38,623 research outputs found
Uplift of Central Mongolia Recorded in Vesicular Basalts
Epeirogenic histories of highland areas have confounded earth scientists for decades, as there are few sedimentary records of paleoelevation in eroding highlands. For example, mechanisms that have led to the high elevations of the Hangay Mountains in central Mongolia are not clear, nor is it well understood how the epeirogenic history of central Mongolia is connected to that of a broader region of high elevation that extends hundreds of kilometers to the north, east, and west. However, preserved basaltic lava flows record paleoelevation in the size distributions of vesicles at the tops and bottoms of flow units. As an initial step toward better understanding the tectonics of this part of Asia, we collected and analyzed samples from several basaltic lava flows from throughout the Hangay Mountains to use as a paleoaltimeter on the basis of lava flow vesicularity. Samples were dated and scanned with x-ray tomography to provide quantitative information regarding their internal vesicle size distributions. This yielded the pressure difference between the top and bottom of each flow for paleoelevation calculation. Results suggest that the Hangay Mountains experienced uplift of more than 1 km sometime during the past 9 m.yr. The magnitude of uplift of the Hangay, in addition to the composition of its lavas, the geomorphology of the region, its drainage pattern history, and other proxies, bears on possible mechanisms for uplift of this part of central Asia
Relic gravitational waves from light primordial black holes
The energy density of relic gravitational waves (GWs) emitted by primordial
black holes (PBHs) is calculated. We estimate the intensity of GWs produced at
quantum and classical scattering of PBHs, the classical graviton emission from
the PBH binaries in the early Universe, and the graviton emission due to PBH
evaporation. If nonrelativistic PBHs dominated the cosmological energy density
prior to their evaporation, the probability of formation of dense clusters of
PBHs and their binaries in such clusters would be significant and the energy
density of the generated gravitational waves in the present day universe could
exceed that produced by other known mechanisms. The intensity of these
gravitational waves would be maximal in the GHz frequency band of the spectrum
or higher and makes their observation very difficult by present detectors but
also gives a rather good possibility to investigate it by present and future
high frequency gravitational waves electromagnetic detectors. However, the low
frequency part of the spectrum in the range Hz may be detectable
by the planned space interferometers DECIGO/BBO. For sufficiently long duration
of the PBH matter dominated stage the cosmological energy fraction of GWs from
inflation would be noticeably diluted.Comment: 32 pages, 4 figures; according to the referee comments some
inaccurate statements are corrected and high frequency detectors of
gravitational waves are briefly discusse
Empirical constraints on the origin of fast radio bursts: volumetric rates and host galaxy demographics as a test of millisecond magnetar connection
The localization of the repeating FRB 121102 to a low-metallicity dwarf
galaxy at , and its association with a quiescent radio source,
suggests the possibility that FRBs originate from magnetars, formed by the
unusual supernovae in such galaxies. We investigate this via a comparison of
magnetar birth rates, the FRB volumetric rate, and host galaxy demographics. We
calculate average volumetric rates of possible millisecond magnetar production
channels such as superluminous supernovae (SLSNe), long and short gamma-ray
bursts (GRBs), and general magnetar production via core-collapse supernovae.
For each channel we also explore the expected host galaxy demographics using
their known properties. We determine for the first time the number density of
FRB emitters (the product of their volumetric birthrate and lifetime), Gpc, assuming that FRBs are predominantly emitted
from repetitive sources similar to FRB 121102 and adopting a beaming factor of
0.1. By comparing rates we find that production via rare channels (SLSNe, GRBs)
implies a typical FRB lifetime of 30-300 yr, in good agreement with
other lines of argument. The total energy emitted over this time is consistent
with the available energy stored in the magnetic field. On the other hand, any
relation to magnetars produced via normal core-collapse supernovae leads to a
very short lifetime of 0.5yr, in conflict with both theory and
observation. We demonstrate that due to the diverse host galaxy distributions
of the different progenitor channels, many possible sources of FRB birth can be
ruled out with host galaxy identifications. Conversely, targeted
searches of galaxies that have previously hosted decades-old SLSNe and GRBs may
be a fruitful strategy for discovering new FRBs and related quiescent radio
sources, and determining the nature of their progenitors
Glauber dynamics of phase transitions: SU(3) lattice gauge theory
Motivated by questions about the QCD deconfining phase transition, we studied
in two previous papers Model A (Glauber) dynamics of 2D and 3D Potts models,
focusing on structure factor evolution under heating (heating in the gauge
theory notation, i.e., cooling of the spin systems). In the present paper we
set for 3D Potts models (Ising and 3-state) the scale of the dynamical effects
by comparing to equilibrium results at first and second order phase transition
temperatures, obtained by re-weighting from a multicanonical ensemble. Our
finding is that the dynamics entirely overwhelms the critical and non-critical
equilibrium effects.
