134,189 research outputs found
Freshwater security, conflict and cooperation: the case of the Red Sea-Dead Sea conduit project
This study examines the challenge of freshwater security faced by Israel, Jordan and Palestine, and mechanisms for multilateral collaboration that have been developed in order to create a Red Sea-Dead Sea Conduit. This paper outlines the proposed conduit as a major collaborative project which hinges on the engagement of both state and non-state stakeholders. The argument presented here is that the feasibility and planning process has so far been successful and that the mechanisms for collaboration developed as part of this project are the reason why. Overall conclusions suggest that the importance of freshwater security and the agency of international state and non-state actors are largely responsible for these collaborative successes
Retrofit Procedure for Intensifying Heat Transfer in Heat Exchanger Networks prone to Fouling Deposition
Studies of waveform requirements for intermediate mass-ratio coalescence searches with advanced detectors
The coalescence of a stellar-mass compact object into an intermediate-mass
black hole (intermediate mass-ratio coalescence; IMRAC) is an important
astrophysical source for ground-based gravitational-wave interferometers in the
so-called advanced configuration. However, the ability to carry out effective
matched-filter based searches for these systems is limited by the lack of
reliable waveforms. Here we consider binaries in which the intermediate-mass
black hole has mass in the range 24 - 200 solar masses with a stellar-mass
companion having masses in the range 1.4 - 18.5 solar masses. In addition, we
constrain the mass ratios, q, of the binaries to be in the range 1/140 < q <
1/10 and we restrict our study to the case of circular binaries with
non-spinning components. We investigate the relative contribution to the
signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the three different phases of the coalescence:
inspiral, merger and ringdown. We show that merger and ringdown contribute to a
substantial fraction of the total SNR over a large portion of the mass
parameter space, although in a limited portion the SNR is dominated by the
inspiral phase. We further identify three regions in the IMRAC mass-space in
which: (i) inspiral-only searches could be performed with losses in detection
rates L in the range 10% < L < 27%, (ii) searches based on inspiral-only
templates lead to a loss in detection rates in the range 27% < L < 50%$, and
(iii) templates that include merger and ringdown are essential to prevent
losses in detection rates greater than 50%. We investigate the effectiveness
with which the inspiral-only portion of the IMRAC waveform space is covered by
comparing several existing waveform families in this regime. Our results
reinforce the importance of extensive numerical relativity simulations of
IMRACs and the need for further studies of suitable approximation schemes in
this mass range.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
How effective is harassment on infalling late-type dwarfs?
A new harassment model is presented that models the complex, and dynamical
tidal field of a Virgo like galaxy cluster. The model is applied to small,
late-type dwarf disc galaxies (of substantially lower mass than in previous
harassment simulations) as they infall into the cluster from the outskirts.
These dwarf galaxies are only mildly affected by high speed tidal encounters
with little or no observable consequences; typical stellar losses are ,
producing very low surface brightness streams ( mag arcsec),
and a factor of two drop in dynamical mass-to-light ratio. Final stellar discs
remain disc-like, and dominated by rotation although often with tidally induced
spiral structure. By means of Monte-Carlo simulations, the statistically likely
influences of harassment on infalling dwarf galaxies are determined. The
effects of harassment are found to be highly dependent on the orbit of the
galaxy within the cluster, such that newly accreted dwarf galaxies typically
suffer only mild harassment. Strong tidal encounters, that can morphologically
transform discs into spheroidals, are rare occurring in of dwarf
galaxy infalls for typical orbits of sub-structure within CDM cluster
mass halos. For orbits with small apocentric distances (250 kpc), harassment
is significantly stronger resulting in complete disruption or heavy mass loss
( dark matter and stellar), however, such orbits are expected
to be highly improbable for newly infalling galaxies due to the deep potential
well of the cluster.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, 4 table
Approaches to Three-Dimensional Transformation Optical Media Using Quasi-Conformal Coordinate Transformations
We introduce an approach to the design of three-dimensional transformation
optical (TO) media based on a generalized quasi-conformal mapping approach. The
generalized quasi-conformal TO (QCTO) approach enables the design of media that
can, in principle, be broadband and low-loss, while controlling the propagation
of waves with arbitrary angles of incidence and polarization. We illustrate the
method in the design of a three-dimensional "carpet" ground plane cloak and of
a flattened Luneburg lens. Ray-trace studies provide a confirmation of the
performance of the QCTO media, while also revealing the limited performance of
index-only versions of these devices
Student understanding of the Boltzmann factor
We present results of our investigation into student understanding of the
physical significance and utility of the Boltzmann factor in several simple
models. We identify various justifications, both correct and incorrect, that
students use when answering written questions that require application of the
Boltzmann factor. Results from written data as well as teaching interviews
suggest that many students can neither recognize situations in which the
Boltzmann factor is applicable, nor articulate the physical significance of the
Boltzmann factor as an expression for multiplicity, a fundamental quantity of
statistical mechanics. The specific student difficulties seen in the written
data led us to develop a guided-inquiry tutorial activity, centered around the
derivation of the Boltzmann factor, for use in undergraduate statistical
mechanics courses. We report on the development process of our tutorial,
including data from teaching interviews and classroom observations on student
discussions about the Boltzmann factor and its derivation during the tutorial
development process. This additional information informed modifications that
improved students' abilities to complete the tutorial during the allowed class
time without sacrificing the effectiveness as we have measured it. These data
also show an increase in students' appreciation of the origin and significance
of the Boltzmann factor during the student discussions. Our findings provide
evidence that working in groups to better understand the physical origins of
the canonical probability distribution helps students gain a better
understanding of when the Boltzmann factor is applicable and how to use it
appropriately in answering relevant questions
The existence and detection of optically dark galaxies by 21cm surveys
One explanation for the disparity between Cold Dark Matter (CDM) predictions
of galaxy numbers and observations could be that there are numerous dark
galaxies in the Universe. These galaxies may still contain baryons, but no
stars, and may be detectable in the 21cm line of atomic hydrogen. The results
of surveys for such objects, and simulations that do/do not predict their
existence, are controversial. In this paper we use an analytical model of
galaxy formation, consistent with CDM, to firstly show that dark galaxies are
certainly a prediction of the model. Secondly, we show that objects like
VIRGOHI21, a dark galaxy candidate recently discovered by us, while rare are
predicted by the model. Thirdly, we show that previous 'blind' HI surveys have
placed few constraints on the existence of dark galaxies. This is because they
have either lacked the sensitivity and/or velocity resolution or have not had
the required detailed optical follow up. We look forward to new 21cm blind
surveys (ALFALFA and AGES) using the Arecibo multi-beam instrument which should
find large numbers of dark galaxies if they exist
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