11,185 research outputs found
The Dynamical Dipole Mode in Fusion Reactions with Exotic Nuclear Beams
We report the properties of the prompt dipole radiation, produced via a
collective bremsstrahlung mechanism, in fusion reactions with exotic beams. We
show that the gamma yield is sensitive to the density dependence of the
symmetry energy below/around saturation. Moreover we find that the angular
distribution of the emitted photons from such fast collective mode can
represent a sensitive probe of its excitation mechanism and of fusion dynamics
in the entrance channel.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys.Rev.
Single Production in Collisions at the NLC
Single production in collisions at the NLC can be used to
probe the Majorana nature of the heavy neutrinos present in the Left-Right
Symmetric Model below the kinematic threshold for their direct production. For
colliders in the TeV range, typical cross sections of order
are obtained, depending on the specific choice of model parameters.
Backgrounds arising from Standard Model processes are shown to be small. This
analysis greatly extends the kinematic range of previous studies wherein the
production of an on-shell, like-sign pair of 's at the NLC was considered.Comment: 13pp, 3 figures (available on request), LaTex, SLAC-PUB-647
Constraining the Symmetry Energy: A Journey in the Isospin Physics from Coulomb Barrier to Deconfinement
Heavy Ion Collisions (HIC) represent a unique tool to probe the in-medium
nuclear interaction in regions away from saturation. In this work we present a
selection of reaction observables in dissipative collisions particularly
sensitive to the isovector part of the interaction, i.e. to the symmetry term
of the nuclear Equation of State (EoS). At low energies the behavior of the
symmetry energy around saturation influences dissipation and fragment
production mechanisms. We will first discuss the recently observed Dynamical
Dipole Radiation, due to a collective neutron-proton oscillation during the
charge equilibration in fusion and deep-inelastic collisions. Important Iso-EOS
effects are stressed. Reactions induced by unstable 132Sn beams appear to be
very promising tools to test the sub-saturation Isovector EoS. New Isospin
sensitive observables are also presented for deep-inelastic, fragmentation
collisions and Isospin equilibration measurements (Imbalance Ratios). The high
density symmetry term can be derived from isospin effects on heavy ion
reactions at relativistic energies (few AGeV range), that can even allow a
``direct'' study of the covariant structure of the isovector interaction in the
hadron medium. Rather sensitive observables are proposed from collective flows
and from pion/kaon production. The possibility of the transition to a mixed
hadron-quark phase, at high baryon and isospin density, is finally suggested.
Some signatures could come from an expected ``neutron trapping'' effect. The
importance of studying violent collisions with radioactive beams from low to
relativistic energies is finally stressed.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, Int.Workshop on Nuclear Dynamics in Heavy Ion
Reactions and Neutron Stars, Beijing Normal Univ. July 07, to appear in
Int.Journ.Modern Physics E (2008
Thermochemical conversion of microalgae: challenges and opportunities
Research in Advanced Biofuels steadily developed during recent years. A number of highly innovative technologies have been explored at various scale: among these, lignocellulosic ethanol and CTO (Crude Tall Oil)-biofuel technologies already achieved the early-commercial status, while hydrotreating of vegetable oils (HVO, or HEFA) can be considered today fully commercial. However, despite the level of innovation in each specific technological process under consideration, the feedstock maintains a central role in making a biofuel chain really sustainable. In this context, microalgae grown in salt-water and arid areas offers a considerable opportunity for advanced biofuel production: at the same time, however, they also represent a considerable challenge. Processing microalgae in an economic way into a viable and sustainable liquid biofuel (a low-cost mass-produced product) is not trivial. So far, the main attention has been given to cultivating the microorganism, accumulating lipids, extracting the oil, valorising co-products, and treating the algae oil into biodiesel (through esterification) or HEFA (Hydrotreated Esthers and Fatty Acids), this second one representing a very high quality biofuels, almost a drop-in fuel (suitable either for road transport or for aviation), which production exceed 2 Mt y-1 today. However, extracting the algae oil at low cost and at industrial scale is not yet a full industrial mature process, and the still limited market size of algae-to-biofuels makes difficult the development of industrial-scale systems. Nevertheless, another option can be considered, i.e. processing the whole algae into dedicated thermochemical reactors, thus approaching the downstream processing of algae in a completely different way from separation. The present work examines the possible routes for thermochemical conversion of microalgae, distinguishing between dry-processes (namely pyrolysis and gasification) and wet-processes (near critical water hydrothermal liquefaction and hydrothermal gasification). Typical expected elementary composition of major products is given. Main peculiarities of batch versus continuous processing are also discussed from an engineering point of view. Major engineering advantages and challenges in thermochemically conversion of algae are identified and discussed, in view of the production of a transport biofuel. Finally, future perspectives for each route are given in terms of current and expected technological readiness level
On Spin-Glass Complexity
We study the quenched complexity in spin-glass mean-field models satisfying
the Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin supersymmetry. The outcome of such study,
consistent with recent numerical results, allows, in principle, to conjecture
the absence of any supersymmetric contribution to the complexity in the
Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model. The same analysis can be applied to any model
with a Full Replica Symmetry Breaking phase, e.g. the Ising -spin model
below the Gardner temperature. The existence of different solutions, breaking
the supersymmetry, is also discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures; Text changed in some parts, typos corrected,
Refs. [17],[21] and [22] added, two Refs. remove
Quantum Gravity Effects in Black Holes at the LHC
We study possible back-reaction and quantum gravity effects in the
evaporation of black holes which could be produced at the LHC through a
modification of the Hawking emission. The corrections are phenomenologically
taken into account by employing a modified relation between the black hole mass
and temperature. The usual assumption that black holes explode around TeV
is also released, and the evaporation process is extended to (possibly much)
smaller final masses. We show that these effects could be observable for black
holes produced with a relatively large mass and should therefore be taken into
account when simulating micro-black hole events for the experiments planned at
the LHC.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, extended version of hep-ph/0601243 with new
analysis of final products, final version accepted for publication in J.
