Leaf sizes in angiosperm trees vary by more than 3 orders of magnitude, from a few mm to over 1 m. This large morphological freedom is, however, only expressed in small trees, and the observed leaf size range declines with tree height, forming well-defined upper and lower boundaries. The vascular system of tall trees that distributes the products of photosynthesis connects distal parts of the plant and forms one of the largest known continuous microfluidic distribution networks. In biological systems, intrinsic properties of vascular systems are known to constrain the morphological freedom of the organism. We show that the limits to leaf size can be understood by physical constraints imposed by intrinsic properties of the carbohydrate transport network. The lower boundary is set by a minimum energy flux, and the upper boundary is set by a diminishing gain in transport efficiency.

The MuCap experiment at the Paul Scherrer Institute has measured the rate ${\Lambda }_S$ of muon capture from the singlet state of the muonic hydrogen atom to a precision of 1%. A muon beam was stopped in a time projection chamber filled with 10-bar, ultrapure hydrogen gas. Cylindrical wire chambers and a segmented scintillator barrel detected electrons from muon decay. ${\Lambda }_S$ is determined from the difference between the ${\mu }^{-}$ disappearance rate in hydrogen and the free muon decay rate. The result is based on the analysis of $1.2\times {10}^{10}$ ${\mu }^{-}$ decays, from which we extract the capture rate ${\Lambda }_S=(714.9\pm {5.4}_{\mathrm{stat}}\pm {5.1}_{\mathrm{syst}}){\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ and derive the proton’s pseudoscalar coupling $g_P(q_0^2=-0.88m_{\mu }^2)=8.06\pm 0.55$.

We investigate the role of gravity on convection in a dense granular shear flow. Using a microgravity-modified Taylor-Couette shear cell under the conditions of parabolic flight microgravity, we demonstrate experimentally that secondary, convective-like flows in a sheared granular material are close to zero in microgravity and enhanced under high-gravity conditions, though the primary flow fields are unaffected by gravity. We suggest that gravity tunes the frictional particle-particle and particle-wall interactions, which have been proposed to drive the secondary flow. In addition, the degree of plastic deformation increases with increasing gravitational forces, supporting the notion that friction is the ultimate cause.

We present a higher dimensional model where gravity is bound to a brane due to Anderson localization. The extra dimensions are taken to be a disordered crystal of branes, with randomly distributed tensions of order the fundamental scale. Such geometries bind the graviton and thus allow for arbitrarily large extra dimensions even when the curvature is small. Thus this model is quite distinct from that of Randall and Sundrum where localization is a consequence of curvature effects in the bulk. The hierarchy problem can be solved by having the standard model brane live a distance away from the brane on which the graviton is localized. The statistical properties of the system are worked out and it is shown that the scenario leads to a continuum of four dimensional theories with differing strengths of gravitational interactions. We live on one particular brane whose gravitational constant is $G_N$.

We consider all possible dynamical theories which evolve two transverse vector fields out of a three-dimensional Euclidean hyperplane, subject to only two assumptions: (i) the evolution is local in space, and (ii) the theory is invariant under “duality rotations” of the vector fields into one another. The commutators of the Hamiltonian and momentum densities are shown to be necessarily those of the Poincaré group or its zero signature contraction. Space-time structure thus emerges out of the principle of duality.

We fabricate and characterize a metal-dielectric nanostructure with an effective refractive index $n=0$ in the visible spectral range. Light is excited in the material at deep subwavelength resolution by a 30-keV electron beam. From the measured spatially and angle-resolved emission patterns, a vanishing phase advance, corresponding to an effective $ϵ=0$ and $n=0$, is directly observed at the cutoff frequency. The wavelength at which this condition is observed can be tuned over the entire visible or near-infrared spectral range by varying the waveguide width. This $n=0$ plasmonic nanostructure may serve as a new building block in nanoscale optical integrated circuits and to control spontaneous emission as experimentally demonstrated by the strongly enhanced radiative optical density of states over the entire $n=0$ structure.

We predict that the near-field radiative heat-transfer rate between a cylinder and a perforated surface depends nonmonotonically on their separation. This anomalous behavior, which arises due to evanescent-wave effects, is explained using a heuristic model based on the interaction of a dipole with a plate. We show that nonmonotonicity depends not only on geometry and temperature but also on material dispersion—for micron and submicron objects, nonmonotonicity is present in polar dielectrics but absent in metals with small skin depths.

