924 research outputs found
Electron-muon correlation as a new probe to strongly interacting quark-gluon plasma
As a new and clean probe to the strongly interacting quark-gluon plasma
(sQGP), we propose an azimuthal correlation of an electron and a muon which
originate from the semileptonic decay of charm and bottom quarks. By solving
the Langevin equation for the heavy quarks under the hydrodynamic evolution of
the hot plasma, we show that substantial quenching of the away-side peak in the
electron-muon correlation can be seen if the sQGP drag force acting on heavy
quarks is large enough as suggested from the gauge/gravity correspondence. The
effect could be detected in high-energy heavy-ion collisions at the
Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the Large Hadron Collider.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Can transport peak explain the low-mass enhancement of dileptons at RHIC?
We propose a novel relation between the low-mass enhancement of dielectrons
observed at PHENIX and transport coefficients of QGP such as the charge
diffusion constant and the relaxation time . We parameterize
the transport peak in the spectral function using the second-order relativistic
dissipative hydrodynamics by Israel and Stewart. Combining the spectral
function and the full (3+1)-dimensional hydrodynamical evolution with the
lattice EoS, theoretical dielectron spectra and the experimental data are
compared. Detailed analysis suggests that the low-mass dilepton enhancement
originates mainly from the high-temperature QGP phase where there is a large
electric charge fluctuation as obtained from lattice QCD simulations.Comment: To appear in the conference proceedings for Quark Matter 2011, May 23
- May 28, Annecy, Franc
Optimising the multiplex factor of the frequency domain multiplexed readout of the TES-based microcalorimeter imaging array for the X-IFU instrument on the Athena Xray observatory
Athena is a space-based X-ray observatory intended for exploration of the hot
and energetic universe. One of the science instruments on Athena will be the
X-ray Integrated Field Unit (X-IFU), which is a cryogenic X-ray spectrometer,
based on a large cryogenic imaging array of Transition Edge Sensors (TES) based
microcalorimeters operating at a temperature of 100mK. The imaging array
consists of 3800 pixels providing 2.5 eV spectral resolution, and covers a
field of view with a diameter of of 5 arc minutes. Multiplexed readout of the
cryogenic microcalorimeter array is essential to comply with the cooling power
and complexity constraints on a space craft. Frequency domain multiplexing has
been under development for the readout of TES-based detectors for this purpose,
not only for the X-IFU detector arrays but also for TES-based bolometer arrays
for the Safari instrument of the Japanese SPICA observatory. This paper
discusses the design considerations which are applicable to optimise the
multiplex factor within the boundary conditions as set by the space craft. More
specifically, the interplay between the science requirements such as pixel
dynamic range, pixel speed, and cross talk, and the space craft requirements
such as the power dissipation budget, available bandwidth, and electromagnetic
compatibility will be discussed
Pattern Stability and Trijunction Motion in Eutectic Solidification
We demonstrate by both experiments and phase-field simulations that lamellar
eutectic growth can be stable for a wide range of spacings below the point of
minimum undercooling at low velocity, contrary to what is predicted by existing
stability analyses. This overstabilization can be explained by relaxing Cahn's
assumption that lamellae grow locally normal to the eutectic interface.Comment: 4 pages, 5 eps figure
Quasiperiodic Tip Splitting in Directional Solidification
We report experimental results on the tip splitting dynamics of seaweed
growth in directional solidification of succinonitrile alloys with
poly(ethylene oxide) or acetone as solutes. The seaweed or dense branching
morphology was selected by solidifying grains which are oriented close to the
{111} plane. Despite the random appearance of the growth, a quasiperiodic tip
splitting morphology was observed in which the tip alternately splits to the
left and to the right. The tip splitting frequency f was found to be related to
the growth velocity V as a power law f V^{1.5}. This finding
is consistent with the predictions of a tip splitting model that is also
presented. Small anisotropies are shown to lead to different kinds of seaweed
morphologies.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter
Eutectic colony formation: A phase field study
Eutectic two-phase cells, also known as eutectic colonies, are commonly
observed during the solidification of ternary alloys when the composition is
close to a binary eutectic valley. In analogy with the solidification cells
formed in dilute binary alloys, colony formation is triggered by a
morphological instability of a macroscopically planar eutectic solidification
front due to the rejection by both solid phases of a ternary impurity that
diffuses in the liquid. Here we develop a phase-field model of a binary
eutectic with a dilute ternary impurity and we investigate by dynamical
simulations both the initial linear regime of this instability, and the
subsequent highly nonlinear evolution of the interface that leads to fully
developed two-phase cells with a spacing much larger than the lamellar spacing.
