346 research outputs found
Time Resolved Correlation measurements of temporally heterogeneous dynamics
Time Resolved Correlation (TRC) is a recently introduced light scattering
technique that allows to detect and quantify dynamic heterogeneities. The
technique is based on the analysis of the temporal evolution of the speckle
pattern generated by the light scattered by a sample, which is quantified by
, the degree of correlation between speckle images recorded at
time and . Heterogeneous dynamics results in significant
fluctuations of with time . We describe how to optimize TRC
measurements and how to detect and avoid possible artifacts. The statistical
properties of the fluctuations of are analyzed by studying their
variance, probability distribution function, and time autocorrelation function.
We show that these quantities are affected by a noise contribution due to the
finite number of detected speckles. We propose and demonstrate a method to
correct for the noise contribution, based on a extrapolation
scheme. Examples from both homogeneous and heterogeneous dynamics are provided.
Connections with recent numerical and analytical works on heterogeneous glassy
dynamics are briefly discussed.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures. Submitted to PR
Linking Remotely Sensed Carbon and Water Use Efficiencies with In Situ Soil Properties
The capacity of terrestrial ecosystems to sequester carbon dioxide (CO2 ) from the atmosphere is expected to be altered by climate change and CO2 fertilization, but this projection is limited by our understanding of how the soil system interacts with plants. Understanding the soilâvegetation interactions is essential to assess the magnitude and response of terrestrial ecosystems to the changing climate. Here, we used soil profile and satellite data to explore the role that soil properties play in regulating water and carbon use by plants. Data obtained for 19 terrestrial ecosystem sites in a warm temperate and humid climate were used to investigate the relationship between remotely sensed data and soil physical and chemical properties. Classification and regression tree results showed that in situ soil carbon isotope (ÎŽ 13C), and soil order were significant predictors (r2 = 0.39, mean absolute error (MAE) = 0 of 0.175 gC/KgH2O) of remotely sensed water use efficiency (WUE) based on the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Soil extractable calcium (Ca), and land cover type were significant predictors of remotely sensed carbon use efficiency (CUE) based on MODIS and Landsat data-(r2 = 0.64â0.78, MAE = 0.04â0.06). We used gross primary productivity (GPP) derived from solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) data, based on the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), to calculate WUE and CUE (referred to as WUESIF and CUESIF, respectively) for our study sites. The regression tree analysis revealed that soil organic matter and soil extractable magnesium (Mg), ÎŽ 13C, and soil silt content were the important predictors of both WUESIF (r2 = 0.19, MAE = 0.64 gC/KgH2O) and CUESIF (r2 = 0.45, MAE = 0.1), respectively. Our results revealed the importance of soil extractable Ca, soil carbon (S13C is a facet of soil carbon content), and soil organic matter predicting CUE and WUE. Insights gained from this study highlighted the importance of biotic and abiotic factors regulating plant and soil interactions. These types of data are timely and critical for accurate predictions of how terrestrial ecosystems respond to climate change
On the application of proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) for in-cylinder flow analysis
Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is a coherent structure identification technique based on either measured or computed data sets. Recently, POD has been adopted for the analysis of the in-cylinder flows inside internal combustion engines. In this study, stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (Stereo-PIV) measurements were carried out at the central vertical tumble plane inside an engine cylinder to acquire the velocity vector fields for the in-cylinder flow under different experimental conditions. Afterwards, the POD analysis were performed firstly on synthetic velocity vector fields with known characteristics in order to extract some fundamental properties of the POD technique. These data were used to reveal how the physical properties of coherent structures were captured and distributed among the POD modes, in addition to illustrate the difference between subtracting and non-subtracting the ensemble average prior to conducting POD on datasets. Moreover, two case studies for the in-cylinder flow at different valve lifts and different pressure differences across the air intake valves were presented and discussed as the effect of both valve lifts and pressure difference have not been investigated before using phase-invariant POD analysis. The results demonstrated that for repeatable flow pattern, only the first mode was sufficient to reconstruct the physical properties of the flow. Furthermore, POD analysis confirmed the negligible effect of pressure difference and subsequently the effect of engine speed on flow structures
Experimental Determination of In-Medium Cluster Binding Energies and Mott Points in Nuclear Matter
In medium binding energies and Mott points for , , He and
clusters in low density nuclear matter have been determined at specific
combinations of temperature and density in low density nuclear matter produced
in collisions of 47 MeV Ar and Zn projectiles with Sn
and Sn target nuclei. The experimentally derived values of the in
medium modified binding energies are in good agreement with recent theoretical
predictions based upon the implementation of Pauli blocking effects in a
quantum statistical approach.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Laboratory Tests of Low Density Astrophysical Equations of State
Clustering in low density nuclear matter has been investigated using the
NIMROD multi-detector at Texas A&M University. Thermal coalescence modes were
employed to extract densities, , and temperatures, , for evolving
systems formed in collisions of 47 MeV Ar + Sn,Sn
and Zn + Sn, Sn. The yields of , , He, and
He have been determined at = 0.002 to 0.032 nucleons/fm and
= 5 to 10 MeV. The experimentally derived equilibrium constants for
particle production are compared with those predicted by a number of
astrophysical equations of state. The data provide important new constraints on
the model calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Evidence of Critical Behavior in the Disassembly of Nuclei with A ~ 36
A wide variety of observables indicate that maximal fluctuations in the
disassembly of hot nuclei with A ~ 36 occur at an excitation energy of 5.6 +-
0.5 MeV/u and temperature of 8.3 +- 0.5 MeV. Associated with this point of
maximal fluctuations are a number of quantitative indicators of apparent
critical behavior. The associated caloric curve does not appear to show a
flattening such as that seen for heavier systems. This suggests that, in
contrast to similar signals seen for liquid-gas transitions in heavier nuclei,
the observed behavior in these very light nuclei is associated with a
transition much closer to the critical point.Comment: v2: Major changes, new model calculations, new figure
- âŠ