53,362 research outputs found
Probing many-body localization in a disordered quantum magnet
Quantum states cohere and interfere. Quantum systems composed of many atoms
arranged imperfectly rarely display these properties. Here we demonstrate an
exception in a disordered quantum magnet that divides itself into nearly
isolated subsystems. We probe these coherent clusters of spins by driving the
system beyond its linear response regime at a single frequency and measuring
the resulting "hole" in the overall linear spectral response. The Fano shape of
the hole encodes the incoherent lifetime as well as coherent mixing of the
localized excitations. For the disordered Ising magnet,
, the quality factor for spectral holes
can be as high as 100,000. We tune the dynamics of the quantum degrees of
freedom by sweeping the Fano mixing parameter through zero via the
amplitude of the ac pump as well as a static external transverse field. The
zero-crossing of is associated with a dissipationless response at the drive
frequency, implying that the off-diagonal matrix element for the two-level
system also undergoes a zero-crossing. The identification of localized
two-level systems in a dense and disordered dipolar-coupled spin system
represents a solid state implementation of many-body localization, pushing the
search forward for qubits emerging from strongly-interacting, disordered,
many-body systems.Comment: 22 pages, 6 figure
Efficiency of Xist-mediated silencing on autosomes is linked to chromosomal domain organisation
BACKGROUND: X chromosome inactivation, the mechanism used by mammals to equalise dosage of X-linked genes in XX females relative to XY males, is triggered by chromosome-wide localisation of a cis-acting non-coding RNA, Xist. The mechanism of Xist RNA spreading and Xist-dependent silencing is poorly understood. A large body of evidence indicates that silencing is more efficient on the X chromosome than on autosomes, leading to the idea that the X chromosome has acquired sequences that facilitate propagation of silencing. LINE-1 (L1) repeats are relatively enriched on the X chromosome and have been proposed as candidates for these sequences. To determine the requirements for efficient silencing we have analysed the relationship of chromosome features, including L1 repeats, and the extent of silencing in cell lines carrying inducible Xist transgenes located on one of three different autosomes. RESULTS: Our results show that the organisation of the chromosome into large gene-rich and L1-rich domains is a key determinant of silencing efficiency. Specifically genes located in large gene-rich domains with low L1 density are relatively resistant to Xist-mediated silencing whereas genes located in gene-poor domains with high L1 density are silenced more efficiently. These effects are observed shortly after induction of Xist RNA expression, suggesting that chromosomal domain organisation influences establishment rather than long-term maintenance of silencing. The X chromosome and some autosomes have only small gene-rich L1-depleted domains and we suggest that this could confer the capacity for relatively efficient chromosome-wide silencing. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insight into the requirements for efficient Xist mediated silencing and specifically identifies organisation of the chromosome into gene-rich L1-depleted and gene-poor L1-dense domains as a major influence on the ability of Xist-mediated silencing to be propagated in a continuous manner in cis
Nonlinear soil-structure interaction calculations simulating the SIMQUAKE experiment using STEALTH 2D
Transient, nonlinear soil-structure interaction simulations of an Electric Power Research Institute, SIMQUAKE experiment were performed using the large strain, time domain STEALTH 2D code and a cyclic, kinematically hardening cap soil model. Results from the STEALTH simulations were compared to identical simulations performed with the TRANAL code and indicate relatively good agreement between all the STEALTH and TRANAL calculations. The differences that are seen can probably be attributed to: (1) large (STEALTH) vs. small (TRANAL) strain formulation and/or (2) grid discretization differences
Discussions on Stability of Diquarks
Since the birth of the quark model, the diquark which is composed of two
quarks has been considered as a substantial structure of color anti-triplet.
This is not only a mathematical simplification for dealing with baryons, but
also provides a physical picture where the diquark would behave as a whole
object. It is natural to ask whether such a structure is sufficiently stable
against external disturbance. The mass spectra of the ground states of the
scalar and axial-vector diquarks which are composed of two-light (L-L),
one-light-one-heavy (H-L) and two-heavy quarks (H-H) respectively have been
calculated in terms of the QCD sum rules. We suggest a criterion as the
quantitative standard for the stability of the diquark. It is the gap between
the masses of the diquark and where is the threshold of the
excited states and continuity, namely the larger the gap is, the more stable
the diquark would be. In this work, we calculate the masses of the type H-H to
complete the series of the spectra of the ground state diquarks. However, as
the criterion being taken, we find that all the gaps for the various diquaks
are within a small range, especially the gap for the diquark with two heavy
quarks which is believed to be a stable structure, is slightly smaller than
that for other two types of diquarks, therefore we conclude that because of the
large theoretical uncertainty, we cannot use the numerical results obtained
with the QCD sum rules to assess the stability of diquarks, but need to invoke
other theoretical framework.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
The Use of Gamma-ray Bursts as Direction and Time Markers in SETI Strategies
When transmitting a signal over a large distance it is more efficient to send
a brief beamed signal than a continuous omni-directional transmission but this
requires that the receiver knows where and when to look for the transmission.
For SETI, the use of various natural phenomena has previously been suggested to
achieve the desired synchronization. Here it is proposed that gamma-ray bursts
may well the best ``synchronizers'' of all currently known phenomena due to
their large intrinsic luminosities, high occurrence rate, isotropic sky
distribution, large distance from the Galaxy, short duration, and easy
detectability. For targeted searches, precise positions for gamma-ray bursts
are required together with precise distance measurements to a target star. The
required burst position determinations are now starting to be obtained, aided
in large part by the discovery of optical afterglows. Good distance
measurements are currently available from Hipparcos and even better
measurements should be provided by spacecraft now being developed. For
non-targeted searches, positional accuracies simply better than a detector's
field of view may suffice but the time delay between the detection of a
gamma-ray burst and the reception of the transmitted signal cannot be predicted
in an obvious way.Comment: 8 pages, accepted for publication in PAS
A fiber-optic current sensor for aerospace applications
A robust, accurate, broad-band, alternating current sensor using fiber optics is being developed for space applications at power frequencies as high as 20 kHz. It can also be used in low and high voltage 60 Hz terrestrial power systems and in 400 Hz aircraft systems. It is intrinsically electromagnetic interference (EMI) immune and has the added benefit of excellent isolation. The sensor uses the Faraday effect in optical fiber and standard polarimetric measurements to sense electrical current. The primary component of the sensor is a specially treated coil of single-mode optical fiber, through which the current carrying conductor passes. Improved precision is accomplished by temperature compensation by means of signals from a novel fiber-optic temperature sensor embedded in the sensing head. The technology contained in the sensor is examined and the results of precision tests conducted at various temperatures within the wide operating range are given. The results of early EMI tests are also given
Fiber-optic sensors for aerospace electrical measurements: An update
Fiber-optic sensors are being developed for electrical current, voltage, and power measurements in aerospace applications. These sensors are presently designed to cover ac frequencies from 60 Hz to 20 kHz. The current sensor, based on the Faraday effect in optical fiber, is in advanced development after some initial testing. Concentration is on packaging methods and ways to maintain consistent sensitivity with changes in temperature. The voltage sensor, utilizing the Pockels effect in a crystal, has excelled in temperature tests. This paper reports on the development of these sensors, the results of evaluation, improvements now in progress, and the future direction of the work
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