Investigation of continuously traversing microphone system for mode measurement

The continuously Traversing Microphone System consists of a data acquisition and processing method for obtaining the modal coefficients of the discrete, coherent acoustic field in a fan inlet duct. The system would be used in fan rigs or full scale engine installations where present measurement methods, because of the excessive number of microphones and long test times required, are not feasible. The purpose of the investigation reported here was to develop a method for defining modal structure by means of a continuously traversing microphone system and to perform an evaluation of the method, based upon analytical studies and computer simulated tests. A variety of system parameters were examined, and the effects of deviations from ideal were explored. Effects of traverse speed, digitizing rate, run time, roundoff error, calibration errors, and random noise background level were determined. For constant fan operating speed, the sensitivity of the method to normal errors and deviations was determined to be acceptable. Good recovery of mode coefficients was attainable. Fluctuating fan speed conditions received special attention, and it was concluded that by employing suitable time delay procedures, satisfactory information on mode coefficients can be obtained under realistic conditions. A plan for further development involving fan rig tests was prepared

Early Star Formation, Nucleosynthesis, and Chemical Evolution in Proto-Galactic Clouds

We present numerical simulations to describe the nucleosynthesis and evolution of pre-Galactic clouds in a model which is motivated by cold dark matter simulations of hierarchical galaxy formation. We adopt a SN-induced star-formation mechanism and follow the chemical enrichment and energy input by Type II and Type Ia SNe. We utilize metallicity-dependent yields and include finite stellar lifetimes. We derive the metallicity distribution functions, the age-metallicity relation, and relative elemental abundances for a number of alpha- and Fe-group elements. We find that the dispersion of the metallicity distribution function of the outer halo is reproduced by contributions from clouds with different initial conditions. Clouds with initial masses greater than that of present globular clusters are found to survive the first 0.1 Gyr, suggesting that such systems may have contributed to the formation of the first stars, and could have been self-enriched. More massive clouds are only stable when one assumes an initial mass function that is not biased towards massive stars. The predicted relative abundances of some alpha- and Fe-group elements show good agreement with the observed values down to metallicities below [Fe/H] = -4 when the iron yields are reduced relative to stellar models. The observed scatter is also reproduced for many elements including the observed bifurcation in [alpha/Fe] for stars with low [Fe/H]. However, the predicted dispersion may be too large for some alpha elements unless a limited range of progenitor masses is assumed. The results suggest that the low-mass SNeII were absent at the very low metallicities, and that the upper mass limit for the first stars that contributed to nucleosynthesis may be < 40 solar masses.Comment: 20 pages, 16 figures, Accepted for publication in J. Phys.

Do Linear Dispersions of Classical Waves Mean Dirac Cones?

By using the \vec{k}\cdot\vec{p} method, we propose a first-principles theory to study the linear dispersions in phononic and photonic crystals. The theory reveals that only those linear dispersions created by doubly-degenerate states can be described by a reduced Hamiltonian that can be mapped into the Dirac Hamiltonian and possess a Berry phase of -\pi. Triply-degenerate states can also generate Dirac-like cone dispersions, but the wavefunctions transform like a spin-1 particle and the Berry phase is zero. Our theory is capable of predicting accurately the linear slopes of Dirac/Dirac-like cones at various symmetry points in a Brilliouin zone, independent of frequency and lattice structure

On-demand or Spot? Selling the cloud to risk-averse customers

In Amazon EC2, cloud resources are sold through a combination of an on-demand market, in which customers buy resources at a fixed price, and a spot market, in which customers bid for an uncertain supply of excess resources. Standard market environments suggest that an optimal design uses just one type of market. We show the prevalence of a dual market system can be explained by heterogeneous risk attitudes of customers. In our stylized model, we consider unit demand risk-averse bidders. We show the model admits a unique equilibrium, with higher revenue and higher welfare than using only spot markets. Furthermore, as risk aversion increases, the usage of the on-demand market increases. We conclude that risk attitudes are an important factor in cloud resource allocation and should be incorporated into models of cloud markets.Comment: Appeared at WINE 201

Direct Signals for Large Extra Dimensions in the Production of Fermion Pairs at Linear Colliders

We analyze the potentiality of the new generation of $e^+e^-$ linear colliders to search for large extra dimensions via the production of fermion pairs in association with Kaluza-Klein gravitons (G), i.e. $e^+e^- \leftarrow f\bar{f}G$. This process leads to a final state exhibiting a significant amount of missing energy in addition to acoplanar lepton or jet pairs. We study in detail this reaction using full tree level contibutions due to the graviton emission and the standard model backgrounds. After choosing the cuts to enhance the signal, we show that a linear collider with a center-of-mass energy of 500 GeV will be able to probe quantum gravity scales from 0.96(0.86) up to 4.1(3.3) TeV at 2(5)$\sigma$ level, depending on the number of extra dimensions.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures. Using RevTex, axodraw.sty. Discussion was extended. No changes in the results. Accepted for publication by Phys. Rev.

Quasar Proper Motions and Low-Frequency Gravitational Waves

We report observational upper limits on the mass-energy of the cosmological gravitational-wave background, from limits on proper motions of quasars. Gravitational waves with periods longer than the time span of observations produce a simple pattern of apparent proper motions over the sky, composed primarily of second-order transverse vector spherical harmonics. A fit of such harmonics to measured motions yields a 95%-confidence limit on the mass-energy of gravitational waves with frequencies <2e-9 Hz, of <0.11/h*h times the closure density of the universe.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure. Also available at http://charm.physics.ucsb.edu:80/people/cgwinn/cgwinn_group/index.htm