278 research outputs found

    Thurston's pullback map on the augmented Teichm\"uller space and applications

    Full text link
    Let ff be a postcritically finite branched self-cover of a 2-dimensional topological sphere. Such a map induces an analytic self-map σf\sigma_f of a finite-dimensional Teichm\"uller space. We prove that this map extends continuously to the augmented Teichm\"uller space and give an explicit construction for this extension. This allows us to characterize the dynamics of Thurston's pullback map near invariant strata of the boundary of the augmented Teichm\"uller space. The resulting classification of invariant boundary strata is used to prove a conjecture by Pilgrim and to infer further properties of Thurston's pullback map. Our approach also yields new proofs of Thurston's theorem and Pilgrim's Canonical Obstruction theorem.Comment: revised version, 28 page

    Surface layering of liquids: The role of surface tension

    Full text link
    Recent measurements show that the free surfaces of liquid metals and alloys are always layered, regardless of composition and surface tension; a result supported by three decades of simulations and theory. Recent theoretical work claims, however, that at low enough temperatures the free surfaces of all liquids should become layered, unless preempted by bulk freezing. Using x-ray reflectivity and diffuse scattering measurements we show that there is no observable surface-induced layering in water at T=298 K, thus highlighting a fundamental difference between dielectric and metallic liquids. The implications of this result for the question in the title are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. B. 69 (2004

    Acellular dermal matrix and coronally advanced flap or tunnel technique in the treatment of multiple adjacent gingival recessions. A 12-year follow-up from a randomized clinical trial

    Get PDF
    AimTo evaluate the long-term outcomes of Acellular Dermal Matrix (ADM) with Coronally Advanced Flap (CAF) or Tunnel technique (TUN) in the treatment of multiple adjacent gingival recessions (MAGRs).Material and methodsNineteen of the original 24 patients contributing to a total number of 33 sites for CAF and 34 for TUN were available for the 12 years follow-up examination. Recession depth, mean root coverage (mRC), keratinized tissue width (KTW), gingival thickness (GT) were evaluated and compared with baseline values and 6-months results. Regression analysis was performed to identify factors related to the stability of the gingival margin.ResultsA highly significant drop in mRC was observed for both groups from the 6 months timepoint to the 12 years recall (p  .05). KTW - 2 mm and GT - 1.2 mm at 6-months were two predictors for stability of the gingival margin (p = .03 and p = .01, respectively).ConclusionsA significant relapse of the gingival margin of MAGRs treated with CAF or TUN + ADM was observed after 12 years.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151340/1/jcpe13163_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151340/2/jcpe13163.pd

    Microscopic View on Short-Range Wetting at the Free Surface of the Binary Metallic Liquid Gallium-Bismuth: An X-ray Reflectivity and Square Gradient Theory Study

    Get PDF
    We present an x-ray reflectivity study of wetting at the free surface of the binary liquid metal gallium-bismuth (Ga-Bi) in the region where the bulk phase separates into Bi-rich and Ga-rich liquid phases. The measurements reveal the evolution of the microscopic structure of wetting films of the Bi-rich, low-surface-tension phase along different paths in the bulk phase diagram. A balance between the surface potential preferring the Bi-rich phase and the gravitational potential which favors the Ga-rich phase at the surface pins the interface of the two demixed liquid metallic phases close to the free surface. This enables us to resolve it on an Angstrom level and to apply a mean-field, square gradient model extended by thermally activated capillary waves as dominant thermal fluctuations. The sole free parameter of the gradient model, i.e. the so-called influence parameter, κ\kappa, is determined from our measurements. Relying on a calculation of the liquid/liquid interfacial tension that makes it possible to distinguish between intrinsic and capillary wave contributions to the interfacial structure we estimate that fluctuations affect the observed short-range, complete wetting phenomena only marginally. A critical wetting transition that should be sensitive to thermal fluctuations seems to be absent in this binary metallic alloy.Comment: RevTex4, twocolumn, 15 pages, 10 figure

    Intrinsic profiles and capillary waves at homopolymer interfaces: a Monte Carlo study

    Full text link
    A popular concept which describes the structure of polymer interfaces by ``intrinsic profiles'' centered around a two dimensional surface, the ``local interface position'', is tested by extensive Monte Carlo simulations of interfaces between demixed homopolymer phases in symmetric binary (AB) homopolymer blends, using the bond fluctuation model. The simulations are done in an LxLxD geometry. The interface is forced to run parallel to the LxL planes by imposing periodic boundary conditions in these directions and fixed boundary conditions in the D direction, with one side favoring A and the other side favoring B. Intrinsic profiles are calculated as a function of the ``coarse graining length'' B by splitting the system into columns of size BxBxD and averaging in each column over profiles relative to the local interface position. The results are compared to predictions of the self-consistent field theory. It is shown that the coarse graining length can be chosen such that the interfacial width matches that of the self-consistent field profiles, and that for this choice of B the ``intrinsic'' profiles compare well with the theoretical predictions.Comment: to appear in Phys. Rev.

