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We discuss the dynamics of a condensate in a miniaturized electromagnetic trap formed above a microstructured substrate. Recent experiments have found that trap lifetimes get reduced when approaching the substrate because atoms couple to thermally excited near fields. The data agree quantitatively with our theory [Appl. Phys. B 69, 379 (1999)]. We focus on the decoherence of a quantum degenerate gas in a quasi-one-dimensional trap. Monte Carlo simulations indicate that atom interactions reduce the condensate decoherence rate. This is explained by a simple theory in terms of the suppression of long-wavelength excitations. We present preliminary simulation results for the adiabatic generation of dark solitons
Polymer solar cell devices with nanostructured blend layers have been fabricated using single- and dual- component polymer nanospheres. Starting from an electron-donating and an electron-accepting polyfluorene derivative, PFB and F8BT, dissolved in suitable organic solvents, dispersions of solid particles with mean diameters of ca. 50 nm, containing either the pure polymer components or a mixture of PFB and F8BT in each particle, were prepared with the miniemulsion process. Photovoltaic devices based on these particles have been studied with respect to the correlation between external quantum efficiency and layer composition. It is shown that the properties of devices containing a blend of single-component PFB and F8BT particles differ significantly from those of solar cells based on blend particles, even for the same layer composition. Various factors determining the quantum efficiency in both kinds of devices are identified and discussed, taking into account the spectroscopic properties of the particles. An external quantum efficiency of ca. 4% is measured for a device made from polymer blend nanoparticles containing PFB:F8BT at a weight ratio of 1:2 in each individual nanosphere. This is among the highest values reported so far for photovoltaic cells using this material combination
Advances in broad bandwidth light sources for ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography
(2004)
Novel ultra-broad bandwidth light sources enabling unprecedented sub-2 pm axial resolution over the 400 nm-1700 nm wavelength range have been developed and evaluated with respect to their feasibility for clinical ultrahigh resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR OCT) applications. The state-of-the-art light sources described here include a compact Kerr lens mode locked Ti:sapphire laser (lambda(c) = 785 nm, Deltalambda = 260 nm, P-out = 50 mW) and different nonlinear fibre-based light sources with spectral bandwidths (at full width at half maximum) up to 350 nm at lambda(c) = 1130 nm and 470 nm at lambda(c) = 1375 run. In vitro UHR OCT imaging is demonstrated at multiple wavelengths in human cancer cells, animal ganglion cells as well as in neuropathologic and ophthalmic biopsies in order to compare and optimize UHR OCT image contrast, resolution and penetration depth
As a non-contact process laser beam melt ablation offers several advantages compared to conventional processing mechanisms. During ablation the surface of the workpiece is molten by the energy of a CO2-laser beam, this melt is then driven out by the impulse of an additional process gas. Although the idea behind laser beam melt ablation is rather simple, the process itself has a major limitation in practical applications: with increasing ablation rate surface quality of the workpiece processed declines rapidly. With different ablation rates different surface structures can be distinguished, which can be characterised by suitable surface parameters. The corresponding regimes of pattern formation are found in linear and non-linear statistical properties of the recorded process emissions as well. While the ablation rate can be represented in terms of the line-energy, this parameter does not provide sufficient information about the full behaviour of the system. The dynamics of the system is dominated by oscillations due to the laser cycle but includes some periodically driven non-linear processes as well. Upon the basis of the measured time series, a corresponding model is developed. The deeper understanding of the process can be used to develop strategies for a process control.
