37,081 research outputs found
Plasma Relaxation and Topological Aspects in Hall Magnetohydrodynamics
Parker's formulation of isotopological plasma relaxation process in
magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is extended to Hall MHD. The torsion coefficient
alpha in the Hall MHD Beltrami condition turns out now to be proportional to
the "potential vorticity." The Hall MHD Beltrami condition becomes equivalent
to the "potential vorticity" conservation equation in two-dimensional (2D)
hydrodynamics if the Hall MHD Lagrange multiplier beta is taken to be
proportional to the "potential vorticity" as well. The winding pattern of the
magnetic field lines in Hall MHD then appears to evolve in the same way as
"potential vorticity" lines in 2D hydrodynamics
Direct versus Delayed pathways in Strong-Field Non-Sequential Double Ionization
We report full-dimensionality quantum and classical calculations for double
ionization of laser-driven helium at 390 nm. Good qualitative agreement is
observed. We show that the classical double ionization trajectories can be
divided into two distinct pathways: direct and delayed. The direct pathway,
with an almost simultaneous ejection of both electrons, emerges from small
laser intensities. With increasing intensity its relative importance, compared
to the delayed ionization pathway, increases until it becomes the predominant
pathway for total electron escape energy below around 5.25 . However the
delayed pathway is the predominant one for double ionization above a certain
cut-off energy at all laser intensities
Design studies of continuously variable transmissions for electric vehicles
Preliminary design studies were performed on four continuously variable transmission (CVT) concepts for use with a flywheel equipped electric vehicle of 1700 kg gross weight. Requirements of the CVT's were a maximum torque of 450 N-m (330 lb-ft), a maximum output power of 75 kW (100 hp), and a flywheel speed range of 28,000 to 14,000 rpm. Efficiency, size, weight, cost, reliability, maintainability, and controls were evaluated for each of the four concepts which included a steel V-belt type, a flat rubber belt type, a toroidal traction type, and a cone roller traction type. All CVT's exhibited relatively high calculated efficiencies (68 percent to 97 percent) over a broad range of vehicle operating conditions. Estimated weight and size of these transmissions were comparable to or less than equivalent automatic transmission. The design of each concept was carried through the design layout stage
Automatic normal orientation in point clouds of building interiors
Orienting surface normals correctly and consistently is a fundamental problem
in geometry processing. Applications such as visualization, feature detection,
and geometry reconstruction often rely on the availability of correctly
oriented normals. Many existing approaches for automatic orientation of normals
on meshes or point clouds make severe assumptions on the input data or the
topology of the underlying object which are not applicable to real-world
measurements of urban scenes. In contrast, our approach is specifically
tailored to the challenging case of unstructured indoor point cloud scans of
multi-story, multi-room buildings. We evaluate the correctness and speed of our
approach on multiple real-world point cloud datasets
Heaven is a Place: The politics and poetics of LGBT location in a community dance film
The film, Heaven is a Place, received funding from The Culture Programme of the European Union, and The Humanities, Music and Performing Arts Research Centre (HuMPA) at University of Plymouth; with additional grant funding from The ICCI Support Fund, Innovation for the Creative and Cultural IndustriesThrough a discussion of a local, movement-based performance for and through digital video, this chapter draws upon a range of scholarly dis- ciplines (including performance studies, film studies, somatics, queer studies, urban studies and human geography) from the perspective of practitioner-researchers to re ect upon the implications and potentials of a community lmmaking practice that is simultaneously aesthetic, political, spatial and social. In particular, it considers how the process-driven triangulation of thinking bodies, sexual subjectivities and emplacement within such a practice might enable us to acknowledge, consolidate and reimagine a community that had been either erased or marginalised in dominant accounts of its city. Heaven Is a Place is a short dance film, made in 2014 by the authors of this chapter in collaboration with members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) community in Plymouth in South West England. Filmed in some of Plymouth’s most visually spectacular, evocative and liminal waterside locations – its docksides, marinas, look-out points, cruising spots, clubs and bathing areas – it explores becoming, melan- choly and the erotics of place through the human geography of an ‘ocean city’. In addition to choreography arising from site-responsive physical vocabularies, the film features scenarios and movement scores that reflect personal memories and queer histories of the city, developed in the first instance through a series of movement workshops that were co-organised with the LGBT advocacy organisation, Pride in Plymouth
Inelastic neutron scattering studies of methyl chloride synthesis over alumina
