1,890 research outputs found
Data dependent energy modelling for worst case energy consumption analysis
Safely meeting Worst Case Energy Consumption (WCEC) criteria requires
accurate energy modeling of software. We investigate the impact of instruction
operand values upon energy consumption in cacheless embedded processors.
Existing instruction-level energy models typically use measurements from random
input data, providing estimates unsuitable for safe WCEC analysis.
We examine probabilistic energy distributions of instructions and propose a
model for composing instruction sequences using distributions, enabling WCEC
analysis on program basic blocks. The worst case is predicted with statistical
analysis. Further, we verify that the energy of embedded benchmarks can be
characterised as a distribution, and compare our proposed technique with other
methods of estimating energy consumption
Mechanically Detecting and Avoiding the Quantum Fluctuations of a Microwave Field
During the theoretical investigation of the ultimate sensitivity of
gravitational wave detectors through the 1970's and '80's, it was debated
whether quantum fluctuations of the light field used for detection, also known
as photon shot noise, would ultimately produce a force noise which would
disturb the detector and limit the sensitivity. Carlton Caves famously answered
this question with "They do." With this understanding came ideas how to avoid
this limitation by giving up complete knowledge of the detector's motion. In
these back-action evading (BAE) or quantum non-demolition (QND) schemes, one
manipulates the required quantum measurement back-action by placing it into a
component of the motion which is unobserved and dynamically isolated. Using a
superconducting, electro-mechanical device, we realize a sensitive measurement
of a single motional quadrature with imprecision below the zero-point
fluctuations of motion, detect both the classical and quantum measurement
back-action, and demonstrate BAE avoiding the quantum back-action from the
microwave photons by 9 dB. Further improvements of these techniques are
expected to provide a practical route to manipulate and prepare a squeezed
state of motion with mechanical fluctuations below the quantum zero-point
level, which is of interest both fundamentally and for the detection of very
weak forces
Interplay between unconventional superconductivity and heavy-fermion quantum criticality: CeCuSi versus YbRhSi
In this paper the low-temperature properties of two isostructural canonical
heavy-fermion compounds are contrasted with regards to the interplay between
antiferromagnetic (AF) quantum criticality and superconductivity. For
CeCuSi, fully-gapped d-wave superconductivity forms in the vicinity of
an itinerant three-dimensional heavy-fermion spin-density-wave (SDW) quantum
critical point (QCP). Inelastic neutron scattering results highlight that both
quantum critical SDW fluctuations as well as Mott-type fluctuations of local
magnetic moments contribute to the formation of Cooper pairs in CeCuSi.
In YbRhSi, superconductivity appears to be suppressed at
mK by AF order ( = 70 mK). Ultra-low temperature measurements reveal a
hybrid order between nuclear and 4f-electronic spins, which is dominated by the
Yb-derived nuclear spins, to develop at slightly above 2 mK. The hybrid
order turns out to strongly compete with the primary 4f-electronic order and to
push the material towards its QCP. Apparently, this paves the way for
heavy-fermion superconductivity to form at = 2 mK. Like the pressure -
induced QCP in CeRhIn, the magnetic field - induced one in YbRhSi
is of the local Kondo-destroying variety which corresponds to a Mott-type
transition at zero temperature. Therefore, these materials form the link
between the large family of about fifty low- unconventional heavy - fermion
superconductors and other families of unconventional superconductors with
higher s, notably the doped Mott insulators of the cuprates, organic
charge-transfer salts and some of the Fe-based superconductors. Our study
suggests that heavy-fermion superconductivity near an AF QCP is a robust
phenomenon.Comment: 30 pages, 7 Figures, Accepted for publication in Philosophical
Magazin
Spin density matrix of the ω in the reaction p¯p→ωπ0
The spin density matrix of the ω has been determined for the reaction p¯p→ωπ0 with unpolarized in-flight data measured by the Crystal Barrel LEAR experiment at CERN. The two main decay modes of the ω into π0γ and π+π-π0 have been separately analyzed for various p¯ momenta between 600 and 1940 MeV/c. The results obtained with the usual method by extracting the matrix elements via the ω decay angular distributions and with the more sophisticated method via a full partial wave analysis are in good agreement. A strong spin alignment of the ω is clearly visible in this energy regime and all individual spin density matrix elements exhibit an oscillatory dependence on the production angle. In addition, the largest contributing orbital angular momentum of the p¯p system has been identified for the different beam momenta. It increases from Lp¯pmax = 2 at 600 MeV/c to Lp¯pmax = 5 at 1940 MeV/c
The visibility of IQHE at sharp edges: Experimental proposals based on interactions and edge electrostatics
The influence of the incompressible strips on the integer quantized Hall
effect (IQHE) is investigated, considering a cleaved-edge overgrown (CEO)
