A model for the dynamics of extensible semiflexible polymers

We present a model for semiflexible polymers in Hamiltonian formulation which interpolates between a Rouse chain and worm-like chain. Both models are realized as limits for the parameters. The model parameters can also be chosen to match the experimental force-extension curve for double-stranded DNA. Near the ground state of the Hamiltonian, the eigenvalues for the longitudinal (stretching) and the transversal (bending) modes of a chain with N springs, indexed by p, scale as lambda_lp ~ (p/N)^2 and lambda_tp ~ p^2(p-1)^2/N^4 respectively for small p. We also show that the associated decay times tau_p ~ (N/p)^4 will not be observed if they exceed the orientational time scale tau_r ~ N^3 for an equally-long rigid rod, as the driven decay is then washed out by diffusive motion.Comment: 28 pages, 2 figure

Compression of sub-relativistic space-charge-dominated electron bunches for single-shot femtosecond electron diffraction

We demonstrate compression of 95 keV, space-charge-dominated electron bunches to sub-100 fs durations. These bunches have sufficient charge (200 fC) and are of sufficient quality to capture a diffraction pattern with a single shot, which we demonstrate by a diffraction experiment on a polycrystalline gold foil. Compression is realized by means of velocity bunching as a result of a velocity chirp, induced by the oscillatory longitudinal electric field of a 3 GHz radio-frequency cavity. The arrival time jitter is measured to be 80 fs

Noncommutative curves and noncommutative surfaces

In this survey article we describe some geometric results in the theory of noncommutative rings and, more generally, in the theory of abelian categories. Roughly speaking and by analogy with the commutative situation, the category of graded modules modulo torsion over a noncommutative graded ring of quadratic, respectively cubic growth should be thought of as the noncommutative analogue of a projective curve, respectively surface. This intuition has lead to a remarkable number of nontrivial insights and results in noncommutative algebra. Indeed, the problem of classifying noncommutative curves (and noncommutative graded rings of quadratic growth) can be regarded as settled. Despite the fact that no classification of noncommutative surfaces is in sight, a rich body of nontrivial examples and techniques, including blowing up and down, has been developed.Comment: Suggestions by many people (in particular Haynes Miller and Dennis Keeler) have been incorporated. The formulation of some results has been improve

A model-independent analysis of the variability of GRS 1915+105

We analyzed 163 observations of the microquasar GRS 1915+105 made with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) in the period 1996-1997. For each observation, we produced light curves and color-color diagrams. We classified the observations in 12 separate classes, based on their count rate and color characteristics. From the analysis of these classes, we reduced the variability of the source to transitions between three basic states: a hard state corresponding to the non-observability of the innermost parts of the accretion disk, and two softer states with a fully observable disk. These two soft states represent different temperatures of the accretion disk, related to different local values of the accretion rate. The transitions between these states can be extremely fast. The source moves between these three states following certain patterns and avoiding others, giving rise to a relatively large but limited number of variability classes. These results are the first step towards a linking of the properties of this exceptional source with standard black-hole systems and with accretion disk models.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2000 January 6t

Finding faint HI structure in and around galaxies: scraping the barrel

Soon to be operational HI survey instruments such as APERTIF and ASKAP will produce large datasets. These surveys will provide information about the HI in and around hundreds of galaxies with a typical signal-to-noise ratio of $\sim$ 10 in the inner regions and $\sim$ 1 in the outer regions. In addition, such surveys will make it possible to probe faint HI structures, typically located in the vicinity of galaxies, such as extra-planar-gas, tails and filaments. These structures are crucial for understanding galaxy evolution, particularly when they are studied in relation to the local environment. Our aim is to find optimized kernels for the discovery of faint and morphologically complex HI structures. Therefore, using HI data from a variety of galaxies, we explore state-of-the-art filtering algorithms. We show that the intensity-driven gradient filter, due to its adaptive characteristics, is the optimal choice. In fact, this filter requires only minimal tuning of the input parameters to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of faint components. In addition, it does not degrade the resolution of the high signal-to-noise component of a source. The filtering process must be fast and be embedded in an interactive visualization tool in order to support fast inspection of a large number of sources. To achieve such interactive exploration, we implemented a multi-core CPU (OpenMP) and a GPU (OpenGL) version of this filter in a 3D visualization environment ($\tt{SlicerAstro}$).Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, 4 tables. Astronomy and Computing, accepte

3-D interactive visualisation tools for HI spectral line imaging

Upcoming HI surveys will deliver such large datasets that automated processing using the full 3-D information to find and characterize HI objects is unavoidable. Full 3-D visualization is an essential tool for enabling qualitative and quantitative inspection and analysis of the 3-D data, which is often complex in nature. Here we present $\tt{SlicerAstro}$, an open-source extension of 3DSlicer, a multi-platform open source software package for visualization and medical image processing, which we developed for the inspection and analysis of HI spectral line data. We describe its initial capabilities, including 3-D filtering, 3-D selection and comparative modelling