3,343 research outputs found
Fluctuations of electrical conductivity: a new source for astrophysical magnetic fields
We consider the generation of magnetic field by the flow of a fluid for which
the electrical conductivity is nonuniform. A new amplification mechanism is
found which leads to dynamo action for flows much simpler than those considered
so far. In particular, the fluctuations of the electrical conductivity provide
a way to bypass anti-dynamo theorems. For astrophysical objects, we show
through three-dimensional global numerical simulations that the
temperature-driven fluctuations of the electrical conductivity can amplify an
otherwise decaying large scale equatorial dipolar field. This effect could play
a role for the generation of the unusually tilted magnetic field of the iced
giants Neptune and Uranus.Comment: Accepted in Phys.Rev.Let
Collusion Sustainability with Multimarket Contacts: Revisiting HHI Tests
Our paper focuses on the relationship between market concentration and collusion sustainability in a framework of multimarket contacts. We consider two independent and symmetric markets in which a subset of firms are active in both markets. When firms are able to transfer market power from one market to another, firms have strong incentives to collude even in a highly competitive market. This result is relevant for competition policy since assessing market concentration using HHI index could be misleading in some situations.
Large scale CMB anomalies from thawing cosmic strings
Cosmic strings formed during inflation are expected to be either diluted over
super-Hubble distances, i.e., invisible today, or to have crossed our past
light cone very recently. We discuss the latter situation in which a few
strings imprint their signature in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)
Anisotropies after recombination. Being almost frozen in the Hubble flow, these
strings are quasi static and evade almost all of the previously derived
constraints on their tension while being able to source large scale
anisotropies in the CMB sky. Using a local variance estimator on thousand of
numerically simulated Nambu-Goto all sky maps, we compute the expected signal
and show that it can mimic a dipole modulation at large angular scales while
being negligible at small angles. Interestingly, such a scenario generically
produces one cold spot from the thawing of a cosmic string loop. Mixed with
anisotropies of inflationary origin, we find that a few strings of tension GU =
O(1) x 10^(-6) match the amplitude of the dipole modulation reported in the
Planck satellite measurements and could be at the origin of other large scale
anomalies.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figures, uses jcappub. References added, matches
published versio
Membrane synthesis by microemulsion polymerisation stabilised by commercial non-ionic surfactants
Earlier works had demonstrated that microemulsion polymerisation is a well suited technique to produce nanostructured membranes if surfmers (polymerisable surfactants) are used to stabilise the primary template (sponge phase microemulsion). Up to now, however; same hadn't been done using common surfactants. Present work aims to show this is possible if proper surfactants are selected. Specific formulation selection was done by means of phase diagram. Phase diagram was obtained by conductivity, surface tension and QELS measurements through several dilution lines. Polymerisation region was selected from phase diagram were no globular system was observed. Membranes were characterised by SEM, DSC and permeation experiment
On probabilistic aspects in the dynamic degradation of ductile materials
Dynamic loadings produce high stress waves leading to the spallation of
ductile materials such as aluminum, copper, magnesium or tantalum. The main
mechanism used herein to explain the change of the number of cavities with the
stress rate is nucleation inhibition, as induced by the growth of already
nucleated cavities. The dependence of the spall strength and critical time with
the loading rate is investigated in the framework of a probabilistic model. The
present approach, which explains previous experimental findings on the
strain-rate dependence of the spall strength, is applied to analyze
experimental data on tantalum.Comment: 28 pages, 13 figures, 3 table
- …