A correlation between the cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure in the Universe

Observations of distant supernovae and the fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) indicate that the expansion of the Universe may be accelerating under the action of a 'cosmological constant' or some other form of 'dark energy'. This dark energy now appears to dominate the Universe and not only alters its expansion rate, but also affects the evolution of fluctuations in the density of matter, slowing down the gravitational collapse of material (into, for example, clusters of galaxies) in recent times. Additional fluctuations in the temperature of CMB photons are induced as they pass through large-scale structures and these fluctuations are necessarily correlated with the distribution of relatively nearby matter. Here we report the detection of correlations between recent CMB data and two probes of large-scale structure: the X-ray background and the distribution of radio galaxies. These correlations are consistent with those predicted by dark energy, indicating that we are seeing the imprint of dark energy on the growth of structure in the Universe.     

压缩真空态的激发态下介观串并联RLC电路的量子涨落

将介观串并联RLC电路等效成阻尼谐振子并量子化,研究了压缩真空态的激发态、压缩真空态、真空态下电流和电压的量子涨落.结果表明,支路电流电压的量子涨落不仅与电路器件的参数有关,而且和激发量子数、压缩因子及压缩角有关,并随时间衰减.     

Spectroscopy of spontaneous spin noise as a probe of spin dynamics and magnetic resonance

Not all noise in experimental measurements is unwelcome. Certain fundamental noise sources contain valuable information about the system itself-a notable example being the inherent voltage fluctuations (Johnson noise) that exist across any resistor, which allow the temperature to be determined. In magnetic systems, fundamental noise can exist in the form of random spin fluctuations. For example, statistical fluctuations of N paramagnetic spins should generate measurable noise of order N spins, even in zero magnetic field. Here we exploit this effect to perform perturbation-free magnetic resonance. We use off-resonant Faraday rotation to passively detect the magnetization noise in an equilibrium ensemble of paramagnetic alkali atoms; the random fluctuations generate spontaneous spin coherences that precess and decay with the same characteristic energy and timescales as the macroscopic magnetization of an intentionally polarized or driven ensemble. Correlation spectra of the measured spin noise reveal g-factors, nuclear spin, isotope abundance ratios, hyperfine splittings, nuclear moments and spin coherence lifetimes-without having to excite, optically pump or otherwise drive the system away from thermal equilibrium. These noise signatures scale inversely with interaction volume, suggesting a possible route towards non-perturbative, sourceless magnetic resonance of small systems.     

耦合引起的量子涨落减小

对于电容耦合电路的不同实际状态 ,研究了完全由耦合引起的量子涨落减小问题 .如果耦合电路处于基态 ,或者开始时耦合电路解耦 ,那么分回路以及耦合部分的电荷量子涨落能够降低 ,而电流的量子涨落却不能 .如果初始时 ,耦合部分是断开的 ,那么分回路中电流的涨落不能被压缩 ,而耦合部分电流的涨落以及各处电荷的涨落都会得到减小     

Tracing the first stars with fluctuations of the cosmic infrared background

The deepest space- and ground-based observations find metal-enriched galaxies at cosmic times when the Universe was less than 1 Gyr old. These stellar populations had to be preceded by the metal-free first stars, known as 'population III'. Recent cosmic microwave background polarization measurements indicate that stars started forming early--when the Universe was < or =200 Myr old. It is now thought that population III stars were significantly more massive than the present metal-rich stellar populations. Although such sources will not be individually detectable by existing or planned telescopes, they would have produced significant cosmic infrared background radiation in the near-infrared, whose fluctuations reflect the conditions in the primordial density field. Here we report a measurement of diffuse flux fluctuations after removing foreground stars and galaxies. The anisotropies exceed the instrument noise and the more local foregrounds; they can be attributed to emission from population III stars, at an era dominated by these objects.     

