8,406 research outputs found
Symplectic algorithm for constant-pressure molecular dynamics using a Nose-Poincare thermostat
We present a new algorithm for isothermal-isobaric molecular-dynamics
simulation. The method uses an extended Hamiltonian with an Andersen piston
combined with the Nos'e-Poincar'e thermostat, recently developed by Bond,
Leimkuhler and Laird [J. Comp. Phys., 151, (1999)]. This
Nos'e-Poincar'e-Andersen (NPA) formulation has advantages over the
Nos'e-Hoover-Andersen approach in that the NPA is Hamiltonian and can take
advantage of symplectic integration schemes, which lead to enhanced stability
for long-time simulations. The equations of motion are integrated using a
Generalized Leapfrog Algorithm and the method is easy to implement, symplectic,
explicit and time reversible. To demonstrate the stability of the method we
show results for test simulations using a model for aluminum.Comment: 7 page
Middle Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies Volume II-B: Chemical and Biological Benchmark Studies
The Middle Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Studies is comprised of three volumes. Volume I. Executive Summary. Volume IIA, IIB, IIC and IID. Chemical and Biological Benchmark Studies. Volume III. Geologic Studies.
This is the second of four sections of the Chemical and Biological Benchmark Studies CHAPTER 5. BOTTOM SEDIMENTS AND SEDIMENTARY FRAMEWORK by Donald .F. Boesch CHAPTER 6. BENTHIC ECOLOGICAL STUDIES: MACROBENTHOS by Donald F. Boesch CHAPTER 7. BENTHIC ECOLOGICAL STUDIES: MEIOBENTHOS by D.J. Hartzband and Donald F. Boesch CHAPTER 8. BENTHIC ECOLOGICAL STUDIES: FORAMINIFERA by Robert L. Ellison
Chapters of this report contain the Institutes\u27 Special Reports in Applied Marine Science and Ocean Engineering No.193,194,195,196
Providing Self-Aware Systems with Reflexivity
We propose a new type of self-aware systems inspired by ideas from
higher-order theories of consciousness. First, we discussed the crucial
distinction between introspection and reflexion. Then, we focus on
computational reflexion as a mechanism by which a computer program can inspect
its own code at every stage of the computation. Finally, we provide a formal
definition and a proof-of-concept implementation of computational reflexion,
viewed as an enriched form of program interpretation and a way to dynamically
"augment" a computational process.Comment: 12 pages plus bibliography, appendices with code description, code of
the proof-of-concept implementation, and examples of executio
Spectroscopy of Ne for the thermonuclear O()Ne and F()O reaction rates
Uncertainties in the thermonuclear rates of the
O()Ne and F()O reactions
affect model predictions of light curves from type I X-ray bursts and the
amount of the observable radioisotope F produced in classical novae,
respectively. To address these uncertainties, we have studied the nuclear
structure of Ne over MeV and MeV using
the F(He,t)Ne reaction. We find the values of the
4.14 and 4.20 MeV levels to be consistent with and
respectively, in contrast to previous assumptions. We confirm the recently
observed triplet of states around 6.4 MeV, and find evidence that the state at
6.29 MeV, just below the proton threshold, is either broad or a doublet. Our
data also suggest that predicted but yet unobserved levels may exist near the
6.86 MeV state. Higher resolution experiments are urgently needed to further
clarify the structure of Ne around the proton threshold before a
reliable F()O rate for nova models can be determined.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Phys. Rev. C (in press
An experimental investigation of the mechanical properties of a selected group of plastic materials
Dynamic and static testing of selected plastics for determination of mechanical propertie
X-Ray Groups of Galaxies in the Aegis Deep and Wide Fields
We present the results of a search for extended X-ray sources and their
corresponding galaxy groups from 800-ks Chandra coverage of the All-wavelength
Extended Groth Strip International Survey (AEGIS). This yields one of the
largest X-ray selected galaxy group catalogs from a blind survey to date. The
red-sequence technique and spectroscopic redshifts allow us to identify 100
of reliable sources, leading to a catalog of 52 galaxy groups. The groups span
the redshift range and virial mass range
. For the 49 extended
sources which lie within DEEP2 and DEEP3 Galaxy Redshift Survey coverage, we
identify spectroscopic counterparts and determine velocity dispersions. We
select member galaxies by applying different cuts along the line of sight or in
projected spatial coordinates. A constant cut along the line of sight can cause
a large scatter in scaling relations in low-mass or high-mass systems depending
on the size of cut. A velocity dispersion based virial radius can more
overestimate velocity dispersion in comparison to X-ray based virial radius for
low mass systems. There is no significant difference between these two radial
cuts for more massive systems. Independent of radial cut, overestimation of
velocity dispersion can be created in case of existence of significant
substructure and also compactness in X-ray emission which mostly occur in low
mass systems. We also present a comparison between X-ray galaxy groups and
optical galaxy groups detected using the Voronoi-Delaunay method (VDM) for
DEEP2 data in this field.Comment: Accepted for publication in AP
Directly Imaged L-T Transition Exoplanets in the Mid-Infrared
Gas-giant planets emit a large fraction of their light in the mid-infrared
(3m), where photometry and spectroscopy are critical to our
understanding of the bulk properties of extrasolar planets. Of particular
importance are the L and M-band atmospheric windows (3-5m), which are the
longest wavelengths currently accessible to ground-based, high-contrast
imagers. We present binocular LBT AO images of the HR 8799 planetary system in
six narrow-band filters from 3-4m, and a Magellan AO image of the 2M1207
planetary system in a broader 3.3m band. These systems encompass the five
known exoplanets with luminosities consistent with LT transition
brown dwarfs. Our results show that the exoplanets are brighter and have
shallower spectral slopes than equivalent temperature brown dwarfs in a
wavelength range that contains the methane fundamental absorption feature
(spanned by the narrowband filters and encompassed by the broader 3.3m
filter). For 2M1207 b, we find that thick clouds and non-equilibrium chemistry
caused by vertical mixing can explain the object's appearance. For the HR 8799
planets, we present new models that suggest the atmospheres must have patchy
clouds, along with non-equilibrium chemistry. Together, the presence of a
heterogeneous surface and vertical mixing presents a picture of dynamic
planetary atmospheres in which both horizontal and vertical motions influence
the chemical and condensate profiles.Comment: Accepted to Ap
Spin-parities of sub-threshold resonances in the F(p, )O reaction
The F(p, )O reaction is key to determining the F
abundance in classical novae. However, the cross section for this reaction has
large uncertainties at low energies largely caused by interference effects.
