The quark-hadron transition in cosmology and astrophysics

A transition from normal hadronic matter (such as protons and neutrons) to quark-gluon matter is expected at both high temperatures and densities. In physical situations, this transition may occur in heavy ion collisions, the early universe, and in the cores of neutron stars. Astrophysics and cosmology can be greatly affected by such a phase transition. With regard to the early universe, big bang nucleosynthesis, the theory describing the primordial origin of the light elements, can be affected by inhomogeneities produced during the transition. A transition to quark matter in the interior by neutron stars further enhances our uncertainties regarding the equation of state of dense nuclear matter and neutron star properties such as the maximum mass and rotation frequencies.     

Vacuum-induced transparency

Photons are excellent information carriers but normally pass through each other without consequence. Engineered interactions between photons would enable applications as varied as quantum information processing and simulation of condensed matter systems. Using an ensemble of cold atoms strongly coupled to an optical cavity, we found that the transmission of light through a medium may be controlled with few photons and even by the electromagnetic vacuum field. The vacuum induces a group delay of 25 nanoseconds on the input optical pulse, corresponding to a light velocity of 1600 meters per second, and a transparency of 40% that increases to 80% when the cavity is filled with 10 photons. This strongly nonlinear effect provides prospects for advanced quantum devices such as photon number-state filters.     

Pairing and phase separation in a polarized Fermi gas

We report the observation of pairing in a gas of atomic fermions with unequal numbers of two components. Beyond a critical polarization, the gas separates into a phase that is consistent with a superfluid paired core surrounded by a shell of normal unpaired fermions. The critical polarization diminishes with decreasing attractive interaction. For near-zero polarization, we measured the parameter beta = -0.54 +/- 0.05, describing the universal energy of a strongly interacting paired Fermi gas, and found good agreement with recent theory. These results are relevant to predictions of exotic new phases of quark matter and of strongly magnetized superconductors.     

Determination of the equation of state of dense matter

Nuclear collisions can compress nuclear matter to densities achieved within neutron stars and within core-collapse supernovae. These dense states of matter exist momentarily before expanding. We analyzed the flow of matter to extract pressures in excess of 10(34) pascals, the highest recorded under laboratory-controlled conditions. Using these analyses, we rule out strongly repulsive nuclear equations of state from relativistic mean field theory and weakly repulsive equations of state with phase transitions at densities less than three times that of stable nuclei, but not equations of state softened at higher densities because of a transformation to quark matter.     

A well-collimated quasi-continuous atom laser

Extraction of sodium atoms from a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) by a coherent, stimulated Raman process is demonstrated. Optical Raman pulses drive transitions between trapped and untrapped magnetic sublevels, giving the output-coupled BEC fraction a well-defined momentum. The pulsed output coupling can be run at such a rate that the extracted atomic wave packets strongly overlap, forming a highly directional, quasi-continuous matter wave.     

Atmospheric new particle formation enhanced by organic acids

Atmospheric aerosols often contain a substantial fraction of organic matter, but the role of organic compounds in new nanometer-sized particle formation is highly uncertain. Laboratory experiments show that nucleation of sulfuric acid is considerably enhanced in the presence of aromatic acids. Theoretical calculations identify the formation of an unusually stable aromatic acid-sulfuric acid complex, which likely leads to a reduced nucleation barrier. The results imply that the interaction between organic and sulfuric acids promotes efficient formation of organic and sulfate aerosols in the polluted atmosphere because of emissions from burning of fossil fuels, which strongly affect human health and global climate.     

30个甜高粱品种茎秆糖产量与干物质生产特性相关研究

甜高粱是一种主要的生物质能源作物,加强甜高粱品种改良与高产栽培对保障我国能源供应及能源安全具有重要意义。在充分发挥个体生产潜力条件下(大田种植密度15 000株/hm2),研究了国内外30个甜高粱品种茎秆糖含量与抽穗前和抽穗后干物质积累特性。结果表明,对成熟期糖产量起直接贡献作用的性状由大到小排序为:抽穗期干物重、抽穗期含糖量、抽穗后干物重所占比例和抽穗后含糖量。其中,抽穗期干物重对糖产量的直接通径系数与其简单相关系数接近,而抽穗期含糖量与此时期干物重呈极显著正相关,最终与糖产量密切相关。抽穗后含糖量由于与抽穗期干物重显著负相关,使其对成熟期糖产量的负间接效应大于自身正直接效应,表现与糖产量弱负相关;抽穗后干物重所占比例则总间接负效应远大于自身正直接效应,最终与糖产量呈极显著负相关。因此,提高茎秆含糖量基础上增加抽穗前干物质积累量,是甜高粱高糖产量品种选育的重要目标。     

