Scaling of spontaneous rotation with temperature and plasma current in tokamaks

Using theoretical arguments, a simple scaling law for the size of the intrinsic rotation observed in tokamaks in the absence of momentum injection is found: the velocity generated in the core of a tokamak must be proportional to the ion temperature difference in the core divided by the plasma current, independent of the size of the device. The constant of proportionality is of the order of $10\,\mathrm{km \cdot s^{-1} \cdot MA \cdot keV^{-1}}$. When the intrinsic rotation profile is hollow, i.e. it is counter-current in the core of the tokamak and co-current in the edge, the scaling law presented in this Letter fits the data remarkably well for several tokamaks of vastly different size and heated by different mechanisms.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

"Studs": a squat-type defect in rails

In the mid-2000s a rail defect that was classified as a "squat" became increasingly common on London Underground's track. By 2006 there were about 600 of these and they had become the Underground's single most common rail defect. This defect occurred almost exclusively on lines carrying relatively new rolling stock. The work reported here was undertaken initially to characterize this defect, advise as to whether it was indeed a squat and propose a hypothesis that explained its mechanism of formation. The paper includes observations and measurements from track and initial results of metallurgical analysis. The hypothesis for formation of the defects is presented, and both similarities and differences are discussed between these defects and the classical "squat". The defect on London Underground appears to be the same as that described by Marich and his colleagues in Australia and by Li and his colleagues in the Netherlands. It is evidently not a rolling contact fatigue defect. In order to avoid confusion arising from simple misuse of an established term, it is proposed that these defects be given a different name, for which “stud” is proposed. Evidence to date is that the "stud" is a significantly more benign defect than a "squat"

Searching for Invisible and Almost Invisible Particles at e^+e^- Colliders

We explore the techniques, cross sections and expected signal significance for detecting invisible and almost invisible particles at LEP2 and the NLC by means of a hard photon tag. Examples from supersymmetry include the lightest chargino and second lightest neutralino when their masses are nearly the same as that of the lightest neutralino (the LSP), and invisibly decaying sneutrinos. The importance of particular features of the detectors is discussed, instrumentation for vetoing a fast e^+ or e^- in the beam hole being especially crucial.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, latex, corrections (as outlined in recent Addendum [hep-ph/9902309]) to the treatment of the decay of the lightest chargino to the lightest neutralino, when they are closely degenerate in mass, are implemented, and the associated minor changes in phenomenology are incorporate

Prediction of RCF Damage on Underground Metro Lines

London Underground (LUL) is one of the largest metro networks in the world and carried nearly 1.5 billion passengers in 2015. This increasing passenger demand leads to higher axle loads and shorter headways in the railway operations. However, this has a detrimental impact on the damage generated at the wheel-rail interface. In spite of the advances in rolling stock and track engineering, new developments in material manufacturing methods and rail inspection technology, cracking in rails still remains a major concern for infrastructure managers in terms of safety and maintenance costs. In this study, field data from two metro lines on the LUL network was analysed to identify the distribution and severity of the different damage types. Detailed vehicle dynamics route simulations were conducted for the lines and the calculated wheel-rail forces were investigated to assess the applicability current models for the prediction of rail damage on metro lines. These models include the Whole Life Rail Model (WLRM), previously developed for Great Britain (GB) main line tracks, and Shakedown theory. The influence of key factors such as curve radius, different friction conditions, track irregularities and wheel-rail profiles on the wheel-rail contact interface have been evaluated and compared with outputs from simulations on mainline routes. The study found that the contact patch energy (Tγ) and the interaction between wear and RCF in rails were highly influenced by the characteristics of metro tracks. It was also shown that both the Tγ and Shakedown methods can provide successful prediction of damage susceptibility of rails. However, in order to increase the accuracy of damage predictions and to ascertain the severity of different damage types, the duty conditions which are observed by the rail and the changes in contact conditions resulting from the successive vehicle passes should be considered in the modelling

Graviton Resonances in E+ E- -> MU+ MU- at Linear Colliders with Beamstrahlung and ISR Effects

Electromagnetic radiation emitted by the colliding beams is expected to play an important role at the next generation of high energy e^+ e^- linear collider(s). Focusing on the simplest process e+e- -> mu+ mu-, we show that radiative effects like initial state radiation (ISR) and beamstrahlung can lead to greatly-enhanced signals for resonant graviton modes of the Randall-Sundrum model.Comment: 20 pages Latex, 7 eps figure