Spectral diffusion and 14N quadrupole splittings in absorption detected magnetic resonance hole burning spectra of photosynthetic reaction centers

Zero field absorption detected magnetic resonance hole burning measurements were performed on photosynthetic reaction centers of the bacteria Rhodobacter sphaeroides R26 and Rhodopseudomonas viridis. Extrapolation to zero microwave power yielded pseudohomogeneous linewidths of 2.0 MHz for Rhodopseudomonas viridis, 1.0 and 0.9 MHz for the protonated forms of Rhodobacter sphaeroides R26 with and without monomer bacteriochlorophyll exchanged, and 0.25 MHz as an upper limit for fully deuterated reaction centers of Rhodobacter sphaeroides R26. The measured linewidths were interpreted as being due to unresolved hyperfine interaction between the nuclear spins and the triplet electron spin, the line shape being determined by spectral diffusion among the nuclei. The difference in linewidths between Rhodobacter sphaeroides R26 and Rhodopseudomonas viridis is then explained by triplet delocalization on the special pair in the former, and localization on one dimer half on the latter. In the fully deuterated sample, four quadrupole satellites were observed in the hole spectra arising from the eight 14N nitrogens in the special pair. The quadrupole parameters seem to be very similar for all nitrogens and were determined to =1.25±0.1 MHz and =0.9±0.1 MHz. The Journal of Chemical Physics is copyrighted by The American Institute of Physics

Identification of the slow E3 transition 136mCs -> 136Cs with conversion electrons

We performed at ISOLDE the spectroscopy of the decay of the 8- isomer in 136Cs by and conversion-electron detection. For the first time the excitation energy of the isomer and the multipolarity of its decay have been measured. The half-life of the isomeric state was remeasured to T1/2 = 17.5(2) s. This isomer decays via a very slow 518 keV E3 transition to the ground state. In addition to this, a much weaker decay branch via a 413 keV M4 and a subsequent 105 keV E2 transition has been found. Thus we have found a new level at 105 keV with spin 4+ between the isomeric and the ground state. The results are discussed in comparison to shell model calculations.Comment: Phys. Rev. C accepted for publicatio

Mesoscopic atomic entanglement for precision measurements beyond the standard quantum limit

Squeezing of quantum fluctuations by means of entanglement is a well recognized goal in the field of quantum information science and precision measurements. In particular, squeezing the fluctuations via entanglement between two-level atoms can improve the precision of sensing, clocks, metrology, and spectroscopy. Here, we demonstrate 3.4 dB of metrologically relevant squeezing and entanglement for ~ 10^5 cold cesium atoms via a quantum nondemolition (QND) measurement on the atom clock levels. We show that there is an optimal degree of decoherence induced by the quantum measurement which maximizes the generated entanglement. A two-color QND scheme used in this paper is shown to have a number of advantages for entanglement generation as compared to a single color QND measurement.Comment: 6 pages+suppl, PNAS forma

Effective Monopoles within Thick Branes

The monopole mass is revealed to be considerably modified in the thick braneworld paradigm, and depends on the position of the monopole in the brane as well. Accordingly, the monopole radius continuously increases, leading to an unacceptable setting that can be circumvented when the brane thickness has an upper limit. Despite such peculiar behavior, the quantum corrections accrued -- involving the classical monopole solution -- are shown to be still under control. We analyze the monopole's peculiarities also taking into account the localization of the gauge fields. Furthermore, some additional analysis in the thick braneworld context and the similar behavior evinced by the topological string are investigated.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur

Spectroscopy of free radicals and radical containing entrance-channel complexes in superfluid helium nano-droplets

