4,090 research outputs found
TuRMoiL of Survival: A Unified Survival Criterion for Cloud-Wind Interactions
Cloud-wind interactions play an important role in long-lived multiphase flows
in many astrophysical contexts. When this interaction is primarily mediated by
hydrodynamics and radiative cooling, the survival of clouds can be phrased in
terms of the comparison between a timescale that dictates the evolution of the
cloud-wind interaction, (the dynamical time-scale ) and the
relevant cooling timescale . Previously proposed survival
criteria, which can disagree by large factors about the size of the smallest
surviving clouds, differ in both their choice of and (to a
lesser extent) . Here we present a new criterion which agrees
with a previously proposed empirical formulae but is based on simple physical
principles. The key insight is that clouds can grow if they are able to mix and
cool gas from the hot wind faster than it advects by the cloud. Whereas prior
criteria associate with the cloud crushing timescale, our new
criterion links it to the characteristic cloud-crossing timescale of a
hot-phase fluid element, making it more physically consistent with shear-layer
studies. We develop this insight into a predictive expression and validate it
with hydrodynamic ENZO-E simulations of ,
pressure-confined clouds in hot supersonic winds, exploring, in particular,
high wind/cloud density contrasts, where disagreements are most pronounced.
Finally, we illustrate how discrepancies among previous criteria primarily
emerged due to different choices of simulation conditions and cooling
properties, and discuss how they can be reconciled.Comment: 6.5 pages, 4 figures, submitted to ApJ
Fragmentation, domain formation and atom number fluctuations of a two-species Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical lattice
We theoretically study the loading of a two-species Bose-Einstein condensate
to an optical lattice in a tightly-confined one-dimensional trap. Due to
quantum fluctuations the relative inter and intra species phase coherence
between the atoms and the on-site atom number fluctuations are reduced in the
miscible regime. For the immiscible case the fluctuations are enhanced and the
atoms form metastable interleaved spatially separated domains where the domain
length and its fluctuations are affected by quantum fluctuations.Comment: 32 page
Effective diffusion constant in a two dimensional medium of charged point scatterers
We obtain exact results for the effective diffusion constant of a two
dimensional Langevin tracer particle in the force field generated by charged
point scatterers with quenched positions. We show that if the point scatterers
have a screened Coulomb (Yukawa) potential and are uniformly and independently
distributed then the effective diffusion constant obeys the
Volgel-Fulcher-Tammann law where it vanishes. Exact results are also obtained
for pure Coulomb scatterers frozen in an equilibrium configuration of the same
temperature as that of the tracer.Comment: 9 pages IOP LaTex, no figure
Continuum Derrida Approach to Drift and Diffusivity in Random Media
By means of rather general arguments, based on an approach due to Derrida
that makes use of samples of finite size, we analyse the effective diffusivity
and drift tensors in certain types of random medium in which the motion of the
particles is controlled by molecular diffusion and a local flow field with
known statistical properties. The power of the Derrida method is that it uses
the equilibrium probability distribution, that exists for each {\em finite}
sample, to compute asymptotic behaviour at large times in the {\em infinite}
medium. In certain cases, where this equilibrium situation is associated with a
vanishing microcurrent, our results demonstrate the equality of the
renormalization processes for the effective drift and diffusivity tensors. This
establishes, for those cases, a Ward identity previously verified only to
two-loop order in perturbation theory in certain models. The technique can be
applied also to media in which the diffusivity exhibits spatial fluctuations.
We derive a simple relationship between the effective diffusivity in this case
and that for an associated gradient drift problem that provides an interesting
constraint on previously conjectured results.Comment: 18 pages, Latex, DAMTP-96-8
The triaxial ellipsoid dimensions, rotational pole, and bulk density of ESA Rosetta target asteroid (21) Lutetia
We seek the best size estimates of the asteroid (21) Lutetia, the direction
of its spin axis, and its bulk density, assuming its shape is well described by
a smooth featureless triaxial ellipsoid, and to evaluate the deviations from
this assumption. Methods. We derive these quantities from the outlines of the
asteroid in 307 images of its resolved apparent disk obtained with adaptive
optics (AO) at Keck II and VLT, and combine these with recent mass
determinations to estimate a bulk density. Our best triaxial ellipsoid
diameters for Lutetia, based on our AO images alone, are a x b x c = 132 x 101
x 93 km, with uncertainties of 4 x 3 x 13 km including estimated systematics,
with a rotational pole within 5 deg. of ECJ2000 [long,lat] = [45, -7], or
EQJ2000 [RA, DEC] = [44, +9]. The AO model fit itself has internal precisions
of 1 x 1 x 8 km, but it is evident, both from this model derived from limited
viewing aspects and the radius vector model given in a companion paper, that
Lutetia has significant departures from an idealized ellipsoid. In particular,
the long axis may be overestimated from the AO images alone by about 10 km.