High-amplitude fluctuations and alternative dynamical states of midges in Lake Myvatn

Complex dynamics are often shown by simple ecological models and have been clearly demonstrated in laboratory and natural systems. Yet many classes of theoretically possible dynamics are still poorly documented in nature. Here we study long-term time-series data of a midge, Tanytarsus gracilentus (Diptera: Chironomidae), in Lake Myvatn, Iceland. The midge undergoes density fluctuations of almost six orders of magnitude. Rather than regular cycles, however, these fluctuations have irregular periods of 4-7 years, indicating complex dynamics. We fit three consumer-resource models capable of qualitatively distinct dynamics to the data. Of these, the best-fitting model shows alternative dynamical states in the absence of environmental variability; depending on the initial midge densities, the model shows either fluctuations around a fixed point or high-amplitude cycles. This explains the observed complex population dynamics: high-amplitude but irregular fluctuations occur because stochastic variability causes the dynamics to switch between domains of attraction to the alternative states. In the model, the amplitude of fluctuations depends strongly on minute resource subsidies into the midge habitat. These resource subsidies may be sensitive to human-caused changes in the hydrology of the lake, with human impacts such as dredging leading to higher-amplitude fluctuations. Tanytarsus gracilentus is a key component of the Myvatn ecosystem, representing two-thirds of the secondary productivity of the lake and providing vital food resources to fish and to breeding bird populations. Therefore the high-amplitude, irregular fluctuations in midge densities generated by alternative dynamical states dominate much of the ecology of the lake.     

Intrinsic functional architecture in the anaesthetized monkey brain

The traditional approach to studying brain function is to measure physiological responses to controlled sensory, motor and cognitive paradigms. However, most of the brain's energy consumption is devoted to ongoing metabolic activity not clearly associated with any particular stimulus or behaviour. Functional magnetic resonance imaging studies in humans aimed at understanding this ongoing activity have shown that spontaneous fluctuations of the blood-oxygen-level-dependent signal occur continuously in the resting state. In humans, these fluctuations are temporally coherent within widely distributed cortical systems that recapitulate the functional architecture of responses evoked by experimentally administered tasks. Here, we show that the same phenomenon is present in anaesthetized monkeys even at anaesthetic levels known to induce profound loss of consciousness. We specifically demonstrate coherent spontaneous fluctuations within three well known systems (oculomotor, somatomotor and visual) and the 'default' system, a set of brain regions thought by some to support uniquely human capabilities. Our results indicate that coherent system fluctuations probably reflect an evolutionarily conserved aspect of brain functional organization that transcends levels of consciousness.     

一种基于多媒体流平滑磁盘系统带宽的方法

针对多媒体数据量变化范围大、变化频率高,存储系统读取流数据时会造成读取速率不断变化,影响多媒体流的服务质量的问题,采用存储带宽平滑方法,根据特定多媒体流本身的特点对多媒体流进行平滑,有效地降低多媒体流数据本身对系统的影响,提高了系统的服务质量.     

Dynamics of folded proteins.

The dynamics of a folded globular protein (bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor) have been studied by solving the equations of motion for the atoms with an empirical potential energy function. The results provide the magnitude, correlations and decay of fluctuations about the average structure. These suggest that the protein interior is fluid-like in that the local atom motions have a diffusional character.     

Generation time and temporal scaling of bird population dynamics

Theoretical studies have shown that variation in density regulation strongly influences population dynamics, yet our understanding of factors influencing the strength of density dependence in natural populations still is limited. Consequently, few general hypotheses have been advanced to explain the large differences between species in the magnitude of population fluctuations. One reason for this is that the detection of density regulation in population time series is complicated by time lags induced by the life history of species that make it difficult to separate the relative contributions of intrinsic and extrinsic factors to the population dynamics. Here we use population time series for 23 bird species to estimate parameters of a stochastic density-dependent age-structured model. We show that both the strength of total density dependence in the life history and the magnitude of environmental stochasticity, including transient fluctuations in age structure, increase with generation time. These results indicate that the relationships between demographic and life-history traits in birds translate into distinct population dynamical patterns that are apparent only on a scale of generations.     

