2,136 research outputs found
New Pseudo-Phase Structure for -Pu
In this paper we propose a new pseudo-phase crystal structure, based on an
orthorhombic distortion of the diamond structure, for the ground-state
-phase of plutonium. Electronic-structure calculations in the
generalized-gradient approximation give approximately the same total energy for
the two structures. Interestingly, our new pseudo-phase structure is the same
as the Pu -phase structure except with very different b/a and c/a
ratios. We show how the contraction relative to the phase, principally
in the direction, leads to an -like structure in the [0,1,1] plane.
This is an important link between two complex structures of plutonium and opens
new possibilities for exploring the very rich phase diagram of Pu through
theoretical calculations
Methyl 2-(methylthio)benzoate: the unique sulfur-containing sex pheromone of Phyllophaga crinita
The female-produced sex pheromone of Phyllophaga crinita (Burmeister) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae; the adult has no common name) is identified as methyl 2-(methylthio)benzoate. This is the first identification of a sulfur-containing, long-distance, female-produced sex attractant from any insect taxa. The root-feeding larvae of this species are serious pests in many crops in Texas and Mexico. In field tests, many P. crinita males were captured in traps baited with the authentic compound. Interestingly, a heteroatom analog, methyl 2-methoxybenzoate, also captured P. crinita males, but only at a dose 10,000 times higher than the lowest tested dose of the authentic pheromon
Microrheology, stress fluctuations and active behavior of living cells
We report the first measurements of the intrinsic strain fluctuations of
living cells using a recently-developed tracer correlation technique along with
a theoretical framework for interpreting such data in heterogeneous media with
non-thermal driving. The fluctuations' spatial and temporal correlations
indicate that the cytoskeleton can be treated as a course-grained continuum
with power-law rheology, driven by a spatially random stress tensor field.
Combined with recent cell rheology results, our data imply that intracellular
stress fluctuations have a nearly power spectrum, as expected for
a continuum with a slowly evolving internal prestress.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let
Like-charge attraction through hydrodynamic interaction
We demonstrate that the attractive interaction measured between like-charged
colloidal spheres near a wall can be accounted for by a nonequilibrium
hydrodynamic effect. We present both analytical results and Brownian dynamics
simulations which quantitatively capture the one-wall experiments of Larsen and
Grier (Nature 385, p. 230, 1997).Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure
Hard Spheres in Vesicles: Curvature-Induced Forces and Particle-Induced Curvature
We explore the interplay of membrane curvature and nonspecific binding due to
excluded-volume effects among colloidal particles inside lipid bilayer
vesicles. We trapped submicron spheres of two different sizes inside a
pear-shaped, multilamellar vesicle and found the larger spheres to be pinned to
the vesicle's surface and pushed in the direction of increasing curvature. A
simple model predicts that hard spheres can induce shape changes in flexible
vesicles. The results demonstrate an important relationship between the shape
of a vesicle or pore and the arrangement of particles within it.Comment: LaTeX with epsfig; ps available at
http://dept.physics.upenn.edu/~nelson/index.shtml Phys Rev Lett in press
(1997
Faraday Tomography of the North Polar Spur: Constraints on the distance to the Spur and on the Magnetic Field of the Galaxy
We present radio continuum and polarization images of the North Polar Spur
(NPS) from the Global Magneto-Ionic Medium Survey (GMIMS) conducted with the
Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory 26-m Telescope. We fit polarization
angle versus wavelength squared over 2048 frequency channels from 1280 to 1750
MHz to obtain a Faraday Rotation Measure (RM) map of the NPS. Combining this RM
map with a published Faraday depth map of the entire Galaxy in this direction,
we derive the Faraday depth introduced by the NPS and the Galactic interstellar
medium (ISM) in front of and behind the NPS. The Faraday depth contributed by
the NPS is close to zero, indicating that the NPS is an emitting only feature.
The Faraday depth caused by the ISM in front of the NPS is consistent with zero
at b>50 degree, implying that this part of the NPS is local at a distance of
approximately several hundred parsecs. The Faraday depth contributed by the ISM
behind the NPS gradually increases with Galactic latitude up to b=44 degree,
and decreases at higher Galactic latitudes. This implies that either the part
of the NPS at b<44 degree is distant or the NPS is local but there is a sign
change of the large-scale magnetic field. If the NPS is local, there is then no
evidence for a large-scale anti-symmetry pattern in the Faraday depth of the
Milky Way. The Faraday depth introduced by the ISM behind the NPS at latitudes
b>50 degree can be explained by including a coherent vertical magnetic field.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ. Some figures
have been degraded to reduce sizes, for a high resolution version, see
http://physics.usyd.edu.au/~xhsun/ms_nps.pd
Strong Attraction between Charged Spheres due to Metastable Ionized States
We report a mechanism which can lead to long range attractions between
like-charged spherical macroions, stemming from the existence of metastable
ionized states. We show that the ground state of a single highly charged
colloid plus a few excess counterions is overcharged. For the case of two
highly charged macroions in their neutralizing divalent counterion solution we
demonstrate that, in the regime of strong Coulomb coupling, the counterion
clouds are very likely to be unevenly distributed, leading to one overcharged
and one undercharged macroion. This long-living metastable configuration in
turn leads to a long range Coulomb attraction.Comment: REVTEX-published versio
Neutrinos and Gamma Rays from Galaxy Clusters
The next generation of neutrino and gamma-ray detectors should provide new
insights into the creation and propagation of high-energy protons within galaxy
clusters, probing both the particle physics of cosmic rays interacting with the
background medium and the mechanisms for high-energy particle production within
the cluster. In this paper we examine the possible detection of gamma-rays (via
the GLAST satellite) and neutrinos (via the ICECUBE and Auger experiments) from
the Coma cluster of galaxies, as well as for the gamma-ray bright clusters
Abell 85, 1758, and 1914. These three were selected from their possible
association with unidentified EGRET sources, so it is not yet entirely certain
that their gamma-rays are indeed produced diffusively within the intracluster
medium, as opposed to AGNs. It is not obvious why these inconspicuous
Abell-clusters should be the first to be seen in gamma-rays, but a possible
reason is that all of them show direct evidence of recent or ongoing mergers.
Their identification with the EGRET gamma-ray sources is also supported by the
close correlation between their radio and (purported) gamma-ray fluxes. Under
favorable conditions (including a proton spectral index of 2.5 in the case of
Abell 85, and sim 2.3 for Coma, and Abell 1758 and 1914), we expect ICECUBE to
make as many as 0.3 neutrino detections per year from the Coma cluster of
galaxies, and as many as a few per year from the Abell clusters 85, 1758, and
1914. Also, Auger may detect as many as 2 events per decade at ~ EeV energies
from these gamma-ray bright clusters.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
Phase behaviour of a model of colloidal particles with a fluctuating internal state
Colloidal particles are not simple rigid particles, in general an isolated
particle is a system with many degrees of freedom in its own right, e.g., the
counterions around a charged colloidal particle.The behaviour of model
colloidal particles, with a simple phenomenological model to account for these
degrees of freedom, is studied. It is found that the interaction between the
particles is not pairwise additive. It is even possible that the interaction
between a triplet of particles is attractive while the pair interaction is
repulsive. When this is so the liquid phase is either stable only in a small
region of the phase diagram or absent altogether.Comment: 12 pages including 4 figure
- …