Academic literature on the topic 'Polarised-nuclei'

Spontaneous generation of the Dicke superradiation (SR) state has been found in the system of inversely polarised proton spins with “frozen” polarisation. SR is observed at the moment when the Larmor frequency crosses the resonance frequency of the passive oscillatory circuit. SR arises from incoherent maser generation of spins. The frequency of a SR generator can be retuned from several hundreds of kilohertz to hundreds of megahertz at very low temperatures. Dependence of incoherent and coherent radiation on the initial polarisation has been investigated. A radio frequency analogue of the optical SR laser is shown to be possible both for weak-amplifying and for strong-amplifying active media, depending on the factor of filling and polarisation of nuclei. SR-reverse of negative polarisation is observed in the latter case.

Context. The contribution of active galactic nuclei to the magnetisation of the Universe can be constrained by knowing their duty cycles, jet and magnetic field morphologies, and the physical processes dominating their interaction with the surrounding environment. Aims. The magnetic field morphology and strength of radio lobes of AGN has an influence on the mechanisms for the propagation of cosmic rays into intergalactic space. Using the source B2 0258+35 we want to investigate the interaction of its radio lobes with the surrounding environment and examine the underlying physical effects. Methods. Published H I and radio continuum data at λ21 cm were combined with newly reduced archival Westerbork Radio Synthesis Telescope polarisation data at the same wavelength to investigate the polarised emission in the radio lobes of B2 0258+35. We assumed energy equipartition between the cosmic rays and the magnetic field to calculate their pressure and investigate the physical processes leading to the detected emission. Results. We detected a unique S-shaped diffuse polarised structure. The lobes have a pressure of p = 1.95 ± 0.4 × 10−14 dyn cm−2. The calculated total magnetic field strengths are low (Beq = 1.21 ± 0.12 μG). We observe depolarisation in the northern lobe, which might originate from the H I-disc in the foreground. In addition we see an anti-correlation between the pressure and the fractional polarisation along the S-shaped structure. Therefore we consider magnetic draping and magnetic field compression as possible effects that might have created the observed S-shape. Conclusions. Our results suggest that magnetic draping can be effectively used to explain the observed polarised structures. This is likely due to the combination of a relatively low magnetic field strength, enabling super-Alfvénic motion of the rising lobes (with MA = 2.47 − 3.50), and the coherency of the surrounding magnetic field. Moreover, the draped layer tends to suppress any mixing of the material between the radio lobes and the surrounding environment, but can enhance the mixing and re-acceleration efficiencies inside the lobes, providing an explanation for the average flat spectral index observed in the lobes.

The symbiotic infection of the model legume Medicago truncatula by Sinorhizobium meliloti involves marked root hair curling, a stage where entrapment of the microsymbiont occurs in a chamber from which infection thread formation is initiated within the root hair. We have genetically dissected these early symbiotic interactions using both plant and rhizobial mutants and have identified a M. truncatula gene, HCL, which controls root hair curling. S. meliloti Nod factors, which are required for the infection process, induced wild-type epidermal nodulin gene expression and root hair deformation in hcl mutants, while Nod factor induction of cortical cell division foci was reduced compared to wild-type plants. Studies of the position of nuclei and of the microtubule cytoskeleton network of hcl mutants revealed that root hair, as well as cortical cells, were activated in response to S. meliloti. However, the asymmetric microtubule network that is typical of curled root hairs, did not form in the mutants, and activated cortical cells did not become polarised and did not exhibit the microtubular cytoplasmic bridges characteristic of the pre-infection threads induced by rhizobia in M. truncatula. These data suggest that hcl mutations alter the formation of signalling centres that normally provide positional information for the reorganisation of the microtubular cytoskeleton in epidermal and cortical cells.

Context. Large field-of-view imaging and polarimetry instruments operating at millimetre and sub-millimetre wavelengths are fundamental tools to understand the role of magnetic fields in channelling filament material into prestellar cores, providing unique insight in the physics of galactic star-forming regions. Among other topics, at extra-galactic scales, polarisation observations of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) will allow us to constrain the possible physical conditions of the emitting plasma from the jets and/or explore the physics of dust inside supernova remnants. The kilo-pixel New IRAM KIDs Array 2 (NIKA2) camera, installed today at the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM) 30-m telescope, represents one of the best tools available to astronomers to produce simultaneous intensity and polarimetry maps over large fields at 260 GHz (1.15 mm). Aims. The polarisation measurement, in NIKA and NIKA2, is achieved by rapidly modulating the total incoming polarisation. In the end, this allows one to safely isolate the small science signal from the large, un-polarised, and strongly variable, atmospheric background. Methods. The polarisation modulation is achieved by inserting a fast rotating half-wave plate (HWP) in the optical beam. In order to allow wide field-of-view observations, the plate has to be large, with a diameter of 250 mm. The modulation of the polarised signal at 12 Hz also requires the waveplate to be sufficiently light. In addition, this key optical element has to exhibit optimal electromagnetic characteristics in terms of transmission and differential phase-shift. For this purpose, three metamaterial HWPs have been developed using the mesh-filter technology. The knowledge acquired in developing the first two single-band HWPs was used to achieve the more challenging performance requirements of the last dual-band HWP. The first and the third waveplates met the requirements for both the NIKA and NIKA2 instruments. Results. We first illustrate the design, the technical developments, the fabrication, and laboratory characterisation of the three mesh-HWPs. The deployment of two such elements in the NIKA and NIKA2 instruments at the 30-metre telescope is then described. We conclude with representative examples of astrophysical maps integrating polarimetry.