Optimization of heat treatment of TRIP steels

In transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) steels, proper microstructure is essential. The TRIP effectprovides the material with high plasticity owing to high volume fraction of ductile phases (ferrite andaustenite) in microstructure. In consequence, it provides high hardening through deformation andtransformation. The hardening is caused by transformation of retained austenite to martensite. Suitablemicrostructure for TRIP effect can be obtained by either thermomechanical or heat treatment. Presentpaper describes development of an intercritical annealing technology, which guarantees fine-grainedmicrostructure formation consisting of appropriate fractions of ferrite, lower bainite and retainedaustenite. Such structure is suitable for further cold forming with TRIP effect hardening

Overview of APEX Project Results

The APEX mother-daughter project (Active Plasma EXperiments) was launched into an elliptical polar orbit (440–3,080 km) in December 1991. It consisted of the main Russian Interkosmos–25 (IK–25) satellite and the Czech MAGION–3 subsatellite, both with international scientific payloads. The mission used intensive modulated electron beam emissions and xenon plasma or neutral releases from the main satellite for studies of dynamic processes in the magnetosphere and upper ionosphere. Its main scientific objectives were to simulate an artificial aurora and to study optical and radio emissions from the aurora region, and to investigate the dynamics and relaxation of modulated electron and plasma jets, artificially injected into the ionospheric plasma. The experiments studied the Critical Ionization Velocity phenomenon and a diamagnetic cavity formation during the xenon releases, local and distant effects of the electron beam injection, spacecraft charging and potential balance, and plasma-wave interactions during the artificial emissions. Attempts were performed to utilize the modulated electron beam as an active transmitting antenna in the space. The theory of ballistic wave propagation across plasma barrier was tested in a joint active experiment with the Dushanbe ionospheric heater facility. In the paper, we give a short overview of the IK–25/MAGION–3 scientific instrumentation and methodology of experiments with artificial beam injections and we provide a review of the main APEX active experiments results, many of which have been published only in the Russian language so far. From a historical 25-years-long perspective, we try to put the results of the APEX experiments into the context of other active experiments in the space plasma

Plate tectonics of virus shell assembly and reorganization in phage φ8, a distant relative of mammalian reoviruses

The hallmark of a virus is its capsid, which harbors the viral genome and is formed from protein subunits, which assemble following precise geometric rules. dsRNA viruses use an unusual protein multiplicity (120 copies) to form their closed capsids. We have determined the atomic structure of the capsid protein (P1) from the dsRNA cystovirus Φ8. In the crystal P1 forms pentamers, very similar in shape to facets of empty procapsids, suggesting an unexpected assembly pathway that proceeds via a pentameric intermediate. Unlike the elongated proteins used by dsRNA mammalian reoviruses, P1 has a compact trapezoid-like shape and a distinct arrangement in the shell, with two near-identical conformers in nonequivalent structural environments. Nevertheless, structural similarity with the analogous protein from the mammalian viruses suggests a common ancestor. The unusual shape of the molecule may facilitate dramatic capsid expansion during phage maturation, allowing P1 to switch interaction interfaces to provide capsid plasticity

Long-term variations in solar wind parameters, magnetopause location, and geomagnetic activity over the last five solar cycles

We use both solar wind observations and empirical magnetopause models to reconstruct time series of the magnetopause standoff distance for nearly five solar cycles. Since the average annual interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz is about zero, and the annual IMF cone angle varies between 54.0° and 61.2°, the magnetopause standoff distance on this time scale depends mostly on the solar wind dynamic pressure. The annual IMF magnitude well correlates with the sunspot number (SSN) with a zero time lag, while the annual solar wind dynamic pressure (Pdyn) correlates reasonably well with the SSN but with 3 years time lag. At the same time, we find an anticorrelation between Pdyn and SSN in cycles 20–21 and a correlation in cycles 22–24 with 2 years time lag. Both the annual solar wind density and velocity well correlate with the dynamic pressure, but the correlation coefficient is higher for density than for velocity. The 11‐year solar cycles in the dynamic pressure variations are superimposed by an increasing trend before 1991 and a decreasing trend between 1991 and 2009. The average annual solar wind dynamic pressure decreases by a factor of three from 1991 to 2009. Correspondingly, the predicted standoff distance in Lin et al.’s (2010) magnetopause model increases from 9.7 RE in 1991 to 11.6 RE in 2009. The annual SSN, IMF magnitude and magnetospheric geomagnetic activity indices display the same trends as the dynamic pressure. We calculate extreme solar wind parameters and magnetopause standoff distance in each year using daily values and find that both extremely small and large standoff distances during a solar cycle preferably occur at solar maximum r0061ther than at solar minimum

