An Analytical Model for the Triaxial Collapse of Cosmological Perturbations

We present an analytical model for the non-spherical collapse of overdense regions out of a Gaussian random field of initial cosmological perturbations. The collapsing region is treated as an ellipsoid of constant density, acted upon by the quadrupole tidal shear from the surrounding matter. The dynamics of the ellipsoid is set by the ellipsoid self-gravity and the external quadrupole shear. Both forces are linear in the coordinates and therefore maintain homogeneity of the ellipsoid at all times. The amplitude of the external shear is evolved into the non-linear regime in thin spherical shells that are allowed to move only radially according to the mass interior to them. We describe how the initial conditions can be drawn in the appropriate correlated way from a random field of initial density perturbations. By considering many random realizations of the initial conditions, we calculate the distribution of shapes and angular momenta acquired by objects through the coupling of their quadrupole moment to the tidal shear. The average value of the spin parameter, 0.04, is found to be only weakly dependent on the system mass, the mean cosmological density, or the initial power spectrum of perturbations, in agreement with N-body simulations. For the cold dark matter power spectrum, most objects evolve from a quasi-spherical initial state to a pancake or filament and then to complete virialization. Low-spin objects tend to be more spherical. The evolution history of shapes is primarily induced by the external shear and not by the initial triaxiality of the objects. The statistical distribution of the triaxial shapes of collapsing regions can be used to test cosmological models against galaxy surveys on large scales.Comment: 42 pages, Tex, followed by 10 uuencoded figure

Study made of pneumatic high pressure piping materials /10,000 psi/

Evaluations of five types of steel for use in high pressure pneumatic piping systems include tests for impact strength, tensile and yield strengths, elongation and reduction in area, field weldability, and cost. One type, AISI 4615, was selected as most advantageous for extensive use in future flight vehicles

C.V.D. annual report: November 1965 research project RU27-1 :an analogue method for the determination of potential distributions in semiconductor systems

A general method for the solution of the nonlinear Shockley-Poisson differential equation which governs the potential distribution in non-degenerate semiconductor systems is described which can be applied to the evaluation of depletion layer widths, carrier densities and capacitance bias relationships of p-n junction structures. The method is based upon the use of a particular type of resistance network analogue and results obtained for several one and two dimensional configurations are discussed

The Cosmic Microwave Background and the Ionization History of the Universe

Details of how the primordial plasma recombined and how the universe later reionized are currently somewhat uncertain. This uncertainty can restrict the accuracy of cosmological parameter measurements from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). More positively, future CMB data can be used to constrain the ionization history using observations. We first discuss how current uncertainties in the recombination history impact parameter constraints, and show how suitable parameterizations can be used to obtain unbiased parameter estimates from future data. Some parameters can be constrained robustly, however there is clear motivation to model recombination more accurately with quantified errors. We then discuss constraints on the ionization fraction binned in redshift during reionization. Perfect CMB polarization data could in principle distinguish different histories that have the same optical depth. We discuss how well the Planck satellite may be able to constrain the ionization history, and show the currently very weak constraints from WMAP three-year data.Comment: Changes to match MNRAS accepted versio

Super-luminous X-ray Emission from the Interaction of Supernova Ejecta with Dense Circumstellar Shells

For supernova powered by the conversion of kinetic energy into radiation due to the interactions of the ejecta with a dense circumstellar shell, we show that there could be X-ray analogues of optically super-luminous SNe with comparable luminosities and energetics. We consider X-ray emission from the forward shock of SNe ejecta colliding into an optically-thin CSM shell, derive simple expressions for the X-ray luminosity as a function of the circumstellar shell characteristics, and discuss the different regimes in which the shock will be radiative or adiabatic, and whether the emission will be dominated by free-free radiation or line-cooling. We find that even with normal supernova explosion energies of 10^51 erg, there exists CSM shell configurations that can liberate a large fraction of the explosion energy in X-rays, producing unabsorbed X-ray luminosities approaching 10^44 erg/s events lasting a few months, or even 10^45 erg/s flashes lasting days. Although the large column density of the circumstellar shell can absorb most of the flux from the initial shock, the most luminous events produce hard X-rays that are less susceptible to photoelectric absorption, and can counteract such losses by completely ionizing the intervening material. Regardless, once the shock traverses the entire circumstellar shell, the full luminosity could be available to observers.Comment: Submitted to MNRAS. 12 pages, 4 figure