105 research outputs found
Bounds on the mass-to-radius ratio for non-compact field configurations
It is well known that a spherically symmetric compact star whose energy
density decreases monotonically possesses an upper bound on its mass-to-radius
ratio, . However, field configurations typically will not be
compact. Here we investigate non-compact static configurations whose matter
fields have a slow global spatial decay, bounded by a power law behavior. These
matter distributions have no sharp boundaries. We derive an upper bound on the
fundamental ratio max_r{2m(r)/r} which is valid throughout the bulk. In its
simplest form, the bound implies that in any region of spacetime in which the
radial pressure increases, or alternatively decreases not faster than some
power law , one has . [For
the bound degenerates to .] In its general version, the bound
is expressed in terms of two physical parameters: the spatial decaying rate of
the matter fields, and the highest occurring ratio of the trace of the pressure
tensor to the local energy density.Comment: 4 page
Probing the stability of gravastars by dropping dust shells onto them
As a preparation for the dynamical investigations, this paper begins with a
short review of the three-layer gravastar model with distinguished attention to
the structure of the pertinent parameter space of gravastars in equilibrium.
Then the radial stability of these types of gravastars is studied by
determining their response for the totally inelastic collision of their surface
layer with a dust shell. It is assumed that the dominant energy condition holds
and the speed of sound does not exceed that of the light in the matter of the
surface layer. While in the analytic setup the equation of state is kept to be
generic, in the numerical investigations three functionally distinct classes of
equations of states are applied. In the corresponding particular cases the
maximal mass of the dust shell that may fall onto a gravastar without
converting it into a black hole is determined. For those configurations which
remain stable the excursion of their radius is assigned. It is found that even
the most compact gravastars cannot get beyond the lower limit of the size of
conventional stars, provided that the dominant energy condition holds in both
cases. It is also shown---independent of any assumption concerning the matter
interbridging the internal de Sitter and the external Schwarzschild
regions---that the better is a gravastar in mimicking a black hole the easier
is to get the system formed by a dust shell and the gravastar beyond the event
horizon of the composite system. In addition, a generic description of the
totally inelastic collision of spherical shells in spherically symmetric
spacetimes is also provided in the appendix.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figure
Santorini volcano as a potential Martian analogue: The Balos Cove Basalts
The interpretation of geologic processes on Mars from sparse meteorite, remote sensing and rover data is influenced by knowledge gained from well-characterized terrestrial analogues. This calls for detailed study of candidate terrestrial analogues and comparison of their observable features to those encountered on the surface of Mars. We evaluated the mineralogical, geochemical, and physical properties of the Balos cove basalts (BCB) from the island of Santorini and compared them to Martian meteorites, Mars rover surface measurements, and other verified Martian analogues obtained from the International Space Analogue Rockstore (ISAR). Twenty rock samples were collected from the Balos cove area based on their freshness, integrity, and basaltic appearance in the field. Optical microscopy of BCB revealed a pilotaxitic to trachytic texture, with olivine and clinopyroxenephenocrysts in a fine groundmass of olivine, clinopyroxene, plagioclase, magnetite, and devitrified glass. All major minerals show normal zoning, including calcic plagioclase (An_(78–85) at the core and An_(60–76) at the rim), augite (En_(36-48)Wo_(41-44)Fs_(11–21)), and olivine (Fo_(74–88)). The dominant bands in the infrared-attenuated total reflectance (IR-ATR) spectra from BCB can be assigned to olivine (~875 cm−1), calcic plagioclase (~1130 cm^(−1)), and augite (~970 cm^(−1)). The whole-rock chemical compositions and mineralogy of the BCB are similar to published analyses of typical olivine-phyric shergottites and basalts and basaltic materials analyzed in Gusev and Gale craters on Mars. BCB porosity is in the range of 7–15% and is similar to the porosities of the ISAR samples. Although no terrestrial rock is ever a perfect match to Martian compositions, the differences in mineralogy and geochemistry between BCB and some classes of Martian samples are relatively subtle and the basalts of Santorini are as close a match as other accepted Mars basalt analogues. The Santorini site offers excellent field logistics that, together with the petrology of the outcrop, makes it a valuable locality for testing and calibration deployments, field training, and other activities related to current and future Mars exploration
A new critical curve for the Lane-Emden system
We study stable positive radially symmetric solutions for the Lane-Emden
system in , in , where .
We obtain a new critical curve that optimally describes the existence of such
solutions.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figur
Sharp bounds on the critical stability radius for relativistic charged spheres
In a recent paper by Giuliani and Rothman \cite{GR}, the problem of finding a
lower bound on the radius of a charged sphere with mass M and charge Q<M is
addressed. Such a bound is referred to as the critical stability radius.
Equivalently, it can be formulated as the problem of finding an upper bound on
M for given radius and charge. This problem has resulted in a number of papers
in recent years but neither a transparent nor a general inequality similar to
the case without charge, i.e., M\leq 4R/9, has been found. In this paper we
derive the surprisingly transparent inequality
The
inequality is shown to hold for any solution which satisfies
where and are the radial- and tangential pressures respectively
and is the energy density. In addition we show that the inequality
is sharp, in particular we show that sharpness is attained by infinitely thin
shell solutions.Comment: 20 pages, 1 figur
The influence of the Evros River on the recent sedimentation of the inner shelf of the NE Aegean Sea
Abstract The transboundary Evros River discharges into the Alexandroupolis Gulf, located in the inner shelf of the northeastern Aegean Sea, where it has formed an extended delta. Grain-size and mineralogical analyses of five sediment cores, collected in the subaqueous delta, provide the following information about recent sedimentation processes in the northeastern part of the Aegean shelf: (a) river mouth deposits, consisting of coarse-grained sediments, are mainly deposited in front of the active mouth, whilst some sandy material is expected to be transported alongshore by nearshore currents; (b) delta front deposits are characterised by fine-grained sediments that include evidence of human activities which have taken place, in a more intense way, since the 1950s; and (c) prodelta deposits are represented by almost uniform riverine mud that cover the pre-existed relict sands of the shelf, indicating also the limit (some 15 km to the SW) of the influence of riverine sedimentation on the seabed of the inner shelf of the Alexandroupolis Gulf
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