Elastic deformation of membrane bilayers probed by deuterium NMR relaxation

In deuterium ((2)H) NMR spectroscopy of fluid lipid bilayers, the average structure is manifested in the segmental order parameters (S(CD)) of the flexible molecules. The corresponding spin-lattice relaxation rates (R(1Z) depend on both the amplitudes and the rates of the segmental fluctuations, and indicate the types of lipid motions. By combining (2)H NMR order parameter measurements with relaxation studies, we have obtained a more comprehensive picture of lipids in the liquid-crystalline (L(alpha)) state than formerly possible. Our data suggest that a lipid bilayer constitutes an ordered fluid, in which the phospholipids are grafted to the aqueous interface via their polar headgroups, whereas the fatty acyl chains are in effect liquid hydrocarbon. Studies of (2)H-labeled saturated lipids indicate their R(1Z) rates and S(CD) order parameters are correlated by a model-free, square-law functional dependence, signifying the presence of relatively slow bilayer fluctuations. A new composite membrane deformation model explains simultaneously the frequency (magnetic field) dependence and the angular anisotropy of the relaxation. The results imply the R(1Z) rates are due to a broad spectrum of 3-D collective bilayer excitations, together with effective axial rotations of the lipids. For the first time, NMR relaxation studies show that the viscoelastic properties of membrane lipids at megahertz frequencies are modulated by the lipid acyl length (bilayer thickness), polar headgroups (bilayer interfacial area), inclusion of a nonionic detergent (C(12)E(8)), and the presence of cholesterol, leading to a range of bilayer softness. Our findings imply the concept of elastic deformation is relevant on lengths approaching the bilayer thickness and less (the mesoscopic scale), and suggest that application of combined R(1Z) and S(CD) studies of phospholipids can be used as a simple membrane elastometer. Heuristic estimates of the bilayer bending rigidity kappa and the area elastic modulus K(a) enable comparison to other biophysical studies, involving macroscopic deformation of thin membrane lipid films. Finally, the bilayer softness may be correlated with the lipid diversity of biomembranes, for example, with regard to membrane curvature, repulsive interactions between bilayers, and lipid-protein interactions.     

Space-time evolution of the hadronic source in peripheral to central Pb+Pb collisions

Two-particle correlations of negative pions as a function of charged particle multiplicity are studied in Pb+Pb collisions at GeV per nucleon using the NA44 experiment at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron(SPS). We find that the source size parameters increase with the charged particle multiplicity. However the slope of the source size parameters plotted as a function of charged multiplicity is slightly larger at high multiplicity than at low multiplicity. The value of is independent of charged multiplicity. For Pb+Pb collisions, is larger than and for all multiplicity intervals, whereas these three radius parameters were approximately equal in S+Nucleus collisions. The ratios () and () for Pb+Pb data show almost no dependence on charged multiplicity. The duration of pion emission is constant at 3.81.1 fm/c as a function of the charged multiplicity in Pb+Pb collisions. Effective volume (V) is also calculated as V=, assuming a cylindrically shaped source. We found, within the limited statistics, the effective volume rapidly increases at high multiplicity. Received: 17 July 2000 / Revised version: 3 November 2000 / Published online: 8 December 2000     

The gradient iteration for approximation in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces

Consider the bounded linear operator, L: F Z, where Z R^N andF are Hilbert spaces defined on a common field X. L is madeup of a series of N bounded linear evaluation functionals, L_i:F R. By the Riesz representation theorem, there exist functionsk(x_i, ^·) F : L_if = f, k(x_i, ^·)_F. The functions,k(x_i, ^·), are known as reproducing kernels and F is areproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS). This is a natural frameworkfor approximating functions given a discrete set of observations.In this paper the computational aspects of characterizing suchapproximations are described and a gradient method presentedfor iterative solution. Such iterative solutions are desirablewhen N is large and the matrix computations involved in thebasic solution become infeasible. This is also exactly the casewhere the problem becomes ill-conditioned. An iterative approachto Tikhonov regularization is therefore also introduced. Unlikeiterative solutions for the more general Hilbert space setting,the proofs presented make use of the spectral representationof the kernel.     

Low p T phenomena in A+A and p+A collisions at mid-rapidity

CERN experiment NA44 measures pion and kaon distributions at p _T = 0–320 MeV/c at midrapidity in p+A and A+A collisions at 450 and 200A GeV/c, respectively. Pion production from p+Pb and A+A is slightly enhanced at low p _T relative to p+Be, but less than observed at target rapidity. The low p _T behavior can be understood in the context of the RQMD model as arising from baryonic resonance decays.     

LowpT phenomena in A+A and p+A collisions at mid-rapidity

CERN experiment NA44 measures pion and kaon distributions atpT=0–320 MeV/c at midrapidity in p+A and A+A collisions at 450 and 200A GeV/c, respectively. Pion production from p+Pb and A+A is slightly enhanced at lowpT relative to p+Be, but less than observed at target rapidity. The lowpT behavior can be understood in the context of the RQMD model as arising from baryonic resonance decays.     

Bäcklund transformations for the A.K.N.S. inverse method

In this note we give a concise derivation of the general Bäcklund transformation discovered by Calogero and Degasperis which closely follows the A.K.N.S. approach to inverse scattering methods.     

Subharmonic resonances in plasmas: exponential and superexponential growth of driven relativistic plasma waves

Subharmonic resonant beat-wave excitation of nonlinear relativistic plasma waves is studied analytically and in particle-in-cell simulations. We find that if the frequency separation of the lasers, Deltaomega, is 2omega(p) or 3omega(p) ( omega(p) is the plasma frequency), then plasma waves are still excited at omega(p) but they grow exponentially or superexponentially rather than secularly. Both of these subharmonic resonant instabilities saturate due to relativistic detuning. The analytical growth rates and saturation levels agree with the simulation results.     

Study of ATLAS sensitivity to FCNC top decays

The ATLAS experiment sensitivity to top quark flavour changing neutral current (FCNC) decays was studied at LHC using tt̄ events. While one of the top quarks is expected to follow the dominant Standard Model decay t→bW, the other decays through a FCNC channel, i.e. t→Zu(c), t→γu(c) or t→gu(c). Different types of analyses, applied to each FCNC decay mode, were compared. The FCNC branching ratio sensitivity (assuming a 5σ signal significance) and 95% confidence level limits on the branching ratios (in the hypothesis of signal absence) were obtained.