585 research outputs found
On subducting slab entrainment of buoyant asthenosphere
Laboratory and numerical experiments and boundary layer analysis of the entrainment of buoyant asthenosphere by subducting oceanic lithosphere implies that slab entrainment is likely to be relatively inefficient at removing a buoyant and lower viscosity asthenosphere layer. Asthenosphere would instead be mostly removed by accretion into and eventual subduction of the overlying oceanic lithosphere. The lower (hot) side of a subducting slab entrains by the formation of a ∼10–30 km-thick downdragged layer, whose thickness depends upon the subduction rate and the density contrast and viscosity of the asthenosphere, while the upper (cold) side of the slab may entrain as much by thermal 'freezing' onto the slab as by mechanical downdragging. This analysis also implies that proper treatment of slab entrainment in future numerical mantle flow experiments will require the resolution of ∼10–30 km-thick entrainment boundary layers
Finite Temperature Correlators in the Schwinger Model
We discuss the correlation function of hadronic currents in the Schwinger
model at finite temperature . We explicitly construct the retarded
correlator in real time and obtain analytical results for the Euclidean
correlator on a torus. Both constructions lead to the same finite temperature
spectral function. The spatial screening lengths in the mesonic channels are
related to the dynamical meson mass and not even in
the infinite temperature limit. The relevance of our results for the finite
temperature problem in four dimensions is discussed.Comment: in LATEX, 30 pages; two figures available on request from the
authors; USITP-93-19, SUNY-NTG-43, (explanations to the figures have been
clarified
Solid-state laser system for laser cooling of Sodium
We demonstrate a frequency-stabilized, all-solid laser source at 589 nm with
up to 800 mW output power. The laser relies on sum-frequency generation from
two laser sources at 1064 nm and 1319 nm through a PPKTP crystal in a
doubly-resonant cavity. We obtain conversion efficiency as high as 2 W/W^2
after optimization of the cavity parameters. The output wavelength is tunable
over 60 GHz, which is sufficient to lock on the Sodium D2 line. The robustness,
beam quality, spectral narrowness and tunability of our source make it an
alternative to dye lasers for atomic physics experiments with Sodium atoms
Quasi-particle model for lattice QCD: quark-gluon plasma in heavy ion collisions
We propose a quasi-particle model to describe the lattice QCD equation of
state for pure SU(3) gauge theory in its deconfined state, for .
The method involves mapping the interaction part of the equation of state to an
effective fugacity of otherwise non-interacting quasi-gluons. We find that this
mapping is exact. Using the quasi-gluon distribution function, we determine the
energy density and the modified dispersion relation for the single particle
energy, in which the trace anomaly is manifest. As an application, we first
determine the Debye mass, and then the important transport parameters, {\it
viz}, the shear viscosity, and the shear viscosity to entropy density
ratio, . We find that both and
are sensitive to the interactions, and that the interactions significantly
lower both and .Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, epj class file, version accepted for publication
in Euro. Phys.J
Branch-and-lift algorithm for deterministic global optimization in nonlinear optimal control
This paper presents a branch-and-lift algorithm for solving optimal control problems with smooth nonlinear dynamics and potentially nonconvex objective and constraint functionals to guaranteed global optimality. This algorithm features a direct sequential method and builds upon a generic, spatial branch-and-bound algorithm. A new operation, called lifting, is introduced, which refines the control parameterization via a Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization process, while simultaneously eliminating control subregions that are either infeasible or that provably cannot contain any global optima. Conditions are given under which the image of the control parameterization error in the state space contracts exponentially as the parameterization order is increased, thereby making the lifting operation efficient. A computational technique based on ellipsoidal calculus is also developed that satisfies these conditions. The practical applicability of branch-and-lift is illustrated in a numerical example. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York
Determination of |Vcb| using the semileptonic decay \bar{B}^0 --> D^{*+}e^-\bar{\nu}
We present a measurement of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix
element |Vcb| using a 10.2 fb^{-1} data sample recorded at the \Upsilon(4S)
resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric e^+e^- storage ring.
