Comparison of Models of Critical Opacity in the Quark-Gluon Plasma

In this work we discuss two methods of calculation of quark propagation in the quark-gluon plasma. Both methods make use of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model. The essential difference of these calculations is the treatment of deconfinement. A model of confinement is not included in the work of Gastineau, Blanquier and Aichelin [hep-ph/0404207], however, the meson states they consider are still bound for temperatures greater than the deconfinement temperature T_c. On the other hand, our model deals with unconfined quarks and includes a description of the q(bar)q resonances found in lattice QCD studies that make use of the maximum entropy method (MEM). We compare the q{bar)q cross sections calculated in these models.Comment: 7 pages and 4 figures RevTe

An Alternative Origin for Hypervelocity Stars

Halo stars with unusually high radial velocity ("hypervelocity" stars, or HVS) are thought to be stars unbound to the Milky Way that originate from the gravitational interaction of stellar systems with the supermassive black hole at the Galactic center. We examine the latest HVS compilation and find peculiarities that are unexpected in this black hole-ejection scenario. For example, a large fraction of HVS cluster around the constellation of Leo and share a common travel time of $\sim 100$-200 Myr. Furthermore, their velocities are not really extreme if, as suggested by recent galaxy formation models, the Milky Way is embedded within a $2.5\times 10^{12} h^{-1} M_{\odot}$ dark halo with virial velocity of $\sim 220$ km/s. In this case, the escape velocity at $\sim 50$ kpc would be $\sim 600$ km/s and very few HVS would be truly unbound. We use numerical simulations to show that disrupting dwarf galaxies may contribute halo stars with velocities up to and sometimes exceeding the nominal escape speed of the system. These stars are arranged in a thinly-collimated outgoing ``tidal tail'' stripped from the dwarf during its latest pericentric passage. We speculate that some HVS may therefore be tidal debris from a dwarf recently disrupted near the center of the Galaxy. In this interpretation, the angular clustering of HVS results because from our perspective the tail is seen nearly ``end on'', whereas the common travel time simply reflects the fact that these stars were stripped simultaneously from the dwarf during a single pericentric passage. This proposal is eminently falsifiable, since it makes a number of predictions that are distinct from the black-hole ejection mechanism and that should be testable with improved HVS datasets.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Replacement to match version accepted to ApJ

A Preliminary Study of Airplane Performance

Flight tests were carried out at the Langley Field laboratory of the NACA, on several airplanes for the purpose of determining their relative performance with the same engine and the same propeller. The method used consisted in flying each airplane on a level course and measuring the airspeed for the whole range of engine revolutions. In general the results show that a small change in the wing section or the wing area has but a slight effect upon the performance, but changes in those parts which cause the structural resistance have a very important effect

Age discrimination among basalt flows using digitally enhanced LANDSAT imagery

Digitally enhanced LANDSAT MSS data were used to discriminate among basalt flows of historical to Tertiary age, at a test site in Northwestern Saudi Arabia. Spectral signatures compared favorably with a field-defined classification that permits discrimination among five groups of basalt flows on the basis of geomorphic criteria. Characteristics that contributed to age definition include: surface texture, weathering, color, drainage evolution, and khabrah development. The inherent gradation in the evolution of geomorphic parameters, however, makes visual extrapolation between areas subjective. Therefore, incorporation of spectrally-derived volcanic units into the mapping process should produce more quantitatively consistent age groupings

Estimation of Ksub Ic from slow bend precracked Charpy specimen strength ratios

Strength ratios are reported which were derived from slow bend tests on 0.25 inch thick precracked Charpy specimens of steels, aluminum alloys, and a titanium alloy for which valid K sub Ic values were established. The strength ratios were used to develop calibration curves typical of those that could be useful in estimating K sub Ic for the purposes of alloy development of quality control

Geological mapping in northwestern Saudi Arabia using LANDSAT multispectral techniques

Various computer enhancement and data extraction systems using LANDSAT data were assessed and used to complement a continuing geologic mapping program. Interactive digital classification techniques using both the parallel-piped and maximum-likelihood statistical approaches achieve very limited success in areas of highly dissected terrain. Computer enhanced imagery developed by color compositing stretched MSS ratio data was constructed for a test site in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Initial results indicate that several igneous and sedimentary rock types can be discriminated