The measurement of very low conductivity and dielectric loss in XLPE cables: A possible method to detect degradation due to thermal aging

The dielectric response of crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated, miniature power cables, extruded with inner and outer semicons, was measured over the frequency range 10-4 to 104 Hz at temperatures from 20 to 100 °C. A dielectric spectrometer was used for the frequency range 10-4 to 10-2 Hz. A bespoke noise-free power supply was constructed and used to measure the dc conductivity and, using a Fourier transform technique, it was also used to measure the very low dielectric tanδ losses encountered at frequencies of 1 to 100 Hz. Tanδ measurements of <;10-5 were found in this frequency range and attributed to a β-mode dielectric relaxation lying above 100 Hz due to motion of chain segments in the amorphous region and an β-mode relaxation lying below 1 Hz window due to twists of chains in the crystal lamellae. The dc conductivity measurements were consistent with those of the dielectric spectrometer and indicate lower dc conductivities in vacuum degassed cables than have been previously reported for XLPE (less than 10-17 S.m-1). The conduction process is thermally activated with an activation energy of approximately 1.1 eV. Higher conductivities were found for non-degassed cables. A transformer ratio bridge was used for measurements in the range 1 to 10 kHz; loss in this region was shown to be due to the series resistance of the semicon layers. Thermal ageing of the cables at 135 °C for 60 days caused significant increases in the conductivity and tanδ and it is considered that such measurements may be a sensitive way of measuring electrical degradation due to thermal aging

Dielectric spectroscopy study of thermally-aged extruded model power cables

“Model” extruded power cables, having a much reduced geometry but using the same extrusion techniques and materials as full-sized cables, have been examined using dielectric spectroscopy techniques to study their thermal ageing effects. Cables insulated with homo-polymer XLPE and co-polymer of XLPE with micron-sized ethylene-butyl-acrylate (EBA) islands were studied by both frequency-domain and time-domain dielectric spectroscopy techniques after accelerated thermal ageing under 135°C for 60 days. In the frequency domain, a frequency response analyzer (FRA) was used to measure the frequency range from 10-4Hz to 1Hz at temperatures from 20°C to 80°C. In the time domain, a special charging/discharging current measurement system was developed to measure the frequencies from 10-1Hz to 102Hz. These techniques were chosen to cope with the extremely low dielectric losses of the model cables. The results are compared with those from new model power cables that were degassed at 80°C for 5 days. Thermal ageing was found to increase the low-frequency conductivity, permittivity and the discharging current. Both homo- and co-polymer cables have substantial increase of dielectric loss after ageing

Light-cone analysis of ungauged and topologically gauged BLG theories

We consider three-dimensional maximally superconformal Bagger-Lambert-Gustavsson (BLG) theory and its topologically gauged version (constructed recently in arXiv:0809.4478 [hep-th]) in the light-cone gauge. After eliminating the entire Chern-Simons gauge field, the ungauged BLG theory looks more conventional and, apart from the order of the interaction terms, resembles N=4 super-Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions. The light-cone superspace version of the BLG theory is given to quadratic and quartic order and some problems with constructing the sixth order interaction terms are discussed. In the topologically gauged case, we analyze the field equations related to the three Chern-Simons type terms of N=8 conformal supergravity and discuss some of the special features of this theory and its couplings to BLG.Comment: 22 pages; v2 some typos correcte

The state space and physical interpretation of self-similar spherically symmetric perfect-fluid models

The purpose of this paper is to further investigate the solution space of self-similar spherically symmetric perfect-fluid models and gain deeper understanding of the physical aspects of these solutions. We achieve this by combining the state space description of the homothetic approach with the use of the physically interesting quantities arising in the comoving approach. We focus on three types of models. First, we consider models that are natural inhomogeneous generalizations of the Friedmann Universe; such models are asymptotically Friedmann in their past and evolve fluctuations in the energy density at later times. Second, we consider so-called quasi-static models. This class includes models that undergo self-similar gravitational collapse and is important for studying the formation of naked singularities. If naked singularities do form, they have profound implications for the predictability of general relativity as a theory. Third, we consider a new class of asymptotically Minkowski self-similar spacetimes, emphasizing that some of them are associated with the self-similar solutions associated with the critical behaviour observed in recent gravitational collapse calculations.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figure

