33,695 research outputs found
Curvature Constraints from the Causal Entropic Principle
Current cosmological observations indicate a preference for a cosmological
constant that is drastically smaller than what can be explained by conventional
particle physics. The Causal Entropic Principle (Bousso, {\it et al}.) provides
an alternative approach to anthropic attempts to predict our observed value of
the cosmological constant by calculating the entropy created within a causal
diamond. We have extended this work to use the Causal Entropic Principle to
predict the preferred curvature within the "multiverse". We have found that
values larger than are disfavored by more than 99.99% and a
peak value at and
for open universes. For universes that allow only positive curvature or both
positive and negative curvature, we find a correlation between curvature and
dark energy that leads to an extended region of preferred values. Our universe
is found to be disfavored to an extent depending the priors on curvature. We
also provide a comparison to previous anthropic constraints on open universes
and discuss future directions for this work.Comment: 5 pages, 3 Figure
Quantum condensation from a tailored exciton population in a microcavity
An experiment is proposed, on the coherent quantum dynamics of a
semiconductor microcavity containing quantum dots. Modeling the experiment
using a generalized Dicke model, we show that a tailored excitation pulse can
create an energy-dependent population of excitons, which subsequently evolves
to a quantum condensate of excitons and photons. The population is created by a
generalization of adiabatic rapid passage, and then condenses due to a
dynamical analog of the BCS instability.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Version 2 is extensively rewritten, and
incorporates some new results in further support of our claim
Quenching of Impurity Spins at Cu/CuO Interfaces: An Antiferromagnetic Proximity Effect
It is observed that the magnetoconductance of bilayer films of copper (Cu)
and copper monoxide (CuO) has distinct features compared of that of Cu films on
conventional band insulator substrates. We analyze the data above 2 K by the
theory of weak antilocalization in two-dimensional metals and suggest that
spin-flip scatterings by magnetic impurities inside Cu are suppressed in Cu/CuO
samples. Plausibly the results imply a proximity effect of antiferromagnetism
inside the Cu layer, which can be understood in the framework of
Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida (RKKY) interactions. The data below 1 K, which
exhibit slow relaxation reminiscent of spin glass, are consistent with this
interpretation.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables. Added a supplementary materia
Search for Rapid Changes in the Visible-Light Corona during the 21 June 2001 Total Solar Eclipse
Some 8000 images obtained with the SECIS fast-frame CCD camera instrument
located at Lusaka, Zambia, during the total eclipse of 21 June 2001 have been
analyzed to search for short-period oscillations in intensity that could be a
signature of solar coronal heating mechanisms by MHD wave dissipation. Images
were taken in white- light and Fe XIV green-line (5303 A) channels over 205
seconds (frame rate 39 s-1), approximately the length of eclipse totality at
this location, with a pixel size of four arcseconds square. The data are of
considerably better quality than were obtained during the 11 August 1999 total
eclipse, observed by us (Rudawy et al.: Astron. Astrophys. 416, 1179, 2004), in
that the images are much better exposed and enhancements in the drive system of
the heliostat used gave a much improved image stability. Classical Fourier and
wavelet techniques have been used to analyze the emission at 29518 locations,
of which 10714 had emission at reasonably high levels, searching for periodic
fluctuations with periods in the range 0.1-17 seconds (frequencies 0.06-10 Hz).
