12,903 research outputs found
A study of liquid propellant autoignition
Data and theory pertinent to the autoignition of liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants were reviewed. Physical models of the processes supporting or contributing to autoignition were developed. Emphasis was placed on the description of the physical environment and its relationship to the autoignition phenomenon
Pion double charge exchange on 4He
The doubly differential cross sections for the He
reaction were calculated using both a two-nucleon sequential single charge
exchange model and an intranuclear cascade code. Final state interactions
between the two final protons which were the initial neutrons were included in
both methods. At incident pion energies of 240 and 270 MeV the low-energy peak
observed experimentally in the energy spectrum of the final pions can be
understood only if the contribution of pion production is included. The
calculated cross sections are compared with data.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure
The photon blockade effect in optomechanical systems
We analyze the photon statistics of a weakly driven optomechanical system and
discuss the effect of photon blockade under single photon strong coupling
conditions. We present an intuitive interpretation of this effect in terms of
displaced oscillator states and derive analytic expressions for the cavity
excitation spectrum and the two photon correlation function . Our
results predict the appearance of non-classical photon correlations in the
combined strong coupling and sideband resolved regime, and provide a first
detailed understanding of photon-photon interactions in strong coupling
optomechanics
Grand potential in thermodynamics of solid bodies and surfaces
Using the chemical potential of a solid in a dissolved state or the
corresponding component of the chemical potential tensor at equilibrium with
the solution, a new concept of grand thermodynamic potential for solids has
been suggested. This allows generalizing the definition of Gibbs' quantity
(surface work often called the solid-fluid interfacial free energy) at
a planar surface as an excess grand thermodynamic potential per unit surface
area that (1) does not depend on the dividing surface location and (2) is
common for fluids and solids.Comment: 6 page
Generalized Phase Rules
For a multi-component system, general formulas are derived for the dimension
of a coexisting region in the phase diagram in various state spaces.Comment: In the revised manuscript, physical meanings of D's are explained by
adding three figures. 10 pages, 3 figure
Convex Functions and Spacetime Geometry
Convexity and convex functions play an important role in theoretical physics.
To initiate a study of the possible uses of convex functions in General
Relativity, we discuss the consequences of a spacetime or an
initial data set admitting a suitably defined convex
function. We show how the existence of a convex function on a spacetime places
restrictions on the properties of the spacetime geometry.Comment: 26 pages, latex, 7 figures, improved version. some claims removed,
references adde
Numerical evaluation of oscillatory integrals via automated steepest descent contour deformation
Steepest descent methods combining complex contour deformation with numerical
quadrature provide an efficient and accurate approach for the evaluation of
highly oscillatory integrals. However, unless the phase function governing the
oscillation is particularly simple, their application requires a significant
amount of a priori analysis and expert user input, to determine the appropriate
contour deformation, and to deal with the non-uniformity in the accuracy of
standard quadrature techniques associated with the coalescence of stationary
points (saddle points) with each other, or with the endpoints of the original
integration contour. In this paper we present a novel algorithm for the
numerical evaluation of oscillatory integrals with general polynomial phase
functions, which automates the contour deformation process and avoids the
difficulties typically encountered with coalescing stationary points and
endpoints. The inputs to the algorithm are simply the phase and amplitude
functions, the endpoints and orientation of the original integration contour,
and a small number of numerical parameters. By a series of numerical
experiments we demonstrate that the algorithm is accurate and efficient over a
large range of frequencies, even for examples with a large number of coalescing
stationary points and with endpoints at infinity. As a particular application,
we use our algorithm to evaluate cuspoid canonical integrals from scattering
theory. A Matlab implementation of the algorithm is made available and is
called PathFinder
An intermediate state between the kagome-ice and the fully polarized state in DyTiO
DyTiO is at present the cleanest example of a spin-ice material.
Previous theoretical and experimental work on the first-order transition
between the kagome-ice and the fully polarized state has been taken as a
validation for the dipolar spin-ice model. Here we investigate in further depth
this phase transition using ac-susceptibility and dc-magnetization, and compare
this results with Monte-Carlo simulations and previous magnetization and
specific heat measurements. We find signatures of an intermediate state between
the kagome-ice and full polarization. This signatures are absent in current
theoretical models used to describe spin-ice materials.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Struggling and juggling: a comparison of assessment loads in research and teaching-intensive universities
In spite of the rising tide of metrics in UK higher education, there has been scant attention paid to assessment loads, when evidence demonstrates that heavy demands lead to surface learning. Our study seeks to redress the situation by defining assessment loads and comparing them across research-and teaching intensive universities. We clarify the concept of ‘assessment load’ in response to findings about high volumes of summative assessment on modular degrees. We define assessment load across whole undergraduate degrees, according to four measures: the volume of summative assessment; volume of formative assessment; proportion of examinations to coursework; number of different varieties of assessment. All four factors contribute to the weight of an assessment load, and influence students’ approaches to learning. Our research compares programme assessment data from 73 programmes in 14 UK universities, across two institutional categories. Research-intensives have higher summative assessment loads and a greater proportion of examinations; teaching-intensives have higher varieties of assessment. Formative assessment does not differ significantly across both university groups. These findings pose particular challenges for students in different parts of the sector. Our study questions the wisdom that ‘more’ is always better, proposing that lighter assessment loads may make room for ‘slow’ and deep learning
New biostratigraphic, magnetostratigraphic and isotopic insights into the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum in low latitudes
The Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO) was a warming event that interrupted the long-term Eocene cooling trend. While this event is well documented at high southern and mid-latitudes, it is poorly known from low latitudes and its timing and duration are not well constrained because of problems of hiati, microfossil preservation and weak magnetic polarity in key sedimentary sections. Here, we report the results of a study designed to improve the bio-, magneto- and chemostratigraphy of the MECO interval using high-resolution records from two low-latitude sections in the Atlantic Ocean, Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Sites 1051 and 1260. We present the first detailed benthic foraminiferal stable isotope records of the MECO from the low latitudes as well as the biostratigraphic counts of Orbulinoides beckmanni and new magnetostratigraphic results. Our data demonstrate a ~ 750 kyr-long duration for the MECO characterized by increasing δ13C and decreasing δ18O, with minimum δ18O values lasting ~ 40 kyr at 40.1 Ma coincident with a short-lived negative δ13C excursion. Thereafter, δ18O and δ13C values recover rapidly. The shift to minimum δ18O values at 40.1 Ma is coincident with a marked increase in the abundance of the planktonic foraminifera O. beckmanni, consistent with its inferred warm-water preference. O. beckmanni is an important Eocene biostratigraphic marker, defining planktonic foraminiferal Zone E12 with its lowest and highest occurrences (LO and HOs). Our new records reveal that the LO of O. beckmanni is distinctly diachronous, appearing ~ 500 kyr earlier in the equatorial Atlantic than in the subtropics (40.5 versus 41.0 Ma). We also show that, at both sites, the HO of O. beckmanni at 39.5 Ma is younger than the published calibrations, increasing the duration of Zone E12 by at least 400 kyr. In accordance with the tropical origins of O. beckmanni, this range expansion to higher latitudes may have occurred in response to sea surface warming during the MECO and subsequently disappeared with cooling of surface waters
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