In order to study the molecular structure and dynamics of liquid water with soft x-ray probes, samples with nanoscale dimensions are needed. This paper describes a simple method for preparing nanofluidic water cells. The idea is to confine a thin layer of water between two silicon nitride windows. The windows are 1 mm x 1 mm and 0.5 mm x 0.5 mm in size and have a thickness of 150 nm. The thickness of the water layer was measured experimentally by probing the infrared spectrum of water in the cells with a Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) apparatus and from soft x-ray static measurements at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Water layers ranging from 10 nm to more than 2 {micro}m were observed. Evidence for changes in the water structure compared to bulk water is observed in the ultrathin cells.

We report a measurement of the B {yields} {pi}{ell}{nu} branching fraction based on 211 fb{sup -1} of data collected with the BABAR detector. We use samples of B{sup 0} and B{sup +} mesons tagged by a second B meson reconstructed in a semileptonic or hadronic decay, and combine the results assuming isospin symmetry to obtain {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} {pi}{sup -}{ell}{sup +}{nu}) = (1.33 {+-} 0.17{sub stat} {+-} 0.11{sub syst}) x 10{sup -4}. We determine the magnitude of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element |V{sub ub}| by combining the partial branching fractions measured in ranges of the momentum transfer squared and theoretical calculations of the form factor. Using a recent lattice QCD calculation, we find |{sub ub}| = (4.5 {+-} 0.5{sub stat} {+-} 0.3{sub syst} {sub -0.5}{sup +0.7}FF) x 10{sup -3}, where the last error is due to the normalization of the form factor.

The authors present a measurement of the branching fraction and time-dependent CP asymmetry of B{sup 0} {yields} {rho}{sup 0}K{sup 0}. The results are obtained from a data sample of 227 x 10{sup 6} {Upsilon}(4S) {yields} B{bar B} decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory at SLAC. From a time-dependent maximum likelihood fit yielding 111 {+-} 19 signal events they find {Beta}(B{sup 0} {yields} {rho}{sup 0}K{sup 0}) = (4.9 {+-} 0.8 {+-} 0.9) x 10{sup -6}, where the first error is statistical and the second systematic. They report the measurement of the CP parameters S{sub {rho}{sup 0}K{sub S}{sup 0}} = 0.20 {+-} 0.52 {+-} 0.24 and C{sub {rho}{sup 0}K{sub S}{sup 0}} = 0.64 {+-} 0.41 {+-} 0.20.

The Sivers mechanism for the single-spin asymmetry in unpolarized lepton scattering from a transversely polarized nucleon is driven by the orbital angular momentum carried by its quark and gluon constituents, combined with QCD final-state interactions. Both quark and gluon mechanisms can generate such a single-spin asymmetry, though only the quark mechanism can explain the small single-spin asymmetry measured by the COMPASS collaboration on the deuteron, suggesting the gluon mechanism is small relative to the quark mechanism. We detail empirical studies through which the gluon and quark orbital angular momentum contributions, quark-flavor by quark-flavor, can be elucidated.

The initial stage of the oxidation of Ge(111) surfaces etched by HF, HCl and HBr solutions is systematically studied using synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy (SR-PES). We perform controlled experiments to differentiate the effects of different oxidation factors. SR-PES results show that both moisture and oxygen contribute to the oxidation of the surfaces; however, they play different roles in the oxidation process. Moisture effectively replaces the hydrogen and halogen termination layers with hydroxyl (OH), but hardly oxidizes the surfaces further. On the other hand, dry oxygen does not replace the termination layers, but breaks the Ge-Ge back bonds and oxidizes the substrates with the aid of moisture. In addition, room light enhances the oxidation rate significantly.

We report measurements of time-dependent CP asymmetries related to the CKM angle {beta}/{phi}{sub 1}, using decays of neutral B mesons to charmonium, open charm and in b {yields} s loop-dominated processes. A preliminary measurement of time-dependent CP asymmetries in B{sup 0} {yields} {rho}{sup 0}(770)K{sub S}{sup 0} decays from the BABAR experiment is given here.

Presented here is the complete genome sequence ofThiomicrospira crunogena XCL-2, representative of ubiquitouschemolithoautotrophic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria isolated from deep-seahydrothermal vents. This gammaproteobacterium has a single chromosome(2,427,734 bp), and its genome illustrates many of the adaptations thathave enabled it to thrive at vents globally. It has 14 methyl-acceptingchemotaxis protein genes, including four that may assist in positioningit in the redoxcline. A relative abundance of CDSs encoding regulatoryproteins likely control the expression of genes encoding carboxysomes,multiple dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphate transporters, as wellas a phosphonate operon, which provide this species with a variety ofoptions for acquiring these substrates from the environment. T. crunogenaXCL-2 is unusual among obligate sulfur oxidizing bacteria in relying onthe Sox system for the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds. A 38 kbprophage is present, and a high level of prophage induction was observed,which may play a role in keeping competing populations of close relativesin check. The genome has characteristics consistent with an obligatelychemolithoautotrophic lifestyle, including few transporters predicted tohave organic allocrits, and Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle CDSs scatteredthroughout the genome.

