19,719 research outputs found
Effects of gravity reduction on phase equilibria. Part 2: Binary two-phase solids
Phase diagrams for two-phase solids and eutectic, monotectic, peritectic, and syntectic reactions in low gravity applications to processes and products are considered
Science Icebreaker Activities: An Example from Gravitational Wave Astronomy
At the beginning of a class or meeting an icebreaker activity is often used
to help loosen the group and get everyone talking. Our motivation is to develop
activities that serve the purpose of an icebreaker, but are designed to enhance
and supplement a science-oriented agenda. The subject of this article is an
icebreaker activity related to gravitational wave astronomy. We first describe
the unique gravitational wave signals from three distinct sources:
monochromatic binaries, merging compact objects, and extreme mass ratio
encounters. These signals form the basis of the activity where participants
work to match an ideal gravitational wave signal with noisy detector output for
each type of source.Comment: Accepted to The Physics Teacher. Original manuscript divided into two
papers at the request of the referee. For a related paper on gravitational
wave observatories see physics/050920
Validity of adiabaticity in Cavity QED
This paper deals with the concept of adiabaticity for fully quantum
mechanically cavity QED models. The physically interesting cases of Gaussian
and standing wave shapes of the cavity mode are considered. An analytical
approximate measure for adiabaticity is given and compared with numerical wave
packet simulations. Good agreement is obtained where the approximations are
expected to be valid. Usually for cavity QED systems, the large atom-field
detuning case is considered as the adiabatic limit. We, however, show that
adiabaticity is also valid, for the Gaussian mode shape, in the opposite limit.
Effective semiclassical time dependent models, which do not take into account
the shape of the wave packet, are derived. Corrections to such an effective
theory, which are purely quantum mechanical, are discussed. It is shown that
many of the results presented can be applied to time dependent two-level
systems.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
Research on metal solidification in zero-g state
The containerless solidification of several pure metals and metallic alloys was studied in a low gravity environment. The tests were performed in the MSFC 4.2 s drop tower using a rapid wire melting apparatus designed and built for this purpose. Pure iron and nickel, and alloys of iron-nickel, iron-carbon, nickel-aluminum and tungsten-rhenium were all melted and solidified at a gravity level of approximately 100.000/-4 g. Interpretation of the results has led to an appreciation of the factors controlling the successful execution of this drop test experiment and to a delineation of the limits of applicability of the apparatus. Preliminary metallurgical evaluations are presented of the overall shapes, lattice parameters, surface microstructure,, cross-sectional microstructures, solidification and transformation sequences, evaporative segregation, and localized solute redistribution observed in the low-gravity specimens. The effects of low gravity on metallic solidification are discussed with particular emphasis on observations of spontaneous undercooling and evaporative segregation in uncontained melts
Impurity in a bosonic Josephson junction: swallowtail loops, chaos, self-trapping and the poor man's Dicke model
We study a model describing identical bosonic atoms trapped in a
double-well potential together with a single impurity atom, comparing and
contrasting it throughout with the Dicke model. As the boson-impurity coupling
strength is varied, there is a symmetry-breaking pitchfork bifurcation which is
analogous to the quantum phase transition occurring in the Dicke model. Through
stability analysis around the bifurcation point, we show that the critical
value of the coupling strength has the same dependence on the parameters as the
critical coupling value in the Dicke model. We also show that, like the Dicke
model, the mean-field dynamics go from being regular to chaotic above the
bifurcation and macroscopic excitations of the bosons are observed. Overall,
the boson-impurity system behaves like a poor man's version of the Dicke model.Comment: 17 pages, 16 figure
Dicke-type phase transition in a multimode optomechanical system
We consider the "membrane in the middle" optomechanical model consisting of a
laser pumped cavity which is divided in two by a flexible membrane that is
partially transmissive to light and subject to radiation pressure. Steady state
solutions at the mean-field level reveal that there is a critical strength of
the light-membrane coupling above which there is a symmetry breaking
bifurcation where the membrane spontaneously acquires a displacement either to
the left or the right. This bifurcation bears many of the signatures of a
second order phase transition and we compare and contrast it with that found in
the Dicke model. In particular, by studying limiting cases and deriving
dynamical critical exponents using the fidelity susceptibility method, we argue
that the two models share very similar critical behaviour. For example, the
obtained critical exponents indicate that they fall within the same
universality class. Away from the critical regime we identify, however, some
discrepancies between the two models. Our results are discussed in terms of
experimentally relevant parameters and we evaluate the prospects for realizing
Dicke-type physics in these systems.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure
Dynamical quantum phase transition of a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical lattice
We study dynamics of a two-component Bose-Einstein condensate where the two
components are coupled via an optical lattice. In particular, we focus on the
dynamics as one drives the system through a critical point of a first order
phase transition characterized by a jump in the internal populations. Solving
the time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii equation, we analyze; breakdown of
adiabaticity, impact of non-linear atom-atom scattering, and the role of a
harmonic trapping potential. Our findings demonstrate that the phase transition
is resilient to both contact interaction between atoms and external trapping
confinement.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
SPAR VI Technical Report for Experiment 76-22: Directional Solidification of Magnetic Composites
Samples of eutectic Bi/MnBi were directionally solidified during a low-g interval aboard the SPAR 6 flight and in a l-g environment under identical furnace velocity and thermal conditions. The Bi/MnBi eutectic is characterized by a regular rod eutectic whose morphology may be sensitive to thermo-solutal convection and by its components, MnBi, which is ferromagnetic. Morphological analyses on samples show statistically smaller interrod spacings and rod diameters with respect to samples grown under identical solidification furnace conditions in l-g. An adjustment between the interrod spacing, growth velocity, and total undercooling at the solidification interface is proposed. Morphological analyses on samples grown in l-g indicate little difference between results for different growth orientations with respect to the gravity vector. The magnetic properties are significantly affected, however, by the presence of a nonequilibrium magnetic phase and the nonequilibrium phase transforms to the equilibrium ferromagnetic phase during isothermal heat treatment
Developmental testing of a programmable multizone furnace
A multizone furnace was evaluated for its potential utilization for process experimentation on board the Space Shuttle. A temperature gradient can be created through the use of a series of connected temperature zones and can be translated by the coordinated sequencing of zone temperatures. The Bridgman-Stockbarger thermal configuration for directional solidification was implemented so that neither the sample nor furnace was translated. The thermal behavior of the furnace was measured and characterized. Limitations due to both thermal and electronic (computer) factors are identified. The results indicate that the multizone design is limited to low temperature gradients because of the indirect furnace-to-sample thermal coupling needed to blend the discrete thermal zones. The multizone furnace design inherently consumes more power than a similar (two temperature) conventional Bridgman type directional solidification furnace because every zone must be capable of the high cooling rates needed to produce the maximum desired temperature drop. Typical achievable static temperature gradients for the furnace tested were between 6 and 75 C/in. The maximum gradient velocity was approximately 10 in./hr. Several aspects of the tested system could be improved, but the dependence of the multizone design on high heat loss will limit Space Shuttle applications in the form tested unless additional power is available. The multizone furnace offers great flexibility but requires a high level of operator understanding for full advantage to be obtained
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