Perturbative Approach to the Quasinormal Modes of Dirty Black Holes

Using a recently developed perturbation theory for uasinormal modes (QNM's), we evaluate the shifts in the real and imaginary parts of the QNM frequencies due to a quasi-static perturbation of the black hole spacetime. We show the perturbed QNM spectrum of a black hole can have interesting features using a simple model based on the scalar wave equation.Comment: Published in PR

Determination of the internal structure of neutron stars from gravitational wave spectra

In this paper the internal structure of a neutron star is shown to be inferrable from its gravitational-wave spectrum. Iteratively applying the inverse scheme of the scaled coordinate logarithmic perturbation method for neutron stars proposed by Tsui and Leung [Astrophys. J. {\bf 631}, 495 (2005)], we are able to determine the mass, the radius and the mass distribution of a star from its quasi-normal mode frequencies of stellar pulsation. In addition, accurate equation of state of nuclear matter can be obtained from such inversion scheme. Explicit formulas for the case of axial $w$-mode oscillation are derived here and numerical results for neutron stars characterized by different equations of state are shown.Comment: 26 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Physical Review

Characterization of silicon nanowire by use of full-vectorial finite element method.

We have carried out a rigorous H-field-based full-vectorial modal analysis and used it to characterize, more accurately, the abrupt dielectric discontinuity of a high index contrast optical waveguide. The full-vectorial H and E fields and the Poynting vector profiles are described in detail. It has been shown through this work that the mode profile of a circular silicon nanowire is not circular and also contains a strong axial field component. The single-mode operation, vector field profiles, modal hybridness, modal ellipticity, and group velocity dispersion of this silicon nanowire are also presented

Reaction zones and their structure in MILD combustion

Three-dimensional direct numerical simulation (DNS) of turbulent combustion under moderate and intense low-oxygen dilution (MILD) conditions has been carried out inside a cuboid with inflow and outflow boundaries on the upstream and downstreamfaces respectively. The initial and inflowing mixture and turbulence fields are constructed carefully to be representative of MILD conditions involving partially mixed pockets of unburnt and burnt gases. The combustion kinetics is modelled using a skeletal mechanism for methane-air combustion, including non-unity Lewis numbers for species and temperature dependent transport properties. The DNS data is analysed to study theMILD reaction zone structure and its behaviour. The results show that the instantaneous reaction zones are convoluted and the degree of convolution increases with dilution and turbulence levels. Interactions of reaction zones occur frequently and are spread out in a large portion of the computational domain due to the mixture non-uniformity and high turbulence level. These interactions lead to local thickening of reaction zones yielding an appearance of distributed combustion despite the presence of local thin reaction zones. A canonical MILD flame element, called as MIFE, is proposed which represents the averaged mass fraction variation for major species reasonably well, although a fully representative canonical element needs to include the effect of reaction zone interactions and associated thickening effects on the mean reaction rate.YM acknowledges the financial support of Nippon Keidanren and Cambridge Overseas Trust. EPSRC support is acknowledged by NS. The support of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada is acknowledged by TL. This work made use of the facilities of HECToR, the UK’s national high-performance computing service, which is provided by UoE HPCx Ltd at the University of Edinburgh, Cray Inc and NAG Ltd, and funded by the Office of Science and Technology through EPSRCs High End Computing Programme.This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Combustion Science and Technology on 26 Jun 2014, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00102202.2014.902814

Could Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) be the new weapon in our fight against Necrotising Enterocolitis?

There is no ideal single gut tissue or inflammatory biomarker available to help to try and identify Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC) before its clinical onset. Neonatologists are all too familiar with the devastating consequences of NEC, and despite many advances in neonatal care the mortality and morbidity associated with NEC remains significant. In this article we review Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) as a method of measuring regional gut tissue oxygenation. We discuss its current and potential future applications, including considering its effectiveness as a possible new weapon in the early identification of NEC

Morphological and statistical features of reaction zones in MILD and premixed combustion

Direct numerical simulation (DNS) results of turbulent MILD premixed and conventional (undiluted) premixed combustion have been investigated to shed light on the physical aspects of reaction zones and their morphology inMILD combustion. Results of a premixed case are used for comparative analyses. The analyses show that the regions with strong chemical activity in MILD combustion are distributed over a substantial portion of the computational domain unlike in the premixed case where these regions are confined to a small portion of the domain. Also, interactions of reaction zones are observed in MILD combustion with their spatial extent increasing with dilution level. These interactions give an appearance of distributed combustion for MILD conditions. The morphology of these reaction zones is investigated using the Minkowski functionals and shapefinders commonly employed in cosmology. Predominant sheet-like structures are observed for the premixed combustion case whereas a pancake-like structure is observed as the most probable shape for the MILD cases. Spatial and statistical analyses of various fluxes involved in a progress variable transport equation are conducted to study autoignitive or propagative characteristics of MILD reaction zones. The results suggest that there are local regions with autoignition, propagating-flames, and their coexistence for the conditions considered in this study. Typically, reaction dominated or ignition front and propagating-flame dominated regions are entangled for high dilution cases. Scalar gradient plays a strong role on whether reaction or propagating-flame dominated activities are favoured locally.YM acknowledges the financial support of Nippon Keidanren and Cambridge Overseas Trust. EPSRC support is acknowledged by NS. This work made use of the facilities of HECToR, the UK’s national high-performance computing service, which is provided by UoE HPCx Ltd at the University of Edinburgh, Cray Inc and NAG Ltd, and funded by the Office of Science and Technology through EPSRCs High End Computing Programme.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S001021801400128X

Heuristic derivation of continuum kinetic equations from microscopic dynamics

We present an approximate and heuristic scheme for the derivation of continuum kinetic equations from microscopic dynamics for stochastic, interacting systems. The method consists of a mean-field type, decoupled approximation of the master equation followed by the `naive' continuum limit. The Ising model and driven diffusive systems are used as illustrations. The equations derived are in agreement with other approaches, and consequences of the microscopic dependences of coarse-grained parameters compare favorably with exact or high-temperature expansions. The method is valuable when more systematic and rigorous approaches fail, and when microscopic inputs in the continuum theory are desirable.Comment: 7 pages, RevTeX, two-column, 4 PS figures include

Vibration and buckling of thin-walled composite I-beams with arbitrary lay-ups under axial loads and end moments

A finite element model with seven degrees of freedom per node is developed to study vibration and buckling of thin-walled composite I-beams with arbitrary lay-ups under constant axial loads and equal end moments. This model is based on the classical lamination theory, and accounts for all the structural coupling coming from material anisotropy. The governing differential equations are derived from the Hamilton’s principle. Numerical results are obtained for thin-walled composite I-beams to investigate the effects of axial force, bending moment and fiber orientation on the buckling moments, natural frequencies, and corresponding vibration mode shapes as well as axial-moment-frequency interaction curves