How mobile are dye adsorbates and acetonitrile molecules on the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles? A quasi-elastic neutron scattering study

Motions of molecules adsorbed to surfaces may control the rate of charge transport within monolayers in systems such as dye sensitized solar cells. We used quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) to evaluate the possible dynamics of two small dye moieties, isonicotinic acid (INA) and bis-isonicotinic acid (BINA), attached to TiO2 nanoparticles via carboxylate groups. The scattering data indicate that moieties are immobile and do not rotate around the anchoring groups on timescales between around 10 ps and a few ns (corresponding to the instrumental range). This gives an upper limit for the rate at which conformational fluctuations can assist charge transport between anchored molecules. Our observations suggest that if the conformation of larger dye molecules varies with time, it does so on longer timescales and/or in parts of the molecule which are not directly connected to the anchoring group. The QENS measurements also indicate that several layers of acetonitrile solvent molecules are immobilized at the interface with the TiO2 on the measurement time scale, in reasonable agreement with recent classical molecular dynamics results

Meiotic DSB patterning: A multifaceted process

Meiosis is a specialized two-step cell division responsible for genome haploidization and the generation of genetic diversity during gametogenesis. An integral and distinctive feature of the meiotic program is the evolutionarily conserved initiation of homologous recombination (HR) by the developmentally programmed induction of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). The inherently dangerous but essential act of DSB formation is subject to multiple forms of stringent and self-corrective regulation that collectively ensure fruitful and appropriate levels of genetic exchange without risk to cellular survival. Within this article we focus upon an emerging element of this control—spatial regulation—detailing recent advances made in understanding how DSBs are evenly distributed across the genome, and present a unified view of the underlying patterning mechanisms employed

On the Neutral Gas Content and Environment of NGC 3109 and the Antlia Dwarf Galaxy

As part of a continuing survey of nearby galaxies, we have mapped the neutral gas content of the low surface brightness, Magellanic-type galaxy NGC 3109 --- and its environment, including the Antlia dwarf galaxy --- at unprecedented velocity resolution and brightness sensitivity. The HI mass of NGC 3109 is measured to be (3.8 +/- 0.5) x 10^8 Msun. A substantial warp in the disk of NGC 3109 is detected in the HI emission image in the form of an extended low surface brightness feature. We report a positive detection in HI of the nearby Antlia dwarf galaxy, and measure its total neutral gas mass to be (6.8 +/- 1.4) x 10^5 Msun. We show the warp in NGC 3109 to lie at exactly the same radial velocity as the gas in the Antlia dwarf galaxy and speculate that Antlia disturbed the disk of NGC 3109 during a mild encounter ~1 Gyr in the past. HI data for a further eight galaxies detected in the background are presented.Comment: Accepted for publication in A

Geometrically induced modification of surface plasmons in the optical and telecom regimes

We demonstrate that the introduction of a subwavelength periodic modulation into a metallic structure strongly modifies the guiding characteristics of the surface plasmon modes supported by the system. Moreover, it is also shown how a new type of a tightly confined surface plasmon polariton mode can be created by just milling a periodic corrugation into a metallic ridge placed on top of a metal surface

N-body simulations of galaxies and groups of galaxies with the Marseille GRAPE systems

I review the Marseille GRAPE systems and the N-body simulations done with them. I first describe briefly the available hardware and software, their possibilities and their limitations. I then describe work done on interacting galaxies and groups of galaxies. This includes simulations of the formation of ring galaxies, simulations of bar destruction by massive compact satellites, of merging in compact groups and of the formation of brightest members in clusters of galaxies.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, to be published in "Non-linear Dynamics and Chaos in Astrophysics", eds. J.R. Buchler, S. Gottesman, J. Hunter and H. Kandrup, Annals of the New York Academy of Science