光学双稳系统的记忆、涨落与随机力

本文的研究结果表明：作为记忆元件的双稳系统应在远离平衡统计分布的准平衡分布状态下运行。Ｂｏｎｉｆａｃｉｏ与Ｌｕｇｉａｔｏ等（１９７８，１９８４）提出并着重讨论过的所谓‘反常’涨落，其实是平衡分布的双稳系统所固有，这也是在平衡分布下它完全失去记忆功能的一种反映。在双稳系统中，随机力既驱使涨落增长，又通过非线性项对涨落起镇定作用，正因为如此，在趋向临界点时围绕定态的涨落的极限值为有限，并非分布函数取高斯（线性）近似所导致的无限大。不稳定临界点（高、低支的端点）的涨落要高于稳定临界点的涨落。     

在热压缩态下介观电容耦合电路中的量子涨落

利用热场动力学（TFD）方法研究了有限温度下介观电路中的噪声或涨落压缩问题，分析了对信息交换起重要作用的电路耦合部分的情况，当电路处于热压缩态时，选取不同的参数，电荷和电流的涨落分别可以得到压缩，电容耦合对分回路以及耦合区域的电荷涨落压缩有增强效应，但是对于电流则没有这样的效果。     

基于蝶阀摆动的叶片式流量波动发生器的设计

流量计测量需在一个相对稳定的环境,而实际测量中管路产生的流量波动对流量计的测量结果产生影响.为了研究不同流量波动对管路测量结果的影响,设计了一台叶片式流量波动发生器,通过电机带动蝶阀阀门来回摆动,在管路中形成一个流量波动.该发生器通过改变电机的摆动频率和摆动角度产生不同的流量波动来模仿水流量系统中可能产生的流量波动.实验证明,该波动发生器所产生的流量波动能够沿着管路上下游进行传播,且在改变发生器摆动频率与摆角时所产生的流量波动也会随之改变.     

Quantum phase transition from a superfluid to a Mott insulator in a gas of ultracold atoms.

For a system at a temperature of absolute zero, all thermal fluctuations are frozen out, while quantum fluctuations prevail. These microscopic quantum fluctuations can induce a macroscopic phase transition in the ground state of a many-body system when the relative strength of two competing energy terms is varied across a critical value. Here we observe such a quantum phase transition in a Bose-Einstein condensate with repulsive interactions, held in a three-dimensional optical lattice potential. As the potential depth of the lattice is increased, a transition is observed from a superfluid to a Mott insulator phase. In the superfluid phase, each atom is spread out over the entire lattice, with long-range phase coherence. But in the insulating phase, exact numbers of atoms are localized at individual lattice sites, with no phase coherence across the lattice; this phase is characterized by a gap in the excitation spectrum. We can induce reversible changes between the two ground states of the system.     

Enhancement of cellular memory by reducing stochastic transitions

On induction of cell differentiation, distinct cell phenotypes are encoded by complex genetic networks. These networks can prevent the reversion of established phenotypes even in the presence of significant fluctuations. Here we explore the key parameters that determine the stability of cellular memory by using the yeast galactose-signalling network as a model system. This network contains multiple nested feedback loops. Of the two positive feedback loops, only the loop mediated by the cytoplasmic signal transducer Gal3p is able to generate two stable expression states with a persistent memory of previous galactose consumption states. The parallel loop mediated by the galactose transporter Gal2p only increases the expression difference between the two states. A negative feedback through the inhibitor Gal80p reduces the strength of the core positive feedback. Despite this, a constitutive increase in the Gal80p concentration tunes the system from having destabilized memory to having persistent memory. A model reveals that fluctuations are trapped more efficiently at higher Gal80p concentrations. Indeed, the rate at which single cells randomly switch back and forth between expression states was reduced. These observations provide a quantitative understanding of the stability and reversibility of cellular differentiation states.     