A method for the multivariate analysis of statistical phase synchronization phenomena in empirical data is presented. A first statistical approach is complemented by a stochastic dynamic model, to result in a data analysis algorithm which can in a specific sense be shown to be a generic multivariate statistical phase synchronization analysis. The method is applied to EEG data from a psychological experiment, obtaining results which indicate the relevance of this method in the context of cognitive science as well as in other fields
We present an improved method for predicting the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect in galaxy clusters from spatially resolved, spectroscopic X-ray data. Using the deprojected electron density and temperature profiles measured within a fraction of the virial radius, and assuming a Navarro-Frenk-White mass model, we show how the pressure profile of the X-ray gas can be extrapolated to large radii, allowing the Comptonization parameter profile for the cluster to be predicted precisely. We apply our method to Chandra observations of three X-ray-luminous, dynamically relaxed clusters with published SZ data: RX J1347.5-1145, Abell 1835 and Abell 478. Combining the predicted and observed SZ signals, we determine improved estimates for the Hubble constant from each cluster and obtain a weighted mean of H (0) = 69 +/- 8 km s(-1) Mpc(-1) for a cosmology with Omega(m) = 0.3 and Omega(Lambda) = 0.7. This result is in good agreement with independent findings from the Hubble Key Project and the combination of cosmic microwave background and galaxy cluster data
A small fraction of all quasars are strongly lensed and multiply imaged, with usually a galaxy acting as the main lens. Some, or maybe all of these quasars are also affected by microlensing, the effect of stellar mass objects in the lensing galaxy. Usually only the photometric aspects of microlensing are considered: the apparent magnitudes of the quasar images vary independently because the relative motion between source, lens and observer leads to uncorrelated magnification changes as a function of time. However, stellar microlensing on quasars has yet another effect, which was first explored by Lewis & lbata (1998): the position of the quasar - i.e. the center-of-light of the many microimages - can shift by tens of microarcseconds due to the relatively sudden (dis-)appearance of a pair of microimages when a caustic is being crossed. Here we explore quantitatively the astrometric effects of microlensing on quasars for different values of the lensing parameters kappa and gamma (surface mass density and external shear) covering most of the known multiple quasar systems. We show examples of microlens-induced quasar motion (i.e. astrometric changes) and the corresponding light curves for different quasar sizes. We evaluate statistically the occurrence of large "jumps" in angular position and their correlation with apparent brightness fluctuations. We also show statistical relations between positional offsets and time from random starting points. As the amplitude of the astrometric offset depends on the source size, astrometric microlensing signatures of quasars - combined with the photometric variations - will provide. very good constraints on the sizes of quasars as a function of wavelength. We predict that such signatures will be detectable for realistic microlensing scenarios with near future technology in the infrared/optical (Keck- Interferometry, VLTI, SIM, GAIA). Such detections will show that not even high redshift quasars define a "fixed" coordinate system
We present results of physical experiments where we measure the autocorrelation function (ACF) and the spectral linewidth of the basic frequency of a spiral chaotic attractor in a generator with inertial nonlinearity both without and in the presence of external noise. It is shown that the ACF of spiral attractors decays according to an exponential law with a decrement which is defined by the phase diffusion coefficient. It is also established that the evolution of the instantaneous phase can be approximated by a Wiener random process
Hypertensive pregnancy disorders are a leading cause of perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure variability (BPV), and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) are relevant predictors of cardiovascular risk in humans. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether HRV, BPV, and BRS differ between distinct hypertensive pregnancy disorders. Continuous heart rate and blood pressure recordings were performed in 80 healthy pregnant women as controls (CON), 19 with chronic hypertension (CH), 18 with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), and 44 with pre-eclampsia (PE). The data were assessed by time and frequency domain analysis, nonlinear dynamics, and BRS. BPV is markedly altered in all three groups with hypertensive disorders compared to healthy pregnancies, whereby changes were most pronounced in PE patients. Interestingly, this increase in PE patients did not lead to elevated spontaneous baroreflex events, while BPV changes in both the other hypertensive groups were paralleled by alterations in baroreflex parameters. The HRV is unaltered in CH and PE but significantly impaired in PIH. We conclude that parameters of the HRV, BPV, and BRS differ between various hypertensive pregnancy disorders. Thus, distinct clinical manifestations of hypertension in pregnancy have different pathophysiological, regulatory, and compensatory mechanisms
We consider the dynamics of the lowest order transversal vibration mode of a suspension bridge, for which the hangers are treated as one-sided springs, according to the model of Lazer and McKeena [SIAM Review 58, 1990, 537]. We analyze in particular the multi-stability of periodic attractors and the basin of attraction structure in phase space and its dependence with the model parameters. The parameter values used in numerical simulations have been estimated from a number of bridges built in the United States and in the United Kingdom, thus taking into account realistic, yet sometimes simplified, structural, aerodynamical, and physical considerations
We study the possibility of chaotic dynamics in the externally driven Droop model. This model describes a phytoplankton population in a chemostat under periodic supply of nutrients. Previously it has been proven under very general assumptions that such systems are not able to exhibit chaotic dynamics. Here we show that the simple introduction of algal mortality may lead to chaotic oscillations of algal density in the forced chemostat. Our numerical simulations show that the existence of chaos is intimately related to plankton overshooting in the unforced model. We provide a simple measure, based on stability analysis, for estimating the amount of overshooting. These findings are not restricted to the Droop model but hold also for other chemostat models with mortality. Our results suggest periodically driven chemostats as a simple model system for the experimental verification of chaos in ecology.