The spectroscopy of free radicals and radical containing entrance-channel complexes embedded in superfluid helium nano-droplets is reviewed. The collection of dopants inside individual droplets in the beam represents a micro-canonical ensemble, and as such each droplet may be considered an isolated cryo-reactor. The unique properties of the droplets, namely their low temperature (0.4 K) and fast cooling rates ($\sim10^{16}$ K s$^{-1}$) provides novel opportunities for the formation and high-resolution studies of molecular complexes containing one or more free radicals. The production methods of radicals are discussed in light of their applicability for embedding the radicals in helium droplets. The spectroscopic studies performed to date on molecular radicals and on entrance / exit-channel complexes of radicals with stable molecules are detailed. The observed complexes provide new information on the potential energy surfaces of several fundamental chemical reactions and on the intermolecular interactions present in open-shell systems. Prospects of further experiments of radicals embedded in helium droplets are discussed, especially the possibilities to prepare and study high-energy structures and their controlled manipulation, as well as the possibility of fundamental physics experiments.Comment: 25 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables (RevTeX

Oxygen isotope composition of diatoms as Late Holocene climate proxy at Two-Yurts Lake, Central Kamchatka, Russia

© 2014 Elsevier B.V. Especially in combination with other proxies, the oxygen isotope composition of diatom silica (δ18Odiatom) from lake sediments is useful for interpreting past climate conditions. This paper presents the first oxygen isotope data of fossil diatoms from Kamchatka, Russia, derived from sediment cores from Two-Yurts Lake (TYL). For reconstructing Late Holocene climate change, palaeolimnological investigations also included diatom, pollen and chironomid analysis. The most recent diatom sample (δ18Odiatom=+23.3‰) corresponds well with the present day isotopic composition of the TYL water (mean δ18O=-14.8‰) displaying a reasonable isotope fractionation in the system silica-water. Nonetheless, the TYL δ18Odiatom record is mainly controlled by changes in the isotopic composition of the lake water. TYL is considered as a dynamic system triggered by differential environmental changes closely linked with lake-internal hydrological factors. The diatom silica isotope record displays large variations in δ18Odiatom from +27.3‰ to +23.3‰ from about ~4.5kyr BP until today. A continuous depletion in δ18Odiatom of 4.0‰ is observed in the past 4.5kyr, which is in good accordance with other hemispheric environmental changes (i.e. a summer insolation-driven Mid- to Late Holocene cooling). The overall cooling trend is superimposed by regional hydrological and atmospheric-oceanic changes. These are related to the interplay between Siberian High and Aleutian Low as well as to the ice dynamics in the Sea of Okhotsk. Additionally, combined δ18Odiatom and chironomid interpretations provide new information on changes related to meltwater input to lakes. Hence, this diatom isotope study provides further insight into hydrology and climate dynamics of this remote, rarely investigated area

Changes in temperature and water depth of a small mountain lake during the past 3000 years in Central Kamchatka reflected by a chironomid record

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA We investigated chironomid assemblages of a well-dated sediment core from a small seepage lake situated at the eastern slope of the Central Kamchatka Mountain Chain, Far East Russia. The chironomid fauna of the investigated Sigrid Lake is dominated by littoral taxa that are sensitive to fluctuations of the water level. Two groups of taxa interchangeably dominate the record responding to the changes in the lake environment during the past 2800 years. The first group of littoral phytophilic taxa includes Psectrocladius sordidellus-type, Corynoneura arctica-type and Dicrotendipes nervosus-type. The abundances of the taxa from this group have the strongest influence on the variations of PCA 1, and these taxa mostly correspond to low water levels, moderate temperatures and slightly acidified conditions. The second group of taxa includes Microtendipes pedellus-type, Tanytarsus lugens-type, and Tanytarsus pallidicornis-type. The variations in the abundances of these taxa, and especially of M. pedellu s-type, are in accordance with PCA 2 and correspond to the higher water level in the lake, more oligotrophic and neutral pH conditions. Water depths (WD) were reconstructed, using a modern chironomid-based temperature and water depth calibration data set (training set) and inference model from East Siberia (Nazarova et al., 2011). Mean July air temperatures (T July) were inferred using a chironomid-based temperature inference model based on a modern calibration data set for the Far East (Nazarova et al., 2015). The application of transfer functions resulted in reconstructed T July fluctuations of approximately 3 °C over the last 2800 years. Low temperatures (11.0–12.0 °C) were reconstructed for the periods between ca 1700 and 1500 cal yr BP (corresponding to the Kofun cold stage) and between ca 1200 and 150 cal yr BP (partly corresponding to the Little Ice Age [LIA]). Warm periods (modern T July or higher) were reconstructed for the periods between ca 2700 and 1800 cal yr BP, 1500 and 1300 cal yr BP and after 150 cal yr BP. WD reconstruction revealed that the lake level was lower than its present level at the beginning of the record between ca 2600 and 2300 cal yr BP and ca 550 cal yr BP. Between ca 2300 and 700 cal yr BP as well as between 450 and 150 cal yr BP, the lake level was higher than it is today, most probably reflecting more humid conditions