    Test-area simulation method for the direct determination of the interfacial tension of systems with continuous or discontinuous potentials

    Get PDF
    A novel test-area TA technique for the direct simulation of the interfacial tension of systems interacting through arbitrary intermolecular potentials is presented in this paper. The most commonly used method invokes the mechanical relation for the interfacial tension in terms of the tangential and normal components of the pressure tensor relative to the interface the relation of Kirkwood and Buff J. Chem. Phys. 17, 338 1949 . For particles interacting through discontinuous intermolecular potentials e.g., hard-core fluids this involves the determination of functions which are impractical to evaluate, particularly in the case of nonspherical molecules. By contrast we employ a thermodynamic route to determine the surface tension from a free-energy perturbation due to a test change in the surface area. There are important distinctions between our test-area approach and the computation of a free-energy difference of two or more systems with different interfacial areas the method of Bennett J. Comput. Phys. 22, 245 1976 , which can also be used to determine the surface tension. In order to demonstrate the adequacy of the method, the surface tension computed from test-area Monte Carlo TAMC simulations are compared with the data obtained with other techniques e.g., mechanical and free-energy differences for the vapor-liquid interface of Lennard-Jones and square-well fluids; the latter corresponds to a discontinuous potential which is difficult to treat with standard methods. Our thermodynamic test-area approach offers advantages over existing techniques of computational efficiency, ease of implementation, and generality. The TA method can easily be implemented within either Monte Carlo TAMC or molecular-dynamics TAMD algorithms for different types of interfaces vapor-liquid, liquid-liquid, fluid-solid, etc. of pure systems and mixtures consisting of complex polyatomic molecules

    Some examples of Baker domains

    Full text link
    We construct entire functions with hyperbolic and simply parabolic Baker domains on which the functions are not univalent. The Riemann maps from the unit disk to these Baker domains extend continuously to certain arcs on the unit circle. The results answer questions posed by Fagella and Henriksen, Baker and Dominguez, and others.Comment: 13 page

    2-D Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Induced Plasma Dynamics in the Near-Core Region of a Galaxy Cluster

    Full text link
    We present results from numerical simulations of the cooling-core cluster A2199 produced by the two-dimensional (2-D) resistive magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code MACH2. In our simulations we explore the effect of anisotropic thermal conduction on the energy balance of the system. The results from idealized cases in 2-D axisymmetric geometry underscore the importance of the initial plasma density in ICM simulations, especially the near-core values since the radiation cooling rate is proportional to ne2{n_e}^2. Heat conduction is found to be non-effective in preventing catastrophic cooling in this cluster. In addition we performed 2-D planar MHD simulations starting from initial conditions deliberately violating both thermal balance and hydrostatic equilibrium in the ICM, to assess contributions of the convective terms in the energy balance of the system against anisotropic thermal conduction. We find that in this case work done by the pressure on the plasma can dominate the early evolution of the internal energy over anisotropic thermal conduction in the presence of subsonic flows, thereby reducing the impact of the magnetic field. Deviations from hydrostatic equilibrium near the cluster core may be associated with transient activity of a central active galactic nucleus and/or remnant dynamical activity in the ICM and warrant further study in three dimensions.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

    Atomic X-ray Spectroscopy of Accreting Black Holes

    Full text link
    Current astrophysical research suggests that the most persistently luminous objects in the Universe are powered by the flow of matter through accretion disks onto black holes. Accretion disk systems are observed to emit copious radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum, each energy band providing access to rather distinct regimes of physical conditions and geometric scale. X-ray emission probes the innermost regions of the accretion disk, where relativistic effects prevail. While this has been known for decades, it also has been acknowledged that inferring physical conditions in the relativistic regime from the behavior of the X-ray continuum is problematic and not satisfactorily constraining. With the discovery in the 1990s of iron X-ray lines bearing signatures of relativistic distortion came the hope that such emission would more firmly constrain models of disk accretion near black holes, as well as provide observational criteria by which to test general relativity in the strong field limit. Here we provide an introduction to this phenomenon. While the presentation is intended to be primarily tutorial in nature, we aim also to acquaint the reader with trends in current research. To achieve these ends, we present the basic applications of general relativity that pertain to X-ray spectroscopic observations of black hole accretion disk systems, focusing on the Schwarzschild and Kerr solutions to the Einstein field equations. To this we add treatments of the fundamental concepts associated with the theoretical and modeling aspects of accretion disks, as well as relevant topics from observational and theoretical X-ray spectroscopy.Comment: 63 pages, 21 figures, Einstein Centennial Review Article, Canadian Journal of Physics, in pres
    • …
    corecore