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We propose a statistical model of a large random network with high connectivity in order to describe the behavior of {\it E.\,coli} cells after exposure to acute stress. The building blocks of this network are feedback cycles typical of the genetic and metabolic networks of a cell. Each node on the cycles is a spin degree of freedom representing a component in the cell's network that can be in one of two states - active or inactive. The cycles are interconnected by regulation or by the exchange of metabolites. Stress is realized by an external magnetic field that drives the nodes into an inactive state, and the time the magnetization passes zero value for the first time represents the first division event of the cell after the stress period. The numerical and analytical solutions for this first passage problem reproduce the aging dynamics observed in the experimental data.

We present the quantitative investigation of the submicron structure in the bulk of porous graphite by using the scattering signal in the multi-modal X-ray imaging with Hartmann masks. By scanning the correlation length and measuring the mask visibility reduction, we obtain average pore size, relative pore fraction, fractal dimension, and Hurst exponent of the structure. Profiting from the dimensionality of the mask, we apply the method to study pore size anisotropy. The measurements were performed in a simple and flexible imaging setup with relaxed requirements on beam coherence., Comment: article: 6 pages, 3 figures, supplemental: 5 pages, 4 figures

Structured light are custom light fields where the phase, polarization, and intensity vary with position. It has been used for nanotweezers, nanoscale imaging, and quantum information technology, but its role in exciting optical transitions in materials has been little examined so far. Here we use group theory to derive the optical selection rules for nanosystems that get excited by structured light. If the size of the nanostructure is comparable to the light wavelength, it will sample the full beam profile during excitation with profound consequences on optical excitations. Using nanooligomers as model nanosystems, we show that structured light excites optical transitions that are forbidden for linearly polarized or unpolarized light. Such dipole forbidden modes have longer lifetimes and narrower resonances than dipole allowed transitions. We derive symmetry-adapted eigenmodes for nanooligomers containing up to six monomers. Our study includes tables with selection rules for cylindrical vector beams, for beams with orbital angular momentum, and for field retardation along the propagation direction. We discuss multi-photon processes of nonlinear optics in addition to one-photon absorption. Structured light will unlock a broad range of excitations in nanooligomers and other nanostructures that are currently inaccessible to optical studies.

We introduce a new mixed discontinuous/continuous Galerkin finite element for solving the 2- and 3-dimensional wave equations and equations of incompressible flow. The element, which we refer to as P1dg-P2, uses discontinuous piecewise linear functions for velocity and continuous piecewise quadratic functions for pressure. The aim of introducing the mixed formulation is to produce a new flexible element choice for triangular and tetrahedral meshes which satisfies the LBB stability condition and hence has no spurious zero-energy modes. We illustrate this property with numerical integrations of the wave equation in two dimensions, an analysis of the resultant discrete Laplace operator in two and three dimensions, and a normal mode analysis of the semi-discrete wave equation in one dimension.

We present the full in-plane phonon dispersion of graphite obtained from inelastic x-ray scattering, including the optical and acoustic branches, as well as the mid-frequency range between the $K$ and $M$ points in the Brillouin zone, where experimental data have been unavailable so far. The existence of a Kohn anomaly at the $K$ point is further supported. We fit a fifth-nearest neighbour force-constants model to the experimental data, making improved force-constants calculations of the phonon dispersion in both graphite and carbon nanotubes available., Comment: 7 pages; submitted to Phys. Rev. B

Direct magnetization measurements of thin gold films are presented. These measurements integrate the signal from the thin film under study and the magnetic contribution of the film's interface with the substrate. The diamagnetic contribution to the signal from the bulk substrate is of the same order as the noise level. we find that thin gold films can exhibit positive magnetization. The character of their magnetic behavior is strongly substrate dependent., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures

We present a comprehensive study of the chiral-index assignment of carbon nanotubes in aqueous suspensions by resonant Raman scattering of the radial breathing mode. We determine the energies of the first optical transition in metallic tubes and of the second optical transition in semiconducting tubes for more than 50 chiral indices. The assignment is unique and does not depend on empirical parameters. The systematics of the so-called branches in the Kataura plot are discussed; many properties of the tubes are similar for members of the same branch. We show how the radial breathing modes observed in a single Raman spectrum can be easily assigned based on these systematics. In addition, empirical fits provide the energies and radial breathing modes for all metallic and semiconducting nanotubes with diameters between 0.6 and 1.5 nm. We discuss the relation between the frequency of the radial breathing mode and tube diameter. Finally, from the Raman intensities we obtain information on the electron-phonon coupling., Comment: Physical Review B, in print, 17 pages, 16 figures

