930 research outputs found
Ultracold homonuclear and heteronuclear collisions in metastable helium
Scattering and ionizing cross sections and rates are calculated for ultracold
collisions between metastable helium atoms using a fully quantum-mechanical
close-coupled formalism. Homonuclear collisions of the bosonic HeHe and fermionic HeHe systems, and
heteronuclear collisions of the mixed HeHe system,
are investigated over a temperature range 1 K to 1 K. Carefully
constructed Born-Oppenheimer molecular potentials are used to describe the
electrostatic interaction between the colliding atoms, and complex optical
potentials used to represent loss through ionization from the
states. Magnetic spin-dipole mediated transitions from the
state are included and results reported for spin-polarized and unpolarized
systems. Comparisons are made with experimental results, previous
semi-classical models, and a perturbed single channel model.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure
Photoassociation spectra and the validity of the dipole approximation for weakly bound dimers
Photoassociation (PA) of ultracold metastable helium to the 2s2p manifold is
theoretically investigated using a non-perturbative close-coupled treatment in
which the laser coupling is evaluated without assuming the dipole
approximation. The results are compared with our previous study [Cocks and
Whittingham, Phys. Rev. A 80, 023417 (2009)] that makes use of the dipole
approximation. The approximation is found to strongly affect the PA spectra
because the photoassociated levels are weakly bound, and a similar impact is
predicted to occur in other systems of a weakly bound nature. The inclusion or
not of the approximation does not affect the resonance positions or widths,
however significant differences are observed in the background of the spectra
and the maximum laser intensity at which resonances are discernable. Couplings
not satisfying the dipole selection rule |J-1| <= J' <= |J+1| do not lead to
observable resonances.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures; Minor textual revision
Rapid preimplantation detection of mutant (shiverer) and normal alleles of the mouse myelin basic protein gene allowing selective implantation and birth of live young.
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How Bulk Sensitive is Hard X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy: Accounting for the Cathode-Electrolyte Interface when Addressing Oxygen Redox.
Sensitivity to the "bulk" oxygen core orbital makes hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) an appealing technique for studying oxygen redox candidates. Various studies have reported an additional O 1s peak (530-531 eV) at high voltages, which has been considered a direct signature of the bulk oxygen redox process. Here, we find the emergence of a 530.4 eV O 1s HAXPES peak for three model cathodes-Li2MnO3, Li-rich NMC, and NMC 442-that shows no clear link to oxygen redox. Instead, the 530.4 eV peak for these three systems is attributed to transition metal reduction and electrolyte decomposition in the near-surface region. Claims of oxygen redox relying on photoelectron spectroscopy must explicitly account for the surface sensitivity of this technique and the extent of the cathode degradation layer
Laser Intensity Dependence of Photoassociation in Ultracold Metastable Helium
Photoassociation of spin-polarized metastable helium to the three lowest
rovibrational levels of the J=1, state asymptoting to 2SP is studied using a second-order perturbative
treatment of the line shifts valid for low laser intensities, and two variants
of a non-perturbative close-coupled treatment, one based upon dressed states of
the matter plus laser system, and the other on a modified radiative coupling
which vanishes asymptotically, thus simulating experimental conditions. These
non-perturbative treatments are valid for arbitrary laser intensities and yield
the complete photoassociation resonance profile. Both variants give nearly
identical results for the line shifts and widths of the resonances and show
that their dependence upon laser intensity is very close to linear and
quadratic respectively for the two lowest levels. The resonance profiles are
superimposed upon a significant background loss, a feature for this metastable
helium system not present in studies of photoassociation in other systems,
which is due to the very shallow nature of the excited state potential.
