Gravitational Radiation from Plunging Orbits - Perturbative Study -

Numerical relativity has recently yielded a plethora of results about kicks from spinning mergers which has, in turn, vastly increased our knowledge about the spin interactions of black hole systems. In this work we use black hole perturbation theory to calculate accurately the gravitational waves emanating from the end of the plunging stage of an extreme mass ratio merger in order to further understand this phenomenon. This study focuses primarily on spin induced effects with emphasis on the maximally spinning limit and the identification of possible causes of generic behavior. We find that gravitational waves emitted during the plunging phase exhibit damped oscillatory behavior, corresponding to a coherent excitation of quasi-normal modes by the test particle. This feature is universal in the sense that the frequencies and damping time do not depend on the orbital parameters of the plunging particle. Furthermore, the observed frequencies are distinct from those associated with the usual free quasi-normal ringing. Our calculation suggests that a maximum in radiated energy and momentum occurs at spin parameters equal to $a/M=0.86$ and $a/M=0.81$, respectively for the plunge stage of a polar orbit. The dependence of linear momentum emission on the angle at which a polar orbit impacts the horizon is quantified. One of the advantages of the perturbation approach adopted here is that insight into the actual mechanism of radiation emission and its relationship to black hole ringing is obtained by carefully identifying the dominant terms in the expansions used

Indexing: Narrating Interdisciplinary Connections in the Classroom

An integrative tool that we have piloted in two LCs, the interdisciplinary index, is an integrative template that students use to make connections between disciplines. In the learning community, “Cli-Fi: Stories and Science of the Coming Climate Apocalypse,” faculty developed the Climate-Change Stress Index (CCSI) that students used to identify evidence of climate-change impacts in the fictional setting of each novel they read. In another learning community, “All things Connect: Living with Nature in Mind,” students again used an index consisting Ecopsychology principles to describe, explain, and/or evaluate how these principles informed excerpts from environmental literature. We present a variety of student samples using Barber’s (2012) model of integrative learning and conclude with a review of the functions of interdisciplinary indexing

The Transition from Inspiral to Plunge for a Compact Body in a Circular Equatorial Orbit Around a Massive, Spinning Black Hole

There are three regimes of gravitational-radiation-reaction-induced inspiral for a compact body with mass mu, in a circular, equatorial orbit around a Kerr black hole with mass M>>mu: (i) The "adiabatic inspiral regime", in which the body gradually descends through a sequence of circular, geodesic orbits. (ii) A "transition regime", near the innermost stable circular orbit (isco). (iii) The "plunge regime", in which the body travels on a geodesic from slightly below the isco into the hole's horizon. This paper gives an analytic treatment of the transition regime and shows that, with some luck, gravitational waves from the transition might be measurable by the space-based LISA mission.Comment: 8 Pages and 3 Figures; RevTeX; submitted to Physical Review

Reduced brain mammillary body volumes and memory deficits in adolescents who have undergone the Fontan procedure.

BackgroundAdolescents with single ventricle heart disease (SVHD) who have undergone the Fontan procedure show cognitive/memory deficits. Mammillary bodies are key brain sites that regulate memory; however, their integrity in SVHD is unclear. We evaluated mammillary body (MB) volumes and their associations with cognitive/memory scores in SVHD and controls.MethodsBrain MRI data were collected from 63 adolescents (25 SVHD; 38 controls) using a 3.0-Tesla MRI scanner. Cognition and memory were assessed using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning 2. MB volumes were calculated and compared between groups (ANCOVA, covariates: age, sex, and total brain volume [TBV]). Partial correlations and linear regression were performed to examine associations between volumes and cognitive scores (covariates: age, sex, and TBV).ResultsSVHD group showed significantly lower MoCA and WRAML2 scores over controls. MB volumes were significantly reduced in SVHD over controls. After controlling for age, sex, and TBV, MB volumes correlated with MoCA and delayed memory recall scores in SVHD and controls.ConclusionAdolescents with SVHD show reduced MB volumes associated with cognitive/memory deficits. Potential mechanisms of volume losses may include developmental and/or hypoxic/ischemic-induced processes. Providers should screen for cognitive deficits and explore possible interventions to improve memory

A dissipated energy comparison to evaluate fatigue resistance using 2PB

Flexural fatigue due to repeated traffic loading is a process of cumulative damage and one of the main failure modes of flexible pavement structures. Typically, micro-cracks originate at the bottom of an asphalt concrete layer due to horizontal tensile strains. Micro-cracking starts to propagate towards the upper layers under repeated loading which can lead to pavement failure. Different approaches are usually used to characterise fatigue resistance in asphalt mixtures including the phenomenological approach, the fracture mechanics approach and the dissipated energy approach. This paper presents a comparison of fatigue resistance calculated for different dissipated energy models using 2 Point Bending (2PB) at IFSTTAR in Nantes. 2PB tests have been undertaken under different loading and environmental conditions in order to evaluate the properties of the mixtures (stiffness, dissipated energy, fatigue life and healing effect)

Geodesic equations and algebro-geometric methods

For an investigation of the physical properties of gravitational fields the observation of massive test particles and light is very useful. The characteristic features of a given space-time may be decoded by studying the complete set of all possible geodesic motions. Such a thorough analysis can be accomplished most effectively by using analytical methods to solve the geodesic equation. In this contribution, the use of elliptic functions and their generalizations for solving the geodesic equation in a wide range of well known space-times, which are part of the general Pleba\'nski-Demia\'nski family of solutions, will be presented. In addition, the definition and calculation of observable effects like the perihelion shift will be presented and further applications of the presented methods will be outlined.Comment: 8 pages, no figures; based on presentation at the conference "Relativity and Gravitation: 100 Years after Einstein in Prague," Prague, 2012. Relativity and Gravitation, volume 157 of Springer Proceedings in Physics, p 91. Springer International Publishing, 201

Axiomatic approach to radiation reaction of scalar point particles in curved spacetime

Several different methods have recently been proposed for calculating the motion of a point particle coupled to a linearized gravitational field on a curved background. These proposals are motivated by the hope that the point particle system will accurately model certain astrophysical systems which are promising candidates for observation by the new generation of gravitational wave detectors. Because of its mathematical simplicity, the analogous system consisting of a point particle coupled to a scalar field provides a useful context in which to investigate these proposed methods. In this paper, we generalize the axiomatic approach of Quinn and Wald in order to produce a general expression for the self force on a point particle coupled to a scalar field following an arbitrary trajectory on a curved background. Our equation includes the leading order effects of the particle's own fields, commonly referred to as ``self force'' or ``radiation reaction'' effects. We then explore the equations of motion which follow from this expression in the absence of non-scalar forces.Comment: 17 pages, 1 figur

Magnetic Domain Patterns Depending on the Sweeping Rate of Magnetic Fields

The domain patterns in a thin ferromagnetic film are investigated in both experiments and numerical simulations. Magnetic domain patterns under a zero field are usually observed after an external magnetic field is removed. It is demonstrated that the characteristics of the domain patterns depend on the decreasing rate of the external field, although it can also depend on other factors. Our numerical simulations and experiments show the following properties of domain patterns: a sea-island structure appears when the field decreases rapidly from the saturating field to the zero field, while a labyrinth structure is observed for a slowly decreasing field. The mechanism of the dependence on the field sweeping rate is discussed in terms of the concepts of crystallization.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Crystallization of two forms of a cyclodextrin inclusion complex containing a common organic guest

The isolation and structural elucidation by single crystal Xray diffraction of triclinic and monoclinic modifications of an inclusion complex of b-cyclodextrin with the same guest, methylparaben, are reported