1,454 research outputs found
What's in a word? Conflicting interpretations of vulnerability in climate change research
In this paper, we discuss two competing interpretations of vulnerability in the climate change literature and consider the implications for both research and policy. The first interpretation, which can be referred to as the “end point” approach, views vulnerability as a residual of climate change impacts minus adaptation. The second interpretation, which takes vulnerability as a “starting point,” views vulnerability as a general characteristic generated by multiple factors and processes. Viewing vulnerability as an end point considers that adaptations and adaptive capacity determine vulnerability, whereas viewing vulnerability as a starting point holds that vulnerability determines adaptive capacity. The practical consequences of these two interpretations are illustrated through the examples of Norway and Mozambique. We show that, if the underlying causes and contexts of vulnerability are not taken into account, there is a danger of underestimating the magnitude (large), scope (social and environmental) and urgency (high) of climate change
Vortex line in a neutral finite-temperature superfluid Fermi gas
The structure of an isolated vortex in a dilute two-component neutral
superfluid Fermi gas is studied within the context of self-consistent
Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory. Various thermodynamic properties are calculated
and the shift in the critical temperature due to the presence of the vortex is
analyzed. The gapless excitations inside the vortex core are studied and a
scheme to detect these states and thus the presence of the vortex is examined.
The numerical results are compared with various analytical expressions when
appropriate.Comment: 8 pages, 6 embedded figure
Theory of the optical absorption of light carrying orbital angular momentum by semiconductors
We develop a free-carrier theory of the optical absorption of light carrying
orbital angular momentum (twisted light) by bulk semiconductors. We obtain the
optical transition matrix elements for Bessel-mode twisted light and use them
to calculate the wave function of photo-excited electrons to first-order in the
vector potential of the laser. The associated net electric currents of first
and second-order on the field are obtained. It is shown that the magnetic field
produced at the center of the beam for the mode is of the order of a
millitesla, and could therefore be detected experimentally using, for example,
the technique of time-resolved Faraday rotation.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. (23 Jan 2008
Static Properties of Trapped Bose-Fermi Mixed Condensate of Alkali Atoms
Static properties of a bose-fermi mixture of trapped potassium atoms are
studied in terms of coupled Gross-Pitaevskii and Thomas-Fermi equations for
both repulsive and attractive bose-fermi interatomic potentials. Qualitative
estimates are given for solutions of the coupled equations, and the parameter
regions are obtained analytically for the boson-density profile change and for
the boson/fermion phase separation. Especially, the parameter ratio
is found that discriminates the region of the large boson-profile change. These
estimates are applied for numerical results for the potassium atoms and checked
their consistency. It is suggested that a small fraction of fermions could be
trapped without an external potential for the system with an attractive
boson-fermion interaction.Comment: 8 pages,5 figure
Zero-temperature phase diagram of binary boson-fermion mixtures
We calculate the phase diagram for dilute mixtures of bosons and fermions at
zero temperature. The linear stability conditions are derived and related to
the effective boson-induced interaction between the fermions. We show that in
equilibrium there are three possibilities: a) a single uniform phase, b) a
purely fermionic phase coexisting with a purely bosonic one and c) a purely
fermionic phase coexisting with a mixed phase.Comment: 8 pages, revtex, 3 postscript figures; NORDITA-1999/71 C
Ground-state properties of trapped Bose-Fermi mixtures: role of exchange-correlation
We introduce Density Functional Theory for inhomogeneous Bose-Fermi mixtures,
derive the associated Kohn-Sham equations, and determine the
exchange-correlation energy in local density approximation. We solve
numerically the Kohn-Sham system and determine the boson and fermion density
distributions and the ground-state energy of a trapped, dilute mixture beyond
mean-field approximation. The importance of the corrections due to
exchange--correlation is discussed by comparison with current experiments; in
particular, we investigate the effect of of the repulsive potential energy
contribution due to exchange--correlation on the stability of the mixture
against collapse.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures (final version as published in Physical Review
Finite temperature effects on the collapse of trapped Bose-Fermi mixtures
By using the self-consistent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov-Popov theory, we present
a detailed study of the mean-field stability of spherically trapped Bose-Fermi
mixtures at finite temperature. We find that, by increasing the temperature,
the critical particle number of bosons (or fermions) and the critical
attractive Bose-Fermi scattering length increase, leading to a significant
stabilization of the mixture.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; minor changes, proof version, to appear in Phys.
Rev. A (Nov. 1, 2003
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