8,886 research outputs found
Two-step rocket engine bipropellant valve Patent
Solenoid two-step valve for bipropellant flow rate control to rocket engin
Two-step rocket engine bipropellant valve concept
Initiating combustion of altitude control rocket engines in a precombustion chamber of ductile material reduces high pressure surges generated by hypergolic propellants. Two-step bipropellant valve concepts control initial propellant flow into precombustion chamber and subsequent full flow into main chamber
On the formation and decay of a molecular ultracold plasma
Double-resonant photoexcitation of nitric oxide in a molecular beam creates a
dense ensemble of Rydberg states, which evolves to form a plasma of
free electrons trapped in the potential well of an NO spacecharge. The
plasma travels at the velocity of the molecular beam, and, on passing through a
grounded grid, yields an electron time-of-flight signal that gauges the plasma
size and quantity of trapped electrons. This plasma expands at a rate that fits
with an electron temperature as low as 5 K, colder that typically observed for
atomic ultracold plasmas. The recombination of molecular NO cations with
electrons forms neutral molecules excited by more than twice the energy of the
NO chemical bond, and the question arises whether neutral fragmentation plays a
role in shaping the redistribution of energy and particle density that directs
the short-time evolution from Rydberg gas to plasma. To explore this question,
we adapt a coupled rate-equations model established for atomic ultracold
plasmas to describe the energy-grained avalanche of electron-Rydberg and
electron-ion collisions in our system. Adding channels of Rydberg
predissociation and two-body, electron- cation dissociative recombination to
the atomic formalism, we investigate the kinetics by which this relaxation
distributes particle density and energy over Rydberg states, free electrons and
neutral fragments. The results of this investigation suggest some mechanisms by
which molecular fragmentation channels can affect the state of the plasma
THE INFLUENCE OF PASSIVE HIP EXTENSION ON RUNNING BIOMECHANICS
J. Stoewer1, E. Foch2, M.B Pohl1
1University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA; 2Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA
Restricted passive range of motion (PROM) of hip extension has been anecdotally linked with low back pain. A potential mechanism for this may be that restrictions in passive hip extension prevents the hip from fully extending during running. As a consequence, the pelvis may undergo anterior tilt to allow the thigh to extend, thus, resulting in greater loading of the lumbar spine. However, it is currently unclear whether restricted passive hip extension has any bearing on hip and pelvis biomechanics during running. PURPOSE: To determine whether runners who differ in passive hip extension also demonstrate differences in hip extension and anterior pelvic tilt during running. METHODS: Participants included 9 healthy runners (3 males, 6 females) between the ages of 18-28. Passive hip extension was measured using the Thomas Test. Kinematic data during running was collected using a 3D motion capture system. Subjects were split into three groups (tight, normal, & flexible) using tertiles based on their Thomas Test score. Both hip extension and anterior pelvic tilt during running were then compared between groups using Cohen’s effect sizes (ES). RESULTS: The tight group exhibited the least amount of hip extension during running with a large effect size (ES=0.84) when compared to the flexible group (Table 1). The tight group exhibited the greatest amount of anterior pelvic tilt with large effect sizes when compared to both the normal (ES=0.80) and flexible (ES=2.34) groups. CONCLUSION: Limited passive hip extension was linked with alterations in running biomechanics including reduced hip extension and greater anterior pelvic tilt. These kinematic alterations could potentially place greater loading the lumbar spine
Electron Temperature Evolution in Expanding Ultracold Neutral Plasmas
We have used the free expansion of ultracold neutral plasmas as a
time-resolved probe of electron temperature. A combination of experimental
measurements of the ion expansion velocity and numerical simulations
characterize the crossover from an elastic-collision regime at low initial
Gamma_e, which is dominated by adiabatic cooling of the electrons, to the
regime of high Gamma_e in which inelastic processes drastically heat the
electrons. We identify the time scales and relative contributions of various
processes, and experimentally show the importance of radiative decay and
disorder-induced electron heating for the first time in ultracold neutral
plasmas
Experimental Realization of an Exact Solution to the Vlasov Equations for an Expanding Plasma
We study the expansion of ultracold neutral plasmas in the regime in which
inelastic collisions are negligible. The plasma expands due to the thermal
pressure of the electrons, and for an initial spherically symmetric Gaussian
density profle, the expansion is self-similar. Measurements of the plasma size
and ion kinetic energy using fluorescence imaging and spectroscopy show that
the expansion follows an analytic solution of the Vlasov equations for an
adiabatically expanding plasma.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
A current driven instability in parallel, relativistic shocks
Recently, Bell has reanalysed the problem of wave excitation by cosmic rays
propagating in the pre-cursor region of a supernova remnant shock front. He
pointed out a strong, non-resonant, current-driven instability that had been
overlooked in the kinetic treatments, and suggested that it is responsible for
substantial amplification of the ambient magnetic field. Magnetic field
amplification is also an important issue in the problem of the formation and
structure of relativistic shock fronts, particularly in relation to models of
gamma-ray bursts. We have therefore generalised the linear analysis to apply to
this case, assuming a relativistic background plasma and a monoenergetic,
unidirectional incoming proton beam. We find essentially the same non-resonant
instability noticed by Bell, and show that also under GRB conditions, it grows
much faster than the resonant waves. We quantify the extent to which thermal
effects in the background plasma limit the maximum growth rate.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur
Higher dimensional abelian Chern-Simons theories and their link invariants
The role played by Deligne-Beilinson cohomology in establishing the relation
between Chern-Simons theory and link invariants in dimensions higher than three
is investigated. Deligne-Beilinson cohomology classes provide a natural abelian
Chern-Simons action, non trivial only in dimensions , whose parameter
is quantized. The generalized Wilson -loops are observables of the
theory and their charges are quantized. The Chern-Simons action is then used to
compute invariants for links of -loops, first on closed
-manifolds through a novel geometric computation, then on
through an unconventional field theoretic computation.Comment: 40 page
Host isotope mass effects on the hyperfine interaction of group-V donors in silicon
The effects of host isotope mass on the hyperfine interaction of group-V
donors in silicon are revealed by pulsed electron nuclear double resonance
(ENDOR) spectroscopy of isotopically engineered Si single crystals. Each of the
hyperfine-split P-31, As-75, Sb-121, Sb-123, and Bi-209 ENDOR lines splits
further into multiple components, whose relative intensities accurately match
the statistical likelihood of the nine possible average Si masses in the four
nearest-neighbor sites due to random occupation by the three stable isotopes
Si-28, Si-29, and Si-30. Further investigation with P-31 donors shows that the
resolved ENDOR components shift linearly with the bulk-averaged Si mass.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl
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