24,707 research outputs found
Geology of the Snap Lake kimberlite intrusion, Northwest Territories, Canada: field observations and their interpretation
The Cambrian (523 Ma) Snap Lake hypabyssal kimberlite intrusion, Northwest Territories, Canada, is a complex segmented diamond-bearing ore-body. Detailed geological investigations suggest that the kimberlite is a multi-phase intrusion with at least four magmatic lithofacies. In particular, olivine-rich (ORK) and olivine-poor (OPK) varieties of hypabyssal kimberlite have been identified. Key observations are that the olivine-rich lithofacieshas a strong tendency to be located where the intrusion is thickest and that there is a good correlation between intrusion thickness, olivine crystal size and crystal content. Heterogeneities in the lithofacies are attributed to variations in intrusion thickness and structural complexities. The geometry and distribution of lithofacies points to magmaticco-intrusion, and flow segregation driven by fundamental rheological differences between the two phases. We envisage that the low-viscosity OPK magma acted as a lubricant for the highly viscous ORK magma. The presenceof such low-viscosity, crystal-poor magmas may explain how crystal-laden kimberlite magmas (>60 vol.%) are able to reach the surface during kimberlite eruptions. We also document the absence of crystal settling and the development of an unusual subvertical fabric of elongate olivine crystals, which are explained by rapid degassing-induced quench crystallization of the magmas during and after intrusio
Persistent junk solutions in time-domain modeling of extreme mass ratio binaries
In the context of metric perturbation theory for non-spinning black holes,
extreme mass ratio binary (EMRB) systems are described by distributionally
forced master wave equations. Numerical solution of a master wave equation as
an initial boundary value problem requires initial data. However, because the
correct initial data for generic-orbit systems is unknown, specification of
trivial initial data is a common choice, despite being inconsistent and
resulting in a solution which is initially discontinuous in time. As is well
known, this choice leads to a "burst" of junk radiation which eventually
propagates off the computational domain. We observe another unintended
consequence of trivial initial data: development of a persistent spurious
solution, here referred to as the Jost junk solution, which contaminates the
physical solution for long times. This work studies the influence of both types
of junk on metric perturbations, waveforms, and self-force measurements, and it
demonstrates that smooth modified source terms mollify the Jost solution and
reduce junk radiation. Our concluding section discusses the applicability of
these observations to other numerical schemes and techniques used to solve
distributionally forced master wave equations.Comment: Uses revtex4, 16 pages, 9 figures, 3 tables. Document reformatted and
modified based on referee's report. Commentary added which addresses the
possible presence of persistent junk solutions in other approaches for
solving master wave equation
Determination of polarized parton distribution functions with recent data on polarization asymmetries
Global analysis has been performed within the next-to-leading order in
Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) to determine polarized parton distributions with
new experimental data in spin asymmetries. The new data set includes JLab,
HERMES, and COMPASS measurements on spin asymmetry A_1 for the neutron and
deuteron in lepton scattering. Our new analysis also utilizes the double-spin
asymmetry for pi^0 production in polarized pp collisions, A_{LL}^{pi^0},
measured by the PHENIX collaboration. Because of these new data, uncertainties
of the polarized PDFs are reduced. In particular, the JLab, HERMES, and COMPASS
measurements are valuable for determining Delta d_v(x) at large x and Delta
qbar(x) at x~0.1. The PHENIX pi^0 data significantly reduce the uncertainty of
Delta g(x). Furthermore, we discuss a possible constraint on Delta g(x) at
large x by using the HERMES data on g_1^d in comparison with the COMPASS ones
at x~0.05.Comment: 11 pages, REVTeX, 13 eps files, Phys. Rev. D in pres
Fast prediction and evaluation of gravitational waveforms using surrogate models
[Abridged] We propose a solution to the problem of quickly and accurately
predicting gravitational waveforms within any given physical model. The method
is relevant for both real-time applications and in more traditional scenarios
where the generation of waveforms using standard methods can be prohibitively
expensive. Our approach is based on three offline steps resulting in an
accurate reduced-order model that can be used as a surrogate for the
true/fiducial waveform family. First, a set of m parameter values is determined
using a greedy algorithm from which a reduced basis representation is
constructed. Second, these m parameters induce the selection of m time values
for interpolating a waveform time series using an empirical interpolant. Third,
a fit in the parameter dimension is performed for the waveform's value at each
of these m times. The cost of predicting L waveform time samples for a generic
