334 research outputs found
de Haas-van Alphen effect investigations of the electronic structure of pure and aluminum-doped MgB_2
Understanding the superconducting properties of MgB_2 is based strongly on
knowledge of its electronic structure. In this paper we review experimental
measurements of the Fermi surface parameters of pure and Al-doped MgB_2 using
the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) effect. In general, the measurements are in
excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions of the electronic
structure, including the strength of the electron-phonon coupling on each Fermi
surface sheet. For the Al doped samples, we are able to measure how the band
structure changes with doping and again these are in excellent agreement with
calculations based on the virtual crystal approximation. We also review work on
the dHvA effect in the superconducting state.Comment: Contribution to the special issue of Physica C "Superconductivity in
MgB2: Physics and Applications" (10 Pages with figures
Rolling-sliding laboratory tests of friction modifiers in dry and wet wheel-rail contacts
Friction management has been carried out extensively in the majority of railway networks in the last few years. A popular practice is the application of friction modifiers to increase the adhesion level in contaminated wheel-rail contacts. Two friction modifiers have particularly been used or tested on several railway networks as adhesion enhancers to facilitate the traction and braking operation under poor adhesion conditions. However, for assessment of the performance the railway operators and infrastructure managers mostly rely on practical observations that do not elucidate completely the effectiveness and side effects of these adhesion enhancers. In this paper, the constituents of the two friction modifiers are identified and the solid components are analyzed. A twin-disk roller rig has been used to study their performance in dry and wet contacts under closely controlled laboratory conditions. The adhesion characteristics of both friction modifiers are examined for different slip ratios. Furthermore, the wheel and rail disks are examined after a series of dry tests to analyze the mass loss, the surface damage, the change in surface hardness and roughness, and the subsurface deformation caused by the friction modifiers compared to dry clean contacts. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Aspects of Two-Photon Physics at Linear e+e- Colliders
We discuss various reactions at future e+e- and gamma-gamma colliders
involving real (beamstrahlung or backscattered laser) or quasi--real
(bremsstrahlung) photons in the initial state and hadrons in the final state.
The production of two central jets with large pT is described in some detail;
we give distributions for the rapidity and pT of the jets as well as the
di--jet invariant mass, and discuss the relative importance of various initial
state configurations and the uncertainties in our predictions. We also present
results for `mono--jet' production where one jet goes down a beam pipe, for the
production of charm, bottom and top quarks, and for single production of W and
Z bosons. Where appropriate, the two--photon processes are compared with
annihilation reactions leading to similar final states. We also argue that the
behaviour of the total inelastic gamma-gamma cross section at high energies
will probably have little impact on the severity of background problems caused
by soft and semi--hard (`minijet') two--photon reactions. We find very large
differences in cross sections for all two--photon processes between existing
designs for future e+e- colliders, due to the different beamstrahlung spectra;
in particular, both designs with >1 events per bunch crossing exist.Comment: 51 pages, 13 figures(not included
New Insights into White-Light Flare Emission from Radiative-Hydrodynamic Modeling of a Chromospheric Condensation
(abridged) The heating mechanism at high densities during M dwarf flares is
poorly understood. Spectra of M dwarf flares in the optical and
near-ultraviolet wavelength regimes have revealed three continuum components
during the impulsive phase: 1) an energetically dominant blackbody component
with a color temperature of T 10,000 K in the blue-optical, 2) a smaller
amount of Balmer continuum emission in the near-ultraviolet at lambda 3646
Angstroms and 3) an apparent pseudo-continuum of blended high-order Balmer
lines. These properties are not reproduced by models that employ a typical
"solar-type" flare heating level in nonthermal electrons, and therefore our
understanding of these spectra is limited to a phenomenological interpretation.
We present a new 1D radiative-hydrodynamic model of an M dwarf flare from
precipitating nonthermal electrons with a large energy flux of erg
cm s. The simulation produces bright continuum emission from a
dense, hot chromospheric condensation. For the first time, the observed color
temperature and Balmer jump ratio are produced self-consistently in a
radiative-hydrodynamic flare model. We find that a T 10,000 K
blackbody-like continuum component and a small Balmer jump ratio result from
optically thick Balmer and Paschen recombination radiation, and thus the
properties of the flux spectrum are caused by blue light escaping over a larger
physical depth range compared to red and near-ultraviolet light. To model the
near-ultraviolet pseudo-continuum previously attributed to overlapping Balmer
lines, we include the extra Balmer continuum opacity from Landau-Zener
transitions that result from merged, high order energy levels of hydrogen in a
dense, partially ionized atmosphere. This reveals a new diagnostic of ambient
charge density in the densest regions of the atmosphere that are heated during
dMe and solar flares.Comment: 50 pages, 2 tables, 13 figures. Accepted for publication in the Solar
Physics Topical Issue, "Solar and Stellar Flares". Version 2 (June 22, 2015):
updated to include comments by Guest Editor. The final publication is
available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11207-015-0708-
The Limerick bubbly flow rig: design, performance, hold-up and mixing pattern
peer-reviewedAs Euler-Euler CFD simulations of bubbly flows suffer from uncertainties due to the many underpinning models, there is an obvious need of accurate experimental data for validation. With this in mind, a new bubbly flow test rig was built to be operated with and without liquid co-flow, with bubble size as uniform as possible in the range 4–7 mm, and with a very even horizontal bubble distribution. We designed the gas sparging system such that we can also produce an essentially bi-modal bubble size distribution. The column consists of two square sections to allow for studying the mixing of two originally separated bubbly flows with either the same or a different bubble size. The bubbles are produced from 2 × 196 needles, bubble sizes are determined with high-speed imaging and with a simple acoustical method, overall volume fractions in the column by means of air chamber pressure measurements. Overall volume fractions are presented as a function of gas and liquid flow rates, with slip velocity mostly increasing with increasing void fraction. First results are obtained on (a) producing bi-model bubble size distributions and the pertinent volume fractions in the column, and (b) flow patterns in the case of unequal aeration
All-particle cosmic ray energy spectrum measured with 26 IceTop stations
We report on a measurement of the cosmic ray energy spectrum with the IceTop
air shower array, the surface component of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at
the South Pole. The data used in this analysis were taken between June and
October, 2007, with 26 surface stations operational at that time, corresponding
to about one third of the final array. The fiducial area used in this analysis
was 0.122 km^2. The analysis investigated the energy spectrum from 1 to 100 PeV
measured for three different zenith angle ranges between 0{\deg} and 46{\deg}.
Because of the isotropy of cosmic rays in this energy range the spectra from
all zenith angle intervals have to agree. The cosmic-ray energy spectrum was
determined under different assumptions on the primary mass composition. Good
agreement of spectra in the three zenith angle ranges was found for the
assumption of pure proton and a simple two-component model. For zenith angles
{\theta} < 30{\deg}, where the mass dependence is smallest, the knee in the
cosmic ray energy spectrum was observed between 3.5 and 4.32 PeV, depending on
composition assumption. Spectral indices above the knee range from -3.08 to
-3.11 depending on primary mass composition assumption. Moreover, an indication
of a flattening of the spectrum above 22 PeV were observed.Comment: 38 pages, 17 figure
The survival probability of large rapidity gaps in a three channel model
The values and energy dependence for the survival probability of large rapidity gaps (LRG) are calculated in a three channel model. This
model includes single and double diffractive production, as well as elastic
rescattering. It is shown that decreases with increasing
energy, in line with recent results for LRG dijet production at the Tevatron.
This is in spite of the weak dependence on energy of the ratio .Comment: 26 pages in latex file,11 figures in eps file
Survival probability for high mass diffraction
Based on the calculation of survival probabilities, we discuss the problem of
extracting the value of , the triple Pomeron 'bare' coupling constant,
by comparing the large rapidity gap single high mass diffraction data in
proton-proton scattering and photo and DIS production. For p-p
scattering the calculation in a three amplitude rescattering eikonal model,
predicts the survival probability to be an order of magnitude smaller than for
the two amplitude case. The survival probabilities calculation for photo and
DIS production is made in a dedicated model. In this process we show
that, even though its survival probability is considerably larger than in p-p
scattering, its value is below unity and cannot be neglected in the data
analysis. We argue that, regardless of the uncertainties in the suggested
procedure, its outcome is important both with regards to a realistic estimate
of , and the survival probabilities relevant to LHC experiments.Comment: 17 pages, 8 pictures and one tabl
Representational predicaments for employees: Their impact on perceptions of supervisors\u27 individualized consideration and on employee job satisfaction
A representational predicament for a subordinate vis-à-vis his or her immediate superior involves perceptual incongruence with the superior about the subordinate\u27s work or work context, with unfavourable implications for the employee. An instrument to measure the incidence of two types of representational predicament, being neglected and negative slanting, was developed and then validated through an initial survey of 327 employees. A subsequent substantive survey with a fresh sample of 330 employees largely supported a conceptual model linking being neglected and negative slanting to perceptions of low individualized consideration by superiors and to low overall job satisfaction. The respondents in both surveys were all Hong Kong Chinese. Two case examples drawn from qualitative interviews illustrate and support the conceptual model. Based on the research findings, we recommend some practical exercises to use in training interventions with leaders and subordinates. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC
The Meta VCI Map consortium for meta-analyses on strategic lesion locations for vascular cognitive impairment using lesion-symptom mapping: design and multicenter pilot study
Introduction: The Meta VCI Map consortium performs meta-analyses on strategic lesion locations for vascular cognitive impairment using lesion-symptom mapping. Integration of data from different cohorts will increase sample sizes, to improve brain lesion coverage and support comprehensive lesion-symptom mapping studies. Methods: Cohorts with available imaging on white matter hyperintensities or infarcts and cognitive testing were invited. We performed a pilot study to test the feasibility of multicenter data processing and analysis and determine the benefits to lesion coverage. Results: Forty-seven groups have joined Meta VCI Map (stroke n = 7800 patients; memory clinic n = 4900; population-based n = 14,400). The pilot study (six ischemic stroke cohorts, n = 878) demonstrated feasibility of multicenter data integration (computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging) and achieved marked improvement of lesion coverage. Discussion: Meta VCI Map will provide new insights into the relevance of vascular lesion location for cognitive dysfunction. After the successful pilot study, further projects are being prepared. Other investigators are welcome to join
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