1,283 research outputs found
The Carnot Cycle for Small Systems: Irreversibility and the Cost of Operations
We employ the recently developed framework of the energetics of stochastic
processes (called `stochastic energetics'), to re-analyze the Carnot cycle in
detail, taking account of fluctuations, without taking the thermodynamic limit.
We find that both processes of connection to and disconnection from heat
baths and adiabatic processes that cause distortion of the energy distribution
are sources of inevitable irreversibility within the cycle. Also, the so-called
null-recurrence property of the cumulative efficiency of energy conversion over
many cycles and the irreversible property of isolated, purely mechanical
processes under external `macroscopic' operations are discussed in relation to
the impossibility of a perpetual machine, or Maxwell's demon.Comment: 11 pages with 3 figures. Resubmitted to Physical Review E. Many
paragraphs have been modifie
Albedos of Main-Belt Comets 133P/Elst-Pizarro and 176P/LINEAR
We present the determination of the geometric R-band albedos of two main-belt
comet nuclei based on data from the Spitzer Space Telescope and a number of
ground-based optical facilities. For 133P/Elst-Pizarro, we find an albedo of
p_R=0.05+/-0.02 and an effective radius of r_e=1.9+/-0.3 km (estimated
semi-axes of a~2.3 km and b~1.6 km). For 176P/LINEAR, we find an albedo of
p_R=0.06+/-0.02 and an effective radius of r_e=2.0+/-0.2 km (estimated
semi-axes of a~2.6 km and b~1.5 km). In terms of albedo, 133P and 176P are
similar to each other and are typical of other Themis family asteroids, C-class
asteroids, and other comet nuclei. We find no indication that 133P and 176P are
compositionally unique among other dynamically-similar (but inactive) members
of the Themis family, in agreement with previous assertions that the two
objects most likely formed in-situ. We also note that low albedo (p_R<0.075)
remains a consistent feature of all cometary (i.e., icy) bodies, whether they
originate in the inner solar system (the main-belt comets) or in the outer
solar system (all other comets).Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
Apollo asteroids (1566) Icarus and 2007 MK6: Icarus family members?
Although it is more complicated to search for near-Earth object (NEO)
families than main belt asteroid (MBA) families, since differential orbital
evolution within a NEO family can cause current orbital elements to drastically
differ from each other, we have found that Apollo asteroids (1566) Icarus and
the newly discovered 2007 MK6 are almost certainly related. Specifically, their
orbital evolutions show a similar profile, time shifted by only ~1000 yr, based
on our time-lag theory. The dynamical relationship between Icarus and 2007 MK6
along with a possible dust band, the Taurid-Perseid meteor swarm, implies the
first detection of an asteroidal NEO family, namely the "Icarus asteroid
family".Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, to appear on Astrophysical Journal Letters
(journal info added
Synthesis of titanate nanostructures using amorphous precursor material and their adsorption/photocatalytic properties
This paper reports on a new and swift hydrothermal chemical route to prepare
titanate nanostructures (TNS) avoiding the use of crystalline TiO2 as starting
material. The synthesis approach uses a commercial solution of TiCl3 as
titanium source to prepare an amorphous precursor, circumventing the use of
hazardous chemical compounds. The influence of the reaction temperature and
dwell autoclave time on the structure and morphology of the synthesised
materials was studied. Homogeneous titanate nanotubes with a high
length/diameter aspect ratio were synthesised at 160^{\circ}C and 24 h. A band
gap of 3.06\pm0.03 eV was determined for the TNS samples prepared in these
experimental conditions. This value is red shifted by 0.14 eV compared to the
band gap value usually reported for the TiO2 anatase. Moreover, such samples
show better adsorption capacity and photocatalytic performance on the dye
rhodamine 6G (R6G) photodegradation process than TiO2 nanoparticles. A 98%
reduction of the R6G concentration was achieved after 45 minutes of irradiation
of a 10 ppm dye aqueous solution and 1 g/L of TNS catalyst.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Journal of
Materials Scienc
Relating the thermodynamic arrow of time to the causal arrow
Consider a Hamiltonian system that consists of a slow subsystem S and a fast
subsystem F. The autonomous dynamics of S is driven by an effective
Hamiltonian, but its thermodynamics is unexpected. We show that a well-defined
thermodynamic arrow of time (second law) emerges for S whenever there is a
well-defined causal arrow from S to F and the back-action is negligible. This
is because the back-action of F on S is described by a non-globally Hamiltonian
Born-Oppenheimer term that violates the Liouville theorem, and makes the second
law inapplicable to S. If S and F are mixing, under the causal arrow condition
they are described by microcanonic distributions P(S) and P(S|F). Their
structure supports a causal inference principle proposed recently in machine
learning.Comment: 10 page
First case of bacteremia due to chromosome-encoded CfxA3-beta-lactamase-producing Capnocytophaga sputigena in a pediatric patient with acute erythroblastic leukemia
ArticleEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH. 13(3): 133-135 (2008)journal articl
Double In Situ Approach for the Preparation of Polymer Nanocomposite with Multi-functionality
A novel one-step synthetic route, the double in situ approach, is used to produce both TiO2nanoparticles and polymer (PET), and simultaneously forming a nanocomposite with multi-functionality. The method uses the release of water during esterification to hydrolyze titanium (IV) butoxide (Ti(OBu)4) forming nano-TiO2in the polymerization vessel. This new approach is of general significance in the preparation of polymer nanocomposites, and will lead to a new route in the synthesis of multi-functional polymer nanocomposites
Effect of a magnetic field on the spin- and charge-density wave order in La1.45Nd0.4Sr0.15CuO4
The spin-density wave (SDW) and charge-density wave (CDW) order in
superconducting La1.45Nd0.4Sr0.15CuO4 were studied under an applied magnetic
field using neutron and X-ray diffraction techniques. In zero field,
incommensurate (IC) SDW order appears below ~ 40 K, which is characterized by
neutron diffraction peaks at (1/2 +/- 0.134, 1/2 +/- 0.134, 0). The intensity
of these IC peaks increases rapidly below T_Nd ~ 8 K due to an ordering of the
Nd^3+ spins. The application of a 1 T magnetic field parallel to the c-axis
markedly diminishes the intensity below T_Nd, while only a slight decrease in
intensity is observed at higher temperatures for fields up to 7 T. Our
interpretation is that the c-axis field suppresses the parasitic Nd^3+ spin
order at the incommensurate wave vector without disturbing the stripe order of
Cu^2+ spins. Consistent with this picture, the CDW order, which appears below
60 K, shows no change for magnetic fields up to 4 T. These results stand in
contrast to the significant field-induced enhancement of the SDW order observed
in superconducting La2-xSrxCuO4 with x ~ 0.12 and stage-4 La2CuO4+y. The
differences can be understood in terms of the relative volume fraction
exhibiting stripe order in zero field, and the collective results are
consistent with the idea that suppression of superconductivity by vortices
nucleates local patches of stripe order.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
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