The results for the line shifts from the close-coupled and perturbative
calculations agree very closely at low laser intensities.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, title altered, text reduce
Hadronic B decays: Supersymmetric enhancement and a simple spectator model
Two aspects of hadronic B decays are investigated. Firstly, the
supersymmetric enhancement of hadronic b decays by gluino penguin processes is
studied through their effect on the Wilson coefficients of the effective
Hamiltonian. Secondly, hadronization of the final state quarks is studied
through a simple phase space spectator model.Comment: 24 pages, REVTEX, minor additional text and some references adde
Suppression of Phase Separation in LiFePO4 Nanoparticles During Battery Discharge
Using a novel electrochemical phase-field model, we question the common
belief that LixFePO4 nanoparticles separate into Li-rich and Li-poor phases
during battery discharge. For small currents, spinodal decomposition or
nucleation leads to moving phase boundaries. Above a critical current density
(in the Tafel regime), the spinodal disappears, and particles fill
homogeneously, which may explain the superior rate capability and long cycle
life of nano-LiFePO4 cathodes.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figure
Predicting mental imagery based BCI performance from personality, cognitive profile and neurophysiological patterns
Mental-Imagery based Brain-Computer Interfaces (MI-BCIs) allow their users to send commands
to a computer using their brain-activity alone (typically measured by ElectroEncephaloGraphy—
EEG), which is processed while they perform specific mental tasks. While very
promising, MI-BCIs remain barely used outside laboratories because of the difficulty
encountered by users to control them. Indeed, although some users obtain good control
performances after training, a substantial proportion remains unable to reliably control an
MI-BCI. This huge variability in user-performance led the community to look for predictors of
MI-BCI control ability. However, these predictors were only explored for motor-imagery
based BCIs, and mostly for a single training session per subject. In this study, 18 participants
were instructed to learn to control an EEG-based MI-BCI by performing 3 MI-tasks, 2
of which were non-motor tasks, across 6 training sessions, on 6 different days. Relationships
between the participants’ BCI control performances and their personality, cognitive
profile and neurophysiological markers were explored. While no relevant relationships with
neurophysiological markers were found, strong correlations between MI-BCI performances
and mental-rotation scores (reflecting spatial abilities) were revealed. Also, a predictive
model of MI-BCI performance based on psychometric questionnaire scores was proposed.
A leave-one-subject-out cross validation process revealed the stability and reliability of this
model: it enabled to predict participants’ performance with a mean error of less than 3
points. This study determined how users’ profiles impact their MI-BCI control ability and
thus clears the way for designing novel MI-BCI training protocols, adapted to the profile of
each user
Spatiotemporal Patterns in Nest Box Occupancy by Tree Swallows Across North America
Data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) suggest that populations of aerial insectivorous birds are declining, particularly in northeastern regions of the continent, and particularly since the mid-1980s. Species that use nest boxes, such as Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), may provide researchers with large data sets that better reveal finer-scale geographical patterns in population trends. We analyzed trends in occupancy rates for ca. 40,000 Tree Swallow nest-box-years from 16 sites across North America. The earliest site has been studied intensively since 1969 and the latest site since 2004. Nest box occupancy rates declined significantly at five of six (83%) sites east of -78° W longitude, whereas occupancy rates increased significantly at four of ten sites (40%) west of -78° W longitude. Decreasing box occupancy trends from the northeast were broadly consistent with aspects of a previous analysis of BBS data for Tree Swallows, but our finding of instances of increases in other parts of the continent are novel. Several questions remain, particularly with respect to causes of these broad-scale geographic changes in population densities of Tree Swallows. The broad geographic patterns are consistent with a hypothesis of widespread changes in climate on wintering, migratory, or breeding areas that in turn may differentially affect populations of aerial insects, but other explanations are possible. It is also unclear whether these changes in occupancy rates reflect an increase or decrease in overall populations of Tree Swallows. Regardless, important conservation steps will be to unravel causes of changing populations of aerial insectivores in North America
Lithium storage mechanisms in purpurin based organic lithium ion battery electrodes
Current lithium batteries operate on inorganic insertion compounds to power a diverse range of
applications, but recently there is a surging demand to develop environmentally friendly green electrode
materials. To develop sustainable and eco-friendly lithium ion batteries, we report reversible lithium ion
storage properties of a naturally occurring and abundant organic compound purpurin, which is non-toxic
and derived from the plant madder. The carbonyl/hydroxyl groups present in purpurin molecules act as
redox centers and reacts electrochemically with Li-ions during the charge/discharge process. The
mechanism of lithiation of purpurin is fully elucidated using NMR, UV and FTIR spectral studies. The
formation of the most favored six membered binding core of lithium ion with carbonyl groups of purpurin
and hydroxyl groups at C-1 and C-4 positions respectively facilitated lithiation process, whereas hydroxyl
group at C-2 position remains unaltered
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