Super fast plasma streams as drivers of transient and anomalous magnetospheric dynamics

Abstract. We present multi spacecraft measurements in the magnetosheath (MSH) and in the solar wind (SW) by Interball, Cluster and Polar, demonstrating that coherent structures with magnetosonic Mach number up to 3 – Supermagnetosonic Plasma Streams (SPS) – generate transient and anomalous boundary dynamics, which may cause substantial displacements of the magnetospheric boundaries and the riddling of peripheral boundary layers. In this regard, for the first time, we describe a direct plasma penetration into the flank boundary layers, which is a candidate for being the dominant transport mechanism for disturbed MSH periods. Typically SPS's have a ram pressure exceeding by several times that of the SW and lead to long-range correlations between processes at the bow shock (BS) and at the magnetopause (MP) on one side and between MSH and MP boundary layers on the other side. We demonstrate that SPS's can be observed both near the BS and near the MP and argue that they are often triggered by hot flow anomalies (HFA), which represent local obstacles to the SW flow and can induce the SPS generation as a means for achieving a local flow balance. Finally, we also discuss other causes of SPS's, both SW-induced and intrinsic to the MSH. SPS's appear to be universal means for establishing a new equilibrium between flowing plasmas and may also prove to be important for astrophysical and fusion applications

Hadron Energy Reconstruction for the ATLAS Calorimetry in the Framework of the Non-parametrical Method

This paper discusses hadron energy reconstruction for the ATLAS barrel prototype combined calorimeter (consisting of a lead-liquid argon electromagnetic part and an iron-scintillator hadronic part) in the framework of the non-parametrical method. The non-parametrical method utilizes only the known $e/h$ ratios and the electron calibration constants and does not require the determination of any parameters by a minimization technique. Thus, this technique lends itself to an easy use in a first level trigger. The reconstructed mean values of the hadron energies are within $\pm 1$ of the true values and the fractional energy resolution is $[(58\pm3)/\sqrt{E}+(2.5\pm0.3)$. The value of the $e/h$ ratio obtained for the electromagnetic compartment of the combined calorimeter is $1.74\pm0.04$ and agrees with the prediction that $e/h > 1.7$ for this electromagnetic calorimeter. Results of a study of the longitudinal hadronic shower development are also presented. The data have been taken in the H8 beam line of the CERN SPS using pions of energies from 10 to 300 GeV.Comment: 33 pages, 13 figures, Will be published in NIM

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections for Higgs boson production in the diphoton decay channel at s√=8 TeV with ATLAS

Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections are presented for Higgs boson production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s√=8 TeV. The analysis is performed in the H → γγ decay channel using 20.3 fb−1 of data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The signal is extracted using a fit to the diphoton invariant mass spectrum assuming that the width of the resonance is much smaller than the experimental resolution. The signal yields are corrected for the effects of detector inefficiency and resolution. The pp → H → γγ fiducial cross section is measured to be 43.2 ±9.4(stat.) − 2.9 + 3.2 (syst.) ±1.2(lumi)fb for a Higgs boson of mass 125.4GeV decaying to two isolated photons that have transverse momentum greater than 35% and 25% of the diphoton invariant mass and each with absolute pseudorapidity less than 2.37. Four additional fiducial cross sections and two cross-section limits are presented in phase space regions that test the theoretical modelling of different Higgs boson production mechanisms, or are sensitive to physics beyond the Standard Model. Differential cross sections are also presented, as a function of variables related to the diphoton kinematics and the jet activity produced in the Higgs boson events. The observed spectra are statistically limited but broadly in line with the theoretical expectations

Measurement of the production of a W boson in association with a charm quark in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The production of a W boson in association with a single charm quark is studied using 4.6 fb−1 of pp collision data at s√ = 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. In events in which a W boson decays to an electron or muon, the charm quark is tagged either by its semileptonic decay to a muon or by the presence of a charmed meson. The integrated and differential cross sections as a function of the pseudorapidity of the lepton from the W-boson decay are measured. Results are compared to the predictions of next-to-leading-order QCD calculations obtained from various parton distribution function parameterisations. The ratio of the strange-to-down sea-quark distributions is determined to be 0.96+0.26−0.30 at Q 2 = 1.9 GeV2, which supports the hypothesis of an SU(3)-symmetric composition of the light-quark sea. Additionally, the cross-section ratio σ(W + +c¯¯)/σ(W − + c) is compared to the predictions obtained using parton distribution function parameterisations with different assumptions about the s−s¯¯¯ quark asymmetry