Cross-sections for ground and excited state absorptions of the charge transfer system 3-(3-tert- butoxycarbonylamino-propyl)-4'-pyren-1-yl-biphenyl-2,5-dicarbo xylicacid dimethyl ester (Py-C) are determined from nonlinear absorption and fluorescence measurements as a function of solvent. While in non-polar solvents no stable charge transfer (CT) state occurs after optical excitation, in polar solvents the CT state is stabilized. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
We present the results from a study of the host galaxies of 15 optically selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with 0.5<z<1.1 from the Galaxy Evolution from Morphology and SEDs project (GEMS). GEMS is a Hubble Space Telescope imaging survey of a similar to28' x 28' contiguous field centered on the Chandra Deep Field-South in the F606W and F850LP filter bands. It incorporates the spectral energy distributions and redshifts of similar to10,000 objects, obtained by the COMBO-17 project. We have detected the host galaxies of all 15 AGNs in the F850LP band (and 13 of 15 in the F606W band), recovering their fluxes, morphologies, and structural parameters. We find that 80% of the host galaxies have early-type (bulge-dominated) morphologies, while the rest have structures characteristic of late-type (disk-dominated) galaxies. We find that 25% of the early types and 30% of the late types exhibit disturbances consistent with galaxy interactions. The hosts show a wide range of colors, from those of red-sequence galaxies to blue colors consistent with ongoing star formation. Roughly 70% of the morphologically early-type hosts have rest-frame blue colors, a much larger fraction than those typical of nonactive morphologically early-type galaxies in this redshift and luminosity range. Yet, we find that the early-type hosts are structurally similar to red-sequence elliptical galaxies, inasmuch as they follow an absolute magnitude versus half-light size correlation that is consistent with the mean relation for early-type galaxies at similar redshifts
We investigate several problems in entanglement theory from the perspective of convex optimization. This list of problems comprises (A) the decision whether a state is multiparty entangled, (B) the minimization of expectation values of entanglement witnesses with respect to pure product states, (C) the closely related evaluation of the geometric measure of entanglement to quantify pure multiparty entanglement, (D) the test whether states are multiparty entangled on the basis of witnesses based on second moments and on the basis of linear entropic criteria, and (E) the evaluation of instances of maximal output purities of quantum channels. We show that these problems can be formulated as certain optimization problems: as polynomially constrained problems employing polynomials of degree 3 or less. We then apply very recently established known methods from the theory of semidefinite relaxations to the formulated optimization problems. By this construction we arrive at a hierarchy of efficiently solvable approximations to the solution, approximating the exact solution as closely as desired, in a way that is asymptotically complete. For example, this results in a hierarchy of efficiently decidable sufficient criteria for multiparticle entanglement, such that every entangled state will necessarily be detected in some step of the hierarchy. Finally, we present numerical examples to demonstrate the practical accessibility of this approach