We recently demonstrated the ability of semiconductor quantum dots to convert alpha radiation into visible photons. In this letter, we report on the scintillation of quantum dots under gamma-ray irradiation, and compare the energy resolution of the 59 keV line of Americium 241 obtained with our quantum dot-glass nanocomposite material to that of a standard sodium iodide scintillator. A factor 2 improvement is demonstrated experimentally and interpreted theoretically using a combination of energy-loss and photon transport models. These results demonstrate the potential of quantum dots for room-temperature gamma-ray detection, which has applications in medical imaging, environmental monitoring, as well as security and defense. Present technology in gamma radiation detection suffers from flexibility and scalability issues. For example, bulk Germanium provides fine energy resolution (0.2% energy resolution at 1.33 MeV) but requires operation at liquid nitrogen temperature. On the other hand, Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride is a good room temperature detector ( 1% at 662 keV) but the size of the crystals that can be grown is limited to a few centimeters in each direction. Finally, the most commonly used scintillator, Sodium Iodide (NaI), can be grown as large crystals but suffers from a lack of energy resolution (7% energy resolution at 662 keV). …

X-ray fluorescence microCT (computed tomography) is a novel technique that allows non-destructive determination of the 3D distribution of chemical elements inside a sample. This is especially important in samples for which sectioning is undesirable either due to the risk of contamination or the requirement for further analysis by different characterization techniques. Developments made by third generation synchrotron facilities and laboratory X-ray focusing systems have made these kinds of measurements more attractive by significantly reducing scan times and beam size. First results from the x-ray fluorescence microCT experiments performed at SSRL beamline 6-2 are reported here. Beamline 6-2 is a 54 pole wiggler that uses a two mirror optical system for focusing the x-rays onto a virtual source slit which is then reimaged with a set of KB mirrors to a (2 x 4) {micro}{sup 2} beam spot. An energy dispersive fluorescence detector is located in plane at 90 degrees to the incident beam to reduce the scattering contribution. A PIN diode located behind the sample simultaneously measures the x-ray attenuation in the sample. Several porous micrometeorite samples were measured and the reconstructed element density distribution including self-absorption correction is presented. Ultimately, this system will be used to analyze particles from …

The ITER Central Solenoid (CS) requires compact and reliable joints for its Cable-in-Conduit Conductor (CICC). The baseline design is a diffusion bonded butt joint. In such a joint the mating cables are compacted to a very low void fraction in a copper sleeve and then heat treated. After the heat treatment the ends are cut, polished and aligned against each other and then diffusion bonded under high compression in a vacuum chamber at 750 C. The jacket is then welded on the conductor to complete the joint, which remarkably does not require more room than a regular conductor. This joint design is based on a proven concept developed for the ITER CS Model Coil that was successfully tested in the previous R&D phase.

In this short article the accurate labeling of the O4,5 edges of the light actinides is addressed. The O4 and O5 edges are both contained in what is termed the ''giant resonance'' and the smaller ''pre-peak'' that is observed is a consequence of first-order perturbation by the 5d spin-orbit interaction. Thus, the small prepeak in the actinide 5d {yields} 5f transition should not be labeled the O5 peak, but rather the {Delta}S=1 peak.

Experimental data indicates that the limiting crack speed in brittle materials is less than the Rayleigh wave speed. One reason for this is that dynamic instabilities produce surface roughness and microcracks that branch from the main crack. These processes increase dissipation near the crack tip over a range of crack speeds. When the scale of observation (or mesh resolution) becomes much larger than the typical sizes of these features, effective-medium theories are required to predict the coarse-grained fracture dynamics. Two approaches to modeling these phenomena are described and used in numerical simulations. The first approach is based on cohesive elements that utilize a rate-dependent weakening law for the nodal cohesive forces. The second approach uses a continuum damage model which has a weakening effect that lowers the effective Rayleigh wave speed in the material surrounding the crack tip. Simulations in this paper show that while both models are capable of increasing the energy dissipated during fracture when the mesh size is larger than the process zone size, only the continuum damage model is able to limit the crack speed over a range of applied loads. Numerical simulations of straight-running cracks demonstrate good agreement between the theoretical predictions of the combined …

The authors develop a plane-wave-based transfer matrix method in curvilinear coordinates to study the guided modes in curved nanoribbon waveguides. The problem of a curved structure is transformed into an equivalent one of a straight structure with spatially dependent tensors of dielectric constant and magnetic permeability. The authors investigate the coupling between the eigenmodes of the straight part and those of the curved part when the waveguide is bent. The authors show that curved sections can result in strong oscillations in the transmission spectrum similar to the recent experimental results of Lawet al.