2,405 research outputs found
Macroscopic Discontinuous Shear Thickening vs Local Shear Jamming in Cornstarch
We study the emergence of discontinuous shear-thickening (DST) in cornstarch,
by combining macroscopic rheometry with local Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
measurements. We bring evidence that macroscopic DST is observed only when the
flow separates into a low-density flowing and a high-density jammed region. In
the shear-thickened steady state, the local rheology in the flowing region, is
not DST but, strikingly, is often shear-thinning. Our data thus show that the
stress jump measured during DST, in cornstach, does not capture a secondary,
high-viscosity branch of the local steady rheology, but results from the
existence of a shear jamming limit at volume fractions quite significantly
below random close packing.Comment: To be published in PR
Systematic Topology Analysis and Generation Using Degree Correlations
We present a new, systematic approach for analyzing network topologies. We
first introduce the dK-series of probability distributions specifying all
degree correlations within d-sized subgraphs of a given graph G. Increasing
values of d capture progressively more properties of G at the cost of more
complex representation of the probability distribution. Using this series, we
can quantitatively measure the distance between two graphs and construct random
graphs that accurately reproduce virtually all metrics proposed in the
literature. The nature of the dK-series implies that it will also capture any
future metrics that may be proposed. Using our approach, we construct graphs
for d=0,1,2,3 and demonstrate that these graphs reproduce, with increasing
accuracy, important properties of measured and modeled Internet topologies. We
find that the d=2 case is sufficient for most practical purposes, while d=3
essentially reconstructs the Internet AS- and router-level topologies exactly.
We hope that a systematic method to analyze and synthesize topologies offers a
significant improvement to the set of tools available to network topology and
protocol researchers.Comment: Final versio
Metallicity Evolution of Damped Lyman-Alpha Galaxies
We have reanalyzed the existing data on Zinc abundances in damped Ly-alpha
(DLA) absorbers to investigate whether their mean metallicity evolves with
time. Most models of cosmic chemical evolution predict that the mass- weighted
mean interstellar metallicity of galaxies should rise with time from a low
value ~ 1/30 solar at z ~ 3 to a nearly solar value at z ~ 0. However, several
previous analyses have suggested that there is little or no evolution in the
global metallicity of DLAs. We have used a variety of statistical techniques to
quantify the global metallicity-redshift relation and its uncertainties, taking
into account both measurement and sampling errors. Three new features of our
analysis are: (a) an unbinned N(H I)-weighted nonlinear chi-square fit to an
exponential relation; (b) survival analysis to treat the large number of limits
in the existing data; and (c) a comparison of the data with several models of
cosmic chemical evolution based on an unbinned N(H I)-weighted chi-square. We
find that a wider range of evolutionary rates is allowed by the present data
than claimed in previous studies. The slope of the exponential fit to the N(H
I)-weighted mean Zn metallicity vs. redshift relation is -0.20 plus minus 0.11
counting limits as detections and -0.27 plus minus 0.12 counting limits as
zeros. Similar results are also obtained if the data are binned in redshift,
and if survival analysis is used. These slopes are marginally consistent with
no evolution, but are also consistent with the rates predicted by several
models of cosmic chemical evolution. Finally, we outline some future
measurements necessary to improve the statistics of the global
metallicity-redshift relation.Comment: 25 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Bostonia. Volume 5
Founded in 1900, Bostonia magazine is Boston University's main alumni publication, which covers alumni and student life, as well as university activities, events, and programs
Expected Number and Flux Distribution of Gamma-Ray-Burst Afterglows with High Redshifts
If Gamma-Ray-Bursts (GRBs) occur at high redshifts, then their bright
afterglow emission can be used to probe the ionization and metal enrichment
histories of the intervening intergalactic medium during the epoch of
reionization. In contrast to other sources, such as galaxies or quasars, which
fade rapidly with increasing redshift, the observed infrared flux from a GRB
afterglow at a fixed observed age is only a weak function of its redshift. This
results from a combination of the spectral slope of GRB afterglows and the
time-stretching of their evolution in the observer's frame. Assuming that the
GRB rate is proportional to the star formation rate and that the characteristic
energy output of GRBs is ~10^{52} ergs, we predict that there are always ~15
GRBs from redshifts z>5 across the sky which are brighter than ~100 nJy at an
observed wavelength of ~2 \mu m. The infrared spectrum of these sources could
be taken with the future Next Generation Space Telescope, as a follow-up on
their early X-ray localization with the Swift satellite.Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures; submitted to Ap
Star Formation, Supernovae Feedback and the Angular Momentum Problem in Numerical CDM Cosmogony: Half Way There?