Scale for the phase diagram of quantum chromodynamics

Matter described by quantum chromodynamics (QCD), the theory of strong interactions, may undergo phase transitions when its temperature and the chemical potentials are varied. QCD at finite temperature is studied in the laboratory by colliding heavy ions at varying beam energies. We present a test of QCD in the nonperturbative domain through a comparison of thermodynamic fluctuations predicted in lattice computations with the experimental data of baryon number distributions in high-energy heavy ion collisions. This study provides evidence for thermalization in these collisions and allows us to find the crossover temperature between normal nuclear matter and a deconfined phase called the quark gluon plasma. This value allows us to set a scale for the phase diagram of QCD.     

杉木人工林土壤有机质相关变量的敏感性分析

为把握关键控制因子,揭示土壤有机质的变化机制,利用通径分析和敏感性分析研究了江西大岗山杉木人工林土壤相关变量对土壤有机质含量的影响.结果表明:各土壤相关变量通过不同的方式和强度影响着土壤有机质含量、土壤碱解氮量和土壤密度主要通过强烈的间接作用产生影响.孔隙度、速效钾量、细菌数量和真菌数量的影响主要来自较强的直接作用,有...     

电感耦合等离子质谱法测定甘蔗汁中重金属的研究

[目的]研究电感耦合等离子体质谱法测定甘蔗汁中的有害重金属元素。[方法]选取甘蔗汁作为研究对象,经硝酸体系进行电热板消解后,采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP—MS）对甘蔗汁中铜、铅、锌、镉4种有害重金属元素进行定量分析。[结果]研究表明,测定结果的相对标准偏差均在10％以下,各有害重金属元素的加标回收率为92％～103％。[结论]该方法简便、快速、准确,适合用于测定甘蔗汁中的微量重金属元素,同时可为分析含有机质高、糖分高、黏稠的样品提供技术参考。     

Optical matter: crystallization and binding in intense optical fields

Properly fashioned electromagnetic fields coupled to microscopic dielectric objects can be used to create arrays of extended crystalline and noncrystalline structures. Organization can be achieved in two ways: In the first, dielectric matter is transported in direct response to the externally applied standing wave optical fields. In the second, the external optical fields induce interactions between dielectric objects that can also result in the creation of complex structures. In either case, these new ordered structures, whose existence depends on the presence of both light and polarizable matter, are referred to as optical matter.     

灌漠土的磷素吸附特性与供磷缓冲能力的初步研究

用Freundlich和Langmuir等温吸附方程能良好地描述灌漠土对磷素的吸附,相关系数在0.8以上。根据Langmuir方程计算的标准磷素需要量与土壤吸湿水、有机质和粘粒含量呈高度正相关。回归分析表明,最大缓冲容量(Mb)和吸附反应自由能(△G°)与吸湿水、有机质和粘粒含量呈高度正相关,与Olsen—P呈强负相关,与pH没有统计上显著的相关性。Mb和△G°间的相关系数达0.92。     

L-glutamic acid decarboxylase: a new type in glial cells and human brain gliomas

Human glial cells grown in culture and gliomas and white matter contain an l-glutamic acid decarboxylase which is stimulated markedly by carbonyl-trapping agents. In contrast, L-glutamic acid decarboxylase activity of human cerebral gray matter is strongly inhibited by carbonyl-trapping agents. These results suggest a glial localization of the new type of l-glutamic acid decarboxylase.     