sample as an experimentally realizable sharp edge system. We propose a set of
experiments to clarify the distinction between the large-sample limit when bulk
disorder defines the IQHE plateau width and the small-sample limit smaller than
the disorder correlation length, when self-consistent edge electrostatics
define the IQHE plateau width. The large-sample or bulk QH regime is described
by the usual localization picture, whereas the small-sample or edge regime is
discussed within the compressible/incompressible strips picture, known as the
screening theory of QH edges. Utilizing the unusually sharp edge profiles of
the CEO samples, a Hall bar design is proposed to manipulate the edge potential
profile from smooth to extremely sharp. By making use of a side-gate
perpendicular to the two dimensional electron system, it is shown that the
plateau widths can be changed or even eliminated altogether. Hence, the
visibility of IQHE is strongly influenced when adjusting the edge potential
profile and/or changing the dc current direction under high currents in the
non-linear transport regime. As a second investigation, we consider two
different types of ohmic contacts, namely highly transmitting (ideal) and
highly reflecting (non-ideal) contacts. We show that if the injection contacts
are non-ideal, however still ohmic, it is possible to measure directly the
non-quantized transport taking place at the bulk of the CEO samples. The
results of the experiments we propose will clarify the influence of the edge
potential profile and the quality of the contacts, under quantized Hall
conditions.Comment: Substantially revised version of manuscript arXiv:0906.3796v1,
including new figures et
The Influence of Chemical and Mineral Compositions on the Parameterization of Immersion Freezing by Volcanic Ash Particles
Volcanic ash (VA) from explosive eruptions contributes to aerosol loadings in the atmosphere. Aside from the negative impact of VA on air quality and aviation, these particles can alter the optical and microphysical properties of clouds by triggering ice formation, thereby influencing precipitation and climate. Depending on the volcano and eruption style, VA displays a wide range of different physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties. Here, we present a unique data set on the ice nucleation activity of 15 VA samples obtained from different volcanoes worldwide. The ice nucleation activities of these samples were studied in the Aerosol Interaction and Dynamics in the Atmosphere (AIDA) cloud simulation chamber as well as with the Ice Nucleation Spectrometer of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (INSEKT). All VA particles nucleated ice in the immersion freezing mode from 263 to 238K with ice nucleation active site (INAS) densities ranging from ∼10 to 10 m, respectively. The variabilities observed among the VA samples, at any given temperature, range over 3.5 orders of magnitude. The ice-nucleating abilities of VA samples correlate to varying degrees with their bulk pyroxene and plagioclase contents as a function of temperature. We combined our new data set with existing literature data to develop an improved ice nucleation parameterization for natural VA in the immersion freezing mode. This should be useful for modeling the impact of VA on clouds
Insights into the regulation of DMSP synthesis in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana through APR activity, proteomics and gene expression analyses on cells acclimating to changes in salinity, light and nitrogen
Despite the importance of dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) in the global sulphur cycle and climate regulation, the biological pathways underpinning its synthesis in marine phytoplankton remain poorly understood. The intracellular concentration of DMSP increases with increased salinity, increased light intensity and nitrogen starvation in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana. We used these conditions to investigate DMSP synthesis at the cellular level via analysis of enzyme activity, gene expression and proteome comparison. The activity of the key sulphur assimilatory enzyme, adenosine 5′- phosphosulphate reductase was not coordinated with increasing intracellular DMSP concentration. Under all three treatments coordination in the expression of sulphur assimilation genes was limited to increases in sulphite reductase transcripts. Similarly, proteomic 2D gel analysis only revealed an increase in phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase following increases in DMSP concentration. Our findings suggest that increased sulphur assimilation might not be required for increased DMSP synthesis, instead the availability of carbon and nitrogen substrates may be important in the regulation of this pathway. This contrasts with the regulation of sulphur metabolism in higher plants, which generally involves upregulation of several sulphur assimilatory enzymes. In T. pseudonana changes relating to sulphur metabolism were specific to the individual treatments and, given that little coordination was seen in transcript and protein responses across the three growth conditions, different patterns of regulation might be responsible for the increase in DMSP concentration seen under each treatment
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