1,456 research outputs found
Gravitational radiation timescales for extreme mass ratio inspirals
The capture and inspiral of compact stellar masses into massive black holes
is an important source of low-frequency gravitational waves (with frequencies
of ~1-100mHz), such as those that might be detected by the planned Laser
Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Simulations of stellar clusters designed
to study this problem typically rely on simple treatments of the black hole
encounter which neglect some important features of orbits around black holes,
such as the minimum radii of stable, non-plunging orbits. Incorporating an
accurate representation of the orbital dynamics near a black hole has been
avoided due to the large computational overhead. This paper provides new, more
accurate, expressions for the energy and angular momentum lost by a compact
object during a parabolic encounter with a non-spinning black hole, and the
subsequent inspiral lifetime. These results improve on the Keplerian
expressions which are now commonly used and will allow efficient computational
simulations to be performed that account for the relativistic nature of the
spacetime around the central black hole in the system.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures. Changed in response to referee's report.
Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journa
Shear thickening of cornstarch suspensions as a re-entrant jamming transition
We study the rheology of cornstarch suspensions, a dense system of
non-Brownian particles that exhibits shear thickening, i.e. a viscosity that
increases with increasing shear rate. Using MRI velocimetry we show that the
suspension has a yield stress. From classical rheology it follows that as a
function of the applied stress the suspension is first solid (yield stress),
then liquid and then solid again when it shear thickens. The onset shear rate
for thickening is found to depend on the measurement geometry: the smaller the
gap of the shear cell, the lower the shear rate at which thickening occurs.
Shear thickening can then be interpreted as the consequence of the Reynolds
dilatancy: the system under flow wants to dilate but instead undergoes a
jamming transition because it is confined, as confirmed by measurement of the
dilation of the suspension as a function of the shear rate
AN ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF GENETIC INFORMATION: LEPTIN GENOTYPING IN FED CATTLE
The use of genetic knowledge is widespread in crop production but is just recently being utilized in livestock production. This study investigates the economic value to feedlots of a polymorphism in the bovine leptin gene. Previous studies indicate that this polymorphism is associated with fat deposition. Since fed cattle are often priced on a grid that considers both yield and quality grades, fat deposition is an important factor in the value and profitability of fed cattle. Using data from 590 crossbred steers and heifers, we estimate growth curves for relevant biological traits, both with and without genotypic information. Using the resulting functions, we then simulate carcass traits to various days-on-feed and compute the associated profit under three price grids. Maximum profits are determined in an unconstrained profit maximization model and in a model that constrains cattle to be marketed in 45-head "potloads." Results indicate that leptin genotypic knowledge has little impact on optimal days-on-feed but may play a role in valuing feeder cattle. The differences in value of cattle varied by as much as $37 per head between genotypes.genetics, leptin genotype, beef cattle, value of information, Livestock Production/Industries,
Envelope Structure of Starless Core L694-2 Derived from a Near-Infrared Extinction Map
We present a near-infrared extinction study of the dark globule L694-2, a
starless core that shows strong evidence for inward motions in molecular line
profiles. The J,H, and K band data were taken using the European Southern
Observatory New Technology Telescope. The best fit simple spherical power law
model has index p=2.6 +/- 0.2, over the 0.036--0.1 pc range in radius sampled
in extinction. This power law slope is steeper than the value of p=2 for a
singular isothermal sphere, the initial condition of the inside-out model for
protostellar collapse. Including an additional extinction component along the
line of sight further steepens the inferred profile. Fitting a Bonnor-Ebert
sphere results in a super-critical value of the dimensionless radius xi_max=25
+/- 3. The unstable configuration of material may be related to the observed
inward motions. The Bonnor-Ebert model matches the shape of the observed
profile, but significantly underestimates the amount of extinction (by a factor
of ~4). This discrepancy in normalization has also been found for the nearby
protostellar core B335 (Harvey et al. 2001). A cylindrical density model with
scale height H=0.0164+/- 0.002 pc viewed at a small inclination to the cylinder
axis provides an equally good radial profile as a power law model, and
reproduces the asymmetry of the core remarkably well. In addition, this model
provides a basis for understanding the discrepancy in the normalization of the
