinear conductivity and discuss our results in light of the theoretical models
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Design, characterization, and fabrication of solar-retroreflective cool-wall materials
Raising urban albedo increases the fraction of incident sunlight returned to outer space, cooling cities and their buildings. We evaluated the angular distribution of solar radiation incident on exterior walls in 17 U S. climates to develop performance parameters for solar-retroreflective walls, then applied first-principle physics and ray-tracing simulations to explore designs. Our analysis indicates that retroreflective walls must function at large incidence angles to reflect a substantial portion of summer sunlight, and that this will be difficult to attain with materials that rely on total internal reflection. Gonio-spectrophotometer measurements of the solar spectral bi-directional reflectivity of a bicycle reflector showed little to no retroreflection at large incidence angles. Visual comparisons of retroreflection to specular first-surface reflection for four different retroreflective safety films using violet and green lasers suggest their retroreflection to be no greater than 0.09 at incidence angles up to 45°, and no greater than 0.30 at incidence angles of up to 70°. Attempts to produce a two-surface retroreflector with orthogonal mirror grooves by cutting and polishing an aluminum block indicate that residual surface roughness impedes retroreflection. Ongoing efforts focus on forming orthogonal surfaces with aluminized Mylar film, a material with very high specular reflectance across the solar spectrum. We investigated (1) folding or stamping a free film; (2) adhering the film to a pre-shaped substrate; or (3) attaching the film to a flat ductile substrate, then shaping. The latter two methods were more successful but yielded imperfect right angles
Designing a mixed mode Masters module in Science Education to support shared construction of knowledge and critical reflection
Foundations of Science Education is a core module in the Masters in Science Education course. The main purpose of this module is to promote critical reflection in the main aspects of science education incorporating teaching, learning, philosophy and policy. This paper reports on the purpose and development of a mixed-mode (blended) course in which online discussions and tasks complement and extend face to face teaching and discussions. It discusses how the re-structured module is designed to support the construction of knowledge and critical review of that knowledge through the dimensions of shared practice. Most of the course participants are science educators, mainly London-based but with some international students, and the course draws on their growing theoretical knowledge in combination with shared experiences. In this paper we discuss the possibilities and constraints of the course design
Acoustoelectric current and pumping in a ballistic quantum point contact
The acoustoelectric current induced by a surface acoustic wave (SAW) in a
ballistic quantum point contact is considered using a quantum approach. We find
that the current is of the "pumping" type and is not related to drag, i.e. to
the momentum transfer from the wave to the electron gas. At gate voltages
corresponding to the plateaus of the quantized conductance the current is
small. It is peaked at the conductance step voltages. The peak current
oscillates and decays with increasing SAW wavenumber for short wavelengths.
These results contradict previous calculations, based on the classical
Boltzmann equation.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Cosmic-ray electron injection from the ionization of nuclei
We show that the secondary electrons ejected from the ionization of heavy
ions can be injected into the acceleration process that occurs at supernova
remnant shocks. This electron injection mechanism works since ions are ionized
during the acceleration when they move already with relativistic speed, just
like ejected electrons do. Using the abundances of heavy nuclei measured in
cosmic rays at Earth, we estimate the electron/proton ratio at the source to be
~10^-4, big enough to account for the nonthermal synchrotron emission observed
in young SNRs. We also show that the ionization process can limit the maximum
energy that heavy ions can reach.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letter
Extrapolation of K to \pi\pi decay amplitude
We examine the uncertainties involved in the off-mass-shell extrapolation of
the decay amplitude with emphasis on those aspects that
have so far been overlooked or ignored. Among them are initial-state
interactions, choice of the extrapolated kaon field, and the relation between
the asymptotic behavior and the zeros of the decay amplitude. In the inelastic
region the phase of the decay amplitude cannot be determined by strong
interaction alone and even its asymptotic value cannot be deduced from
experiment. More a fundamental issue is intrinsic nonuniqueness of off-shell
values of hadronic matrix elements in general. Though we are hampered with
complexity of intermediate-energy meson interactions, we attempt to obtain a
quantitative idea of the uncertainties due to the inelastic region and find
that they can be much larger than more optimistic views portray.Comment: 16 pages with 5 eps figures in REVTE
Large-Amplitude, Pair-Creating Oscillations in Pulsar and Black Hole Magnetospheres
A time-dependent model for pair creation in a pulsar magnetosphere is
developed. It is argued that the parallel electric field that develops in a
charge-starved region (a gap) of a pulsar magnetosphere oscillates with large
amplitude. Electrons and positrons are accelerated periodically and the
amplitude of the oscillations is assumed large enough to cause creation of
upgoing and downgoing pairs at different phases of the oscillation. With a
charge-starved initial condition, we find that the oscillations result in
bursts of pair creation in which the pair density rises exponentially with
time. The pair density saturates at , where is the parallel electric field in the
charge-starved initial state, and is the Lorentz factor for
effec tive pair creation. The frequency of oscillations following the pair
creation burst is given roughly by . A positive feedback keeps the system stable, such that the average pair
creation rate balances the loss rate due to pairs escaping the magnetosphere.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figures, ApJ submitte
Reversing Circulation Patterns in a Tropical Estuary
A combination of current velocity and water density measurements was used to characterize the basic patterns of water exchange in the Gulf of Fonseca, a tropical estuary on the Pacific Ocean side of Central America. The measurements were obtained during spring and neap tides in March ( dry season) and June ( wet season) of 2001 and consisted of profiles of current velocity and density along four transects. From mid-March to mid-April a time series of hourly surface current velocity maps was also obtained with a high-frequency radar system of two antennas. The sampling transects and the radar coverage concentrated in the portion of the estuary that has open communication with the ocean. During the dry season, water exchange at the entrance to the gulf suggested an inverse estuarine circulation that was more robust, and its dynamics were closer to geostrophy during neap than during spring tides. It is likely that salinity increased toward the tributaries of the system and then decreased within those tributaries because of the persistent influence of fresh water. In contrast, during the wet season, salinity decreased into the estuary, and the circulation resembled that of a typical estuary. In this season the fortnightly modulation of exchange flows was masked by wind effects, which also played a relevant role in the dynamics. The net volume inflows measured in both seasons suggested that the residence time of the Gulf of Fonseca varies from 2 weeks to 1 month
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