43,751 research outputs found
Exact results for Casimir interactions between dielectric bodies: The weak-coupling or van der Waals Limit
In earlier papers we have applied multiple scattering techniques to calculate
Casimir forces due to scalar fields between different bodies described by delta
function potentials. When the coupling to the potentials became weak,
closed-form results were obtained. We simplify this weak-coupling technique and
apply it to the case of tenuous dielectric bodies, in which case the method
involves the summation of van der Waals (Casimir-Polder) interactions. Once
again exact results for finite bodies can be obtained. We present closed
formulas describing the interaction between spheres and between cylinders, and
between an infinite plate and a retangular slab of finite size. For such a
slab, we consider the torque acting on it, and find non-trivial equilibrium
points can occur.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Elastic scattering of low energy pions by nuclei and the in-medium isovector pi N amplitude
Measurements of elastic scattering of 21.5 MeV pi+ and pi- by Si, Ca, Ni and
Zr were made using a single arm magnetic spectrometer. Absolute calibration was
made by parallel measurements of Coulomb scattering of muons. Parameters of a
pion-nucleus optical potential were obtained from fits to all eight angular
distributions put together. The `anomalous' s-wave repulsion known from pionic
atoms is clearly observed and could be removed by introducing a
chiral-motivated density dependence of the isovector scattering amplitude,
which also greatly improved the fits to the data. The empirical energy
dependence of the isoscalar amplitude also improves the fits to the data but,
contrary to what is found with pionic atoms, on its own is incapable of
removing the anomaly.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables. V2 added details on
uncertainties,extended discussion. To appear in PR
The in-medium isovector pi N amplitude from low energy pion scattering
Differential cross sections for elastic scattering of 21.5 MeV positive and
negative pions by Si, Ca, Ni and Zr have been measured as part of a study of
the pion-nucleus potential across threshold. The `anomalous' repulsion in the
s-wave term was observed, as is the case with pionic atoms. The extra repulsion
can be accounted for by a chiral-motivated model where the pion decay constant
is modified in the medium. Unlike in pionic atoms, the anomaly cannot be
removed by merely introducing an empirical on-shell energy dependence.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures. Minor changes, to appear in PR
Test of the Equivalence Principle Using a Rotating Torsion Balance
We used a continuously rotating torsion balance instrument to measure the
acceleration difference of beryllium and titanium test bodies towards sources
at a variety of distances. Our result Delta a=(0.6+/-3.1)x10^-15 m/s^2 improves
limits on equivalence-principle violations with ranges from 1 m to infinity by
an order of magnitude. The Eoetvoes parameter is eta=(0.3+/-1.8)x10^-13. By
analyzing our data for accelerations towards the center of the Milky Way we
find equal attractions of Be and Ti towards galactic dark matter, yielding
eta=(-4 +/- 7)x10^-5. Space-fixed differential accelerations in any direction
are limited to less than 8.8x10^-15 m/s^2 with 95% confidence.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication in PR
The future of Earth observation in hydrology
In just the past 5 years, the field of Earth observation has progressed beyond the offerings of conventional space-agency-based platforms to include a plethora of sensing opportunities afforded by CubeSats, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and smartphone technologies that are being embraced by both for-profit companies and individual researchers. Over the previous decades, space agency efforts have brought forth well-known and immensely useful satellites such as the Landsat series and the Gravity Research and Climate Experiment (GRACE) system, with costs typically of the order of 1 billion dollars per satellite and with concept-to-launch timelines of the order of 2 decades (for new missions). More recently, the proliferation of smart-phones has helped to miniaturize sensors and energy requirements, facilitating advances in the use of CubeSats that can be launched by the dozens, while providing ultra-high (3-5 m) resolution sensing of the Earth on a daily basis. Start-up companies that did not exist a decade ago now operate more satellites in orbit than any space agency, and at costs that are a mere fraction of traditional satellite missions. With these advances come new space-borne measurements, such as real-time high-definition video for tracking air pollution, storm-cell development, flood propagation, precipitation