470 research outputs found
Calculation of transport coefficient profiles in modulation experiments as an inverse problem
The calculation of transport profiles from experimental measurements belongs
in the category of inverse problems which are known to come with issues of
ill-conditioning or singularity. A reformulation of the calculation, the
matricial approach, is proposed for periodically modulated experiments, within
the context of the standard advection-diffusion model where these issues are
related to the vanishing of the determinant of a 2x2 matrix. This sheds light
on the accuracy of calculations with transport codes, and provides a path for a
more precise assessment of the profiles and of the related uncertainty.Comment: V2: two typos correcte
Image restoration using sparse approximations of spatially varying blur operators in the wavelet domain
6 pagesInternational audienceRestoration of images degraded by spatially varying blurs is an issue of increasing importance in the context of photography, satellite or microscopy imaging. One of the main difficulty to solve this problem comes from the huge dimensions of the blur matrix. It prevents the use of naive approaches for performing matrix-vector multiplications. In this paper, we propose to approximate the blur operator by a matrix sparse in the wavelet domain. We justify this approach from a mathematical point of view and investigate the approximation quality numerically. We finish by showing that the sparsity pattern of the matrix can be pre-defined, which is central in tasks such as blind deconvolution
High-Resolution Chandra Spectroscopy Of Tau Scorpii: A Narrow-Line X-Ray Spectrum From A Hot Star
Long known to be an unusual early-type star by virtue of its hard and strong X-ray emission, tau Scorpii poses a severe challenge to the standard picture of O-star wind-shock X-ray emission. The Chandra HETGS spectrum now provides significant direct evidence that this B0.2 star does not fit this standard wind-shock framework. The many emission lines detected with the Chandra gratings are significantly narrower than what would be expected from a star with the known wind properties of tau Sco, although they are broader than the corresponding lines seen in late-type coronal sources. While line ratios are consistent with the hot plasma on this star being within a few stellar radii of the photosphere, from at least one He-like complex there is evidence that the X-ray emitting plasma is located more than a stellar radius above the photosphere. The Chandra spectrum of Sco is harder and more variable than those of other hot stars, with the exception of the young magnetized O star theta(1) Ori C. We discuss these new results in the context of wind, coronal, and hybrid wind-magnetic models of hot-star X-ray emission
An equilibrium model for RFP plasmas in the presence of resonant tearing modes
The equilibrium of a finite-beta RFP plasma in the presence of
saturated-amplitude tearing modes is investigated. The singularities of the MHD
force balance equation JXB=grad(p) at the modes rational surfaces are resolved
through a proper regularization of the zeroth-order (equilibrium) profiles, by
setting to zero there the gradient of the pressure and parallel current
density. An equilibrium model, which satisfies the regularization rule at the
various rational surfaces, is developed. The comparison with the experimental
data from the Reversed Field eXperiment (RFX) gives encouraging results. The
model provides an easy tool for magnetic analysis: many aspects of the
perturbations can be analyzed and reconstructed.Comment: Final accepted version. 36 page
Statistical features of edge turbulence in RFX-mod from Gas Puffing Imaging
Plasma density fluctuations in the edge plasma of the RFX-mod device are
measured through the Gas Puffing Imaging Diagnostics. Statistical features of
the signal are quantified in terms of the Probability Distribution Function
(PDF), and computed for several kinds of discharges. The PDFs from discharges
without particular control methods are found to be adequately described by a
Gamma function, consistently with the recent results by Graves et al [J.P.
Graves, et al, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 47, L1 (2005)]. On the other hand,
pulses with external methods for plasma control feature modified PDFs. A first
empirical analysis suggests that they may be interpolated through a linear
combination of simple functions. An inspection of the literature shows that
this kind of PDFs is common to other devices as well, and has been suggested to
be due to the simultaneous presence of different mechanisms driving
respectively coherent bursts and gaussian background turbulence. An attempt is
made to relate differences in the PDFs to plasma conditions such as the local
shift of the plasma column. A simple phenomenological model to interpret the
nature of the PDF and assign a meaning to its parameters is also developed.Comment: 27 pages. Published in PPC
Microturbulence studies in RFX-mod
Present-days Reversed Field Pinches (RFPs) are characterized by quasi-laminar
magnetic configurations in their core, whose boundaries feature sharp internal
transport barriers, in analogy with tokamaks and stellarators. The abatement of
magnetic chaos leads to the reduction of associated particle and heat transport
along wandering field lines. At the same time, the growth of steep temperature
gradients may trigger drift microinstabilities. In this work we summarize the
work recently done in the RFP RFX-mod in order to assess the existence and the
impact upon transport of such electrostatic and electromagnetic
microinstabilities as Ion Temperature Gradient (ITG), Trapped Electron Modes
(TEM) and microtearing modes.Comment: Work presented at the 2010 Varenna workshop "Theory of Fusion
Plasmas". To appear in Journal of Physics Conference Serie
Hamiltonian Dynamics and the Phase Transition of the XY Model
A Hamiltonian dynamics is defined for the XY model by adding a kinetic energy
term. Thermodynamical properties (total energy, magnetization, vorticity)
derived from microcanonical simulations of this model are found to be in
agreement with canonical Monte-Carlo results in the explored temperature
region. The behavior of the magnetization and the energy as functions of the
temperature are thoroughly investigated, taking into account finite size
effects. By representing the spin field as a superposition of random phased
waves, we derive a nonlinear dispersion relation whose solutions allow the
computation of thermodynamical quantities, which agree quantitatively with
those obtained in numerical experiments, up to temperatures close to the
transition. At low temperatures the propagation of phonons is the dominant
phenomenon, while above the phase transition the system splits into ordered
domains separated by interfaces populated by topological defects. In the high
temperature phase, spins rotate, and an analogy with an Ising-like system can
be established, leading to a theoretical prediction of the critical temperature
.Comment: 10 figures, Revte
Landau model for uniaxial systems with complex order parameter
We study the Landau model for uniaxial incommensurate-commensurate systems of
the I class by keeping Umklapp terms of third and fourth order in the expansion
of the free energy. It applies to systems in which the soft mode minimum lies
between the corresponding commensurate wave numbers. The minimization of the
Landau functional leads to the sine-Gordon equation with two nonlinear terms,
equivalent to the equation of motion for the well-known classical mechanical
problem of two mixing resonances. We calculate the average free energies for
periodic, quasiperiodic and chaotic solutions of this equation, and show that
in the regime of finite strengths of Umklapp terms only periodic solutions are
absolute minima of the free energy, so that the phase diagram contains only
commensurate configurations. The phase transitions between neighboring
configurations are of the first order, and the wave number of ordering goes
through harmless staircase with a finite number of steps. These results are the
basis for the interpretation of phase diagrams for some materials from the I
class of incommensurate-commensurate systems, in particular of those for
ABX and BCCD compounds. Also, we argue that chaotic barriers which
separate metastable periodic solutions represent an intrinsic mechanism for
observed memory effects and thermal hystereses.Comment: 12 pages, 14 figures, LaTeX, to be published in Phys. Rev.
An approximate renormalization-group transformation for Hamiltonian systems with three degrees of freedom
We construct an approximate renormalization transformation that combines
Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser (KAM)and renormalization-group techniques, to analyze
instabilities in Hamiltonian systems with three degrees of freedom. This scheme
is implemented both for isoenergetically nondegenerate and for degenerate
Hamiltonians. For the spiral mean frequency vector, we find numerically that
the iterations of the transformation on nondegenerate Hamiltonians tend to
degenerate ones on the critical surface. As a consequence, isoenergetically
degenerate and nondegenerate Hamiltonians belong to the same universality
class, and thus the corresponding critical invariant tori have the same type of
scaling properties. We numerically investigate the structure of the attracting
set on the critical surface and find that it is a strange nonchaotic attractor.
We compute exponents that characterize its universality class.Comment: 10 pages typeset using REVTeX, 7 PS figure
Foliar lead uptake by lettuce exposed to atmospheric fallouts
Metal uptake by plants occurs by soil−root transfer but also by direct transfer of contaminants from the atmosphere to the shoots. This second pathway may be particularly important in kitchen gardens near industrial plants. The mechanisms of foliar uptake of lead by lettuce (Lactuca sativa) exposed to the atmospheric fallouts of a lead-recycling plant were studied. After 43 days of exposure, the thoroughly washed leaves contained 335 ± 50 mg Pb kg−1 (dry weight). Micro-X-ray fluorescence mappings evidenced Pb-rich spots of a few hundreds of micrometers in diameter located in necrotic zones. These spots were more abundant at the base of the central nervure. Environmental scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis showed that smaller particles (a few micrometers in diameter) were also present in other regions of the leaves, often located beneath the leaf surface. In addition, submicrometric particles were observed inside stomatal openings. Raman microspectrometry analyses of the leaves identified smelter-originated Pb minerals but also secondary phases likely resulting from the weathering of original particles. On the basis of these observations, several pathways for foliar lead uptake are discussed. A better understanding of these mechanisms may be of interest for risk assessment of population exposure to atmospheric metal contamination
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