An Alpha Particle Model for Carbon-12

We introduce a new model for the Carbon-12 nucleus and compute its lowest energy levels. Our model is inspired by previous work on the rigid body approximation in the $B=12$ sector of the Skyrme model. We go beyond this approximation and treat the nucleus as a deformable body, finding several new states. A restricted set of deformations is considered, leading to a configuration space $\mathcal{C}$ which has a graph-like structure. We use ideas from quantum graph theory in order to make sense of quantum mechanics on $\mathcal{C}$ even though it is not a manifold. This is a new approach to Skyrmion quantisation and the method presented in this paper could be applied to a variety of other problems.Comment: New figures added. Revised version to appear in Nuclear Physics

On the use of sensitivity tests in seismic tomography

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was partly supported by ARC Discovery Project DP120103673 and by the Research Council of Norway through its Centres of Excellence funding scheme, project number 223272. We thank Maximilliano Bezada and an anonymous referee for constructive comments which improved the original version of the manuscript. We also thank the Editor, A. Morelli, for providing additional helpful comments.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Play in the city: Parkour and architecture

The ability to play freely in our cities is essential for sustainable wellbeing. When integrated successfully into our cities, Urban Play performs an important role; physically, socially and culturally contributing to the image of the city. While Urban Play is essential, it also finds itself in conflict with the city. Under modernist urban approaches play activities have become progressively segregated from the urban context through a tripartite of design, procurement and management practices. Despite these restrictions, emergent underground play forms overcome the isolation of play within urban space. One of these activities (parkour) is used as an evocative case study to reveal the hidden urban terrains of desire and fear as it re-interprets the fabric of the city, eliciting practice based discussions about procurement, design and management practice along its route

What can careers workers learn from the study of narrative?

This article discusses the relationship between narrative and careers work

Global correlations between maximum magnitudes of subduction zone interface thrust earthquakes and physical parameters of subduction zones

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Regularized Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics

While the treatment of conical intersections in molecular dynamics generally requires nonadiabatic approaches, the Born-Oppenheimer adiabatic approximation is still adopted as a valid alternative in certain circumstances. In the context of Mead-Truhlar minimal coupling, this paper presents a new closure of the nuclear Born-Oppenheimer equation, thereby leading to a molecular dynamics scheme capturing geometric phase effects. Specifically, a semiclassical closure of the nuclear Ehrenfest dynamics is obtained through a convenient prescription for the nuclear Bohmian trajectories. The conical intersections are suitably regularized in the resulting nuclear particle motion and the associated Lorentz force involves a smoothened Berry curvature identifying a loop-dependent geometric phase. In turn, this geometric phase rapidly reaches the usual topological index as the loop expands away from the original singularity. This feature reproduces the phenomenology appearing in recent exact nonadiabatic studies, as shown explicitly in the Jahn-Teller problem for linear vibronic coupling. Likewise, a newly proposed regularization of the diagonal correction term is also shown to reproduce quite faithfully the energy surface presented in recent nonadiabatic studies.Comment: Third version with minor changes. To appear in Phys. Rev.

"Little Islands": Challenges and Opportunities for Student Carers at the University of Westminster

Using the voice of those directly affected, this report explores the Higher Education (HE) experience of student carers (carers of ill relatives, student parents, as well as sibling carers) from application through to graduation and beyond. At present, there is limited quantitative and qualitative information about student carers held by the University of Westminster – this project aims to fill the qualitative gap. The project explored motivations to study, challenges, as well as opportunities presented by balancing caring responsibilities, work, and social life with HE study. Additionally, it reports on what student carers say would enhance their HE experience. The findings demonstrate the paramount importance of first identifying student carers, but how a perceived lack of empathy and trust in the institution, staff and other students can act as an obstacle to disclosure. Furthermore, how tailored support such as a Carers’ Passport and reasonable adjustments, the sensitive sharing of stories which heighten awareness of student carers, staff training and guidance, as well as the co-creation of resources and initiatives with student carers can aid trust building and enhance the HE experience

Tuna Baitfish and the Pole-and-line Industry in Kiribati

Livestock Production/Industries, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,