平行磁场作用下的低雷诺数平板流研究

用直接数值模拟方法,对平行磁场作用下的不可压缩导电流体在两无限大平行平板内的流动特性进行了研究.磁场的取向可以是侧向的(与主流方向垂直),也可以是流向的(与主流方向平行),主要讨论了后一种情况.流向磁场的主要作用是增强流向上的脉动速度,而抑制侧向和法向的脉动速度及动量传输.当施加的流向磁场强度足够大时,流场从湍流转变为层流,而通过施加背景噪声或脉冲噪声的方法不能使流场重新转变为湍流.     

Pressure-induced crystallization of a spin liquid

Liquids are expected to crystallize at low temperature. The only exception is helium, which can remain liquid at 0 K, owing to quantum fluctuations. Similarly, the atomic magnetic moments (spins) in a magnet are expected to order at a temperature scale set by the Curie-Weiss temperature theta(CW) (ref. 3). Geometrically frustrated magnets represent an exception. In these systems, the pairwise spin interactions cannot be simultaneously minimized because of the lattice symmetry. This can stabilize a liquid-like state of short-range-ordered fluctuating moments well below theta(CW) (refs 5-7). Here we use neutron scattering to observe the spin liquid state in a geometrically frustrated system, Tb(2)Ti(2)O(7), under conditions of high pressure (approximately 9 GPa) and low temperature (approximately 1 K). This compound is a three-dimensional magnet with theta(CW) = -19 K, where the negative value indicates antiferromagnetic interactions. At ambient pressure Tb(2)Ti(2)O(7) remains in a spin liquid state down to at least 70 mK (ref. 8). But we find that, under high pressure, the spins start to order or 'crystallize' below 2.1 K, with antiferromagnetic order coexisting with liquid-like fluctuations. These results indicate that a spin liquid/solid mixture can be induced by pressure in geometrically frustrated systems.     

Non-classical light generated by quantum-noise-driven cavity optomechanics

Optomechanical systems, in which light drives and is affected by the motion of a massive object, will comprise a new framework for nonlinear quantum optics, with applications ranging from the storage and transduction of quantum information to enhanced detection sensitivity in gravitational wave detectors. However, quantum optical effects in optomechanical systems have remained obscure, because their detection requires the object’s motion to be dominated by vacuum fluctuations in the optical radiation pressure; so far, direct observations have been stymied by technical and thermal noise. Here we report an implementation of cavity optomechanics using ultracold atoms in which the collective atomic motion is dominantly driven by quantum fluctuations in radiation pressure. The back-action of this motion onto the cavity light field produces ponderomotive squeezing. We detect this quantum phenomenon by measuring sub-shot-noise optical squeezing. Furthermore, the system acts as a low-power, high-gain, nonlinear parametric amplifier for optical fluctuations, demonstrating a gain of 20?dB with a pump corresponding to an average of only seven intracavity photons. These findings may pave the way for low-power quantum optical devices, surpassing quantum limits on position and force sensing, and the control and measurement of motion in quantum gases.     

复杂泵体压力脉动特性的数值模拟

为了揭示复杂泵体水力的不稳定性,以减压塔底泵为例,利用计算流体动力学（CFD）对泵内部非定常流场进行数值模拟计算.根据得到的蜗壳内压力脉动情况,对其时域和频域进行分析.结果表明：各工况下压力脉动频率均以叶片通过频率为主,且次级蜗壳内的压力脉动比首级要明显;蜗壳内压力脉动最大值出现在隔舌附近,且沿蜗壳流道螺旋线方向压力脉动幅值依次减小;设计工况下蜗壳内压力脉动强度小于非设计工况下的,次级蜗壳隔舌处小流量工况下压力脉动幅值约为设计流量时的2.63倍.