114 research outputs found
Computationally efficient methods for modelling laser wakefield acceleration in the blowout regime
Electron self-injection and acceleration until dephasing in the blowout
regime is studied for a set of initial conditions typical of recent experiments
with 100 terawatt-class lasers. Two different approaches to computationally
efficient, fully explicit, three-dimensional particle-in-cell modelling are
examined. First, the Cartesian code VORPAL using a perfect-dispersion
electromagnetic solver precisely describes the laser pulse and bubble dynamics,
taking advantage of coarser resolution in the propagation direction, with a
proportionally larger time step. Using third-order splines for macroparticles
helps suppress the sampling noise while keeping the usage of computational
resources modest. The second way to reduce the simulation load is using
reduced-geometry codes. In our case, the quasi-cylindrical code CALDER-CIRC
uses decomposition of fields and currents into a set of poloidal modes, while
the macroparticles move in the Cartesian 3D space. Cylindrical symmetry of the
interaction allows using just two modes, reducing the computational load to
roughly that of a planar Cartesian simulation while preserving the 3D nature of
the interaction. This significant economy of resources allows using fine
resolution in the direction of propagation and a small time step, making
numerical dispersion vanishingly small, together with a large number of
particles per cell, enabling good particle statistics. Quantitative agreement
of the two simulations indicates that they are free of numerical artefacts.
Both approaches thus retrieve physically correct evolution of the plasma
bubble, recovering the intrinsic connection of electron self-injection to the
nonlinear optical evolution of the driver
Effective Hamiltonian approach to adiabatic approximation in open systems
The adiabatic approximation in open systems is formulated through the
effective Hamiltonian approach. By introducing an ancilla, we embed the open
system dynamics into a non-Hermitian quantum dynamics of a composite system,
the adiabatic evolution of the open system is then defined as the adiabatic
dynamics of the composite system. Validity and invalidity conditions for this
approximation are established and discussed. A High-order adiabatic
approximation for open systems is introduced. As an example, the adiabatic
condition for an open spin- particle in time-dependent magnetic
fields is analyzed.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure
Association of Lifestyle Factors With Abdominal Subcutaneous and Visceral Adiposity: The Framingham Heart Study
OBJECTIVE— The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between lifestyle factors and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in a community-based setting
Long-term changes in tropospheric ozone
Tropospheric ozone changes are investigated using a selected network of surface and ozonesonde sites to give a broad geographic picture of long-term variations. The picture of long-term tropospheric ozone changes is a varied one in terms of both the sign and magnitude of trends and in the possible causes for the changes. At mid latitudes of the S.H. three time series of ∼20 years in length agree in showing increases that are strongest in the austral spring (August–October). Profile measurements show this increase extending through the mid troposphere but not into the highest levels of the troposphere.
In the N.H. in the Arctic a period of declining ozone in the troposphere through the 1980s into the mid-1990s has reversed and the overall change is small. The decadal-scale variations in the troposphere in this region are related in part to changes in the lowermost stratosphere.
At mid latitudes in the N.H., continental Europe and Japan showed significant increases in the 1970s and 1980s. Over North America rises in the 1970s are less than those seen in Europe and Japan, suggesting significant regional differences. In all three of these mid latitude, continental regions tropospheric ozone amounts appear to have leveled off or in some cases declined in the more recent decades. Over the North Atlantic three widely separated sites show significant increases since the late-1990s that may have peaked in recent years.
In the N.H. tropics both the surface record and the ozonesondes in Hawaii show a significant increase in the autumn months in the most recent decade compared to earlier periods that drives the overall increase seen in the 30-year record. This appears to be related to a shift in the transport pattern during this season with more frequent flow from higher latitudes in the latest decade
Foreign policy beliefs and support for Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party
Similar to other recent Canadian elections, foreign policy did not feature prominently in the 2011 federal election campaign. In fact, many doubt Canadian public opinion on international affairs is linked to the actions taken by recent Governments. In this paper, we examine Canadian public opinion toward a range of foreign policy issues and argue that the survey questions measure two latent dimensions —militarism and internationalism. Our survey evidence indicates the existence of an “issue public” which is prepared to endorse military action and is skeptical of human rights and overseas aid programs, and this group is far more supportive of Prime Minister Harper and the Conservative Party than other Canadians. The absence of an elite discussion, either among politicians or between media elites, about the direction of Canadian foreign policy does not prevent the Canadian voter from thinking coherently about questions pertaining to this issue domain and employing these beliefs to support or oppose political parties and their leaders
Status of Muon Collider Research and Development and Future Plans
The status of the research on muon colliders is discussed and plans are
outlined for future theoretical and experimental studies. Besides continued
work on the parameters of a 3-4 and 0.5 TeV center-of-mass (CoM) energy
collider, many studies are now concentrating on a machine near 0.1 TeV (CoM)
that could be a factory for the s-channel production of Higgs particles. We
discuss the research on the various components in such muon colliders, starting
from the proton accelerator needed to generate pions from a heavy-Z target and
proceeding through the phase rotation and decay ()
channel, muon cooling, acceleration, storage in a collider ring and the
collider detector. We also present theoretical and experimental R & D plans for
the next several years that should lead to a better understanding of the design
and feasibility issues for all of the components. This report is an update of
the progress on the R & D since the Feasibility Study of Muon Colliders
presented at the Snowmass'96 Workshop [R. B. Palmer, A. Sessler and A.