Using electron bunches generated by laser wakefield acceleration as a probe, the temporal evolution of magnetic fields generated by a $4\times {10}^{19}\mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{cm}}^2$ ultrashort (30 fs) laser pulse focused on solid density targets is studied experimentally. Magnetic field strengths of order $B_0\sim {10}^4\mathrm{T}$ are observed expanding at close to the speed of light from the interaction point of a high-contrast laser pulse with a $10\mathrm{\text{−}}\mu \mathrm{m}$-thick aluminum foil to a maximum diameter of $\sim 1\mathrm{mm}$. The field dynamics are shown to agree with particle-in-cell simulations.

Based on transformation optics, we introduce a magnetic shell with which one can harvest magnetic energy and distribute it as desired in space with unprecedented efficiency at an arbitrary scale. It allows a very large concentration of magnetic energy in a free space region, which can be used for increasing the sensitivity of magnetic sensors, and the transfer of magnetic energy from a source to a given distant point separated by empty space, with possible applications in wireless transmission of energy.

A classical logic gate connecting input and output light pulses is demonstrated. The gate operation is based on three steps: First, two incoming light pulses are stored in a Bose-Einstein condensate; second, atomic four-wave mixing generates a new matter wave; and third, the light pulses are retrieved. In the presence of the new matter wave, the retrieval generates a new optical wave. The latter will only be generated if both input light pulses are applied, thus realizing an AND gate. Finally, we show that the gate operation is phase coherent, an essential prerequisite for a quantum logic gate.

From unicellular ciliates to the respiratory epithelium, carpets of cilia display metachronal waves, long-wavelength phase modulations of the beating cycles, which theory suggests may arise from hydrodynamic coupling. Experiments have been limited by a lack of organisms suitable for systematic study of flagella and the flows they create. Using time-resolved particle image velocimetry, we report the discovery of metachronal waves on the surface of the colonial alga Volvox carteri, whose large size and ease of visualization make it an ideal model organism for these studies. An elastohydrodynamic model of weakly coupled compliant oscillators, recast as interacting phase oscillators, reveals that orbit compliance can produce fast, robust synchronization in a manner essentially independent of boundary conditions, and offers an intuitive understanding of a possible mechanism leading to the emergence of metachronal waves.

Pressure exerted by crystallization of salts within porous materials contributes to damage in historic and modern construction. By unequivocally identifying the precipitating phase(s) while simultaneously determining solution supersaturation and associated crystallization pressure in subsurface pores, we show that the formation of a thermodynamically metastable salt phase (heptahydrate; ${\mathrm{Na}}_2{\mathrm{SO}}_4·7{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}$) and the resulting transition to a less soluble stable phase (mirabilite; ${\mathrm{Na}}_2{\mathrm{SO}}_4·10{\mathrm{H}}_2\mathrm{O}$) is largely responsible for the high supersaturation and crystallization pressure developed during evaporative crystallization of sodium sulfate, the most damaging salt known. These results help to explain why salts with various (stable and metastable) hydrated phases are the most damaging. We also show that damage associated with metastable-stable phase transitions can be suppressed by the use of crystallization promoters. These results open new ways for the prevention of salt damage to building materials.

I present lattice Monte Carlo calculations for a universal four-component Fermi gas confined to a finite box and to a harmonic trap in one spatial dimension. I obtain the values ${\xi }_{1D}=0.370(4)$ and ${\xi }_{1D}=0.372(1)$, respectively, for the Bertsch parameter, a nonperturbative universal constant defined as the (square of the) energy of the untrapped (trapped) system measured in units of the free gas energy. The Bertsch parameter obtained for the one-dimensional system is consistent to within $\sim 1\%$ uncertainties with the most recent numerical and experimental estimates of the analogous Bertsch parameter for a three-dimensional spin-$1/2$ Fermi gas at unitarity. The finding suggests the intriguing possibility that there exists a universality between two conformal theories in different dimensions. To lend support to this study, I also compute ground state energies for four and five fermions confined to a harmonic trap and demonstrate the restoration of a virial theorem in the continuum limit. The continuum few-body energies obtained are consistent with exact analytical calculations to within $\sim 1.0\%$ and $\sim 0.3\%$ statistical uncertainties, respectively.

