Black hole neutron star coalescence as a source of gamma-ray bursts

We present the results of hydrodynamic (SPH) simulations showing the coalescence of a black hole with a neutron star to be a promising theoretical source of short duration gamma-ray bursts. The favorable features of the process include rapid onset, millisecond variability, a duration much longer than the dynamical timescale, and a range of outcomes sufficient to allow variety in the properties of individual gamma-ray bursts. Interestingly, the process of coalescence differs rather markedly from past predictions.Comment: 6 pages, 4 Postscript figures, uses aipproc.sty . To appear in 4th Gamma Ray Bursts Symposium, C.A. Meegan and P. Cushman, ed

Origin of synchronized traffic flow on highways and its dynamic phase transitions

We study the traffic flow on a highway with ramps through numerical simulations of a hydrodynamic traffic flow model. It is found that the presence of the external vehicle flux through ramps generates a new state of recurring humps (RH). This novel dynamic state is characterized by temporal oscillations of the vehicle density and velocity which are localized near ramps, and found to be the origin of the synchronized traffic flow reported recently [PRL 79, 4030 (1997)]. We also argue that the dynamic phase transitions between the free flow and the RH state can be interpreted as a subcritical Hopf bifurcation.Comment: 4 pages, source TeX file and 4 figures are tarred and compressed via uufile

Polarization Structures in the Thomson-Scattered Emission Lines in Active Galactic Nuclei

A line photon incident in an electron-scattering medium is transferred in a diffusive way both in real space and in frequency space, and the mean number of scatterings changes as the wavelength shifts from the line center. This leads to the profile broadening and polarization dependence on the wavelength shift as a function of the Thomson optical depth $\tau_T$. We find that the polarization of the Thomson-scattered emission lines has a dip around the line center when $\tau_T$ does not exceed a few. Various structures such as the polarization flip are also seen. An application to an ionized halo component surrounding the broad emission line region in active galactic nuclei is considered and it is found that the polarization structures may still persist. Brief discussions on observational implications are given.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

On Inhomogeneity of a String Bit Model for Quantum Gravity

We study quantum gravitational effect on a two-dimensional open universe with one particle by means of a string bit model. We find that matter is necessarily homogeneously distributed if the influence of the particle on the size of the universe is optimized.Comment: 16 pages, LaTeX2

Unitary Irreducible Representations of a Lie Algebra for Matrix Chain Models

There is a decomposition of a Lie algebra for open matrix chains akin to the triangular decomposition. We use this decomposition to construct unitary irreducible representations. All multiple meson states can be retrieved this way. Moreover, they are the only states with a finite number of non-zero quantum numbers with respect to a certain set of maximally commuting linearly independent quantum observables. Any other state is a tensor product of a multiple meson state and a state coming from a representation of a quotient algebra that extends and generalizes the Virasoro algebra. We expect the representation theory of this quotient algebra to describe physical systems at the thermodynamic limit.Comment: 46 pages, no figure; LaTeX2e, amssymb, latexsym; typos correcte

Crystal Symmetry, Electron-Phonon Coupling, and Superconducting Tendencies in Li2_2Pd3_3B and Li2_2Pt3_3B

After theoretical determination of the internal structural coordinates in Li$_2$Pd$_3$B, we calculate and analyze its electronic structure and obtain the frequencies of the two $A_g$ phonons (40.6 meV for nearly pure Li mode, 13.0 meV for the strongly mixed Pd-Li mode). Pd can be ascribed a $4d^{10}$ configuration, but strong 4d character remains up to the Fermi level. Small regions of flat bands occur at -70 meV at both the $\Gamma$ and X points. Comparison of the Fermi level density of states to the linear specific heat coefficient gives a dynamic mass enhancement of $\lambda$ = 0.75. Rough Fermi surface averages of the deformation potentials $D$ of individual Pd and Li displacements are obtained. While is small, ~ 1.15 eV/\AA is sizable, and a plausible case exists for its superconductivity at 8 K being driven primarily by coupling to Pd vibrations. The larger d bandwidth in Li$_2$Pt$_3$B leads to important differences in the bands near the Fermi surface. The effect on the band structure of spin-orbit coupling plus lack of inversion is striking, and is much larger in the Pt compound.Comment: 8 pages and 8embedded figures, to be appeared in PR

Postbuckling failure of composite plates with central holes

The postbuckling failure of square composite plates with central holes is analyzed numerically and experimentally. The particular plates studies have stacking sequences of: (+ and - 45/0/90)(sub 2S); (+ and - 45/0(sub 2))(sub 2S); (+ and - 45/0(sub 6))(sub S); and (+ and - 45)(sub 4S). A simple plate geometry, one with a hole diameter to plate width ratio of 0.3 is compared. Failure load, failure mode, and failure location are predicted numerically by using the finite element method. Predictions are compared with experimental results. In numerical failure analysis the interlaminar shear stresses, as well as the inplane stresses are taken into account. An issue addressed in this study is the possible mode shape change of the plate during loading. It is predicted that the first three laminates fail due to excessive stresses in the fiber direction, and more importantly, that the load level is independent of whether the laminate is deformed in a one-half or two-half wave configuration. It is predicted that the fourth laminate fails due to excessive inplane shear stress. Interlaminar shear failure is not predicted for any laminates. For the first two laminates the experimental observations correlated well with the predictions. Experimentally, the third laminate failed along the side support due to interlaminar shear strength S(sub 23). The fourth experimental laminate failed due to inplane shear in the location predicted, however material softening resulted in a different failure load from predictions