7,940 research outputs found
Heavy flavor in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC and RHIC II
In the initial years of operation, experiments at the Relativistic Heavy Ion
Collider (RHIC) have identified a new form of matter formed in nuclei-nuclei
collisions at energy densities more than 100 times that of a cold atomic
nucleus. Measurements and comparison with relativistic hydrodynamic models
indicate that the matter thermalizes in an unexpectedly short time, has an
energy density at least 15 times larger than needed for color deconfinement,
has a temperature about twice the critical temperature predicted by lattice
QCD, and appears to exhibit collective motion with ideal hydrodynamic
properties - a "perfect liquid" that appears to flow with a near-zero viscosity
to entropy ratio - lower than any previously observed fluid and perhaps close
to a universal lower bound. However, a fundamental understanding of the medium
seen in heavy-ion collisions at RHIC does not yet exist. The most important
scientific challenge for the field in the next decade is the quantitative
exploration of the new state of nuclear matter. That will require new data that
will, in turn, require enhanced capabilities of the RHIC detectors and
accelerator. In this report we discuss the scientific opportunities for an
upgraded RHIC facility - RHIC II - in conjunction with improved capabilities of
the two large RHIC detectors, PHENIX and STAR. We focus solely on heavy flavor
probes. Their production rates are calculable using the well-established
techniques of perturbative QCD and their sizable interactions with the hot QCD
medium provide unique and sensitive measurements of its crucial properties
making them one of the key diagnostic tools available to us.Comment: 96 pages, 53 figures. Accepted for publication in Physics Reports.
Fixed typo in Fig. 15 captio
Ultra-nonlocality in density functional theory for photo-emission spectroscopy
We derive an exact expression for the photo-current of photo-emission
spectroscopy using time-dependent current density functional theory (TDCDFT).
This expression is given as an integral over the Kohn-Sham spectral function
renormalized by effective potentials that depend on the exchange-correlation
kernel of current density functional theory. We analyze in detail the physical
content of this expression by making a connection between the
density-functional expression and the diagrammatic expansion of the
photo-current within many-body perturbation theory. We further demonstrate that
the density functional expression does not provide us with information on the
kinetic energy distribution of the photo-electrons. Such information can, in
principle, be obtained from TDCDFT by exactly modeling the experiment in which
the photo-current is split into energy contributions by means of an external
electromagnetic field outside the sample, as is done in standard detectors. We
find, however, that this procedure produces very nonlocal correlations between
the exchange-correlation fields in the sample and the detector.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figure
A systematic benchmark of the ab initio Bethe-Salpeter equation approach for low-lying optical excitations of small organic molecules
The predictive power of the ab initio Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) approach,
rigorously based on many-body Green's function theory but incorporating
information from density functional theory, has already been demonstrated for
the optical gaps and spectra of solid-state systems. Interest in photoactive
hybrid organic/inorganic systems has recently increased, and so has the use of
the BSE for computing neutral excitations of organic molecules. However, no
systematic benchmarks of the BSE for neutral electronic excitations of organic
molecules exist. Here, we study the performance of the BSE for the 28 small
molecules in Thiel's widely-used time-dependent density functional theory
benchmark set [M. Schreiber et al. J. Chem. Phys. 128, 134110 (2008)]. We
observe that the BSE produces results that depend critically on the mean-field
starting point employed in the perturbative approach. We find that this
starting point dependence is mainly introduced through the quasiparticle
energies obtained at the intermediate GW step, and that with a judicious choice
of starting mean-field, singlet excitation energies obtained from BSE are in
excellent quantitative agreement with higher-level wavefunction methods. The
quality of the triplet excitations is slightly less satisfactory
Excitations and benchmark ensemble density functional theory for two electrons
A new method for extracting ensemble Kohn-Sham potentials from accurate
excited state densities is applied to a variety of two electron systems,
exploring the behavior of exact ensemble density functional theory. The issue
of separating the Hartree energy and the choice of degenerate eigenstates is
explored. A new approximation, spin eigenstate Hartree-exchange (SEHX), is
derived. Exact conditions that are proven include the signs of the correlation
energy components, the virial theorem for both exchange and correlation, and
the asymptotic behavior of the potential for small weights of the excited
states. Many energy components are given as a function of the weights for two
electrons in a one-dimensional flat box, in a box with a large barrier to
create charge transfer excitations, in a three-dimensional harmonic well
(Hooke's atom), and for the He atom singlet-triplet ensemble,
singlet-triplet-singlet ensemble, and triplet bi-ensemble.Comment: 15 pages, supplemental material pd
Five-Year NRHP Re-Evaluation of Historic Buildings Assessment
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) 'Draft Programmatic Agreement among the Department of Energy and the California State Historic Preservation Officer Regarding Operation of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory' requires a review and re-evaluation of the eligibility of laboratory properties for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) every five years. The original evaluation was published in 2005; this report serves as the first five-year re-evaluation. This re-evaluation includes consideration of changes within LLNL to management, to mission, and to the built environment. it also determines the status of those buildings, objects, and districts that were recommended as NRHP-eligible in the 2005 report. Buildings that were omitted from the earlier building list, those that have reached 50 years of age since the original assessment, and new buildings are also addressed in the re-evaluation
Semiclassical model for calculating fully differential ionization cross sections of the H molecule
Fully differential cross sections are calculated for the ionization of H
by fast charged projectiles using a semiclassical model developed previously
for the ionization of atoms. The method is tested in case of 4 keV electron and
6 MeV proton projectiles. The obtained results show good agreement with the
available experimental data. Interference effects due to the two-center
character of the target are also observed and analyzed.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
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Atmospheric blocking and intercomparison of objective detection methods: flow field characteristics.
