Flux surface shaping effects on tokamak edge turbulence and flows

Shaping of magnetic flux surfaces is found to have a strong impact on turbulence and transport in tokamak edge plasmas. A series of axisymmetric equilibria with varying elongation and triangularity, and a divertor configuration are implemented into a computational gyrofluid turbulence model. The mechanisms of shaping effects on turbulence and flows are identified. Transport is mainly reduced by local magnetic shearing and an enhancement of zonal shear flows induced by elongation and X-point shaping.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures. Submitted to Physics of Plasma

Freezing by Monte Carlo Phase-Switch

We describe a Monte Carlo procedure which allows sampling of the disjoint configuration spaces associated with crystalline and fluid phases, within a single simulation. The method utilises biased sampling techniques to enhance the probabilities of gateway states (in each phase) which are such that a global switch (to the other phase) can be implemented. Equilibrium freezing-point parameters can be determined directly; statistical uncertainties prescribed transparently; and finite-size effects quantified systematically. The method is potentially quite general; we apply it to the freezing of hard spheres.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Solid state thermomechanical engineering of high-quality pharmaceutical salts via solvent free continuous processing

Thermomechanical engineering of pharmaceutical salts in the solid state using continuous extrusion processing (ssTME) is a new novel manufacturing approach. In the present work, we introduce a paradigm for the synthesis of ketoconazole - oxalic acid and ciprofloxacin – maleic acid salts by imparting temperature, shear rate and stress in comparison to liquid assisted grinding (LAG) approach. We demonstrated that thermomechanical synthesis is advantageous by producing high quality and pure, solvent-free pharmaceutical salts by tailoring extrusion processing variables

Mineral inclusions in rutile: A novel recorder of HP-UHP metamorphism

The ability to accurately constrain the secular record of high- and ultra-high pressure metamorphism on Earth is potentially hampered as these rocks are metastable and prone to retrogression, particularly during exhumation. Rutile is among the most widespread and best preserved minerals in high- and ultra-high pressure rocks and a hitherto untested approach is to use mineral inclusions within rutile to record such conditions. In this study, rutiles from three different high- and ultrahigh-pressure massifs have been investigated for inclusions. Rutile is shown to contain inclusions of high-pressure minerals such as omphacite, garnet and high silica phengite, as well as diagnostic ultrahigh-pressure minerals, including the first reported occurrence of exceptionally preserved monomineralic coesite in rutile from the Dora–Maira massif. Chemical comparison of inclusion and matrix phases show that inclusions generally represent peak metamorphic assemblages; although rare prograde phases such as titanite, omphacite and corundum have also been identified implying that rutile grows continuously during prograde burial and traps mineralogic evidence of this evolution. Pressure estimates obtained from mineral inclusions, when used in conjunction with Zr-in-rutile thermometry, can provide additional constraints on the metamorphic conditions of the host rock. This study demonstrates that rutile is an excellent repository for high- and ultra-high pressure minerals and that the study of mineral inclusions in rutile may profoundly change the way we investigate and recover evidence of such events in both detrital populations and partially retrogressed samples

Construction and analysis of a simplified many-body neutrino model

In dense neutrino systems, such as found in the early Universe, or near a supernova core, neutrino flavor evolution is affected by coherent neutrino-neutrino scattering. It has been recently suggested that many-particle quantum entanglement effects may play an essential role in these systems, potentially invalidating the traditional description in terms of a set of single-particle evolution equations. We model the neutrino system by a system of interacting spins, following an earlier work which showed that such a spin system can in some cases be solved exactly. We extend this work by constructing an exact analytical solution to a more general spin system, including initial states with asymmetric spin distribution and, moreover, not necessarily aligned along the same axis. Our solution exhibits a rich set of behaviors, including coherent oscillations and dephasing and a transition from the classical to quantum regimes. We argue that the classical evolution of the spin system captures the entire coherent behavior of the neutrino system, while the quantum effects in the spin system capture some, but not all, of the neutrino incoherent evolution. By comparing the spin and neutrino systems, we find no evidence for the violation of the accepted one-body description, though the argument involves some subtleties not appreciated before. The analysis in this paper may apply to other two-state systems beyond the neutrino field.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figure

Transitional Activities in Elite Football: Frequency, Type, Effect on Match Outcome and the Novel Concept of Clusters

