1,248 research outputs found
Kinks in dipole chains
It is shown that the topological discrete sine-Gordon system introduced by
Speight and Ward models the dynamics of an infinite uniform chain of electric
dipoles constrained to rotate in a plane containing the chain. Such a chain
admits a novel type of static kink solution which may occupy any position
relative to the spatial lattice and experiences no Peierls-Nabarro barrier.
Consequently the dynamics of a single kink is highly continuum like, despite
the strongly discrete nature of the model. Static multikinks and kink-antikink
pairs are constructed, and it is shown that all such static solutions are
unstable. Exact propagating kinks are sought numerically using the
pseudo-spectral method, but it is found that none exist, except, perhaps, at
very low speed.Comment: Published version. 21 pages, 5 figures. Section 3 completely
re-written. Conclusions unchange
The kink Casimir energy in a lattice sine-Gordon model
The Casimir energy of quantum fluctuations about the classical kink
configuration is computed numerically for a recently proposed lattice
sine-Gordon model. This energy depends periodically on the kink position and is
found to be approximately sinusoidal.Comment: 10 pages, 4 postscript figure
Solar array conceptual design for the Halley's Comet ion drive mission, phase 2
Conceptual design studies were performed directed toward a high power, ultralightweight solar array, compatible with the requirements for the Halley's Comet Ion Drive Mission. A planar, rollup array design concept capable of producing 120 kW at 1 AU and 6 kW at 4.5 AU, and a concentrator, rollup array design concept capable of producing 60 kW at 1 AU and 15.5 kW at 4.5 AU evolved. Both arrays make maximum use of thin film, lightweight technology. The Halley's Comet spacecraft and mission requirements developed from preliminary definition to a more finalized and mature design. As solar array requirements were updated, conceptual design iterations were necessary to keep pace with the rapidly changing program objectives and goals. The Halley's Comet Mission program status and design approaches were reviewed and more realistic power requirements at 4.5 AU for the ion engines were established at the 12 to 16 kW range. This higher power necessitated a change from the planar array design to a concentrator array design in order to remain within suitable cost and weight objectives
The geodesic approximation for lump dynamics and coercivity of the Hessian for harmonic maps
The most fruitful approach to studying low energy soliton dynamics in field
theories of Bogomol'nyi type is the geodesic approximation of Manton. In the
case of vortices and monopoles, Stuart has obtained rigorous estimates of the
errors in this approximation, and hence proved that it is valid in the low
speed regime. His method employs energy estimates which rely on a key
coercivity property of the Hessian of the energy functional of the theory under
consideration. In this paper we prove an analogous coercivity property for the
Hessian of the energy functional of a general sigma model with compact K\"ahler
domain and target. We go on to prove a continuity property for our result, and
show that, for the CP^1 model on S^2, the Hessian fails to be globally coercive
in the degree 1 sector. We present numerical evidence which suggests that the
Hessian is globally coercive in a certain equivariance class of the degree n
sector for n>1. We also prove that, within the geodesic approximation, a single
CP^1 lump moving on S^2 does not generically travel on a great circle.Comment: 29 pages, 1 figure; typos corrected, references added, expanded
discussion of the main function spac
Translationally invariant nonlinear Schrodinger lattices
Persistence of stationary and traveling single-humped localized solutions in
the spatial discretizations of the nonlinear Schrodinger (NLS) equation is
addressed. The discrete NLS equation with the most general cubic polynomial
function is considered. Constraints on the nonlinear function are found from
the condition that the second-order difference equation for stationary
solutions can be reduced to the first-order difference map. The discrete NLS
equation with such an exceptional nonlinear function is shown to have a
conserved momentum but admits no standard Hamiltonian structure. It is proved
that the reduction to the first-order difference map gives a sufficient
condition for existence of translationally invariant single-humped stationary
solutions and a necessary condition for existence of single-humped traveling
solutions. Other constraints on the nonlinear function are found from the
condition that the differential advance-delay equation for traveling solutions
admits a reduction to an integrable normal form given by a third-order
differential equation. This reduction also gives a necessary condition for
existence of single-humped traveling solutions. The nonlinear function which
admits both reductions defines a two-parameter family of discrete NLS equations
which generalizes the integrable Ablowitz--Ladik lattice.Comment: 24 pages, 4 figure
Integrability of Differential-Difference Equations with Discrete Kinks
In this article we discuss a series of models introduced by Barashenkov,
Oxtoby and Pelinovsky to describe some discrete approximations to the \phi^4
theory which preserve travelling kink solutions. We show, by applying the
multiple scale test that they have some integrability properties as they pass
the A_1 and A_2 conditions. However they are not integrable as they fail the
A_3 conditions.Comment: submitted to the Proceedings of the workshop "Nonlinear Physics:
Theory and Experiment.VI" in a special issue di Theoretical and Mathematical
Physic
Discrete Klein-Gordon models with static kinks free of the Peierls-Nabarro potential
For the nonlinear Klein-Gordon type models, we describe a general method of
discretization in which the static kink can be placed anywhere with respect to
the lattice. These discrete models are therefore free of the {\it static}
Peierls-Nabarro potential. Previously reported models of this type are shown to
belong to a wider class of models derived by means of the proposed method. A
relevant physical consequence of our findings is the existence of a wide class
of discrete Klein-Gordon models where slow kinks {\it practically} do not
experience the action of the Peierls-Nabarro potential. Such kinks are not
trapped by the lattice and they can be accelerated by even weak external
fields.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure
Breathers in the weakly coupled topological discrete sine-Gordon system
Existence of breather (spatially localized, time periodic, oscillatory)
solutions of the topological discrete sine-Gordon (TDSG) system, in the regime
of weak coupling, is proved. The novelty of this result is that, unlike the
systems previously considered in studies of discrete breathers, the TDSG system
does not decouple into independent oscillator units in the weak coupling limit.
The results of a systematic numerical study of these breathers are presented,
including breather initial profiles and a portrait of their domain of existence
in the frequency-coupling parameter space. It is found that the breathers are
uniformly qualitatively different from those found in conventional spatially
discrete systems.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures. Section 4 (numerical analysis) completely
rewritte
Conceptual approach study of a 200 watt per kilogram solar array, phase 1
Two alternative designs were studied; one a retractable rollout design and the other a nonretractable foldout configuration. An end of life (EOL) power for either design of 0.79 beginning of life (BOL) is predicted based on one solar flare during a 3 year interplanetary mission. Both array configurations incorporate the features of flexible substrates and cover sheets. A power capacity of 10 kilowatt is achieved in a blanket area of 76 sq m with an area utilization factor of 0.8. A single array consists of two identical solar cell blankets deployed concurrently by a single, coilable longeron boom. An out of plane angle of 8-1/4 deg is maintained between the two blankets so that the inherent inplane stiffness of the blankets may be used to obtain out of plane stiffness. This V-stiffened design results in a 67% reduction in the stiffness requirement for the boom. Since boom mass scales with stiffness, a lower requirement on boom stiffness results in a lower mass for the boom. These solar arrays are designed to be compatible with the shuttle launch environment and shuttle cargo bay size limitations
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