309 research outputs found
Two-dimensional discrete solitons in dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates
We analyze the formation and dynamics of bright unstaggered solitons in the
disk-shaped dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate, which features the interplay of
contact (collisional) and long-range dipole-dipole (DD) interactions between
atoms. The condensate is assumed to be trapped in a strong optical-lattice
potential in the disk's plane, hence it may be approximated by a
two-dimensional (2D) discrete model, which includes the on-site nonlinearity
and cubic long-range (DD) interactions between sites of the lattice. We
consider two such models, that differ by the form of the on-site nonlinearity,
represented by the usual cubic term, or more accurate nonpolynomial one,
derived from the underlying 3D Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Similar results are
obtained for both models. The analysis is focused on effects of the DD
interaction on fundamental localized modes in the lattice (2D discrete
solitons). The repulsive isotropic DD nonlinearity extends the existence and
stability regions of the fundamental solitons. New families of on-site,
inter-site and hybrid solitons, built on top of a finite background, are found
as a result of the interplay of the isotropic repulsive DD interaction and
attractive contact nonlinearity. By themselves, these solutions are unstable,
but they evolve into robust breathers which exist on an oscillating background.
In the presence of the repulsive contact interactions, fundamental localized
modes exist if the DD interaction (attractive isotropic or anisotropic) is
strong enough. They are stable in narrow regions close to the anticontinuum
limit, while unstable solitons evolve into breathers. In the latter case, the
presence of the background is immaterial
Relativistic electrons from sparks in the laboratory
Discharge experiments were carried out at the Eindhoven University of
Technology in 2013. The experimental setup was designed to search for electrons
produced in meter-scale sparks using a 1 MV Marx generator. Negative voltage
was applied to the high voltage (HV) electrode. Five thin (1 mm) plastic
detectors (5 each) were distributed in various configurations close
to the spark gap. Earlier studies have shown (for HV negative) that X-rays are
produced when a cloud of streamers is developed 30-60 cm from the negative
electrode. This indicates that the electrons producing the X-rays are also
accelerated at this location, that could be in the strong electric field from
counterstreamers of opposite polarity. Comparing our measurements with modeling
results, we find that 300 keV electrons produced about 30-60 cm from the
negative electrode are the most likely source of our measurements. A
statistical analysis of expected detection of photon bursts by these fiber
detectors indicates that only 20%-45% of the detected bursts could be from soft
(10 keV) photons, which further supports that the majority of detected
bursts are produced by relativistic electrons
Discrete soliton mobility in two-dimensional waveguide arrays with saturable nonlinearity
We address the issue of mobility of localized modes in two-dimensional
nonlinear Schr\"odinger lattices with saturable nonlinearity. This describes
e.g. discrete spatial solitons in a tight-binding approximation of
two-dimensional optical waveguide arrays made from photorefractive crystals. We
discuss numerically obtained exact stationary solutions and their stability,
focussing on three different solution families with peaks at one, two, and four
neighboring sites, respectively. When varying the power, there is a repeated
exchange of stability between these three solutions, with symmetry-broken
families of connecting intermediate stationary solutions appearing at the
bifurcation points. When the nonlinearity parameter is not too large, we
observe good mobility, and a well defined Peierls-Nabarro barrier measuring the
minimum energy necessary for rendering a stable stationary solution mobile.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure
Effect of stellar wind induced magnetic fields on planetary obstacles of non-magnetized hot Jupiters
We investigate the interaction between the magnetized stellar wind plasma and
the partially ionized hydrodynamic hydrogen outflow from the escaping upper
atmosphere of non- or weakly magnetized hot Jupiters. We use the well-studied
hot Jupiter HD 209458b as an example for similar exoplanets, assuming a
negligible intrinsic magnetic moment. For this planet, the stellar wind plasma
interaction forms an obstacle in the planet's upper atmosphere, in which the
position of the magnetopause is determined by the condition of pressure balance
between the stellar wind and the expanded atmosphere, heated by the stellar
extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation. We show that the neutral atmospheric atoms
penetrate into the region dominated by the stellar wind, where they are ionized
by photo-ionization and charge exchange, and then mixed with the stellar wind
flow. Using a 3D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model, we show that an induced
magnetic field forms in front of the planetary obstacle, which appears to be
much stronger compared to those produced by the solar wind interaction with
Venus and Mars. Depending on the stellar wind parameters, because of the
induced magnetic field, the planetary obstacle can move up to ~0.5-1 planetary
radii closer to the planet. Finally, we discuss how estimations of the
intrinsic magnetic moment of hot Jupiters can be inferred by coupling
hydrodynamic upper planetary atmosphere and MHD stellar wind interaction models
together with UV observations. In particular, we find that HD 209458b should
likely have an intrinsic magnetic moment of 10-20% that of Jupiter.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, accepted to MNRA
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