While a number of possible periodicities were apparent in the wavelet analysis,
none of the spatially and time-limited periodicities in the local brightness
curves was found to be physically important. This implies that the pervasive
Alfven wave-like phenomena (Tomczyk et al.: Science 317, 1192, 2007) using
polarimetric observations with the CoMP instrument do not give rise to
significant oscillatory intensity fluctuations.Comment: Accepted by Solar Physics; 16 figure
Chiral effective theory predictions for deuteron form factor ratios at low Q^2
We use chiral effective theory to predict the deuteron form factor ratio
G_C/G_Q as well as ratios of deuteron to nucleon form factors. These ratios are
calculated to next-to-next-to-leading order. At this order the chiral expansion
for the NN isoscalar charge operator (including consistently calculated 1/M
corrections) is a parameter-free prediction of the effective theory. Use of
this operator in conjunction with NLO and NNLO chiral effective theory wave
functions produces results that are consistent with extant experimental data
for Q^2 < 0.35 GeV^2. These wave functions predict a deuteron quadrupole moment
G_Q(Q^2=0)=0.278-0.282 fm^2-with the variation arising from short-distance
contributions to this quantity. The variation is of the same size as the
discrepancy between the theoretical result and the experimental value. This
motivates the renormalization of G_Q via a two-nucleon operator that couples to
quadrupole photons. After that renormalization we obtain a robust prediction
for the shape of G_C/G_Q at Q^2 < 0.3 GeV^2. This allows us to make precise,
model-independent predictions for the values of this ratio that will be
measured at the lower end of the kinematic range explored at BLAST. We also
present results for the ratio G_C/G_M.Comment: 31 pages, 7 figure
VLA OH and H I Zeeman Observations of the NGC 6334 Complex
We present OH and H I Zeeman observations of the NGC 6334 complex taken with
the Very Large Array. The OH absorption profiles associated with the complex
are relatively narrow (del-v_FWHM ~ 3 km s^1) and single-peaked over most of
the sources. The H I absorption profiles contain several blended velocity
components. One of the compact continuum sources in the complex (source A) has
a bipolar morphology. The OH absorption profiles toward this source display a
gradient in velocity from the northern continuum lobe to the southern continuum
lobe; this velocity gradient likely indicates a bipolar outflow of molecular
gas from the central regions to the northern and southern lobes. Magnetic
fields of the order of 200 microG have been detected toward three discrete
continuum sources in the complex. Virial estimates suggest that the detected
magnetic fields in these sources are of the same order as the critical magnetic
fields required to support the molecular clouds associated with the sources
against gravitational collapse.Comment: 14 pages, 9 postscript figures, accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journal (ApJ), tentatively scheduled for vol. 533, Apr. 20,
2000; also available at
http://www.pa.uky.edu/~sarma/RESEARCH/aps_research.htm
Molecular orientational dynamics of the endohedral fullerene ScN@C as probed by C and Sc NMR
We measure 13C and 45Sc NMR lineshapes and spin-lattice relaxation times (T1)
to probe the orientational dynamics of the endohedral metallofullerene
Sc3N@C80. The measurements show an activated behavior for molecular
reorientations over the full temperature range with a similar behavior for the
temperature dependence of the 13C and 45Sc data. Combined with spectral data
from Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) NMR, the measurements can be interpreted to
mean the motion of the encapsulated Sc3N molecule is independent of that of the
C80 cage, although this requires the similar temperature dependence of the 13C
and 45Sc spin-lattice relaxation times to be coincidental. For the Sc3N to be
fixed to the C80 cage, one must overcome the symmetry breaking effect this has
on the Sc3N@C80 system since this would result in more than the observed two
13C lines.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Space Shuttle Orbiter trimmed center-of-gravity extension study. Volume 9: Effects of configuration modifications on the aerodynamic characteristics of the 140 A/B Orbiter at Mach numbers of 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5
Wind-tunnel tests were conducted at Mach 1.5 to 2.5 to determine the effect of modifications designed to extend the forward center-of-gravity trim capability on the static longitudal and lateral directional characteristics of a Space shuttle 140 A/B orbiter model (0.01 scale). The modifications consisted of a forward-extended wing fillet, a flat plate canard, and a blended canard. The investigation was conducted in the low Mach number test section of the Langley unitary plan wind tunnel at a Reynolds number of approximately 2.15 million based on the fuselage reference length. The test angle of attack range was -1 deg to 32 deg and the sideslip angles were 0 deg and 5 deg
Fatigue crack initiation and small crack growth in several airframe alloys
The growth of naturally-initiated small cracks under a variety of constant amplitude and variable amplitude load sequences is examined for several airframe materials: the conventional aluminum alloys, 2024-T3 and 7075-T6, the aluminum-lithium alloy, 2090-T8E41, and 4340 steel. Loading conditions investigated include constant amplitude loading at R = 0.5, 0, -1 and -2 and the variable amplitude sequences FALSTAFF, Mini-TWIST and FELIX/28. Crack growth was measured at the root of semicircular edge notches using acetate replicas. Crack growth rates are compared on a stress intensity factor basis, to those for large cracks to evaluate the extent of the small crack effect in each alloy. In addition, the various alloys are compared on a crack initiation and crack growth morphology basis
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