The aims of this study were to analyze the effect of contextual variables on physical metrics during transitions and investigate repeated transitional activities during transitions. Data was collected from 10 matches (23 elite soccer players). A total of 4249 individual observations were recorded including 1164 positive transitions (defense-to-attack), 1269 negative transitions (attack-to-defense), 1120 fast attacks, and 696 high pressure activities. Metrics per minute (m·min-1) as well as absolute variables: Total Distance (TD), high-speed running distance (HSRD, >19.8km·h-1), sprint distance (SD, >25.2km·h-1), relative high-speed running distance (VelB4), relative sprint distance (VelB5), acceleration distance (AccB3 Dist., distance with variations in running speed >3m·s-2), the number of high-intensity accelerations (HI Acc, >3m·s-2) and decelerations (HI Dec, >3m·s-2) were quantified. Significant effects of match half were found for TD (p <.001; ES =.03), HSRD (p = .023; ES = .012), VelB4 (p < .001; ES = .04), and HI Dec (p = .037; ES = .010). Match outcome had a relation to TD (m), HSRD (m) (p < .001), SD (m) and VelB4 (m) (p = .011) as well as VelB5 (m), and AccB3 Dist. distance (m) (p = .002 and p = .020, respectively). Performance in lost matches was lower in the 2nd half (p≤0.05). This study indicates that players are exposed to repeated short and intermittent high velocity actions together, highlighting the need to move away from 90min averages and pay more attention to transitional activities in modern training design

Worst Case Scenarios in Soccer Training and Competition: Analysis of Playing Position, Congested Periods, and Substitutes

Aim: To understand mean (WCSₘₑₐₙ) and peak (WCSₚₑₐₖ) worst case scenarios within training and game play in male professional soccer. Methods: Thirty-one (n = 31) first team players were monitored across 37 matches and 14 MD-3 sessions. Playing status was distinguished, football drills analyzed, and performance explored in long-period: >6 days, moderate-period: 5–6 days, and congested-period: ≤4 days. Relative total distance (TD), high-speed running distance (HSRD, >19.8 km·h⁻¹), sprint distance (SD, >25.2 km·h⁻²), accelerations/decelerations (A+D, >3 m·s⁻²), accelerations (Acc, >3 m·s⁻²), and decelerations (Dec, >−3 m·s⁻²) were measured as well as Maximum acceleration (Max Acc; m·s⁻²) and deceleration (Max Dec; m·s⁻²). Results: Analysis of variance found differences between matches and training in WCSmean for TD, HSRD, SD, and Max Dec in all positions (p  .275). Fullbacks displayed differences between match and training in Max Acc (moderate ESs; p  .05). Main effects of playing status were discovered for all metrics except Max Dec (p  .124). Analysis showed differences between long- and congested-period for A+D and Dec (large ESs; p ≤ .05). Conclusions: Findings provide more insights into short peak intensity demands of soccer showing that the maximum high velocity action of acceleration and deceleration is not being replicated in training. Nonstarters lack maximum intensity exposure in matches (WCSₚₑₐₖ) increasing the gap between training and competition even higher during congested fixture periods

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Lensing of CMB Temperature and Polarization Derived from Cosmic Infrared Background Cross-Correlation

We present a measurement of the gravitational lensing of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature and polarization fields obtained by cross-correlating the reconstructed convergence signal from the first season of Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter data at 146 GHz with Cosmic Infrared Background (CIB) fluctuations measured using the Planck satellite. Using an effective overlap area of 92.7 square degrees, we detect gravitational lensing of the CMB polarization by large-scale structure at a statistical significance of 4.5 sigma. Combining both CMB temperature and polarization data gives a lensing detection at 9.1 sigma significance. A B-mode polarization lensing signal is present with a significance of 3.2 sigma. We also present the first measurement of CMB lensing-CIB correlation at small scales corresponding to l \u3e 2000. Null tests and systematic checks show that our results are not significantly biased by astrophysical or instrumental systematic effects, including Galactic dust. Fitting our measurements to the best-fit lensing-CIB cross-power spectrum measured in Planck data, scaled by an amplitude A, gives A = 1.02(-0.08)(+0.12)(stat.) +/- 0.06(syst.), consistent with the Planck results

Exact Thermodynamics of the Double sinh-Gordon Theory in 1+1-Dimensions

We study the classical thermodynamics of a 1+1-dimensional double-well sinh-Gordon theory. Remarkably, the Schrodinger-like equation resulting from the transfer integral method is quasi-exactly solvable at several temperatures. This allows exact calculation of the partition function and some correlation functions above and below the short-range order (``kink'') transition, in striking agreement with high resolution Langevin simulations. Interesting connections with the Landau-Ginzburg and double sine-Gordon models are also established.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures (embedded using epsf), uses RevTeX plus macro (included). Minor revision to match journal version, Phys. Rev. Lett. (in press