Does a proton "bubble" structure exist in the low-lying states of 34Si?

The possible existence of a "bubble" structure in the proton density of $^{34}$Si has recently attracted a lot of research interest. To examine the existence of the "bubble" structure in low-lying states, we establish a relativistic version of configuration mixing of both particle number and angular momentum projected quadrupole deformed mean-field states and apply this state-of-the-art beyond relativistic mean-field method to study the density distribution of the low-lying states in $^{34}$Si. An excellent agreement with the data of low-spin spectrum and electric multipole transition strengths is achieved without introducing any parameters. We find that the central depression in the proton density is quenched by dynamic quadrupole shape fluctuation, but not as significantly as what has been found in a beyond non-relativistic mean-field study. Our results suggest that the existence of proton "bubble" structure in the low-lying excited $0^+_2$ and $2^+_1$ states is very unlikely.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures and 1 table, accepted for publication in Physics Letters

Distributed Clustering in Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks Using Soft-Constraint Affinity Propagation

Absence of network infrastructure and heterogeneous spectrum availability in cognitive radio ad hoc networks (CRAHNs) necessitate the self-organization of cognitive radio users (CRs) for efficient spectrum coordination. The cluster-based structure is known to be effective in both guaranteeing system performance and reducing communication overhead in variable network environment. In this paper, we propose a distributed clustering algorithm based on soft-constraint affinity propagation message passing model (DCSCAP). Without dependence on predefined common control channel (CCC), DCSCAP relies on the distributed message passing among CRs through their available channels, making the algorithm applicable for large scale networks. Different from original soft-constraint affinity propagation algorithm, the maximal iterations of message passing is controlled to a relatively small number to accommodate to the dynamic environment of CRAHNs. Based on the accumulated evidence for clustering from the message passing process, clusters are formed with the objective of grouping the CRs with similar spectrum availability into smaller number of clusters while guaranteeing at least one CCC in each cluster. Extensive simulation results demonstrate the preference of DCSCAP compared with existing algorithms in both efficiency and robustness of the clusters

Low-lying states in 30^{30}Mg: a beyond relativistic mean-field investigation

The recently developed model of three-dimensional angular momentum projection plus generator coordinate method on top of triaxial relativistic mean-field states has been applied to study the low-lying states of $^{30}$Mg. The effects of triaxiality on the low-energy spectra and E0 and E2 transitions are examined.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, talk presented at the 17th nuclear physics conference "Marie and Pierre Curie" Kazimierz Dolny, 22-26th September 2010, Polan

Rapid structural change in low-lying states of neutron-rich Sr and Zr isotopes

The rapid structural change in low-lying collective excitation states of neutron-rich Sr and Zr isotopes is tudied by solving a five-dimensional collective Hamiltonian with parameters determined by both relativistic mean-field and non-relativistic Skyrme-Hartree-Fock calculations using the PC-PK1 and SLy4 forces respectively. Pair correlations are treated in BCS method with either a separable pairing force or a density-dependent zero-range force. The isotope shifts, excitation energies, electric monopole and quadrupole transition strengths are calculated and compared with corresponding experimental data. The calculated results with both the PC-PK1 and SLy4 forces exhibit a picture of spherical-oblate-prolate shape transition in neutron-rich Sr and Zr isotopes. Compared with the experimental data, the PC-PK1 (or SLy4) force predicts a more moderate (or dramatic) change in most of the collective properties around N=60. The underlying microscopic mechanism responsible for the rapid transition is discussed.Comment: 10 pages (twocolumn), 10 figure

Experimental study on the compressive strength, damping and interfacial transition zone properties of modified recycled aggregate concrete

© 2019 The Authors. Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited. At present, many modification methods have been proposed to improve the performance of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). In this study, tests on the compressive strength and damping properties of modified RAC with the addition of different proportions of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) (0, 50, 100%), rubber powder (10, 15, 20%), steel fibre (5, 7.5, 10%) and fly ash (15, 20, 5%) are carried out. To elucidate the effect of the modification method on the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) performance of RAC, model ITZ specimens are used for push-out tests. The results show that when the replacement rate of RCA reaches 100%, the loss factor of the RAC is 6.0% higher than that of natural aggregate concrete; however, the compressive strength of the RAC decreases by 22.6%. With the addition of 20% rubber powder, the damping capacity of the modified RAC increases by 213.7%, while the compressive strength of the modified RAC decreases by 47.5%. However, with the addition of steel fibre and fly ash, both the compressive strength and loss factor of the RAC specimens increase. With a steel fibre content of 10 wt%, the compressive strength and loss factor of the RAC increase by 21.9% and 15.2%, respectively. With a fly ash content of 25 wt%, the compressive strength and loss factor of the RAC increase by 8.6% and 6.9%, respectively. This demonstrates that steel fibre and fly ash are effective in improving both the damping properties and compressive strength of RAC, and steel fibre is more effective than fly ash. Two methods were used for modification of the RAC: reinforcing the RCA through impregnation with a 0.5% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) emulsion and nano-SiO2 solution, and strengthening the RAC integrally through the addition of fly ash as an admixture. Both of these techniques can improve the ITZ bond strength between the RAC and new mortar. Replacing 10% of the cement with fly ash in the new mortar is shown to be the best method to improve the ITZ strength