Superflow decay in a toroidal Bose gas: The effect of quantum and thermal fluctuations

We theoretically investigate the stochastic decay of persistent currents in a toroidal ultracold atomic superfluid caused by a perturbing barrier. Specifically, we perform detailed three-dimensional simulations to model the experiment of Kumar et al. in [Phys. Rev. A 95 021602 (2017)], which observed a strong temperature dependence in the timescale of superflow decay in an ultracold Bose gas. Our ab initio numerical approach exploits a classical-field framework that includes thermal fluctuations due to interactions between the superfluid and a thermal cloud, as well as the intrinsic quantum fluctuations of the Bose gas. In the low-temperature regime our simulations provide a quantitative description of the experimental decay timescales, improving on previous numerical and analytical approaches. At higher temperatures, our simulations give decay timescales that range over the same orders of magnitude observed in the experiment, however, there are some quantitative discrepancies that are not captured by any of the mechanisms we explore. Our results suggest a need for further experimental and theoretical studies into superflow stability.

Experimental Study of Optical Properties of Polymeric Nanowires

Photo-emissive properties including steady-state and transient photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy are studied for blinding and coaxial nanowires based PPV and PVK. PL data or average life time of excitons depending exclusively of the nanostructures architecture. Furthermore, the interpretation of PL spectra requires invoking the migration and the diffusion length of photo-generated exciton from luminophores to other luminophores or from the core to the shell. This process is able to explain the experimental decay of PL in the nano-second time scale. The evidence of Forster energy transfer (FET) and charge transfer (CT) has been investigated in the synthesis nanostructures. An enhancement and amplification PPV luminophore emission by the presence of PVK luminophore in blinding or coaxial nanowires due to energy transfer process.

Ancestral morphology of Ecdysozoa constrained by an early Cambrian stem group ecdysozoan

Background Ecdysozoa are the moulting protostomes, including arthropods, tardigrades, and nematodes. Both the molecular and fossil records indicate that Ecdysozoa is an ancient group originating in the terminal Proterozoic, and exceptional fossil biotas show their dominance and diversity at the beginning of the Phanerozoic. However, the nature of the ecdysozoan common ancestor has been difficult to ascertain due to the extreme morphological diversity of extant Ecdysozoa, and the lack of early diverging taxa in ancient fossil biotas. Results Here we re-describe Acosmia maotiania from the early Cambrian Chengjiang Biota of Yunnan Province, China and assign it to stem group Ecdysozoa. Acosmia features a two-part body, with an anterior proboscis bearing a terminal mouth and muscular pharynx, and a posterior annulated trunk with a through gut. Morphological phylogenetic analyses of the protostomes using parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference, with coding informed by published experimental decay studies, each placed Acosmia as sister taxon to Cycloneuralia + Panarthropoda—i.e. stem group Ecdysozoa. Ancestral state probabilities were calculated for key ecdysozoan nodes, in order to test characters inferred from fossils to be ancestral for Ecdysozoa. Results support an ancestor of crown group ecdysozoans sharing an annulated vermiform body with a terminal mouth like Acosmia, but also possessing the pharyngeal armature and circumoral structures characteristic of Cambrian cycloneuralians and lobopodians. Conclusions Acosmia is the first taxon placed in the ecdysozoan stem group and provides a constraint to test hypotheses on the early evolution of Ecdysozoa. Our study suggests acquisition of pharyngeal armature, and therefore a change in feeding strategy (e.g. predation), may have characterised the origin and radiation of crown group ecdysozoans from Acosmia-like ancestors.

Poincaré-covariant quark model of electroweak light mesons decays

The procedure for obtaining the radiative decay constants of pseudoscalar and vector unflavored mesons in point–form of Poincaré-invariant quantum mechanics is presented. In the course of the work the authors determine the remaining parameters from V → Pγ and P → Vγ experimental decay value, using the obtained earlier parameters of the model for light (u, d and s) quarks. As a result, the mixing angles for pseudoscalar and vector meson sector were obtained taking into account gluonium content for η – η′ meson sector.

Excited States and Collectivity in 88Se

The γ decays of excited states in the very neutron-rich nucleus 88Se have been observed following the cold neutron-induced fission of 235U at the PF1B facility of the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), Grenoble. The EXILL array was used to measure γ - γ - γ coincidences, which were then analysed to build a level scheme of 88Se. A low (2+1) energy hints at the onset of quadrupole deformation and the identification of possible members of a (2+2) band provide evidence for γ vibrations. Shell-model calculations using a 78Ni core reproduce the experimental decay scheme well, implying that interactions between particles in the π f5/2 p and vsd orbits are responsible for much of the collectivity present. The algebraic collective model has also been used to interpret the experimental data, showing that that the experimental spectrum is consistent with 88Se being a transitional nucleus, possessing weak static β deformation and γ instability.