Objective methods for identifying and quantifying atmospheric blocking have been developed over recent decades, primarily targeting North Atlantic blocks. Differences arise from these methods, leading to changes in the resultant blocking climatology. To understand these differences, and better inform future assessments built on quantitative detection of blocks, this paper examines blocking properties produced by three different objective detection algorithms over the global extratropics. Blocking criteria examined include 500 hPa geopotential height anomaly ( Zâ ), column-averaged potential vorticity anomaly ( PVâ ), and 500 hPa geopotential height gradient (AGP). Results are analyzed for blocking climatologies and for instantaneous blocking patterns, as well as distributions of block size, speed, duration, and distance traveled. The results emphasize physical characteristics of the flow field and the subsequent blocking regions that emerge; overall, PVâ and Zâ blocked regions often have higher pattern correlation and spatial similarity, though these two methods also display high agreement with AGP in some instances. Zâ finds the largest (and greatest number of) blocked regions, while PVâ -detected regions are smallest in all instances except Southern Hemisphere winter. In some cases, PVâ tracks a nearby jet streak, leading to differences with height-based algorithms. All three algorithms detect some questionable low-latitude blocks that are stationary and persist but do not impair zonal flow, although at different times. Therefore, careful consideration of the algorithm biases is important in future blocking studies. For example, linking extreme weather to detected blocking could vary substantially depending on the algorithm used
GAS6 expressing and self-sustaining cancer cells in 3D spheroids activate the PDK-RSK-mTOR pathway for survival and drug resistance.
AXL Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (RTK) inhibition presents a promising therapeutic strategy for aggressive tumor subtypes, as AXL signaling is upregulated in many cancers resistant to first line treatments. Furthermore, the AXL ligand Growth Arrest-Specific gene 6 (GAS6) has recently been linked to cancer drug resistance. Here, we established that challenging conditions, such as serum deprivation, divide AXL overexpressing tumor cell lines into non-self-sustaining and self-sustaining subtypes in 3D spheroid culture. Self-sustaining cells are characterized by excessive GAS6 secretion and TAM-PDK-RSK-mTOR pathway activation. In 3D spheroid culture, the activation of the TAM-PDK-RSK-mTOR pathway proves crucial following treatment with AXL/MET inhibitor BMS777607, when the self-sustaining tumor cells react with TAM-RSK hyper-activation and enhanced SRC-AKT-mTOR signaling. Thus, bidirectional activated mTOR leads to enhanced proliferation and counteracts the drug effect. mTOR activation is accompanied by an enhanced AXL expression and hyper-phosphorylation following 24 hours of treatment with BMS777607. Thereby, we elucidate a double role of AXL which can be assigned to RSK-mTOR as well as SRC-AKT-mTOR pathway activation, specifically through AXL Y779 phosphorylation. This phosphosite fuels the resistance mechanism in 3D spheroids, alongside further SRC dependent EGFR Y1173 and/or MET Y1349 phosphorylation which is defined by the cell-specific addiction. In conclusion, self-sustenance in cancer cells is based on a signaling synergy, individually balanced between GAS6 TAM dependent PDK-RSK-mTOR survival pathway and the AXLY779/EGFR/MET driven SRC-mTOR pathway. Molecular Oncology (2017) 2017 The Authors. Published by FEBS Press and John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Degenerate ground states and nonunique potentials: breakdown and restoration of density functionals
The Hohenberg-Kohn (HK) theorem is one of the most fundamental theorems of
quantum mechanics, and constitutes the basis for the very successful
density-functional approach to inhomogeneous interacting many-particle systems.
Here we show that in formulations of density-functional theory (DFT) that
employ more than one density variable, applied to systems with a degenerate
ground state, there is a subtle loophole in the HK theorem, as all mappings
between densities, wave functions and potentials can break down. Two weaker
theorems which we prove here, the joint-degeneracy theorem and the
internal-energy theorem, restore the internal, total and exchange-correlation
energy functionals to the extent needed in applications of DFT to atomic,
molecular and solid-state physics and quantum chemistry. The joint-degeneracy
theorem constrains the nature of possible degeneracies in general many-body
systems
A novel method for unambiguous ion identification in mixed ion beams extracted from an EBIT
A novel technique to identify small fluxes of mixed highly charged ion beams
extracted from an Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) is presented and practically
demonstrated. The method exploits projectile charge state dependent potential
emission of electrons as induced by ion impact on a metal surface to separate
ions with identical or very similar mass-to-charge ratio.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
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