A Shallow Water Analogue of the Standing Accretion Shock Instability: Experimental Demonstration and Two-Dimensional Model

Despite the sphericity of the collapsing stellar core, the birth conditions of neutron stars can be highly non spherical due to a hydrodynamical instability of the shocked accretion flow. Here we report the first laboratory experiment of a shallow water analogue, based on the physics of hydraulic jumps. Both the experiment and its shallow water modeling demonstrate a robust linear instability and nonlinear properties of symmetry breaking, in a system which is one million times smaller and about hundred times slower than its astrophysical analogue.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Letters. Supplementary Material (6 movies) available at http://irfu.cea.fr/Projets/SN2NS/outreach.htm

Irrationality is needed to compute with signal machines with only three speeds

International audienceSpace-time diagrams of signal machines on finite configurations are composed of interconnected line segments in the Euclidean plane. As the system runs, a network emerges. If segments extend only in one or two directions, the dynamics is finite and simplistic. With four directions, it is known that fractal generation, accumulation and any Turing computation are possible. This communication deals with the three directions/sp eeds case. If there is no irrational ratio (between initial distances between signals or between speeds) then the network follows a mesh preventing accumulation and forcing a cyclic behavior. With an irrational ratio (here, the Golden ratio) between initial distances, it becomes possible to provoke an accumulation that generates infinitely many interacting signals in a bounded portion of the Euclidean plane. This b ehavior is then controlled and used in order to simulate a Turing machine and generate a 25-state 3-speed Turing-universal signal machin

Collision-based Computing

International audienceCollision-based computing is an implementation of logical circuits, mathematical machines or other computing and information processing devices in homogeneous uniform unstructured media with traveling mobile localizations. A quanta of information is represented by a compact propagating pattern (glider in cellular automata, soliton in optical system, wave-fragment in excitable chemical system). Logical truth corresponds to presence of the localization, logical false to absence of the localization; logical values can be also represented by a particular state of the localization. When two more or more traveling localizations collide they change their velocity vectors and/or states. Post-collision trajectories and/or states of the localizations represent results of a logical operations implemented by the collision. One of the principle advantages of the a collision-based computing medium —hidden in 1D systems but obvious in 2D and 3D media— is that the medium is architecture-less: nothing is hardwired, there are no stationary wires or gates, a trajectory of a propagating information quanta can be see as a momentary wire. We introduce basics of collision-based computing, and overview the collision-based computing schemes in 1D and 2D cellular automata and continuous excitable media. Also we provide an overview of collision-based schemes where particles/collisions are dimensionless

Are emerging deep eutectic solvents (DES) relevant for lipase-catalyzed lipophilizations?

With the recent interest on green chemistry, the scientists have focused on developing new and more efficiient solvents to carry out enzymatic-catalyzed reactions with emphasis on reduced costs, risks and toxicity while improving biodegradability. Among the new available solvents, the multimolecular-based liquids (such as ionic liquids and eutectic solvents) have been the subject of most recent studies. Currently, and mainly due to its environmental and economic features, DES are arousing much interest and curiosity. Regarding the biotransformations with lipases, the so-called “lipophilization” reactions are of major interest. However, they are complex to implement mainly because it is difficult to find a suitable reaction medium. Thus, this review aimed at providing a presentation of these multimolecular- based solvents with general overview of the recent studies dealing with lipase-catalyzed reactions in DES. In addition, emphasis was placed on their strengths and weaknesses, especially with the perspective to be use as efficient and green medium to implement complex and valuable biotransformation such as lipase-catalyzed lipophilizations. (Résumé d'auteur

Beneficial influence of nanocarbon on the aryliminopyridylnickel chloride catalyzed ethylene polymerization

