172 research outputs found
Electronic and atomic kinetics in solids irradiated with free-electron lasers or swift-heavy ions
In this brief review we discuss the transient processes in solids under
irradiation with femtosecond X-ray free-electron-laser (FEL) pulses and
swift-heavy ions (SHI). Both kinds of irradiation produce highly excited
electrons in a target on extremely short timescales. Transfer of the excess
electronic energy into the lattice may lead to observable target modifications
such as phase transitions and damage formation. Transient kinetics of material
excitation and relaxation under FEL or SHI irradiation are comparatively
discussed. The same origin for the electronic and atomic relaxation in both
cases is demonstrated. Differences in these kinetics introduced by the
geometrical effects ({\mu}m-size of a laser spot vs nm-size of an ion track)
and initial irradiation (photoabsorption vs an ion impact) are analyzed. The
basic mechanisms of electron transport and electron-lattice coupling are
addressed. Appropriate models and their limitations are presented.
Possibilities of thermal and nonthermal melting of materials under FEL and SHI
irradiation are discussed
Multi-electron-recombination rates estimated within dense plasmas
We investigate the rates for multielectron recombination within a dense
plasma environment in local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). We find that these
multielectron recombination rates can be high within dense plasmas, and they
should be treated in the simulations of the plasmas created by intense
radiation, in particular for plasmas created by intense VUV radiation from
free-electron-laser (FEL) or for modelling the inertial confinement fusion
(ICF) plasmas
Double logarithms, , and the NLO DGLAP evolution for the non-singlet component of the nucleon spin structure function,
Theoretical predictions show that at low values of Bjorken the spin
structure function, is influenced by large logarithmic corrections,
, which may be predominant in this region. These corrections are
also partially contained in the NLO part of the standard DGLAP evolution. Here
we calculate the non-singlet component of the nucleon structure function,
, and its first moment, using a unified evolution
equation. This equation incorporates the terms describing the NLO DGLAP
evolution and the terms contributing to the resummation. In order
to avoid double counting in the overlapping regions of the phase-space, a
unique way of including the NLO terms into the unified evolution equation is
proposed. The scheme-independent results obtained from this unified evolution
are compared to the NLO fit to experimental data, GRSV'2000. Analysis of the
first moments of shows that the unified evolution including the
resummation goes beyond the NLO DGLAP analysis. Corrections
generated by double logarithms at low influence the -dependence of the
first moments strongly.Comment: 13 pages, latex, 2 figures; Appendix adde
Augmented collisional ionization via excited states in XUV cluster interactions
The impact of atomic excited states is investigated via a detailed model of
laser-cluster interactions, which is applied to rare gas clusters in intense
femtosecond pulses in the extreme ultraviolet (XUV). This demonstrates the
potential for a two-step ionization process in laser-cluster interactions, with
the resulting intermediate excited states allowing for the creation of high
charge states and the rapid dissemination of laser pulse energy. The
consequences of this excitation mechanism are demonstrated through simulations
of recent experiments in argon clusters interacting with XUV radiation, in
which this two-step process is shown to play a primary role; this is consistent
with our hypothesis that XUV-cluster interactions provide a unique window into
the role of excited atomic states due to the relative lack of photoionization
and laser field-driven phenomena. Our analysis suggests that atomic excited
states may play an important role in interactions of intense radiation with
materials in a variety of wavelength regimes, including potential implications
for proposed studies of single molecule imaging with intense X-rays.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Effects of radiation damage and inelastic scattering on single-particle imaging of hydrated proteins with an X-ray Free-Electron Laser
We present a computational case study of X-ray single-particle imaging of hydrated proteins on an example of 2-Nitrogenase–Iron protein covered with water layers of various thickness, using a start-to-end simulation platform and experimental parameters of the SPB/SFX instrument at the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser facility. The simulations identify an optimal thickness of the water layer at which the effective resolution for imaging the hydrated sample becomes significantly higher than for the non-hydrated sample. This effect is lost when the water layer becomes too thick. Even though the detailed results presented pertain to the specific sample studied, the trends which we identify should also hold in a general case. We expect these findings will guide future single-particle imaging experiments using hydrated proteins
European Jurassic floras : statistics and palaeoenvironmental proxies
The Jurassic floras of Europe show considerable diversity. To examine the extent of this diversity and its possible causes we used multivariate statistical methods (cluster analysis, PCA, NMDS) to compare all significant Jurassic floras in Europe. Data were based on 770 taxa from 46 fossiliferous occurrences (25 units) from France, Germany, Greenland, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Statistical analyses were applied at species level and genus level, and also performed for the major plant groups. The genus cladograms show affinities between different localities based on environmental factors, while the cladograms based on species affinities indicate only taxonomical correlations. The study shows that locality age does not seem to be of paramount importance for floral composition
