The landforms of northern Gale crater on Mars expose thick sequences of sedimentary rocks. Based on images obtained by the Curiosity rover, we interpret these outcrops as evidence for past fluvial, ...deltaic, and lacustrine environments. Degradation of the crater wall and rim probably supplied these sediments, which advanced inward from the wall, infilling both the crater and an internal lake basin to a thickness of at least 75 meters. This intracrater lake system probably existed intermittently for thousands to millions of years, implying a relatively wet climate that supplied moisture to the crater rim and transported sediment via streams into the lake basin. The deposits in Gale crater were then exhumed, probably by wind-driven erosion, creating Aeolis Mons (Mount Sharp).
Thin-film dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) based on mesoporous semiconductor electrodes are low-cost alternatives to conventional silicon devices. High-efficiency DSCs typically operate as ...photoanodes (n-DSCs), where photocurrents result from dye-sensitized electron injection into n-type semiconductors. Dye-sensitized photocathodes (p-DSCs) operate in an inverse mode, where dye-excitation is followed by rapid electron transfer from a p-type semiconductor to the dye (dye-sensitized hole injection). Such p-DSCs and n-DSCs can be combined to construct tandem solar cells (pn-DSCs) with a theoretical efficiency limitation well beyond that of single-junction DSCs (ref. 4). Nevertheless, the efficiencies of such tandem pn-DSCs have so far been hampered by the poor performance of the available p-DSCs (refs 3, 5-15). Here we show for the first time that p-DSCs can convert absorbed photons to electrons with yields of up to 96%, resulting in a sevenfold increase in energy conversion efficiency compared with previously reported photocathodes. The donor-acceptor dyes, studied as photocathodic sensitizers, comprise a variable-length oligothiophene bridge, which provides control over the spatial separation of the photogenerated charge carriers. As a result, charge recombination is decelerated by several orders of magnitude and tandem pn-DSCs can be constructed that exceed the efficiency of their individual components.
The carbon content of Earth and its core Fischer, Rebecca A.; Cottrell, Elizabeth; Hauri, Erik ...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS,
04/2020, Volume:
117, Issue:
16
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Earth’s core is likely the largest reservoir of carbon (C) in the planet, but its C abundance has been poorly constrained because measurements of carbon’s preference for core versus mantle materials ...at the pressures and temperatures of core formation are lacking. Using metal–silicate partitioning experiments in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell, we show that carbon becomes significantly less siderophile as pressures and temperatures increase to those expected in a deep magma ocean during formation of Earth’s core. Based on a multistage model of core formation, the core likely contains a maximum of 0.09(4) to 0.20(10) wt% C, making carbon a negligible contributor to the core’s composition and density. However, this accounts for ∼80 to 90% of Earth’s overall carbon inventory, which totals 370(150) to 740(370) ppm. The bulk Earth’s carbon/sulfur ratio is best explained by the delivery of most of Earth’s volatiles from carbonaceous chondrite-like precursors.
Abstract Quantum fluctuations in low-dimensional systems and near quantum phase transitions have significant influences on material properties. Yet, it is difficult to experimentally gauge the ...strength and importance of quantum fluctuations. Here we provide a resonant inelastic x-ray scattering study of magnon excitations in Mott insulating cuprates. From the thin film of SrCuO 2 , single- and bi-magnon dispersions are derived. Using an effective Heisenberg Hamiltonian generated from the Hubbard model, we show that the single-magnon dispersion is only described satisfactorily when including significant quantum corrections stemming from magnon-magnon interactions. Comparative results on La 2 CuO 4 indicate that quantum fluctuations are much stronger in SrCuO 2 suggesting closer proximity to a magnetic quantum critical point. Monte Carlo calculations reveal that other magnetic orders may compete with the antiferromagnetic Néel order as the ground state. Our results indicate that SrCuO 2 —due to strong quantum fluctuations—is a unique starting point for the exploration of novel magnetic ground states.
The Colorado Plateau and its surroundings serve as an archetypal case to investigate the interaction of mantle melting processes and lithospheric structure. It has been hypothesized that widespread ...Cenozoic volcanism indicates the encroachment of the convective upwelling of asthenosphere toward the Plateau center. In this study, we generate a Common Conversion Point (CCP) stack of S‐to‐p (Sp) receiver functions to image the locations of lithospheric discontinuities in the southwestern United States. Our results are broadly similar to prior work, showing a strong and continuous Negative Velocity Gradient (NVG) consistent with the Lithosphere‐Asthenosphere Boundary (LAB) over much of the study area. However, with several methodological improvements, we are able to obtain more reliable NVG depth picks below the Colorado Plateau where the LAB becomes weaker, deeper, and broader. We compare the inferred topography of NVGs with the locations of volcanoes, and find that the majority of recent volcanoes are co‐located with lithosphere that is ∼80 km thick. This appears to be the critical depth at which partial melt from upwelling asthenosphere pooling at the base of (or within) the lithosphere may percolate to the surface. We compare our CCP profiles with magma equilibration conditions determined from petrologic analysis and find good agreement between the depth of NVGs and depth of magma equilibration. This analysis provides insight into the progression of magmatism and lithospheric loss toward the center of the Colorado Plateau, and demonstrates how small‐scale processes like melting influence lithosphere‐asthenosphere interactions that persist over large temporal and spatial scales.
