13,345 research outputs found
The low dimensional dynamical system approach in General Relativity: an example
In this paper we explore one of the most important features of the Galerkin
method, which is to achieve high accuracy with a relatively modest
computational effort, in the dynamics of Robinson-Trautman spacetimes.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Optimal configuration of microstructure in ferroelectric materials by stochastic optimization
An optimization procedure determining the ideal configuration at the
microstructural level of ferroelectric (FE) materials is applied to maximize
piezoelectricity. Piezoelectricity in ceramic FEs differ significantly from
that of single crystals because of the presence of crystallites (grains)
possessing crystallographic axes aligned imperfectly. The piezoelectric
properties of a polycrystalline (ceramic) FE is inextricably related to the
grain orientation distribution (texture). The set of combination of variables,
known as solution space, which dictates the texture of a ceramic is unlimited
and hence the choice of the optimal solution which maximizes the
piezoelectricity is complicated. Thus a stochastic global optimization combined
with homogenization is employed for the identification of the optimal granular
configuration of the FE ceramic microstructure with optimum piezoelectric
properties. The macroscopic equilibrium piezoelectric properties of
polycrystalline FE is calculated using mathematical homogenization at each
iteration step. The configuration of grains characterised by its orientations
at each iteration is generated using a randomly selected set of orientation
distribution parameters. Apparent enhancement of piezoelectric coefficient
is observed in an optimally oriented BaTiO single crystal. A
configuration of crystallites, simultaneously constraining the orientation
distribution of the c-axis (polar axis) while incorporating ab-plane
randomness, which would multiply the overall piezoelectricity in ceramic
BaTiO is also identified. The orientation distribution of the c-axes is
found to be a narrow Gaussian distribution centred around . The
piezoelectric coefficient in such a ceramic is found to be nearly three times
as that of the single crystal.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure
Structural and insulator-to-metal phase transition at 50 GPa in GdMnO3
We present a study of the effect of very high pressure on the orthorhombic
perovskite GdMnO3 by Raman spectroscopy and synchrotron x-ray diffraction up to
53.2 GPa. The experimental results yield a structural and insulator-to-metal
phase transition close to 50 GPa, from an orthorhombic to a metrically cubic
structure. The phase transition is of first order with a pressure hysteresis of
about 6 GPa. The observed behavior under very high pressure might well be a
general feature in rare-earth manganites.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures and 2 table
Time Dependent Current Oscillations Through a Quantum Dot
Time dependent phenomena associated to charge transport along a quantum dot
in the charge quantization regime is studied. Superimposed to the Coulomb
blockade behaviour the current has novel non-linear properties. Together with
static multistabilities in the negative resistance region of the I-V
characteristic curve, strong correlations at the dot give rise to
self-sustained current and charge oscillations. Their properties depend upon
the parameters of the quantum dot and the external applied voltages.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; to appear in PR
On the Formation of Copper Linear Atomic Suspended Chains
We report high resolution transmission electron microscopy and classical
molecular dynamics simulation results of mechanically stretching copper
nanowires conducting to linear atomic suspended chains (LACs) formation. In
contrast with some previous experimental and theoretical work in literature
that stated that the formation of LACs for copper should not exist our results
showed the existence of LAC for the [111], [110], and [100] crystallographic
directions, being thus the sequence of most probable occurence.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Bacterial cellulose as a support for the growth of retinal pigment epithelium
The feasibility of bacterial cellulose (BC) as a novel substrate for retinal pigment
epithelium (RPE) culture was evaluated. Thin (41.6 ± 2.2 m of average thickness) and heatdried BC substrates were surface modified via acetylation and polysaccharide adsorption, using chitosan and carboxymethyl cellulose. All substrates were characterized according to their surface chemistry, wettability, energy, topography and also regarding their permeability, dimensional stability, mechanical properties and endotoxin content. Then, their ability to promote RPE cell adhesion and proliferation in vitro was assessed. All surface-modified BC substrates presented similar permeation coefficients with solutes of up to 300 kDa. Acetylation of BC decreased its swelling and the amount of endotoxins. Surface modification of BC greatly enhanced the adhesion and proliferation of RPE cells. All samples showed similar stress-strain behavior; BC and acetylated BC showed the highest elastic modulus, but the latter exhibited a slightly smaller tensile strength and elongation at break as compared to pristine BC. Although similar proliferation rates were observed among the modified substrates, the acetylated ones showed higher initial cell adhesion. This difference may be mainly due to the moderately hydrophilic surface obtained after acetylation.The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for the financial support provided by the Research Grants SERH/BD/63578/2009, SFRH/BD/64901/2009, SFRH/BPD/64958/2009, and SFRH/BPD/63148/2009 for S.G., J.P., J.P.S., and V.S., respectively. The authors also acknowledge the Projects PEst-OE/EQB/LA0004/2013, PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013, PTDC/BBB-BQB/2450/2012, and RECI/BBB-EBI/0179/2012 (Number: FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462), cofunded by QREN, FEDER
Dotted and Undotted Algebraic Spinor Fields in General Relativity
We investigate using Clifford algebra methods the theory of algebraic dotted
and undotted spinor fields over a Lorentzian spacetime and their realizations
as matrix spinor fields, which are the usual dotted and undotted two component
spinor fields. We found that some ad hoc rules postulated for the covariant
derivatives of Pauli sigma matrices and also for the Dirac gamma matrices in
General Relativity cover important physical meaning, which is not apparent in
the usual matrix presentation of the theory of two components dotted and
undotted spinor fields. We also discuss some issues related to the the previous
one and which appear in a proposed "unified" theory of gravitation and
electromagnetism which use two components dotted and undotted spinor fields and
also paravector fields, which are particular sections of the even subundle of
the Clifford bundle of spacetime.Comment: some new misprints have been correcte
A Kolmogorov-Zakharov Spectrum in Gravitational Collapse
We study black hole formation during the gravitational collapse of a massless
scalar field in asymptotically spacetimes for . We conclude that
spherically symmetric gravitational collapse in asymptotically spaces is
turbulent and characterized by a Kolmogorov-Zakharov spectrum. Namely, we find
that after an initial period of weakly nonlinear evolution, there is a regime
where the power spectrum of the Ricci scalar evolves as with the
frequency, , and .Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. v2: Typos, other initial profile considered for
universality, error analysis, close to PRL versio
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