50,970 research outputs found
A laser technique for characterizing the geometry of plant canopies
The interception of solar power by the canopy is investigated as a function of solar zenith angle (time), component of the canopy, and depth into the canopy. The projected foliage area, cumulative leaf area, and view factors within the canopy are examined as a function of the same parameters. Two systems are proposed that are capable of describing the geometrical aspects of a vegetative canopy and of operation in an automatic mode. Either system would provide sufficient data to yield a numerical map of the foliage area in the canopy. Both systems would involve the collection of large data sets in a short time period using minimal manpower
Vacuum fluctuations of a scalar field near a reflecting boundary and their effects on the motion of a test particle
The contribution from quantum vacuum fluctuations of a real massless scalar
field to the motion of a test particle that interacts with the field in the
presence of a perfectly reflecting flat boundary is here investigated. There is
no quantum induced dispersions on the motion of the particle when it is alone
in the empty space. However, when a reflecting wall is introduced, dispersions
occur with magnitude dependent on how fast the system evolves between the two
scenarios. A possible way of implementing this process would be by means of an
idealized sudden switching, for which the transition occurs instantaneously.
Although the sudden process is a simple and mathematically convenient
idealization it brings some divergences to the results, particularly at a time
corresponding to a round trip of a light signal between the particle and the
wall. It is shown that the use of smooth switching functions, besides
regularizing such divergences, enables us to better understand the behavior of
the quantum dispersions induced on the motion of the particle. Furthermore, the
action of modifying the vacuum state of the system leads to a change in the
particle energy that depends on how fast the transition between these states is
implemented. Possible implications of these results to the similar case of an
electric charge near a perfectly conducting wall are discussed.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure
Gauge fields in a string-cigar braneworld
In this work we investigate the properties of an Abelian gauge vector field
in a thin and in a smoothed string-like braneworld, the so-called string-cigar
model. This thick brane scenario satisfies the regularity conditions and it can
be regarded as an interior and exterior string-like solution. The source
undergoes a geometric Ricci flow which is connected to a variation of the bulk
cosmological constant. The Ricci flow changes the width and amplitude of the
massless mode at the brane core and recover the usual thin string-like behavior
at large distances. By numerical means we obtain the Kaluza-Klein (KK) spectrum
for both the thin brane and the string-cigar. It turns out that both models
exhibit a mass gap between the massless and the massive modes and between the
high and the low mass regimes. The KK modes are smooth near the brane and their
amplitude are enhanced by the string-cigar core. The analogue Schr\"odinger
potential is also tuned by the geometric flow.Comment: The discussion about the Kaluza-Klein spectrum of the gauge field was
improved. Numerical analysis was adapted to the conventional notation on
Kaluza-Klein number. Some graphics were modified for considering other
notation. Results unchanged. References added. Corrected typos. 17 pages. 6
figures. To match version to appears in Physics Letters
Manipulation of Magnetic Skyrmions by Superconducting Vortices in Ferromagnet-Superconductor Heterostructures
Dynamics of magnetic skyrmions in hybrid ferromagnetic films harbors novel
physical phenomena and holds promise for technological applications. In this
work, we discuss the behavior of magnetic skyrmions when coupled to
superconducting vortices in a ferromagnet-superconductor heterostructure. We
use numerical simulations and analytic arguments to reveal broader
possibilities for manipulating the skyrmion-vortex dynamic correlations in the
hybrid system, that are not possible in its separated constituents. We explore
the thresholds of particular dynamic phases, and quantify the phase diagram as
a function of the relevant material parameters, applied current and induced
magnetic torques. Finally, we demonstrate the broad and precise tunability of
the skyrmion Hall-angle in presence of vortices, with respect to currents
applied to either or both the superconductor and the ferromagnet within the
heterostructure
A multiband radiometer and data acquisition system for remote sensing field research
Specifications are described for a recently developed prototype multispectral data acquisition system which consists of multiband radiometer with 8 bands between 0.4 and 12.5 micrometers and a data recording module to record data from the radometer and ancillary sources. The systems is adaptable to helicopter, truck, or tripod platforms, as well as hand-held operation. The general characteristics are: (1) comparatively inexpensive to acquire, maintain and operate; (2) simple to operate and calibrate; (3) complete with data hardware and software; and (4) well documented for use by researchers. The instrument system is to be commercially available and can be utilized by many researchers to obtain large numbers of accurate, calibrated spectral measurements. It can be a key element in improving and advancing the capability for field research in remote sensing
Pulsation Period Changes as a Tool to Identify Pre-Zero Age Horizontal Branch Stars
One of the most dramatic events in the life of a low-mass star is the He
flash, which takes place at the tip of the red giant branch (RGB) and is
followed by a series of secondary flashes before the star settles into the
zero-age horizontal branch (ZAHB). Yet, no stars have been positively
identified in this key evolutionary phase, mainly for two reasons: first, this
pre-ZAHB phase is very short compared to other major evolutionary phases in the
life of a star; and second, these pre-ZAHB stars are expected to overlap the
loci occupied by asymptotic giant branch (AGB), HB and RGB stars observed in
the color-magnitude diagram (CMD). We investigate the possibility of detecting
these stars through stellar pulsations, since some of them are expected to
rapidly cross the Cepheid/RR Lyrae instability strip in their route from the
RGB tip to the ZAHB, thus becoming pulsating stars along the way. As a
consequence of their very high evolutionary speed, some of these stars may
present anomalously large period change rates. We constructed an extensive grid
of stellar models and produced pre-ZAHB Monte Carlo simulations appropriate for
the case of the Galactic globular cluster M3 (NGC 5272), where a number of RR
Lyrae stars with high period change rates are found. Our results suggest that
some -- but certainly not all -- of the RR Lyrae stars in M3 with large period
change rates are in fact pre-ZAHB pulsators.Comment: Conference Proceedings HELAS Workshop on 'Synergies between solar and
stellar modelling', Rome, June 2009, Astrophys. Space Sci., in the pres
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