Plain Language Summary
We use seismic data to investigate lithospheric structure below the Colorado Plateau and the southwestern United States. The imaging technique we use is designed to locate sharp changes in seismic wavespeed, such as the boundary between the rigid lithosphere and the hot, lower‐viscosity asthenosphere below. We form a new model of depths inferred to be the location of this boundary, often called the Lithosphere‐Asthenosphere Boundary or LAB. Our model shows that the lithosphere is thicker in the center of the Colorado Plateau. The most recent volcanic rocks in this region, which represent locations where the asthenosphere contains partially molten rock, are found in areas with large velocity decreases near 80 km depth. Furthermore, we find agreement between our the depths of these sharp seismic velocity changes and the depths of large pockets of melt inferred from geochemical analysis. We therefore propose that 80 km depth has some fundamental importance in mantle melting below continents that leads to the formation of volcanoes. Our observations are consistent with a model for the evolution of the lithosphere below the Colorado Plateau in which rising partial melt helps thin the lithosphere, and promotes the continued migration of magma into the Plateau center.
Key Points
We perform Common Conversion Point (CCP) stacking of S‐to‐p receiver functions over the southwestern United States
The youngest magmatic ages correlate with lithospheric thicknesses of ∼80 km
Comparison of CCP peaks and magma equilibration depths indicates that depth Lithosphere‐Asthenosphere Boundary location and topography influence intraplate melt dynamics
This study probes the lithosphere‐asthenosphere system beneath 155 Ma Pacific seafloor using teleseismic S‐to‐p receiver functions at the Pacific Lithosphere Anisotropy and Thickness Experiment ...project ocean‐bottom‐seismometers. Within the lithosphere, a significant velocity decrease at 33–50 km depth is observed. This mid‐lithospheric discontinuity is consistent with the velocity contrast between the background mantle and thin, trapped layers of crystallized partial melt, in the form of either dolomite or garnet granulite. These melts possibly originated from deeper asthenospheric melting beneath the flanks of spreading centers, and were transported within the cooling lithosphere. A positive velocity increase of 3%–6% is observed at 130–155 km depth and is consistent with the base of a layer with partial melt in the asthenosphere. A shear velocity decrease associated with the lithosphere‐asthenosphere boundary at 95–115 km depth is permitted by the data, but is not required.
Plain Language Summary
Using seismic waves from distant earthquakes recorded by seismometers deployed on the seafloor, we investigated the seismic velocity structure beneath old Pacific seafloor. Within the lithosphere, we see a decrease in velocity at depths of roughly 40 km, which can be modeled as crystallized layers of partial melt that were emplaced in the lithosphere when it was young. The data indicate the presence of a velocity increase at depths of 130–155 km, and are consistent with (but do not require) a velocity decrease at depths of 95–115 km. These boundaries could mark the lower and upper boundaries of a layer in the asthenosphere that contains higher fractions of partially molten rock.
Key Points
Lithosphere and asthenosphere beneath 155 Ma western Pacific crust are measured by S‐to‐p receiver functions using the Pacific Lithosphere Anisotropy and Thickness Experiment ocean‐bottom seismometers data
A mid‐lithospheric discontinuity at ∼40 km depth is observed and can be explained by layers of crystallized partial melt
A partial melt‐bearing layer from 95 to 155 km depth is consistent with the receiver function observations
The Magnetospheric Multiscale Magnetometers Russell, C. T.; Anderson, B. J.; Baumjohann, W. ...
Space Science Reviews,
03/2016, Volume:
199, Issue:
1-4
Journal Article, Book Review
Peer reviewed
Open access
The success of the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission depends on the accurate measurement of the magnetic field on all four spacecraft. To ensure this success, two independently designed and built ...fluxgate magnetometers were developed, avoiding single-point failures. The magnetometers were dubbed the digital fluxgate (DFG), which uses an ASIC implementation and was supplied by the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the analogue magnetometer (AFG) with a more traditional circuit board design supplied by the University of California, Los Angeles. A stringent magnetic cleanliness program was executed under the supervision of the Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory. To achieve mission objectives, the calibration determined on the ground will be refined in space to ensure all eight magnetometers are precisely inter-calibrated. Near real-time data plays a key role in the transmission of high-resolution observations stored on board so rapid processing of the low-resolution data is required. This article describes these instruments, the magnetic cleanliness program, and the instrument pre-launch calibrations, the planned in-flight calibration program, and the information flow that provides the data on the rapid time scale needed for mission success.
Variants in the fat mass- and obesity-associated (FTO) gene are associated with obesity and body fat mass in genome-wide association studies. However, the mechanism by which FTO predisposes ...individuals to obesity is not clear so far. First mechanistic evidence was shown in Fto-negative mice. These mice are resistant to obesity due to enhanced energy expenditure, whereas the mass of brown adipose tissue remains unchanged. We hypothesize that FTO is involved in the induction of white adipose tissue browning, which leads to mitochondrial uncoupling and increases energy expenditure. Uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp-1) was significantly higher expressed in both gonadal and inguinal adipose depots of Fto−/− compared with Fto+/+ littermates accompanied by the appearance of multivacuolar, Ucp-1-positive adipocytes in these tissues. By using lentiviral short hairpin RNA constructs, we established FTO-deficient human preadipocytes and adipocytes and analyzed key metabolic processes. FTO-deficient adipocytes showed an adipogenic differentiation rate comparable with control cells but exhibited a reduced de novo lipogenesis despite unchanged glucose uptake. In agreement with the mouse data, FTO-deficient adipocytes exhibited 4-fold higher expression of UCP-1 in mitochondria compared with control cells. The up-regulation of UCP-1 in FTO-deficient adipocytes resulted in enhanced mitochondrial uncoupling. We conclude that FTO deficiency leads to the induction of a brown adipocyte phenotype, thereby enhancing energy expenditure. Further understanding of the signaling pathway connecting FTO with UCP-1 expression might lead to new options for obesity and overweight treatment.
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