5,620 research outputs found
Can the Tajmar effect be explained using a modification of inertia?
The Tajmar effect is an unexplained acceleration observed by accelerometers
and laser gyroscopes close to rotating supercooled rings. The observed ratio
between the gyroscope and ring accelerations was 3+/-1.2x10^-8. Here, a new
model for inertia which has been tested quite successfully on the Pioneer and
flyby anomalies is applied to this problem. The model assumes that the inertia
of the gyroscope is caused by Unruh radiation that appears as the ring and the
fixed stars accelerate relative to it, and that this radiation is subject to a
Hubble-scale Casimir effect. The model predicts that the sudden acceleration of
the nearby ring causes a slight increase in the inertial mass of the gyroscope,
and, to conserve momentum in the reference frame of the spinning Earth, the
gyroscope rotates clockwise with an acceleration ratio of 1.8+/-0.25x10^-8 in
agreement with the observed ratio. However, this model does not explain the
parity violation seen in some of the gyroscope data. To test these ideas the
Tajmar experiment (setup B) could be exactly reproduced in the southern
hemisphere, since the model predicts that the anomalous acceleration should
then be anticlockwise.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure. Accepted by EPL on the 4th December, 200
Thermodynamics of a Colloidal Particle in a Time-Dependent Non-Harmonic Potential
We study the motion of an overdamped colloidal particle in a time-dependent
non-harmonic potential. We demonstrate the first law-like balance between
applied work, exchanged heat, and internal energy on the level of a single
trajectory. The observed distribution of applied work is distinctly
non-Gaussian in good agreement with numerical calculations. Both the Jarzynski
relation and a detailed fluctuation theorem are verified with good accuracy
Quantum Invariants, Modular Forms, and Lattice Points II
We study the SU(2) Witten--Reshetikhin--Turaev invariant for the Seifert
fibered homology spheres with M-exceptional fibers. We show that the WRT
invariant can be written in terms of (differential of) the Eichler integrals of
modular forms with weight 1/2 and 3/2. By use of nearly modular property of the
Eichler integrals we shall obtain asymptotic expansions of the WRT invariant in
the large-N limit. We further reveal that the number of the gauge equivalent
classes of flat connections, which dominate the asymptotics of the WRT
invariant in N ->\infinity, is related to the number of integral lattice points
inside the M-dimensional tetrahedron
Evidence for the Evolution of Reduced Mycorrhizal Dependence During Plant Invasion
Introduced species inevitably experience novel selection pressures in their new environments as a result of changes in mutualist and antagonist relationships. While most previous work has examined how escape from specialist enemies has influenced herbivore or pathogen resistance of exotic species, post-introduction shifts in exotic dependence on mutualists have not been considered. In a common environment, we compared dependence on AM fungi of North American and European populations of Hypericum perforatum (St. John\u27s Wort), a forb native to Europe. Introduced North American populations responded less to inoculation with AM fungi than did European populations. Root architecture was strongly correlated with mycorrhizal response, and introduced populations had finer root architecture than native populations. Finally, introduced populations exhibited decreased root and increased reproductive allocation relative to European populations, consistent with a transition to a weedier life history; however, biomass allocation patterns were uncorrelated with mycorrhizal response. These findings are the first demonstration of a genetically based reduction of mycorrhizal dependence and shift in root architecture in an introduced species
Stabilized lasers for advanced gravitational wave detectors
Second generation gravitational wave detectors require high power lasers with more than 100 W of output power and with very low temporal and spatial fluctuations. To achieve the demanding stability levels required, low noise techniques and adequate control actuators have to be part of the high power laser design. In addition feedback control and passive noise filtering is used to reduce the fluctuations in the so-called prestabilized laser system (PSL). In this paper, we discuss the design of a 200 W PSL which is under development for the Advanced LIGO gravitational wave detector and will present the first results. The PSL noise requirements for advanced gravitational wave detectors will be discussed in general and the stabilization scheme proposed for the Advanced LIGO PSL will be described
Stabilized high-power laser system for the gravitational wave detector advanced LIGO
An ultra-stable, high-power cw Nd:YAG laser system, developed for the ground-based gravitational wave detector Advanced LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory), was comprehensively characterized. Laser power, frequency, beam pointing and beam quality were simultaneously stabilized using different active and passive schemes. The output beam, the performance of the stabilization, and the cross-coupling between different stabilization feedback control loops were characterized and found to fulfill most design requirements. The employed stabilization schemes and the achieved performance are of relevance to many high-precision optical experiments
Vesicles in solutions of hard rods
The surface free energy of ideal hard rods near curved hard surfaces is
determined to second order in curvature for surfaces of general shape. In
accordance with previous results for spherical and cylindrical surfaces it is
found that this quantity is non-analytical when one of the principal curvatures
changes signs. This prohibits writing it in the common Helfrich form. It is
shown that the non-analytical terms are the same for any aspect ratio of the
rods. These results are used to find the equilibrium shape of vesicles immersed
in solutions of rod-like (colloidal) particles. The presence of the particles
induces a change in the equilibrium shape and to a shift of the prolate-oblate
transition in the vesicle phase diagram, which are calculated within the
framework of the spontaneous curvature model. As a consequence of the special
form of the energy contribution due to the rods these changes cannot be
accounted for by a simple rescaling of the elastic constants of the vesicle as
for solutions of spherical colloids or polymers.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
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