22,723 research outputs found
Fluorine negative ion detachment kinetics
A study of the rate of F(-) detachment by O and H atoms via the reactions F(-) + O yields FO + e and F(-) + H yields FH+ e was undertaken using a drift tube to produce F(-) ions at various drift velocities and therefore different ion temperatures. Preliminary mobility measurements of F(-) ions in Ar were made, indicating that ion temperatures in the 300 K to 5000 K range could be achieved; however due to numerous difficulties experienced in obtaining a reliable F(-) ion source, the study could not be completed
Accurate Adiabatic Connection Curve Beyond the Physical Interaction Strength
The adiabatic connection curve of density functional theory (DFT) is
accurately calculated beyond the physical interaction strength for Hooke's
atom, two interacting electrons in a harmonic well potential. Extrapolation of
the accurate curve to the infinite coupling limit agrees well with the strictly
correlated electron (SCE) hypothesis but the approach to this limit is more
complex. The interaction strength interpolation is shown to be a good, but not
perfect, fit to the adiabatic curve. Arguments about the locality of
functionals and convexity of the adiabatic connection curve are examined in
this regime.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
A Component Based Heuristic Search Method with Evolutionary Eliminations
Nurse rostering is a complex scheduling problem that affects hospital
personnel on a daily basis all over the world. This paper presents a new
component-based approach with evolutionary eliminations, for a nurse scheduling
problem arising at a major UK hospital. The main idea behind this technique is
to decompose a schedule into its components (i.e. the allocated shift pattern
of each nurse), and then to implement two evolutionary elimination strategies
mimicking natural selection and natural mutation process on these components
respectively to iteratively deliver better schedules. The worthiness of all
components in the schedule has to be continuously demonstrated in order for
them to remain there. This demonstration employs an evaluation function which
evaluates how well each component contributes towards the final objective. Two
elimination steps are then applied: the first elimination eliminates a number
of components that are deemed not worthy to stay in the current schedule; the
second elimination may also throw out, with a low level of probability, some
worthy components. The eliminated components are replenished with new ones
using a set of constructive heuristics using local optimality criteria.
Computational results using 52 data instances demonstrate the applicability of
the proposed approach in solving real-world problems.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figure
An evaluation of the spatial resolution of soil moisture information
Rainfall-amount patterns in the central regions of the U.S. were assessed. The spatial scales of surface features and their corresponding microwave responses in the mid western U.S. were investigated. The usefulness for U.S. government agencies of soil moisture information at scales of 10 km and 1 km. was ascertained. From an investigation of 494 storms, it was found that the rainfall resulting from the passage of most types of storms produces patterns which can be resolved on a 10 km scale. The land features causing the greatest problem in the sensing of soil moisture over large agricultural areas with a radiometer are bodies of water. Over the mid-western portions of the U.S., water occupies less than 2% of the total area, the consequently, the water bodies will not have a significant impact on the mapping of soil moisture. Over most of the areas, measurements at a 10-km resolution would adequately define the distribution of soil moisture. Crop yield models and hydrological models would give improved results if soil moisture information at scales of 10 km was available
Global tectonic studies: Hotspots and anomalous topography
Volcanic activity on Earth and its secular variations are compared with that on other terrestrial planets. Activity at divergent, transform, and convergent plate margins is described with particular emphasis on hot spots and flood basalts. The timing and causing of uplifting above 500 meters, which in not associated with either plate boundaries or the normal nonplate margin edges of continents is considered with particular focus on the Guyana Highlands in southern Venezuela and western British Guiana, and the Brazilian Highlands in the central, eastern, and southern parts of the country. The mode and mechanism of plateau uplifting and the re-elevation of old mountain belts and subsidence of intra-continental basins are also discussed
Confinement effects in a guided-wave interferometer with millimeter-scale arm separation
Guided-wave atom interferometers measure interference effects using atoms
held in a confining potential. In one common implementation, the confinement is
primarily two-dimensional, and the atoms move along the nearly free dimension
under the influence of an off-resonant standing wave laser beam. In this
configuration, residual confinement along the nominally free axis can introduce
a phase gradient to the atoms that limits the arm separation of the
interferometer. We experimentally investigate this effect in detail, and show
that it can be alleviated by having the atoms undergo a more symmetric motion
in the guide. This can be achieved by either using additional laser pulses or
by allowing the atoms to freely oscillate in the potential. Using these
techniques, we demonstrate interferometer measurement times up to 72 ms and arm
separations up to 0.42 mm with a well controlled phase, or times of 0.91 s and
separations of 1.7 mm with an uncontrolled phase.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure
On the compatibility of causality and symmetry (Comments on "Analysis of causality in time-dependent density functional theory")
It is argued that there exists the only one inverse of the linear response
function , i.e. , which depends symmetrically of its
spatial-times variables, see M.K. Harbola, and A. Banerjee, Phys. Rev. A {\bf
60}, 5101 (1999). Some brief comments on this consideration are presented. We
show instead, that it is possible to construct the causal inverse also. At the
same time we confirm the main statement of M.K. Harbola and A. Banerjee that in
fact there is no contradiction between the symmetry and causality.Comment: 4 pages, LaTe
Large-scale Breit-Pauli R-matrix calculations for transition probabilities of Fe V
Ab initio theoretical calculations are reported for the electric (E1) dipole
allowed and intercombination fine structure transitions in Fe V using the
Breit-Pauli R-matrix (BPRM) method. We obtain 3865 bound fine structure levels
of Fe V and oscillator strengths, Einstein A-coefficients and
line strengths. In addition to the relativistic effects, the intermediate
coupling calculations include extensive electron correlation effects that
represent the complex configuration interaction (CI). Fe V bound levels are
obtained with angular and spin symmetries and of the (e + Fe VI)
system such that = 5,3,1, 10, . The bound levels are
obtained as solutions of the Breit-Pauli (e + ion) Hamiltonian for each ,
and are designated according to the `collision' channel quantum numbers. A
major task has been the identification of these large number of bound fine
structure levels in terms of standard spectroscopic designations. A new scheme,
based on the analysis of quantum defects and channel wavefunctions, has been
developed. The identification scheme aims particularly to determine the
completeness of the results in terms of all possible bound levels for
applications to analysis of experimental measurements and plasma modeling. An
uncertainty of 10-20% for most transitions is estimated.Comment: 31 pages, 1 figure, Physica Scripta (in press
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