Short pulse laser-induced dissociation of vibrationally cold, trapped molecular ions

An electrostatic trapping scheme for use in the study of light-induced dissociation of molecular ions is outlined. We present a detailed description of the electrostatic reflection storage device and specifically demonstrate its use in the preparation of a vibrationally cold ensemble of deuterium hydride (HD+) ions. By interacting an intense femtosecond laser with this target and detecting neutral fragmentation products, we are able to elucidate previously inaccessible dissociation dynamics for fundamental diatomics in intense laser fields. In this context, we present new results of intense field dissociation of HD+ which are interpreted in terms of recent theoretical calculations.

Cooling and changing seasonality in the Southern Alps, New Zealand during the Antarctic Cold Reversal

A comprehensively C-14 AMS dated pollen and chironomid record from Boundary Stream Tarn provides the first chironomid-derived temperature reconstruction to quantify temperature change during Lateglacial times (17,500-10,000 cal yr BP) in the Southern Alps, New Zealand. The records indicate a ca 1000-year disruption to the Lateglacial warming trend and an overall cooling consistent with the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR). The main interval of chironomid-inferred summer temperature depression (similar to 2-3 degrees C) lasted about 700 years during the ACR. Following this cooling event, both proxies indicate a warming step to temperatures slightly cooler than present during the Younger Dryas chronozone (12,900-11,500 cal yr BP). These results highlight a direct linkage between Antarctica and mid-latitude terrestrial climate systems and the largely asynchronous nature of the interhemispheric climate system during the last glacial transition. The greater magnitude of temperature changes shown by the chironomid record is attributed to the response of the proxies to differences in seasonal climate with chironomids reflecting summer temperature and vegetation more strongly controlled by duration of winter or by minimum temperatures. These differences imply stronger seasonality at times during the Lateglacial, which may explain some of the variability between other paleoclimate records from New Zealand and have wider implications for understanding differences between proxy records for abrupt climate change. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cold-Atom-Induced Control of an Optomechanical Device

We consider a cavity with a vibrating end mirror and coupled to a Bose-Einstein condensate. The cavity field mediates the interplay between mirror and collective oscillations of the atomic density. We study the implications of this dynamics and the possibility of an indirect diagnostic. Our predictions can be observed in a realistic setup that is central to the current quest for mesoscopic quantumness.