Therefore, we combine the best aspects of the radius vector and ellipsoid model
into a hybrid ellipsoid model, as our final result, of 124 +/- 5 x 101 +/- 4 x
93 +/- 13 km that can be used to estimate volumes, sizes, and projected areas.
The adopted pole position is within 5 deg. of [long, lat] = [52, -6] or[RA DEC]
= [52, +12]. Using two separately determined masses and the volume of our
hybrid model, we estimate a density of 3.5 +/- 1.1 or 4.3 +/- 0.8 g cm-3 . From
the density evidence alone, we argue that this favors an enstatite-chondrite
composition, although other compositions are formally allowed at the extremes
(low-porosity CV/CO carbonaceous chondrite or high-porosity metallic). We
discuss this in the context of other evidence.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, 5 tables, submitted to Astronomy and Astrophysic
Quantum many-body simulations using Gaussian phase-space representations
Phase-space representations are of increasing importance as a viable and
successful means to study exponentially complex quantum many-body systems from
first principles. This review traces the background of these methods, starting
from the early work of Wigner, Glauber and Sudarshan. We focus on modern
phase-space approaches using non-classical phase-space representations. These
lead to the Gaussian representation, which unifies bosonic and fermionic
phase-space. Examples treated include quantum solitons in optical fibers,
colliding Bose-Einstein condensates, and strongly correlated fermions on
lattices.Comment: Short Review (10 pages); Corrected typo in eq (14); Added a few more
reference
Fitting Correlated Hadron Mass Spectrum Data
We discuss fitting hadronic Green functions versus time to extract mass
values in quenched lattice QCD. These data are themselves strongly correlated
in . With only a limited number of data samples, the method of minimising
correlated is unreliable. We explore several methods of modelling the
correlations among the data set by a few parameters which then give a stable
and sensible fit even if the data sample is small. In particular these models
give a reliable estimate of the goodness of fit.Comment: 14 pages, Latex text, followed by 3 postscript figures in
self-unpacking file. Also available at
ftp://suna.amtp.liv.ac.uk/pub/cmi/corfit
Postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients on statins undergoing isolated cardiac valve surgery: a meta-analysis
Introduction: The efficacy of perioperative statin therapy in decreasing postoperative morbidity in patients undergoing valve replacements and repairs is unknown. The aim of our study was to determine whether or not the literature supports the hypothesis that statins decrease postoperative atrial fibrillation (AF), and hence improve short-term postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing isolated cardiac valve surgery.Method: We conducted a meta-analysis of studies on postoperative outcomes associated with statin therapy following isolated valve replacement or repair. The data was taken from published studies on valvular heart surgery patients. Participants were patients who underwent either isolated cardiac valve replacement or repair. Patients in the intervention group received statins prior to their surgery. Three databases were searched: Ovid Healthstar, 1966 to April 2012; Ovid Medline, 1946 to 31 May 2012; and Embase, 1974 to 30 May 2012. The meta-analysis was conducted using Review ManagerÂź version 5.1.Results: Statins did not decrease the incidence of postoperative AF in patients undergoing isolated cardiac valve surgery [odds ratio (OR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80â 1.77)], although there was significant heterogeneity for the outcome of postoperative AF (I2 55%, 95% CI: 27â72). Statins were associated with a decrease in 30-day mortality (OR 0.43, 95% CI: 0.24â0.75).Conclusion: Although this meta-analysis suggests that chronic statin therapy did not prevent postoperative AF in unselected valvular heart surgical patients, the heterogeneity indicates that this outcome should be viewed with caution and further research is recommended.Keywords: atrial fibrillation, cardiac surgery, statin
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