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EPJ B – A step up in the game of electron-ion dynamics simulations

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Published on 10 November 2010

A Colloquium paper by McEniry et al. published in EPJ B surveys the theory and applications of a new family of computational methods, namely Correlated Electron-Ion Dynamics, which enable the simultaneous evaluation of the electronic current, along with the current-induced forces and subsequent motion of the nuclei.

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EPJ H - Foundations of Quantum Statistical Physics Revisited

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Published on 01 November 2010

There is a divide, in quantum statistical physics, between the "ensemblists" who regard thermal equilibrium as a property of an ensemble (or a mixed state) and the "individualists" who regard thermal equilibrium as a property of an individual system (in a pure state). A long forgotten concept of equilibrium put forward by John von Neumann in 1929 is reanalyzed and shown to be influenced by both approaches, yet to be mainly based on the individualist view - a view that has gained ground recently.

EPJ D - Ions that love DNA to bits

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Published on 22 October 2010

Low energy carbon ions have been directed to small DNA strand. The results provide new information of the mechanisms of DNA damage during ion beam therapy, also called hadron therapy.

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Daan Frenkel wins Soft Matter and Biological Physics Award

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Published on 20 October 2010

Professor Daan Frenkel (Cambridge University), Editor in Chief of EPJ E is the 2010 recipient of the Soft Matter and Biological Physics award for his contributions to the development and application of computational methods that have transformed our understanding of soft and biomolecular materials.

The Royal Society of Chemistry established this award in 2008. The award will be officially presented to Daan Frenkel in spring 2011. The publishers and the EPJ E journal team congratulate Daan Frenkel on this prestigious achievement.

Discounted Open Access fee for Physical Society members

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Published on 18 October 2010

Members of the European Physical Societies represented in the EPJ Scientific Advisory Committee who choose to publish their EPJ paper in open access enjoy a 10% discount on the open access fee. For detailed information on how open access works in EPJ please click here.

EPJ D – Measurements in the hot spot of a plasma

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Published on 12 October 2010

A group of researchers in Greifswald, Germany, measured the electron concentration and electron temperature in the active discharge zone of a self-organized plasma jet. Self-organized discharge patterns are shown as time averaged top view in the picture.

Miniaturized non-thermal plasma jets are an emerging technique for surface treatments at ambient pressure, such as cleaning, activation, etching, films deposition and more.

The authors of this EPJ D paper used two independent approaches: spectroscopy and a two-dimensional fluid model calculation of a discharge filament. The results from the two methods are consistent and indicate electron concentrations between 2.2 and 3.3×1014 cm-3. This work represents a first step towards a thorough physical description of the discharge dynamics and energy transport to gain a better understanding of self-organization effects in non thermal plasma jets.

EPJ B – Longitudinal polarization analysis, SANS souci

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Published on 01 October 2010

Ground breaking experiments in EPJ B by D. Honecker and colleagues on an FeCr two-phase nanocrystalline alloy demonstrate the power of one-dimensional neutron-spin analysis in a small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiment.

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EPJ D – Phase equations describe birdsongs

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Published on 20 September 2010

The air sac pressure patterns used by domestic canaries during song were analyzed by a group of Argentinean statistical physicists in terms of phase equations.

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Geysers of Helium burst as if liquid

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Published on 14 September 2010

New experiments on the flow of solid He through a microscopic hole reveal a mechanism that triggers the geysers based on the breakdown of a plug located upstream of the source chamber.

The vacuum expansion of solid helium through a micrometric orifice was suggested as a mean to inject excess vacancies into the solid bulk [R. Grisenti et al, J. Electr. Spectr. 129 (2003) 201]. But while the He flow seems smooth, unexpected periodic bursts out of the orifice (geyser effect) are observed during these vacuum expansion experiments.

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EPJ D - New call for papers on cold quantum matter

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Published on 01 September 2010

The topics of this special issue will include: Quantum simulation using cold atoms in optical lattices; fermionic mixtures of ultracold atoms; collisions of cold polar molecules; controlled interactions in quantum gases of metastable atoms; cavity-mediated molecular cooling; quantum-degenerate dipolar gases of bialkali molecules.

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