8,535 research outputs found
Dynamics of quantum correlations in colored environments
We address the dynamics of entanglement and quantum discord for two non
interacting qubits initially prepared in a maximally entangled state and then
subjected to a classical colored noise, i.e. coupled with an external
environment characterized by a noise spectrum of the form . More
specifically, we address systems where the Gaussian approximation fails, i.e.
the sole knowledge of the spectrum is not enough to determine the dynamics of
quantum correlations. We thus investigate the dynamics for two different
configurations of the environment: in the first case the noise spectrum is due
to the interaction of each qubit with a single bistable fluctuator with an
undetermined switching rate, whereas in the second case we consider a
collection of classical fluctuators with fixed switching rates. In both cases
we found analytical expressions for the time dependence of entanglement and
quantum discord, which may be also extended to a collection of flcutuators with
random switching rates. The environmental noise is introduced by means of
stochastic time-dependent terms in the Hamiltonian and this allows us to
describe the effects of both separate and common environments. We show that the
non-Gaussian character of the noise may lead to significant effects, e.g.
environments with the same power spectrum, but different configurations, give
raise to opposite behavior for the quantum correlations. In particular,
depending on the characteristics of the environmental noise considered, both
entanglement and discord display either a monotonic decay or the phenomena of
sudden death and revivals. Our results show that the microscopic structure of
environment, besides its noise spectrum, is relevant for the dynamics of
quantum correlations, and may be a valid starting point for the engineering of
non-Gaussian colored environments.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure
Porosity effects on elastic properties of polycrystalline materials: a three-dimensional grain boundary formulation
Polycrystalline materials are widely used in many technological applications of engineering interest. They constitute an important class of heterogeneous materials, and the investigation of the link between their macro and micro properties, main task of the micromechanics [1], is of relevant technological concern. The internal structure of a polycrystalline material is determined by the size and the shape of the grains, by their crystallographic orientation and by different type of defects within them. In this sense, the presence of internal voids, pores, is important to take into account in the determination of the polycrystalline aggregate properties.
Porosity exists in almost all materials to some extent and in particular in the polycrystalline ones; it is strictly depending by the conditions in which their construction techniques are set. However, sometimes it is desired for other than structural reasons such us, for example, heat transfer properties, radar reflection etc. For this reason the effects of porosity should be of concern to any polycrystalline material developed for a design. In particular, the macroscopic effects of the pores on polycrystalline materials elastic properties is of high interest and the Young and shear modulus are the major parameter to analyze in this case.
In this study the influence of porosity presence on the elastic proprieties of polycrystalline materials is investigated and a 3D grain boundary micro mechanical model for the analysis of porosity in polycrystalline materials is used [2]. Therefore, the volume fraction of porosity, pore size and their distribution can be varied to better simulate the response of a real porous materials to a given load. The formulation is built on a boundary integral representation of the elastic problem for the single grain, that is modelled as 3D linearly elastic orthotropic domain with arbitrary spatial orientation. The artificial polycrystalline morphology is represented using the Voronoi Tessellation. This algorithms, in fact, is widely recognised and used for the generation of microstructural model and it is simple to generate the statistical features of polycrystalline microstructures. The formulation is expressed in terms of intergranular fields, namely displacement and traction that play an important role in polycrystalline micromechanics
Inverse determination of the fatigue Strain Energy Density control radius for conventionally and additively manufactured rounded V-notches
The Strain Energy Density (SED) fatigue criterion is based on a material control radius. The value of this length is therefore required for an accurate assessment of the fatigue strength of any, especially severely, notched components. The singularity-based control radius is initially obtained by considering the hypothetical perfectly sharp V-notched specimen. The effect of the notch radius on the inverse search is then investigated with numerical simulations, and a new analytical procedure is introduced for the determination of the (actual) control radius. This procedure is applied to the experimental data of three metal alloys with different load ratios and manufacturing conditions
Efeito da aplicação do lodo de esgoto (Biossólido) sobre a produção e decomposição do folhedo de Eucalyptus grandis e sobre o retorno de nutrientes ao solo, em Itatinga-SP.
