Anisotropic diffusion in continuum relaxation of stepped crystal surfaces

We study the continuum limit in 2+1 dimensions of nanoscale anisotropic diffusion processes on crystal surfaces relaxing to become flat below roughening. Our main result is a continuum law for the surface flux in terms of a new continuum-scale tensor mobility. The starting point is the Burton, Cabrera and Frank (BCF) theory, which offers a discrete scheme for atomic steps whose motion drives surface evolution. Our derivation is based on the separation of local space variables into fast and slow. The model includes: (i) anisotropic diffusion of adsorbed atoms (adatoms) on terraces separating steps; (ii) diffusion of atoms along step edges; and (iii) attachment-detachment of atoms at step edges. We derive a parabolic fourth-order, fully nonlinear partial differential equation (PDE) for the continuum surface height profile. An ingredient of this PDE is the surface mobility for the adatom flux, which is a nontrivial extension of the tensor mobility for isotropic terrace diffusion derived previously by Margetis and Kohn. Approximate, separable solutions of the PDE are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figur

Self-Consistent Model of Magnetospheric Electric Field, Ring Current, Plasmasphere, and Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves: Initial Results

Further development of our self-consistent model of interacting ring current (RC) ions and electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves is presented. This model incorporates large scale magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling and treats self-consistently not only EMIC waves and RC ions, but also the magnetospheric electric field, RC, and plasmasphere. Initial simulations indicate that the region beyond geostationary orbit should be included in the simulation of the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. Additionally, a self-consistent description, based on first principles, of the ionospheric conductance is required. These initial simulations further show that in order to model the EMIC wave distribution and wave spectral properties accurately, the plasmasphere should also be simulated self-consistently, since its fine structure requires as much care as that of the RC. Finally, an effect of the finite time needed to reestablish a new potential pattern throughout the ionosphere and to communicate between the ionosphere and the equatorial magnetosphere cannot be ignored

Quantum geometry of 3-dimensional lattices

We study geometric consistency relations between angles on 3-dimensional (3D) circular quadrilateral lattices -- lattices whose faces are planar quadrilaterals inscribable into a circle. We show that these relations generate canonical transformations of a remarkable ``ultra-local'' Poisson bracket algebra defined on discrete 2D surfaces consisting of circular quadrilaterals. Quantization of this structure leads to new solutions of the tetrahedron equation (the 3D analog of the Yang-Baxter equation). These solutions generate an infinite number of non-trivial solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation and also define integrable 3D models of statistical mechanics and quantum field theory. The latter can be thought of as describing quantum fluctuations of lattice geometry. The classical geometry of the 3D circular lattices arises as a stationary configuration giving the leading contribution to the partition function in the quasi-classical limit.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures. Minor corrections, references adde

Ground State Hyperfine Structure of Muonic Helium Atom

On the basis of the perturbation theory in the fine structure constant $\alpha$ and the ratio of the electron to muon masses we calculate one-loop vacuum polarization and electron vertex corrections and the nuclear structure corrections to the hyperfine splitting of the ground state of muonic helium atom $(\mu e ^4_2He)$. We obtain total result for the ground state hyperfine splitting $\Delta \nu^{hfs}=4465.526$ MHz which improves the previous calculation of Lakdawala and Mohr due to the account of new corrections. The remaining difference between the theoretical result and experimental value of the hyperfine splitting equal to 0.522 MHz lies in the range of theoretical error and requires the subsequent investigation of higher order corrections.Comment: Talk presented at the scientific session-conference of Nuclear Physics Department RAS "Physics of fundamental interactions", 25-30 November 2007, ITEP, Moscow, 18 pages, 5 figure

A bounce‐averaged kinetic model of the ring current ion population

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94668/1/grl7966.pd

Specific features of the luminescence and conductivity of zinc selenide on exposure to X-ray and optical excitation

The set of experimental data on the X-ray-excited luminescence and X-ray induced conductivity of ZnSe are compared to the data on the photoluminescence and photoconductivity. It is experimentally established that the current-voltage characteristics and the kinetics of phosphorescence and current relaxation depend on the type of excitation. It is found that the external electric field influences the intensity and shape of bands in the luminescence spectra. It is shown that the character of excitation defines the kinetics of recombination, charge carrier trapping, and conductivity in wide-gap semiconductors.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, published in Fizika i Tekhnika Poluprovodnikov, 2010, Vol. 44, No. 5, pp. 594-59

Quantum Cryptography Based on the Time--Energy Uncertainty Relation

A new cryptosystem based on the fundamental time--energy uncertainty relation is proposed. Such a cryptosystem can be implemented with both correlated photon pairs and single photon states.Comment: 5 pages, LaTex, no figure

Engineering the Controlled Assembly of Filamentous Injectisomes in E. coli K-12 for Protein Translocation into Mammalian Cells.

Bacterial pathogens containing type III protein secretion systems (T3SS) assemble large needle-like protein complexes in the bacterial envelope, called injectisomes, for translocation of protein effectors into host cells. The application of these molecular syringes for the injection of proteins into mammalian cells is hindered by their structural and genomic complexity, requiring multiple polypeptides encoded along with effectors in various transcriptional units (TUs) with intricate regulation. In this work, we have rationally designed the controlled expression of the filamentous injectisomes found in enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) in the nonpathogenic strain E. coli K-12. All structural components of EPEC injectisomes, encoded in a genomic island called the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), were engineered in five TUs (eLEEs) excluding effectors, promoters and transcriptional regulators. These eLEEs were placed under the control of the IPTG-inducible promoter Ptac and integrated into specific chromosomal sites of E. coli K-12 using a marker-less strategy. The resulting strain, named synthetic injector E. coli (SIEC), assembles filamentous injectisomes similar to those in EPEC. SIEC injectisomes form pores in the host plasma membrane and are able to translocate T3-substrate proteins (e.g., translocated intimin receptor, Tir) into the cytoplasm of HeLa cells reproducing the phenotypes of intimate attachment and polymerization of actin-pedestals elicited by EPEC bacteria. Hence, SIEC strain allows the controlled expression of functional filamentous injectisomes for efficient translocation of proteins with T3S-signals into mammalian cells

Contribution of ULF Wave Activity to the Global Recovery of the Outer Radiation Belt During the Passage of a HighSpeed Solar Wind Stream Observed in September 2014

Energy coupling between the solar wind and the Earth's magnetosphere can affect the electron population in the outer radiation belt. However, the precise role of different internal and external mechanisms that leads to changes of the relativistic electron population is not entirely known. This paper describes how ultralow frequency (ULF) wave activity during the passage of Alfvenic solar wind streams contributes to the global recovery of the relativistic electron population in the outer radiation belt. To investigate the contribution of the ULF waves, we searched the Van Allen Probes data for a period in which we can clearly distinguish the enhancement of electron uxes from the background. We found that the global recovery that started on 22 September 2014, which coincides with the corotating interaction region preceding a highspeed stream and the occurrence of persistent substorm activity, provides an excellent scenario to explore the contribution of ULF waves. To support our analyses, we employed ground and spacebased observational data and global magnetohydrodynamic simulations and calculated the ULF wave radial diffusion coefcients employing an empirical model. Observations show a gradual increase of electron uxes in the outer radiation belt and a concomitant enhancement of ULF activity that spreads from higher to lower Lshells. Magnetohydrodynamic simulation results agree with observed ULF wave activity in the magnetotail, which leads to both fast and Alfven modes in the magnetospheric nightside sector. The observations agree with the empirical model and are conrmed by phase space density calculations for this global recovery period