Here, we resolve a longstanding issue with unknown spin-parities of
sub-threshold states in Ne that reduces these uncertainties. The
Ne(He, He)Ne neutron pick-up reaction was used to
populate Ne excited states, focusing on the energy region of
astrophysical interest ( 6 - 7 MeV). The experiment was performed at
the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory using the high resolution Enge
split-pole magnetic spectrograph. Spins and parities were found for states in
the astrophysical energy range. In particular, the state at 6.133 MeV
(E keV) was found to have spin and parity of
and we confirm the existence of an unresolved doublet close to 6.288 MeV
(E keV) with J = and a high-spin
state. Using these results, we demonstrate a significant factor of two decrease
in the reaction rate uncertainties at nova temperatures.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev. C. Corrected typos and
reference
Density functional theory of freezing: Analysis of crystal density
This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/jcp/87/9/10.1063/1.453663The density functional theory of freezing is used to study the liquid to crystal phase transition in the hardsphere and Lennard‐Jones systems. An important step in the calculation is the parametrization of the solid phase average single particle density ρ(r). In this work two popular parametrizations are compared. The first method is a general Fourier decomposition of the periodic solid density in which the amplitude of each (non‐symmetry‐related) Fourier component is treated as an independent parameter. The second parametrization, which is more restrictive but easier to implement, approximates the solid density as a sum of Gaussian peaks centered at the sites of a periodic lattice. The two methods give essentially identical results for the phase diagrams for the two systems studied, but the crystal density predicted by the Fourier method exhibits significant anisotropies which are excluded from the Gaussian representation by construction
Constraints on Extrasolar Planet Populations from VLT NACO/SDI and MMT SDI and Direct Adaptive Optics Imaging Surveys: Giant Planets are Rare at Large Separations
We examine the implications for the distribution of extrasolar planets based
on the null results from two of the largest direct imaging surveys published to
date. Combining the measured contrast curves from 22 of the stars observed with
the VLT NACO adaptive optics system by Masciadri et al. (2005), and 48 of the
stars observed with the VLT NACO SDI and MMT SDI devices by Biller et al.
(2007) (for a total of 60 unique stars; the median star for our survey is a 30
Myr K2 star at 25 pc), we consider what distributions of planet masses and
semi-major axes can be ruled out by these data, based on Monte Carlo
simulations of planet populations. We can set this upper limit with 95%
confidence: the fraction of stars with planets with semi-major axis from 20 to
100 AU, and mass >4 M_Jup, is 20% or less. Also, with a distribution of planet
mass of dN/dM ~ M^-1.16 between 0.5-13 M_Jup, we can rule out a power-law
distribution for semi-major axis (dN/da ~ a^alpha) with index 0 and upper
cut-off of 18 AU, and index -0.5 with an upper cut-off of 48 AU. For the
distribution suggested by Cumming et al. (2007), a power-law of index -0.61, we
can place an upper limit of 75 AU on the semi-major axis distribution. At the
68% confidence level, these upper limits state that fewer than 8% of stars have
a planet of mass >4 M_Jup between 20 and 100 AU, and a power-law distribution
for semi-major axis with index 0, -0.5, and -0.61 cannot have giant planets
beyond 12, 23, and 29 AU, respectively. In general, we find that even null
results from direct imaging surveys are very powerful in constraining the
distributions of giant planets (0.5-13 M_Jup) at large separations, but more
work needs to be done to close the gap between planets that can be detected by
direct imaging, and those to which the radial velocity method is sensitive.Comment: 46 pages, 17 figures, accepted to Ap
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