Thermodynamics of an Anyon System

We examine the thermal behavior of a relativistic anyon system, dynamically realized by coupling a charged massive spin-1 field to a Chern-Simons gauge field. We calculate the free energy (to the next leading order), from which all thermodynamic quantities can be determined. As examples, the dependence of particle density on the anyon statistics and the anyon anti-anyon interference in the ideal gas are exhibited. We also calculate two and three-point correlation functions, and uncover certain physical features of the system in thermal equilibrium.Comment: 18 pages; in latex; to be published in Phys. Rev.

PLASTIC STRAIN IN THIN FUEL ELEMENT CLADDING DUE TO UOsub2sub 2 THERMAL EXPANSION

Results are presented of short time, high heat flux capsule irradiations to determine the magnitude of plastic strain induced in the capsule cladding due to UO/sub 2/ thermal expansion. Annular geometry capsules were employed with both internal and external cladding and forced convection cooling of both surfaces to simulate the reference superheat fuel element design. Both 304 stainless steel and 3003 aluminum claddings of various thickness were used to determine the influence of cladding strength. The initial gap spacing was purposely varied as an additional parameter. The program was undertaken as a part of the effort to evaluate plastic strain cycling as life limitation in the use of thin fuel element cladding. An over-all summary of the experimental results is included. (auth

Variability of the MAX and MIN Statistic: A Theory of the Quantile Spread as a Function of Sample Size

Extremal distributions, Extremal variability, Quantile spread, Parallel processing,

Modelling the extinction of Steller's sea cow

Steller's sea cow, a giant sirenian discovered in 1741 and extinct by 1768, is one of the few megafaunal mammal species to have died out during the historical period. The species is traditionally considered to have been exterminated by ‘blitzkrieg’-style direct overharvesting for food, but it has also been proposed that its extinction resulted from a sea urchin population explosion triggered by extirpation of local sea otter populations that eliminated the shallow-water kelps on which sea cows fed. Hunting records from eighteenth century Russian expeditions to the Commander Islands, in conjunction with life-history data extrapolated from dugongs, permit modelling of sea cow extinction dynamics. Sea cows were massively and wastefully overexploited, being hunted at over seven times the sustainable limit, and suggesting that the initial Bering Island sea cow population must have been higher than suggested by previous researchers to allow the species to survive even until 1768. Environmental changes caused by sea otter declines are unlikely to have contributed to this extinction event. This indicates that megafaunal extinctions can be effected by small bands of hunters using pre-industrial technologies, and highlights the catastrophic impact of wastefulness when overexploiting resources mistakenly perceived as ‘infinite’