Challenges in imaging and predictive modeling of rhizosphere processes

Background Plant-soil interaction is central to human food production and ecosystem function. Thus, it is essential to not only understand, but also to develop predictive mathematical models which can be used to assess how climate and soil management practices will affect these interactions. Scope In this paper we review the current developments in structural and chemical imaging of rhizosphere processes within the context of multiscale mathematical image based modeling. We outline areas that need more research and areas which would benefit from more detailed understanding. Conclusions We conclude that the combination of structural and chemical imaging with modeling is an incredibly powerful tool which is fundamental for understanding how plant roots interact with soil. We emphasize the need for more researchers to be attracted to this area that is so fertile for future discoveries. Finally, model building must go hand in hand with experiments. In particular, there is a real need to integrate rhizosphere structural and chemical imaging with modeling for better understanding of the rhizosphere processes leading to models which explicitly account for pore scale processes

Long-Range Plasmon Assisted Energy Transfer Between Fluorescent Emitters

We demonstrate plasmon assisted energy transfer between fluorophores located at distances up to $7 \, \mu$m on the top of a thin silver film. Thanks to the strong confinement and large propagation length of surface plasmon polaritons, the range of the energy transfer is almost two orders of magnitude larger than the values reported in the literature so far. The parameters driving the energy transfer range are thoroughly characterized and are in very good agreement with theoretically expected values.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter

Calibration of the ATLAS electromagnetic calorimeter using calibration hits

In the present note a method to determine the electron energy from the energies measured in an electron cluster is discussed. The method is based on a detailed Monte-Carlo simulation (labeled \textit{Calibration Hits}) of electrons in the ATLAS detector in which also the energies deposited in the passive and dead materials are recorded. It allows also to compute the different contributions (energy deposited in front, in and behind the Accordion) to the total electron energy. To better understand the various contributions to the energy reconstruction three rounds of simulations have been performed: electrons hitting the middle cell centre, electrons spread uniformly over a cell in absence of magnetic field and electrons spread uniformly over a cell in presence of magnetic field. The method is applied to the Barrel calorimeter and to electrons. Its extension to the End Caps and to photons does not pose problems. In the operative ATLAS conditions an energy resolution sampling term varying from 9.9$\%$ at $\eta$=0.3 and 16.8$\%$ at $\eta$=1.2 is obtained. The linearity varies between 0.1$\%$ and 0.4$\%$ in the energy interval 10-100GeV over the same $\eta$ range

Charged particle directed flow in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 2.76 TeV measured with ALICE at the LHC

Charged particle directed flow at midrapidity, |eta|<0.8, and forward rapidity, 1.7 < |eta|<5.1, is measured in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 2.76 TeV with ALICE at the LHC. Directed flow is reported as a function of collision centrality, charged particle transverse momentum, and pseudo-rapidity. Results are compared to measurements at RHIC and recent model calculations for LHC energies.Comment: Talk given at the XXII International Conference on Ultrarelativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions (Quark Matter 2011), 23-28 May 2011, Annecy, France; 4 pages, 3 figure

Cross sections for geodesic flows and \alpha-continued fractions

We adjust Arnoux's coding, in terms of regular continued fractions, of the geodesic flow on the modular surface to give a cross section on which the return map is a double cover of the natural extension for the \alpha-continued fractions, for each $\alpha$ in (0,1]. The argument is sufficiently robust to apply to the Rosen continued fractions and their recently introduced \alpha-variants.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figure

On the General Analytical Solution of the Kinematic Cosserat Equations

Based on a Lie symmetry analysis, we construct a closed form solution to the kinematic part of the (partial differential) Cosserat equations describing the mechanical behavior of elastic rods. The solution depends on two arbitrary analytical vector functions and is analytical everywhere except a certain domain of the independent variables in which one of the arbitrary vector functions satisfies a simple explicitly given algebraic relation. As our main theoretical result, in addition to the construction of the solution, we proof its generality. Based on this observation, a hybrid semi-analytical solver for highly viscous two-way coupled fluid-rod problems is developed which allows for the interactive high-fidelity simulations of flagellated microswimmers as a result of a substantial reduction of the numerical stiffness.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure

The Virtual Monte Carlo

The concept of Virtual Monte Carlo (VMC) has been developed by the ALICE Software Project to allow different Monte Carlo simulation programs to run without changing the user code, such as the geometry definition, the detector response simulation or input and output formats. Recently, the VMC classes have been integrated into the ROOT framework, and the other relevant packages have been separated from the AliRoot framework and can be used individually by any other HEP project. The general concept of the VMC and its set of base classes provided in ROOT will be presented. Existing implementations for Geant3, Geant4 and FLUKA and simple examples of usage will be described.Comment: Talk from the 2003 Computing in High Energy and Nuclear Physics (CHEP03), La Jolla, Ca, USA, March 2003, 8 pages, LaTeX, 6 eps figures. PSN THJT006. See http://root.cern.ch/root/vmc/VirtualMC.htm

Thermal radiation and near-field energy density of thin metallic films

We study the properties of thermal radiation emitted by a thin dielectric slab, employing the framework of macroscopic fluctuational electrodynamics. Particular emphasis is given to the analytical construction of the required dyadic Green's functions. Based on these, general expressions are derived for both the system's Poynting vector, describing the intensity of propagating radiation, and its energy density, containing contributions from non-propagating modes which dominate the near-field regime. An extensive discussion is then given for thin metal films. It is shown that the radiative intensity is maximized for a certain film thickness, due to Fabry-Perot-like multiple reflections inside the film. The dependence of the near-field energy density on the distance from the film's surface is governed by an interplay of several length scales, and characterized by different exponents in different regimes. In particular, this energy density remains finite even for arbitrarily thin films. This unexpected feature is associated with the film's low-frequency surface plasmon polariton. Our results also serve as reference for current near-field experiments which search for deviations from the macroscopic approach

On the density of states and extinction mean free path of waves in random media: Dispersion relations and sum rules

We establish a fundamental relationship between the averaged density of states and the extinction mean free path of wave propagating in random media. From the principle of causality and the Kramers-Kronig relations, we show that both quantities are connected by dispersion relations and are constrained by a frequency sum rule. The results are valid under very general conditions and should be helpful in the analysis of measurements of wave transport through complex systems and in the design of randomly or periodically structured materials with specific transport properties.Comment: 2 (double) figures, 8 page