36,879 research outputs found
Resolving the structure of TiBe
There has been considerable controversy regarding the structure of
TiBe, which is variously reported as hexagonal and tetragonal. Lattice
dynamics simulations based on density functional theory show the tetragonal
phase space group to be more stable over all temperatures, while the
hexagonal phase exhibits an imaginary phonon mode, which, if followed, would
lead to the cell adopting the tetragonal structure. We then report the
predicted ground state elastic constants and temperature dependence of the bulk
modulus and thermal expansion for the tetragonal phase.Comment: In press at Acta Crystallographica B. Supplementary material appende
Orbiter/launch system
The system includes reusable turbojet propelled booster vehicles releasably connected to a reusable rocket powered orbit vehicle. The coupled orbiter-booster combination takes off horizontally and ascends to staging altitude and speed under booster power with both orbiter and booster wings providing lift. After staging, the booster vehicles fly back to Earth for horizontal landing and the orbiter vehicle continues ascending to orbit
Consistency of a Causal Theory of Radiative Reaction with the Optical Theorem
The Abraham-Lorentz-Dirac equation for a point electron, while suffering from
runaway solutions and an acausal response to external forces, is compatible
with the optical theorem. We show that a theory of radiative reaction that
allows for a finite charge distribution is not only causal and free of runaway
solutions, but is also consistent with the optical theorem and the standard
formula for the Rayleigh scattering cross section.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Deducing radiation pressure on a submerged mirror from the Doppler shift
Radiation pressure on a flat mirror submerged in a transparent liquid,
depends not only on the refractive index n of the liquid, but also on the phase
angle psi_0 of the Fresnel reflection coefficient of the mirror, which could be
anywhere between 0^{\circ} and 180^{\circ}. Depending on the value of psi_0,
the momentum per incident photon picked up by the mirror covers the range
between the Abraham and Minkowski values, i.e., the interval
(2\hbarw_0/nc,2n\hbarw_0/c). Here \hbar is the reduced Planck constant, w_0 is
the frequency of the incident photon, and c is the speed of light in vacuum. We
argue that a simple experimental setup involving a dielectric slab of
refractive index n, a vibrating mirror placed a short distance behind the slab,
a collimated, monochromatic light beam illuminating the mirror through the
slab, and an interferometer to measure the phase of the reflected beam, is all
that is needed to deduce the precise magnitude of the radiation pressure on a
submerged mirror. In the proposed experiment, the transparent slab plays the
role of the submerging liquid (even though it remains detached from the mirror
at all times), and the adjustable gap between the mirror and the slab simulates
the variable phase-angle psi_0. The phase of the reflected beam, measured as a
function of time during one oscillation period of the mirror, then provides the
information needed to determine the gap-dependence of the reflected beam's
Doppler shift and, consequently, the radiation pressure experienced by the
mirror.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, 13 equation
Vortex signatures in annular Bose-Einstein condensates
We consider a Bose-Einstein condensate confined in a ``Mexican hat''
potential, with a quartic minus quadratic radial dependence. We find conditions
under which the ground state is annular in shape, with a hole in the center of
the condensate. Rotation leads to the appearance of stable multiply-quantized
vortices, giving rise to a superfluid flow around the ring. The collective
modes of the system are explored both numerically and analytically using the
Gross-Pitaevskii and hydrodynamic equations. Potential experimental schemes to
detect vorticity are proposed and evaluated, which include measuring the
splitting of collective mode frequencies, observing expansion following release
from the trap, and probing the momentum distribution of the condensate.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
Electronic states and optical properties of PbSe nanorods and nanowires
A theory of the electronic structure and excitonic absorption spectra of PbS
and PbSe nanowires and nanorods in the framework of a four-band effective mass
model is presented. Calculations conducted for PbSe show that dielectric
contrast dramatically strengthens the exciton binding in narrow nanowires and
nanorods. However, the self-interaction energies of the electron and hole
nearly cancel the Coulomb binding, and as a result the optical absorption
spectra are practically unaffected by the strong dielectric contrast between
PbSe and the surrounding medium. Measurements of the size-dependent absorption
spectra of colloidal PbSe nanorods are also presented. Using room-temperature
energy-band parameters extracted from the optical spectra of spherical PbSe
nanocrystals, the theory provides good quantitative agreement with the measured
spectra.Comment: 35 pages, 12 figure
New Perspective on the Optical Theorem of Classical Electrodynamics
A general proof of the optical theorem (also known as the optical
cross-section theorem) is presented that reveals the intimate connection
between the forward scattering amplitude and the absorption-plus-scattering of
the incident wave within the scatterer. The oscillating electric charges and
currents as well as the electric and magnetic dipoles of the scatterer, driven
by an incident plane-wave, extract energy from the incident beam at a certain
rate. The same oscillators radiate electro-magnetic energy into the far field,
thus giving rise to well-defined scattering amplitudes along various
directions. The essence of the proof presented here is that the extinction
cross-section of an object can be related to its forward scattering amplitude
using the induced oscillations within the object but without an actual
knowledge of the mathematical form assumed by these oscillations.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, 12 reference
Responses of women to orthostatic and exercise stresses
The results are presented from a special physiological study of women at the Johnson Space Center in 1976 to 1977. Its purpose was to establish a large (98 subjects) database from normal working women. The data sets are medical historical, clinical, anthropometric, and stress response statistics useful for establishing medical criteria for selecting women astronauts. Stressors were lower body negative pressure and static standing (both orthostatic) and treadmill exercise (ergometric). Data shown are original individual values with analyses and subsets, and statistical summaries and correlations relating to human responses to microgravity. Similarities appear between the characteristics of women in this study and those of women astronauts currently flying in Shuttle crews
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