If the neutral component of weak-scale dark matter is accompanied by a charged excitation separated by a mass gap of less than $\sim 20\mathrm{MeV}$, weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) can form stable bound states with nuclei. We show that the recent progress in experiments searching for neutrinoless double-beta decay sets the first direct constraint on the exoergic reaction of WIMP-nucleus bound state formation. We calculate the rate for such a process in representative models and show that the double-beta decay experiments provide unique sensitivity to a large fraction of parameter space of the WIMP doublet model, complementary to constraints imposed by cosmology and direct collider searches.

In this Letter we report the first results on ${\pi }^{\pm }$, $K^{\pm }$, $p$, and $\overline{p}$ production at midrapidity ($|y|<0.5$) in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=2.76\mathrm{TeV}$, measured by the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The $p_{\mathrm{T}}$ distributions and yields are compared to previous results at $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=200\mathrm{GeV}$ and expectations from hydrodynamic and thermal models. The spectral shapes indicate a strong increase of the radial flow velocity with $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}$, which in hydrodynamic models is expected as a consequence of the increasing particle density. While the $K/\pi$ ratio is in line with predictions from the thermal model, the $p/\pi$ ratio is found to be lower by a factor of about 1.5. This deviation from thermal model expectations is still to be understood.

Since the standard inflationary paradigm is based on quantum field theory on classical space-times, it excludes the Planck era. Using techniques from loop quantum gravity, the paradigm is extended to a self-consistent theory from the Planck scale to the onset of slow roll inflation, covering some 11 orders of magnitude in energy density and curvature. This preinflationary dynamics also opens a small window for novel effects, e.g., a source for non-Gaussianities, which could extend the reach of cosmological observations to the deep Planck regime of the early Universe.

The excited state of the ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}$ nucleus known as the “Hoyle state” constitutes one of the most interesting, difficult, and timely challenges in nuclear physics, as it plays a key role in the production of carbon via fusion of three alpha particles in red giant stars. In this Letter, we present ab initio lattice calculations which unravel the structure of the Hoyle state, along with evidence for a low-lying spin-2 rotational excitation. For the ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}$ ground state and the first excited spin-2 state, we find a compact triangular configuration of alpha clusters. For the Hoyle state and the second excited spin-2 state, we find a “bent-arm” or obtuse triangular configuration of alpha clusters. We also calculate the electromagnetic transition rates between the low-lying states of ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}$.

Turbulence is a ubiquitous phenomenon in space and astrophysical plasmas, driving a cascade of energy from large to small scales and strongly influencing the plasma heating resulting from the dissipation of the turbulence. Modern theories of plasma turbulence are based on the fundamental concept that the turbulent cascade of energy is caused by the nonlinear interaction between counterpropagating Alfvén waves, yet this interaction has never been observationally or experimentally verified. We present here the first experimental measurement in a laboratory plasma of the nonlinear interaction between counterpropagating Alfvén waves, the fundamental building block of astrophysical plasma turbulence. This measurement establishes a firm basis for the application of theoretical ideas developed in idealized models to turbulence in realistic space and astrophysical plasma systems.

Although geometrical frustration transcends scale, it has primarily been evoked in the micro- and mesoscopic realm to characterize such phases as spin ice, liquids, and glasses and to explain the behavior of such materials as multiferroics, high-temperature superconductors, colloids, and copolymers. Here we introduce a system of macroscopic ferromagnetic rotors arranged in a planar lattice capable of out-of-plane movement that exhibit the characteristic honeycomb spin ice rules studied and seen so far only in its mesoscopic manifestation. We find that a polarized initial state of this system settles into the honeycomb spin ice phase with relaxation on multiple time scales. We explain this relaxation process using a minimal classical mechanical model that includes Coulombic interactions between magnetic charges located at the ends of the magnets and viscous dissipation at the hinges. Our study shows how macroscopic frustration arises in a purely classical setting that is amenable to experiment, easy manipulation, theory, and computation, and shows phenomena that are not visible in their microscopic counterparts.

Pulsar glitches are traditionally viewed as a manifestation of vortex dynamics associated with a neutron superfluid reservoir confined to the inner crust of the star. In this Letter we show that the nondissipative entrainment coupling between the neutron superfluid and the nuclear lattice leads to a less mobile crust superfluid, effectively reducing the moment of inertia associated with the angular momentum reservoir. Combining the latest observational data for prolific glitching pulsars with theoretical results for the crust entrainment, we find that the required superfluid reservoir exceeds that available in the crust. This challenges our understanding of the glitch phenomenon, and we discuss possible resolutions to the problem.