Towards a General Theory of Quantized Fields on the Anti-de Sitter Space-Time

 We propose a general framework for studying quantum field theory on the anti-de-Sitter space-time, based on the assumption of positivity of the spectrum of the possible energy operators. In this framework we show that the n-point functions are analytic in suitable domains of the complex AdS manifold, that it is possible to Wick rotate to the Euclidean manifold and come back, and that it is meaningful to restrict AdS quantum fields to Poincaré branes. We give also a complete characterization of two-point functions which are the simplest example of our theory. Finally we prove the existence of the AdS-Unruh effect for uniformly accelerated observers on trajectories crossing the boundary of AdS at infinity, while that effect does not exist for all the other uniformly accelerated trajectories. Received: 3 December 2001 / Accepted: 26 July 2002 Published online: 21 October 2002     

The behaviour of nonlinear oscillators subjected to ramped forcing

This paper considers the behaviour of a mechanical oscillator with cubic non-linearity subjected to a forcing excitation whose frequency remains constant while the amplitude is ramped, growing until it reaches a predetermined value. We concentrate on the nature of the basins of attraction whose size indicates the stability of the system, in a structural sense. The reduced level of forecing at the initial stages of ramping produces a delay in bifurcational events when compared to the constant sinusoidally forced counterpart. Preliminary results show that for some parameter values the area of basin does not increase monotonically as the length of ramping is varied. A preliminary version was presented at BIFCHAOS '92, Workshop held at L'Aquila, Italy, on 20–21 May 1992.     

Structural Elucidation of C6H4+. Using Chemical Reaction Monitoring: Charge Transfer Versus Bond Forming Reactions

Mass spectrometry is a powerful tool but when used on its own, without specific activation of ions, the ion mass is the single observable and the structural information is absent. One way of retrieving this information is by using ion–molecule reactions. We propose a general method to disentangle isomeric structures by combining mass spectrometry, tunable synchrotron light source, and quantum-chemistry calculations. We use reactive chemical monitoring technique, which consists in tracking reactivity changes as a function of photoionization energy i. e. the ionic structure. We illustrate the power of this technique with charge transfer reactions of C₆H₄^+. isomers with allene and propyne and discuss its universal applicability. Furthermore, we emphasize the special reactivity characteristics of distonic ions, where strong charge transfer reactivity but very limited reactivity involving bond formation and following cleavages were observed and attributed to the unconventional ortho-benzyne distonic cation.     

Atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization of low-energy ion sputtered mica

We report for the first time on muscovite mica surfaces nanostructured by a low-energy defocused Ar ion beam: ripple structures self-organize on macroscopic areas, with wavelength and roughness in the range 40-140 nm and 0.5-15 nm respectively, according to ions dose. In detail we address structural and chemical variations of the surface layer induced by sputtering. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) survey spectra reveal selective sputtering and Al surface enrichment whereas Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) force-spectroscopy experiments indicate reduced charging of irradiated specimens under aqueous electrolyte solutions. Such experimental evidences contribute to clarify the chemical and physical properties of nanostructured mica samples, in view of their potential use as templates for aligned deposition of organic molecules and investigations on nanolubrication phenomena.     

Structurally constrained protein evolution: results from a lattice simulation

We simulate the evolution of a protein-like sequence subject to point mutations, imposing conservation of the ground state, thermodynamic stability and fast folding. Our model is aimed at describing neutral evolution of natural proteins. We use a cubic lattice model of the protein structure and test the neutrality conditions by extensive Monte Carlo simulations. We observe that sequence space is traversed by neutral networks, i.e. sets of sequences with the same fold connected by point mutations. Typical pairs of sequences on a neutral network are nearly as different as randomly chosen sequences. The fraction of neutral neighbors has strong sequence to sequence variations, which influence the rate of neutral evolution. In this paper we study the thermodynamic stability of different protein sequences. We relate the high variability of the fraction of neutral mutations to the complex energy landscape within a neutral network, arguing that valleys in this landscape are associated to high values of the neutral mutation rate. We find that when a point mutation produces a sequence with a new ground state, this is likely to have a low stability. Thus we tentatively conjecture that neutral networks of different structures are typically well separated in sequence space. This result indicates that changing significantly a protein structure through a biologically acceptable chain of point mutations is a rare, although possible, event. Received 8 July 1999     

Existence of connections on superbundles

We show that the existence of a connection on a super vector bundle or on a principal super fibre bundle is equivalent to the vanishing of a cohomological invariant of the superbundle. This invariant is proved to vanish in the case of a De Witt base supermanifold. Finally, some examples are discussed.     

Isoxazolidine analogues of pseudouridine: a new class of modified nucleosides

A new class of modified C-nucleosides has been synthesized according to the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition methodology. The obtained compounds are structurally related to natural pseudouridine, where the sugar moiety is replaced by an isoxazolidine ring. Different experimental conditions, and the effect of additives on the cycloaddition process, have been examined; the best results were obtained when the cycloaddition reaction was performed under microwave irradiation     

New tetrahedral clusters of iridium. Crystal and molecular structure of μ3-phenylphosphidotri-μ-carbonyltricarbonyltetrakis(triphenylphosphine)-tetrahedro-tetrairidium

The reaction of Ir₄(CO)₁₂ with PPh₃ in toluene, under forcing conditions, yields a mixture of products, one of which has been identified by X-ray diffraction as Ir₄(μ₃-PPh)(μ₂-CO)₃(CO)₃(PPh₃)₄. It is the first iridium cluster to contain four triphenylphosphine groups and a phenylphosphido ligand. The metal tetrahedron displays a trigonal pyramidal distortion with average apical and basal edges of 2.747 and 2.894 », respectively. The latter value is ca. 0.18 » longer than the usual metal-metal bond length in iridium tetrahedra.