Non-Classical Response from Quench-Cooled Solid Helium Confined in Porous Gold

We have investigated the non-classical response of solid 4He confined in porous gold set to torsional oscillation. When solid helium is grown rapidly, nearly 7% of the solid helium appears to be decoupled from the oscillation below about 200 mK. Dissipation appears at temperatures where the decoupling shows maximum variation. In contrast, the decoupling is substantially reduced in slowly grown solid helium. The dynamic response of solid helium was also studied by imposing a sudden increase in the amplitude of oscillation. Extended relaxation in the resonant period shift, suggesting the emergence of the pinning of low energy excitations, was observed below the onset temperature of the non-classical response. The motion of a dislocation or a glassy solid is restricted in the entangled narrow pores and is not likely responsible for the period shift and long relaxation

Work distribution for the driven harmonic oscillator with time-dependent strength: Exact solution and slow driving

We study the work distribution of a single particle moving in a harmonic oscillator with time-dependent strength. This simple system has a non-Gaussian work distribution with exponential tails. The time evolution of the corresponding moment generating function is given by two coupled ordinary differential equations that are solved numerically. Based on this result we study the behavior of the work distribution in the limit of slow but finite driving and show that it approaches a Gaussian distribution arbitrarily well

Theoretical electron-impact-ionization cross section for Fe11+ forming Fe12+

We have calculated cross sections for electron impact ionization (EII) of P-like Fe11+ forming Si-like Fe12+. We have used the flexible atomic code (FAC) and a distorted-wave (DW) approximation. Particular attention has been paid to the ionization through the 3l→nl′ and 2l→nl′ excitation autoionization (EA) channels. We compare our results to previously published FAC DW results and recent experimental results. We find that the previous discrepancy between theory and experiment at the EII threshold can be accounted for by the 3l→nl′ EA channels which were not included in the earlier calculations. At higher energies the discrepancy previously seen between theory and experiment for the magnitude of the 2l→nl′ (n≥4) EA remains, though the difference has been reduced by our newer results. The resulting Maxwellian rate coefficient derived from our calculations lies within 11% of the experimentally derived rate coefficient in the temperature range where Fe11+ forms in collisional ionization equilibrium

Fe15+ dielectronic recombination and the effects of configuration interaction between resonances with different captured electron principal quantum numbers

Dielectronic recombination (DR) of Na-like Fe15+ forming Mg-like Fe14+ via excitation of a 2l core electron has been investigated. We find that configuration interaction (CI) between DR resonances with different captured electron principal quantum numbers n can lead to a significant reduction in resonance strengths for n≥5. Previous theoretical work for this system has not considered this form of CI. Including it accounts for most of the discrepancy between previous theoretical and experimental results

Dielectronic Recombination Calculations for Fe15+

Dielectronic recombination (DR) of Na-like Fe15+ forming Mg-like Fe14+ via excitation of a 2l core electron has been investigated. We find that configuration interaction (CI) between DR resonances with different captured electron principal quantum numbers n can lead to a significant reduction in resonance strengths for n ≥ 5. Including this form of CI accounts for most of the discrepancy between previous theoretical and experimental results. Here we briefly present our results and discuss their implications for the modeling of cosmic plasmas

Daytime lidar measurements of tidal winds in the mesospheric sodium layer at Urbana, Illinois

For more than 15 years lidar systems have been used to study the chemistry and dynamics of the mesospheric sodium layer. Because the layer is an excellent tracer of atmospheric wave motions, sodium lidar has proven to be particularly useful for studying the influence of gravity waves and tides on mesospheric dynamics. These waves, which originate in the troposphere and stratosphere, propagate through the mesosphere and dissipate their energy near the mesopause making important contributions to the momentum and turbulence budget in this region of the atmosphere. Recently, the sodium lidar was modified for daytime operation so that wave phenomena and chemical effects could be monitored throughout the complete diurnal cycle. The results of continuous 24 hour lidar observations of the sodium layer structure are presented alond with measurement of the semidiurnal tidal winds