In the second half of the paper we extend our results by investigating the
Glauber dynamics of pure SU(3) lattice gauge on
lattices directly under heating quenches from the confined into the deconfined
regime. The exponential growth factors of the initial response are calculated,
which give Debye screening mass estimates. The quench leads to competing vacuum
domains of distinct triality, which delay equilibration of pure gauge
theory forever, while their role in full QCD remains a subtle question. As in
spin systems we find for pure SU(3) gauge theory a dynamical growth of
structure factors, reaching maxima which scale approximately with the volume of
the system, before settling down to equilibrium. Their influence on various
observables is studied and different lattice sizes are simulated to illustrate
an approach to a finite volume continuum limit. Strong correlations are found
during the dynamical process, but not in the deconfined phase at equilibrium.Comment: 12 pages, 18 figure
The self-referential method for linear rigid bodies : application to hard and Lennard-Jones dumbbells
The self-referential (SR) method incorporating thermodynamic integration (TI) [Sweatman et al., J. Chem. Phys. 128, 064102 (2008)] is extended to treat systems of rigid linear bodies. The method is then applied to obtain the canonical ensemble Helmholtz free energy of the alpha-N2 and plastic face centered cubic phases of systems of hard and Lennard-Jones dumbbells using Monte Carlo simulations. Generally good agreement with reference literature data is obtained, which indicates that the SR-TI method is potentially very general and robust
Hydrodynamics of cold atomic gases in the limit of weak nonlinearity, dispersion and dissipation
Dynamics of interacting cold atomic gases have recently become a focus of
both experimental and theoretical studies. Often cold atom systems show
hydrodynamic behavior and support the propagation of nonlinear dispersive
waves. Although this propagation depends on many details of the system, a great
insight can be obtained in the rather universal limit of weak nonlinearity,
dispersion and dissipation (WNDD). In this limit, using a reductive
perturbation method we map some of the hydrodynamic models relevant to cold
atoms to well known chiral one-dimensional equations such as KdV, Burgers,
KdV-Burgers, and Benjamin-Ono equations. These equations have been thoroughly
studied in literature. The mapping gives us a simple way to make estimates for
original hydrodynamic equations and to study the interplay between
nonlinearity, dissipation and dispersion which are the hallmarks of nonlinear
hydrodynamics.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl
Cherenkov radiation in a gravitational wave background
A covariant criterion for the Cherenkov radiation emission in the field of a
non-linear gravitational wave is considered in the framework of exact
integrable models of particle dynamics and electromagnetic wave propagation. It
is shown that vacuum interacting with curvature can give rise to Cherenkov
radiation. The conically shaped spatial distribution of radiation is derived
and its basic properties are discussed.Comment: LaTeX file, no figures, 19 page
An examination of business occupier relocation decision making : distinguishing small and large firm behaviour
This paper explores how business occupiers decide whether and where to relocate. It captures the experience and behaviour of a range of sizes and types of business occupier and subjects their decision-making processes to detailed scrutiny. A linear three-stage decision model is used to sequence and structure interviews with individuals who have intimate involvement with the relocation of 28 firms and organizations in Tyne and Wear, in the north-east of England. The 'constant comparative' method is used to analyse the interview data, from which emerges 18 key concepts, comprising 51 characteristic components. Using an axial approach, these are organized into 10 cross-cutting themes that represent the main areas of consideration or influence on the thinking of the people involved in determining whether a firm or organization should relocate and, if so, where to. The resulting analysis finds that organizations adopt varying degrees of sophistication when making relocation decisions; small firms are more inclined to make decisions based on constrained information; larger organizations adopt a more complex approach. Regardless of firm size, key individuals exert considerable influence over the decision-making process and its outcome
Counting statistics for arbitrary cycles in quantum pumps
Statistics of charge transport in an adiabatic pump are determined by the
dynamics of the scattering matrix S(t). We show that, up to an integer offset,
the statistics depend only on the corresponding path N(t)=S^\dagger\sigma_3 S
in the coset space (the sphere for a single channel). For a general loop S(t)
we solve for the noise-minimizing pumping strategy. The average current is
given by the area enclosed by N(t) in the coset space; its minimal noise by the
area of a minimal surface (soap film) spanned by N(t) in the space of all
matrices. We formulate conditions for quantization of the pumped charge.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
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