5,312 research outputs found
An earth pole-sitter using hybrid propulsion
In this paper we investigate optimal pole-sitter orbits using hybrid solar sail and solar electric propulsion (SEP). A pole-sitter is a spacecraft that is constantly above one of the Earth's poles, by means of a continuous thrust. Optimal orbits, that minimize propellant mass consumption, are found both through a shape-based approach, and solving an optimal control problem, using a direct method based on pseudo-spectral techniques. Both the pure SEP case and the hybrid case are investigated and compared. It is found that the hybrid spacecraft allows consistent savings on propellant mass fraction. Finally, is it shown that for sufficiently long missions (more than 8 years), a hybrid spacecraft, based on mid-term technology, enables a consistent reduction in the launch mass for a given payload, with respect to a pure SEP spacecraft
Vanishing spin alignment : experimental indication of triaxial nuclear molecule
Fragment-fragment- coincidences have been measured for at an energy corresponding to the population of a conjectured
resonance in Ni. Fragment angular distributions as well as -ray
angular correlations indicate that the spin orientations of the outgoing
fragments are perpendicular to the orbital angular momentum. This differs from
the and the resonances, and
suggests two oblate nuclei interacting in an equator-to-equator
molecular configuration.Comment: 14 pages standard REVTeX file, 3 ps Figures -- Accepted for
publication in Physical Review C (Rapid Communication
Symmetry adapted finite-cluster solver for quantum Heisenberg model in two-dimensions: a real-space renormalization approach
We present a quantum cluster solver for spin- Heisenberg model on a
two-dimensional lattice. The formalism is based on the real-space
renormalization procedure and uses the lattice point group-theoretical analysis
and nonabelian SU(2) spin symmetry technique. The exact diagonalization
procedure is used twice at each renormalization group step. The method is
applied to the spin-half antiferromagnet on a square lattice and a calculation
of local observables is demonstrated. A symmetry based truncation procedure is
suggested and verified numerically.Comment: willm appear in J. Phys.
Cmah-dystrophin deficient mdx mice display an accelerated cardiac phenotype that is improved following peptide-PMO exon skipping treatment
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by loss of dystrophin protein, leading to progressive muscle weakness and premature death due to respiratory and/or cardiac complications. Cardiac involvement is characterized by progressive dilated cardiomyopathy, decreased fractional shortening and metabolic dysfunction involving reduced metabolism of fatty acids—the major cardiac metabolic substrate. Several mouse models have been developed to study molecular and pathological consequences of dystrophin deficiency, but do not recapitulate all aspects of human disease pathology and exhibit a mild cardiac phenotype. Here we demonstrate that Cmah (cytidine monophosphate-sialic acid hydroxylase)-deficient mdx mice (Cmah−/−;mdx) have an accelerated cardiac phenotype compared to the established mdx model. Cmah−/−;mdx mice display earlier functional deterioration, specifically a reduction in right ventricle (RV) ejection fraction and stroke volume (SV) at 12 weeks of age and decreased left ventricle diastolic volume with subsequent reduced SV compared to mdx mice by 24 weeks. They further show earlier elevation of cardiac damage markers for fibrosis (Ctgf), oxidative damage (Nox4) and haemodynamic load (Nppa). Cardiac metabolic substrate requirement was assessed using hyperpolarized magnetic resonance spectroscopy indicating increased in vivo glycolytic flux in Cmah−/−;mdx mice. Early upregulation of mitochondrial genes (Ucp3 and Cpt1) and downregulation of key glycolytic genes (Pdk1, Pdk4, Ppara), also denote disturbed cardiac metabolism and shift towards glucose utilization in Cmah−/−;mdx mice. Moreover, we show long-term treatment with peptide-conjugated exon skipping antisense oligonucleotides (20-week regimen), resulted in 20% cardiac dystrophin protein restoration and significantly improved RV cardiac function. Therefore, Cmah−/−;mdx mice represent an appropriate model for evaluating cardiac benefit of novel DMD therapeutics
Chaotic Scattering in Heavy--Ion Reactions
We discuss the relevance of chaotic scattering in heavy--ion reactions at
energies around the Coulomb barrier. A model in two and three dimensions which
takes into account rotational degrees of freedom is discussed both classically
and quantum-mechanically. The typical chaotic features found in this
description of heavy-ion collisions are connected with the anomalous behaviour
of several experimental data.Comment: 35 pages in RevTex (version 3.0) plus 27 PostScript figures
obtainable by anonymous ftp from VAXFCT.CT.INFN.IT in directory kaos. Fig. 1
upon request to the authors. To be published in the October Focus issue on
chaotic scattering of CHAO
Deformation effects in the Si+C and Si+Si reaction Search
The possible occurence of highly deformed configurations is investigated in
the Ca and Ni di-nuclear systems as formed in the
Si+C,Si reactions by using the properties of emitted light
charged particles. Inclusive as well as exclusive data of the heavy fragments
and their associated light charged particles have been collected by using the
{\sc ICARE} charged particle multidetector array. The data are analysed by
Monte Carlo CASCADE statistical-model calculations using a consistent set of
parameters with spin-dependent level densities. Significant deformation effects
at high spin are observed as well as an unexpected large Be cluster
emission of a binary nature.Comment: 3 pages latex, 2 eps figures, paper presented in "wokshop on physics
with multidetector array (pmda2000)Calcutta, India (to be published at
PRAMANA, journal of Physics, India
Deformation effects in Ni nuclei produced in Si+Si at 112 MeV
Velocity and energy spectra of the light charged particles (protons and
-particles) emitted in the Si(E = 112 MeV) + Si
reaction have been measured at the Strasbourg VIVITRON Tandem facility. The
ICARE charged particle multidetector array was used to obtain exclusive spectra
