267 research outputs found
Quantum radiation from superluminal refractive index perturbations
We analyze in detail photon production induced by a superluminal refractive
index perturbation in realistic experimental operating conditions. The
interaction between the refractive index perturbation and the quantum vacuum
fluctuations of the electromagnetic field leads to the production of photon
pairs.Comment: 4 page
Spacetime geometries and light trapping in travelling refractive index perturbations
In the framework of transformation optics, we show that the propagation of a
locally superluminal refractive index perturbation (RIP) in a Kerr medium can
be described, in the eikonal approximation, by means of a stationary metric,
which we prove to be of Gordon type. Under suitable hypotheses on the RIP, we
obtain a stationary but not static metric, which is characterized by an
ergosphere and by a peculiar behaviour of the geodesics, which are studied
numerically, also accounting for material dispersion. Finally, the equation to
be satisfied by an event horizon is also displayed and briefly discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure
Comparing the Sustainability of Different Powertrains for Urban Use
The real environment impacts the fuel and energy consumption of any vehicle: technology, physical and social phenomena, traffic, drivers’ behaviour, and so on; many of them are difficult to quantify. The authors’ methodology was used to test the real impact of vehicles in “standard” urban conditions, and many generations of hybrid powertrains are compared. One of the latest performance indexes is the percentage of time the vehicle runs with zero emissions (ZEV). For example, the hybrid vehicle tested ran up to 80% with no emissions and fuel consumption below 3 L per 100 km. A few energy performance indicators were compared between five vehicles: one battery electric vehicle (BEV), two hybrid gasoline–electric vehicles (HEVs), and two traditional vehicles (one diesel and one gasoline). Their potential to use only renewable energy is unrivalled, but today’s vehicles’ performances favour hybrid power trains. This paper summarises the most sustainable powertrain for urban use by comparing experimental data from on-road testing. It also evaluates the benefits of reducing emissions by forecasting the Italian car fleet of 2025 and three use cases of the evolution of car fleets, with a focus on Rome
Rogue wave formation scenarios for the focusing nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation with parabolic-profile initial data on a compact support
We study the (1+1) focusing nonlinear Schroedinger (NLS) equation for an
initial condition with concave parabolic profile on a compact support and phase
depending quadratically on the spatial coordinate. In the absence of
dispersion, using the natural class of self-similar solutions of the resulting
elliptic system, we generalise a result by Talanov, Guervich and Shvartsburg,
finding a criterion on the chirp and modulus coefficients at time equal zero to
determine whether the dispersionless solution features asymptotic relaxation or
a blow-up at fine time, providing an explicit formula for the time of
catastrophe. In the presence of dispersion, we numerically show that the same
criterion determines, even beyond the semi-classical regime, whether the
solution relaxes or develops a higher order rogue wave, whose amplitude can be
several multiples of the height of the initial parabola. In the latter case,
for small dispersion, the time of catastrophe for the corresponding
dispersionless solution predicts almost exactly the onset time of the rogue
wave. In our numerical experiments, the sign of the chirp appears to determine
the prevailing scenario, among two competing mechanisms leading to the
formation of a rogue wave. For negative values, the simulations are suggestive
of the dispersive regularisation of a gradient catastrophe described by Bertola
and Tovbis for a different class of smooth, bell-shaped initial data. As the
chirp becomes positive, the rogue wave seem to result from the interaction of
counter-propagating dispersive dam break flows, as described for the box
problem by El, Khamis and Tovbis. As the chirp and amplitude of the initial
profile are relatively easy to manipulate in optical devices and water tank
wave generators, we expect our observation to be relevant for experiments in
nonlinear optics and fluid dynamics.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl
Birkhoff strata of the Grassmannian Gr: Algebraic curves
Algebraic varieties and curves arising in Birkhoff strata of the Sato
Grassmannian Gr are studied. It is shown that the big cell
contains the tower of families of the normal rational curves of all odd orders.
Strata , contain hyperelliptic curves of genus
and their coordinate rings. Strata , contain
plane curves for and and
curves in , respectively. Curves in the strata
have zero genus.Comment: 14 pages, no figures, improved some definitions, typos correcte
Reply to Comment on: Hawking radiation from ultrashort laser pulse filaments
A comment by R. Schutzhold et al. raises possible concerns and questions
regarding recent measurements of analogue Hawking radiation. We briefly reply
to the opinions expressed in the comment and sustain that the origin of the
radiation may be understood in terms of Hawking emission
Design of pressure-sensitive adhesive suitable for the preparation of transdermal patches by hot-melt printing
This work aimed to design low-melting pressure sensitive adhesives and to demonstrate the feasibility of the preparation of (trans)dermal patches by hot-melt ram extrusion printing. This approach allows defining both the geometry of (trans)dermal patch and the drug strength easily according to patient needs. The preparation steps are the mixing of a poly-ammonium methacrylate polymer (i.e. Eudragit RL and RS) with a suitable amount of plasticizer (triacetin or tributyl citrate) and drug (ketoprofen or nicotine), the melting in the ram extruder, and the printing on the backing layer foil. The formulations were characterized in terms of rheological and adhesive properties, in vitro drug release and skin permeation profiles.
The (trans)dermal patches made of Eudragit RL or Eudragit RS plasticized with the 40% triacetin could be printed at 90 \ub0C giving formulations with suitable adhesive properties and without cold flow after 1 month of storage at 40 \ub0C. Furthermore, the overall results showed that the performances of printed (trans)dermal patches overlapped those made by solvent casting, suggesting that the proposed solvent-free technology can be useful to treat cutaneous pathologies when the availability of (trans)dermal patches with size and shape that perfectly fit with the skin area affected by the disease improves the safety of the pharmacological treatment
Natural function and structural modification of climacostol, a ciliate secondary metabolite
The review highlights the main results of two decades of research on climacostol (5-[(2Z)-non-2-en-1-yl]benzene-1,3-diol), the resorcinolic lipid produced and used by the ciliated protozoan Climacostomum virens for chemical defense against a wide range of predators, and to assist its carnivorous feeding. After the first studies on the physiological function of climacostol, the compound and some analogues were chemically synthesized, thus allowing us to explore both its effect on different prokaryotic and eukaryotic biological systems, and the role of its relevant structural traits. In particular, the results obtained in the last 10 years indicate climacostol is an effective antimicrobial and anticancer agent, bringing new clues to the attempt to design and synthesize additional novel analogues that can increase or optimize its pharmacological properties
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