By extrapolating the differential decay width of the \bar{B}^0 -->
D^{*+}e^-\bar{\nu} decay to the kinematic limit at which the D^{*+} is at rest
with respect to the \bar{B}^0, we extract the product of |Vcb| with the
normalization of the decay form factor F(1), |Vcb |F(1)=
(3.54+/-0.19+/-0.18)x10^{-2}, where the first error is statistical and the
second is systematic. A value of |Vcb| = (3.88+/-0.21+/-0.20+/-0.19)x10^{-2} is
obtained using a theoretical calculation of F(1), where the third error is due
to the theoretical uncertainty in the value of F(1). The branching fraction
B(\bar{B}^0 --> D^{*+}e^-\bar{\nu}) is measured to be
(4.59+/-0.23+/-0.40)x10^{-2}.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures, elsart.cls, submitted to PL
The use of sewage treatment works as foraging sites by insectivorous bats
Sewage treatment works with percolating filter beds are known to provide profitable foraging areas for insectivorous birds due to their association with high macroinvertebrate densities. Fly larvae developing on filter beds at sewage treatment works may similarly provide a valuable resource for foraging bats. Over the last two decades, however, there has been a decline in filter beds towards a system of “activated sludge”. Insects and bat activity were surveyed at 30 sites in Scotland employing these two different types of sewage treatment in order to assess the possible implications of these changes for foraging bats. Bat activity (number of passes) recorded from broad-band bat detectors was quantified at three points within each site. The biomass of aerial insects, sampled over the same period as the detector surveys, was measured using a suction trap. The biomass of insects and activity of Pipistrellus spp. was significantly higher at filter beds than at activated sludge sites. In addition, whilst foraging activity of Pipistrellus spp. at filter beds was comparable to that of adjacent “good” foraging habitat, foraging at activated sludge sites was considerably lower. This study indicates the high potential value of an anthropogenic process to foraging bats, particularly in a landscape where their insect prey has undergone a marked decline, and suggests that the current preference for activated sludge systems is likely to reduce the value of treatment works as foraging sites for bats
Probing exotic phenomena at the interface of nuclear and particle physics with the electric dipole moments of diamagnetic atoms: A unique window to hadronic and semi-leptonic CP violation
The current status of electric dipole moments of diamagnetic atoms which
involves the synergy between atomic experiments and three different theoretical
areas -- particle, nuclear and atomic is reviewed. Various models of particle
physics that predict CP violation, which is necessary for the existence of such
electric dipole moments, are presented. These include the standard model of
particle physics and various extensions of it. Effective hadron level combined
charge conjugation (C) and parity (P) symmetry violating interactions are
derived taking into consideration different ways in which a nucleon interacts
with other nucleons as well as with electrons. Nuclear structure calculations
of the CP-odd nuclear Schiff moment are discussed using the shell model and
other theoretical approaches. Results of the calculations of atomic electric
dipole moments due to the interaction of the nuclear Schiff moment with the
electrons and the P and time-reversal (T) symmetry violating
tensor-pseudotensor electron-nucleus are elucidated using different
relativistic many-body theories. The principles of the measurement of the
electric dipole moments of diamagnetic atoms are outlined. Upper limits for the
nuclear Schiff moment and tensor-pseudotensor coupling constant are obtained
combining the results of atomic experiments and relativistic many-body
theories. The coefficients for the different sources of CP violation have been
estimated at the elementary particle level for all the diamagnetic atoms of
current experimental interest and their implications for physics beyond the
standard model is discussed. Possible improvements of the current results of
the measurements as well as quantum chromodynamics, nuclear and atomic
calculations are suggested.Comment: 46 pages, 19 tables and 16 figures. A review article accepted for
EPJ
Measurement of the polarisation of W bosons produced with large transverse momentum in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS experiment
This paper describes an analysis of the angular distribution of W->enu and
W->munu decays, using data from pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV recorded with
the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2010, corresponding to an integrated
luminosity of about 35 pb^-1. Using the decay lepton transverse momentum and
the missing transverse energy, the W decay angular distribution projected onto
the transverse plane is obtained and analysed in terms of helicity fractions
f0, fL and fR over two ranges of W transverse momentum (ptw): 35 < ptw < 50 GeV
and ptw > 50 GeV. Good agreement is found with theoretical predictions. For ptw
> 50 GeV, the values of f0 and fL-fR, averaged over charge and lepton flavour,
are measured to be : f0 = 0.127 +/- 0.030 +/- 0.108 and fL-fR = 0.252 +/- 0.017
+/- 0.030, where the first uncertainties are statistical, and the second
include all systematic effects.Comment: 19 pages plus author list (34 pages total), 9 figures, 11 tables,
revised author list, matches European Journal of Physics C versio
Observation of a new chi_b state in radiative transitions to Upsilon(1S) and Upsilon(2S) at ATLAS
The chi_b(nP) quarkonium states are produced in proton-proton collisions at
the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV and recorded by the ATLAS
detector. Using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.4
fb^-1, these states are reconstructed through their radiative decays to
Upsilon(1S,2S) with Upsilon->mu+mu-. In addition to the mass peaks
corresponding to the decay modes chi_b(1P,2P)->Upsilon(1S)gamma, a new
structure centered at a mass of 10.530+/-0.005 (stat.)+/-0.009 (syst.) GeV is
also observed, in both the Upsilon(1S)gamma and Upsilon(2S)gamma decay modes.
This is interpreted as the chi_b(3P) system.Comment: 5 pages plus author list (18 pages total), 2 figures, 1 table,
corrected author list, matches final version in Physical Review Letter
- …