15,257 research outputs found
Buffer thermal energy storage for an air Brayton solar engine
The application of latent-heat buffer thermal energy storage to a point-focusing solar receiver equipped with an air Brayton engine was studied. To demonstrate the effect of buffer thermal energy storage on engine operation, a computer program was written which models the recuperator, receiver, and thermal storage device as finite-element thermal masses. Actual operating or predicted performance data are used for all components, including the rotating equipment. Based on insolation input and a specified control scheme, the program predicts the Brayton engine operation, including flows, temperatures, and pressures for the various components, along with the engine output power. An economic parametric study indicates that the economic viability of buffer thermal energy storage is largely a function of the achievable engine life
The Precision Determination of Invisible-Particle Masses at the LHC
We develop techniques to determine the mass scale of invisible particles
pair-produced at hadron colliders. We employ the constrained mass variable
m_2C, which provides an event-by-event lower-bound to the mass scale given a
mass difference. We complement this variable with a new variable m_2C,UB which
provides an additional upper bound to the mass scale, and demonstrate its
utility with a realistic case study of a supersymmetry model. These variables
together effectively quantify the `kink' in the function Max m_T2 which has
been proposed as a mass-determination technique for collider-produced dark
matter. An important advantage of the m_2C method is that it does not rely
simply on the position at the endpoint, but it uses the additional information
contained in events which lie far from the endpoint. We found the mass by
comparing the HERWIG generated m_2C distribution to ideal distributions for
different masses. We find that for the case studied, with 100 fb^-1 of
integrated luminosity (about 400 signal events), the invisible particle's mass
can be measured to a precision of 4.1 GeV. We conclude that this technique's
precision and accuracy is as good as, if not better than, the best known
techniques for invisible-particle mass-determination at hadron colliders.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, minor correction
The race for supersymmetry: using mT2 for discovery
We describe how one may employ a very simple event selection, using only the
kinematic variable mT2, to search for new particles at the LHC. The method is
useful when searching for evidence of models (such as R-parity conserving
supersymmetry) which have a Z2 parity and a weakly-interacting lightest
parity-odd particle. We discuss the kinematic properties which make this
variable an excellent discriminant against the great majority of Standard Model
backgrounds. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that this approach could be used
to discover supersymmetry with somewhat smaller integrated luminosities (or
perhaps lower center-of-mass energies) than would be required for other
comparable analyses.Comment: 8 page
Nonstandard order parameters and the origin of CP violation
The consideration of chirality-preserving 2-fermion order parameters may shed
new light on the strong CP problem and the breakdown of flavor symmetries. We
describe two situations, one having the standard KM picture for weak CP
violation and another having new sources of weak CP violation.Comment: 12 pages, no figure
Natural Gauge Hierarchy in SO(10)
It is shown that a natural gauge hierarchy and doublet-triplet splitting can
be achieved in SO(10) using the Dimopoulos-Wilczek mechanism. Artificial
cancellations (fine-tuning) and arbitrary forms of the superpotential are
avoided, the superpotential being the most general compatible with a symmetry.
It is shown by example that the Dimopoulos-Wilczek mechanism can be protected
against the effects of higher-dimension operators possibly induced by
Planck-scale physics. Natural implementation of the mechanism leads to an
automatic Peccei-Quinn symmetry. The same local symmetries that would protect
the gauge hierarchy against Planck-scale effects tend to protect the axion
also. It is shown how realistic quark and lepton masses might arise in this
framework. It is also argued that ``weak suppression'' of proton decay can be
implemented more economically than can ``strong suppression'', offering some
grounds to hope (in the context of SO(10)) that proton decay could be seen at
Superkamiokande.Comment: 26 pages in plain LaTeX, 5 figures available on request, BA-94-0
Flavor Alignment Solutions to the Strong CP Problem in Supersymmetry
An approach to solving the Strong CP Problem in supersymmetric theories is
discussed which uses abelian family symmetries to align the mass matrices of
the quarks and squarks. In this way both the Strong CP Problem and the
characteristic flavor and CP problems of supersymmetry can be solved in a
single way.Comment: 13 pages, LaTe
Feasibility of wireless power transfer for electrification of transportation: Techno-economics and life cycle assessment
Integration of wireless power transfer (WPT) systems in roadways and vehicles represents a promising alternative to traditional internal combustion transportation systems. The economic feasibility and environmental impact of WPT applied to the transportation system is evaluated through the development of engineering system models. For a 20% penetration of the WPT technology in vehicles, results show a 20% reduction in air pollutants, 10% reduction in energy use and CO2 emissions and a societal level payback (defined as total cost of ownership savings compared to a traditional vehicle equal to roadway infrastructure) of 3 years. The modeled system covers 86% of all traffic in the US, impacts 40% of all roadways and shifts $180 billion per year from oil production to jobs in local power generation and development, construction, and maintenance of electrified roadways and new electric vehicles. Results on model sensitivity to energy prices, payback as a function of penetration, and trucking vs light duty use are presented
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