565 research outputs found
Thermal desorption of CH4 retained in CO2 ice
CO2 ices are known to exist in different astrophysical environments. In spite
of this, its physical properties (structure, density, refractive index) have
not been as widely studied as those of water ice. It would be of great value to
study the adsorption properties of this ice in conditions related to
astrophysical environments. In this paper, we explore the possibility that CO2
traps relevant molecules in astrophysical environments at temperatures higher
than expected from their characteristic sublimation point. To fulfil this aim
we have carried out desorption experiments under High Vacuum conditions based
on a Quartz Crystal Microbalance and additionally monitored with a Quadrupole
Mass Spectrometer. From our results, the presence of CH4 in the solid phase
above the sublimation temperature in some astrophysical scenarios could be
explained by the presence of several retaining mechanisms related to the
structure of CO2 ice.Comment: 8 pages, accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc
Characterization of Irradiated Metal Waste from the Pyrometallurgical Treatment of Used EBR-II Fuel
As part of the pyrometallurgical treatment of used Experimental Breeder Reactor-II fuel, a metal waste stream is generated consisting primarily of cladding hulls laden with fission products noble to the electrorefining process. Consolidation by melting at high temperature [1873 K (1600 degrees C)] has been developed to sequester the noble metal fission products (Zr, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Te, and Pd) which remain in the iron-based cladding hulls. Zirconium from the uranium fuel alloy (U-10Zr) is also deposited on the hulls and forms Fe-Zr intermetallics which incorporate the noble metals as well as residual actinides during processing. Hence, Zr has been chosen as the primary indicator for consistency of the metal waste. Recently, the first production-scale metal waste ingot was generated and sampled to monitor Zr content for Fe-Zr intermetallic phase formation and validation of processing conditions. Chemical assay of the metal waste ingot revealed a homogeneous distribution of the noble metal fission products as well as the primary fuel constituents U and Zr. Microstructural characterization of the ingot confirmed the immobilization of the noble metals in the Fe-Zr intermetallic phase
Revisiting the scaling of the specific heat of the three-dimensional random-field Ising model
We revisit the scaling behavior of the specific heat of the three-dimensional
random-field Ising model with a Gaussian distribution of the disorder. Exact ground states
of the model are obtained using graph-theoretical algorithms for different strengths
= 268 3 spins. By numerically differentiating the bond energy
with respect to h, a specific-heat-like quantity is obtained whose
maximum is found to converge to a constant in the thermodynamic limit. Compared to a
previous study following the same approach, we have studied here much larger system sizes
with an increased statistical accuracy. We discuss the relevance of our results under the
prism of a modified Rushbrooke inequality for the case of a saturating specific heat.
Finally, as a byproduct of our analysis, we provide high-accuracy estimates of the
critical field hc =
2.279(7) and the critical exponent of the correlation exponent
ν =
1.37(1), in excellent agreement to the most recent computations in the
literature
Origin and Evolution of Saturn's Ring System
The origin and long-term evolution of Saturn's rings is still an unsolved
problem in modern planetary science. In this chapter we review the current
state of our knowledge on this long-standing question for the main rings (A,
Cassini Division, B, C), the F Ring, and the diffuse rings (E and G). During
the Voyager era, models of evolutionary processes affecting the rings on long
time scales (erosion, viscous spreading, accretion, ballistic transport, etc.)
had suggested that Saturn's rings are not older than 100 My. In addition,
Saturn's large system of diffuse rings has been thought to be the result of
material loss from one or more of Saturn's satellites. In the Cassini era, high
spatial and spectral resolution data have allowed progress to be made on some
of these questions. Discoveries such as the ''propellers'' in the A ring, the
shape of ring-embedded moonlets, the clumps in the F Ring, and Enceladus' plume
provide new constraints on evolutionary processes in Saturn's rings. At the
same time, advances in numerical simulations over the last 20 years have opened
the way to realistic models of the rings's fine scale structure, and progress
in our understanding of the formation of the Solar System provides a
better-defined historical context in which to understand ring formation. All
these elements have important implications for the origin and long-term
evolution of Saturn's rings. They strengthen the idea that Saturn's rings are
very dynamical and rapidly evolving, while new arguments suggest that the rings
could be older than previously believed, provided that they are regularly
renewed. Key evolutionary processes, timescales and possible scenarios for the
rings's origin are reviewed in the light of tComment: Chapter 17 of the book ''Saturn After Cassini-Huygens'' Saturn from
Cassini-Huygens, Dougherty, M.K.; Esposito, L.W.; Krimigis, S.M. (Ed.) (2009)
537-57
Mantle Dynamics in Super-Earths: Post-Perovskite Rheology and Self-Regulation of Viscosity
Simple scalings suggest that super-Earths are more likely than an equivalent
Earth-sized planet to be undergoing plate tectonics. Generally, viscosity and
thermal conductivity increase with pressure while thermal expansivity
decreases, resulting in lower convective vigor in the deep mantle. According to
conventional thinking, this might result in no convection in a super-Earth's
deep mantle. Here we evaluate this. First, we here extend the density
functional theory (DFT) calculations of post-perovskite activation enthalpy of
to a pressure of 1 TPa. The activation volume for diffusion creep becomes very
low at very high pressure, but nevertheless for the largest super-Earths the
viscosity along an adiabat may approach 1030 Pa s in the deep mantle. Second,
we use these calculated values in numerical simulations of mantle convection
and lithosphere dynamics of planets with up to ten Earth masses. The models
assume a compressible mantle including depth-dependence of material properties
and plastic yielding induced plate tectonics. Results confirm the likelihood of
plate tectonics and show a novel self-regulation of deep mantle temperature.