Not only is alumina the most widely used catalyst support material in the world, it is also an important catalyst in its own right. One major chemical process that uses alumina in this respect is the industrial production of methyl chloride. This is a large scale process (650 000 metric tons in 2010 in the United States), and a key feedstock in the production of silicones that are widely used as household sealants. In this Account, we show how, in partnership with conventional spectroscopic and reaction testing methods, inelastic neutron scattering (INS) spectroscopy can provide additional insight into the active sites present on the catalyst, as well as the intermediates present on the catalyst surface.<p></p>
INS spectroscopy is a form of vibrational spectroscopy, where the spectral features are dominated by modes involving hydrogen. Because of this, most materials including alumina are largely transparent to neutrons. Advantageously, in this technique, the entire “mid-infrared”, 0–4000 cm<sup>–1</sup>, range is accessible; there is no cut-off at 1400 cm<sup>–1</sup> as in infrared spectroscopy. It is also straightforward to distinguish fundamental modes from overtones and combinations. <p></p>
A key parameter in the catalyst’s activity is the surface acidity. In infrared spectroscopy of adsorbed pyridine, the shifts in the ring stretching modes are dependent on the strength of the acid site. However, there is a very limited spectral range available. We discuss how we can observe the low energy ring deformation modes of adsorbed pyridine by INS spectroscopy. These modes can undergo shifts that are as large as those seen with infrared inspectroscopy, potentially enabling finer discrimination between acid sites. <p></p>
Surface hydroxyls play a key role in alumina catalysis, but in infrared spectroscopy, the presence of electrical anharmonicity complicates the interpretation of the O–H stretch region. In addition, the deformations lie below the infrared cut-off. Both of these limitations are irrelevant to INS spectroscopy, and all the modes are readily observable. When we add HCl to the catalyst surface, the acid causes changes in the spectra. We can then deduce both that the surface chlorination leads to enhanced Lewis acidity and that the hydroxyl group must be threefold coordinated. <p></p>
When we react η-alumina with methanol, the catalyst forms a chemisorbed methoxy species. Infrared spectroscopy clearly shows its presence but also indicates the possible coexistence of a second species. Because of INS spectroscopy’s ability to discriminate between fundamental modes and combinations, we were able to unambiguously show that there is a single intermediate present on the surface of the active catalyst. This work represents a clear example where an understanding of the chemistry at the molecular level can help rationalize improvements in a large scale industrial process with both financial and environmental benefits. <p></p>
Quantum incompressibility of a falling Rydberg atom, and a gravitationally-induced charge separation effect in superconducting systems
Freely falling point-like objects converge towards the center of the Earth.
Hence the gravitational field of the Earth is inhomogeneous, and possesses a
tidal component. The free fall of an extended quantum object such as a hydrogen
atom prepared in a high principal-quantum-number stretch state, i.e., a
circular Rydberg atom, is predicted to fall more slowly that a classical
point-like object, when both objects are dropped from the same height from
above the Earth. This indicates that, apart from "quantum jumps," the atom
exhibits a kind of "quantum incompressibility" during free fall in
inhomogeneous, tidal gravitational fields like those of the Earth. A
superconducting ring-like system with a persistent current circulating around
it behaves like the circular Rydberg atom during free fall. Like the electronic
wavefunction of the freely falling atom, the Cooper-pair wavefunction is
"quantum incompressible." The ions of the ionic lattice of the superconductor,
however, are not "quantum incompressible," since they do not possess a globally
coherent quantum phase. The resulting difference during free fall in the
response of the nonlocalizable Cooper pairs of electrons and the localizable
ions to inhomogeneous gravitational fields is predicted to lead to a charge
separation effect, which in turn leads to a large repulsive Coulomb force that
opposes the convergence caused by the tidal, attractive gravitational force on
the superconducting system. A "Cavendish-like" experiment is proposed for
observing the charge separation effect induced by inhomogeneous gravitational
fields in a superconducting circuit. This experiment would demonstrate the
existence of a novel coupling between gravity and electricity via
macroscopically coherent quantum matter.Comment: `2nd Vienna Symposium for the Foundations of Modern Physics'
Festschrift MS for Foundations of Physic
Magnetic Flux Expulsion in the Powerful Superbubble Explosions and the Alpha-Omega Dynamo
The possibility of the magnetic flux expulsion from the Galaxy in the
superbubble (SB) explosions, important for the Alpha-Omega dynamo, is
considered. Special emphasis is put on the investigation of the downsliding of
the matter from the top of the shell formed by the SB explosion which is able
to influence the kinematics of the shell. It is shown that either Galactic
gravity or the development of the Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities in the shell
limit the SB expansion, thus, making impossible magnetic flux expulsion. The
effect of the cosmic rays in the shell on the sliding is considered and it is
shown that it is negligible compared to Galactic gravity. Thus, the question of
possible mechanism of flux expulsion in the Alpha-Omega dynamo remains open.Comment: MNRAS, in press, 11 pages, 9 figure
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