monitoring, or even for constructing digital surfaces using structure-from-motion techniques. Closer to the surface, measurements from small unmanned drones and tethered balloons have mapped snow depths, floods, and estimated evaporation at sub-metre resolutions, pushing back on spatio-temporal constraints and delivering new process insights. At ground level, precipitation has been measured using signal attenuation between antennae mounted on cell phone towers, while the proliferation of mobile devices has enabled citizen scientists to catalogue photos of environmental conditions, estimate daily average temperatures from battery state, and sense other hydrologically important variables such as channel depths using commercially available wireless devices. Global internet access is being pursued via high-altitude balloons, solar planes, and hundreds of planned satellite launches, providing a means to exploit the "internet of things" as an entirely new measurement domain. Such global access will enable real-time collection of data from billions of smartphones or from remote research platforms. This future will produce petabytes of data that can only be accessed via cloud storage and will require new analytical approaches to interpret. The extent to which today's hydrologic models can usefully ingest such massive data volumes is unclear. Nor is it clear whether this deluge of data will be usefully exploited, either because the measurements are superfluous, inconsistent, not accurate enough, or simply because we lack the capacity to process and analyse them. What is apparent is that the tools and techniques afforded by this array of novel and game-changing sensing platforms present our community with a unique opportunity to develop new insights that advance fundamental aspects of the hydrological sciences. To accomplish this will require more than just an application of the technology: in some cases, it will demand a radical rethink on how we utilize and exploit these new observing systems
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Tests of a Two-phase Induction Motor
The motor was of the squirrel cage rotor type and had two separate windings in the stator producing a 4 pole revolving field when supplied with 2 phase alternating current. The machine was designed to give one horse-power when supplied with 2 phase alternating current at 60 cycles and 100 volts
Gene transfer into hepatocytes using asialoglycoprotein receptor mediated endocytosis of DNA complexed with an artificial tetra-antennary galactose ligand
We have constructed an artificial ligand for the hepatocyte-specific asialoglycoprotein receptor for the purpose of generating a synthetic delivery system for DNA. This ligand has a tetra-antennary structure, containing four terminal galactose residues on a branched carrier peptide. The carbohydrate residues of this glycopeptide were introduced by reductive coupling of lactose to the alpha- and epsilon-amino groups of the two N-terminal lysines on the carrier peptide. The C-terminus of the peptide, containing a cysteine separated from the branched N-terminus by a 10 amino acid spacer sequence, was used for conjugation to 3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate-modified polylysine via disulfide bond formation. Complexes containing plasmid DNA bound to these galactose-polylysine conjugates have been used for asialoglycoprotein receptor-mediated transfer of a luciferase gene into human (HepG2) and murine (BNL CL.2) hepatocyte cell lines. Gene transfer was strongly promoted when amphipathic peptides with pH-controlled membrane-disruption activity, derived from the N-terminal sequence of influenza virus hemagglutinin HA-2, were also present in these DNA complexes. Thus, we have essentially borrowed the small functional domains of two large proteins, asialoglycoprotein and hemagglutinin, and assembled them into a supramolecular complex to generate an efficient gene-transfer system
Exchange interaction effects in the thermodynamic properties of quantum dots
We study electron-electron interaction effects in the thermodynamic
properties of quantum-dot systems. We obtain the direct and exchange
contributions to the specific heat C_v in the self-consistent Hartree-Fock
approximation at finite temperatures. An exchange-induced phase transition is
observed and the transition temperature is shown to be inversely proportional
to the size of the system. The exchange contribution to C_v dominates over the
direct and kinetic contributions in the intermediate regime of interaction
strength (r_s ~ 1). Furthermore, the electron-electron interaction modifies
both the amplitude and the period of magnetic field induced oscillations in
C_v.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures; To appear in Phys. Rev.
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