2,183 research outputs found
The Stava mudflow of 19 July 1985 (Northern Italy): a disaster that effective regulation might have prevented
Abstract. The disaster occurring in the Eastern Italian Alps in the summer of 1985 was caused by the failure of two tailings dams located just upstream from the village of Stava in the municipality of Tesero (Trento province, Italy). The structure comprised two small storage basins for the deposition of tailings from the separation process of the Prestavel fluorite mine. On their downstream sides, the basins were contained by steep earth embankments, whereas upstream they rested directly on the natural slope. The total height from the base of the lower dam to the crest of the upper dam was over 50 m. On 19 July 1985, the front of the upper dam suddenly burst, triggering a vast mudflow (180 000 m3) that flowed down-channel through Stava, a small village of 20 buildings. The mudflow rapidly traveled over 4.2 km along the Stava Valley and passed through Tesero, before flowing into the Avisio River. The mudflow destroyed many buildings and resulted in 268 fatalities and 20 injuries. From an analysis of the data collected and field observation, several factors may be cited as having contributed to increasing instability, as the upper dam continued to be raised until the disastrous collapse of 19 July. Foremost among these factors is the mistaken assumption that the tailings deposited in the impoundments would consolidate fairly quickly. Indeed, no monitoring system was ever installed to verify the assumed consolidation. Other operational shortcomings and construction errors were contributing factors. Regulations requiring construction standards, operational monitoring, and independent periodic inspection could have prevented this disaster. Comprehensive legislation is required to effectively limit the adverse consequences of tailings dam failures by providing a regulatory environment where the safety and welfare of the local area can be balanced with the economic benefits of mining operations
Energy loss mechanism for suspended micro- and nanoresonators due to the Casimir force
A so far not considered energy loss mechanism in suspended micro- and
nanoresonators due to noncontact acoustical energy loss is investigated
theoretically. The mechanism consists on the conversion of the mechanical
energy from the vibratory motion of the resonator into acoustic waves on large
nearby structures, such as the substrate, due to the coupling between the
resonator and those structures resulting from the Casimir force acting over the
separation gaps. Analytical expressions for the resulting quality factor Q for
cantilever and bridge micro- and nanoresonators in close proximity to an
underlying substrate are derived and the relevance of the mechanism is
investigated, demonstrating its importance when nanometric gaps are involved
Wannier-Stark ladders in one-dimensional elastic systems
The optical analogues of Bloch oscillations and their associated
Wannier-Stark ladders have been recently analyzed. In this paper we propose an
elastic realization of these ladders, employing for this purpose the torsional
vibrations of specially designed one-dimensional elastic systems. We have
measured, for the first time, the ladder wave amplitudes, which are not
directly accessible either in the quantum mechanical or optical cases. The wave
amplitudes are spatially localized and coincide rather well with theoretically
predicted amplitudes. The rods we analyze can be used to localize different
frequencies in different parts of the elastic systems and viceversa.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev. Let
The Stava mudflow of 19 July 1985 (Northern Italy): a disaster that effective regulation might have prevented
The disaster occurring in the Eastern Italian Alps in the summer of 1985 was caused by the failure of two tailings dams located just upstream from the village of Stava in the municipality of Tesero (Trento province, Italy). The structure comprised two small storage basins for the deposition of tailings from the separation process of the Prestavel fluorite mine. On their downstream sides, the basins were contained by steep earth embankments, whereas upstream they rested directly on the natural slope. The total height from the base of the lower dam to the crest of the upper dam was over 50 m. <br><br> On 19 July 1985, the front of the upper dam suddenly burst, triggering a vast mudflow (180 000 m<sup>3</sup>) that flowed down-channel through Stava, a small village of 20 buildings. The mudflow rapidly traveled over 4.2 km along the Stava Valley and passed through Tesero, before flowing into the Avisio River. The mudflow destroyed many buildings and resulted in 268 fatalities and 20 injuries. From an analysis of the data collected and field observation, several factors may be cited as having contributed to increasing instability, as the upper dam continued to be raised until the disastrous collapse of 19 July. Foremost among these factors is the mistaken assumption that the tailings deposited in the impoundments would consolidate fairly quickly. Indeed, no monitoring system was ever installed to verify the assumed consolidation. Other operational shortcomings and construction errors were contributing factors. Regulations requiring construction standards, operational monitoring, and independent periodic inspection could have prevented this disaster. Comprehensive legislation is required to effectively limit the adverse consequences of tailings dam failures by providing a regulatory environment where the safety and welfare of the local area can be balanced with the economic benefits of mining operations
Mirror Dark Matter and Core Density of Galaxies
We present a particle physics realization of a recent suggestion by Spergel
and Steinhardt that collisional but dissipationless dark matter may resolve the
core density problem in dark matter-dominated galaxies such as the dwarf
galaxies. The realization is the asymmetric mirror universe model introduced to
