Ion Trap Mass Spectrometers for Identity, Abundance and Behavior of Volatiles on the Moon

NASA GSFC and The Open University (UK) are collaborating to deploy an Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer on the Moon to investigate the lunar water cycle. The ITMS is flight-proven throughthe Rosetta Philae comet lander mission. It is also being developed under ESA funding to analyse samples drilled from beneath the lunar surface on the Roscosmos Luna-27 lander (2025).Now, GSFC and OU will now develop a compact ITMS instrument to study the near-surface lunar exosphere on board a CLPS Astrobotic lander at Lacus Mortis in 2021

Magnetic Helicity in Sphaleron Debris

We develop an analytical technique to evaluate the magnetic helicity in the debris from sphaleron decay. We show that baryon number production leads to left-handed magnetic fields, and that the magnetic helicity is conserved at late times. Our analysis explicitly demonstrates the connection between sphaleron-mediated cosmic baryogenesis and cosmic magnetogenesis.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure. v2: Minor revisions; matches published version in Physical Review

Role of low-ll component in deformed wave functions near the continuum threshold

The structure of deformed single-particle wave functions in the vicinity of zero energy limit is studied using a schematic model with a quadrupole deformed finite square-well potential. For this purpose, we expand the single-particle wave functions in multipoles and seek for the bound state and the Gamow resonance solutions. We find that, for the $K^{\pi}=0^{+}$ states, where $K$ is the $z$-component of the orbital angular momentum, the probability of each multipole components in the deformed wave function is connected between the negative energy and the positive energy regions asymptotically, although it has a discontinuity around the threshold. This implies that the $K^{\pi}=0^{+}$ resonant level exists physically unless the $l=0$ component is inherently large when extrapolated to the well bound region. The dependence of the multipole components on deformation is also discussed

Anomalous fluctuations of active polar filaments

Using a simple model, we study the fluctuating dynamics of inextensible, semiflexible polar filaments interacting with active and directed force generating centres such as molecular motors. Taking into account the fact that the activity occurs on time-scales comparable to the filament relaxation time, we obtain some unexpected differences between both the steady-state and dynamical behaviour of active as compared to passive filaments. For the statics, the filaments have a {novel} length-scale dependent rigidity. Dynamically, we find strongly enhanced anomalous diffusion.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Nonperturbative interaction effects in the thermodynamics of disordered wires

We study nonperturbative interaction corrections to the thermodynamic quantities of multichannel disordered wires in the presence of the Coulomb interactions. Within the replica nonlinear $\sigma$-model (NL$\sigma$M) formalism, they arise from nonperturbative soliton saddle points of the NL$\sigma$M action. The problem is reduced to evaluating the partition function of a replicated classical one dimensional Coulomb gas. The state of the latter depends on two parameters: the number of transverse channels in the wire, N_{ch}, and the dimensionless conductance, G(L_T), of a wire segment of length equal to the thermal diffusion length, L_T. At relatively high temperatures, $G(L_T) \gtrsim \ln N_{ch}$, the gas is dimerized, i.e. consists of bound neutral pairs. At lower temperatures, $\ln N_{ch} \gtrsim G(L_T) \gtrsim 1$, the pairs overlap and form a Coulomb plasma. The crossover between the two regimes occurs at a parametrically large conductance $G(L_T) \sim \ln N_{ch}$, and may be studied independently from the perturbative effects. Specializing to the high temperature regime, we obtain the leading nonperturbative correction to the wire heat capacity. Its ratio to the heat capacity for noninteracting electrons, C_0, is $\delta C/C_0\sim N_{ch}G^2(L_T)e^{-2G(L_T)}$.Comment: 18 page

Multidimensional Pattern Formation Has an Infinite Number of Constants of Motion

Extending our previous work on 2D growth for the Laplace equation we study here {\it multidimensional} growth for {\it arbitrary elliptic} equations, describing inhomogeneous and anisotropic pattern formations processes. We find that these nonlinear processes are governed by an infinite number of conservation laws. Moreover, in many cases {\it all dynamics of the interface can be reduced to the linear time--dependence of only one ``moment" $M_0$} which corresponds to the changing volume while {\it all higher moments, $M_l$, are constant in time. These moments have a purely geometrical nature}, and thus carry information about the moving shape. These conserved quantities (eqs.~(7) and (8) of this article) are interpreted as coefficients of the multipole expansion of the Newtonian potential created by the mass uniformly occupying the domain enclosing the moving interface. Thus the question of how to recover the moving shape using these conserved quantities is reduced to the classical inverse potential problem of reconstructing the shape of a body from its exterior gravitational potential. Our results also suggest the possibility of controlling a moving interface by appropriate varying the location and strength of sources and sinks.Comment: CYCLER Paper 93feb00

