133 research outputs found
Are anti-fouling effects in coralline algae species specific?
As algas calcárias crostosas sĂŁo susceptĂveis ao recobrimento por outras algas, entretanto, estas podem ser afetadas por efeitos anti-incrustantes. Neste estudo foi testada a hipĂłtese de que estas algas possam inibir o crescimento somente de algumas espĂ©cies de epĂfitas. No laboratĂłrio, propágulos de Sargassum furcatum e Ulva fasciata foram liberados e cultivados sobre pedaços de algas calcárias e lamĂnulas de microscopia (controle) e as suas sobrevivĂŞncia e crescimento comparadas. Spongites e Hydrolithon inibiram significativamente o crescimento de U. fasciata, mas nĂŁo de Sargassum. No campo, pedaços de trĂŞs espĂ©cies de algas calcárias vivas, mortas e cĂłpias destas em discos de massa epĂłxi foram fĂxos na rocha. ApĂłs um mĂŞs as algas epĂfitas foram identificadas e sua massa seca quantificada. Lithophyllum nĂŁo inibiu o crescimento das epĂfitas, em contraste Spongites e outra coralinácea indeterminada inibiram o crescimento de Enteromorpha spp., Ulva fasciata e Hincksia mitchelliae. Colpomenia sinuosa esteve sempre ausente sobre as crostas vivas, porĂ©m presente nos controles. Resultados demonstram que a relação epĂfita-hospedeiro depende das espĂ©cies que estejam interagindo. O desprendimento de cĂ©lulas superficiais das crostas coralináceas aponta para um possĂvel efeito fĂsico anti-incrustante, nĂŁo se excluindo o quĂmico.The crustose coralline algae are susceptible to be covered by other algae, which in turn can be affected by anti-fouling effects. In this study the hypothesis tested was that these algae can inhibit the growth of epiphytes in a species specific way. In the laboratory, propagules of Sargassum furcatum and Ulva fasciata were liberated and cultivated on pieces of coralline algae and slide covers (controls) and their survival and growth were compared. Spongites and Hydrolithon significantly inhibited the growth of U. fasciata but not Sargassum. In the field, pieces of three species of live and dead coralline algae and their copies in epoxy putty discs were fixed on the rock. After one month epiphytic algae were identified and their dry mass quantified. Lithophyllum did not affect the epiphyte growth. In contrast Spongites and an unidentified coralline significantly inhibited the growth of Enteromorpha spp., Ulva fasciata and Hincksia mitchelliae. Colpomenia sinuosa was absent on all living crusts, but present on controls. Results show that the epiphyte-host relation depends on the species that are interacting. The sloughing of superficial cells of coralline crusts points to the possible action of physical anti-fouling effect, though a chemical one is not rejected
Colonization and growth of crustose coralline algae (Corallinales, Rhodophyta) on the Rocas Atoll
As algas calcárias incrustantes exercem um papel fundamental na construção de recifes ao redor do mundo. Neste trabalho os objetivos foram: identificar e estimar a abundância da alga calcária incrustante dominante nas partes rasas do recife, verificando suas taxas de colonização, crescimento e produtividade. Crostas de diferentes habitats foram estudadas em locais a barlavento e sotavento. Discos feitos com massa epĂłxi foram fixados na superfĂcie do recife para acompanhar a colonização das algas calcárias e discos contendo a alga calcária dominante foram fixados em diferentes habitats para medir o crescimento de suas margens. Os experimentos de produtividade seguiram o mĂ©todo de frascos claros e escuros para leitura de oxigĂŞnio dissolvido. Porolithon pachydermum foi confirmado como a espĂ©cie de alga calcária incrustante dominante no recife do Atol das Rocas. O local abrigado apresentou maior crescimento da forma plana e tĂpica de crista de P. pachydermum em relação ao exposto. Esta forma tambĂ©m teve um crescimento maior na crista recifal (0,05 mm.dia-1) do que no platĂ´ (0,01 mm.dia-1). A forma protuberante e tĂpica de fendas de P. pachydermum apresentou tendĂŞncia, nĂŁo significativa, para maior crescimento na crista e poça em relação ao platĂ´. A colonização apresentou baixas coberturas quando comparada a outros estudos recifais. P. pachydermum Ă© uma planta produtiva tanto em ambientes ensolarados como sombreados.Crustose coralline algae play a fundamental role in reef construction all over the world. The aims fo this study were to identify and estimate the abundance of the dominant crustose coralline algae in shallow reef habitats, measuring their colonization, growth rates and productivity. Crusts sampled from different habitats were collected on leeward and windward reefs. Discs made of epoxy putty were fixed on the reef surface to follow coralline colonization and discs containing the dominant coralline algae were fixed on different habitats to measure the crusts' marginal growth. The primary production experiments followed the clear and dark bottle method for dissolved oxygen reading. Porolithon pachydermum was confirmed as the dominant crustose coralline alga on the Rocas Atoll. The non-cryptic flat form of P. pachydermum showed a faster growth rate on the leeward than on the windward reef. This form also had a faster growth rate on the reef crest (0.05 mm.day-1) than on the reef flat (0.01 mm.day-1). The cryptic protuberant form showed a trend, though not significant, towards a faster growth rate on the reef crest and in tidal pools than on the reef flat. Colonization was, in general, very slow as compared to that presented by other reef studies. P. pachydermum was a productive crust both in non-cryptic and cryptic habitats
Thermal Effects on Photon-Induced Quantum Transport
