10,009 research outputs found
Modeling of composite beams and plates for static and dynamic analysis
The main purpose of this research was to develop a rigorous theory and corresponding computational algorithms for through-the-thickness analysis of composite plates. This type of analysis is needed in order to find the elastic stiffness constants for a plate and to post-process the resulting plate solution in order to find approximate three-dimensional displacement, strain, and stress distributions throughout the plate. This also requires the development of finite deformation plate equations which are compatible with the through-the-thickness analyses. After about one year's work, we settled on the variational-asymptotical method (VAM) as a suitable framework in which to solve these types of problems. VAM was applied to laminated plates with constant thickness in the work of Atilgan and Hodges. The corresponding geometrically nonlinear global deformation analysis of plates was developed by Hodges, Atilgan, and Danielson. A different application of VAM, along with numerical results, was obtained by Hodges, Lee, and Atilgan. An expanded version of this last paper was submitted for publication in the AIAA Journal
XMM-Newton Observations of NGC 507: Super-solar Metal Abundances in the Hot ISM
We present the results of the X-ray XMM-Newton observations of NGC 507, a
dominant elliptical galaxy in a small group of galaxies, and report
'super-solar' metal abundances of both Fe and a-elements in the hot ISM of this
galaxy. We find Z_Fe = 2-3 times solar inside the D25 ellipse of NGC 507. This
is the highest Z_Fe reported so far for the hot halo of an elliptical galaxy;
this high Iron abundance is fully consistent with the predictions of stellar
evolution models, which include the yield of both type II and Ia supernovae.
The spatially resolved, high quality XMM spectra provide enough statistics to
formally require at least three emission components: two soft thermal
components indicating a range of temperatures in the hot ISM, plus a harder
component, consistent with the integrated output of low mass X-ray binaries
(LMXBs). The abundance of a-elements (most accurately determined by Si) is also
found to be super-solar. The a-elements to Fe abundance ratio is close to the
solar ratio, suggesting that ~70% of the Iron mass in the hot ISM was
originated from SNe Type Ia. The a-element to Fe abundance ratio remains
constant out to at least 100 kpc, indicating that SNe Type II and Ia ejecta are
well mixed in a scale much larger than the extent of the stellar body.Comment: 29 pages, 6 figures, Accepted in ApJ (v613, Oct. 1, 2004); Minor
revisions after referee's comments; A high-resolution pdf file available at
http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~kim/pap/N507_XMM.pd
Detectability of dissipative motion in quantum vacuum via superradiance
We propose an experiment for generating and detecting vacuum-induced
dissipative motion. A high frequency mechanical resonator driven in resonance
is expected to dissipate energy in quantum vacuum via photon emission. The
photons are stored in a high quality electromagnetic cavity and detected
through their interaction with ultracold alkali-metal atoms prepared in an
inverted population of hyperfine states. Superradiant amplification of the
generated photons results in a detectable radio-frequency signal temporally
distinguishable from the expected background.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
On the distribution of career longevity and the evolution of home run prowess in professional baseball
Statistical analysis is a major aspect of baseball, from player averages to
historical benchmarks and records. Much of baseball fanfare is based around
players exceeding the norm, some in a single game and others over a long
career. Career statistics serve as a metric for classifying players and
establishing their historical legacy. However, the concept of records and
benchmarks assumes that the level of competition in baseball is stationary in
time. Here we show that power-law probability density functions, a hallmark of
many complex systems that are driven by competition, govern career longevity in
baseball. We also find similar power laws in the density functions of all major
performance metrics for pitchers and batters. The use of performance-enhancing
drugs has a dark history, emerging as a problem for both amateur and
professional sports. We find statistical evidence consistent with
performance-enhancing drugs in the analysis of home runs hit by players in the
last 25 years. This is corroborated by the findings of the Mitchell Report [1],
a two-year investigation into the use of illegal steroids in major league
baseball, which recently revealed that over 5 percent of major league baseball
players tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in an anonymous 2003
survey.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, 2-column revtex4 format. Revision has change of
title, a figure added, and minor changes in response to referee comment
Recommended from our members
Impacts of aerosols and clouds on photolysis frequencies and photochemistry during TRACE-P: 2. Three-dimensional study using a regional chemical transport model
Efficiency of Energy Transduction in a Molecular Chemical Engine
A simple model of the two-state ratchet type is proposed for molecular
chemical engines that convert chemical free energy into mechanical work and
vice versa. The engine works by catalyzing a chemical reaction and turning a
rotor. Analytical expressions are obtained for the dependences of rotation and
reaction rates on the concentrations of reactant and product molecules, from
which the performance of the engine is analyzed. In particular, the efficiency
of energy transduction is discussed in some detail.Comment: 4 pages, 4 fugures; title modified, figures 2 and 3 modified, content
changed (pages 1 and 4, mainly), references adde
AGN Black Hole Masses and Bolometric Luminosities
Black hole mass, along with mass accretion rate, is a fundamental property of
active galactic nuclei. Black hole mass sets an approximate upper limit to AGN
energetics via the Eddington limit. We collect and compare all AGN black hole
mass estimates from the literature; these 177 masses are mostly based on the
virial assumption for the broad emission lines, with the broad-line region size
determined from either reverberation mapping or optical luminosity. We
introduce 200 additional black hole mass estimates based on properties of the
host galaxy bulges, using either the observed stellar velocity dispersion or
using the fundamental plane relation to infer ; these methods assume
that AGN hosts are normal galaxies. We compare 36 cases for which black hole
mass has been generated by different methods and find, for individual objects,
a scatter as high as a couple of orders of magnitude. The less direct the
method, the larger the discrepancy with other estimates, probably due to the
large scatter in the underlying correlations assumed. Using published fluxes,
we calculate bolometric luminosities for 234 AGNs and investigate the relation
between black hole mass and luminosity. In contrast to other studies, we find
no significant correlation of black hole mass with luminosity, other than those
induced by circular reasoning in the estimation of black hole mass. The
Eddington limit defines an approximate upper envelope to the distribution of
luminosities, but the lower envelope depends entirely on the sample of AGN
included. For any given black hole mass, there is a range in Eddington ratio of
up to three orders of magnitude.Comment: 43 pages with 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
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