Aspects of structural health and condition monitoring of offshore wind turbines
Wind power has expanded significantly over the past years, although reliability of wind turbine systems, especially of offshore wind turbines, has been many times unsatisfactory in the past. Wind turbine failures are equivalent to crucial financial losses. Therefore, creating and applying strategies that improve the reliability of their components is important for a successful implementation of such systems. Structural health monitoring (SHM) addresses these problems through the monitoring of parameters indicative of the state of the structure examined. Condition monitoring (CM), on the other hand, can be seen as a specialized area of the SHM community that aims at damage detection of, particularly, rotating machinery. The paper is divided into two parts: in the first part, advanced signal processing and machine learning methods are discussed for SHM and CM on wind turbine gearbox and blade damage detection examples. In the second part, an initial exploration of supervisor control and data acquisition systems data of an offshore wind farm is presented, and data-driven approaches are proposed for detecting abnormal behaviour of wind turbines. It is shown that the advanced signal processing methods discussed are effective and that it is important to adopt these SHM strategies in the wind energy sector
TESLA Technical Design Report Part III: Physics at an e+e- Linear Collider
The TESLA Technical Design Report Part III: Physics at an e+e- Linear
ColliderComment: 192 pages, 131 figures. Some figures have reduced quality. Full
quality figures can be obtained from http://tesla.desy.de/tdr. Editors -
R.-D. Heuer, D.J. Miller, F. Richard, P.M. Zerwa
Recommended from our members
Molecular Diagnostics for Lassa Fever at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria: Lessons Learnt from Two Years of Laboratory Operation
Background: Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever endemic in West Africa. However, none of the hospitals in the endemic areas of Nigeria has the capacity to perform Lassa virus diagnostics. Case identification and management solely relies on non-specific clinical criteria. The Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) in the central senatorial district of Edo State struggled with this challenge for many years. Methodology/Principal Findings A laboratory for molecular diagnosis of Lassa fever, complying with basic standards of diagnostic PCR facilities, was established at ISTH in 2008. During 2009 through 2010, samples of 1,650 suspected cases were processed, of which 198 (12%) tested positive by Lassa virus RT-PCR. No remarkable demographic differences were observed between PCR-positive and negative patients. The case fatality rate for Lassa fever was 31%. Nearly two thirds of confirmed cases attended the emergency departments of ISTH. The time window for therapeutic intervention was extremely short, as 50% of the fatal cases died within 2 days of hospitalization—often before ribavirin treatment could be commenced. Fatal Lassa fever cases were older (p = 0.005), had lower body temperature (p<0.0001), and had higher creatinine (p<0.0001) and blood urea levels (p<0.0001) than survivors. Lassa fever incidence in the hospital followed a seasonal pattern with a peak between November and March. Lassa virus sequences obtained from the patients originating from Edo State formed—within lineage II—a separate clade that could be further subdivided into three clusters. Conclusions/Significance: Lassa fever case management was improved at a tertiary health institution in Nigeria through establishment of a laboratory for routine diagnostics of Lassa virus. Data collected in two years of operation demonstrate that Lassa fever is a serious public health problem in Edo State and reveal new insights into the disease in hospitalized patients.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog
Novel Arenavirus Sequences in Hylomyscus sp. and Mus (Nannomys) setulosus from Côte d'Ivoire: Implications for Evolution of Arenaviruses in Africa
This study aimed to identify new arenaviruses and gather insights in the evolution of arenaviruses in Africa. During 2003 through 2005, 1,228 small mammals representing 14 different genera were trapped in 9 villages in south, east, and middle west of Côte d'Ivoire. Specimens were screened by pan-Old World arenavirus RT-PCRs targeting S and L RNA segments as well as immunofluorescence assay. Sequences of two novel tentative species of the family Arenaviridae, Menekre and Gbagroube virus, were detected in Hylomyscus sp. and Mus (Nannomys) setulosus, respectively. Arenavirus infection of Mus (Nannomys) setulosus was also demonstrated by serological testing. Lassa virus was not found, although 60% of the captured animals were Mastomys natalensis. Complete S RNA and partial L RNA sequences of the novel viruses were recovered from the rodent specimens and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. Gbagroube virus is a closely related sister taxon of Lassa virus, while Menekre virus clusters with the Ippy/Mobala/Mopeia virus complex. Reconstruction of possible virus–host co-phylogeny scenarios suggests that, within the African continent, signatures of co-evolution might have been obliterated by multiple host-switching events
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