9,101 research outputs found
Ion collection by oblique surfaces of an object in a transversely-flowing strongly-magnetized plasma
The equations governing a collisionless obliquely-flowing plasma around an
ion-absorbing object in a strong magnetic field are shown to have an exact
analytic solution even for arbitrary (two-dimensional) object-shape, when
temperature is uniform, and diffusive transport can be ignored. The solution
has an extremely simple geometric embodiment. It shows that the ion collection
flux density to a convex body's surface depends only upon the orientation of
the surface, and provides the theoretical justification and calibration of
oblique `Mach-probes'. The exponential form of this exact solution helps
explain the approximate fit of this function to previous numerical solutions.Comment: Four pages, 2 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Letter
Phase Transitions in Ultra-Cold Two-Dimensional Bose Gases
We briefly review the theory of Bose-Einstein condensation in the
two-dimensional trapped Bose gas and, in particular the relationship to the
theory of the homogeneous two-dimensional gas and the
Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless phase. We obtain a phase diagram for the
trapped two-dimensional gas, finding a critical temperature above which the
free energy of a state with a pair of vortices of opposite circulation is lower
than that for a vortex-free Bose-Einstein condensed ground state. We identify
three distinct phases which are, in order of increasing temperature, a phase
coherent Bose-Einstein condensate, a vortex pair plasma with fluctuating
condensate phase and a thermal Bose gas. The thermal activation of
vortex-antivortex pair formation is confirmed using finite-temperature
classical field simulations
Density functional theory of the trapped Fermi gas in the unitary regime
We investigate a density-functional theory (DFT) approach for an unpolarized
trapped dilute Fermi gas in the unitary limit . A reformulation of the recent
work of T. Papenbrock [Phys. Rev. A, {\bf 72}, 041602(R) (2005)] in the
language of fractional exclusion statistics allows us to obtain an estimate of
the universal factor, , in three dimensions (3D), in addition to
providing a systematic treatment of finite- corrections. We show that in 3D,
finite- corrections lead to unphysical values for , thereby
suggesting that a simple DFT applied to a small number of particles may not be
suitable in 3D. We then perform an analogous calculation for the
two-dimensional (2D) system in the infinite-scattering length regime, and
obtain a value of . Owing to the unique properties of the
Thomas-Fermi energy density-functional in 2D our result, in contrast to 3D, is
{\em exact} and therefore requires no finite- corrections
Modeling the buckling and delamination of thin films
I study numerically the problem of delamination of a thin film elastically
attached to a rigid substrate. A nominally flat elastic thin film is modeled
using a two-dimensional triangular mesh. Both compression and bending
rigidities are included to simulate compression and bending of the film. The
film can buckle (i.e., abandon its flat configuration) when enough compressive
strain is applied. The possible buckled configurations of a piece of film with
stripe geometry are investigated as a function of the compressive strain. It is
found that the stable configuration depends strongly on the applied strain and
the Poisson ratio of the film. Next, the film is considered to be attached to a
rigid substrate by springs that can break when the detaching force exceeds a
threshold value, producing the partial delamination of the film. Delamination
is induced by a mismatch of the relaxed configurations of film and substrate.
The morphology of the delaminated film can be followed and compared with
available experimental results as a function of model parameters.
`Telephone-cord', polygonal, and `brain-like' patterns qualitatively similar to
experimentally observed configurations are obtained in different parameter
regions. The main control parameters that select the different patterns are the
mismatch between film and substrate and the degree of in-plane relaxation
within the unbuckled regions.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figure
Musculoskeletal Geometry, Muscle Architecture and Functional Specialisations of the Mouse Hindlimb
Mice are one of the most commonly used laboratory animals, with an extensive array of disease models in existence, including for many neuromuscular diseases. The hindlimb is of particular interest due to several close muscle analogues/homologues to humans and other species. A detailed anatomical study describing the adult morphology is lacking, however. This study describes in detail the musculoskeletal geometry and skeletal muscle architecture of the mouse hindlimb and pelvis, determining the extent to which the muscles are adapted for their function, as inferred from their architecture. Using I2KI enhanced microCT scanning and digital segmentation, it was possible to identify 39 distinct muscles of the hindlimb and pelvis belonging to nine functional groups. The architecture of each of these muscles was determined through microdissections, revealing strong architectural specialisations between the functional groups. The hip extensors and hip adductors showed significantly stronger adaptations towards high contraction velocities and joint control relative to the distal functional groups, which exhibited larger physiological cross sectional areas and longer tendons, adaptations for high force output and elastic energy savings. These results suggest that a proximo-distal gradient in muscle architecture exists in the mouse hindlimb. Such a gradient has been purported to function in aiding locomotor stability and efficiency. The data presented here will be especially valuable to any research with a focus on the architecture or gross anatomy of the mouse hindlimb and pelvis musculature, but also of use to anyone interested in the functional significance of muscle design in relation to quadrupedal locomotion
Low noise charge injection in the CCD22
The inclusion of a charge injection structure on a charge coupled device (CCD) allows for the mitigation of charge transfer loss which can be caused by radiation induced charge trapping defects. Any traps present in the pixels of the CCD are filled by the injected charge as it is swept through the device and consequently, the charge transfer efficiency is improved in subsequently acquired images. To date, a number of different types of CCD have been manufactured featuring a variety of charge injection techniques. The e2v Technologies CCD22, used in the EPIC MOS focal plane instruments of XMM-Newton, is one such device and is the subject of this paper. A detailed understanding of charge injection operation and the use of charge injection to mitigate charge transfer losses resulting from radiation damage to CCDs will benefit a number of space projects planned for the future, including the ESA GAIA and X-ray Evolving Universe Spectrometry (XEUS) missions.The charge injection structure and mode of operation of the CCD22 are presented, followed by a detailed analysis of the uniformity and repeatability of the charge injection amplitude across the columns of the device. The effects of proton irradiation on the charge injection characteristics are also presented, in particular the effect of radiation induced bright pixels on the injected charge level
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