4,910 research outputs found
Path integral Monte Carlo simulations of silicates
We investigate the thermal expansion of crystalline SiO in the --
cristobalite and the -quartz structure with path integral Monte Carlo
(PIMC) techniques. This simulation method allows to treat low-temperature
quantum effects properly. At temperatures below the Debye temperature, thermal
properties obtained with PIMC agree better with experimental results than those
obtained with classical Monte Carlo methods.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures, Phys. Rev. B (in press
Glass-Like Heat Conduction in High-Mobility Crystalline Semiconductors
The thermal conductivity of polycrystalline semiconductors with type-I
clathrate hydrate crystal structure is reported. Ge clathrates (doped with Sr
and/or Eu) exhibit lattice thermal conductivities typical of amorphous
materials. Remarkably, this behavior occurs in spite of the well-defined
crystalline structure and relatively high electron mobility (). The dynamics of dopant ions and their interaction with the
polyhedral cages of the structure are a likely source of the strong phonon
scattering.Comment: 4 pages, 3 postscript figures, to be published, Phys. Rev. Let
Impact of boundaries on fully connected random geometric networks
Many complex networks exhibit a percolation transition involving a
macroscopic connected component, with universal features largely independent of
the microscopic model and the macroscopic domain geometry. In contrast, we show
that the transition to full connectivity is strongly influenced by details of
the boundary, but observe an alternative form of universality. Our approach
correctly distinguishes connectivity properties of networks in domains with
equal bulk contributions. It also facilitates system design to promote or avoid
full connectivity for diverse geometries in arbitrary dimension.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
Why People Gamble: A Qualitative Study of Four New Zealand Ethnic Groups
In multicultural countries such as New Zealand, it is particularly important that gambling research take into account possible cultural differences. Many New Zealanders come from cultures that do not have a history of gambling, including the MÀori (New Zealand indigenous people), Pacific Islanders, and recent migrants. Little research has examined the reasons why people start and continue to gamble, especially among different ethnic groups. This research project thus aimed to develop a framework to explain how environmental, cultural, and social factors interact with personal attributes to determine gambling behaviors. In a qualitative study, 131 people broadly representative of MÀori, Pacific, Asian, and PÀkehÀ/New Zealand European groups residing in New Zealand were interviewed individually or in focus groups. They included social and problem gamblers, families of problem gamblers, and professionals. Different personal, socioeconomic, environmental, and cultural factors were identified, summarized in a developmental framework, and compared to factors found for ethnic groups in other countries. Public health policy issues were raised, including greater control of gambling promotion. © 2012 The Author(s).published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 28 May 201
Shrinking Point Bifurcations of Resonance Tongues for Piecewise-Smooth, Continuous Maps
Resonance tongues are mode-locking regions of parameter space in which stable
periodic solutions occur; they commonly occur, for example, near Neimark-Sacker
bifurcations. For piecewise-smooth, continuous maps these tongues typically
have a distinctive lens-chain (or sausage) shape in two-parameter bifurcation
diagrams. We give a symbolic description of a class of "rotational" periodic
solutions that display lens-chain structures for a general -dimensional map.
We then unfold the codimension-two, shrinking point bifurcation, where the
tongues have zero width. A number of codimension-one bifurcation curves emanate
from shrinking points and we determine those that form tongue boundaries.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figure
A Combined Experimental/Computational Study of Flow in Turbine Blade Cooling Passage
Laser velocimetry was utilized to map the velocity field in a serpentine turbine blade cooling passage at Reynolds and Rotation numbers of up to 25.000 and 0.48. These results were used to assess the combined influence of passage curvature and Coriolis force on the secondary velocity field generated. A Navier-Stokes code (NASTAR) was validated against incompressible test data and then used to simulate the effect of buoyancy. The measurements show a net convection from the low pressure surface to high pressure surface. The interaction of the secondary flows induced by the turns and rotation produces swirl at the turns, which persisted beyond 2 hydraulic diameters downstream of the turns. The incompressible flow field predictions agree well with the measured velocities. With radially outward flow, the buoyancy force causes a further increase in velocity on the high pressure surface and a reduction on the low pressure surface. The results were analyzed in relation to the heat transfer measurements of Wagner et al. (1991). Predicted heat transfer is enhanced on the high pressure surfaces and in turns. The incompressible flow simulation underpredicts heat transfer in these locations. Improvements observed in compressible flow simulation indicate that the buoyancy force may be important
Theory of Light Emission in Sonoluminescence as Thermal Radiation
Based on the model proposed by Hilgenfeldt {\it at al.} [Nature {\bf 398},
401 (1999)], we present here a comprehensive theory of thermal radiation in
single-bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL). We first invoke the generalized
Kirchhoff's law to obtain the thermal emissivity from the absorption
cross-section of a multilayered sphere (MLS). A sonoluminescing bubble, whose
internal structure is determined from hydrodynamic simulations, is then
modelled as a MLS and in turn the thermal radiation is evaluated. Numerical
results obtained from simulations for argon bubbles show that our theory
successfully captures the major features observed in SBSL experiments.Comment: 17 pages, 20 figure
Microstructured Fibre Taper with Constant Outer Diameter
Department of Electrical Engineerin
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