Three-dimensional topologically gauged N=6 ABJM type theories

In this paper we construct the $\mathcal N=6$ conformal supergravity in three dimensions from a set of Chern-Simons-like terms one for each of the graviton, gravitino, and R-symmetry gauge field and then couple this theory to the $\mathcal N=6$ superconformal ABJM theory. In a first step part of the coupled Lagrangian for this topologically gauged ABJM theory is derived by demanding that all terms of third and second order in covariant derivatives cancel in the supersymmtry variation of the Lagrangian. To achieve this the transformation rules of the two separate sectors must be augmented by new terms. In a second step we analyze all terms in $\delta L$ that are of first order in covariant derivatives. The cancelation of these terms require additional terms in the transformation rules as well as a number of new terms in the Lagrangian. As a final step we check that all remaining terms in $\delta L$ which are bilinear in fermions cancel which means that the presented Lagrangian and transformation rules constitute the complete answer. In particular we find in the last step new terms in the scalar potential containing either one or no structure constant. The non-derivative higher fermion terms in $\delta L$ that have not yet been completely analyzed are briefly discussed.Comment: 26 pages, v.2 minor corrections, comment on relation to chiral gravity added

An almost isotropic cosmic microwave temperature does not imply an almost isotropic universe

In this letter we will show that, contrary to what is widely believed, an almost isotropic cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature does not imply that the universe is ``close to a Friedmann-Lemaitre universe''. There are two important manifestations of anisotropy in the geometry of the universe, (i) the anisotropy in the overall expansion, and (ii) the intrinsic anisotropy of the gravitational field, described by the Weyl curvature tensor, although the former usually receives more attention than the latter in the astrophysical literature. Here we consider a class of spatially homogeneous models for which the anisotropy of the CMB temperature is within the current observational limits but whose Weyl curvature is not negligible, i.e. these models are not close to isotropy even though the CMB temperature is almost isotropic.Comment: 5 pages (AASTeX, aaspp4.sty), submitted to Astrophysical Journal Letter

Mass-Deformed BLG Theory in Light-Cone Superspace

Maximally supersymmetric mass deformation of the Bagger-Lambert-Gustavsson (BLG) theory corresponds to a {non-central} extension of the d=3 N=8 Poincare superalgebra (allowed in three dimensions). We obtain its light-cone superspace formulation which has a novel feature of the dynamical supersymmetry generators being {cubic} in the kinematical ones. The mass deformation picks a quaternionic direction, which breaks the SO(8) R-symmetry down to SO(4)xSO(4). The Hamiltonian of the theory is shown to be a quadratic form of the dynamical supersymmetry transformations, to all orders in the mass parameter, M, and the structure constants, f^{a b c d}.Comment: 23 page

Spatially self-similar spherically symmetric perfect-fluid models

Einstein's field equations for spatially self-similar spherically symmetric perfect-fluid models are investigated. The field equations are rewritten as a first-order system of autonomous differential equations. Dimensionless variables are chosen in such a way that the number of equations in the coupled system is reduced as far as possible and so that the reduced phase space becomes compact and regular. The system is subsequently analysed qualitatively with the theory of dynamical systems.Comment: 21 pages, 6 eps-figure

Ground and excited states Gamow-Teller strength distributions of iron isotopes and associated capture rates for core-collapse simulations

This paper reports on the microscopic calculation of ground and excited states Gamow-Teller (GT) strength distributions, both in the electron capture and electron decay direction, for $^{54,55,56}$Fe. The associated electron and positron capture rates for these isotopes of iron are also calculated in stellar matter. These calculations were recently introduced and this paper is a follow-up which discusses in detail the GT strength distributions and stellar capture rates of key iron isotopes. The calculations are performed within the framework of the proton-neutron quasiparticle random phase approximation (pn-QRPA) theory. The pn-QRPA theory allows a microscopic \textit{state-by-state} calculation of GT strength functions and stellar capture rates which greatly increases the reliability of the results. For the first time experimental deformation of nuclei are taken into account. In the core of massive stars isotopes of iron, $^{54,55,56}$Fe, are considered to be key players in decreasing the electron-to-baryon ratio ($Y_{e}$) mainly via electron capture on these nuclide. The structure of the presupernova star is altered both by the changes in $Y_{e}$ and the entropy of the core material. Results are encouraging and are compared against measurements (where possible) and other calculations. The calculated electron capture rates are in overall good agreement with the shell model results. During the presupernova evolution of massive stars, from oxygen shell burning stages till around end of convective core silicon burning, the calculated electron capture rates on $^{54}$Fe are around three times bigger than the corresponding shell model rates. The calculated positron capture rates, however, are suppressed by two to five orders of magnitude.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures, 10 table