7,734 research outputs found
Sensitivity of the r-process to nuclear masses
The rapid neutron capture process (r-process) is thought to be responsible
for the creation of more than half of all elements beyond iron. The scientific
challenges to understanding the origin of the heavy elements beyond iron lie in
both the uncertainties associated with astrophysical conditions that are needed
to allow an r-process to occur and a vast lack of knowledge about the
properties of nuclei far from stability. There is great global competition to
access and measure the most exotic nuclei that existing facilities can reach,
while simultaneously building new, more powerful accelerators to make even more
exotic nuclei. This work is an attempt to determine the most crucial nuclear
masses to measure using an r-process simulation code and several mass models
(FRDM, Duflo-Zuker, and HFB-21). The most important nuclear masses to measure
are determined by the changes in the resulting r-process abundances. Nuclei
around the closed shells near N=50, 82, and 126 have the largest impact on
r-process abundances irrespective of the mass models used.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted in European Physical Journal
Double step structure and meandering due to the many body interaction at GaN(0001) surface in N-rich conditions
Growth of gallium nitride on GaN(0001) surface is modeled by Monte Carlo
method. Simulated growth is conducted in N-rich conditions, hence it is
controlled by Ga atoms surface diffusion. It is shown that dominating four-body
interactions of Ga atoms can cause step flow anisotropy. Kinetic Monte Carlo
simulations show that parallel steps with periodic boundary conditions form
double terrace structures, whereas initially V -shaped parallel step train
initially bends and then every second step moves forward, building regular,
stationary ordering as observed during MOVPE or HVPE growth of GaN layers.
These two phenomena recover surface meandered pair step pattern observed, since
1953, on many semiconductor surfaces, such as SiC, Si or GaN. Change of terrace
width or step orientation particle diffusion jump barriers leads either to step
meandering or surface roughening. Additionally it is shown that step behavior
changes with the Schwoebel barrier height. Furthermore, simulations under
conditions corresponding to very high external particle flux result in
triangular islands grown at the terraces. All structures, emerging in the
simulations, have their corresponding cases in the experimental results.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figure
Sensitivity studies for r-process nucleosynthesis in three astrophysical scenarios
In rapid neutron capture, or r-process, nucleosynthesis, heavy elements are
built up via a sequence of neutron captures and beta decays that involves
thousands of nuclei far from stability. Though we understand the basics of how
the r-process proceeds, its astrophysical site is still not conclusively known.
The nuclear network simulations we use to test potential astrophysical
scenarios require nuclear physics data (masses, beta decay lifetimes, neutron
capture rates, fission probabilities) for all of the nuclei on the neutron-rich
side of the nuclear chart, from the valley of stability to the neutron drip
line. Here we discuss recent sensitivity studies that aim to determine which
individual pieces of nuclear data are the most crucial for r-process
calculations. We consider three types of astrophysical scenarios: a traditional
hot r-process, a cold r-process in which the temperature and density drop
rapidly, and a neutron star merger trajectory.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, submitted to the Proceedings of the International
Nuclear Physics Conference (INPC) 201
Smart cities wouldn’t let housing costs drive the worse-off into deeper disadvantage
Scholarly article published online. Article describing new peer reviewed research on housing affordability and home owner and rental mobility. Contributes a policy reflection on the process by which Australian cities are being shaped by the housing affordably crisis.Emma Baker, Andrew Beer, Rebecca Bentle
Cultural Evolutionary Tipping Points in the Storage and Transmission of Information
Human culture has evolved through a series of major tipping points in information storage and communication. The first was the appearance of language, which enabled communication between brains and allowed humans to specialize in what they do and to participate in complex mating games. The second was information storage outside the brain, most obviously expressed in the Upper Paleolithic Revolution - the sudden proliferation of cave art, personal adornment, and ritual in Europe some 35,000-45,000 years ago. More recently, this storage has taken the form of writing, mass media, and now the Internet, which is arguably overwhelming humans\u27 ability to discern relevant information. The third tipping point was the appearance of technology capable of accumulating and manipulating vast amounts of information outside humans, thus removing them as bottlenecks to a seemingly self-perpetuating process of knowledge explosion. Important components of any discussion of cultural evolutionary tipping points are tempo and mode, given that the rate of change, as well as the kind of change, in information storage and transmission has not been constant over the previous million years
Distributed digital contexts and learning : personal empowerment and social transformation in marginalized populations
The role of digital media and learning has often been synonymous with the use of open education resources in formal institutional settings. Further, open and distance learning has been criticized for focusing narrowly on educational objectives, ignoring socio-political issues of access and participation by marginalized populations. This study examines the lived experiences of female migrant domestic workers (N=20) in Singapore attending Open University. Mobile and social media supplement open and distance learning resources to allow for open practices of consumption, production and sharing in distributed contexts of digital learning. Marginalized students engaged in participation and collaboration activities, with specific privacy practices due to their social positions. Digital learning led to substantive learning for personal empowerment and social transformation, with aspirational strategies often involving digital skills. The discussion reflects on identity management across formal and informal digital settings as a means of transforming societal discourses of discrimination
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