A series of 1-aryliminoethylpyridine ligands (L1―L3) was synthesized by condensation of 2-acetylpyridine with 1-aminonaphthalene, 2-aminoanthracene or 1-aminopyrene, respectively. Reaction with nickel dichloride afforded the corresponding nickel (II) chloride complexes (Ni1–Ni3). All compounds were fully characterized and the molecular structures of Ni1 and Ni3 are reported. Upon activation with methylaluminoxane (MAO), all nickel complexes exhibit high activities for ethylene polymerization, producing waxes of low molecular weight and narrow polydispersity. The presence of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) or few layer graphene (FLG) in the catalytic medium can lead to an increase of productivity associated to a modification of the polymer structure

The explosion mechanism of core-collapse supernovae: progress in supernova theory and experiments

The explosion of core-collapse supernova depends on a sequence of events taking place in less than a second in a region of a few hundred kilometers at the center of a supergiant star, after the stellar core approaches the Chandrasekhar mass and collapses into a proto-neutron star, and before a shock wave is launched across the stellar envelope. Theoretical efforts to understand stellar death focus on the mechanism which transforms the collapse into an explosion. Progress in understanding this mechanism is reviewed with particular attention to its asymmetric character. We highlight a series of successful studies connecting observations of supernova remnants and pulsars properties to the theory of core-collapse using numerical simulations. The encouraging results from first principles models in axisymmetric simulations is tempered by new puzzles in 3D. The diversity of explosion paths and the dependence on the pre-collapse stellar structure is stressed, as well as the need to gain a better understanding of hydrodynamical and MHD instabilities such as SASI and neutrino-driven convection. The shallow water analogy of shock dynamics is presented as a comparative system where buoyancy effects are absent. This dynamical system can be studied numerically and also experimentally with a water fountain. The potential of this complementary research tool for supernova theory is analyzed. We also review its potential for public outreach in science museums.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures, invited review accepted for publication in PAS

A Kleene Theorem for Piecewise Constant Signals Automata

International audienceIn this paper, we consider timed automata for piecewise constant signals and prove that they recognize exactly the languages denoted by signal regular expressions with intersection and renaming. The main differences from the usual timed automata are: time elapses on transitions (passing through a state is instantaneous), signals may be split on a run on an automaton and constraints on transitions correspond to unions of open intervals but should be satisfied on closed intervals. This makes exact rendez-vous impossible. The paper stresses on the similarities and differences from the usual model

Analyse thermomécanique d'un réducteur épicycloïdal : Application aéronautique

In the current environmental context, gearbox efficiency has become a major issue. Because of their compactness and axi-symmetric arrangement, planetary gearboxes are widely used in several applications (such as wind, aerospace…). It is generally accepted that total power losses in such gear transmissions can be decomposed into the contributions of the friction between teeth, the lubrication process (oil splash or jet), the oil trapping during meshing and tooth windage. It is noticed that power losses produced by a mechanical transmission cannot be dissociated from its thermal behavior. Indeed, the local warmings impact lubricant physical properties and these last have influence on power losses in return. Based on this postulate, the purpose of this work is to develop a numerical model in order to estimate the power losses generated into a jet lubricated planetary gear train, for an aeronautical application.Dans le contexte environnemental actuel, l’amélioration des performances énergétiques des transmissions mécaniques par engrenage est un réel challenge. De part, leur compacité et leur arrangement axisymétrique, les transmissions mécaniques de type réducteur à trains épicycloïdaux sont de plus en plus répandues dans divers applications (éolien, aéronautique,…). Il est généralement admis que les principales sources de dissipation de puissance dans de telles transmissions sont dues au frottement aux dentures, au mode de lubrification (barbotage ou injection de lubrifiant), au piégeage d’huile entre les dents lors de l’engrènement et à la ventilation des mobiles. Il est également à noter que les pertes de puissance générées par une transmission ne peuvent être découplées de son comportement thermique. En effet, les échauffements locaux dans la transmission ont un impact sur les propriétés du lubrifiant, qui ont elles-mêmes une influence sur les pertes de puissance. A partir de ce postulat, le travail présenté dans ce manuscrit propose un modèle numérique permettant de quantifier les différents postes de pertes de puissance générées dans un réducteur épicycloïdal, lubrifié par injection d’huile, pour une application aéronautique