6,086 research outputs found
An investigation into the archaeological application of carbon stable isotope analysis used to establish crop water availability: solutions and ways forward
Carbon stable isotope analysis of charred cereal remains
is a relatively new method employed by archaeological
scientists to investigate ancient climate and irrigation
regimes. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of
environmental variables on carbon isotope
discrimination (D) in multiple environments to develop
the technique and its archaeological application, using
crops grown at three experimental stations in Jordan.
There are two key results: (1) as expected, there was a
strong positive relationship between water availability
and D; (2) site, not water input, was the most important
factor in determining D. Future work should concentrate
on establishing ways of correcting D for the influence of
site specific environmental variables and on assessing
how well carbon isotope discrimination values are
preserved within the archaeological record
Impedance of a sphere oscillating in an elastic medium with and without slip
The dynamic impedance of a sphere oscillating in an elastic medium is
considered. Oestreicher's formula for the impedance of a sphere bonded to the
surrounding medium can be expressed simply in terms of three lumped impedances
associated with the displaced mass and the longitudinal and transverse waves.
If the surface of the sphere slips while the normal velocity remains
continuous, the impedance formula is modified by adjusting the definition of
the transverse impedance to include the interfacial impedance.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure
Consequences of asteroid fragmentation during impact hazard mitigation
The consequences of the fragmentation of an Earth-threatening asteroid due to an attempted deflection are examined in this paper. The minimum required energy for a successful impulsive deflection of a threatening object is computed and compared to the energy required to break up a small size asteroid. The results show that the fragmentation of an asteroid that underwent an impulsive deflection, such as a kinetic impact or a nuclear explosion, is a very plausible event.Astatistical model is used to approximate the number and size of the fragments as well as the distribution of velocities at the instant after the deflection attempt takes place. This distribution of velocities is a function of the energy provided by the deflection attempt, whereas the number and size of the asteroidal fragments is a function of the size of the largest fragment. The model also takes into account the gravity forces that could lead to a reaggregation of the asteroid after fragmentation. The probability distribution of the pieces after the deflection is then propagated forward in time until the encounter with Earth. A probability damage factor (i.e., expected damage caused by a given size fragment multiplied by its impact probability) is then computed and analyzed for different plausible scenarios, characterized by different levels of deflection energies and lead times
The Stochastic Dynamics of Rectangular and V-shaped Atomic Force Microscope Cantilevers in a Viscous Fluid and Near a Solid Boundary
Using a thermodynamic approach based upon the fluctuation-dissipation theorem
we quantify the stochastic dynamics of rectangular and V-shaped microscale
cantilevers immersed in a viscous fluid. We show that the stochastic cantilever
dynamics as measured by the displacement of the cantilever tip or by the angle
of the cantilever tip are different. We trace this difference to contributions
from the higher modes of the cantilever. We find that contributions from the
higher modes are significant in the dynamics of the cantilever tip-angle. For
the V-shaped cantilever the resulting flow field is three-dimensional and
complex in contrast to what is found for a long and slender rectangular
cantilever. Despite this complexity the stochastic dynamics can be predicted
using a two-dimensional model with an appropriately chosen length scale. We
also quantify the increased fluid dissipation that results as a V-shaped
cantilever is brought near a solid planar boundary.Comment: 10 pages, 15 images, corrected equation (8
Thin-film flow in helically wound rectangular channels with small torsion
Laminar gravity-driven thin-film flow down a helically-wound channel of rectangular cross-section with small torsion in which the fluid depth is small is considered. Neglecting the entrance and exit regions we obtain the steady-state solution that is independent of position along the axis of the channel, so that the flow, which comprises a primary flow in the direction of the axis of the channel and a secondary flow in the cross-sectional plane, depends only on position in the two-dimensional cross-section of the channel. A thin-film approximation yields explicit expressions for the fluid velocity and pressure in terms of the free-surface shape, the latter satisfying a non-linear ordinary differential equation that has a simple exact solution in the special case of a channel of rectangular cross-section. The predictions of the thin-film model are shown to be in good agreement with much more computationally intensive solutions of the small-helix-torsion Navier–Stokes equations. The present work has particular relevance to spiral particle separators used in the mineral-processing industry. The validity of an assumption commonly used in modelling flow in spiral separators, namely that the flow in the outer region of the separator cross-section is described by a free vortex, is shown to depend on the problem parameters
Giant viscosity enhancement in a spin-polarized Fermi liquid
The viscosity is measured for a Fermi liquid, a dilute He-He mixture,
under extremely high magnetic field/temperature conditions ( T, mK). The spin splitting energy is substantially greater than
the Fermi energy ; as a consequence the polarization tends to unity
and s-wave quasiparticle scattering is suppressed for . Using a
novel composite vibrating-wire viscometer an enhancement of the viscosity is
observed by a factor of more than 500 over its low-field value. Good agreement
is found between the measured viscosity and theoretical predictions based upon
a -matrix formalism.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
EVA assembly of large space structure element
The results of a test program to assess the potential of manned extravehicular activity (EVA) assembly of erectable space trusses are described. Seventeen tests were conducted in which six "space-weight" columns were assembled into a regular tetrahedral cell by a team of two "space"-suited test subjects. This cell represents the fundamental "element" of a tetrahedral truss structure. The tests were conducted under simulated zero-gravity conditions. Both manual and simulated remote manipulator system modes were evaluated. Articulation limits of the pressure suit and zero gravity could be accommodated by work stations with foot restraints. The results of this study have confirmed that astronaut EVA assembly of large, erectable space structures is well within man's capabilities
Surface polaritons on left-handed cylinders: A complex angular momentum analysis
We consider the scattering of electromagnetic waves by a left-handed cylinder
-- i.e., by a cylinder fabricated from a left-handed material -- in the
framework of complex angular momentum techniques. We discuss both the TE and TM
theories. We emphasize more particularly the resonant aspects of the problem
linked to the existence of surface polaritons. We prove that the long-lived
resonant modes can be classified into distinct families, each family being
generated by one surface polariton propagating close to the cylinder surface
and we physically describe all the surface polaritons by providing, for each
one, its dispersion relation and its damping. This can be realized by noting
that each surface polariton corresponds to a particular Regge pole of the
matrix of the cylinder. Moreover, for both polarizations, we find that there
exists a particular surface polariton which corresponds, in the large-radius
limit, to the surface polariton which is supported by the plane interface.
There exists also an infinite family of surface polaritons of
whispering-gallery type which have no analogs in the plane interface case and
which are specific to left-handed materials.Comment: published version. v3: reference list correcte
New Approach to Nonlinear Dynamics of Fullerenes and Fullerites
New type of nonlinear (anharmonic) excitations -- bushes of vibrational modes
-- in physical systems with point or space symmetry are discussed. All infrared
active and Raman active bushes for C60 fulerene are found by means of special
group-theoretical methods.Comment: LaTeX, 8 pages, to be published in Fizika Tverdogo Tela, 200
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