53 research outputs found
Convergence and functional evolution of longirostry in crocodylomorphs
During the Mesozoic, Crocodylomorpha had a much higher taxonomic and morphological diversity than today. Members of one particularly successful clade, Thalattosuchia, are wellâknown for being longirostrine: having long, slender snouts. It has generally been assumed that Thalattosuchia owed their success in part to the evolution of longirostry, leading to a feeding ecology similar to that of the living Indian gharial, Gavialis. Here, we compare form and function of the skulls of the thalattosuchian Pelagosaurus and Gavialis using digital reconstructions of the skull musculoskeletal anatomy and finite element models to show that they had different jaw muscle arrangements and biomechanical behaviour. Additionally, the relevance of feedingârelated mandibular traits linked to longirostry in the radiation of crocodylomorph clades was investigated by conducting an evolutionary rates analysis under the variable rates model. We find that, even though Pelagosaurus and Gavialis share similar patterns of stress distribution in their skulls, the former had lower mechanical resistance. This suggests that compared to Gavialis, Pelagosaurus was unable to process large, mechanically less tractable prey, instead operating as a specialized piscivore that fed on softer and smaller prey. Secondly, innovation of feeding strategies was achieved by rate acceleration of functional characters of the mandible, a key mechanism for the diversification of certain clades like thalattosuchians and eusuchians. Different rates of functional evolution suggest divergent diversification dynamics between teleosaurids and metriorhynchids in the Jurassic
Surface acoustic wave attenuation by a two-dimensional electron gas in a strong magnetic field
The propagation of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) on GaAs/AlGaAs
heterostructures is studied in the case where the two-dimensional electron gas
(2DEG) is subject to a strong magnetic field and a smooth random potential with
correlation length Lambda and amplitude Delta. The electron wave functions are
described in a quasiclassical picture using results of percolation theory for
two-dimensional systems. In accordance with the experimental situation, Lambda
is assumed to be much smaller than the sound wavelength 2*pi/q. This restricts
the absorption of surface phonons at a filling factor \bar{\nu} approx 1/2 to
electrons occupying extended trajectories of fractal structure. Both
piezoelectric and deformation potential interactions of surface acoustic
phonons with electrons are considered and the corresponding interaction
vertices are derived. These vertices are found to differ from those valid for
three-dimensional bulk phonon systems with respect to the phonon wave vector
dependence. We derive the appropriate dielectric function varepsilon(omega,q)
to describe the effect of screening on the electron-phonon coupling. In the low
temperature, high frequency regime T << Delta (omega_q*Lambda
/v_D)^{alpha/2/nu}, where omega_q is the SAW frequency and v_D is the electron
drift velocity, both the attenuation coefficient Gamma and varepsilon(omega,q)
are independent of temperature. The classical percolation indices give
alpha/2/nu=3/7. The width of the region where a strong absorption of the SAW
occurs is found to be given by the scaling law |Delta \bar{\nu}| approx
(omega_q*Lambda/v_D)^{alpha/2/nu}. The dependence of the electron-phonon
coupling and the screening due to the 2DEG on the filling factor leads to a
double-peak structure for Gamma(\bar{\nu}).Comment: 17 pages, 3 Postscript figures, minor changes mad
Thermohydrodynamics in Quantum Hall Systems
A theory of thermohydrodynamics in two-dimensional electron systems in
quantizing magnetic fields is developed including a nonlinear transport regime.
Spatio-temporal variations of the electron temperature and the chemical
potential in the local equilibrium are described by the equations of
conservation with the number and thermal-energy flux densities. A model of
these flux densities due to hopping and drift processes is introduced for a
random potential varying slowly compared to both the magnetic length and the
phase coherence length. The flux measured in the standard transport experiment
is derived and is used to define a transport component of the flux density. The
equations of conservation can be written in terms of the transport component
only. As an illustration, the theory is applied to the Ettingshausen effect, in
which a one-dimensional spatial variation of the electron temperature is
produced perpendicular to the current.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figur
Scaling Theory of the Integer Quantum Hall Effect
The scaling theory of the transitions between plateaus of the Hall
conductivity in the integer Quantum Hall effect is reviewed. In the model of
two-dimensional noninteracting electrons in strong magnetic fields the
transitions are disorder-induced localization-delocalization transitions. While
experimental and analytical approaches are surveyed, the main emphasis is on
numerical studies, which successfully describe the experiments. The theoretical
models for disordered systems are described in detail. An overview of the
finite-size scaling theory and its relation to Anderson localization is given.
The field-theoretical approach to the localization problem is outlined.
Numerical methods for the calculation of scaling quantities, in particular the
localization length, are detailed. The properties of local observables at the
localization-delocalization transition are discussed in terms of multifractal
measures. Finally, the results of extensive numerical investigations are
compared with experimental findings.Comment: 96 pages, REVTeX 3, 28 figures, Figs. 8-24, 26-28 appended as
uuencoded compressed tarred PostScript files. Submitted to Rev. Mod. Phys
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