536 research outputs found
Coarse-Grained Finite-Temperature Theory for the Condensate in Optical Lattices
In this work, we derive a coarse-grained finite-temperature theory for a Bose
condensate in a one-dimensional optical lattice, in addition to a confining
harmonic trap potential. We start from a two-particle irreducible (2PI)
effective action on the Schwinger-Keldysh closed-time contour path. In
principle, this action involves all information of equilibrium and
non-equilibrium properties of the condensate and noncondensate atoms. By
assuming an ansatz for the variational function, i.e., the condensate order
parameter in an effective action, we derive a coarse-grained effective action,
which describes the dynamics on the length scale much longer than a lattice
constant. Using the variational principle, coarse-grained equations of motion
for the condensate variables are obtained. These equations include a
dissipative term due to collisions between condensate and noncondensate atoms,
as well as noncondensate mean-field. To illustrate the usefulness of our
formalism, we discuss a Landau instability of the condensate in optical
lattices by using the coarse-grained generalized Gross-Pitaevskii
hydrodynamics. We found that the collisional damping rate due to collisions
between the condensate and noncondensate atoms changes sign when the condensate
velocity exceeds a renormalized sound velocity, leading to a Landau instability
consistent with the Landau criterion. Our results in this work give an insight
into the microscopic origin of the Landau instability.Comment: 38 pages, 2 figures. Submitted to Journal of Low Temperature Physic
Nature of Sonoluminescence: Noble Gas Radiation Excited by Hot Electrons in "Cold" Water
We show that strong electric fields occurring in water near the surface of
collapsing gas bubbles because of the flexoelectric effect can provoke dynamic
electric breakdown in a micron-size region near the bubble and consider the
scenario of the SBSL. The scenario is: (i) at the last stage of incomplete
collapse of the bubble the gradient of pressure in water near the bubble
surface has such a value and sign that the electric field arising from the
flexoelectric effect exceeds the threshold field of the dynamic electrical
breakdown of water and is directed to the bubble center; (ii) mobile electrons
are generated because of thermal ionization of water molecules near the bubble
surface; (iii) these electrons are accelerated in ''cold'' water by the strong
electric fields; (iv) these hot electrons transfer noble gas atoms dissolved in
water to high-energy excited states and optical transitions between these
states produce SBSL UV flashes in the trasparency window of water; (v) the
breakdown can be repeated several times and the power and duration of the UV
flash are determined by the multiplicity of the breakdowns. The SBSL spectrum
is found to resemble a black-body spectrum where temperature is given by the
effective temperature of the hot electrons. The pulse energy and some other
characteristics of the SBSL are found to be in agreement with the experimental
data when realistic estimations are made.Comment: 11 pages (RevTex), 1 figure (.ps
Dynamics of a ferromagnetic domain wall: avalanches, depinning transition and the Barkhausen effect
We study the dynamics of a ferromagnetic domain wall driven by an external
magnetic field through a disordered medium. The avalanche-like motion of the
domain walls between pinned configurations produces a noise known as the
Barkhausen effect. We discuss experimental results on soft ferromagnetic
materials, with reference to the domain structure and the sample geometry, and
report Barkhausen noise measurements on FeCoB amorphous
alloy. We construct an equation of motion for a flexible domain wall, which
displays a depinning transition as the field is increased. The long-range
dipolar interactions are shown to set the upper critical dimension to ,
which implies that mean-field exponents (with possible logarithmic correction)
are expected to describe the Barkhausen effect. We introduce a mean-field
infinite-range model and show that it is equivalent to a previously introduced
single-degree-of-freedom model, known to reproduce several experimental
results. We numerically simulate the equation in , confirming the
theoretical predictions. We compute the avalanche distributions as a function
of the field driving rate and the intensity of the demagnetizing field. The
scaling exponents change linearly with the driving rate, while the cutoff of
the distribution is determined by the demagnetizing field, in remarkable
agreement with experiments.Comment: 17 RevTeX pages, 19 embedded ps figures + 1 extra figure, submitted
to Phys. Rev.
Genetic relationships within and among Iberian fescues (Festuca L.) based on PCR-amplified markers
The genus Festuca comprises approximately 450 species and is widely distributed around the world. The Iberian Penninsula, with more than 100 taxa colonizing very diverse habitats, is one of its main centers of diversification. This study was conducted to assess molecular genetic variation and genetic relatedness among 91 populations of 31 taxa of Iberian fescues, based on several molecular markers (random amplified polymorphic DNA, amplified fragment length polymorphisms, and trnL sequences). The analyses showed the paraphyletic origin of the broad-leaved (subgenus Festuca, sections Scariosae and Subbulbosae, and subgenus Schedonorus) and the fine-leaved fescues (subgenus Festuca, sections Aulaxyper, Eskia, and Festuca). Schedonorus showed a weak relationship with Lolium rigidum and appeared to be the most recent of the broad-leaved clade. Section Eskia was the most ancient and Festuca the most recent of the fine-leaved clade. Festuca and Aulaxyper were the most related sections, in concordance with their taxonomic affinities. All taxa grouped into their sections, except F. ampla and F. capillifolia (section Festuca), which appeared to be more closely related to Aulaxyper and to a new independent section, respectively. Most populations clustered at the species level, but some subspecies and varieties mixed their populations. This study demonstrated the value in combining different molecular markers to uncover hidden genetic relationships between populations of Festuca
Study to evaluate the optimal dose of remifentanil required to ensure apnea during magnetic resonance imaging of the heart under general anesthesia
