19 research outputs found
Synchronized flow and wide moving jams from balanced vehicular traffic
Recently we proposed an extension to the traffic model of Aw, Rascle and
Greenberg. The extended traffic model can be written as a hyperbolic system of
balance laws and numerically reproduces the reverse shape of the
fundamental diagram of traffic flow. In the current work we analyze the steady
state solutions of the new model and their stability properties. In addition to
the equilibrium flow curve the trivial steady state solutions form two
additional branches in the flow-density diagram. We show that the
characteristic structure excludes parts of these branches resulting in the
reverse shape of the flow-density relation. The upper branch is
metastable against the formation of synchronized flow for intermediate
densities and unstable for high densities, whereas the lower branch is unstable
for intermediate densities and metastable for high densities. Moreover, the
model can reproduce the typical speed of the downstream front of wide moving
jams. It further reproduces a constant outflow from wide moving jams, which is
far below the maximum free flow. Applying the model to simulate traffic flow at
a bottleneck we observe a general pattern with wide moving jams traveling
through the bottleneck.Comment: 10 pages, 12 figure
On the Effect of Constraint Enforcement on the Quality of Numerical Solutions in General Relativity
In Brodbeck et al 1999 it has been shown that the linearised time evolution
equations of general relativity can be extended to a system whose solutions
asymptotically approach solutions of the constraints. In this paper we extend
the non-linear equations in similar ways and investigate the effect of various
possibilities by numerical means. Although we were not able to make the
constraint submanifold an attractor for all solutions of the extended system,
we were able to significantly reduce the growth of the numerical violation of
the constraints. Contrary to our expectations this improvement did not imply a
numerical solution closer to the exact solution, and therefore did not improve
the quality of the numerical solution.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Axisymmetric core collapse simulations using characteristic numerical relativity
We present results from axisymmetric stellar core collapse simulations in
general relativity. Our hydrodynamics code has proved robust and accurate
enough to allow for a detailed analysis of the global dynamics of the collapse.
Contrary to traditional approaches based on the 3+1 formulation of the
gravitational field equations, our framework uses a foliation based on a family
of outgoing light cones, emanating from a regular center, and terminating at
future null infinity. Such a coordinate system is well adapted to the study of
interesting dynamical spacetimes in relativistic astrophysics such as stellar
core collapse and neutron star formation. Perhaps most importantly this
procedure allows for the unambiguous extraction of gravitational waves at
future null infinity without any approximation, along with the commonly used
quadrupole formalism for the gravitational wave extraction. Our results
concerning the gravitational wave signals show noticeable disagreement when
those are extracted by computing the Bondi news at future null infinity on the
one hand and by using the quadrupole formula on the other hand. We have strong
indication that for our setup the quadrupole formula on the null cone does not
lead to physical gravitational wave signals. The Bondi gravitational wave
signals extracted at infinity show typical oscillation frequencies of about 0.5
kHz.Comment: 17 pages, 18 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Scalar field induced oscillations of neutron stars and gravitational collapse
We study the interaction of massless scalar fields with self-gravitating
neutron stars by means of fully dynamic numerical simulations of the
Einstein-Klein-Gordon perfect fluid system. Our investigation is restricted to
spherical symmetry and the neutron stars are approximated by relativistic
polytropes. Studying the nonlinear dynamics of isolated neutron stars is very
effectively performed within the characteristic formulation of general
relativity, in which the spacetime is foliated by a family of outgoing light
cones. We are able to compactify the entire spacetime on a computational grid
and simultaneously impose natural radiative boundary conditions and extract
accurate radiative signals. We study the transfer of energy from the scalar
field to the fluid star. We find, in particular, that depending on the
compactness of the neutron star model, the scalar wave forces the neutron star
either to oscillate in its radial modes of pulsation or to undergo
gravitational collapse to a black hole on a dynamical timescale. The radiative
signal, read off at future null infinity, shows quasi-normal oscillations
before the setting of a late time power-law tail.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Oxygen: A Fundamental Property Regulating Pelagic Ecosystem Structure in the Coastal Southeastern Tropical Pacific
Background: In the southeastern tropical Pacific anchovy (Engraulis ringens) and sardine (Sardinops sagax) abundance have recently fluctuated on multidecadal scales and food and temperature have been proposed as the key parameters explaining these changes. However, ecological and paleoecological studies, and the fact that anchovies and sardines are favored differently in other regions, raise questions about the role of temperature. Here we investigate the role of oxygen in structuring fish populations in the Peruvian upwelling ecosystem that has evolved over anoxic conditions and is one of the world's most productive ecosystems in terms of forage fish. This study is particularly relevant given that the distribution of oxygen in the ocean is changing with uncertain consequences. Methodology/Principal Findings: A comprehensive data set is used to show how oxygen concentration and oxycline depth affect the abundance and distribution of pelagic fish. We show that the effects of oxygen on anchovy and sardine are opposite. Anchovy flourishes under relatively low oxygen conditions while sardine avoid periods/areas with low oxygen concentration and restricted habitat. Oxygen consumption, trophic structure and habitat compression play a fundamental role in fish dynamics in this important ecosystem. Conclusions/Significance: For the ocean off Peru we suggest that a key process, the need to breathe, has been neglected previously. Inclusion of this missing piece allows the development of a comprehensive conceptual model of pelagic fish populations and change in an ocean ecosystem impacted by low oxygen. Should current trends in oxygen in the ocean continue similar effects may be evident in other coastal upwelling ecosystems