64,991 research outputs found
High-Precision Thermodynamics and Hagedorn Density of States
We compute the entropy density of the confined phase of QCD without quarks on
the lattice to very high accuracy. The results are compared to the entropy
density of free glueballs, where we include all the known glueball states below
the two-particle threshold. We find that an excellent, parameter-free
description of the entropy density between 0.7Tc and Tc is obtained by
extending the spectrum with the exponential spectrum of the closed bosonic
string.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Role of electrostatics in the texture of islands in free standing ferroelectric liquid crystal films
Curved textures of ferroelectric smectic C* liquid crystals produce space
charge when they involve divergence of the spontaneous polarization field.
Impurity ions can partially screen this space charge, reducing long range
interactions to local ones. Through studies of the textures of islands on very
thin free-standing smectic films, we see evidence of this effect, in which
materials with a large spontaneous polarization have static structures
described by a large effective bend elastic constant. To address this issue, we
calculated the electrostatic free energy of a free standing film of
ferroelectric liquid crystal, showing how the screened coulomb interaction
contributes a term to the effective bend elastic constant, in the static long
wavelength limit. We report experiments which support the main features of this
model
A Universal Stellar Initial Mass Function? A Critical Look at Variations
Few topics in astronomy initiate such vigorous discussion as whether or not
the initial mass function (IMF) of stars is universal, or instead sensitive to
the initial conditions of star formation. The distinction is of critical
importance: the IMF influences most of the observable properties of stellar
populations and galaxies, and detecting variations in the IMF could provide
deep insights into the process by which stars form. In this review, we take a
critical look at the case for IMF variations, with a view towards whether other
explanations are sufficient given the evidence. Studies of the field, local
young clusters and associations, and old globular clusters suggest that the
vast majority were drawn from a "universal" IMF: a power-law of Salpeter index
() above a few solar masses, and a log normal or shallower
power-law () between a few tenths and a few solar masses
(ignoring the effects of unresolved binaries). The shape and universality of
the IMF at the stellar-substellar boundary is still under investigation and
uncertainties remain large, but most observations are consistent with a IMF
that declines () well below the hydrogen burning limit.
Observations of resolved stellar populations and the integrated properties of
most galaxies are also consistent with a "universal IMF", suggesting no gross
variations in the IMF over much of cosmic time. There are indications of
"non-standard" IMFs in specific local and extragalactic environments, which
clearly warrant further study. Nonetheless, there is no clear evidence that the
IMF varies strongly and systematically as a function of initial conditions
after the first few generations of stars.Comment: 49 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Annual Reviews of Astronomy and
Astrophysics (2010, volume 48
Specifying Reusable Components
Reusable software components need expressive specifications. This paper
outlines a rigorous foundation to model-based contracts, a method to equip
classes with strong contracts that support accurate design, implementation, and
formal verification of reusable components. Model-based contracts
conservatively extend the classic Design by Contract with a notion of model,
which underpins the precise definitions of such concepts as abstract
equivalence and specification completeness. Experiments applying model-based
contracts to libraries of data structures suggest that the method enables
accurate specification of practical software
Isogrid design handbook
Handbook has been published which presents information needed for design of isogrid triangular integral-stiffened structures. It develops equations, methods, and graphs to handle wide variety of loadings, materials, and geometry. Handbook is divided into seven sections. Handbook may be used by marine and civil engineers and by students and designers without access to computers
Pair-factorized steady states on arbitrary graphs
Stochastic mass transport models are usually described by specifying hopping
rates of particles between sites of a given lattice, and the goal is to predict
the existence and properties of the steady state. Here we ask the reverse
question: given a stationary state that factorizes over links (pairs of sites)
of an arbitrary connected graph, what are possible hopping rates that converge
to this state? We define a class of hopping functions which lead to the same
steady state and guarantee current conservation but may differ by the induced
current strength. For the special case of anisotropic hopping in two dimensions
we discuss some aspects of the phase structure. We also show how this case can
be traced back to an effective zero-range process in one dimension which is
solvable for a large class of hopping functions.Comment: IOP style, 9 pages, 1 figur
NICMOS2 hubble space telescope observations of the embedded cluster associated with Mon R2: Constraining the substellar initial mass function
We have analyzed Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS2 F110W-, F160W-, F165M-, and F207M-band images covering the central 1' × 1' region of the cluster associated with Mon R2 in order to constrain the initial mass function (IMF) down to 20M_J. The flux ratio between the F165M and F160W bands was used to measure the strength of the water-band absorption feature and select a sample of 12 out of the total sample of 181 objects that have effective temperatures between 2700 and 3300 K. These objects are placed in the H-R diagram together with sources observed by Carpenter et al. to estimate an age of ~1 Myr for the low-mass cluster population. By constructing extinction-limited samples, we are able to constrain the IMF and the fraction of stars with a circumstellar disk in a sample that is 90% complete for both high- and low-mass objects. For stars with estimated masses between 0.1 and 1.0 M_☉ for a 1 Myr population with A_V ≤ 19 mag, we find that 27% ± 9% have a near-infrared excess indicative of a circumstellar disk. The derived fraction is similar to or slightly lower than the fraction found in other star-forming regions of comparable age. We constrain the number of stars in the mass interval 0.08-1.0 M_☉ to the number of objects in the mass interval 0.02-0.08 M_☉ by forming the ratio R^(**) = N(0.08-1 M_☉)/N(0.02-0.08 M_☉) for objects in an extinction-limited sample complete for A_V ≤ 7 mag. The ratio is found to be R^(**) = 2.2 ± 1.3, assuming an age of 1 Myr, consistent with the similar ratio predicted by the system IMF proposed by Chabrier. The ratio is similar to the ratios observed toward the Orion Nebula Cluster and IC 348, as well as the ratio derived in the 28 deg^2 survey of Taurus by Guieu et al
In-flight load testing of advanced shuttle thermal protection systems
NASA Ames Research Center has conducted in-flight airload testing of some advanced thermal protection systems (TPS) at the Dryden Flight Research Center. The two flexible TPS materials tested, felt reusable surface insulation (FRSI) and advanced flexible reusable surface insulation (AFRSI), are currently certified for use on the Shuttle orbiter. The objectives of the flight tests were to evaluate the performance of FRSI and AFRSI at simulated launch airloads and to provide a data base for future advanced TPS flight tests. Five TPS configurations were evaluated in a flow field which was representative of relatively flat areas without secondary flows. The TPS materials were placed on a fin, the Flight Test fixture (FTF), that is attached to the underside of the fuselage of an F-104 aircraft. This paper describes the test approach and techniques used and presents the results of the advanced TPS flight test. There were no failures noted during post-flight inspections of the TPS materials which were exposed to airloads 40 percent higher than the design launch airloads
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