Element partitioning: the role of melt structure and composition

We segregated coexisting gabbroic and granitic melts by centrifuging them at high pressures and temperatures and measured the trace element compositions of the melts by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Our results demonstrate that the effect of melt structure contributes about one order of magnitude to crystal/melt partition coefficients. Partitioning of alkali and alkaline earth elements strongly depends on field strength: Amphoteric and lone pair electron elements partition into the polymerized granitic melt; and rare earth, transition, and high field strength elements coordinated by nonbridging oxygens partition remarkably similar into the gabbroic melt. A regular solution model predicts these effects.     

3种低温等离子体技术对水稻秸秆糖化率的影响

为探寻环境友好的秸秆预处理方法,提高秸秆等生物质资源的利用效率,以水稻秸秆为原料,采用3种不同的低温等离子体装置：灭菌柜、介质阻止放电及射频电容耦合对其进行预处理,分别对3种方法的处理条件进行优化,并在此基础上考察预处理后秸秆对纤维素酶的吸附能力及纤维素和半纤维素的糖化效率。结果表明,与未处理的秸秆对照相比,3种方法均可以降低水稻秸秆对纤维素酶的吸附能力,同时提高秸秆中纤维素和半纤维素的糖化率;其中,介质阻挡空气放电对秸秆的处理效果最好,秸秆对酶的吸附率比未处理秸秆的对照组降低了67.6%,而纤维素和半纤维素的糖化率分别比未处理秸秆的对照组提高了34.6%和44.7%。该研究为今后利用低温等离子体预处理秸秆相关技术的改进和深入研究提供了参考。     

Accreting neutron stars, black holes, and degenerate dwarf stars

During the past 8 years, extended temporal and broadband spectroscopic studies carried out by x-ray astronomical satellites have led to the identification of specific compact x-ray sources as accreting neutron stars, black holes, and degenerate dwarf stars in close binary systems. Such sources provide a unique opportunity to study matter under extreme conditions not accessible in the terrestrial laboratory. Quantitative theoretical models have been developed which demonstrate that detailed studies of these sources will lead to a greatly increased understanding of dense and superdense hadron matter, hadron superfluidity, high-temperature plasma in superstrong magnetic fields, and physical processes in strong gravitational fields. Through a combination of theory and observation such studies will make possible the determination of the mass, radius, magnetic field, and structure of neutron stars and degenerate dwarf stars and the identification of further candidate black holes, and will contribute appreciably to our understanding of the physics of accretion by compact astronomical objects.     

Endothelial cell membranes: polarity of particles as seen by freeze-fracturing

Freeze-fracturing shows particles within membranes. In plasma membranes of most cells the particles are more strongly bound to the inner half. In unfixed endothelial cells, this polarity is reversed. Glutaraldehyde fixation results in conventional polarity. The reverse polarity may be related to a mechanism for preferential fusion of pinocytotic vesicles with the plasma membrane.     

Quantum simulation of frustrated classical magnetism in triangular optical lattices

Magnetism plays a key role in modern technology and stimulates research in several branches of condensed matter physics. Although the theory of classical magnetism is well developed, the demonstration of a widely tunable experimental system has remained an elusive goal. Here, we present the realization of a large-scale simulator for classical magnetism on a triangular lattice by exploiting the particular properties of a quantum system. We use the motional degrees of freedom of atoms trapped in an optical lattice to simulate a large variety of magnetic phases: ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, and even frustrated spin configurations. A rich phase diagram is revealed with different types of phase transitions. Our results provide a route to study highly debated phases like spin-liquids as well as the dynamics of quantum phase transitions.     

p53: a frequent target for genetic abnormalities in lung cancer

Allele loss is a hallmark of chromosome regions harboring recessive oncogenes. Lung cancer frequently demonstrates loss of heterozygosity on 17p. Recent evidence suggests that the p53 gene located on 17p13 has many features of such an antioncogene. The p53 gene was frequently mutated or inactivated in all types of human lung cancer. The genetic abnormalities of p53 include gross changes such as homozygous deletions and abnormally sized messenger RNAs along with a variety of point or small mutations, which map to the p53 open reading frame and change amino acid sequence in a region highly conserved between mouse and man. In addition, very low or absent expression of p53 messenger RNA in lung cancer cell lines compared to normal lung was seen. These findings, coupled with the previous demonstration of 17p allele loss in lung cancer, strongly implicate p53 as an anti-oncogene whose disruption is involved in the pathogenesis of human lung cancer.