Positive tension 3-branes in an AdS5AdS_{5} bulk

In this work, we review and extend the so-called consistency conditions for the existence of a braneworld scenario in arbitrary dimensions in the Brans-Dicke (BD) gravitational theory. After that, we consider the particular case of a five-dimensional scenario which seems to have phenomenological interesting implications. We show that, in the BD framework, it is possible to achieve necessary conditions pointing to the possibility of accommodating branes with positive tensions in an AdS bulk by the presence of the additional BD scalar field, avoiding in this way the necessity of including unstable objects in the compactification scheme. Furthermore, in the context of time variable brane tension, it is shown that the brane tension may change its sign, following the bulk cosmological constant sign.Comment: 15 pages, new version to appear in JHE

Changes in temperature and water depth of a small mountain lake during the past 3000 years in Central Kamchatka reflected by a chironomid record

© 2016 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.We investigated chironomid assemblages of a well-dated sediment core from a small seepage lake situated at the eastern slope of the Central Kamchatka Mountain Chain, Far East Russia. The chironomid fauna of the investigated Sigrid Lake is dominated by littoral taxa that are sensitive to fluctuations of the water level. Two groups of taxa interchangeably dominate the record responding to the changes in the lake environment during the past 2800 years. The first group of littoral phytophilic taxa includes Psectrocladius sordidellus-type, Corynoneura arctica-type and Dicrotendipes nervosus-type. The abundances of the taxa from this group have the strongest influence on the variations of PCA 1, and these taxa mostly correspond to low water levels, moderate temperatures and slightly acidified conditions. The second group of taxa includes Microtendipes pedellus-type, Tanytarsus lugens-type, and Tanytarsus pallidicornis-type. The variations in the abundances of these taxa, and especially of M. pedellus-type, are in accordance with PCA 2 and correspond to the higher water level in the lake, more oligotrophic and neutral pH conditions. Water depths (WD) were reconstructed, using a modern chironomid-based temperature and water depth calibration data set (training set) and inference model from East Siberia (Nazarova et al., 2011). Mean July air temperatures (T July) were inferred using a chironomid-based temperature inference model based on a modern calibration data set for the Far East (Nazarova et al., 2015). The application of transfer functions resulted in reconstructed T July fluctuations of approximately 3 °C over the last 2800 years. Low temperatures (11.0-12.0 °C) were reconstructed for the periods between ca 1700 and 1500 cal yr BP (corresponding to the Kofun cold stage) and between ca 1200 and 150 cal yr BP (partly corresponding to the Little Ice Age [LIA]). Warm periods (modern T July or higher) were reconstructed for the periods between ca 2700 and 1800 cal yr BP, 1500 and 1300 cal yr BP and after 150 cal yr BP. WD reconstruction revealed that the lake level was lower than its present level at the beginning of the record between ca 2600 and 2300 cal yr BP and ca 550 cal yr BP. Between ca 2300 and 700 cal yr BP as well as between 450 and 150 cal yr BP, the lake level was higher than it is today, most probably reflecting more humid conditions