570 research outputs found
Perturbations of eigenvalues embedded at threshold: one, two and three dimensional solvable models
We examine perturbations of eigenvalues and resonances for a class of
multi-channel quantum mechanical model-Hamiltonians describing a particle
interacting with a localized spin in dimension . We consider
unperturbed Hamiltonians showing eigenvalues and resonances at the threshold of
the continuous spectrum and we analyze the effect of various type of
perturbations on the spectral singularities. We provide algorithms to obtain
convergent series expansions for the coordinates of the singularities.Comment: 20 page
The NLS equation in dimension one with spatially concentrated nonlinearities: the pointlike limit
In the present paper we study the following scaled nonlinear Schr\"odinger
equation (NLS) in one space dimension: This equation represents a nonlinear Schr\"odinger
equation with a spatially concentrated nonlinearity. We show that in the limit
, the weak (integral) dynamics converges in to
the weak dynamics of the NLS with point-concentrated nonlinearity: where is the
laplacian with the nonlinear boundary condition at the origin
and
. The convergence occurs for every if and for every otherwise. The same
result holds true for a nonlinearity with an arbitrary number of
concentration pointsComment: 10 page
The role of small specimen creep testing within a life assessment framework for high temperature power plant
The safe operation of components operating at high temperature and pressure faces numerous challenges associated with ageing materials and maintaining commercial viability whilst economies transition to a lower carbon future as part of their climate change commitments. Due to these challenges the plant operator faces increasing pressure to ensure that any capital or operational expenditures are optimised and must ensure that they duly recognise plant age, condition, operating regime and ultimately the planned closure date.
This review, for the first time, describes how small specimen creep testing can be applied within a practical and deployable life assessment framework and in conjunction with other assessment techniques. The current state of the art for small specimen creep testing is critically reviewed; this also includes a review of traditional techniques used on site for the metallurgical assessment of material condition, with examples from site investigations and assessment campaigns in both conventional and nuclear plant applications.
In order to enhance the current practice for assessing the condition of creep ageing components this review proposes the more proactive use of small specimen testing methods for the in-service condition assessment of power plant materials, notably earlier in the plant lifecycle and within a holistic life assessment framework. This is intended to provide a means of calibrating the time dependent response of the component or system being monitored, thereby providing a key reference in-service strain rate measurement, or material property evaluation, that can subsequently be used with other traditionally deployed assessment methods to define a more targeted and cost-effective forward inspection plan. The review describes how small specimen creep testing methods and other complementary tools can be use in a new and structured approach to life management.
The current status of small specimen testing methods, for both conventional and nuclear applications, is described along with a detailed discussion on current practice for in-service creep life assessment, with a case study used to illustrate the main principals. A case study is presented for ageing CMV (0.5%Cr0.5%Mo0.25%V) main steam pipework due to the extensive amount of through life data available, which highlights the particular challenges associated with the interpretation of various types of site outage inspection data, in conjunction with on-load plant operational data. The current approach to the assessment of component condition follows well established inspection based practices defined in various industry good practice guides, with expert elicitation and experience used to judge the condition of the component, system and operational risk on return to service.