VPLanet: The Virtual Planet Simulator

We describe a software package called VPLanet that simulates fundamental aspects of planetary system evolution over Gyr timescales, with a focus on investigating habitable worlds. In this initial release, eleven physics modules are included that model internal, atmospheric, rotational, orbital, stellar, and galactic processes. Many of these modules can be coupled simultaneously to simulate the evolution of terrestrial planets, gaseous planets, and stars. The code is validated by reproducing a selection of observations and past results. VPLanet is written in C and designed so that the user can choose the physics modules to apply to an individual object at runtime without recompiling, i.e., a single executable can simulate the diverse phenomena that are relevant to a wide range of planetary and stellar systems. This feature is enabled by matrices and vectors of function pointers that are dynamically allocated and populated based on user input. The speed and modularity of VPLanet enables large parameter sweeps and the versatility to add/remove physical phenomena to assess their importance. VPLanet is publicly available from a repository that contains extensive documentation, numerous examples, Python scripts for plotting and data management, and infrastructure for community input and future development.Comment: 75 pages, 34 figures, 10 tables, accepted to the Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Source code, documentation, and examples available at https://github.com/VirtualPlanetaryLaboratory/vplane

Photometric study of the IC 65 group of galaxies

We carry out a photometric study of a poor group of late-type galaxies around IC 65, with the aim: (a) to search for new dwarf members and to measure their photometric characteristics; (b) to search for possible effects of mutual interactions on the morphology and star-formation characteristics of luminous and faint group members; (c) to evaluate the evolutionary status of this particular group. We make use of our BRI CCD observations, DPOSS blue and red frames, and the 2MASS JHK frames. In addition, we use the HI imaging data, the far-infrared and radio data from the literature. Search for dwarf galaxies is made using the SExtractor software. Detailed surface photometry is performed with the MIDAS package. Four LSB galaxies were classified as probable dwarf members of the group and the BRI physical and model parameters were derived for the first time for all true and probable group members. Newly found dIrr galaxies around the IC 65 contain a number of H II regions, which show a range of ages and propagating star-formation. Mildly disturbed gaseous and/or stellar morphology is found in several group members. Various structural, dynamical, and star-forming characteristics let us conclude that the IC 65 group is a typical poor assembly of late-type galaxies at an early stage of its dynamical evolution with some evidence of intragroup (tidal) interactions.Comment: 21 pages, 16 figures, submitted to A&

The imprint of dissipation on the shapes of merger remnant LOSVDs

The properties of elliptical galaxies are broadly consistent with simulated remnants of gas-rich mergers between spirals, motivating more detailed studies of the imprint of this formation mechanism on the remnant distribution function. Gas has a strong impact on the non-Gaussian shapes of the line-of-sight velocity distributions (LOSVDs) of the merger remnant, owing to the embedded disk that forms out of the gas that retains its angular momentum during the merger, and the strong central mass concentration from the gas that falls to the center. The deviations from Gaussianity are parametrized by the Gauss-Hermite moments h_3 and h_4, which are related to the skewness and kurtosis of the LOSVDs. We quantify the dependence of the (h_3,h_4)-v/sigma relations on the initial gas fraction of the progenitor disks in 1:1 mergers, using Gadget-2 simulations including star formation, radiative cooling, and feedback from supernovae and AGN. For gas fractions f_gas < ~15% the overall correlation between h_3 and v/sigma is weak, consisting of a flat negatively correlated component arising from edge-on viewing angles plus a steep positively correlated part from face-on projections. The spread in v/sigma values decreases toward high positive h_4, and there is a trend toward lower h_4 as the gas fraction increases from 0 to 15%. For f_gas > ~20% the (h_3,4)- v/sigma distributions look quite different - there is a tight negative h_3- v/sigma correlation, and a wide spread in v/sigma values at all h_4, in better agreement with observations. Re-mergers of the high-f_gas remnants (dry mergers) produce slowly rotating systems with nearly Gaussian LOSVDs. We explain all of these trends in terms of the underlying orbit structure of the remnants, as molded by their dissipative formation histories.Comment: ApJ accepted - added some references and background on previous studies. 9 pages, 4 figure