39,997 research outputs found
Light Element Abundance Inhomogeneities in Globular Clusters: Probing Star Formation and Evolution in the Early Milky Way
Abundance patterns of the elements C, N, and O are sensitive probes of
stellar nucleosynthesis processes and, in addition, O abundances are an
important input for stellar age determinations. Understanding the nature of the
observed distribution of these elements is key to constraining protogalactic
star formation history. Patterns deduced from low-resolution spectroscopy of
the CN, CH, NH, and CO molecules for low-mass stars in their core-hydrogen or
first shell-hydrogen burning phases in the oldest ensembles known, the Galactic
globular star clusters, are reviewed. New results for faint stars in NGC 104
(47 Tuc, C0021-723) reveal that the bimodal, anticorrelated pattern of CN and
CH strengths found among luminous evolved stars is also present in stars
nearing the end of their main-sequence lifetimes. In the absence of known
mechanisms to mix newly synthesized elements from the interior to the
observable surface layers of such unevolved stars, those particular
inhomogeneities imply that the original material from which the stars formed
some 15 billion years ago was chemically inhomogeneous in the C and N elements.
However, in other clusters, observations of abundance ratios and C isotope
ratios suggest that alterations to surface chemical compositions are produced
as stars evolve from the main sequence through the red giant branch. Thus, the
current observed distributions of C, N, and O among the brightest stars (those
also observed most often) may not reflect the true distribution from which the
protocluster cloud formed. The picture which is emerging of the C, N and O
abundance patterns within globular clusters may be one whichComment: 12 pages in uuencoded compressed postscript (including figures), to
appear in the Canadian Journal of Physics (Special Issue in Honor of G.
Herzberg
Exact Quantum Solutions of Extraordinary N-body Problems
The wave functions of Boson and Fermion gases are known even when the
particles have harmonic interactions. Here we generalise these results by
solving exactly the N-body Schrodinger equation for potentials V that can be
any function of the sum of the squares of the distances of the particles from
one another in 3 dimensions. For the harmonic case that function is linear in
r^2. Explicit N-body solutions are given when U(r) = -2M \hbar^{-2} V(r) =
\zeta r^{-1} - \zeta_2 r^{-2}. Here M is the sum of the masses and r^2 = 1/2
M^{-2} Sigma Sigma m_I m_J ({\bf x}_I - {\bf x}_J)^2. For general U(r) the
solution is given in terms of the one or two body problem with potential U(r)
in 3 dimensions. The degeneracies of the levels are derived for distinguishable
particles, for Bosons of spin zero and for spin 1/2 Fermions. The latter
involve significant combinatorial analysis which may have application to the
shell model of atomic nuclei. For large N the Fermionic ground state gives the
binding energy of a degenerate white dwarf star treated as a giant atom with an
N-body wave function. The N-body forces involved in these extraordinary N-body
problems are not the usual sums of two body interactions, but nor are forces
between quarks or molecules. Bose-Einstein condensation of particles in 3
dimensions interacting via these strange potentials can be treated by this
method.Comment: 24 pages, Latex. Accepted for publication in Proceedings of the Royal
Societ
Discord and non-classicality in probabilistic theories
Quantum discord quantifies non-classical correlations in quantum states. We
introduce discord for states in causal probabilistic theories, inspired by the
original definition proposed in Ref. [17]. We show that the only probabilistic
theory in which all states have null discord is classical probability theory.
Non-null discord is then not just a quantum feature, but a generic signature of
non-classicality.Comment: 5 pages, revtex styl
Dominant mobility modulation by the electric field effect at the LaAlO_3 / SrTiO_3 interface
Caviglia et al. [Nature (London) 456, 624 (2008)] have found that the
superconducting LaAlO_3 / SrTiO_3 interface can be gate modulated. A central
issue is to determine the principal effect of the applied electric field. Using
magnetotransport studies of a gated structure, we find that the mobility
variation is almost five times as large as the sheet carrier density.
