30,704 research outputs found
Meteorite cloudy zone formation as a quantitative indicator of paleomagnetic field intensities and cooling rates on planetesimals
Metallic microstructures in slowly-cooled iron-rich meteorites reflect the
thermal and magnetic histories of their parent planetesimals. Of particular
interest is the cloudy zone, a nanoscale intergrowth of Ni-rich islands within
a Ni-poor matrix that forms below 350{\deg}C by spinodal decomposition. The
sizes of the islands have long been recognized as reflecting the
low-temperature cooling rates of meteorite parent bodies. However, a model
capable of providing quantitative cooling rate estimates from island sizes has
been lacking. Moreover, these islands are also capable of preserving a record
of the ambient magnetic field as they grew, but some of the key physical
parameters required for recovering reliable paleointensity estimates from
magnetic measurements of these islands have been poorly constrained. To address
both of these issues, we present a numerical model of the structural and
compositional evolution of the cloudy zone as a function of cooling rate and
local composition. Our model produces island sizes that are consistent with
present-day measured sizes. This model enables a substantial improvement in the
calibration of paleointensity estimates and associated uncertainties. In
particular, we can now accurately quantify the statistical uncertainty
associated with the finite number of islands and the uncertainty on their size
at the time of the record. We use this new understanding to revisit
paleointensities from previous pioneering paleomagnetic studies of cloudy
zones. We show that these could have been overestimated but nevertheless still
require substantial magnetic fields to have been present on their parent
bodies. Our model also allows us to estimate absolute cooling rates for
meteorites that cooled slower than 10000{\deg}C My-1. We demonstrate how these
cooling rate estimates can uniquely constrain the low-temperature thermal
history of meteorite parent bodies.Comment: Manuscript resubmitted after revision
Mesoscopic Spin-Boson Models of Trapped Ions
Trapped ions arranged in Coulomb crystals provide us with the elements to
study the physics of a single spin coupled to a boson bath. In this work we
show that optical forces allow us to realize a variety of spin-boson models,
depending on the crystal geometry and the laser configuration. We study in
detail the Ohmic case, which can be implemented by illuminating a single ion
with a travelling wave. The mesoscopic character of the phonon bath in trapped
ions induces new effects like the appearance of quantum revivals in the spin
evolution.Comment: 4.4 pages, 5 figure
Visualization design and verification of Ada tasking using timing diagrams
The use of timing diagrams is recommended in the design and testing of multi-task Ada programs. By displaying the task states vs. time, timing diagrams can portray the simultaneous threads of data flow and control which characterize tasking programs. This description of the system's dynamic behavior from conception to testing is a necessary adjunct to other graphical techniques, such as structure charts, which essentially give a static view of the system. A series of steps is recommended which incorporates timing diagrams into the design process. Finally, a description is provided of a prototype Ada Execution Analyzer (AEA) which automates the production of timing diagrams from VAX/Ada debugger output
Deformation of grain boundaries in polar ice
The ice microstructure (grain boundaries) is a key feature used to study ice
evolution and to investigate past climatic changes. We studied a deep ice core,
in Dome Concordia, Antarctica, which records past mechanical deformations. We
measured a "texture tensor" which characterizes the pattern geometry and
reveals local heterogeneities of deformation along the core. These results
question key assumptions of the current models used for dating
QCD NLO with Powheg matching and top threshold matching in WHIZARD
We present the status of the automation of NLO processes within the event
generator WHIZARD. The program provides an automated FKS subtraction and phase
space integration over the FKS regions, while the (QCD) NLO matrix element is
accessed via the Binoth Les Houches Interface from an externally linked
one-loop program. Massless and massive test cases and validation are shown for
several e+e- processes. Furthermore, we discuss work in progress and future
plans. The second part covers the matching of the NRQCD prediction with NLL
threshold resummation to the NLO continuum top pair production at lepton
colliders. Both the S-wave and P-wave production of the top pair are taken into
account in the resummation. The inclusion in WHIZARD allows to study more
exclusive observables than just the total cross section and automatically
accounts for important electroweak and relativistic corrections in the
threshold region.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, Talk given at 12th International Symposium on
Radiative Corrections (Radcor 2015) and LoopFest XIV (Radiative Corrections
for the LHC and Future Colliders); v2: reference adde
Raman scattering investigation across the magnetic and MI transition in rare earth nickelate RNiO3 (R = Sm, Nd) thin films
We report a temperature-dependent Raman scattering investigation of thin film
rare earth nickelates SmNiO3, NdNiO3 and Sm0.60Nd0.40NiO3, which present a
metal-to-insulator (MI) transition at TMI and an antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic
Neel transition at TN. Our results provide evidence that all investigated
samples present a structural phase transition at TMI but the Raman signature
across TMI is significantly different for NdNiO3 (TMI = TN) compared to SmNiO3
and Sm0.60Nd0.40NiO3 (TMI =/ TN). It is namely observed that the
paramagnetic-insulator phase (TN < T < TMI) in SmNiO3 and Sm0.60Nd0.40NiO3 is
characterized by a pronounced softening of one particular phonon band around
420 cm-1. This signature is unusual and points to an important and continuous
change in the distortion of NiO6 octahedra (thus the Ni-O bonding) which
stabilizes upon cooling at the magnetic transition. The observed behaviour
might well be a general feature for all rare earth nickelates with TMI =/ TN
and illustrates intriguing coupling mechanism in the TMI > T > TN regime.Comment: Revised & published versio
Non-classical symmetries and the singular manifold method: A further two examples
This paper discusses two equations with the conditional Painleve property.
The usefulness of the singular manifold method as a tool for determining the
non-classical symmetries that reduce the equations to ordinary differential
equations with the Painleve property is confirmed once moreComment: 9 pages (latex), to appear in Journal of Physics
- …