Explanation of the RHIC HBT Puzzle by a Granular Source of Quark-Gluon Plasma Droplets

We present a review on the explanation of the RHIC HBT puzzle by a granular pion-emitting source of quark-gluon plasma droplets. The evolution of the droplet is described by relativistic hydrodynamics with an equation of state suggested by lattice gauge results. The granular source evolution is obtained by superposing all of the evolutions of individual droplets. Pions are assumed to be emitted thermally from the droplets at the freeze-out configuration characterized by a freeze-out temperature $T_f$. We find that the average particle emission time scales with the initial radius of the droplet. Pions will be emitted earlier if the droplet radius is smaller. An earlier emission time will lead to a smaller extracted HBT radius $R_{\rm out}$, while the extracted HBT radius $R_{\rm side}$ is determined by the scale of the distribution of the droplet centers. However, a collective expansion of the droplets can further decrease $R_{\rm out}$. As a result, the value of $R_{\rm out}/R_{\rm side}$ can be close to, or even less than 1 for theComment: 8 pages, 4 figures, invited talk presented at the XI International Workshop on Correlation and Fluctuation in Multiparticle Production, Nov. 21-24, 2006, Hangzhou, Chin

Analysis of pion elliptic flows and HBT interferometry in a granular quark-gluon plasma droplet model

In many simulations of high-energy heavy-ion collisions on an event-by-event analysis, it is known that the initial energy density distribution in the transverse plane is highly fluctuating. Subsequent longitudinal expansion will lead to many longitudinal tubes of quark-gluon plasma which have tendencies to break up into many spherical droplets because of sausage instabilities. We are therefore motivated to use a model of quark-gluon plasma granular droplets that evolve hydrodynamically to investigate pion elliptic flows and Hanbury-Brown-Twiss interferometry. We find that the data of pion transverse momentum spectra, elliptic flows, and HBT radii in \sqrt{s_{NN}}=200 GeV Au + Au collisions at RHIC can be described well by an expanding source of granular droplets with an anisotropic velocity distribution.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, in Late

Giant Modal Gain, Amplified Surface Plasmon Polariton Propagation, and Slowing Down of Energy Velocity in a Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Structure

We investigated surface plasmon polariton (SPP) propagation in a metal-semiconductor-metal structure where semiconductor is highly excited to have optical gain. We show that near the SPP resonance, the imaginary part of the propagation wavevector changes from positive to hugely negative, corresponding to an amplified SPP propagation. The SPP experiences a giant gain that is 1000 times of material gain in the excited semiconductor. We show that such a giant gain is related to the slowing down of average energy propagation in the structur

NMR Search for the Spin Nematic State in LaFeAsO Single Crystal

We report a 75-As single crystal NMR investigation of LaFeAsO, the parent phase of a pnictide high Tc superconductor. We demonstrate that spin dynamics develop a strong two-fold anisotropy within each orthorhombic domain below the tetragonal-orthorhombic structural phase transition at T[TO]~156 K. This intermediate state with a dynamical breaking of the rotational symmetry freezes progressively into a spin density wave (SDW) below T[SDW]~142 K. Our findings are consistent with the presence of a spin nematic state below T[TO] with an incipient magnetic order.Comment: Revised manuscript accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Standing wave oscillations in binary mixture convection: from onset via symmetry breaking to period doubling into chaos

Oscillatory solution branches of the hydrodynamic field equations describing convection in the form of a standing wave (SW) in binary fluid mixtures heated from below are determined completely for several negative Soret coefficients. Galerkin as well as finite-difference simulations were used. They were augmented by simple control methods to obtain also unstable SW states. For sufficiently negative Soret coefficients unstable SWs bifurcate subcritically out of the quiescent conductive state. They become stable via a saddle-node bifurcation when lateral phase pinning is exerted. Eventually their invariance under time-shift by half a period combined with reflexion at midheight of the fluid layer gets broken. Thereafter they terminate by undergoing a period-doubling cascade into chaos

Scanner Invariant Representations for Diffusion MRI Harmonization

Purpose: In the present work we describe the correction of diffusion-weighted MRI for site and scanner biases using a novel method based on invariant representation. Theory and Methods: Pooled imaging data from multiple sources are subject to variation between the sources. Correcting for these biases has become very important as imaging studies increase in size and multi-site cases become more common. We propose learning an intermediate representation invariant to site/protocol variables, a technique adapted from information theory-based algorithmic fairness; by leveraging the data processing inequality, such a representation can then be used to create an image reconstruction that is uninformative of its original source, yet still faithful to underlying structures. To implement this, we use a deep learning method based on variational auto-encoders (VAE) to construct scanner invariant encodings of the imaging data. Results: To evaluate our method, we use training data from the 2018 MICCAI Computational Diffusion MRI (CDMRI) Challenge Harmonization dataset. Our proposed method shows improvements on independent test data relative to a recently published baseline method on each subtask, mapping data from three different scanning contexts to and from one separate target scanning context. Conclusion: As imaging studies continue to grow, the use of pooled multi-site imaging will similarly increase. Invariant representation presents a strong candidate for the harmonization of these data

Hydrodynamic investigation on an OWC wave energy converter integrated into an OWT monopile

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordMulti-functional platform is a promising way to enhance the economic power production from multiple renewable energy sources. This paper investigates numerically and experimentally the hydrodynamic performance of an oscillating water column (OWC) wave energy converter (WEC), integrated into a monopile-mounted offshore wind turbine (OWT). Based on linear potential flow theory, a 3D time-domain numerical model was developed, based on the higher-order boundary element method, to investigate the coupled hydrodynamic response of a cylindrical-type OWC device. A nonlinear pneumatic model was utilized to simulate the turbine damping. Experiments on the integrated system were carried out in a wave flume at Dalian University of Technology. The numerical results agree well with the experimental studies, including i) the surface elevation and air pressure inside the chamber, ii) wave pressure on the OWT monopile and iii) hydrodynamic efficiency. Furthermore, the effects of the OWC damping and wave steepness on the OWC-OWT system were investigated. It was found that the introduction of the OWC can significantly reduce the horizontal force and overturning moment on the OWT monopile, and that the wave steepness has a significant influence on the OWC efficiency, especially at resonance.National Key R&D Program of ChinaNational Natural Science Foundation of ChinaEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC