63,442 research outputs found
Lightweight orthotic braces
Leg brace is constructed of fiber-reinforced polymer material. Composite material is stiffer, stronger, and lighter than most metals
Criticality and Condensation in a Non-Conserving Zero Range Process
The Zero-Range Process, in which particles hop between sites on a lattice
under conserving dynamics, is a prototypical model for studying real-space
condensation. Within this model the system is critical only at the transition
point. Here we consider a non-conserving Zero-Range Process which is shown to
exhibit generic critical phases which exist in a range of creation and
annihilation parameters. The model also exhibits phases characterised by
mesocondensates each of which contains a subextensive number of particles. A
detailed phase diagram, delineating the various phases, is derived.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure, published versi
Rules for transition rates in nonequilibrium steady states
Just as transition rates in a canonical ensemble must respect the principle
of detailed balance, constraints exist on transition rates in driven steady
states. I derive those constraints, by maximum information-entropy inference,
and apply them to the steady states of driven diffusion and a sheared lattice
fluid. The resulting ensemble can potentially explain nonequilibrium phase
behaviour and, for steady shear, gives rise to stress-mediated long-range
interactions.Comment: 4 pages. To appear in Physical Review Letter
Detailed balance has a counterpart in non-equilibrium steady states
When modelling driven steady states of matter, it is common practice either
to choose transition rates arbitrarily, or to assume that the principle of
detailed balance remains valid away from equilibrium. Neither of those
practices is theoretically well founded. Hypothesising ergodicity constrains
the transition rates in driven steady states to respect relations analogous to,
but different from the equilibrium principle of detailed balance. The
constraints arise from demanding that the design of any model system contains
no information extraneous to the microscopic laws of motion and the macroscopic
observables. This prevents over-description of the non-equilibrium reservoir,
and implies that not all stochastic equations of motion are equally valid. The
resulting recipe for transition rates has many features in common with
equilibrium statistical mechanics.Comment: Replaced with minor revisions to introduction and conclusions.
Accepted for publication in Journal of Physics
Nonequilibrium phase transition in a non integrable zero-range process
The present work is an endeavour to determine analytically features of the
stationary measure of a non-integrable zero-range process, and to investigate
the possible existence of phase transitions for such a nonequilibrium model.
The rates defining the model do not satisfy the constraints necessary for the
stationary measure to be a product measure. Even in the absence of a drive,
detailed balance with respect to this measure is violated. Analytical and
numerical investigations on the complete graph demonstrate the existence of a
first-order phase transition between a fluid phase and a condensed phase, where
a single site has macroscopic occupation. The transition is sudden from an
imbalanced fluid where both species have densities larger than the critical
density, to a critical neutral fluid and an imbalanced condensate
Infrared Observations of novae in the SOFIA era
Classical novae inject chemically enriched gas and dust into the local
inter-stellar medium (ISM). Abundances in the ejecta can be deduced from
infrared (IR) forbidden line emission. IR spectroscopy can determine the
mineralogy of grains that grow in nova ejecta. We anticipate the impact that
NASA's new Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) will have
on future IR studies of novae.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of "Physics of Evolved Stars 2015 - A
conference dedicated to the memory of Olivier Chesneau
Role of Metastable States in Phase Ordering Dynamics
We show that the rate of separation of two phases of different densities
(e.g. gas and solid) can be radically altered by the presence of a metastable
intermediate phase (e.g. liquid). Within a Cahn-Hilliard theory we study the
growth in one dimension of a solid droplet from a supersaturated gas. A moving
interface between solid and gas phases (say) can, for sufficient (transient)
supersaturation, unbind into two interfaces separated by a slab of metastable
liquid phase. We investigate the criteria for unbinding, and show that it may
strongly impede the growth of the solid phase.Comment: 4 pages, Latex, Revtex, epsf. Updated two reference
The circumstellar dust of "Born-Again" stars
We describe the evolution of the carbon dust shells around Very Late Thermal
Pulse (VLTP) objects as seen at infrared wavelengths. This includes a 20-year
overview of the evolution of the dust around Sakurai's object (to which Olivier
made a seminal contribution) and FG Sge. VLTPs may occur during the endpoint of
as many as 25% of solar mass stars, and may therefore provide a glimpse of the
possible fate of the Sun.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of "Physics of Evolved Stars 2015 - A
conference dedicated to the memory of Olivier Chesneau
The role of the Initial Teacher Training Coordinator in the school based element of partnership: to what extent does the Co-ordinator undertake supervision of aspects of quality assurance?
Over the last 14 years, Universities and colleges have organised school placements and award qualifications whilst teachers, acting as mentors take the lead in guiding, supervising and assessing students on lengthy teaching placements. Partnership developed quickly in response to legislation and Sheffield Hallam University was among the first of the Universities to 'sign up' to the new partnership model in 1992. The Partnership Survey 2006 reported on in this paper has focussed on the Senior Liaison Tutor with a view to finding out their views on their role, and perceived contributions to the quality assurance of the partnership. The survey focussed on some of the key issues identified in previous studies and meetings of the Partnership Management Board.</p
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