18,788 research outputs found
Radioisotope thermal photovoltaic application of the GaSb solar cell
An examination of a RTVP (radioisotopic thermophotovoltaic) conceptual design has shown a high potential for power densities well above those achievable with radioisotopic thermoelectric generator (RTG) systems. An efficiency of 14.4 percent and system specific power of 9.25 watts/kg were predicted for a system with sixteen GPHS (general purpose heat source) sources operating at 1100 C. The models also showed a 500 watt system power by the strontium-90 isotope at 1200 C at an efficiency of 17.0 percent and a system specific power of 11.8 watts/kg. The key to this level of performance is a high-quality photovoltaic cell with narrow bandgap and a reflective rear contact. Recent work at Boeing on GaSb cells and transparent back GaAs cells indicate that such a cell is well within reach
Serving children: the impact of poverty on children's experiences of services
This study arose from the identification of a gap in knowledge and corresponding need for the development of a better contemporary understanding of children's experiences of poverty. Focusing on children aged 10 - 14 years, the study aimed to provide a perspective on the lives of children and young people affected by poverty in Scotland through comparing the experiences of children living in poverty with those more economically advantaged
Theory of the high-frequency chiral optical response in a p_x+ip_y superconductor
The optical Hall conductivity and the polar Kerr angle are calculated as
functions of temperature for a two-dimensional chiral p_x+ip_y superconductor,
where the time-reversal symmetry is spontaneously broken. The theoretical
estimate for the polar Kerr angle agrees by the order of magnitude with the
recent experimental measurement in Sr2RuO4 by Xia et al. cond-mat/0607539. The
theory predicts that the Kerr angle is proportional to the square of the
superconducting energy gap and is inversely proportional to the cube of
frequency, which can be verified experimentally.Comment: 4 pages, no figures, RevTeX. V.2: one reference and discussion of
horizontal lines of nodes added. V.3: a typo corrected, and one reference
added. V.4: two references added and minor stylistic changes made, as in the
published versio
Universality of residence-time distributions in non-adiabatic stochastic resonance
We present mathematically rigorous expressions for the residence-time and
first-passage-time distributions of a periodically forced Brownian particle in
a bistable potential. For a broad range of forcing frequencies and amplitudes,
the distributions are close to periodically modulated exponential ones.
Remarkably, the periodic modulations are governed by universal functions,
depending on a single parameter related to the forcing period. The behaviour of
the distributions and their moments is analysed, in particular in the low- and
high-frequency limits.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure New version includes distinction between
first-passage-time and residence-time distribution
Efimov states and their Fano resonances in a neutron-rich nucleus
Asymmetric resonances in elastic n+C scattering are attributed to
Efimov states of such neutron-rich nuclei, that is, three-body bound states of
the n+n+C system when none of the pairs is bound or some of them only
weakly bound. By fitting to the general resonance shape described by Fano, we
extract resonance position, width, and the "Fano profile index". While Efimov
states have been discussed extensively in many areas of physics, there is only
one very recent experimental observation in trimers of cesium atoms. The
conjunction that we present of the Efimov and Fano phenomena may lead to
experimental realization in nuclei.Comment: 4 double-column pages, 3 figure
Assessing the potential of the rust fungus Puccinia spegazzinii as a classical biological control agent for the invasive weed Mikania micrantha in Papua New Guinea
The rust fungus Puccinia spegazzinii was introduced into Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 2008 as a classical biological control agent of the invasive weed Mikania micrantha (Asteraceae), following its earlier release in India, mainland China and Taiwan. Prior to implementing field releases in PNG, assessments were conducted to determine the most suitable rust pathotype for the country, potential for damage to non-target species, most efficient culturing method and potential impact to M. micrantha. The pathotype from eastern Ecuador was selected from the seven pathotypes tested, since all the plant populations evaluated from PNG were highly susceptible to it. None of the 11 plant species (representing eight families) tested to confirm host specificity showed symptoms of infection, supporting previous host range determination. A method of mass-producing inoculum of the rust fungus, using a simple technology which can be readily replicated in other countries, was developed. Comparative growth trials over one rust generation showed that M. micrantha plants infected with the rust generally had both lower growth rates and lower final dry weights, and produced fewer nodes than uninfected plants. There were significant correlations between the number of pustules and (a) the growth rate, (b) number of new nodes and (c) final total dry weight of single-stemmed plants placed in open sunlight and between the number of pustules and number of new nodes of multi-stemmed plants placed under cocoa trees. The trials suggest that field densities of M. micrantha could be reduced if the rust populations are sufficiently high. Crown Copyright (C) 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Superscaling in inclusive electron-nucleus scattering
We investigate the degree to which the scaling functions derived
from cross sections for inclusive electron-nucleus quasi-elastic scattering
define the same function for different nuclei. In the region where the scaling
variable , we find that this superscaling is experimentally realized
to a high degree.Comment: Corrected previously mislabeled figures and cross references; 9
pages, 4 color figures, using BoxedEPS and REVTeX; email correspondence to
[email protected]
Infinite-cluster geometry in central-force networks
We show that the infinite percolating cluster (with density P_inf) of
central-force networks is composed of: a fractal stress-bearing backbone (Pb)
and; rigid but unstressed ``dangling ends'' which occupy a finite
volume-fraction of the lattice (Pd). Near the rigidity threshold pc, there is
then a first-order transition in P_inf = Pd + Pb, while Pb is second-order with
exponent Beta'. A new mean field theory shows Beta'(mf)=1/2, while simulations
of triangular lattices give Beta'_tr = 0.255 +/- 0.03.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, uses epsfig. Accepted for publication in Physical
Review Letter
- …