of the light particles in the angular range 15 - 150 degree and to determine
the angular correlations of these particles with respect to the emission angles
of the evaporation residues. The experimental data are analysed in the
framework of the statistical model. The exclusive energy spectra of
-particles emitted from the Si + Si compound system are
generally well reproduced by Monte Carlo calculations using spin-dependent
level densities. This spin dependence approach suggests the onset of large
deformations at high spin. A re-analysis of previous -particle data
from the Si + Si compound system, using the same spin-dependent
parametrization, is also presented in the framework of a general discussion of
the occurrence of large deformation effects in the A ~ 60 mass region.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figure
The Importance of Correlations and Fluctuations on the Initial Source Eccentricity in High-Energy Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions
In this paper, we investigate various ways of defining the initial source
eccentricity using the Monte Carlo Glauber (MCG) approach. In particular, we
examine the participant eccentricity, which quantifies the eccentricity of the
initial source shape by the major axes of the ellipse formed by the interaction
points of the participating nucleons. We show that reasonable variation of the
density parameters in the Glauber calculation, as well as variations in how
matter production is modeled, do not significantly modify the already
established behavior of the participant eccentricity as a function of collision
centrality. Focusing on event-by-event fluctuations and correlations of the
distributions of participating nucleons we demonstrate that, depending on the
achieved event-plane resolution, fluctuations in the elliptic flow magnitude
lead to most measurements being sensitive to the root-mean-square, rather
than the mean of the distribution. Neglecting correlations among
participants, we derive analytical expressions for the participant eccentricity
cumulants as a function of the number of participating nucleons,
\Npart,keeping non-negligible contributions up to \ordof{1/\Npart^3}. We
find that the derived expressions yield the same results as obtained from
mixed-event MCG calculations which remove the correlations stemming from the
nuclear collision process. Most importantly, we conclude from the comparison
with MCG calculations that the fourth order participant eccentricity cumulant
does not approach the spatial anisotropy obtained assuming a smooth nuclear
matter distribution. In particular, for the Cu+Cu system, these quantities
deviate from each other by almost a factor of two over a wide range in
centrality.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures, submitted to PR
Sticking under wet conditions: the remarkable attachment abilities of the torrent frog, staurois guttatus
Tree frogs climb smooth surfaces utilising capillary forces arising from an air-fluid interface around their toe pads, whereas torrent frogs are able to climb in wet environments near waterfalls where the integrity of the meniscus is at risk. This study compares the adhesive capabilities of a torrent frog to a tree frog, investigating possible adaptations for adhesion under wet conditions. We challenged both frog species to cling to a platform which could be tilted from the horizontal to an upside-down orientation, testing the frogs on different levels of roughness and water flow. On dry, smooth surfaces, both frog species stayed attached to overhanging slopes equally well. In contrast, under both low and high flow rate conditions, the torrent frogs performed significantly better, even adhering under conditions where their toe pads were submerged in water, abolishing the meniscus that underlies capillarity. Using a transparent platform where areas of contact are illuminated, we measured the contact area of frogs during platform rotation under dry conditions. Both frog species not only used the contact area of their pads to adhere, but also large parts of their belly and thigh skin. In the tree frogs, the belly and thighs often detached on steeper slopes, whereas the torrent frogs increased the use of these areas as the slope angle increased. Probing small areas of the different skin parts with a force transducer revealed that forces declined significantly in wet conditions, with only minor differences between the frog species. The superior abilities of the torrent frogs were thus due to the large contact area they used on steep, overhanging surfaces. SEM images revealed slightly elongated cells in the periphery of the toe pads in the torrent frogs, with straightened channels in between them which could facilitate drainage of excess fluid underneath the pad
Universal Window for Two Dimensional Critical Exponents
Two dimensional condensed matter is realised in increasingly diverse forms
that are accessible to experiment and of potential technological value. The
properties of these systems are influenced by many length scales and reflect
both generic physics and chemical detail. To unify their physical description
is therefore a complex and important challenge. Here we investigate the
distribution of experimentally estimated critical exponents, , that
characterize the evolution of the order parameter through the ordering
transition. The distribution is found to be bimodal and bounded within a window
, facts that are only in partial agreement with
the established theory of critical phenomena. In particular, the bounded nature
of the distribution is impossible to reconcile with existing theory for one of
the major universality classes of two dimensional behaviour - the XY model with
four fold crystal field - which predicts a spectrum of non-universal exponents
bounded only from below. Through a combination of numerical and renormalization
group arguments we resolve the contradiction between theory and experiment and
demonstrate how the "universal window" for critical exponents observed in
experiment arises from a competition between marginal operators.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figures and 6 tables. Uses longtable packag
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