1,084 research outputs found
A Fully Self-Consistent Treatment of Collective Fluctuations in Quantum Liquids
The problem of calculating collective density fluctuations in quantum liquids
is revisited. A fully quantum mechanical self-consistent treatment based on a
quantum mode-coupling theory [E. Rabani and D.R. Reichman, J. Chem. Phys.116,
6271 (2002)] is presented. The theory is compared with the maximum entropy
analytic continuation approach and with available experimental results. The
quantum mode-coupling theory provides semi-quantitative results for both short
and long time dynamics. The proper description of long time phenomena is
important in future study of problems related to the physics of glassy quantum
systems, and to the study of collective fluctuations in Bose fluids.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
“The Road Not Taken” – Israeli Teachers’ Reactions to Top-Down Educational Reform
The authors have investigated teachers’ reactions towards an imposed reform initiated by the Israeli Ministry of Education in collaboration with one of two teachers’ unions based on the messages and letters sent by high school teachers to an internet forum during a teachers’ strike which took place between October and December of 2007. This study is the result of collaborative work between a teacher educator and a veteran teacher studying towards her Master of Education degree in Learning and Instruction. The research question was: What were the teachers’ attitudes regarding the “New Horizon” reform as conveyed on an internet forum during the strike? The article focuses on the teachers’ opposition to the proposed reform. The authors explore the use of the internet for sustaining this strike while also discussing the methodological issues related to this type of analysis and relation to collaborative research. Recommendations are suggested for successful implementation of educational reforms
Avalanches and Dynamical Correlations in supercooled liquids
We identify the pattern of microscopic dynamical relaxation for a two
dimensional glass forming liquid. On short timescales, bursts of irreversible
particle motion, called cage jumps, aggregate into clusters. On larger time
scales, clusters aggregate both spatially and temporally into avalanches. This
propagation of mobility, or dynamic facilitation, takes place along the soft
regions of the systems, which have been identified by computing
isoconfigurational Debye-Waller maps. Our results characterize the way in which
dynamical heterogeneity evolves in moderately supercooled liquids and reveal
that it is astonishingly similar to the one found for dense glassy granular
media.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Spontaneous and induced dynamic correlations in glass-formers II: Model calculations and comparison to numerical simulations
We study in detail the predictions of various theoretical approaches, in
particular mode-coupling theory (MCT) and kinetically constrained models
(KCMs), concerning the time, temperature, and wavevector dependence of
multi-point correlation functions that quantify the strength of both induced
and spontaneous dynamical fluctuations. We also discuss the precise predictions
of MCT concerning the statistical ensemble and microscopic dynamics dependence
of these multi-point correlation functions. These predictions are compared to
simulations of model fragile and strong glass-forming liquids. Overall, MCT
fares quite well in the fragile case, in particular explaining the observed
crucial role of the statistical ensemble and microscopic dynamics, while MCT
predictions do not seem to hold in the strong case. KCMs provide a simplified
framework for understanding how these multi-point correlation functions may
encode dynamic correlations in glassy materials. However, our analysis
highlights important unresolved questions concerning the application of KCMs to
supercooled liquids.Comment: 23 pages, 12 fig
US Residential Building Air Exchange Rates: New Perspectives to Improve Decision Making at Vapor Intrusion Sites
Vapor intrusion (VI) is well-known to be difficult to characterize because indoor air (IA) concentrations exhibit considerable temporal and spatial variability in homes throughout impacted communities. To overcome this and other limitations, most VI science has focused on subsurface processes; however there is a need to understand the role of aboveground processes, especially building operation, in the context of VI exposure risks. This tutorial review focuses on building air exchange rates (AERs) and provides a review of literature related building AERs to inform decision making at VI sites. Commonly referenced AER values used by VI regulators and practitioners do not account for the variability in AER values that have been published in indoor air quality studies. The information presented herein highlights that seasonal differences, short-term weather conditions, home age and air conditioning status, which are well known to influence AERs, are also likely to influence IA concentrations at VI sites. Results of a 3D VI model in combination with relevant AER values reveal that IA concentrations can vary more than one order of magnitude due to air conditioning status and one order of magnitude due to house age. Collectively, the data presented strongly support the need to consider AERs when making decisions at VI sites
Analytic determination of dynamical and mosaic length scales in a Kac glass model
We consider a disordered spin model with multi-spin interactions undergoing a
glass transition. We introduce a dynamic and a static length scales and compute
them in the Kac limit (long--but--finite range interactions). They diverge at
the dynamic and static phase transition with exponents (respectively) -1/4 and
-1. The two length scales are approximately equal well above the mode coupling
transition. Their discrepancy increases rapidly as this transition is
approached. We argue that this signals a crossover from mode coupling to
activated dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 4 eps figures. New version conform to the published on
Critical fluctuations and breakdown of Stokes-Einstein relation in the Mode-Coupling Theory of glasses
We argue that the critical dynamical fluctuations predicted by the
mode-coupling theory (MCT) of glasses provide a natural mechanism to explain
the breakdown of the Stokes-Einstein relation. This breakdown, observed
numerically and experimentally in a region where MCT should hold, is one of the
major difficulty of the theory, for which we propose a natural resolution based
on the recent interpretation of the MCT transition as a bona fide critical
point with a diverging length scale. We also show that the upper critical
dimension of MCT is d_c=8.Comment: Proceedings of the workshop on non-equilibrium phenomena in
supercooled fluids, glasses and amorphous materials (17-22 September, 2006,
Pisa
Air Exchange Rates and Alternatuve Vapor Entry Pathways to Inform Vapor Intrusion Exposure Risk Assessments
Vapor intrusion (VI) is a term used to describe indoor air (IA) contamination that occurs due to the migration of chemical vapors in the soil and groundwater. The overall vapor transport process depends on several factors such as contaminant source characteristics, subsurface conditions, building characteristics, and general site conditions. However, the classic VI conceptual model does not adequately account for the physics of airflow around and inside a building and does not account for chemical emissions from alternative “preferential” pathways (e.g. sewers and other utility connections) into IA spaces. This mini-review provides information about recent research related to building air exchange rates (AERs) and alternative pathways to improve the accuracy of VI exposure risk assessment practices. First, results from a recently published AER study for residential homes across the United States (US) are presented and compared to AERs recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The comparison shows considerable differences in AERs when season, location, building age, and other factors are considered. These differences could directly impact VI assessments by influencing IA concentration measurements. Second, a conceptual model for sewer gas entry into buildings is presented and a summary of published field studies is reported. The results of the field studies suggest that alternative pathways for vapors to enter indoor spaces warrant consideration. Ultimately, the information presented in this mini-review can be incorporated into a multiple-lines-of-evidence approach for assessing site-specific VI exposure risks
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