We present a comprehensive study of the Magellanic Cloud planetary nebula SMP 61 and of its nucleus, a Wolf- Rayet type star classified [WC 5-6]. The observational material consists of HST STIS spectroscopy and imaging, together with optical and UV spectroscopic data collected from the literature and infrared fluxes measured by IRAS. We have performed a detailed spectral analysis of the central star, using the Potsdam code for expanding atmospheres in non-LTE. For the central star we determine the following parameters: L-star = 10(3.96) L-., R-star = 0.42 R-., T-star = 87.5 kK, (M) over dot = 10(-6.12) M-. yr(-1), v(infinity) = 1400 km s(-1), and a clumping factor of D = 4. The elemental abundances by mass are X-He = 0.45, X-C = 0.52, X-N < 5 x 10(-5), X-O = 0.03, and X-Fe < 1 x 10(-4). The fluxes from the model stellar atmosphere were used to compute photoionization models of the nebula. All the available observations, within their error bars, were used to constrain these models. We find that the ionizing fluxes predicted by the stellar model are consistent with the fluxes needed by the photoionization model to reproduce the nebular emission, within the error margins. However, there are indications that the stellar model overestimates the number and hardness of Lyman continuum photons. The photoionization models imply a clumped density structure of the nebular material. The observed C III] lambda1909/C II lambda4267 line ratio implies the existence of carbon-rich clumps in the nebula. Such clumps are likely produced by stellar wind ejecta, possibly mixed with the nebular material. We discuss our results with regard to the stellar and nebular post-AGB evolution. The observed Fe-deficiency for the central star indicates that the material which is now visible on the stellar surface has been exposed to s-process nucleosynthesis during previous thermal pulses. The absence of nitrogen allows us to set an upper limit to the remaining H-envelope mass after a possible AGB final thermal pulse. Finally, we infer from the total amount of carbon detected in the nebula that the strong [WC] mass- loss may have been active only for a limited period during the post-AGB evolution
We present constraints on the mean dark energy density, Omega(X) and dark energy equation of state parameter, w(X), based on Chandra measurements of the X-ray gas mass fraction in 26 X-ray luminous, dynamically relaxed galaxy clusters spanning the redshift range 0.07 < z < 0.9. Under the assumption that the X-ray gas mass fraction measured within r(2500) is constant with redshift and using only weak priors on the Hubble constant and mean baryon density of the Universe, we obtain a clear detection of the effects of dark energy on the distances to the clusters, confirming (at comparable significance) previous results from Type la supernovae studies. For a standard Lambda cold dark matter (CDM) cosmology with the curvature Omega(K) included as a free parameter, we find Omega(Lambda) = 0.94(-0.23)(+0.21) (68 per cent confidence limits). We also examine extended XCDM dark energy models. Combining the Chandra data with independent constraints from cosmic microwave background experiments, we find Omega(X) = 0.75 +/- 0.04, Omega(m) = 0.26(- 0.04)(+0.06) and w(X) =-1.26 +/- 0.24. Imposing the prior constraint w(X) > -1, the same data require w(X) < -0.7 at 95 per cent confidence. Similar results on the mean matter density and dark energy equation of state parameter, &UOmega;(m) = 0.24 ± 0.04 and w(X) 1.20(-0.28)(+0.24), are obtained by replacing the cosmic microwave background data with standard priors on the Hubble constant and mean baryon density and assuming a flat geometry
When exposed to sufficiently high electric fields, polymer-foam electret materials with closed cells exhibit ferroelectric-like behavior and may therefore be called ferroelectrets. In cellular ferroelectrets, the influence of the cell size and shape distributions on the application-relevant properties is not yet understood. Therefore, controlled inflation experiments were carried out on cellular polypropylene films, and the resulting elastical and electromechanical parameters were determined. The elastic modulus in the thickness direction shows a minimum with a corresponding maximum in the electromechanical transducer coefficient. The resonance frequency shifts as a function of the elastic modulus and the relative density of the inflated cellular films. Therefore, the transducer properties of cellular ferroelectrets can be optimized by means of controlled inflation. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics