526 research outputs found
The electrorheology of suspensions consisting of Na-Fluorohectorite synthetic clay particles in silicon oil
Under application of an electric field greater than a triggering electric
field kV/mm, suspensions obtained by dispersing particles of the
synthetic clay fluoro-hectorite in a silicon oil, aggregate into chain- and/or
column-like structures parallel to the applied electric field. This
micro-structuring results in a transition in the suspensions' rheological
behavior, from a Newtonian-like behavior to a shear-thinning rheology with a
significant yield stress. This behavior is studied as a function of particle
volume fraction and strength of the applied electric field, . The steady
shear flow curves are observed to scale onto a master curve with respect to
, in a manner similar to what was recently found for suspensions of laponite
clay [42]. In the case of Na-fluorohectorite, the corresponding dynamic yield
stress is demonstrated to scale with respect to as a power law with an
exponent , while the static yield stress inferred from
constant shear stress tests exhibits a similar behavior with . The suspensions are also studied in the framework of thixotropic fluids:
the bifurcation in the rheology behavior when letting the system flow and
evolve under a constant applied shear stress is characterized, and a
bifurcation yield stress, estimated as the applied shear stress at which
viscosity bifurcation occurs, is measured to scale as with to 0.6. All measured yield stresses increase with the particle
fraction of the suspension. For the static yield stress, a scaling law
, with , is found. The results are found to be
reasonably consistent with each other. Their similarities with-, and
discrepancies to- results obtained on laponite-oil suspensions are discussed
Collisional dissipation of Alfvén waves in a partially ionised solar chromosphere
Certain regions of the solar atmosphere are at sufficiently low temperatures to be only partially ionised. The lower chromosphere contains neutral atoms, the existence of which greatly increases the efficiency of the damping of waves due to collisional friction momentum transfer. More specifically the Cowling conductivity can be up to 12 orders of magnitude smaller than the Spitzer value, so that the main damping mechanism in this region is due to the collisions between neutrals and positive ions (Khodachenko et al. 2004, A&A, 422, 1073). Using values for the gas density and temperature as functions of height taken from the VAL C model of the quiet Sun (Vernazza et al. 1981, ApJS, 45, 635), an estimate is made for the dependance of the Cowling conductivity on height and strength of magnetic field. Using both analytic and numerical approaches the passage of Alfvén waves over a wide spectrum through this partially ionised region is investigated. Estimates of the efficiency of this region in the damping of Alfvén waves are made and compared for both approaches. We find that Alfvén waves with frequencies above 0.6 Hz are completely damped and frequencies below 0.01 Hz unaffected
Intercalation-enhanced electric polarization and chain formation of nano-layered particles
Microscopy observations show that suspensions of synthetic and natural
nano-layered smectite clay particles submitted to a strong external electric
field undergo a fast and extended structuring. This structuring results from
the interaction between induced electric dipoles, and is only possible for
particles with suitable polarization properties. Smectite clay colloids are
observed to be particularly suitable, in contrast to similar suspensions of a
non-swelling clay. Synchrotron X-ray scattering experiments provide the
orientation distributions for the particles. These distributions are understood
in terms of competing (i) homogenizing entropy and (ii) interaction between the
particles and the local electric field; they show that clay particles polarize
along their silica sheet. Furthermore, a change in the platelet separation
inside nano-layered particles occurs under application of the electric field,
indicating that intercalated ions and water molecules play a role in their
electric polarization. The resulting induced dipole is structurally attached to
the particle, and this causes particles to reorient and interact, resulting in
the observed macroscopic structuring. The macroscopic properties of these
electro-rheological smectite suspensions may be tuned by controlling the nature
and quantity of the intercalated species, at the nanoscale.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Twisting Flux Tubes as a cause of Micro-Flaring Activity
High-cadence optical observations of an H-alpha blue-wing bright point near
solar AR NOAA 10794 are presented. The data were obtained with the Dunn Solar
Telescope at the National Solar Observatory/Sacramento Peak using a newly
developed camera system, the Rapid Dual Imager. Wavelet analysis is undertaken
to search for intensity-related oscillatory signatures, and periodicities
ranging from 15 to 370 s are found with significance levels exceeding 95%.
During two separate microflaring events, oscillation sites surrounding the
bright point are observed to twist. We relate the twisting of the oscillation
sites to the twisting of physical flux tubes, thus giving rise to reconnection
phenomena. We derive an average twist velocity of 8.1 km/s and detect a peak in
the emitted flux between twist angles of 180 and 230 degrees.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figure
Scattering statistics of rock outcrops: Model-data comparisons and Bayesian inference using mixture distributions
The probability density function of the acoustic field amplitude scattered by
the seafloor was measured in a rocky environment off the coast of Norway using
a synthetic aperture sonar system, and is reported here in terms of the
probability of false alarm. Interpretation of the measurements focused on
finding appropriate class of statistical models (single versus two-component
mixture models), and on appropriate models within these two classes. It was
found that two-component mixture models performed better than single models.
The two mixture models that performed the best (and had a basis in the physics
of scattering) were a mixture between two K distributions, and a mixture
between a Rayleigh and generalized Pareto distribution. Bayes' theorem was used
to estimate the probability density function of the mixture model parameters.
It was found that the K-K mixture exhibits significant correlation between its
parameters. The mixture between the Rayleigh and generalized Pareto
distributions also had significant parameter correlation, but also contained
multiple modes. We conclude that the mixture between two K distributions is the
most applicable to this dataset.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, Accepted to the Journal of the Acoustical
Society of Americ
Specific T-cell immunity against Ki-ras peptides in patients with pancreatic and colorectal cancers
Two-Dimensional Helioseismic Power, Phase, and Coherence Spectra of {\it Solar Dynamics Observatory} Photospheric and Chromospheric Observables
While the {\it Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager} (HMI) onboard the {\it Solar
Dynamics Observatory} (SDO) provides Doppler velocity [], continuum
intensity [], and line-depth [] observations, each of which is
sensitive to the five-minute acoustic spectrum, the {\it Atmospheric Imaging
Array} (AIA) also observes at wavelengths -- specifically the 1600 and 1700
Angstrom bands -- that are partly formed in the upper photosphere and have good
sensitivity to acoustic modes. In this article we consider the characteristics
of the spatio--temporal Fourier spectra in AIA and HMI observables for a
15-degree region around NOAA Active Region 11072. We map the
spatio--temporal-power distribution for the different observables and the HMI
Line Core [], or Continuum minus Line Depth, and the phase and coherence
functions for selected observable pairs, as a function of position and
frequency. Five-minute oscillation power in all observables is suppressed in
the sunspot and also in plage areas. Above the acoustic cut-off frequency, the
behaviour is more complicated: power in HMI is still suppressed in the
presence of surface magnetic fields, while power in HMI and the AIA bands
is suppressed in areas of surface field but enhanced in an extended area around
the active region, and power in HMI is enhanced in a narrow zone around
strong-field concentrations and suppressed in a wider surrounding area. The
relative phase of the observables, and their cross-coherence functions, are
also altered around the active region. These effects may help us to understand
the interaction of waves and magnetic fields in the different layers of the
photosphere, and will need to be taken into account in multi-wavelength local
helioseismic analysis of active regions.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures, to be published in Solar Physic
Experimental reproduction of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in pigs in Sweden and Denmark with a Swedish isolate of porcine circovirus type 2
The solar chromosphere at high resolution with IBIS. I. New insights from the Ca II 854.2 nm line
(Abridged)
Aims: In this paper, we seek to establish the suitability of imaging
spectroscopy performed in the Ca II 854.2 nm line as a means to investigate the
solar chromosphere at high resolution.
Methods: We utilize monochromatic images obtained with the Interferometric
BIdimensional Spectrometer (IBIS) at multiple wavelengths within the Ca II
854.2 nm line and over several quiet areas. We analyze both the morphological
properties derived from narrow-band monochromatic images and the average
spectral properties of distinct solar features such as network points,
internetwork areas and fibrils.
Results: The spectral properties derived over quiet-Sun targets are in full
agreement with earlier results obtained with fixed-slit spectrographic
observations, highlighting the reliability of the spectral information obtained
with IBIS. Furthermore, the very narrowband IBIS imaging reveals with much
clarity the dual nature of the Ca II 854.2 nm line: its outer wings gradually
sample the solar photosphere, while the core is a purely chromospheric
indicator. The latter displays a wealth of fine structures including bright
points, akin to the Ca II H2V and K2V grains, as well as fibrils originating
from even the smallest magnetic elements. The fibrils occupy a large fraction
of the observed field of view even in the quiet regions, and clearly outline
atmospheric volumes with different dynamical properties, strongly dependent on
the local magnetic topology. This highlights the fact that 1-D models
stratified along the vertical direction can provide only a very limited
representation of the actual chromospheric physics.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures. Accepted in A&A. Revised version after referee's
comments. New Fig. 1 and 7. Higher quality figures in
http://www.arcetri.astro.it/~gcauzzi/papers/ibis.caii.pd
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