We find a good overall agreement with our recent linear stability analysis [M.
Plapp and A. Karma, Phys. Rev. E 60, 6865 (1999)], which predicts a
destabilization of the front by long-wavelength modes that may be stationary or
oscillatory. A fine comparison, however, reveals that the assumption commonly
attributed to Cahn that lamella grow perpendicular to the envelope of the
solidification front is weakly violated in the phase-field simulations. We show
that, even though weak, this violation has an important quantitative effect on
the stability properties of the eutectic front. We also investigate the
dynamics of fully developed colonies and find that the large-scale envelope of
the composite eutectic front does not converge to a steady state, but exhibits
cell elimination and tip-splitting events up to the largest times simulated.Comment: 18 pages, 18 EPS figures, RevTeX twocolumn, submitted to Phys. Rev.
To see or not to see: investigating detectability of Ganges River dolphins using a combined visual-acoustic survey
Detection of animals during visual surveys is rarely perfect or constant, and failure to account for imperfect detectability affects the accuracy of abundance estimates. Freshwater cetaceans are among the most threatened group of mammals, and visual surveys are a commonly employed method for estimating population size despite concerns over imperfect and unquantified detectability. We used a combined visual-acoustic survey to estimate detectability of Ganges River dolphins (Platanista gangetica gangetica) in four waterways of southern Bangladesh. The combined visual-acoustic survey resulted in consistently higher detectability than a single observer-team visual survey, thereby improving power to detect trends. Visual detectability was particularly low for dolphins close to meanders where these habitat features temporarily block the view of the preceding river surface. This systematic bias in detectability during visual-only surveys may lead researchers to underestimate the importance of heavily meandering river reaches. Although the benefits of acoustic surveys are increasingly recognised for marine cetaceans, they have not been widely used for monitoring abundance of freshwater cetaceans due to perceived costs and technical skill requirements. We show that acoustic surveys are in fact a relatively cost-effective approach for surveying freshwater cetaceans, once it is acknowledged that methods that do not account for imperfect detectability are of limited value for monitoring
Instability driven fragmentation of nanoscale fractal islands
Formation and evolution of fragmentation instabilities in fractal islands,
obtained by deposition of silver clusters on graphite, are studied. The
fragmentation dynamics and subsequent relaxation to the equilibrium shapes are
controlled by the deposition conditions and cluster composition. Sharing common
features with other materials' breakup phenomena, the fragmentation instability
is governed by the length-to-width ratio of the fractal arms.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Physical Review Letters in pres
Boojums and the Shapes of Domains in Monolayer Films
Domains in Langmuir monolayers support a texture that is the two-dimensional
version of the feature known as a boojum. Such a texture has a quantifiable
effect on the shape of the domain with which it is associated. The most
noticeable consequence is a cusp-like feature on the domain boundary. We report
the results of an experimental and theoretical investigation of the shape of a
domain in a Langmuir monolayer. A further aspect of the investigation is the
study of the shape of a ``bubble'' of gas-like phase in such a monolayer. This
structure supports a texture having the form of an inverse boojum. The
distortion of a bubble resulting from this texture is also studied. The
correspondence between theory and experiment, while not perfect, indicates that
a qualitative understanding of the relationship between textures and domain
shapes has been achieved.Comment: replaced with published version, 10 pages, 13 figures include
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