37,242 research outputs found
Acid rain: Mesoscale model
A mesoscale numerical model of the Florida peninsula was formulated and applied to a dry, neutral atmosphere. The prospective use of the STAR-100 computer for the submesoscale model is discussed. The numerical model presented is tested under synoptically undisturbed conditions. Two cases, differing only in the direction of the prevailing geostrophic wind, are examined: a prevailing southwest wind and a prevailing southeast wind, both 6 m/sec at all levels initially
On the origin of probability in quantum mechanics
I give a brief introduction to many worlds or "no wavefunction collapse"
quantum mechanics, suitable for non-specialists. I then discuss the origin of
probability in such formulations, distinguishing between objective and
subjective notions of probability.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. This version to appear as a Brief Review in
Modern Physics Letter
Sagnac Interferometer Enhanced Particle Tracking in Optical Tweezers
A setup is proposed to enhance tracking of very small particles, by using
optical tweezers embedded within a Sagnac interferometer. The achievable
signal-to-noise ratio is shown to be enhanced over that for a standard optical
tweezers setup. The enhancement factor increases asymptotically as the
interferometer visibility approaches 100%, but is capped at a maximum given by
the ratio of the trapping field intensity to the detector saturation threshold.
For an achievable visibility of 99%, the signal-to-noise ratio is enhanced by a
factor of 200, and the minimum trackable particle size is 2.4 times smaller
than without the interferometer
Evaluation of innovative sprayed-concrete-lined tunnelling
The front-shunt tunnel was the first tunnel of the Terminal 5 project at Heathrow to be constructed, and was the first section of sprayed-concrete-lined (SCL) tunnel to be constructed using the method known as LaserShell. This innovation represented a significant deviation from the methods previously used in SCL construction. Therefore it was subjected to a careful examination before and during construction using sophisticated 3D numerical modelling and monitoring during construction. The paper presents typical results from surface settlement levelling, inclinometers and extensometers, pressure cells and tunnel lining displacement measurements, and comments on the performance of the methods and instruments used. The paper then presents the methodology and typical results of the numerical modelling, and shows that the predictions of displacements and stresses compared well with the field measurements. In terms of the control of ground deformations and structural safety the tunnel performed well
Effective interactions between star polymers
We study numerically the effective pair potential between star polymers with
equal arm lengths and equal number of arms. The simulations were done for
the soft core Domb-Joyce model on the simple cubic lattice, to minimize
corrections to scaling and to allow for an unlimited number of arms. For the
sampling, we used the pruned-enriched Rosenbluth method (PERM). We find that
the potential is much less soft than claimed in previous papers, in particular
for . While we verify the logarithmic divergence of , with
being the distance between the two cores, predicted by Witten and Pincus, we
find for that the Mayer function is hardly distinguishable from that for
a Gaussian potential.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Grand unification through gravitational effects
We systematically study the unification of gauge couplings in the presence of
(one or more) effective dimension-5 operators cHGG/4MPl, induced into the grand
unified theory by gravitational interactions at the Planck scale MPl. These
operators alter the usual condition for gauge coupling unification, which can,
depending on the Higgs content H and vacuum expectation value, result in
unification at scales MX significantly different than naively expected. We find
non-supersymmetric models of SU(5) and SO(10) unification, with natural Wilson
coefficients c, that easily satisfy the constraints from proton decay.
Furthermore, gauge coupling unification at scales as high as the Planck scale
seems feasible, possibly hinting at simultaneous unification of gauge and
gravitational interactions. In the Appendix we work out the group theoretical
aspects of this scenario for SU(5) and SO(10) unified groups in detail; this
material is also relevant in the analysis of non-universal gaugino masses
obtained from supergravity.Comment: 27 pages, 5 figures, 8 tables, 1 appendix, revtex; v2: introduction
and conclusion expanded, references added, minor changes, version published
in PR
Unitarity and the Hilbert space of quantum gravity
Under the premises that physics is unitary and black hole evaporation is
complete (no remnants, no topology change), there must exist a one-to-one
correspondence between states on future null and timelike infinity and on any
earlier spacelike Cauchy surface (e.g., slices preceding the formation of the
hole). We show that these requirements exclude a large set of semiclassical
spacetime configurations from the Hilbert space of quantum gravity. In
particular, the highest entropy configurations, which account for almost all of
the volume of semiclassical phase space, would not have quantum counterparts,
i.e. would not correspond to allowed states in a quantum theory of gravity.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, revtex; minor changes in v2 (version published in
Class. Quant. Grav.
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