282 research outputs found
Lightweight rotor design by optimal spar cap offset
Bend-twist coupling behavior is induced in a blade by displacing the suction side spar cap towards the leading edge, and the pressure side one in the opposite direction. Additional couplings are introduced by rotating the spar cap fibers. The structural configuration of the blade is optimized using an automated design environment. The resulting blade shows significant benefits in terms of mass and loads when compared to the baseline uncoupled one. Finally, the lightweight design concept is used to increase the rotor size, resulting in a larger energy yield for the same hub loads
High sensitivity tests of the Pauli Exclusion Principle with VIP2
The Pauli Exclusion Principle is one of the most fundamental rules of nature
and represents a pillar of modern physics. According to many observations the
Pauli Exclusion Principle must be extremely well fulfilled. Nevertheless,
numerous experimental investigations were performed to search for a small
violation of this principle. The VIP experiment at the Gran Sasso underground
laboratory searched for Pauli-forbidden X-ray transitions in copper atoms using
the Ramberg-Snow method and obtained the best limit so far. The follow-up
experiment VIP2 is designed to reach even higher sensitivity. It aims to
improve the limit by VIP by orders of magnitude. The experimental method,
comparison of different PEP tests based on different assumptions and the
developments for VIP2 are presented.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings DISCRETE2014 Conferenc
Searches for the Violation of Pauli Exclusion Principle at LNGS in VIP(-2) experiment
The VIP (Violation of Pauli exclusion principle) experiment and its follow-up
experiment VIP-2 at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) search for
X-rays from Cu atomic states that are prohibited by the Pauli Exclusion
Principle (PEP). The candidate events, if they exist, will originate from the
transition of a orbit electron to the ground state which is already
occupied by two electrons. The present limit on the probability for PEP
violation for electron is 4.7 set by the VIP experiment. With
upgraded detectors for high precision X-ray spectroscopy, the VIP-2 experiment
will improve the sensitivity by two orders of magnitude.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Conference proceedings for oral
presentation at TAUP 2015, Torin
Beyond quantum mechanics? Hunting the 'impossible' atoms (Pauli Exclusion Principle violation and spontaneous collapse of the wave function at test)
The development of mathematically complete and consistent models solving the
so-called "measurement problem", strongly renewed the interest of the
scientific community for the foundations of quantum mechanics, among these the
Dynamical Reduction Models posses the unique characteristic to be
experimentally testable. In the first part of the paper an upper limit on the
reduction rate parameter of such models will be obtained, based on the analysis
of the X-ray spectrum emitted by an isolated slab of germanium and measured by
the IGEX experiment.
The second part of the paper is devoted to present the results of the VIP
(Violation of the Pauli exclusion principle) experiment and to describe its
recent upgrade. The VIP experiment established a limit on the probability that
the Pauli Exclusion Principle (PEP) is violated by electrons, using the very
clean method of searching for PEP forbidden atomic transitions in copper
Testing the Pauli Exclusion Principle for electrons at LNGS
High-precision experiments have been done to test the Pauli exclusion
principle (PEP) for electrons by searching for anomalous -series X-rays from
a Cu target supplied with electric current. With the highest sensitivity, the
VIP (VIolation of Pauli Exclusion Principle) experiment set an upper limit at
the level of for the probability that an external electron captured
by a Cu atom can make the transition from the 2 state to a 1 state
already occupied by two electrons. In a follow-up experiment at Gran Sasso, we
aim to increase the sensitivity by two orders of magnitude. We show proofs that
the proposed improvement factor is realistic based on the results from recent
performance tests of the detectors we did at Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati
(LNF).Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, conference proceedings on TAUP 201
Spontaneously emitted X-rays: an experimental signature of the dynamical reduction models
We present the idea of searching for X-rays as a signature of the mechanism
inducing the spontaneous collapse of the wave function. Such a signal is
predicted by the continuous spontaneous localization theories, which are
solving the "measurement problem" by modifying the Schrodinger equation. We
will show some encouraging preliminary results and discuss future plans and
strategy.Comment: to be published in Foundation of Physics 201
Application of photon detectors in the VIP2 experiment to test the Pauli Exclusion Principle
The Pauli Exclusion Principle (PEP) was introduced by the austrian physicist
Wolfgang Pauli in 1925. Since then, several experiments have checked its
validity. From 2006 until 2010, the VIP (VIolation of the Pauli Principle)
experiment took data at the LNGS underground laboratory to test the PEP. This
experiment looked for electronic 2p to 1s transitions in copper, where 2
electrons are in the 1s state before the transition happens. These transitions
violate the PEP. The lack of detection of X-ray photons coming from these
transitions resulted in a preliminary upper limit for the violation of the PEP
of . Currently, the successor experiment VIP2 is under
preparation. The main improvements are, on one side, the use of Silicon Drift
Detectors (SDDs) as X-ray photon detectors. On the other side an active
shielding is implemented, which consists of plastic scintillator bars read by
Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). The employment of these detectors will
improve the upper limit for the violation of the PEP by around 2 orders of
magnitude
VIP 2: Experimental tests of the Pauli Exclusion Principle for electrons
The Pauli Exclusion Principle (PEP) was famously discovered in 1925 by the
austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli. Since then, it underwent several
experimental tests. Starting in 2006, the VIP (Violation of the Pauli
Principle) experiment looked for 2p to 1s X-ray transitions in copper, where 2
electrons are present in the 1s state before the transition happens. These
transitions violate the PEP, and the lack of detection of the corresponding
X-ray photons lead to a preliminary upper limit for the violation of the PEP of
4.7 * 10^(-29). The follow-up experiment VIP 2 is currently in the testing
phase and will be transported to its final destination, the underground
laboratory of Gran Sasso in Italy, in autumn 2015. Several improvements
compared to its predecessor like the use of new X-ray detectors and active
shielding from background gives rise to a goal for the improvement of the upper
limit of the probability for the violation of the Pauli Exclusion Principle of
2 orders of magnitude
Multi-GeV Electron Spectrometer
The advance in laser plasma acceleration techniques pushes the regime of the
resulting accelerated particles to higher energies and intensities. In
particular the upcoming experiments with the FLAME laser at LNF will enter the
GeV regime with almost 1pC of electrons. From the current status of
understanding of the acceleration mechanism, relatively large angular and
energy spreads are expected. There is therefore the need to develop a device
capable to measure the energy of electrons over three orders of magnitude (few
MeV to few GeV) under still unknown angular divergences. Within the PlasmonX
experiment at LNF a spectrometer is being constructed to perform these
measurements. It is made of an electro-magnet and a screen made of
scintillating fibers for the measurement of the trajectories of the particles.
The large range of operation, the huge number of particles and the need to
focus the divergence present unprecedented challenges in the design and
construction of such a device. We will present the design considerations for
this spectrometer and the first results from a prototype.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, submitted to NIM
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