Tollestrup, Proceedings of the 1996 DPF/DPB Summer Study on High-Energy Physics
(Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Menlo Park, CA, 1997)].Comment: 95 pages, 75 figures. Submitted to Physical Review Special Topics,
Accelerators and Beam
Sea ice meltwater and circumpolar deep water drive contrasting productivity in three Antarctic polynyas
In the Southern Ocean, polynyas exhibit enhanced rates of primary productivity and represent large seasonal sinks for atmospheric CO2. Three contrasting east Antarctic polynyas were visited in late December to early January 2017: the Dalton, Mertz, and Ninnis polynyas. In the Mertz and Ninnis polynyas, phytoplankton biomass (average of 322 and 354 mg chlorophyll a (Chl a)/m2, respectively) and net community production (5.3 and 4.6 mol C/m2, respectively) were approximately 3 times those measured in the Dalton polynya (average of 122 mg Chl a/m2 and 1.8 mol C/m2). Phytoplankton communities also differed between the polynyas. Diatoms were thriving in the Mertz and Ninnis polynyas but not in the Dalton polynya, where Phaeocystis antarctica dominated. These strong regional differences were explored using physiological, biological, and physical parameters. The most likely drivers of the observed higher productivity in the Mertz and Ninnis were the relatively shallow inflow of iron‐rich modified Circumpolar Deep Water onto the shelf as well as a very large sea ice meltwater contribution. The productivity contrast between the three polynyas could not be explained by (1) the input of glacial meltwater, (2) the presence of Ice Shelf Water, or (3) stratification of the mixed layer. Our results show that physical drivers regulate the productivity of polynyas, suggesting that the response of biological productivity and carbon export to future change will vary among polynyas
Carbon cycling in the North American coastal ocean: a synthesis
A quantification of carbon fluxes in the coastal ocean and across its
boundaries with the atmosphere, land, and the open ocean is important for
assessing the current state and projecting future trends in ocean carbon
uptake and coastal ocean acidification, but this is currently a missing
component of global carbon budgeting. This synthesis reviews recent progress
in characterizing these carbon fluxes for the North American coastal ocean.
Several observing networks and high-resolution regional models are now
available. Recent efforts have focused primarily on quantifying the net
air–sea exchange of carbon dioxide (CO2). Some studies have
estimated other key fluxes, such as the exchange of organic and inorganic
carbon between shelves and the open ocean. Available estimates of air–sea
CO2 flux, informed by more than a decade of observations, indicate
that the North American Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) acts as a sink of 160±80 Tg C yr−1, although this flux is not well constrained. The
Arctic and sub-Arctic, mid-latitude Atlantic, and mid-latitude Pacific
portions of the EEZ account for 104, 62, and −3.7 Tg C yr−1,
respectively, while making up 51 %, 25 %, and 24 % of the total area,
respectively. Combining the net uptake of 160±80 Tg C yr−1 with
an estimated carbon input from land of 106±30 Tg C yr−1 minus
an estimated burial of 65±55 Tg C yr−1 and an estimated
accumulation of dissolved carbon in EEZ waters of 50±25 Tg C yr−1 implies a carbon export of 151±105 Tg C yr−1 to the open ocean. The increasing concentration of
inorganic carbon in coastal and open-ocean waters leads to ocean
acidification. As a result, conditions favoring the dissolution of calcium
carbonate occur regularly in subsurface coastal waters in the Arctic, which
are naturally prone to low pH, and the North Pacific, where upwelling of
deep, carbon-rich waters has intensified. Expanded monitoring and extension
of existing model capabilities are required to provide more reliable coastal
carbon budgets, projections of future states of the coastal ocean, and
quantification of anthropogenic carbon contributions.</p
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