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K J Gaffney

Publications and source records attributed to K J Gaffney.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Observation of structural anisotropy and the onset of liquidlike motion during the nonthermal melting of InSb.

The melting dynamics of laser excited InSb have been studied with femtosecond x-ray diffraction. These measurements observe the delayed onset of diffusive atomic motion, signaling the appearance of liquidlike dynamics. They also demonstrate that the root-mean-squared displacement in the [111] direction increases faster than in the [110] direction after the first 500 fs. This structural anisotropy indicates that the initially generated fluid differs significantly from the equilibrium liquid.

Journal Article↗

Atomic-scale visualization of inertial dynamics.

The motion of atoms on interatomic potential energy surfaces is fundamental to the dynamics of liquids and solids. An accelerator-based source of femtosecond x-ray pulses allowed us to follow directly atomic displacements on an optically modified energy landscape, leading eventually to the transition from crystalline solid to disordered liquid. We show that, to first order in time, the dynamics are inertial, and we place constraints on the shape and curvature of the transition-state potential energy surface. Our measurements point toward analogies between this nonequilibrium phase transition and the short-time dynamics intrinsic to equilibrium liquids.

Journal Article↗

Clocking femtosecond X rays.

Linear-accelerator-based sources will revolutionize ultrafast x-ray science due to their unprecedented brightness and short pulse duration. However, time-resolved studies at the resolution of the x-ray pulse duration are hampered by the inability to precisely synchronize an external laser to the accelerator. At the Sub-Picosecond Pulse Source at the Stanford Linear-Accelerator Center we solved this problem by measuring the arrival time of each high energy electron bunch with electro-optic sampling. This measurement indirectly determined the arrival time of each x-ray pulse relative to an external pump laser pulse with a time resolution of better than 60 fs rms.

Journal Article↗

Hydrogen bond dynamics probed with ultrafast infrared heterodyne-detected multidimensional vibrational stimulated echoes.

Hydrogen bond dynamics are explicated with exceptional detail using multidimensional infrared vibrational echo correlation spectroscopy with full phase information. Probing the hydroxyl stretch of methanol-OD oligomers in CCl4, the dynamics of the evolving hydrogen bonded network are measured with ultrashort (<50 fs) pulses. The data along with detailed model calculations demonstrate that vibrational relaxation leads to selective hydrogen bond breaking on the red side of the spectrum (strongest hydrogen bonds) and the production of singly hydrogen bonded photoproducts.

Deuterium↗

Electron solvation in two dimensions.

Ultrafast two-photon photoemission has been used to study electron solvation at two-dimensional metal/polar-adsorbate interfaces. The molecular motion that causes the excess electron solvation is manifested as a dynamic shift in the electronic energy. Although the initially excited electron is delocalized in the plane of the interface, interactions with the adsorbate can lead to its localization. A method for determining the spatial extent of the localized electron in the plane of the interface has been developed. This spatial extent was measured to be on the order of a single adsorbate molecule.

Journal Article↗

Differential up-regulation of H-2D versus H-2K class I major histocompatibility expression by interferon-gamma: evidence against a trans-acting allele-specific factor.

Previous investigation described a unique differential phenotype for the murine T-cell tumor AKR SL3 with regard to augmentation of class I major histocompatibility complex antigen expression by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). Dk expression was increased by IFN-gamma as expected, but Kk expression remained at constitutive levels, despite treatment with a range of doses and times of exposure to IFN-gamma. Analysis of somatic cell hybrids obtained by fusion of AKR SL3 with an H-2Kb and Db IFN-gamma augmentable partner tumor argued against the involvement of locus-specific, trans-acting factors as the basis for the nonaugmentable nature of the Kk gene in AKR SL3. Here, we provide evidence against the remaining possibility of an allele-specific, negative-acting factor in AKR SL3. Hybrids were constructed between drug-marked sublines of AKR SL3 and the R1.G1 T-cell tumor which carries IFN-gamma augmentable Kk and Dk genes. The uniform ability of IFN-gamma to cause substantial increases in the expression of Kk in hybrid populations and a large number of hybrid clones from three separate fusions indicated that a trans-acting, negative factor was not present in AKR SL3. Rather, these data coupled with Northern analysis were consistent with cis alterations operating at the level of transcription as the basis for Kk nonaugmentation. These results are discussed with regard to the further study of AKR SL3 to better understand IFN-gamma regulation of class I MHC expression.

Alleles↗