877 research outputs found
Microwave response of bulk MgB2 samples of different granularity
The microwave response of three high-density bulk MgB2 samples has been
investigated in the linear and nonlinear regimes. The three samples,
characterized by different mean size of grains, have been obtained by reactive
infiltration of liquid Mg in powdered B preforms. The linear response has been
studied by measuring the microwave surface impedance; the nonlinear response by
detecting the power radiated by the sample at the second-harmonic frequency of
the driving field. Our results suggest that bulk MgB2 prepared by the liquid Mg
infiltration technique is particularly promising for manufacturing resonant
cavities operating at microwave frequencies.Comment: 4 pages, 2 embedded figures; Proceedings of 7th EUCAS Conference
(11-15 September 2005, Vienna - Austria
On the Mutual Information Distribution of OFDM-Based Spatial Multiplexing: Exact Variance and Outage Approximation
This paper considers the distribution of the mutual information of
frequency-selective spatially-uncorrelated Rayleigh fading MIMO channels.
Results are presented for OFDM-based spatial multiplexing. New exact
closed-form expressions are derived for the variance of the mutual information.
In contrast to previous results, our new expressions apply for systems with
both arbitrary numbers of antennas and arbitrary-length channels. Simplified
expressions are also presented for high and low SNR regimes. The analytical
variance results are used to provide accurate analytical approximations for the
distribution of the mutual information and the outage capacity.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions
on Information Theor
Inverse dynamic modelling of jumping in the red-legged running frog, Kassina maculata
Although the red-legged running frog, Kassina maculata, is secondarily a walker/runner, it retains the capacity for multiple locomotor modes, including jumping at a wide range of angles (nearly 70 deg). Using simultaneous hind limb kinematics and single-foot ground reaction forces, we performed inverse dynamics analyses to calculate moment arms and torques about the hind limb joints during jumping at different angles in K. maculata. We show that forward thrust is generated primarily at the hip and ankle, while body elevation is primarily driven by the ankle. Steeper jumps are achieved by increased thrust at the hip and ankle and greater downward rotation of the distal limb segments. Because of its proximity to the GRF vector, knee posture appears to be important in controlling torque directions about this joint and, potentially, torque magnitudes at more distal joints. Other factors correlated with higher jump angles include increased body angle in the preparatory phase, faster joint openings and increased joint excursion, higher ventrally directed force, and greater acceleration and velocity. Finally, we demonstrate that jumping performance in K. maculata does not appear to be compromised by presumed adaptation to walking/running. Our results provide new insights into how frogs engage in a wide range of locomotor behaviours and the multi-functionality of anuran limbs
Field-Dependent Tilt and Birefringence of Electroclinic Liquid Crystals: Theory and Experiment
An unresolved issue in the theory of liquid crystals is the molecular basis
of the electroclinic effect in the smectic-A phase. Recent x-ray scattering
experiments suggest that, in a class of siloxane-containing liquid crystals, an
electric field changes a state of disordered molecular tilt in random
directions into a state of ordered tilt in one direction. To investigate this
issue, we measure the optical tilt and birefringence of these liquid crystals
as functions of field and temperature, and we develop a theory for the
distribution of molecular orientations under a field. Comparison of theory and
experiment confirms that these materials have a disordered distribution of
molecular tilt directions that is aligned by an electric field, giving a large
electroclinic effect. It also shows that the net dipole moment of a correlated
volume of molecules, a key parameter in the theory, scales as a power law near
the smectic-A--smectic-C transition.Comment: 18 pages, including 9 postscript figures, uses REVTeX 3.0 and
epsf.st
Drawing induced texture and the evolution of superconductive properties with heat treatment time in powder-in-tube in-situ processed MgB2 strands
Monocore powder-in-tube MgB2 strands were cold-drawn and heat-treated at 600C
and 700C for times of up to 71 hours and structure-property relationships
examined. Drawing-induced elongation of the Mg particles led, after HT, to a
textured macrostructure consisting of elongated polycrystalline MgB2 fibers
separated by elongated pores. The superconducting Tc, Jc and Fp were correlated
with the macrostructure and grain size. Grain size increased with HT time at
both 600C and 700C. Jc and hence Fp decreased monotonically but not linearly
with grain size. Overall, it was observed that at 700C, the MgB2 reaction was
more or less complete after as little as 30 min; at 600C, full reaction
completion did not occur until 71 h. into the HT. Transport, Jct(B) was
measured in a perpendicular applied field, and the magnetic critical current
densities, Jcm\bot(B) and Jcm{\phi}(B), were measured in perpendicular and
parallel (axial) applied fields, respectively. Particularly noticeable was the
premature dropoff of Jcm\bot(B) at fields well below the irreversibility field
of Jct(B). This effect is attributed to the fibrous macrostructure and its
accompanying anisotropic connectivity. Magnetic measurements with the field
directed along the strand axis yielded a critical density, Jcm\bot(B), for
current flowing transversely to the strand axis that was less than and dropped
off more rapidly than Jct(B). In the conventional magnetic measurement, the
loop currents that support the magnetization are restricted by the lower of
Jct(B) and Jcm{\phi} (B). In the present case the latter, leading to the
premature dropoff of the measured Jcm(B) compared to Jct(B) with increasing
field. This result is supported by Kramer plots of the Jcm{\phi} (B) and Jct(B)
data which lead to an irreversibility field for transverse current that is very
much less than the usual transport-measured longitudinal one, Birr,t.Comment: 41 pages, 14 figure
Superconducting Microwave Cavity Made of Bulk MgB2
We report the successful manufacture and characterization of a microwave
resonant cylindrical cavity made of bulk MgB2 superconductor (Tc = 38.5 K),
which has been produced by the Reactive Liquid Mg Infiltration technique. The
quality factor of the cavity for the TE011 mode, resonating at 9.79 GHz, has
been measured as a function of the temperature. At T = 4.2 K, the unloaded
quality factor is 2.2x10^5; it remains of the order of 10^5 up to T ~ 30 K. We
discuss the potential performance improvements of microwave cavities built from
bulk MgB2 materials produced by reactive liquid Mg infiltration.Comment: 7 pages, 2 embedded figures, accepted for publication in Supercond.
Sci. Techno
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