Furthermore, superconductivity can be suppressed at both positive and negative
gate bias. These results indicate that the relative disorder strength strongly
increases across the superconductor-insulator transition.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Unified criteria for multipartite quantum nonlocality
Wiseman and co-workers (Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 140402, 2007) proposed a
distinction between the nonlocality classes of Bell's nonlocality, steering and
entanglement based on whether or not an overseer trusts each party in a
bipartite scenario where they are asked to demonstrate entanglement. Here we
extend that concept to the multipartite case and derive inequalities that
progressively test for those classes of nonlocality, with different thresholds
for each level. This framework includes the three classes of nonlocality above
in special cases and introduces a family of others.Comment: V2: corrected image display; V3: substantial changes including new
proofs, arguments, and result
A note on heat and mass transfer from a sphere in Stokes\ud flow at low PĂ©clet number
We consider the low Péclet number, Pe ≪ 1, asymptotic solution for steady-state heat and mass transfer from a sphere immersed in Stokes flow with a Robin boundary condition on its surface, representing Newton cooling or a first-order chemical reaction. The application of van Dyke’s rule up to terms of O(Pe3) shows that the O(Pe3 log Pe) terms in the expression for the average Nusselt/Sherwood number are double those previously derived in the literature. Inclusion of the O(Pe3) terms is shown to increase significantly the range of validity of the expansion
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London Congestion Charging: Successes, Gaps and Future Opportunities Offered by Cooperative ITS
The London Congestion Charging (LCC) scheme was initially introduced on 17 February 2003. Being the largest of its kind and employing advanced technology, it marked a major innovation in the field of urban road user charging and provided inspiration to several other cities worldwide. Nine years on, and following a number of operational changes that have taken place, this study analyzes successes and pitfalls, and identifies potential future opportunities in the light of latest technological developments in the field of cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). The analysis concentrates primarily on the LCC scheme itself, but draws broader conclusions about the future of urban road charging in general
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A new measure of travel time reliability for in-vehicle navigation systems
This article introduces a new measure of travel time reliability for implementation in the dynamic routing algorithm of an intelligent car navigation system. The measure is based on the log-normal distribution of travel time on a link and consists of two indices corresponding to the extreme values of the distribution, such that they reflect the shortest and longest travel times that may be experienced on the link. Through a series of mathematical manipulations, the indices are expressed in terms of the characteristic values of the speed distribution on the link. An expression relating the indices of a route and the indices of the individual links forming it is derived. The accuracy of the measure is then assessed through a field experiment and the results are presented
The Effect of Ambient Temperature on Cold Start Urban Traffic Emissions for a Real World SI Car
The influence of ambient temperature on exhaust
emissions for an instrumented Euro 1 SI car was
determined. A real world test cycle was used, based on
an urban drive cycle that was similar to the ECE urban
drive cycle. It was based on four laps of a street circuit
and an emissions sample bag was taken for each lap.
The bag for the first lap was for the cold start emissions.
An in-vehicle direct exhaust dual bag sampling
technique was used to simultaneously collect exhaust
samples upstream and downstream of the three-way
catalyst (TWC). The cold start tests were conducted
over a year, with ambient temperatures ranging from –
2°C to 32°C. The exhaust system was instrumented with
thermocouples so that the catalyst light off temperature
could be determined. The results showed that CO
emissions for the cold start were reduced by a factor of
8 downstream of catalyst when ambient temperature
rose from -2°C to 32°C, the corresponding hydrocarbon
emissions were reduced by a factor of 4. There was no
clear relationship between NOx emissions and ambient
temperature. For subsequent laps of the test circuit the
reduction of CO and HC emissions as a function of
ambient temperature was lower. The time for catalyst
light off increased by 50% as the ambient temperature
was reduced. The results show that the vehicle used is
unlikely to meet the new – 7oC cold start CO emission
regulations
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