2,242 research outputs found
Probing the electron EDM with cold molecules
We present progress towards a new measurement of the electron electric dipole
moment using a cold supersonic beam of YbF molecules. Data are currently being
taken with a sensitivity of . We
therefore expect to make an improvement over the Tl experiment of Commins'
group, which currently gives the most precise result. We discuss the systematic
and statistical errors and comment on the future prospect of making a
measurement at the level of .Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, proceedings of ICAP 200
Nonadiabatic transitions in a Stark decelerator
In a Stark decelerator, polar molecules are slowed down and focussed by an
inhomogeneous electric field which switches between two configurations. For the
decelerator to work, it is essential that the molecules follow the changing
electric field adiabatically. When the decelerator switches from one
configuration to the other, the electric field changes in magnitude and
direction, and this can cause molecules to change state. In places where the
field is weak, the rotation of the electric field vector during the switch may
be too rapid for the molecules to maintain their orientation relative to the
field. Molecules that are at these places when the field switches may be lost
from the decelerator as they are transferred into states that are not focussed.
We calculate the probability of nonadiabatic transitions as a function of
position in the periodic decelerator structure and find that for the
decelerated group of molecules the loss is typically small, while for the
un-decelerated group of molecules the loss can be very high. This loss can be
eliminated using a bias field to ensure that the electric field magnitude is
always large enough. We demonstrate our findings by comparing the results of
experiments and simulations for the Stark deceleration of LiH and CaF
molecules. We present a simple method for calculating the transition
probabilities which can easily be applied to other molecules of interest.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, minor revisions following referee suggestion
Epigenetic regulatory pathways involving microRNAs may modulate the host immune response following major trauma
BACKGROUND
Posttraumatic nosocomial pneumonia is a common complication resulting in significant morbidity. Trauma-induced immunocompromise is associated with an enhanced susceptibility to pneumonia. In this study, we explore the hypothesis that posttranscriptional epigenetic regulation of gene expression may be an important factor in determining this immune phenotype. We describe the pattern of production of microRNAss (miRs) and their association with nosocomial pneumonia following severe trauma.
METHODS
A convenience sample of 30 ventilated polytrauma patients (UKCRN ID: 5637) and 16 healthy controls were recruited. Messenger RNA and protein levels of key cytokines were quantified within 2 hours of the injury and at 24 hours. Three miRs per cytokine were then selected based on miRBase target prediction scores and quantified using polymerase chain reaction. Nosocomial pneumonia was defined using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definitions.
RESULTS
Median Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 29, and 47% of the patients developed nosocomial pneumonia. miR-125a and miR-202 decreased by 34% and 77%, respectively, immediately following injury, whereas their target, IL-10, increased messenger RNA levels 3-fold and protein levels 180 fold. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and IL-12 gene expression decreased by 68% and 43%, respectively, following injury, and this was mirrored by a 10-fold increase in miR-181, an miR predicted to target TNF-α transcripts. Lower levels of miR-125a and miR-374b were associated with the later acquisition of hospital-acquired pneumonia.
CONCLUSION
Alteration in the expression of miRs with highly predicted complementarity to IL-10 and TNF-α may be an important mechanism regulating the posttraumatic immunosuppressive phenotype in intensive care unit patients.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
Retrospective observational study, level III
Phenomenology of the Equivalence Principle with Light Scalars
Light scalar particles with couplings of sub-gravitational strength, which
can generically be called 'dilatons', can produce violations of the equivalence
principle. However, in order to understand experimental sensitivities one must
know the coupling of these scalars to atomic systems. We report here on a study
of the required couplings. We give a general Lagrangian with five independent
dilaton parameters and calculate the "dilaton charge" of atomic systems for
each of these. Two combinations are particularly important. One is due to the
variations in the nuclear binding energy, with a sensitivity scaling with the
atomic number as . The other is due to electromagnetism. We compare
limits on the dilaton parameters from existing experiments.Comment: 5 page
Nanostructures in Ti processed by severe plastic deformation
Metals and alloys processed by severe plastic deformation (SPD) can demonstrate superior mechanical properties, which are rendered by their unique defect structures. In this investigation, transmission electron microscopy and x-ray analysis were used to systematically study the defect structures, including grain and subgrain structures, dislocation cells, dislocation distributions, grain boundaries, and the hierarchy of these structural features, in nanostructured Ti produced by a two-step SPD procedure-warm equal channel angular pressing followed by cold rolling. The effects of these defect structures on the mechanical behaviors of nanostructured Ti are discussed
Zone-plate focusing of Bose-Einstein condensates for atom optics and erasable high-speed lithography of quantum electronic components
We show that Fresnel zone plates, fabricated in a solid surface, can sharply
focus atomic Bose-Einstein condensates that quantum reflect from the surface or
pass through the etched holes. The focusing process compresses the condensate
by orders of magnitude despite inter-atomic repulsion. Crucially, the focusing
dynamics are insensitive to quantum fluctuations of the atom cloud and largely
preserve the condensates' coherence, suggesting applications in passive
atom-optical elements, for example zone plate lenses that focus atomic matter
waves and light at the same point to strengthen their interaction. We explore
transmission zone-plate focusing of alkali atoms as a route to erasable and
scalable lithography of quantum electronic components in two-dimensional
electron gases embedded in semiconductor nanostructures. To do this, we
calculate the density profile of a two-dimensional electron gas immediately
below a patch of alkali atoms deposited on the surface of the nanostructure by
zone-plate focusing. Our results reveal that surface-induced polarization of
only a few thousand adsorbed atoms can locally deplete the electron gas. We
show that, as a result, the focused deposition of alkali atoms by existing zone
plates can create quantum electronic components on the 50 nm scale, comparable
to that attainable by ion beam implantation but with minimal damage to either
the nanostructure or electron gas.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure
Pulsed beams as field probes for precision measurement
We describe a technique for mapping the spatial variation of static electric,
static magnetic, and rf magnetic fields using a pulsed atomic or molecular
beam. The method is demonstrated using a beam designed to measure the electric
dipole moment of the electron. We present maps of the interaction region,
showing sensitivity to (i) electric field variation of 1.5 V/cm at 3.3 kV/cm
with a spatial resolution of 15 mm; (ii) magnetic field variation of 5 nT with
25 mm resolution; (iii) radio-frequency magnetic field amplitude with 15 mm
resolution. This new diagnostic technique is very powerful in the context of
high-precision atomic and molecular physics experiments, where pulsed beams
have not hitherto found widespread application.Comment: 6 pages, 12 figures. Figures heavily compressed to comply with
arxiv's antediluvian file-size polic
Multi Mode Interferometer for Guided Matter Waves
We describe the fundamental features of an interferometer for guided matter
waves based on Y-beam splitters and show that, in a quasi two-dimensional
regime, such a device exhibits high contrast fringes even in a multi mode
regime and fed from a thermal source.Comment: Final version (accepted to PRL
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