We theoretically investigate laser induced quantum transport in a two-level
quantum dot attached to electric contacts. Our approach, based on
nonequilibrium Green function technique, allows to include thermal effects on
the photon-induced quantum transport and excitonic coherent dynamics. By
solving a set of coupled integrodifferential equations, involving correlation
and propagator functions, we obtain the photocurrent and the dot occupations as
a function of time. The characteristic coherent Rabi oscillations are found in
both occupations and photocurrent, with two distinct sources of decoherence:
incoherent tunneling and thermal fluctuations. In particular, for increasing
temperature the dot becomes more thermally occupied which shrinks the amplitude
of the Rabi oscillations, due to Pauli blockade. Finally, due to the interplay
between photon and thermal induced electron populations, the photocurrent can
switch sign as time evolves and its stationary value can be maximized by
tunning the laser intensity.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Dephasing of quantum dot exciton polaritons in electrically tunable nanocavities
We experimentally and theoretically investigate dephasing of zero dimensional
microcavity polaritons in electrically tunable single dot photonic crystal
nanocavities. Such devices allow us to alter the dot-cavity detuning in-situ
and to directly probe the influence on the emission spectrum of varying the
incoherent excitation level and the lattice temperature. By comparing our
results with theory we obtain the polariton dephasing rate and clarify its
dependence on optical excitation power and lattice temperature. For low
excitation levels we observe a linear temperature dependence, indicative of
phonon mediated polariton dephasing. At higher excitation levels, excitation
induced dephasing is observed due to coupling to the solid-state environment.
The results provide new information on coherence properties of quantum dot
microcavity polaritons.Comment: Figure 2, panel (b) changed to logarithmic + linear scal
Using quantum state protection via dissipation in a quantum-dot molecule to solve the Deutsch problem
The wide set of control parameters and reduced size scale make semiconductor
quantum dots attractive candidates to implement solid-state quantum
computation. Considering an asymmetric double quantum dot coupled by tunneling,
we combine the action of a laser field and the spontaneous emission of the
excitonic state to protect an arbitrary superposition state of the indirect
exciton and ground state. As a by-product we show how to use the protected
state to solve the Deutsch problem.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, 2 table
Generation of decoherence-free displaced squeezed states of radiation fields and a squeezed reservoir for atoms in cavity QED
We present a way to engineer an effective anti-Jaynes-Cumming and a
Jaynes-Cumming interaction between an atomic system and a single cavity mode
and show how to employ it in reservoir engineering processes. To construct the
effective Hamiltonian, we analyse considered the interaction of an atomic
system in a \{Lambda} configuration, driven by classical fields, with a single
cavity mode. With this interaction, we firstly show how to generate a
decoherence-free displaced squeezed state for the cavity field. In our scheme,
an atomic beam works as a reservoir for the radiation field trapped inside the
cavity, as employed recently by S. Pielawa et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 240401
(2007)] to generate an Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen entangled radiation state in
high-Q resonators. In our scheme, all the atoms have to be prepared in the
ground state and, as in the cited article, neither atomic detection nor precise
interaction times between the atoms and the cavity mode are required. From this
same interaction, we can also generate an ideal squeezed reservoir for atomic
systems. For this purpose we have to assume, besides the engineered atom-field
interaction, a strong decay of the cavity field (i.e., the cavity decay must be
much stronger than the effective atom-field coupling). With this scheme, some
interesting effects in the dynamics of an atom in a squeezed reservoir could be
tested
Proposal to produce long-lived mesoscopic superpositions through an atom-driven field interaction
We present a proposal for the production of longer-lived mesoscopic
superpositions which relies on two requirements: parametric amplification and
squeezed vacuum reservoir for cavity-field states. Our proposal involves the
interaction of a two-level atom with a cavity field which is simultaneously
subjected to amplification processes.Comment: 12 pages, title changed, text improved and refences adde
Nonadiabatic geometric phase induced by a counterpart of the Stark shift
We analyse the geometric phase due to the Stark shift in a system composed of
a bosonic field, driven by time-dependent linear amplification, interacting
dispersively with a two-level (fermionic) system. We show that a geometric
phase factor in the joint state of the system, which depends on the fermionic
state (resulting form the Stark shift), is introduced by the amplification
process. A clear geometrical interpretation of this phenomenon is provided. We
also show how to measure this effect in an interferometric experiment and to
generate geometric "Schrodinger cat"-like states. Finally, considering the
currently available technology, we discuss a feasible scheme to control and
measure such geometric phases in the context of cavity quantum electrodynamics
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