Spin-Exchange-Induced Circularly Polarized Molecular Fluorescence

We have measured the circular polarization of light emitted from both atomic H and molecular H2 after bombarding H2 with longitudinally polarized electrons. For both atomic and molecular fluorescence near threshold we observe a circular polarization as great as 10% of the electron polarization. This represents the first direct observation of spin transfer in electron-molecule collisions

Angular Momentum Partitioning in the Dissociation of Diatomic Molecules

We discuss recent experiments that study the transfer of angular momentum from a projectile to the residual target in collisions between the simple diatomic molecules H2 and N2 and spin-polarized electrons or circularly-polarized photons. We observe the fluorescence of both the atomic fragments and excited molecular states, and measure the circular polarization fraction of this light, P3. The incident electron energies range from 10 to 100 eV; the incident photon energies from 33 to 38 eV

A field investigation of phreatophyte-induced fluctuations in the water table

This is the published version. Copyright American Geophysical Union[1] Hydrographs from shallow wells in vegetated riparian zones frequently display a distinctive pattern of diurnal water table fluctuations produced by variations in plant water use. A multisite investigation assessed the major controls on these fluctuations and the ecohydrologic insights that can be gleaned from them. Spatial and temporal variations in the amplitude of the fluctuations are primarily a function of variations in (1) the meteorological drivers of plant water use, (2) vegetation density, type, and vitality, and (3) the specific yield of sediments in the vicinity of the water table. Past hydrologic conditions experienced by the riparian zone vegetation, either in previous years or earlier within the same growing season, are also an important control. Diurnal water table fluctuations can be considered a diagnostic indicator of groundwater consumption by phreatophytes at most sites, so the information embedded within these fluctuations should be more widely exploited in ecohydrologic studies

Moving in the anthropocene: global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements

Animal movement is fundamental for ecosystem functioning and species survival, yet the effects of the anthropogenic footprint on animal movements have not been estimated across species. Using a unique GPS-tracking database of 803 individuals across 57 species, we found that movements of mammals in areas with a comparatively high human footprint were on average one-half to one-third the extent of their movements in areas with a low human footprint. We attribute this reduction to behavioral changes of individual animals and to the exclusion of species with long-range movements from areas with higher human impact. Global loss of vagility alters a key ecological trait of animals that affects not only population persistence but also ecosystem processes such as predator-prey interactions, nutrient cycling, and disease transmission

Experimental Studies of Light Propagation and Storage in Warm Atomic Gases

We report on an experimental study of slow pulse propagation and polarization storage of light in an atomic vapour for pulse durations ranging from several μs to 100 μs, for non-zero magnetic fields, for temperatures ranging from 65 to 90 °C and for two different rubidium isotopes. The results confirm the presence of the electromagnetically induced transparency window as predicted by Lukin (1997 Phys. Rev. Lett. 79 2959). We show that time-dependent optical rotation can mask the storage of light signal, and demonstrate storage of light for the 85Rb isotope

Spin-Exchange-Induced Circularly Polarized Molecular Fluorescence

We have measured the circular polarization of light emitted from both atomic H and molecular H2 after bombarding H2 with longitudinally polarized electrons. For both atomic and molecular fluorescence near threshold we observe a circular polarization as great as 10% of the electron polarization. This represents the first direct observation of spin transfer in electron-molecule collisions

Progress with Optically Pumped Sources of Polarized Electrons

We report our work in developing new turn-key sources of polarized electrons. These sources operate by extracting the electrons from a discharge and polarizing them through optical pumping. Preliminary work demonstrates that beams of 4 μA with greater than 20% polarization are possible. Such devices could enormously simplify the running of many experiments in the fields of atomic structure, magnetic materials and biophysics

Radiation trapping in rubidium optical pumping at low buffer-gas pressures

We have made a systematic study of rubidium optical pumping in a simple cylindrical cell geometry with a high-power 10 W diode laser array, low magnetic fields, and buffer-gas pressures of less than 50 torr. We have determined rubidium polarizations experimentally for H2, N2, He, and Ar buffer gases, with Rb number densities from 1012 to 1013 cm-3. Comparison to a relatively simple optical pumping model allows us to extract useful information about radiation trapping and quenching effects