High-quality lowest-frequency normal mode strain observations at the Black Forest Observatory (SW-Germany) and comparison with horizontal broad-band seismometer data and synthetics

International audienceWe present spectra concentrating on the lowest-frequency normal modes of the Earth obtained from records of the invar-wire strainmeters and STS-1 broad-band seismometers located in the Black Forest Observatory, Germany after the disastrous earthquakes off the NW coast of Sumatra in 2004 and off the coast near Tohoku, Japan in 2011. We compare the spectra to ones obtained from synthetic seismograms computed using a mode summation technique for an anelastic, elliptical, rotating, spherically symmetric Earth model. The synthetics include strain– strain-coupling effects by using coupling coefficients obtained from comparisons between Earth tide signals recorded by the strainmeters and synthetic tidal records. We show that for the low-frequency toroidal and spheroidal modes up to 1 mHz, the strainmeters produce better signal-to-noise ratios than the broad-band horizontal seismometers. Overall, the comparison with the synthetics is satisfactory but not as good as for vertical accelerations. In particular, we demonstrate the high quality of the strainmeter data by showing the Coriolis splitting of toroidal modes for the first time in individual records, the first clear observation of the singlet 2 S 0 1 and the detection of the fundamental radial mode 0 S 0 with good signal-to-noise ratio and with a strain amplitude of 10 −11. We also identify the latter mode in a record of the Isabella strainmeter after the great Chilean quake in 1960, the detection of which was missed by the original studies

Atom-Dimer Scattering in a Three-Component Fermi Gas

Ultracold gases of three distinguishable particles with large scattering lengths are expected to show rich few-body physics related to the Efimov effect. We have created three different mixtures of ultracold 6Li atoms and weakly bound 6Li2 dimers consisting of atoms in three different hyperfine states and studied their inelastic decay via atom-dimer collisions. We have found resonant enhancement of the decay due to the crossing of Efimov-like trimer states with the atom-dimer continuum in one mixture as well as minima of the decay in another mixture, which we interpret as a suppression of exchange reactions of the type |12>+|3> -> |23>+|1>. Such a suppression is caused by interference between different decay paths and demonstrates the possiblity to use Efimov physics to control the rate constants for molecular exchange reactions in the ultracold regime.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Die Europäisierung der öffentlichen Aufgaben

Die zunehmende Europäisierung der öffentlichen Aufgaben ist einer der wichtigsten Trends im Wandel der Staatstätigkeit in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und in anderen Mitgliedstaaten der Europäischen Union. In diesem Essay werden die Stufen der Europäisierung der Staatstätigkeit nachgezeichnet, in Weiterführung von Lindberg/Scheingold (1970) und Schmitter (1996) quantifiziert und hinsichtlich ihrer Kosten und ihres Nutzen erörtert. Inhalt: Stufen der Europäisierung der öffentlichen Aufgaben Der Europäisierungsgrad der öffentlichen Aufgaben von 1950 bis zum Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts Vom Nutzen und von den Kosten der Europäisierung der öffentlichen Angelegenheiten Verzeichnis der zitierten Literatu

A educação na 'Constelação pós-nacional': o enfraquecimento da legitimação e do controle democrático, "expertocrático" e ético-profissional

The article discusses current transformations in the education systems worldwide. Focusing on the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as policy actors, it argues that these transformations imply a triple economization of education policy which can be observed at all levels of the education sector. The increasing importance of these organizations in educational issues marks a transition to a "postnational constellation" also in the education field insofar as the national educational sovereignty is being at least readjusted. The economization of education policy is however not restricted to bringing education closer to the needs of the economy and to turning its services into tradable goods. Rather, it also impinges on the operative level of education. A logics of production is being implemented in the self-description of the institutions of the education system, which are no longer bureaucratically administered establishments, but are rather conceived of as managerially conducted production business in which entrepreneurial action is needed. This new governance raises the problem of democratic legitimation of political decisions which ideally combines three elements: democratic, expertocratic, and ethico-professional. The article discusses the consequences of a shift in the balance of the three components with reference to Germany.O presente artigo discute as atuais transformações nos sistemas educacionais em todo o mundo. Tendo como foco a União Europeia (UE) e a Organização para a Cooperação e o Desenvolvimento Econômico (OCDE) como atores de políticas, seu argumento é que tais transformações implicam uma tripla "economização" da política educacional, que pode ser constatada em todos os níveis da área educacional. A importância cada vez maior dessas organizações nas questões educacionais configura uma transição para uma "constelação pós-nacional" também na área educacional, na medida em que a soberania educacional nacional está, no mínimo, passando por reajustes. No entanto, a "economização" das políticas educacionais não se limita a aproximar a educação das necessidades da economia e a transformar seus serviços em mercadorias comercializáveis. Ela também afeta o nível operacional da educação. Uma lógica de produção está sendo implementada na descrição realizada pelas próprias instituições do sistema educacional, que deixaram de ser estabelecimentos burocraticamente administrados para ser concebidos como uma atividade comercial gerencialmente controlada, uma atividade na qual uma ação empresarial se faz necessária. Esse novo tipo de administração faz surgir o problema da legitimação democrática das decisões políticas que, em termos ideais, combina três elementos: o democrático, o "expertocrático" e o ético-profissional. O artigo discute as consequências de uma mudança no equilíbrio desses três elementos no caso da Alemanha