Segregation in a fluidized binary granular mixture: Competition between buoyancy and geometric forces

Starting from the hydrodynamic equations of binary granular mixtures, we derive an evolution equation for the relative velocity of the intruders, which is shown to be coupled to the inertia of the smaller particles. The onset of Brazil-nut segregation is explained as a competition between the buoyancy and geometric forces: the Archimedean buoyancy force, a buoyancy force due to the difference between the energies of two granular species, and two geometric forces, one compressive and the other-one tensile in nature, due to the size-difference. We show that inelastic dissipation strongly affects the phase diagram of the Brazil nut phenomenon and our model is able to explain the experimental results of Breu et al. (PRL, 2003, vol. 90, p. 01402).Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Coverage and Connectivity in Three-Dimensional Networks

Most wireless terrestrial networks are designed based on the assumption that the nodes are deployed on a two-dimensional (2D) plane. However, this 2D assumption is not valid in underwater, atmospheric, or space communications. In fact, recent interest in underwater acoustic ad hoc and sensor networks hints at the need to understand how to design networks in 3D. Unfortunately, the design of 3D networks is surprisingly more difficult than the design of 2D networks. For example, proofs of Kelvin's conjecture and Kepler's conjecture required centuries of research to achieve breakthroughs, whereas their 2D counterparts are trivial to solve. In this paper, we consider the coverage and connectivity issues of 3D networks, where the goal is to find a node placement strategy with 100% sensing coverage of a 3D space, while minimizing the number of nodes required for surveillance. Our results indicate that the use of the Voronoi tessellation of 3D space to create truncated octahedral cells results in the best strategy. In this truncated octahedron placement strategy, the transmission range must be at least 1.7889 times the sensing range in order to maintain connectivity among nodes. If the transmission range is between 1.4142 and 1.7889 times the sensing range, then a hexagonal prism placement strategy or a rhombic dodecahedron placement strategy should be used. Although the required number of nodes in the hexagonal prism and the rhombic dodecahedron placement strategies is the same, this number is 43.25% higher than the number of nodes required by the truncated octahedron placement strategy. We verify by simulation that our placement strategies indeed guarantee ubiquitous coverage. We believe that our approach and our results presented in this paper could be used for extending the processes of 2D network design to 3D networks.Comment: To appear in ACM Mobicom 200

Nonmodal energy growth and optimal perturbations in compressible plane Couette flow

Nonmodal transient growth studies and estimation of optimal perturbations have been made for the compressible plane Couette flow with three-dimensional disturbances. The maximum amplification of perturbation energy over time, $G_{\max}$, is found to increase with increasing Reynolds number ${\it Re}$, but decreases with increasing Mach number $M$. More specifically, the optimal energy amplification $G_{\rm opt}$ (the supremum of $G_{\max}$ over both the streamwise and spanwise wavenumbers) is maximum in the incompressible limit and decreases monotonically as $M$ increases. The corresponding optimal streamwise wavenumber, $\alpha_{\rm opt}$, is non-zero at M=0, increases with increasing $M$, reaching a maximum for some value of $M$ and then decreases, eventually becoming zero at high Mach numbers. While the pure streamwise vortices are the optimal patterns at high Mach numbers, the modulated streamwise vortices are the optimal patterns for low-to-moderate values of the Mach number. Unlike in incompressible shear flows, the streamwise-independent modes in the present flow do not follow the scaling law $G(t/{\it Re}) \sim {\it Re}^2$, the reasons for which are shown to be tied to the dominance of some terms in the linear stability operator. Based on a detailed nonmodal energy analysis, we show that the transient energy growth occurs due to the transfer of energy from the mean flow to perturbations via an inviscid {\it algebraic} instability. The decrease of transient growth with increasing Mach number is also shown to be tied to the decrease in the energy transferred from the mean flow ($\dot{\mathcal E}_1$) in the same limit

SET based experiments for HTSC materials: II

The cuprates seem to exhibit statistics, dimensionality and phase transitions in novel ways. The nature of excitations [i.e. quasiparticle or collective], spin-charge separation, stripes [static and dynamics], inhomogeneities, psuedogap, effect of impurity dopings [e.g. Zn, Ni] and any other phenomenon in these materials must be consistently understood. In this note we further discuss our original suggestion of using Single Electron Tunneling Transistor [SET] based experiments to understand the role of charge dynamics in these systems. Assuming that SET operates as an efficient charge detection system we can expect to understand the underlying physics of charge transport and charge fluctuations in these materials for a range of doping. Experiments such as these can be classed in a general sense as mesoscopic and nano characterization of cuprates and related materials. In principle such experiments can show if electron is fractionalized in cuprates as indicated by ARPES data. In contrast to flux trapping experiments SET based experiments are more direct in providing evidence about spin-charge separation. In addition a detailed picture of nano charge dynamics in cuprates may be obtained.Comment: 10 pages revtex plus four figures; ICMAT 2001 Conference Symposium P: P10-0

Fermi surface of an important nano-sized metastable phase: Al3_3Li

Nanoscale particles embedded in a metallic matrix are of considerable interest as a route towards identifying and tailoring material properties. We present a detailed investigation of the electronic structure, and in particular the Fermi surface, of a nanoscale phase ($L1_2$ Al$_3$Li) that has so far been inaccessible with conventional techniques, despite playing a key role in determining the favorable material properties of the alloy (Al\nobreakdash-9 at. %\nobreakdash-Li). The ordered precipitates only form within the stabilizing Al matrix and do not exist in the bulk; here, we take advantage of the strong positron affinity of Li to directly probe the Fermi surface of Al$_3$Li. Through comparison with band structure calculations, we demonstrate that the positron uniquely probes these precipitates, and present a 'tuned' Fermi surface for this elusive phase

Quenching of light hadrons at RHIC in a collisional energy loss scenario

We evaluate the nuclear suppression factor, $R_{AA}(p_T)$ for light hadrons by taking into account the collisional energy loss. We show that in the measured $p_T$ domain of RHIC the elastic process is the dominant mechanism for the partonic energy loss.Comment: 4 pages with 3 figures, Quark Matter 2008 Proceeding

Weak Kaon Production off the Nucleon

The weak kaon production off the nucleon induced by neutrinos is studied at the low and intermediate energies of interest for some ongoing and future neutrino oscillation experiments. This process is also potentially important for the analysis of proton decay experiments. We develop a microscopical model based on the SU(3) chiral Lagrangians. The basic parameters of the model are fpi, the pion decay constant, Cabibbo's angle, the proton and neutron magnetic moments and the axial vector coupling constants for the baryons octet, D and F, that are obtained from the analysis of the semileptonic decays of neutron and hyperons. The studied mechanisms are the main source of kaon production for neutrino energies up to 1.2 to 1.5 GeV for the various channels and the cross sections are large enough to be amenable to be measured by experiments such as Minerva and T2K