Background: Magnetic resonance (MRI) scanning of the heart is an established part of the investigation of cardiovascular conditions in children. In young children, sedation is likely to be needed, and multiple controlled periods of apnea are often required to allow image acquisition. Suppression of spontaneous ventilation is possible with remifentanil; however, the dose required is uncertain. Aims: To establish the dose of remifentanil, by infusion, required to suppress ventilation sufficiently to allow a 30-s apnea during MRI imaging of the heart. Method: Patients aged 1â6 years were exposed to different doses of remifentanil, and the success in achieving a 30-s apnea was recorded. A dose recommendation was made for each patient, informed by responses of previous patients using an adaptive Bayesian dose-escalation design. Other aspects of anesthesia were standardized. A final estimate of the dose needed to achieve a successful outcome in 80% of patients (ED80) was made using logistic regression. Results: 38 patients were recruited, and apnea achieved in 31 patients. The estimate of the ED80 was 0.184 ”g/kg/min (95% CI 0.178â0.190). Post hoc analysis revealed that higher doses were required in younger patients. Conclusion: The ED80 for this indication was 0.184 ”g/kg/min (95% CI 0.178â0.190). This is different from optimal dosing identified for other indications and dosing of remifentanil should be specific to the clinical context in which it is used
Electromagnetic-field quantization and spontaneous decay in left-handed media
We present a quantization scheme for the electromagnetic field interacting
with atomic systems in the presence of dispersing and absorbing
magnetodielectric media, including left-handed material having negative real
part of the refractive index. The theory is applied to the spontaneous decay of
a two-level atom at the center of a spherical free-space cavity surrounded by
magnetodielectric matter of overlapping band-gap zones. Results for both big
and small cavities are presented, and the problem of local-field corrections
within the real-cavity model is addressed.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, RevTe
Classification of temporomandibular joint sounds based upon their reduced interference distribution
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) sounds were recorded in 98 orthodontic retention patients, mean age 19 ± 8â6 (s.d.) years, by interview, auscultation and electronic recording. Sounds were found by auscultation in 41% and by interview in 32% of the subjects, more often in females than in males (P †0.05). A new method for time-frequency analysis, the reduced interference distribution (RID), was used to classify the electronic sound recordings into five subclasses, RID types 1â5, based upon location and number of their energy peaks. RID types 1â3 had a few energy peaks close in time. RID types 4â5, typical of subjects with crepitation, had multiple energy peaks occurring close in time for a period of 20â300 ms. RID type 1, found in 45% of the subjects, typical of patients with clicking, had its dominant energy peak located in a frequency range â€600 Hz and was significantly more common in the female than in the male subjects (P†0.01). RID type 2, found in 68% of the subjects, with the dominant peak in the range 600â1200 Hz, and RID type 3, found in 38% of the subjects, with the peak in the frequency range >1200 Hz, were found to have a similar gender distribution. RID type 4, found in 49% of the subjects, had the energy peaks distributed in the frequency range â€600 Hz. RID type 5, found in 43% of the subjects, more often in females than in males (P†0.05), had the peaks distributed over the whole frequency range from about 30 Hz up to about 3000 Hz. In conclusion, a more detailed classification could be made of the TMJ sounds by displaying the RIDs than by auscultation. This suggests that RID classification methods may provide a means for differentiating sounds indicating different types of pathology.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74694/1/j.1365-2842.1996.tb00809.x.pd
Habitat requirements of Tetanocera elata (Diptera: Sciomyzidae): case study of a dry meadow in western Ireland
Terrestrial slugs are pervasive pests of agriculture throughout temperate regions and have the potential to disrupt the germination of seedlings, cause damage to fruiting bodies of crops, and vector plant pathogens.
Tetanocera elata Fabricius (Diptera: Sciomyzidae), a widely distributed Palaearctic species, is an obligate mesoparasitoid and predator of pestiferous slugs including Deroceras reticulatum MĂŒller (Stylommatophora: Agriolimacidae). It has the potential to be developed as a native natural enemy in a conservation biological control programme as an alternative to chemical molluscicides.
To better understand the ecological requirements of this species, a detailed observational study was conducted at a site in the west of Ireland possessing naturally occurring T. elata populations.
Comparison of local patches where T. elata were recovered revealed no association with plant community composition.
Taller dead vegetation was associated with T. elata presence throughout the site. Within the area of greatest T. elata aggregation, there was a significantly greater percentage cover of dead vegetation where T. elata occurred. Abundance of T. elata was also significantly correlated to hedgerow proximity. Results of this study are directly applicable for the design of a conservation biological control programme, which effectively satisfies the principal habitat requirements of T. elata populations
Search for Higgs bosons decaying to tautau pairs in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV
We present a search for the production of neutral Higgs bosons decaying into
tautau pairs in ppbar collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The
data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4 fb-1, were collected by
the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We set upper limits at the
95% C.L. on the product of production cross section and branching ratio for a
scalar resonance decaying into tautau pairs, and we then interpret these limits
as limits on the production of Higgs bosons in the minimal supersymmetric
standard model (MSSM) and as constraints in the MSSM parameter space.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PL
Measurement of the photon-jet production differential cross section in collisions at \sqrt{s}=1.96~\TeV
We present measurements of the differential cross section dsigma/dpT_gamma
for the inclusive production of a photon in association with a b-quark jet for
photons with rapidities |y_gamma|< 1.0 and 30<pT_gamma <300 GeV, as well as for
photons with 1.5<|y_gamma|< 2.5 and 30< pT_gamma <200 GeV, where pT_gamma is
the photon transverse momentum. The b-quark jets are required to have pT>15 GeV
and rapidity |y_jet| < 1.5. The results are based on data corresponding to an
integrated luminosity of 8.7 fb^-1, recorded with the D0 detector at the
Fermilab Tevatron Collider at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV. The measured cross
sections are compared with next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations
using different sets of parton distribution functions as well as to predictions
based on the kT-factorization QCD approach, and those from the Sherpa and
Pythia Monte Carlo event generators.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett.
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