Phys.
Production and characterization of co-composted biochar and digestate from biomass anaerobic digestion
Biochar, produced through pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass, is attracting increasing interest as soil amendment thanks to its potential numerous benefits to agriculture, as well as its ability to sequester carbon in soil. Solid fraction of digestate from anaerobic digestion is a well-known N-rich substrate, most often composted in large and small agro-industrial plants. Co- composting biochar and digestate has the potential to synergistically increase the agronomic value of both components: however, it needs further process and on-field research. The present research work reports on the experimental tests on producing biochar and co-composting various biochar amounts with digestate from biomass anaerobic digestion (product here named COMBI). Biochar was produced by feeding wood chips from chestnut to an innovative oxidative reactor. In order to evaluate the quality of the products obtained by composting and co-composting, correlating this with the final biochar rate in the material, the net organic matter yield, the humified organic matter, the compliance with the European Compost Network Quality Assurance Scheme (ECN-QAS) limits for inorganic pollutants, and the product stabilization and sanitization indexes were investigated. The 11.2% w/w d.b. biochar rate in the initial blend (19.8% w/w d.b final concentration in the co-composted products) offered the best performances and is recommended for further investigation. Additional benefits from co-composting were also assessed, as the reduced dust load that favors safety and health during logistics and use
Bulk Majorons at Colliders
Lepton number violation may arise via the spontaneous breakdown of a global
symmetry. In extra dimensions, spontaneous lepton number violation in the bulk
implies the existence of a Goldstone boson, the majoron J^(0), as well as an
accompanying tower of Kaluza-Klein (KK) excitations, J^(n). Even if the
zero-mode majoron is very weakly interacting, so that detection in low-energy
processes is difficult, the sum over the tower of KK modes may partially
compensate in processes of relevance at high-energy colliders. Here we consider
the inclusive differential and total cross sections for e^- e^- --> W^- W^- J,
where J represents a sum over KK modes. We show that allowed parameter choices
exist for which this process may be accessible to a TeV-scale electron
collider.Comment: 11 pages LaTeX, 3 eps figures (references added
Retromode imaging modality of epiretinal membranes
(1) Purpose: To determine the characteristics of macular epiretinal membranes (ERM) using non-invasive retromode imaging (RMI) and to compare retromode images with those acquired via fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and fundus photography. (2) Methods: Prospective observational case-series study including patients with macular ERM with no other ocular disease affecting their morphology and/or imaging quality. We compared RMI, FAF and fundus photography features by cropping and overlapping images to obtain topographic correspondence. (3) Results: In total, 21 eyes (21 patients) affected by ERM were included in this study. The mean area of retinal folds detected by RMI was significantly higher than that detected by FAF (11.85 ± 3.92 mm2 and 5.67 ± 2.15 mm2, respectively, p < 0.05) and similar to that revealed by fundus photography (11.85 ± 3.92 mm2 and 10.58 ± 3.45 mm2, respectively, p = 0.277). (4) Conclusions: RMI appears to be a useful tool in the evaluation of ERMs. It allows for an accurate visualization of the real extension of the retinal folds and provides a precise structural assessment of the macula before surgery. Clinicians should be aware of RMI's advantages and should be able to use them to warrant a wide range of information and, thus, a more personalized therapeutic approach
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