479 research outputs found
Matching small functions using centroid jitter and two beam position monitors
Matching to small beta functions is required to preserve emittance in plasma
accelerators. The plasma wake provides strong focusing fields, which typically
require beta functions on the mm-scale, comparable to those found in the final
focusing of a linear collider. Such beams can be time consuming to
experimentally produce and diagnose. We present a simple, fast, and noninvasive
method to measure Twiss parameters in a linac using two beam position monitors
only, relying on the similarity of the beam phase space and the jitter phase
space. By benchmarking against conventional quadrupole scans, the viability of
this technique was experimentally demonstrated at the FLASHForward
plasma-accelerator facility.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure
Can quantum fractal fluctuations be observed in an atom-optics kicked rotor experiment?
We investigate the parametric fluctuations in the quantum survival
probability of an open version of the delta-kicked rotor model in the deep
quantum regime. Spectral arguments [Guarneri I and Terraneo M 2001 Phys. Rev. E
vol. 65 015203(R)] predict the existence of parametric fractal fluctuations
owing to the strong dynamical localisation of the eigenstates of the kicked
rotor. We discuss the possibility of observing such dynamically-induced
fractality in the quantum survival probability as a function of the kicking
period for the atom-optics realisation of the kicked rotor. The influence of
the atoms' initial momentum distribution is studied as well as the dependence
of the expected fractal dimension on finite-size effects of the experiment,
such as finite detection windows and short measurement times. Our results show
that clear signatures of fractality could be observed in experiments with cold
atoms subjected to periodically flashed optical lattices, which offer an
excellent control on interaction times and the initial atomic ensemble.Comment: 18 pp, 7 figs., 1 tabl
Arnol'd Tongues and Quantum Accelerator Modes
The stable periodic orbits of an area-preserving map on the 2-torus, which is
formally a variant of the Standard Map, have been shown to explain the quantum
accelerator modes that were discovered in experiments with laser-cooled atoms.
We show that their parametric dependence exhibits Arnol'd-like tongues and
perform a perturbative analysis of such structures. We thus explain the
arithmetical organisation of the accelerator modes and discuss experimental
implications thereof.Comment: 20 pages, 6 encapsulated postscript figure
Spiral cracks in drying precipitates
We investigate the formation of spiral crack patterns during the desiccation
of thin layers of precipitates in contact with a substrate. This
symmetry-breaking fracturing mode is found to arise naturally not from torsion
forces, but from a propagating stress front induced by the fold-up of the
fragments. We model their formation mechanism using a coarse-grain model for
fragmentation and successfully reproduce the spiral cracks. Fittings of
experimental and simulation data show that the spirals are logarithmic,
corresponding to constant deviation from a circular crack path. Theoretical
aspects of the logarithmic spirals are discussed. In particular we show that
this occurs generally when the crack speed is proportional to the propagating
speed of stress front.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, RevTe
Interns overestimate the effectiveness of their hand-off communication
Theories from the psychology of communication may be applicable in understanding why hand-off communication is inherently problematic. The purpose of this study was to assess whether postcall pediatric interns can correctly estimate the patient care information and rationale received by on-call interns during hand-off communication. METHODS: Pediatric interns at the University of Chicago were interviewed about the hand-off. Postcall interns were asked to predict what on-call interns would report as the important pieces of information communicated during the hand-off about each patient, with accompanying rationale. Postcall interns also guessed on-call interns' rating of how well the hand-offs went. Then, on-call interns were asked to list the most important pieces of information for each patient that postcall interns communicated during the hand-off, with accompanying rationale. On-call interns also rated how well the hand-offs went. Interns had access to written hand-offs during the interviews. RESULTS: We conducted 52 interviews, which constituted 59% of eligible interviews. Seventy-two patients were discussed. The most important piece of information about a patient was not successfully communicated 60% of the time, despite the postcall intern's believing that it was communicated. Postcall and on-call interns did not agree on the rationales provided for 60% of items. In addition, an item was more likely to be effectively communicated when it was a to-do item (65%) or an item related to anticipatory guidance (69%) compared with a knowledge item (38%). Despite the lack of agreement on content and rationale of information communicated during hand-offs, peer ratings of hand-off quality were high. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric interns overestimated the effectiveness of their hand-off communication. Theories from communication psychology suggest that miscommunication is caused by egocentric thought processes and a tendency for the speaker to overestimate the receiver's understanding. This study demonstrates that systematic causes of miscommunication may play a role in hand-off quality
Wireless zombies! A re-creation of Golden Age radio drama for a contemporary audience
The literally unseen yet fully imagined abject condition of the zombie has ensured that this incarnation of horror has played a resonant role in the history of popular radio drama through to the digital audio cultures of the present day. This article describes and contextualizes the production of Lover’s Lane (2013), an all-new zombie radio play in the 1940s style, by audio and radio researchers at the University of South Wales. This practical re-creation of the performance practices of ‘Golden Age’ radio was designed for both theatre and online audiences simultaneously. The discussion includes a variety of perspectives: writing/directing (Hand); production and broadcast (Traynor); music composition and performance (Challis and Smith); sound effects (Dean); and voice acting (D’Arcy)
Can the Relationship between Doctors and Drug Companies Ever Be a Healthy One?
Emma D'Arcy and Ray Moynihan debate whether doctors and drug companies can form healthy alliances or whether these will always be prone to the corrupting influence of drug company money
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