1,059 research outputs found
A heat pump at a molecular scale controlled by a mechanical force
We show that a mesoscopic system such as Feynman's ratchet may operate as a
heat pump, and clarify a underlying physical picture. We consider a system of a
particle moving along an asymmetric periodic structure . When put into a
contact with two distinct heat baths of equal temperature, the system transfers
heat between two baths as the particle is dragged. We examine Onsager relation
for the heat flow and the particle flow, and show that the reciprocity
coefficient is a product of the characteristic heat and the diffusion constant
of the particle. The characteristic heat is the heat transfer between the baths
associated with a barrier-overcoming process. Because of the correlation
between the heat flow and the particle flow, the system can work as a heat pump
when the particle is dragged. This pump is particularly effective at molecular
scales where the energy barrier is of the order of the thermal energy.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures; revise
Creep motion in a granular pile exhibiting steady surface flow
We investigate experimentally granular piles exhibiting steady surface flow.
Below the surface flow, it has been believed exisitence of a `frozen' bulk
region, but our results show absence of such a frozen bulk. We report here that
even the particles in deep layers in the bulk exhibit very slow flow and that
such motion can be detected at an arbitrary depth. The mean velocity of the
creep motion decays exponentially with depth, and the characteristic decay
length is approximately equal to the particle-size and independent of the flow
rate. It is expected that the creep motion we have seeen is observable in all
sheared granular systems.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure
Critical Scale-invariance in Healthy Human Heart Rate
We demonstrate the robust scale-invariance in the probability density
function (PDF) of detrended healthy human heart rate increments, which is
preserved not only in a quiescent condition, but also in a dynamic state where
the mean level of heart rate is dramatically changing. This scale-independent
and fractal structure is markedly different from the scale-dependent PDF
evolution observed in a turbulent-like, cascade heart rate model. These results
strongly support the view that healthy human heart rate is controlled to
converge continually to a critical state.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. Phys. Rev. Lett., to appear (2004
Use and Environmental Occurrence of Antibiotics in Freestall Dairy Farms with Manured Forage Fields
Environmental releases of antibiotics from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are of increasing regulatory concern. This study investigates the use and occurrence of antibiotics in dairy CAFOs and their potential transport into first-encountered groundwater. On two dairies we conducted four seasonal sampling campaigns, each across 13 animal production and waste management systems and associated environmental pathways: application to animals, excretion to surfaces, manure collection systems, soils, and shallow groundwater. Concentrations of antibiotics were determined using on line solid phase extraction (OLSPE) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) with electrospray ionization (ESI) for water samples, and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) LC/MS/MS with ESI for solid samples. A variety of antibiotics were applied at both farms leading to antibiotics excretion of several hundred grams per farm per day. Sulfonamides, tetracyclines, and their epimers/isomers, and lincomycin were most frequently detected. Yet, despite decades of use, antibiotic occurrence appeared constrained to within farm boundaries. The most frequent antibiotic detections were associated with lagoons, hospital pens, and calf hutches. When detected below ground, tetracyclines were mainly found in soils, whereas sulfonamides were found in shallow groundwater reflecting key differences in their physicochemical properties. In manure lagoons, 10 compounds were detected including tetracyclines and trimethoprim. Of these 10, sulfadimethoxine, sulfamethazine, and lincomycin were found in shallow groundwater directly downgradient from the lagoons. Antibiotics were sporadically detected in field surface samples on fields with manure applications, but not in underlying sandy soils. Sulfadimethoxine and sulfamethazine were detected in shallow groundwater near field flood irrigation gates, but at highly attenuated levels
Representation of nonequilibrium steady states in large mechanical systems
Recently a novel concise representation of the probability distribution of
heat conducting nonequilibrium steady states was derived. The representation is
valid to the second order in the ``degree of nonequilibrium'', and has a very
suggestive form where the effective Hamiltonian is determined by the excess
entropy production. Here we extend the representation to a wide class of
nonequilibrium steady states realized in classical mechanical systems where
baths (reservoirs) are also defined in terms of deterministic mechanics. The
present extension covers such nonequilibrium steady states with a heat
conduction, with particle flow (maintained either by external field or by
particle reservoirs), and under an oscillating external field. We also simplify
the derivation and discuss the corresponding representation to the full order.Comment: 27 pages, 3 figure
Entropy and Nonlinear Nonequilibrium Thermodynamic Relation for Heat Conducting Steady States
Among various possible routes to extend entropy and thermodynamics to
nonequilibrium steady states (NESS), we take the one which is guided by
operational thermodynamics and the Clausius relation. In our previous study, we
derived the extended Clausius relation for NESS, where the heat in the original
relation is replaced by its "renormalized" counterpart called the excess heat,
and the Gibbs-Shannon expression for the entropy by a new symmetrized
Gibbs-Shannon-like expression. Here we concentrate on Markov processes
describing heat conducting systems, and develop a new method for deriving
thermodynamic relations. We first present a new simpler derivation of the
extended Clausius relation, and clarify its close relation with the linear
response theory. We then derive a new improved extended Clausius relation with
a "nonlinear nonequilibrium" contribution which is written as a correlation
between work and heat. We argue that the "nonlinear nonequilibrium"
contribution is unavoidable, and is determined uniquely once we accept the
(very natural) definition of the excess heat. Moreover it turns out that to
operationally determine the difference in the nonequilibrium entropy to the
second order in the temperature difference, one may only use the previous
Clausius relation without a nonlinear term or must use the new relation,
depending on the operation (i.e., the path in the parameter space). This
peculiar "twist" may be a clue to a better understanding of thermodynamics and
statistical mechanics of NESS.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figure
Development of imaging bolometers for magnetic fusion reactors (invited)
Imaging bolometers utilize an infrared (IR) video camera to measure the change in temperature of a thin foil exposed to the plasma radiation, thereby avoiding the risks of conventional resistive bolometers related to electric cabling and vacuum feedthroughs in a reactor environment. A prototype of the IR imaging video bolometer (IRVB) has been installed and operated on the JT-60U tokamak demonstrating its applicability to a reactor environment and its ability to provide two-dimensional measurements of the radiation emissivity in a poloidal cross section. In this paper we review this development and present the first results of an upgraded version of this IRVB on JT-60U. This upgrade utilizes a state-of-the-art IR camera (FLIR/Indigo Phoenix-InSb) (3?5?μm, 256×360?pixels, 345 Hz, 11 mK) mounted in a neutron/gamma/magnetic shield behind a 3.6 m IR periscope consisting of CaF2 optics and an aluminum mirror. The IRVB foil is 7?cm×9?cm×5?μm tantalum. A noise equivalent power density of 300 ?μW/cm2 is achieved with 40×24 channels and a time response of 10 ms or 23?μW/cm2 for 16×12 channels and a time response of 33 ms, which is 30 times better than the previous version of the IRVB on JT-60U
- …