We present a smoothed particle hydrodynamic (SPH) simulation that reproduces
a galaxy that is a moderate facsimile of those observed. The primary failing
point of previous simulations of disk formation, namely excessive transport of
angular momentum from gas to dark matter, is ameliorated by the inclusion of a
supernova feedback algorithm that allows energy to persist in the model ISM for
a period corresponding to the lifetime of stellar associations. The inclusion
of feedback leads to a disk at a redshift , with a specific angular
momentum content within 10% of the value required to fit observations. An
exponential fit to the disk baryon surface density gives a scale length within
17% of the theoretical value. Runs without feedback, with or without star
formation, exhibit the drastic angular momentum transport observed elsewhere.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
The Antennae Galaxies (NGC 4038/4039) Revisited: ACS and NICMOS Observations of a Prototypical Merger
The ACS and NICMOS have been used to obtain new HST images of NGC 4038/4039
("The Antennae"). These new observations allow us to better differentiate
compact star clusters from individual stars, based on both size and color. We
use this ability to extend the cluster luminosity function by approximately two
magnitudes over our previous WFPC2 results, and find that it continues as a
single power law, dN/dL propto L^alpha with alpha=-2.13+/-0.07, down to the
observational limit of Mv~-7. Similarly, the mass function is a single power
law dN/dM propto M^beta with beta=-2.10+/-0.20 for clusters with ages t<3x10^8
yr, corresponding to lower mass limits that range from 10^4 to 10^5 Msun,
depending on the age range of the subsample. Hence the power law indices for
the luminosity and mass functions are essentially the same. The luminosity
function for intermediate-age clusters (i.e., ~100-300 Myr old objects found in
the loops, tails, and outer areas) shows no bend or turnover down to Mv~-6,
consistent with relaxation-driven cluster disruption models which predict the
turnover should not be observed until Mv~-4. An analysis of individual ~0.5-kpc
sized areas over diverse environments shows good agreement between values of
alpha and beta, similar to the results for the total population of clusters in
the system. Several of the areas studied show evidence for age gradients, with
somewhat older clusters appearing to have triggered the formation of younger
clusters. The area around Knot B is a particularly interesting example, with an
~10-50 Myr old cluster of estimated mass ~10^6 Msun having apparently triggered
the formation of several younger, more massive (up to 5x10^6 Msun) clusters
along a dust lane.Comment: 84 pages, 9 tables, 31 figures; ApJ accepte
Tidal Torques and the Orientation of Nearby Disk Galaxies
We use numerical simulations to investigate the orientation of the angular
momentum axis of disk galaxies relative to their surrounding large scale
structure. We find that this is closely related to the spatial configuration at
turnaround of the material destined to form the galaxy, which is often part of
a coherent two-dimensional slab criss-crossed by filaments. The rotation axis
is found to align very well with the intermediate principal axis of the inertia
momentum tensor at this time. This orientation is approximately preserved
during the ensuing collapse, so that the rotation axis of the resulting disk
ends up lying on the plane traced by the protogalactic material at turnaround.
This suggests a tendency for disks to align themselves so that their rotation
axis is perpendicular to the minor axis of the structure defined by surrounding
matter. One example of this trend is provided by our own Galaxy, where the
Galactic plane is almost at right angles with the supergalactic plane (SGP)
drawn by nearby galaxies; indeed, the SGP latitude of the North Galactic Pole
is just 6 degrees. We have searched for a similar signature in catalogs of
nearby disk galaxies, and find a significant excess of edge-on spirals (for
which the orientation of the disk rotation axis may be determined
unambiguously) highly inclined relative to the SGP. This result supports the
view that disk galaxies acquire their angular momentum as a consequence of
early tidal torques acting during the expansion phase of the protogalactic
material.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
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