O tratamento do esgoto urbano gera um resíduo denominado lodo de esgoto que pode ser utilizado para aumentar a produtividade de culturas agrícolas e florestais. Este artigo apresenta o efeito que a aplicação de doses crescentes de biossólido (O a 40 tlha), produzido na ETE de Barueri da SABESP - SP, provocou sobre o retorno de nutrientes ao solo, através da produção de folhedo (derrubada de folhas senescentes das árvores) e também sobre a taxa de decomposição do folhedo acumulado sobre o solo (manta orgânica) em um talhão experimental de Eucalyptus grandis, localizado na Estação Experimental de Ciências Florestais da ESALQ/USP em Itatinga - SP. Após três anos de coleta mensal do folhedo, o tratamento onde foram aplicadas 40 t ha-1 de biossólido, depositou 4.828 kg ha-1 de folhedo a mais do que o testemunha, devolvendo ao solo cerca de cinco vezes mais Ca, duas vezes mais N e três vezes mais P. Foi registrado também um aumento de 40% na taxa de decomposição do folhedo, quando comparado com o tratamento testemunha. Os vários resultados obtidos na Estação Experimental de Ciências Florestais da ESALQ/USP em Itatinga, confirmam a hipótese de que a aplicação do biossólido altera os padrões de ciclagem dos nutrientes, intensificando o retorno de nutrientes e acelerando sua incorporação ao solo
Dual Boundary Element Method for fatigue crack growth: implementation of the Richard\u2019s criterion
A new criterion for fatigue crack growth, whose accuracy was previously tested in the literature with the Finite Element Method, is here adopted with a Dual Boundary Element formulation. The fatigue crack growth of an elliptical inclined crack, embedded in a three dimensional cylindrical bar, is analyzed. In this way in addition to the propagation angle estimated by the Sih\u2019s criterion, it is possible to take into account a twist propagation angle. The two propagation criteria are compared in terms of shape of the propagated crack and in terms of SIFs along the crack front. The efficiency of the Dual Boundary Element Method in this study is highlighted
Spatial structures and dynamics of kinetically constrained models for glasses
Kob and Andersen's simple lattice models for the dynamics of structural
glasses are analyzed. Although the particles have only hard core interactions,
the imposed constraint that they cannot move if surrounded by too many others
causes slow dynamics. On Bethe lattices a dynamical transition to a partially
frozen phase occurs. In finite dimensions there exist rare mobile elements that
destroy the transition. At low vacancy density, , the spacing, ,
between mobile elements diverges exponentially or faster in . Within the
mobile elements, the dynamics is intrinsically cooperative and the
characteristic time scale diverges faster than any power of (although
slower than ). The tagged-particle diffusion coefficient vanishes roughly
as .Comment: 4 pages. Accepted for pub. in Phys. Rev. Let
On QBF Proofs and Preprocessing
QBFs (quantified boolean formulas), which are a superset of propositional
formulas, provide a canonical representation for PSPACE problems. To overcome
the inherent complexity of QBF, significant effort has been invested in
developing QBF solvers as well as the underlying proof systems. At the same
time, formula preprocessing is crucial for the application of QBF solvers. This
paper focuses on a missing link in currently-available technology: How to
obtain a certificate (e.g. proof) for a formula that had been preprocessed
before it was given to a solver? The paper targets a suite of commonly-used
preprocessing techniques and shows how to reconstruct certificates for them. On
the negative side, the paper discusses certain limitations of the
currently-used proof systems in the light of preprocessing. The presented
techniques were implemented and evaluated in the state-of-the-art QBF
preprocessor bloqqer.Comment: LPAR 201
Valorization of orange peels in a biorefinery loop: recovery of limonene and production of volatile fatty acids and activated carbon
Orange peels (OPs) were valorized in a lab-scale biorefinery loop for the recovery of limonene and the subsequent production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and activated carbon (AC). Solid/liquid extraction of limonene was optimized using n-hexane at 85 degrees C with an OPs-to-solvent ratio of 2:1, allowing for a limonene recovery yield of 1.20% w/w. Then, post-extraction OPs were used for the production of both VFAs and AC. For VFA production, a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 5 days and a total solid (TS) inlet content of 10% w/w were adopted leading to a VFA yield of about 43% gVFAs/gTS. Adsorption tests revealed that, among all the solid matrixes tested, only powdered activated carbon (PAC) was able to discriminate no-VFA compounds and allowed for VFA purification. For AC production, post-extraction OPs were firstly converted into biochar through slow pyrolysis at 550 degrees C for 1 h and then physically activated with CO2 at 880 degrees C for 1 h. Extraction did not appreciably affect OP properties, while pyrolysis increased the carbon content (from 43 to 83%) and the heating value (from 17 to 29 MJ/kg) of the material. Physical activation of OP biochar increased its surface area by almost ten times, from 40 to 326 m(2)/g, proving the effectiveness of the treatment
Construction, Management and Visualization of 3D Models of Large Archeological and Architectural Sites for E-Heritage GIS Systems
In this paper we present an integrated system developed in order to record, construct, pre-process, manage,
visualize and visually navigate 3D models reality based of large archeological and architectural sites for
eHeritage GIS systems. The framework integrates structured geometrical and documentary information
resulting from multiple sources with the aim to enhance the knowledge of those sites within the frame of its
historical evolution and its institutional management in a 3D GIS/DB. The developed applications were
designed for different types of users, with a largely scalable interface, able to support different output
devices and to work at different levels of iconicity. The system allows a full comprehension of the buildings
in their own context, permitting to discover unknown relationships, to evaluate their architectural occupancy
and to quickly access a complex system of information. The framework has been tested in two different
systems - designed and developed to satisfy both internal (cataloguing, documentation, preservation,
management of archaeological heritage) and external (communication through the web portal) purposes:
the first, in Pompeii, developed in order to have a web-based system that uses Open Source software and
complies with national and international standards; the second one, a prototype designed to make available
on the Google Earth platform the complete Palladian corpus documentation implemented by the CISAAP
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