Stress response function of a granular layer: quantitative comparison between experiments and isotropic elasticity

We measured the vertical pressure response function of a layer of sand submitted to a localized normal force at its surface. We found that this response profile depends on the way the layer has been prepared: all profiles show a single centered peak whose width scales with the thickness of the layer, but a dense packing gives a wider peak than a loose one. We calculate the prediction of isotropic elastic theory in presence of a bottom boundary and compare it to the data. We found that the theory gives the right scaling and the correct qualitative shape, but fails to really fit the data.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Euro. Phys. J.

Black branes on the linear dilaton background

We show that the complete static black p-brane supergravity solution with a single charge contains two and only two branches with respect to behavior at infinity in the transverse space. One branch is the standard family of asymptotically flat black branes, and another is the family of black branes which asymptotically approach the linear dilaton background with antisymmetric form flux (LDB). Such configurations were previously obtained in the near-horizon near-extreme limit of the dilatonic asymptotically flat p-branes, and used to describe the thermal phase of field theories involved in the DW/QFT dualities and the thermodynamics of little string theory in the case of the NS5-brane. Here we show by direct integration of the Einstein equations that the asymptotically LDB p-branes are indeed exact supergravity solutions, and we prove a new uniqueness theorem for static p-brane solutions satisfying cosmic censorship. In the non-dilatonic case, our general non-asymptotically flat p-branes are uncharged black branes on the background $AdS_{p+2}\times S^{D-p-2}$ supported by the form flux. We develop the general formalism of quasilocal quantities for non-asymptotically flat supergravity solutions with antisymmetric form fields, and show that our solutions satisfy the first law of theormodynamics. We also suggest a constructive procedure to derive rotating asymptotically LDB brane solutions.Comment: 16 pages, revtex4, v2 - references added, "authors" metatag correcte

Hidden symmetry of the three-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell equations

It is shown how to generate three-dimensional Einstein-Maxwell fields from known ones in the presence of a hypersurface-orthogonal non-null Killing vector field. The continuous symmetry group is isomorphic to the Heisenberg group including the Harrison-type transformation. The symmetry of the Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton system is also studied and it is shown that there is the $SL(2,{\bf R})$ transformation between the Maxwell and the dilaton fields. This $SL(2,{\bf R})$ transformation is identified with the Geroch transformation of the four-dimensional vacuum Einstein equation in terms of the Ka{\l}uza-Klein mechanism.Comment: 5 page

Micro-Brillouin spectroscopy mapping of the residual density field induced by Vickers indentation in a soda-lime silicate glass

High-resolution Brillouin scattering is used to achieve 3-dimensional maps of the longitudinal acoustic mode frequency shift in soda-lime silicate glasses subject to Vickers indentations. Assuming that residual stress-induced effects are simply proportional to density changes, residual densification fields are obtained. The density gradient is nearly isotropic, confirming earlier optical observations made on a similar glass. The results show that Brillouin micro-spectroscopy opens the way to a fully quantitative comparison of experimental data with predictions of mechanical models for the identification of a constitutive law.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, revised version, to appear in Appl. Phys. Let

Elliptic flow in transport theory and hydrodynamics

We present a new direct simulation Monte-Carlo method for solving the relativistic Boltzmann equation. We solve numerically the 2-dimensional Boltzmann equation using this new algorithm. We find that elliptic flow from this transport calculation smoothly converges towards the value from ideal hydrodynamics as the number of collisions per particle increases, as expected on general theoretical grounds, but in contrast with previous transport calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, revise

Density modulations in an elongated Bose-Einstein condensate released from a disordered potential

We observe large density modulations in time-of-flight images of elongated Bose-Einstein condensates, initially confined in a harmonic trap and in the presence of weak disorder. The development of these modulations during the time-of-flight and their dependence with the disorder are investigated. We render an account of this effect using numerical and analytical calculations. We conclude that the observed large density modulations originate from the weak initial density modulations induced by the disorder, and not from initial phase fluctuations (thermal or quantum).Comment: Published version; 4+ pages; 4 figure

Multi-Black-Holes in Three Dimensions

We construct time-dependent multi-centre solutions to three-dimensional general relativity with zero or negative cosmological constant. These solutions correspond to dynamical systems of freely falling black holes and conical singularities, with a multiply connected spacetime topology. Stationary multi-black-hole solutions are possible only in the extreme black hole case.Comment: 8 pages, \LaTex, 4 figures (available on request), GCR 94/02/0

Wormhole cosmic strings

We construct regular multi-wormhole solutions to a gravitating $\sigma$ model in three space-time dimensions, and extend these solutions to cylindrical traversable wormholes in four and five dimensions. We then discuss the possibility of identifying wormhole mouths in pairs to give rise to Wheeler wormholes. Such an identification is consistent with the original field equations only in the absence of the $\sigma$-model source, but with possible naked cosmic string sources. The resulting Wheeler wormhole space-times are flat outside the sources and may be asymptotically Minkowskian.Comment: 17 pages, LaTeX, 4 figures (hard copy available on request