Arrival time distribution for a driven system containing quenched dichotomous disorder

We study the arrival time distribution of overdamped particles driven by a constant force in a piecewise linear random potential which generates the dichotomous random force. Our approach is based on the path integral representation of the probability density of the arrival time. We explicitly calculate the path integral for a special case of dichotomous disorder and use the corresponding characteristic function to derive prominent properties of the arrival time probability density. Specifically, we establish the scaling properties of the central moments, analyze the behavior of the probability density for short, long, and intermediate distances. In order to quantify the deviation of the arrival time distribution from a Gaussian shape, we evaluate the skewness and the kurtosis.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figure

The Lehmann discontinuity

Recent reflections by Inge Lehmann on her discovery of the inner core (Eos, January 20, 1987, p. 33; see also Bolt [1987, 1982]) remind us that this outstanding Earth scientist is now in her 100th year. The inner core boundary (ICB) is one of the three great seismic-compositional discontinuities that divide Earth into crust, mantle, core, and inner core. The other two discontinuities are well known by names honoring their discoverers, Andrija Mohorovicic and Beno Gutenberg. In this tradition, it is fitting that the ICB be called the Lehmann Discontinuity in honor of its discoverer

The Emergence of the Modern Universe: Tracing the Cosmic Web

This is the report of the Ultraviolet-Optical Working Group (UVOWG) commissioned by NASA to study the scientific rationale for new missions in ultraviolet/optical space astronomy approximately ten years from now, when the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is de-orbited. The UVOWG focused on a scientific theme, The Emergence of the Modern Universe, the period from redshifts z = 3 to 0, occupying over 80% of cosmic time and beginning after the first galaxies, quasars, and stars emerged into their present form. We considered high-throughput UV spectroscopy (10-50x throughput of HST/COS) and wide-field optical imaging (at least 10 arcmin square). The exciting science to be addressed in the post-HST era includes studies of dark matter and baryons, the origin and evolution of the elements, and the major construction phase of galaxies and quasars. Key unanswered questions include: Where is the rest of the unseen universe? What is the interplay of the dark and luminous universe? How did the IGM collapse to form the galaxies and clusters? When were galaxies, clusters, and stellar populations assembled into their current form? What is the history of star formation and chemical evolution? Are massive black holes a natural part of most galaxies? A large-aperture UV/O telescope in space (ST-2010) will provide a major facility in the 21st century for solving these scientific problems. The UVOWG recommends that the first mission be a 4m aperture, SIRTF-class mission that focuses on UV spectroscopy and wide-field imaging. In the coming decade, NASA should investigate the feasibility of an 8m telescope, by 2010, with deployable optics similar to NGST. No high-throughput UV/Optical mission will be possible without significant NASA investments in technology, including UV detectors, gratings, mirrors, and imagers.Comment: Report of UV/O Working Group to NASA, 72 pages, 13 figures, Full document with postscript figures available at http://casa.colorado.edu/~uvconf/UVOWG.htm

Force-extension relation of cross-linked anisotropic polymer networks

Cross-linked polymer networks with orientational order constitute a wide class of soft materials and are relevant to biological systems (e.g., F-actin bundles). We analytically study the nonlinear force-extension relation of an array of parallel-aligned, strongly stretched semiflexible polymers with random cross-links. In the strong stretching limit, the effect of the cross-links is purely entropic, independent of the bending rigidity of the chains. Cross-links enhance the differential stretching stiffness of the bundle. For hard cross-links, the cross-link contribution to the force-extension relation scales inversely proportional to the force. Its dependence on the cross-link density, close to the gelation transition, is the same as that of the shear modulus. The qualitative behavior is captured by a toy model of two chains with a single cross-link in the middle.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure