Lie and Noether symmetries of geodesic equations and collineations

The Lie symmetries of the geodesic equations in a Riemannian space are computed in terms of the special projective group and its degenerates (affine vectors, homothetic vector and Killing vectors) of the metric. The Noether symmetries of the same equations are given in terms of the homothetic and the Killing vectors of the metric. It is shown that the geodesic equations in a Riemannian space admit three linear first integrals and two quadratic first integrals. We apply the results in the case of Einstein spaces, the Schwarzschild spacetime and the Friedman Robertson Walker spacetime. In each case the Lie and the Noether symmetries are computed explicitly together with the corresponding linear and quadratic first integrals.Comment: 19 page

Preliminary Studies and Test Results of a Superconducting Hysteresis Motor with Multiphase Windings and Variable Number of Magnetic Poles

Part 15: Energy TransformationInternational audienceIn this paper a procedure for determining the number of different synchronous speeds that can be obtained from the stator of a drum motor as a function of the number of slots is presented. This preliminary study is foreseen for a hysteresis high-temperature superconducting motor, but the approach is directly applied in conventional motors. The targeted device has multiphase windings, in order to achieve full flexibility in torque-speed space through electronic variation of magnetic poles. Simulations are performed in order to achieve a qualitative understanding of the behaviour of the motor, namely in what concerns to torque and settling times from initial to synchronous speed. A prototype with eighteen slots in the stator and a bulk YBCO rotor is described and built, and experimental values of torque are obtained

Lithologic and tectonic controls on bedrock channel form at the northwest Himalayan front

Recognition that channel form reflects a river's ability to erode rock and transport material has spawned stream-power models that estimate incision patterns by approximating energy dissipation within a channel. These models frequently assume that channel width scales as a power law with drainage area, partly because drainage area is easily extracted from digital elevation models (DEMs). However, this assumption is often confounded by local variations in rock strength and rock-uplift rate that can cause channel constriction downstream. Here we investigate the morphological response to spatial changes in rock strength and rock-uplift rate of 10 bedrock channels traversing the Mohand range along the northwest Himalayan front. We present a new method to continuously measure and compare channel width, slope, and other hydraulic parameters that integrate satellite imagery and DEM analysis. Our method corrects for an ∼13% overestimation of average channel gradient from a 90m resolution DEM that arises from short circuits of fine-scale meanders. We find that channels (1) narrow >1 km upstream from knickpoints formed by an increase in rock strength, (2) adjust laterally more than vertically in response to downstream decreases rock erodibility and uplift rate, and (3) meander where shear stresses are high and channel widths are low. We attribute these results to a high ratio of sediment supply to transport capacity, which enhances lateral erosion relative to vertical incision. Our results suggest that substrate strength and sediment supply substantially infl uence channel form and that channel width should be explicitly measured when interpreting tectonic signals from bedrock channel morphology

Microprocessor Implementation of a Parallel Processor ; CU-CS-091-76

A wide variety of uses have been proposed for the spectrum of currently available microprocessor systems. Included in this set of applications is the use of microprocessors for implementing large systems; here, the possibility of employing bit slice microprocessors for various parts of a multiple control unit SIMD processor is discussed. A brief summary of bit slice microprocessor architecture is given, followed by an outline of individual applications to various components such as control units and arithmetic/logic units of the SIMD processor

Reflection and Ducting of Gravity Waves Inside the Sun

Internal gravity waves excited by overshoot at the bottom of the convection zone can be influenced by rotation and by the strong toroidal magnetic field that is likely to be present in the solar tachocline. Using a simple Cartesian model, we show how waves with a vertical component of propagation can be reflected when traveling through a layer containing a horizontal magnetic field with a strength that varies with depth. This interaction can prevent a portion of the downward-traveling wave energy flux from reaching the deep solar interior. If a highly reflecting magnetized layer is located some distance below the convection zone base, a duct or wave guide can be set up, wherein vertical propagation is restricted by successive reflections at the upper and lower boundaries. The presence of both upward- and downward-traveling disturbances inside the duct leads to the existence of a set of horizontally propagating modes that have significantly enhanced amplitudes. We point out that the helical structure of these waves makes them capable of generating an alpha-effect, and briefly consider the possibility that propagation in a shear of sufficient strength could lead to instability, the result of wave growth due to over-reflection.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in Solar Physic