Bonnor-Ebert model, namely that L694-2 has prolate structure, with the full
extent (mass) of the core being missed by assuming symmetry between the
profiles in the plane of the sky and along the line-of-sight. If the core is
sufficiently magnetized then fragmentation may be avoided, and later evolution
might produce a protostar similar to B335.Comment: 38 pages, 7 figures, accepted to Astrophysical Journa
Semi-Relativistic Approximation to Gravitational Radiation from Encounters with Non-Spinning Black Holes
The capture of compact bodies by black holes in galactic nuclei is an important prospective source for low frequency gravitational wave detectors, such as the planned Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. This paper calculates, using a semirelativistic approximation, the total energy and angular momentum lost to gravitational radiation by compact bodies on very high eccentricity orbits passing close to a supermassive, nonspinning black hole; these quantities determine the characteristics of the orbital evolution necessary to estimate the capture rate. The semirelativistic approximation improves upon treatments which use orbits at Newtonian order and quadrupolar radiation emission, and matches well onto accurate Teukolsky simulations for low eccentricity orbits. Formulas are presented for the semirelativistic energy and angular momentum fluxes as a function of general orbital parameters
Flow of wet granular materials
The transition from frictional to lubricated flow of a dense suspension of
non-Brownian particles is studied. The pertinent parameter characterizing this
transition is the Leighton number ,
which represents the ratio of lubrication to frictional forces. The Leighton
number defines a critical shear rate below which no steady flow without
localization exists. In the frictional regime the shear flow is localized. The
lubricated regime is not simply viscous: the ratio of shear to normal stresses
remains constant, as in the frictional regime; moreover the velocity profile
has a single universal form in both frictional and lubricated regimes. Finally,
a discrepancy between local and global measurements of viscosity is identified,
which suggests inhomogeneity of the material under flow.Comment: Accepted for publication by Physical Review Letters (december 2004
Semi-relativistic approximation to gravitational radiation from encounters with nonspinning black holes
The capture of compact bodies by black holes in galactic nuclei is an
important prospective source for low frequency gravitational wave detectors,
such as the planned Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. This paper calculates,
using a semirelativistic approximation, the total energy and angular momentum
lost to gravitational radiation by compact bodies on very high eccentricity
orbits passing close to a supermassive, nonspinning black hole; these
quantities determine the characteristics of the orbital evolution necessary to
estimate the capture rate. The semirelativistic approximation improves upon
treatments which use orbits at Newtonian-order and quadrupolar radiation
emission, and matches well onto accurate Teukolsky simulations for low
eccentricity orbits. Formulae are presented for the semirelativistic energy and
angular momentum fluxes as a function of general orbital parameters.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures; v2: revised manuscript includes small changes
to make paper consistent with published version; v3: a statement about how to
generalise our results to hyperbolic orbits was incorrect, new version
includes published erratum as an appendi
Simple Models for Turbulent Self-Regulation in Galaxy Disks
We propose that turbulent heating, wave pressure and gas exchanges between
different regions of disks play a dominant role in determining the preferred,
quasi-equilibrium, self-similar states of gas disks on large-scales. We present
simple families of analytic, thermohydrodynamic models for these global states,
which include terms for turbulent pressure and Reynolds stresses. Star
formation rates, phase balances, and hydrodynamic forces are all tightly
coupled and balanced. The models have stratified radial flows, with the cold
gas slowly flowing inward in the midplane of the disk, and with the warm/hot
phases that surround the midplane flowing outward.
The models suggest a number of results that are in accord with observation,
as well as some novel predictions, including the following. 1) The large-scale
gas density and thermal phase distributions in galaxy disks can be explained as
the result of turbulent heating and spatial couplings. 2) The turbulent
pressures and stresses that drive radial outflows in the warm gas also allow a
reduced circular velocity there. This effect was observed by Swaters, Sancisi
and van der Hulst in NGC 891, a particularly turbulent edge-on disk. The models
predict that the effect should be universal in such disks. 3) They suggest that
a star formation rate like the phenomenological Schmidt Law is the natural
result of global thermohydrodynamical balance, and may not obtain in disks far
from equilibrium. (Abridged)Comment: 37 pages, 1 gif figure, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
- …