6,982 research outputs found
Environment assisted degradation mechanisms in advanced light metals
The general goals of the research program are to characterize alloy behavior quantitatively and to develop predictive mechanisms for environmental failure modes. Successes in this regard will provide the basis for metallurgical optimization of alloy performance, for chemical control of aggressive environments, and for engineering life prediction with damage tolerance and long term reliability
Zero modes on cosmic strings in an external magnetic field
A classical analysis suggests that an external magnetic field can cause
trajectories of charge carriers on a superconducting domain wall or cosmic
string to bend, thus expelling charge carriers with energy above the mass
threshold into the bulk. We study this process by solving the Dirac equation
for a fermion of mass and charge , in the background of a domain wall
and a magnetic field of strength . We find that the modes of the charge
carriers get shifted into the bulk, in agreement with classical expectations.
However the dispersion relation for the zero modes changes dramatically --
instead of the usual linear dispersion relation, , the new
dispersion relation is well fit by where
for a thin wall in the weak field limit, and for a thick
wall of width . This result shows that the energy of the charge carriers on
the domain wall remains below the threshold for expulsion even in the presence
of an external magnetic field. If charge carriers are expelled due to an
additional perturbation, they are most likely to be ejected at the threshold
energy .Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
The Metallicity and Reddening of Stars in the Inner Galactic Bulge
We present a preliminary analysis of K, J-K color magnitude diagrams (CMDs)
for 7 different positions on or close to the minor axis of the Milky Way at
Galactic latitudes between +0.1^\circ and -2.8^\circ. From the slopes of the
(linear) giant branches in these CMDs we derive a dependence of on
latitude for b between -0.8^\circ and -2.8^\circ of -0.085 \pm 0.033
dex/degree. When combined with the data from Tiede et al. we find for
-0.8^\circ \leq b \leq -10.3^\circ the slope in is -0.064 \pm 0.012
dex/degree. An extrapolation to the Galactic Center predicts [Fe/H] = +0.034
\pm 0.053 dex. We also derive average values for the extinction in the K band
(A_K) of between 2.15 and 0.27 for the inner bulge fields corresponding to
average values of E(J-K) of between 3.46 and 0.44. There is a well defined
linear relation between the average extinction for a field and the star-to-star
scatter in the extinction for the stars within each field. This result suggests
that the typical apparent angular scale size for an absorbing cloud is small
compared with the field size (90\arcsec on a side). Finally, from an
examination of the luminosity function of bright giants in each field we
conclude that the young component of the stellar population observed near the
Galactic center declines in density much more quickly than the overall bulge
population and is undetectable beyond 1^\circ from the Galactic center.Comment: accepted for publication in Astron. Jour. Compressed file contains
the text, 9 figures, and 6 tables prepared with AAS Latex macros v. 4.
Probing the Super Star Cluster Environment of NGC 1569 Using FISICA
We present near-IR JH spectra of the central regions of the dwarf starburst
galaxy NGC 1569 using the Florida Image Slicer for Infrared Cosmology and
Astrophysics (FISICA). The dust-penetrating properties and available spectral
features of the near-IR, combined with the integral field unit (IFU) capability
to take spectra of a field, make FISICA an ideal tool for this work. We use the
prominent [He I] (1.083\mu m) and Pa\beta (1.282 \mu m) lines to probe the
dense star forming regions as well as characterize the general star forming
environment around the super star clusters (SSCs) in NGC 1569. We find [He I]
coincident with CO clouds to the north and west of the SSCs, which provides the
first, conclusive evidence for embedded star clusters here.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the MNRA
Environment assisted degradation mechanisms in aluminum-lithium alloys
Section 1 of this report records the progress achieved on NASA-LaRC Grant NAG-1-745 (Environment Assisted Degradation Mechanisms in Al-Li Alloys), and is based on research conducted during the period April 1 to November 30, 1987. A discussion of work proposed for the project's second year is included. Section 2 provides an overview of the need for research on the mechanisms of environmental-mechanical degradation of advanced aerospace alloys based on aluminum and lithium. This research is to provide NASA with the basis necessary to permit metallurgical optimization of alloy performance and engineering design with respect to damage tolerance, long term durability and reliability. Section 3 reports on damage localization mechanisms in aqueous chloride corrosion fatigue of aluminum-lithium alloys. Section 4 reports on progress made on measurements and mechanisms of localized aqueous corrosion in aluminum-lithium alloys. Section 5 provides a detailed technical proposal for research on environmental degradation of Al-Li alloys, and the effect of hydrogen in this
Remote sensing vegetation index methods to evaluate changes in greenness and evapotranspiration in riparian vegetation in response to the Minute 319 environmental pulse flow to Mexico
During the spring of 2014, 130 million m3 of water were
released from the United States' Morelos Dam on the lower Colorado River to
Mexico, allowing water to reach the Gulf of California for the first time in
13 years. Our study assessed the effects of water transfer or ecological
environmental flows from one nation to another, using remote sensing.
Spatial applications for water resource evaluation are important for
binational, integrated water resources management and planning for the
Colorado River, which includes seven basin states in the US plus two
states in Mexico. Our study examined the effects of the historic binational
experiment (the Minute 319 agreement) on vegetative response along the
riparian corridor. We used 250 m Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and 30 m Landsat 8 satellite imagery to track
evapotranspiration (ET) and the normalized difference vegetation index
(NDVI). Our analysis showed an overall increase in NDVI and
evapotranspiration (ET) in the year following the 2014 pulse, which reversed
a decline in those metrics since the last major flood in 2000. NDVI and ET
levels decreased in 2015, but were still significantly higher (P < 0.001) than pre-pulse (2013) levels. Preliminary findings show that the
decline in 2015 persisted into 2016 and 2017. We continue to analyse results
for 2018 in comparison to short-term (2013–2018) and long-term (2000–2018)
trends. Our results support the conclusion that these environmental flows
from the US to Mexico via the Minute 319 “pulse” had a positive, but
short-lived (1 year), impact on vegetation growth in the delta.</p
The Bolocam 1.1 mm Lockman Hole Galaxy Survey: SHARC II 350 micron Photometry and Implications for Spectral Models, Dust Temperatures, and Redshift Estimation
We present 350 micron photometry of all 17 galaxy candidates in the Lockman
Hole detected in a 1.1 mm Bolocam survey. Several of the galaxies were
previously detected at 850 microns, at 1.2 mm, in the infrared by Spitzer, and
in the radio. Nine of the Bolocam galaxy candidates were detected at 350
microns and two new candidates were serendipitously detected at 350 microns
(bringing the total in the literature detected in this way to three). Five of
the galaxies have published spectroscopic redshifts, enabling investigation of
the implied temperature ranges and a comparison of photometric redshift
techniques.
Lambda = 350 microns lies near the spectral energy distribution peak for z =
2.5 thermally emitting galaxies. Thus, luminosities can be measured without
extrapolating to the peak from detection wavelengths of lambda > 850 microns.
Characteristically, the galaxy luminosities lie in the range 1.0 - 1.2 x 10^13
L_solar, with dust temperatures in the range of 40 K to 70 K, depending on the
choice of spectral index and wavelength of unit optical depth. The implied dust
masses are 3 - 5 x 10^8 M_solar. We find that the far-infrared to radio
relation for star-forming ULIRGs systematically overpredicts the radio
luminosities and overestimates redshifts on the order of Delta z ~ 1, whereas
redshifts based on either on submillimeter data alone or the 1.6 micron stellar
bump and PAH features are more accurate.Comment: In Press (to appear in Astrophysical Journal, ApJ 20 May 2006 v643 1)
47 pages, 10 figures, 4 table
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