Determining solar abundances using helioseismology

The recent downward revision of solar photospheric abundances of Oxygen and other heavy elements has resulted in serious discrepancies between solar models and solar structure as determined through helioseismology. In this work we investigate the possibility of determining the solar heavy-element abundance without reference to spectroscopy by using helioseismic data. Using the dimensionless sound-speed derivative in the solar convection zone, we find that the heavy element abundance, Z, of 0.0172 +/- 0.002, which is closer to the older, higher value of the abundances.Comment: To appear in Ap

The thermal conductivity of steam in the zero density limit as a function of temperature

An equation for the thermal conductivity of steam at pressures of 1 atmosphere and below is presented. Sources of the experimental data and the actual data used in the analysis are presented. Also included is low density data below 100 C

Analysis of temperature effects near mode I cracks in glassy polymers

A previous isothermal study has shown that the toughness of glassy polymers is governed by the competition between shear yielding and crazing. The present work aims at investigating loading rates for which thermal effects need to be accounted for. The influence of the heat coming from the viscoplastic shear yielding and from crazing on their competition and on the toughness is examined. Crazing is shown to be the dominant heat source, and the dependence of the craze properties on temperature appears to be key in controlling the toughness of the material.

Causality Implies Inflationary Back-Reaction

There is a widespread belief among inflationary cosmologists that a local observer cannot sense super-horizon gravitons. The argument goes that a local observer would subsume super-horizon gravitons into a redefinition of his coordinate system. We show that adopting this view for pure gravity on de Sitter background leads to time variation in the Hubble parameter measured by a local observer. It also leads to a violation of the gravitational field equation $R = 4 \Lambda$ because that equation is obeyed by the full metric, rather than the one which has been cleansed of super-horizon modes.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures, uses LaTeX2e, version 2 slightly revised for publicatio

Modified Bethe-Weizsacker mass formula with isotonic shift and new driplines

Nuclear masses are calculated using the modified Bethe-Weizsacker mass formula in which the isotonic shifts have been incorporated. The results are compared with the improved liquid drop model with isotonic shift. Mass excesses predicted by this method compares well with the microscopic-macroscopic model while being much more simple. The neutron and proton drip lines have been predicted using this modified Bethe-Weizsacker mass formula with isotonic shifts.Comment: 9 pages including 2 figure