We present a detailed study of the geometry, structure and energetics of carbon nanotube caps. We show that the structure of a cap uniquely determines the chirality of the nanotube that can be attached to it. The structure of the cap is specified in a geometrical way by defining the position of six pentagons on a hexagonal lattice. Moving one (or more) pentagons systematically creates caps for other nanotube chiralities. For the example of the (10,0) tube we study the formation energy of different nanotube caps using ab-initio calculations. The caps with isolated pentagons have an average formation energy 0.29+/-0.01eV/atom. A pair of adjacent pentagons requires a much larger formation energy of 1.5eV. We show that the formation energy of adjacent pentagon pairs explains the diameter distribution in small-diameter nanotube samples grown by chemical vapor deposition., Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures (gray scale only due to space); submitted to Phys. Rev. B

One- and two-photon luminescence excitation spectroscopy showed a series of distinct excitonic states in single-walled carbon nanotubes. The energy splitting between one- and two-photon-active exciton states of different wavefunction symmetry is the fingerprint of excitonic interactions in carbon nanotubes. We determine exciton binding energies of 0.3-0.4 eV for different nanotubes with diameters between 0.7 and 0.9 nm. Our results, which are supported by ab-initio calculations of the linear and non-linear optical spectra, prove that the elementary optical excitations of carbon nanotubes are strongly Coulomb-correlated, quasi-one dimensionally confined electron-hole pairs, stable even at room temperature. This alters our microscopic understanding of both the electronic structure and the Coulomb interactions in carbon nanotubes, and has direct impact on the optical and transport properties of novel nanotube devices., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

From resonant Raman scattering on isolated nanotubes we obtained the optical transition energies, the radial breathing mode frequency and Raman intensity of both metallic and semiconducting tubes. We unambiguously assigned the chiral index (n_1,n_2) of approximately 50 nanotubes based solely on a third-neighbor tight-binding Kataura plot and find omega_RBM=214.4cm^-1nm/d+18.7cm^-1. In contrast to luminescence experiments we observe all chiralities including zig-zag tubes. The Raman intensities have a systematic chiral-angle dependence confirming recent ab-initio calculations., Comment: 4 pages, to be published in Phys. Rev. Lett

We show by ab initio calculations that the electron-phonon coupling matrix element M of the radial breathing mode in single-walled carbon nanotubes depends strongly on tube chirality. For nanotubes of the same diameter the coupling strength |M|^2 is up to one order of magnitude stronger for zig-zag than for armchair tubes. For (n,m) tubes M depends on the value of (n-m) mod 3, which allows to discriminate semiconducting nano tubes with similar diameter by their Raman scattering intensity. We show measured resonance Raman profiles of the radial breathing mode which support our theoretical predictions.

Meissner fraction in the superconducting state of lead archaeological artifacts is used to evaluate the mass of the uncorroded metal in the sample. Knowing the total mass of the sample the mass of all corrosion products is established. It is shown that this mass correlates with the archaeological age of the lead artifacts over a time span of ~2500 years. Well-dated untreated lead samples from Tel-Dor, the Persian period, Caesarea, the Byzantine and the Crusader periods as well as contemporary data were used to establish the dating correlation. This new chemical dating method is apparently applicable to lead artifacts buried in soils with the pH>6.5. In such soils the corrosion process is very slow and the corrosion products, mainly PbO and PbCO3, accumulate over hundreds of years. The method presented is in principle non-destructive. (corresponding author: ), Comment: File ARCH_4.pdf 14 pages including 1 table and 5 figures

The magnetization of an ensemble of isolated lead grains of sizes ranging from below 6 nm to 1000 nm is measured. A sharp disappearance of Meissner effect with lowering of the grain size is observed for the smaller grains. This is a direct observation by magnetization measurement of the occurrence of a critical particle size for superconductivity, which is consistent with Anderson's criterion., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to PRL

The experimentally observed ferromagnetism in MgB2 in the normal state is attributed to micro phase separated inclusions of iron. This magnetic character is also observed when the iron content of the samples is reduced below 20 micro-g/g, however in these samples the diamagnetism of MgB2 is apparent and is measured. It is found experimentally that the diamagnetic susceptibility at room temperature of B element, MgB2 and MgB4 is close to the ratio 1:2:4, suggesting that the diamagnetism in these borides is confined to the boron atoms. This observation supports a picture in which the two electrons of Mg are donated to B in MgB2, Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures; references corrected; PDF-file introduced

Composites consisting of MgB2 and Al, 11% by volume, undergo a transition to superconductivity onset at TC = 38 K, close to the value reported for pure MgB2. The transition appears to have broadened, as determined by both magnetic and transport measurements, possible due to the proximity effect and disorder. Spatially resolved tunneling spectroscopy at 4.2 K exhibit a distribution of gap structures, from BCS-like spectra with 2D/kBTc = 3.2 to spectra that are typical for proximity superconductors., Comment: accepted to Journal of Physics Condensed Matter, revised version