3,272 research outputs found
Transport properties of a superconducting single-electron transistor coupled to a nanomechanical oscillator
We investigate a superconducting single-electron transistor capacitively
coupled to a nanomechanical oscillator and focus on the double Josephson
quasiparticle resonance. The existence of two coherent Cooper pair tunneling
events is shown to lead to pronounced backaction effects. Measuring the current
and the shot noise provides a direct way of gaining information on the state of
the oscillator. In addition to an analytical discussion of the linear-response
regime, we discuss and compare results of higher-order approximation schemes
and a fully numerical solution. We find that cooling of the mechanical
resonator is possible, and that there are driven and bistable oscillator states
at low couplings. Finally, we also discuss the frequency dependence of the
charge noise and the current noise of the superconducting single electron
transistor.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, published in PR
Small crater populations on Vesta
The NASA Dawn mission has extensively examined the surface of asteroid Vesta,
the second most massive body in the main belt. The high quality of the gathered
data provides us with an unique opportunity to determine the surface and
internal properties of one of the most important and intriguing main belt
asteroids (MBAs). In this paper, we focus on the size frequency distributions
(SFDs) of sub-kilometer impact craters observed at high spatial resolution on
several selected young terrains on Vesta. These small crater populations offer
an excellent opportunity to determine the nature of their asteroidal precursors
(namely MBAs) at sizes that are not directly observable from ground-based
telescopes (i.e., below ~100 m diameter). Moreover, unlike many other MBA
surfaces observed by spacecraft thus far, the young terrains examined had
crater spatial densities that were far from empirical saturation. Overall, we
find that the cumulative power-law index (slope) of small crater SFDs on Vesta
is fairly consistent with predictions derived from current collisional and
dynamical models down to a projectile size of ~10 m diameter (Bottke et al.,
2005a,b). The shape of the impactor SFD for small projectile sizes does not
appear to have changed over the last several billions of years, and an argument
can be made that the absolute number of small MBAs has remained roughly
constant (within a factor of 2) over the same time period. The apparent steady
state nature of the main belt population potentially provides us with a set of
intriguing constraints that can be used to glean insights into the physical
evolution of individual MBAs as well as the main belt as an ensemble.Comment: Accepted by PSS, to appear on Vesta cratering special issu
Renminbi Internationalisation: Precedents and Implications
While it is commonly assumed that there are no known precedents against which to benchmark the internationalisation of the Renminbi (RMB), this paper argues that the PRCs own development experience provides a useful perspective on the internationalisation debate. In particular it indicates that lessons can be learnt from both the successes and the shortcomings of efforts to internationalise the RMB in the 1970s. During this period state-owned banks in Hong Kong played a central role in mobilising finance for foreign trade. Access to Hong Kong’s developed financial institutions allowed the PRC to maximise receipts from foreign trade as well as minimise the risks of undue swings in capital flows. The paper shows that although China no longer faces foreign exchange scarcity, economic reforms have not yet resolved vulnerabilities in China’s financial institutions and as such Hong Kong’s role in mitigating the risk of undue capital swings remains
The random case of Conley's theorem: III. Random semiflow case and Morse decomposition
In the first part of this paper, we generalize the results of the author
\cite{Liu,Liu2} from the random flow case to the random semiflow case, i.e. we
obtain Conley decomposition theorem for infinite dimensional random dynamical
systems. In the second part, by introducing the backward orbit for random
semiflow, we are able to decompose invariant random compact set (e.g. global
random attractor) into random Morse sets and connecting orbits between them,
which generalizes the Morse decomposition of invariant sets originated from
Conley \cite{Con} to the random semiflow setting and gives the positive answer
to an open problem put forward by Caraballo and Langa \cite{CL}.Comment: 21 pages, no figur
Probing the dynamics of quasicrystal growth using synchrotron live imaging
The dynamics of quasicrystal growth remains an unsolved problem in condensed
matter. By means of synchrotron live imaging, facetted growth proceeding by the
tangential motion of ledges at the solid-melt interface is clearly evidenced
all along the solidification of icosahedral AlPdMn quasicrystals. The effect of
interface kinetics is significant so that nucleation and free growth of new
facetted grains occur in the melt when the solidification rate is increased.
