41,268 research outputs found
Harmonic coordinate method for simulating generic singularities
This paper presents both a numerical method for general relativity and an
application of that method. The method involves the use of harmonic coordinates
in a 3+1 code to evolve the Einstein equations with scalar field matter. In
such coordinates, the terms in Einstein's equations with the highest number of
derivatives take a form similar to that of the wave equation. The application
is an exploration of the generic approach to the singularity for this type of
matter. The preliminary results indicate that the dynamics as one approaches
the singularity is locally the dynamics of the Kasner spacetimes.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Revtex, discussion expanded, references adde
Spatio-Temporal Scaling of Solar Surface Flows
The Sun provides an excellent natural laboratory for nonlinear phenomena. We
use motions of magnetic bright points on the solar surface, at the smallest
scales yet observed, to study the small scale dynamics of the photospheric
plasma. The paths of the bright points are analyzed within a continuous time
random walk framework. Their spatial and temporal scaling suggest that the
observed motions are the walks of imperfectly correlated tracers on a turbulent
fluid flow in the lanes between granular convection cells.Comment: Now Accepted by Physical Review Letter
Single parameter testing Quarterly report
Test signals, AC analysis, transfer function determination, and nonlinear components for single parameter testing of amplifie
Single parameter testing, phase D Final report
Single parameter testing techniques for electronic measuring equipment and other component
Nonsingular Black Holes and Degrees of Freedom in Quantum Gravity
Spherically symmetric space-times provide many examples for interesting black
hole solutions, which classically are all singular. Following a general
program, space-like singularities in spherically symmetric quantum geometry, as
well as other inhomogeneous models, are shown to be absent. Moreover, one sees
how the classical reduction from infinitely many kinematical degrees of freedom
to only one physical one, the mass, can arise, where aspects of quantum
cosmology such as the problem of initial conditions play a role.Comment: 4 page
Thermoluminescence fading studies: Implications for long-duration space measurements in Low Earth Orbit
Within a 1.5 year comprehensive fading experiment several batches of
LiF:Mg,Ti and LiF:Mg,Cu,P thermoluminescence detectors (TLDs) were studied. The
TLDs originated from two manufacturers and were processed by three laboratories
using different annealing and readout conditions. The TLDs were irradiated with
two radiation modalities (gamma-rays and thermal neutrons) and were stored at
two temperatures (-17.4C and +18.5C). The goal of the experiment was to verify
the stability of TLDs in the context of their application in long-term
measurements in space. The results revealed that the response of all TLDs is
stable within 10% for the studied temperature range. No influence of the
radiation type was found. These results indicate that for the properly
oven-annealed LiF TLDs, fading is not a significant problem, even for measuring
periods longer than a year
Incorporation of Nitrogen into Organics Produced by Fischer-Tropsch Type Chemistry
Laboratory simulations have demonstrated that hydrothermal systems have the potential to produce a range of organic compounds through Fischer-Tropsch type (FTT) chemistry. The distribution of products depends on several factors, including the abundance and composition of feed-stock molecules, reaction temperature, and the physical and chemical characteristics of catalytic materials included in the reactions. The majority of studies per-formed to date have focused solely on inclusion of CO2 or CO and H2 as the carbon, oxygen and hydrogen sources, which limits the possible products to hydro-carbons, alcohols and carboxylic acids. A few studies have included nitrogen in the form of ammonia, which led to the production of amino acids and nitrogenous bases; and a separate suite of studies included sulfur as sulfide minerals or H2S, which yielded products such as thiols and amino acids. Although these demonstrations provide compelling evidence that FTT reactions can produce compounds of interest for the origins of life, such reactions have been conducted under a very limited range of conditions and the synthetic reaction mechanisms have generally not been well-characterized. As a consequence, it is difficult to extrapolate these results to geologic systems or to evaluate how variations in reactant compositions would affect the distribution of products over time. We have begun a series of laboratory experiments that will incorporate a range of precursor molecules in varying compositions to determine how these variables affect the relative amounts and speciation of life-essential elements in organic molecules produced under FTT conditions. In the present work, we focus on systems containing C, H, O and N
Degree Distribution of Competition-Induced Preferential Attachment Graphs
We introduce a family of one-dimensional geometric growth models, constructed
iteratively by locally optimizing the tradeoffs between two competing metrics,
and show that this family is equivalent to a family of preferential attachment
random graph models with upper cutoffs. This is the first explanation of how
preferential attachment can arise from a more basic underlying mechanism of
local competition. We rigorously determine the degree distribution for the
family of random graph models, showing that it obeys a power law up to a finite
threshold and decays exponentially above this threshold.
We also rigorously analyze a generalized version of our graph process, with
two natural parameters, one corresponding to the cutoff and the other a
``fertility'' parameter. We prove that the general model has a power-law degree
distribution up to a cutoff, and establish monotonicity of the power as a
function of the two parameters. Limiting cases of the general model include the
standard preferential attachment model without cutoff and the uniform
attachment model.Comment: 24 pages, one figure. To appear in the journal: Combinatorics,
Probability and Computing. Note, this is a long version, with complete
proofs, of the paper "Competition-Induced Preferential Attachment"
(cond-mat/0402268
Experimental evidence for a two-gap structure of superconducting NbSe_2: a specific heat study in external magnetic fields
To resolve the discrepancies of the superconducting order parameter in
quasi-two-dimensional NbSe_2, comprehensive specific-heat measurements have
been carried out. By analyzing both the zero-field and mixed-state data with
magnetic fields perpendicular to and parallel to the c axis of the crystal and
using the two-gap model, we conclude that (1) more than one energy scale of the
order parameter is required for superconducting NbSe_2 due to the thermodynamic
consistency; (2)delta_L=1.26 meV and delta_S=0.73 meV are obtained; (3)
N_S(0)/N(0)=11%~20%; (4) The observation of the kink in gamma(H) curve suggests
that the two-gap scenario is more favorable than the anisotropic s-wave model
to describe the gap structure of NbSe_2; and (5)delta_S is more isotropic and
has a three-dimensional-like feature and is located either on the Se or the
bonding Nb Fermi sheets.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure
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