The deep mantle is not adiabatic; instead internal heating raises the
temperature until the viscosity is low enough to facilitate convective loss of
the radiogenic heat, which results in a super-adiabatic temperature profile and
a viscosity increase with depth of no more than ~3 orders of magnitude,
regardless of the viscosity increase that is calculated for an adiabat.
Convection in large super-Earths is characterised by large upwellings and
small, time-dependent downwellings. If a super-Earth was extremely hot/molten
after its formation, it is thus likely that even after billions of years its
deep interior is still extremely hot and possibly substantially molten with a
"super basal magma ocean" - a larger version of (Labrosse et al., 2007).Comment: 25 pages, 5 figure
Measurements of long-range near-side angular correlations in TeV proton-lead collisions in the forward region
Two-particle angular correlations are studied in proton-lead collisions at a
nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass energy of TeV, collected
with the LHCb detector at the LHC. The analysis is based on data recorded in
two beam configurations, in which either the direction of the proton or that of
the lead ion is analysed. The correlations are measured in the laboratory
system as a function of relative pseudorapidity, , and relative
azimuthal angle, , for events in different classes of event
activity and for different bins of particle transverse momentum. In
high-activity events a long-range correlation on the near side, , is observed in the pseudorapidity range . This
measurement of long-range correlations on the near side in proton-lead
collisions extends previous observations into the forward region up to
. The correlation increases with growing event activity and is found
to be more pronounced in the direction of the lead beam. However, the
correlation in the direction of the lead and proton beams are found to be
compatible when comparing events with similar absolute activity in the
direction analysed.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and
additional information, are available at
https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2015-040.htm
Study of the production of and hadrons in collisions and first measurement of the branching fraction
The product of the () differential production
cross-section and the branching fraction of the decay () is
measured as a function of the beauty hadron transverse momentum, ,
and rapidity, . The kinematic region of the measurements is and . The measurements use a data sample
corresponding to an integrated luminosity of collected by the
LHCb detector in collisions at centre-of-mass energies in 2011 and in 2012. Based on previous LHCb
results of the fragmentation fraction ratio, , the
branching fraction of the decay is
measured to be \begin{equation*} \mathcal{B}(\Lambda_b^0\rightarrow J/\psi
pK^-)= (3.17\pm0.04\pm0.07\pm0.34^{+0.45}_{-0.28})\times10^{-4},
\end{equation*} where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is
systematic, the third is due to the uncertainty on the branching fraction of
the decay , and the
fourth is due to the knowledge of . The sum of the
asymmetries in the production and decay between and
is also measured as a function of and .
The previously published branching fraction of , relative to that of , is updated.
The branching fractions of are determined.Comment: 29 pages, 19figures. All figures and tables, along with any
supplementary material and additional information, are available at
https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2015-032.htm
Evidence for the strangeness-changing weak decay
Using a collision data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity
of 3.0~fb, collected by the LHCb detector, we present the first search
for the strangeness-changing weak decay . No
hadron decay of this type has been seen before. A signal for this decay,
corresponding to a significance of 3.2 standard deviations, is reported. The
relative rate is measured to be
, where and
are the and fragmentation
fractions, and is the branching
fraction. Assuming is bounded between 0.1 and
0.3, the branching fraction would lie
in the range from to .Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, All figures and tables, along with any
supplementary material and additional information, are available at
https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2015-047.htm
flavour tagging using charm decays at the LHCb experiment
An algorithm is described for tagging the flavour content at production of
neutral mesons in the LHCb experiment. The algorithm exploits the
correlation of the flavour of a meson with the charge of a reconstructed
secondary charm hadron from the decay of the other hadron produced in the
proton-proton collision. Charm hadron candidates are identified in a number of
fully or partially reconstructed Cabibbo-favoured decay modes. The algorithm is
calibrated on the self-tagged decay modes and using of data collected by the LHCb
experiment at centre-of-mass energies of and
. Its tagging power on these samples of
decays is .Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and
additional information, are available at
http://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2015-027.htm
Search for displaced vertices arising from decays of new heavy particles in 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS
We present the results of a search for new, heavy particles that decay at a
significant distance from their production point into a final state containing
charged hadrons in association with a high-momentum muon. The search is
conducted in a pp-collision data sample with a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV
and an integrated luminosity of 33 pb^-1 collected in 2010 by the ATLAS
detector operating at the Large Hadron Collider. Production of such particles
is expected in various scenarios of physics beyond the standard model. We
observe no signal and place limits on the production cross-section of
supersymmetric particles in an R-parity-violating scenario as a function of the
neutralino lifetime. Limits are presented for different squark and neutralino
masses, enabling extension of the limits to a variety of other models.Comment: 8 pages plus author list (20 pages total), 8 figures, 1 table, final
version to appear in Physics Letters
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