Young and Intermediate-age Distance Indicators

Distance measurements beyond geometrical and semi-geometrical methods, rely mainly on standard candles. As the name suggests, these objects have known luminosities by virtue of their intrinsic proprieties and play a major role in our understanding of modern cosmology. The main caveats associated with standard candles are their absolute calibration, contamination of the sample from other sources and systematic uncertainties. The absolute calibration mainly depends on their chemical composition and age. To understand the impact of these effects on the distance scale, it is essential to develop methods based on different sample of standard candles. Here we review the fundamental properties of young and intermediate-age distance indicators such as Cepheids, Mira variables and Red Clump stars and the recent developments in their application as distance indicators.Comment: Review article, 63 pages (28 figures), Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews (Chapter 3 of a special collection resulting from the May 2016 ISSI-BJ workshop on Astronomical Distance Determination in the Space Age

Recent Advances in Understanding Particle Acceleration Processes in Solar Flares

We review basic theoretical concepts in particle acceleration, with particular emphasis on processes likely to occur in regions of magnetic reconnection. Several new developments are discussed, including detailed studies of reconnection in three-dimensional magnetic field configurations (e.g., current sheets, collapsing traps, separatrix regions) and stochastic acceleration in a turbulent environment. Fluid, test-particle, and particle-in-cell approaches are used and results compared. While these studies show considerable promise in accounting for the various observational manifestations of solar flares, they are limited by a number of factors, mostly relating to available computational power. Not the least of these issues is the need to explicitly incorporate the electrodynamic feedback of the accelerated particles themselves on the environment in which they are accelerated. A brief prognosis for future advancement is offered.Comment: This is a chapter in a monograph on the physics of solar flares, inspired by RHESSI observations. The individual articles are to appear in Space Science Reviews (2011

Origins of the Ambient Solar Wind: Implications for Space Weather

The Sun's outer atmosphere is heated to temperatures of millions of degrees, and solar plasma flows out into interplanetary space at supersonic speeds. This paper reviews our current understanding of these interrelated problems: coronal heating and the acceleration of the ambient solar wind. We also discuss where the community stands in its ability to forecast how variations in the solar wind (i.e., fast and slow wind streams) impact the Earth. Although the last few decades have seen significant progress in observations and modeling, we still do not have a complete understanding of the relevant physical processes, nor do we have a quantitatively precise census of which coronal structures contribute to specific types of solar wind. Fast streams are known to be connected to the central regions of large coronal holes. Slow streams, however, appear to come from a wide range of sources, including streamers, pseudostreamers, coronal loops, active regions, and coronal hole boundaries. Complicating our understanding even more is the fact that processes such as turbulence, stream-stream interactions, and Coulomb collisions can make it difficult to unambiguously map a parcel measured at 1 AU back down to its coronal source. We also review recent progress -- in theoretical modeling, observational data analysis, and forecasting techniques that sit at the interface between data and theory -- that gives us hope that the above problems are indeed solvable.Comment: Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews. Special issue connected with a 2016 ISSI workshop on "The Scientific Foundations of Space Weather." 44 pages, 9 figure

Detector Description and Performance for the First Coincidence Observations between LIGO and GEO

For 17 days in August and September 2002, the LIGO and GEO interferometer gravitational wave detectors were operated in coincidence to produce their first data for scientific analysis. Although the detectors were still far from their design sensitivity levels, the data can be used to place better upper limits on the flux of gravitational waves incident on the earth than previous direct measurements. This paper describes the instruments and the data in some detail, as a companion to analysis papers based on the first data.Comment: 41 pages, 9 figures 17 Sept 03: author list amended, minor editorial change

Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV. The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b, leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W' boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe