8,195 research outputs found
Gravitational collapse: A case for thermal relaxation
Two relativistic models for collapsing spheres at different stages of
evolution, which include pre-relaxation processes, are presented. The influence
of relaxation time on the outcome of evolution in both cases is exhibited and
established. It is shown that relaxation processes can drastically change the
final state of the collapsing system. In particular, there are cases in which
the value of the relaxation time determines the bounce or the collapse of the
sphere.Comment: 33 pages, LaTex 2.09, 11 Postscript figures. To be published in
General Relativity and Gravitatio
Moments of inertia for solids of revolution and variational methods
We present some formulae for the moments of inertia of homogeneous solids of
revolution in terms of the functions that generate the solids. The development
of these expressions exploits the cylindrical symmetry of these objects, and
avoids the explicit use of multiple integration, providing an easy and
pedagogical approach. The explicit use of the functions that generate the solid
gives the possibility of writing the moment of inertia as a functional, which
in turn allows us to utilize the calculus of variations to obtain a new insight
into some properties of this fundamental quantity. In particular, minimization
of moments of inertia under certain restrictions is possible by using
variational methods.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, LaTeX2e. Two paragraphs added. Minor typos
corrected. Version to appear in European Journal of Physic
A causal model of radiating stellar collapse
We find a simple exact model of radiating stellar collapse, with a shear-free
and non-accelerating interior matched to a Vaidya exterior. The heat flux is
subject to causal thermodynamics, leading to self-consistent determination of
the temperature . We solve for exactly when the mean collision time
is constant, and perturbatively in a more realistic case of variable
. Causal thermodynamics predicts temperature behaviour that can
differ significantly from the predictions of non-causal theory. In particular,
the causal theory gives a higher central temperature and greater temperature
gradient.Comment: Latex [ioplppt style] 9 pages; to appear Class. Quantum Gra
The nature of domain walls in ultrathin ferromagnets revealed by scanning nanomagnetometry
The recent observation of current-induced domain wall (DW) motion with large
velocity in ultrathin magnetic wires has opened new opportunities for
spintronic devices. However, there is still no consensus on the underlying
mechanisms of DW motion. Key to this debate is the DW structure, which can be
of Bloch or N\'eel type, and dramatically affects the efficiency of the
different proposed mechanisms. To date, most experiments aiming to address this
question have relied on deducing the DW structure and chirality from its motion
under additional in-plane applied fields, which is indirect and involves strong
assumptions on its dynamics. Here we introduce a general method enabling
direct, in situ, determination of the DW structure in ultrathin ferromagnets.
It relies on local measurements of the stray field distribution above the DW
using a scanning nanomagnetometer based on the Nitrogen-Vacancy defect in
diamond. We first apply the method to a Ta/Co40Fe40B20(1 nm)/MgO magnetic wire
and find clear signature of pure Bloch DWs. In contrast, we observe left-handed
N\'eel DWs in a Pt/Co(0.6 nm)/AlOx wire, providing direct evidence for the
presence of a sizable Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) at the Pt/Co
interface. This method offers a new path for exploring interfacial DMI in
ultrathin ferromagnets and elucidating the physics of DW motion under current.Comment: Main text and Supplementary Information, 33 pages and 12 figure
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