explain the neutrino puzzles and the microlensing anomaly. The mirror baryons
are the dark matter particles with the desired properties. The time scales are
right for resolution of the core density problem and formation of mirror stars
(MACHOs observed in microlensing experiments). The mass of the region
homogenized by Silk damping is between a dwarf and a large galaxy.Comment: 9 pages, LaTex. The present version shows that atomic scattering
inherent in the mirror model can solve the core density problem without the
need for an extra U(1) discussed in the original version; all conclusions are
unchanged. This version is accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Mirror Dark Matter
There appear to be three challenges that any theory of dark matter must face:
(i) why is of the same order as ? (ii) what
are the near solar mass objects () observed by the MACHO
microlensing project ? and (iii) understanding the shallow core density profile
of the halos of dwarf as well as low surface brightness galaxies. The popular
cold dark matter candidates, the SUSY LSP and the axion fail to meet these
challenges. We argue that in the mirror model suggested recently to explain the
neutrino anomalies, the mirror baryons being 15-20 times heavier than familiar
baryons, can play the role of the cold dark matter and provide reasonable
explanation of all three above properties without extra assumptions.Comment: Latex, 10 pages; Invited talk presented in PASCOS99 workshop, held in
Lake Tahoe, Dec. 1999 and DM2000 workshop held in Los Angeles, February, 200
Dark Sector from Interacting Canonical and Non-Canonical Scalar Fields
In this work it is investigated general models with interactions between two
canonical scalar fields and between one non-canonical (tachyon-type) and one
canonical scalar field. The potentials and couplings to the gravity are
selected through the Noether symmetry approach. These general models are
employed to describe interactions between dark energy and dark matter, with the
fields being constrained by the astronomical data. The cosmological solutions
of some cases are compared with the observed evolution of the late Universe.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, correction of misprints in eqs. (4), (5), (43),
(44
Galactic Bulge Microlensing Optical Depth from EROS-2
We present a new EROS-2 measurement of the microlensing optical depth toward
the Galactic Bulge. Light curves of clump-giant stars
distributed over of the Bulge were monitored during seven Bulge
seasons. 120 events were found with apparent amplifications greater than 1.6
and Einstein radius crossing times in the range 5 {\rm d}.
This is the largest existing sample of clump-giant events and the first to
include northern Galactic fields. In the Galactic latitude range
1.4\degr<|b|<7.0\degr, we find with . These results are in good
agreement with our previous measurement, with recent measurements of the MACHO
and OGLE-II groups, and with predictions of Bulge models.Comment: accepted A&A, minor revision
Observation of periodic variable stars towards the galactic spiral arms by EROS II
We present the results of a massive variability search based on a photometric
survey of a six square degree region along the Galactic plane at (, ) and (, ). This
survey was performed in the framework of the EROS II (Exp\'erience de Recherche
d'Objets Sombres) microlensing program. The variable stars were found among
1,913,576 stars that were monitored between April and June 1998 in two
passbands, with an average of 60 measurements. A new period-search technique is
proposed which makes use of a statistical variable that characterizes the
overall regularity of the flux versus phase diagram. This method is well suited
when the photometric data are unevenly distributed in time, as is our case.
1,362 objects whose luminosity varies were selected. Among them we identified 9
Cepheids, 19 RR Lyrae, 34 Miras, 176 eclipsing binaries and 266 Semi-Regular
stars. Most of them are newly identified objects. The cross-identification with
known catalogues has been performed. The mean distance of the RR Lyrae is
estimated to be kpc undergoing an average absorption of
magnitudes. This distance is in good agreement with the one
of disc stars which contribute to the microlensing source star population.Our
catalogue and light curves are available electronically from the CDS,
Strasbourg and from our Web site http://eros.in2p3.fr.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, accepted in A&A (april 2002
The EROS2 search for microlensing events towards the spiral arms: the complete seven season results
The EROS-2 project has been designed to search for microlensing events
towards any dense stellar field. The densest parts of the Galactic spiral arms
have been monitored to maximize the microlensing signal expected from the stars
of the Galactic disk and bulge. 12.9 million stars have been monitored during 7
seasons towards 4 directions in the Galactic plane, away from the Galactic
center. A total of 27 microlensing event candidates have been found. Estimates
of the optical depths from the 22 best events are provided. A first order
interpretation shows that simple Galactic models with a standard disk and an
elongated bulge are in agreement with our observations. We find that the
average microlensing optical depth towards the complete EROS-cataloged stars of
the spiral arms is , a number that is
stable when the selection criteria are moderately varied. As the EROS catalog
is almost complete up to , the optical depth estimated for the
sub-sample of bright target stars with () is easier to interpret. The set of microlensing events
that we have observed is consistent with a simple Galactic model. A more
precise interpretation would require either a better knowledge of the distance
distribution of the target stars, or a simulation based on a Galactic model.
For this purpose, we define and discuss the concept of optical depth for a
given catalog or for a limiting magnitude.Comment: 22 pages submitted to Astronomy & Astrophysic
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