parameter choice is of order m L + m c_f online operations where c_f denotes
the fitting function operation count and, typically, m << L. We generate
accurate surrogate models for Effective One Body (EOB) waveforms of
non-spinning binary black hole coalescences with durations as long as 10^5 M,
mass ratios from 1 to 10, and for multiple harmonic modes. We find that these
surrogates are three orders of magnitude faster to evaluate as compared to the
cost of generating EOB waveforms in standard ways. Surrogate model building for
other waveform models follow the same steps and have the same low online
scaling cost. For expensive numerical simulations of binary black hole
coalescences we thus anticipate large speedups in generating new waveforms with
a surrogate. As waveform generation is one of the dominant costs in parameter
estimation algorithms and parameter space exploration, surrogate models offer a
new and practical way to dramatically accelerate such studies without impacting
accuracy.Comment: 20 pages, 17 figures, uses revtex 4.1. Version 2 includes new
numerical experiments for longer waveform durations, larger regions of
parameter space and multi-mode model
The Effects of Dark Matter Decay and Annihilation on the High-Redshift 21 cm Background
The radiation background produced by the 21 cm spin-flip transition of
neutral hydrogen at high redshifts can be a pristine probe of fundamental
physics and cosmology. At z~30-300, the intergalactic medium (IGM) is visible
in 21 cm absorption against the cosmic microwave background (CMB), with a
strength that depends on the thermal (and ionization) history of the IGM. Here
we examine the constraints this background can place on dark matter decay and
annihilation, which could heat and ionize the IGM through the production of
high-energy particles. Using a simple model for dark matter decay, we show
that, if the decay energy is immediately injected into the IGM, the 21 cm
background can detect energy injection rates >10^{-24} eV cm^{-3} sec^{-1}. If
all the dark matter is subject to decay, this allows us to constrain dark
matter lifetimes <10^{27} sec. Such energy injection rates are much smaller
than those typically probed by the CMB power spectra. The expected brightness
temperature fluctuations at z~50 are a fraction of a mK and can vary from the
standard calculation by up to an order of magnitude, although the difference
can be significantly smaller if some of the decay products free stream to lower
redshifts. For self-annihilating dark matter, the fluctuation amplitude can
differ by a factor <2 from the standard calculation at z~50. Note also that, in
contrast to the CMB, the 21 cm probe is sensitive to both the ionization
fraction and the IGM temperature, in principle allowing better constraints on
the decay process and heating history. We also show that strong IGM heating and
ionization can lead to an enhanced H_2 abundance, which may affect the earliest
generations of stars and galaxies.Comment: submitted to Phys Rev D, 14 pages, 8 figure
Strategy towards Mirror-fermion Signatures
The existence of mirror fermions interacting strongly under a new gauge group
and having masses near the electroweak scale has been recently proposed as a
viable alternative to the standard-model Higgs mechanism. The main purpose of
this work is to investigate which specific experimental signals are needed to
clearly differentiate the mirror-fermion model from other new-physics models.
In particular, the case is made for a future large lepton collider with c.o.m.
energies of roughly 4 TeV or higher.Comment: 30 Latex pages, 2 postscript figure
Technical Note: A numerical test-bed for detailed ice nucleation studies in the AIDA cloud simulation chamber
The AIDA (Aerosol Interactions and Dynamics in the Atmosphere) aerosol and cloud chamber of Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe can be used to test the ice forming ability of aerosols. The AIDA chamber is extensively instrumented including pressure, temperature and humidity sensors, and optical particle counters. Expansion cooling using mechanical pumps leads to ice supersaturation conditions and possible ice formation. In order to describe the evolving chamber conditions during an expansion, a parcel model was modified to account for diabatic heat and moisture interactions with the chamber walls. Model results are shown for a series of expansions where the initial chamber temperature ranged from −20°C to −60°C and which used desert dust as ice forming nuclei. During each expansion, the initial formation of ice particles was clearly observed. For the colder expansions there were two clear ice nucleation episodes. <br><br> In order to test the ability of the model to represent the changing chamber conditions and to give confidence in the observations of chamber temperature and humidity, and ice particle concentration and mean size, ice particles were simply added as a function of time so as to reproduce the observations of ice crystal concentration. The time interval and chamber conditions over which ice nucleation occurs is therefore accurately known, and enables the model to be used as a test bed for different representations of ice formation
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