This review proposes a new approach to the holistic life assessment of high temperature plant, with a particular emphasis on more proactive use of small specimen testing. In addition, the review has highlighted other aspects of the current approach to in-service condition assessment that could be improved to support the plant owner. This specifically refers to the potential to develop and implement novel life assessment models that can take advantage of the significant amount of site data currently routinely acquired during plant outage overhauls. There is a clear need to provide the plant owner with more reliable and effective life prediction tools, based on earlier and more rigorous assessment of life consumption. The proposed application of small specimen testing described in this paper is equally applicable to both conventional and nuclear plant applications and a range of components, from static pressure systems to high temperature turbine rotors
Determination of the Newtonian Gravitational Constant Using Atom Interferometry
We present a new measurement of the Newtonian gravitational constant G based
on cold atom interferometry. Freely falling samples of laser-cooled rubidium
atoms are used in a gravity gradiometer to probe the field generated by nearby
source masses. In addition to its potential sensitivity, this method is
intriguing as gravity is explored by a quantum system. We report a value of
G=6.667 10^{-11} m^{3} kg^{-1} s^{-2}, estimating a statistical uncertainty of
0.011 10^{-11} m^{3} kg^{-1} s^{-2} and a systematic uncertainty of
0.003 10^{-11} m^{3} kg^{-1} s^{-2}. The long-term stability of the instrument
and the signal-to-noise ratio demonstrated here open interesting perspectives
for pushing the measurement accuracy below the 100 ppm level.Comment: 4 figure
Point interactions in acoustics: one dimensional models
A one dimensional system made up of a compressible fluid and several
mechanical oscillators, coupled to the acoustic field in the fluid, is analyzed
for different settings of the oscillators array. The dynamical models are
formulated in terms of singular perturbations of the decoupled dynamics of the
acoustic field and the mechanical oscillators. Detailed spectral properties of
the generators of the dynamics are given for each model we consider. In the
case of a periodic array of mechanical oscillators it is shown that the energy
spectrum presents a band structure.Comment: revised version, 30 pages, 2 figure
Atom interferometry gravity-gradiometer for the determination of the Newtonian gravitational constant G
We developed a gravity-gradiometer based on atom interferometry for the
determination of the Newtonian gravitational constant \textit{G}. The
apparatus, combining a Rb fountain, Raman interferometry and a juggling scheme
for fast launch of two atomic clouds, was specifically designed to reduce
possible systematic effects. We present instrument performances and show that
the sensor is able to detect the gravitational field induced by source masses.
A discussion of projected accuracy for \textit{G} measurement using this new
scheme shows that the results of the experiment will be significant to
discriminate between previous inconsistent values.Comment: 9 pages,9 figures, Submitte
Spin dependent point potentials in one and three dimensions
We consider a system realized with one spinless quantum particle and an array
of spins 1/2 in dimension one and three. We characterize all the
Hamiltonians obtained as point perturbations of an assigned free dynamics in
terms of some ``generalized boundary conditions''. For every boundary condition
we give the explicit formula for the resolvent of the corresponding
Hamiltonian. We discuss the problem of locality and give two examples of spin
dependent point potentials that could be of interest as multi-component
solvable models.Comment: 15 pages, some misprints corrected, one example added, some
references modified or adde
Characterization and control of phase fluctuations in elongated Bose-Einstein condensates
Quasi one dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) in elongated traps
exhibit significant phase fluctuations even at very low temperatures. We
present recent experimental results on the dynamic transformation of phase
fluctuations into density modulations during time-of-flight and show the
excellent quantitative agreement with the theoretical prediction. In addition
we confirm that under our experimental conditions, in the magnetic trap density
modulations are strongly suppressed even when the phase fluctuates. The paper
also discusses our theoretical results on control of the condensate phase by
employing a time-dependent perturbation. Our results set important limitations
on future applications of BEC in precision atom interferometry and atom optics,
but at the same time suggest pathways to overcome these limitations.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
Dynamics and Lax-Phillips scattering for generalized Lamb models
This paper treats the dynamics and scattering of a model of coupled
oscillating systems, a finite dimensional one and a wave field on the half
line. The coupling is realized producing the family of selfadjoint extensions
of the suitably restricted self-adjoint operator describing the uncoupled
dynamics. The spectral theory of the family is studied and the associated
quadratic forms constructed. The dynamics turns out to be Hamiltonian and the
Hamiltonian is described, including the case in which the finite dimensional
systems comprises nonlinear oscillators; in this case the dynamics is shown to
exist as well. In the linear case the system is equivalent, on a dense
subspace, to a wave equation on the half line with higher order boundary
conditions, described by a differential polynomial explicitely
related to the model parameters. In terms of such structure the Lax-Phillips
scattering of the system is studied. In particular we determine the incoming
and outgoing translation representations, the scattering operator, which turns
out to be unitarily equivalent to the multiplication operator given by the
rational function , and the Lax-Phillips semigroup,
which describes the evolution of the states which are neither incoming in the
past nor outgoing in the future
Precision measurements of gravity using cold atom sensors
We present a synthetic view of experiments we are performing using atom interferometry to determine the gravitational constant G and to test the Newtonian gravitational law at micrometric distances. Accurate gravity measurements with atom interferometry also find applications in geophysical studies and in satellite missions for the geoid mapping. Experiments in progress, using ultracold atom devices, for applications in geophyiscal and space monitoring will be also described
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