Critical Behavior of a Three-State Potts Model on a Voronoi Lattice

We use the single-histogram technique to study the critical behavior of the three-state Potts model on a (random) Voronoi-Delaunay lattice with size ranging from 250 to 8000 sites. We consider the effect of an exponential decay of the interactions with the distance,$J(r)=J_0\exp(-ar)$, with $a>0$, and observe that this system seems to have critical exponents $\gamma$ and $\nu$ which are different from the respective exponents of the three-state Potts model on a regular square lattice. However, the ratio $\gamma/\nu$ remains essentially the same. We find numerical evidences (although not conclusive, due to the small range of system size) that the specific heat on this random system behaves as a power-law for $a=0$ and as a logarithmic divergence for $a=0.5$ and $a=1.0$Comment: 3 pages, 5 figure

Multicanonical Monte Carlo Method Applied to the Investigation of Polarization Effects in Optical Fiber Communication Systems

Polarization-mode dispersion (PMD) is a major source of impairments in optical fiber com‐ munication systems. PMD causes distortion and broadens the optical pulses carrying infor‐ mation and lead to inter-symbol interference. In long-haul transmission systems it is necessary to limit the penalty caused by polarization effects [1], so that the probability of ex

A Step towards Global Engineering Education: The U.S.−Brazil Engineering Exchange Partnership

Global markets are currently dictating the way that national economies around the world design and distribute consumer goods and services. Engineers are in the midst of this dynamic development. In this context, universities around the world are increasingly making an effort to establish international partnerships in their educational and research programs. Study abroad or international programs provide students value-added technical and cultural experiences, and are recognized as high-impact educational experiences. However, engineering students typically do not have the same variety of offerings of international program as students in other disciplines, such as the humanities or social science fields. In this article, the authors provide an overview of the critical aspects of developing a consortium among two universities in the U.S. and two Brazilian universities. The goal of this consortium is establishing a self-sustainable student exchange program in undergraduate engineering education, and increasing the opportunities and participation for American engineering students in international experiences. The activities in this program include the establishment of an agreement between the institutions, the implementation of a course transfer process, and the development of a procedure for foreign language training and cultural preparation. In addition, the authors also discuss the key lessons learned over the first three years of the four-year program (October’07 to September’11)

COMPARISON ANALYSIS OF CORRELATIONS FOR INTERFACIAL FRICTION FACTOR APPLIED IN GAS-LIQUID ANNULAR FLOW IN VERTICAL PIPES

Gas-liquid flows in pipes can occur in the form of an annular pattern in which the liquid flows as a thin film at pipe wall and the gas flows as a core in pipe center. This flow pattern is often encountered at boiling and condensation processes, for example, in industries of steam generation, cooling or petroleum. In annular flow, the interfacial friction factor is one of the important closing parameters for the definition of the interfacial shear stress and consequently the pressure gradient. In the literature, several correlations are found to estimate the interfacial friction factor. The main objective of this work is to carry out a comparative analysis of some these correlations against experimental data also obtained from the literature. The features and limitations of each correlation were observed, as well as the accuracy of each in relation to experimental data. The results obtained demonstrate that correlations analyzed, present relatively satisfactory results, despite the different characteristics of the correlations, however, it is necessary to carry out more extensive analyses involving others correlations and sets of experimental data

Compact Mach-Zehnder acousto-optic modulator

The authors demonstrate a compact optical waveguidemodulator based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer driven by surface acoustic waves. The modulator was monolithically fabricated on GaAs with an active region length of approximately 15μm. It yields peak-to-peak modulation exceeding 90% of the average transmission and operation in the gigahertz frequency range

THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE INTERIOR BALLISTICS OF A RIFLE 7.62

This study aims to examine theoretically and experimentally the interior ballistics of a rifle 7.62. Three theoretical methods are employed: the Vallier-Heydenreich, which is based on empirical data tables; the lumped parameters that is represented by a differential-algebraic system of equations, describing the propellant combustion, the thermodynamics of the gas inside the gun and the projectile dynamics; and the commercial software PRODAS. The theoretical solutions furnish the pressure, the projectile velocity and the projectile position inside the gun, the maximum pressure,the muzzle velocity and the total time of the interior ballistics. The experiments measure the pressure along of the time and the projectile velocity at seven meters ahead of the barrel. The proposed lumped parameter model indicates alternatives to model the energy lost and the resistance pressure functions. The theoretical solutions are compared with experiments. A thermodynamics analysis of the energy conversion in the gun is provided. The results are analyzed and the relevance of each method is highlighted

Gemini and Chandra observations of Abell 586, a relaxed strong-lensing cluster

We analyze the mass content of the massive strong-lensing cluster Abell 586 ($z = 0.17$). We use optical data (imaging and spectroscopy) obtained with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) mounted on the 8-m Gemini-North telescope, together with publicly available X-ray data taken with the \textit{Chandra} space telescope. Employing different techniques -- velocity distribution of galaxies, weak gravitational lensing, and X-ray spatially resolved spectroscopy -- we derive mass and velocity dispersion estimates from each of them. All estimates agree well with each other, within a 68% confidence level, indicating a velocity dispersion of 1000 -- 1250 \kms. The projected mass distributions obtained through weak-lensing and X-ray emission are strikingly similar, having nearly circular geometry. We suggest that Abell 586 is probably a truly relaxed cluster, whose last major merger occurred more than $\sim 4$ Gyr agoComment: ApJ accepted, 20 pages, 11 figures; Figure 1 fixe