1,751 research outputs found
Flow Fragmentalism
In this paper, we articulate a version of non-standard A-theory – which we call Flow Fragmentalism – in relation to its take on the issue of supervenience of truth on being. According to the Truth Supervenes on Being (TSB) Principle, the truth of past- and future-tensed propositions supervenes, respectively, on past and future facts. Since the standard presentist denies the existence of past and future entities and facts concerning them that do not obtain in the present, she seems to lack the resources to accept both past and future-tensed truths and the TSB Principle. Contrariwise, positions in philosophy of time that accept an eternalist ontology (e.g., B-theory, moving spotlight, and Fine’s and Lipman’s versions of fragmentalism) allow for a “direct” supervenience base for past- and future-tensed truths. We argue that Flow Fragmentalism constitutes a middle ground, which retains most of the advantages of both views, and allows us to articulate a novel account of the passage of time
Three-dimensional elastic-plastic finite-element analyses of constraint variations in cracked bodies
Three-dimensional elastic-plastic (small-strain) finite-element analyses were used to study the stresses, deformations, and constraint variations around a straight-through crack in finite-thickness plates for an elastic-perfectly plastic material under monotonic and cyclic loading. Middle-crack tension specimens were analyzed for thicknesses ranging from 1.25 to 20 mm with various crack lengths. Three local constraint parameters, related to the normal, tangential, and hydrostatic stresses, showed similar variations along the crack front for a given thickness and applied stress level. Numerical analyses indicated that cyclic stress history and crack growth reduced the local constraint parameters in the interior of a plate, especially at high applied stress levels. A global constraint factor alpha(sub g) was defined to simulate three-dimensional effects in two-dimensional crack analyses. The global constraint factor was calculated as an average through-the-thickness value over the crack-front plastic region. Values of alpha(sub g) were found to be nearly independent of crack length and were related to the stress-intensity factor for a given thickness
Excitation spectroscopy of vortex lattices in a rotating Bose-Einstein condensate
Excitation spectroscopy of vortex lattices in rotating Bose-Einstein
condensates is described. We numerically obtain the Bogoliubov-deGenne
quasiparticle excitations for a broad range of energies and analyze them in the
context of the complex dynamics of the system. Our work is carried out in a
regime in which standard hydrodynamic assumptions do not hold, and includes
features not readily contained within existing treatments.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Submitted for publicatio
Isotopic difference in the heteronuclear loss rate in a two-species surface trap
We have realized a two-species mirror-magneto-optical trap containing a
mixture of Rb (Rb) and Cs atoms. Using this trap, we have
measured the heteronuclear collisional loss rate due to
intra-species cold collisions. We find a distinct difference in the magnitude
and intensity dependence of for the two isotopes Rb and
Rb which we attribute to the different ground-state hyperfine splitting
energies of the two isotopes.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Structural phase transitions of vortex matter in an optical lattice
We consider the vortex structure of a rapidly rotating trapped atomic
Bose-Einstein condensate in the presence of a co-rotating periodic optical
lattice potential. We observe a rich variety of structural phases which reflect
the interplay of the vortex-vortex and vortex-lattice interactions. The lattice
structure is very sensitive to the ratio of vortices to pinning sites and we
observe structural phase transitions and domain formation as this ratio is
varied.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Forbidden Transitions in a Magneto-Optical Trap
We report the first observation of a non-dipole transition in an ultra-cold
atomic vapor. We excite the 3P-4P electric quadrupole (E2) transition in
Na confined in a Magneto-Optical Trap(MOT), and demonstrate its
application to high-resolution spectroscopy by making the first measurement of
the hyperfine structure of the 4P level and extracting the magnetic
dipole constant A 30.6 0.1 MHz. We use cw OODR (Optical-Optical
Double Resonance) accompanied by photoinization to probe the transition
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