16,474 research outputs found
High-resolution imaging of ultracold fermions in microscopically tailored optical potentials
We report on the local probing and preparation of an ultracold Fermi gas on
the length scale of one micrometer, i.e. of the order of the Fermi wavelength.
The essential tool of our experimental setup is a pair of identical,
high-resolution microscope objectives. One of the microscope objectives allows
local imaging of the trapped Fermi gas of 6Li atoms with a maximum resolution
of 660 nm, while the other enables the generation of arbitrary optical dipole
potentials on the same length scale. Employing a 2D acousto-optical deflector,
we demonstrate the formation of several trapping geometries including a tightly
focussed single optical dipole trap, a 4x4-site two-dimensional optical lattice
and a 8-site ring lattice configuration. Furthermore, we show the ability to
load and detect a small number of atoms in these trapping potentials. A site
separation of down to one micrometer in combination with the low mass of 6Li
results in tunneling rates which are sufficiently large for the implementation
of Hubbard-models with the designed geometries.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure
Magnetic Fields in Dark Cloud Cores: Arecibo OH Zeeman Observations
We have carried out an extensive survey of magnetic field strengths toward
dark cloud cores in order to test models of star formation: ambipolar-diffusion
driven or turbulence driven. The survey involved hours of observing
with the Arecibo telescope in order to make sensitive OH Zeeman observations
toward 34 dark cloud cores. Nine new probable detections were achieved at the
2.5-sigma level; the certainty of the detections varies from solid to marginal,
so we discuss each probable detection separately. However, our analysis
includes all the measurements and does not depend on whether each position has
a detection or just a sensitive measurement. Rather, the analysis establishes
mean (or median) values over the set of observed cores for relevant
astrophysical quantities. The results are that the mass-to-flux ratio is
supercritical by , and that the ratio of turbulent to magnetic energies
is also . These results are compatible with both models of star
formation. However, these OH Zeeman observations do establish for the first
time on a statistically sound basis the energetic importance of magnetic fields
in dark cloud cores at densities of order cm, and they lay
the foundation for further observations that could provide a more definitive
test.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figures, 2 table
Oxygen superstructures throughout the phase diagram of
Short-range lattice superstructures have been studied with high-energy x-ray
diffuse scattering in underdoped, optimally doped, and overdoped . A new four-unit-cell superstructure was observed in
compounds with . Its temperature, doping, and material dependence
was used to attribute its origin to short-range oxygen vacancy ordering, rather
than electronic instabilities in the layers. No significant diffuse
scattering is observed in YBaCuO. The oxygen superstructures must
be taken into account when interpreting spectral anomalies in
Characterizing flows with an instrumented particle measuring Lagrangian accelerations
We present in this article a novel Lagrangian measurement technique: an
instrumented particle which continuously transmits the force/acceleration
acting on it as it is advected in a flow. We develop signal processing methods
to extract information on the flow from the acceleration signal transmitted by
the particle. Notably, we are able to characterize the force acting on the
particle and to identify the presence of a permanent large-scale vortex
structure. Our technique provides a fast, robust and efficient tool to
characterize flows, and it is particularly suited to obtain Lagrangian
statistics along long trajectories or in cases where optical measurement
techniques are not or hardly applicable.Comment: submitted to New Journal of Physic
Carrier-wave Rabi flopping signatures in high-order harmonic generation for alkali atoms
We present the first theoretical investigation of carrier-wave Rabi flopping
in real atoms by employing numerical simulations of high-order harmonic
generation (HHG) in alkali species. Given the short HHG cutoff, related to the
low saturation intensity, we concentrate on the features of the third harmonic
of sodium (Na) and potassium (K) atoms. For pulse areas of 2 and Na atoms,
a characteristic unique peak appears, which, after analyzing the ground state
population, we correlate with the conventional Rabi flopping. On the other
hand, for larger pulse areas, carrier-wave Rabi flopping occurs, and is
associated with a more complex structure in the third harmonic. These new
characteristics observed in K atoms indicate the breakdown of the area theorem,
as was already demonstrated under similar circumstances in narrow band gap
semiconductors
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Calibration of a single atom detector for atomic micro chips
We experimentally investigate a scheme for detecting single atoms
magnetically trapped on an atom chip. The detector is based on the
photoionization of atoms and the subsequent detection of the generated ions. We
describe the characterization of the ion detector with emphasis on its
calibration via the correlation of ions with simultaneously generated
electrons. A detection efficiency of 47.8% (+-2.6%) is measured, which is
useful for single atom detection, and close to the limit allowing atom counting
with sub-Poissonian uncertainty
Scent of danger: floc formation by a freshwater bacterium is induced by supernatants from a predator-prey coculture
We investigated predator-prey interactions in a model system consisting of the bacterivorous flagellate Poterioochromonas sp. strain DS and the freshwater bacterium Sphingobium sp. strain Z007. This bacterial strain tends to form a subpopulation of grazing-resistant microscopic flocs, presumably by aggregation. Enhanced formation of such flocs could be demonstrated in static batch culture experiments in the presence of the predator. The ratio of aggregates to single cells reached >0.1 after 120 h of incubation in an oligotrophic growth medium. The inoculation of bacteria into supernatants from cocultures of bacteria and flagellates (grown in oligotrophic or in rich media) also resulted in a substantially higher level of floc formation than that in supernatants from bacterial monocultures only. After separation of supernatants on a C(18) cartridge, the aggregate-inducing activity could be assigned to the 50% aqueous methanolic fraction, and further separation of this bioactive fraction could be achieved by high-pressure liquid chromatography. These results strongly suggest the involvement of one or several chemical factors in the induction of floc formation by Sphingobium sp. strain Z007 that are possibly released into the surrounding medium by flagellate grazing
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