The evolution of these grains is explained in details, which reveals the
crucial role of aluminum rejection, both in the poisoning of grain growth and
driving fluid flow
Gauge-invariant Green's functions for the bosonic sector of the standard model
There are many applications in gauge theories where the usually employed
framework involving gauge-dependent Green's functions leads to considerable
problems. In order to overcome the difficulties invariably tied to gauge
dependence, we present a manifestly gauge-invariant approach. We propose a
generating functional of appropriately chosen gauge-invariant Green's functions
for the bosonic sector of the standard model. Since the corresponding external
sources emit one-particle states, these functions yield the same S-matrix
elements as those obtained in the usual framework. We evaluate the generating
functional for the bosonic sector of the standard model up to the one-loop
level and carry out its renormalization in the on-shell scheme. Explicit
results for some two-point functions are given. Gauge invariance is manifest at
any step of our calculation.Comment: 29 pages, Revtex. v2: Discussions improved, conclusions unchanged.
Some references added. v3: Published versio
Quasicrystals and their approximants in 2D ternary oxides
2D oxide quasicrystals (OQCs) are recently discovered aperiodic, but well-ordered oxide interfaces. In this topical review, an introduction to these new thin-film systems is given. The concept of quasicrystals and their approximants is explained for BaTiO3 - and SrTiO3 - derived OQCs and related periodic structures in these 2D oxides. In situ microscopy unravels the high-temperature formation process of OQCs on Pt(111). The dodecagonal structure is discussed regarding tiling statistics and tiling decoration based on the results of atomically resolved scanning tunneling microscopy and various diffraction techniques. In addition, angle-resolved ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results prove a metallic character of the 2D oxide
Does the Constitution Provide More Ballot Access Protection for Presidential Elections Than for U.S. House Elections?
Both the U.S. Constitution and The Federalist Papers suggest that voters ought to have more freedom to vote for the candidate of their choice for the U.S. House of Representatives than they do for the President or the U.S. Senate. Yet, strangely, for the last thirty-three years, the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts have ruled that the Constitution gives voters more freedom to vote for the candidate of their choice in presidential elections than in congressional elections. Also, state legislatures, which have been writing ballot access laws since 1888, have passed laws that make it easier for minor-party and independent candidates to get on the ballot for President than for the U.S. House. As a result, voters in virtually every state invariably have far more choices on their general election ballots for the President than they do for the House. This Article argues that the right of a voter to vote for someone other than a Democrat or a Republican for the House is just as important as a voter’s right to do so for President, and that courts should grant more ballot access protection to minor-party and independent candidates for the House
Competitiveness and communication for effective inoculation byRhizobium, Bradyrhizobium and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi
After a short summary on the ecology and rhizosphere biology of symbiotic bacteria and vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhiza fungi and their application as microbial inocula, results on competitiveness and communication are summarized. Stress factors such as high temperature, low soil pH, aluminium concentrations and phytoalexins produced by the host plants were studied withRhizobium leguminosarum bv.phaseoli andRhizobium tropici onPhaseolus beans. Quantitative data for competitiveness were obtained by usinggus + (glucoronidase) labelled strains, which produce blue-coloured nodules. ForPhaseolus-nodulating rhizobia, a group specific DNA probe was also developed, which did not hybridize with more than 20 other common soil and rhizosphere bacteria. Results from several laboratories contributing to knowledge of signal exchange and communication in theRhizobium/Bradyrhizobium legume system are summarized in a new scheme, including also defense reactions at the early stages of legume nodule initiation. Stimulating effects of flavonoids on germination and growth of VA mycorrhiza fungi were also found. A constitutive antifungal compound in pea roots, -isoxazolinonyl-alanine, was characterized
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