3,476 research outputs found
Integrated control system for a gas turbine engine
A control system for a turbofan engine receives signals from a number of engine sensors and from the engine operator, and generates control signals. One control signal regulates the fan exhaust nozzle area in order to control inlet throat Mach number to maintain a low level of engine noise. Additional control signals regulate fuel flow to control engine thrust and fan pitch to control fan speed. A number of schedules are utilized to maintain a predetermined relationship between the controlled parameters and a number of fixed and calculated limits can override the control signals to prevent unsatisfactory engine performance
Search for the Neutron Decay n X+ where X is a dark matter particle
In a recent paper submitted to Physical Review Letters, Fornal and Grinstein
have suggested that the discrepancy between two different methods of neutron
lifetime measurements, the beam and bottle methods can be explained by a
previously unobserved dark matter decay mode, n X+ where X
is a dark matter particle. We have performed a search for this decay mode over
the allowed range of energies of the monoenergetic gamma ray for X to be a dark
matter particle. We exclude the possibility of a sufficiently strong branch to
explain the lifetime discrepancy with greater than 4 sigma confidence.Comment: 6 pages 3 figure
Determination of the Axial-Vector Weak Coupling Constant with Ultracold Neutrons
A precise measurement of the neutron decay -asymmetry has been
carried out using polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN) from the pulsed spallation
UCN source at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). Combining data
obtained in 2008 and 2009, we report , from which we determine the ratio of the
axial-vector to vector weak coupling of the nucleon .Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
Illuminating subduction zone rheological properties in the wake of a giant earthquake
Deformation associated with plate convergence at subduction zones is accommodated by a complex system involving fault slip and viscoelastic flow. These processes have proven difficult to disentangle. The 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule earthquake occurred close to the Chilean coast within a dense network of continuously recording Global Positioning System stations, which provide a comprehensive history of surface strain. We use these data to assemble a detailed picture of a structurally controlled megathrust fault frictional patchwork and the three-dimensional rheological and time-dependent viscosity structure of the lower crust and upper mantle, all of which control the relative importance of afterslip and viscoelastic relaxation during postseismic deformation. These results enhance our understanding of subduction dynamics including the interplay of localized and distributed deformation during the subduction zone earthquake cycle
Position-sensitive detection of ultracold neutrons with an imaging camera and its implications to spectroscopy
Position-sensitive detection of ultracold neutrons (UCNs) is demonstrated
using an imaging charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. A spatial resolution less
than 15 m has been achieved, which is equivalent to an UCN energy
resolution below 2 pico-electron-volts through the relation . Here, the symbols , , and are the
energy resolution, the spatial resolution, the neutron rest mass and the
gravitational acceleration, respectively. A multilayer surface convertor
described previously is used to capture UCNs and then emits visible light for
CCD imaging. Particle identification and noise rejection are discussed through
the use of light intensity profile analysis. This method allows different types
of UCN spectroscopy and other applications.Comment: 12 figures, 28 pages, accepted for publication in NIM
First direct constraints on Fierz interference in free neutron decay
Precision measurements of free neutron -decay have been used to
precisely constrain our understanding of the weak interaction. However the
neutron Fierz interference term , which is particularly sensitive to
Beyond-Standard-Model tensor currents at the TeV scale, has thus far eluded
measurement. Here we report the first direct constraints on this term, finding
,
consistent with the Standard Model. The uncertainty is dominated by absolute
energy reconstruction and the linearity of the beta spectrometer energy
response
New result for the neutron -asymmetry parameter from UCNA
The neutron -decay asymmetry parameter defines the correlation
between the spin of the neutron and the momentum of the emitted electron, which
determines , the ratio of the axial-vector to
vector weak coupling constants. The UCNA Experiment, located at the Ultracold
Neutron facility at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, is the first to
measure such a correlation coefficient using ultracold neutrons (UCN).
Following improvements to the systematic uncertainties and increased
statistics, we report the new result which yields . Combination with the previous UCNA result and
accounting for correlated systematic uncertainties produces
and .Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, updated to as-published versio
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