1,323 research outputs found
Prototype solar power satellite options
The choice of options for the prototype solar power satellite is addressed relative to risk and cost. Emphasis is placed on the reduction of the risk of failure. Risk is the program cost multiplied by the reduction in probability of program success due to the risky action. Four classes of risk are identified. It is suggested that prototyping would reduce the technical risk as well as reduce the effects of the other three types of risk by allowing them to be quantified earlier. Prototype demonstration requirements addressed include electromagnetic power link feasibility demonstration, component integration verification, construction technology verification, and cost performance verification. Specific prototype requirements are listed and prototyping options are given in tabular form
High-power microwave optics for flexible power transmission systems
A large concave microwave mirror near the transmitter can magnify the apparent size of the Earth as seen from a phased array, and vice versa, permitting a small phased array to be coupled to a small rectenna while preserving the transmission efficiency (the reflection loss is slight) and peak power densities characteristic of the reference system. This augmentation of the phased array aperture with a large mirror gives the system greater resolution (in the optical sense), and opens new degrees of freedom in SPS design. The consequences of such an approach for a prototype satellite were explored. Its consequences for a mature SPS are discussed
Rolling and sliding of a nanorod between two planes: Tribological regimes and control of friction
The motion of a cylindrical crystalline nanoparticle sandwiched between two
crystalline planes, one stationary and the other pulled at a constant velocity
and pressed down by a normal load, is considered theoretically using a planar
model. The results of our model calculations show that, depending on load and
velocity, the nanoparticle can be either rolling or sliding. At sufficiently
high normal loads, several sliding states characterized by different friction
forces can coexist, corresponding to different orientations of the
nanoparticle, and allowing one to have low or high friction at the same pulling
velocity and normal load.Comment: 5 figure
Quantum gears: a simple mechanical system in the quantum regime
Abstract. The quantum mechanics of a simple mechanical system is considered. A group of gears can serve as a model for several different systems such as an artifically constructed nanomechanical device or a group of ring molecules. It is shown that the classical motion of the gears in which the angular velocities are locked together does not correspond to
Molecular Motor Constructed from a Double-Walled Carbon Nanotube Driven by Axially Varying Voltage
A new molecular motor is conceptually constructed from a double-walled carbon
nanotube (DWNT) consisting of a long inner single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)
and a short outer SWNT with different chirality. The interaction between inner
and outer tubes is the sum of the Lennard-Jones potentials between carbon atoms
in inner tube and those in outer one. Within the framework of
Smoluchowski-Feynman ratchet, it is theoretically shown that this system in an
isothermal bath will exhibit a unidirectional rotation in the presence of a
varying axial electrical voltage.Comment: 11 pages + 3 figure
Fragmentation pathways of nanofractal structures on surface
We present a detailed systematical theoretical analysis of the post-growth
processes occurring in nanofractals grown on surface. For this study we
developed a method which accounts for the internal dynamics of particles in a
fractal. We demonstrate that particle diffusion and detachment controls the
shape of the emerging stable islands on surface. We consider different
scenarios of fractal post-growth relaxation and analyze the time evolution of
the island's morphology. The results of our calculations are compared with
available experimental observations, and experiments in which the post-growth
relaxation of deposited nanostructures can be probed are suggested.Comment: 34 pages, 11 figure
Atomic scale engines: Cars and wheels
We introduce a new approach to build microscopic engines on the atomic scale
that move translationally or rotationally and can perform useful functions such
as pulling of a cargo. Characteristic of these engines is the possibility to
determine dynamically the directionality of the motion. The approach is based
on the transformation of the fed energy to directed motion through a dynamical
competition between the intrinsic lengths of the moving object and the
supporting carrier.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures (2 in color), Phys. Rev. Lett. (in print
Fluctuating-friction molecular motors
We show that the correlated stochastic fluctuation of the friction
coefficient can give rise to long-range directional motion of a particle
undergoing Brownian random walk in a constant periodic energy potential
landscape. The occurrence of this motion requires the presence of two
additional independent bodies interacting with the particle via friction and
via the energy potential, respectively, which can move relative to each other.
Such three-body system generalizes the classical Brownian ratchet mechanism,
which requires only two interacting bodies. In particular, we describe a simple
two-level model of fluctuating-friction molecular motor that can be solved
analytically. In our previous work [M.K., L.M and D.P. 2000 J. Nonlinear Opt.
Phys. Mater. vol. 9, 157] this model has been first applied to understanding
the fundamental mechanism of the photoinduced reorientation of dye-doped liquid
crystals. Applications of the same idea to other fields such as molecular
biology and nanotechnology can however be envisioned. As an example, in this
paper we work out a model of the actomyosin system based on the
fluctuating-friction mechanism.Comment: to be published in J. Physics Condensed Matter
(http://www.iop.org/Journals/JPhysCM
Resonant scattering in a strong magnetic field: exact density of states
We study the structure of 2D electronic states in a strong magnetic field in
the presence of a large number of resonant scatterers. For an electron in the
lowest Landau level, we derive the exact density of states by mapping the
problem onto a zero-dimensional field-theoretical model. We demonstrate that
the interplay between resonant and non-resonant scattering leads to a
non-analytic energy dependence of the electron Green function. In particular,
for strong resonant scattering the density of states develops a gap in a finite
energy interval. The shape of the Landau level is shown to be very sensitive to
the distribution of resonant scatterers.Comment: 12 pages + 3 fig
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