Stochastic stability of viscoelastic systems under Gaussian and Poisson white noise excitations

As the use of viscoelastic materials becomes increasingly popular, stability of viscoelastic structures under random loads becomes increasingly important. This paper aims at studying the asymptotic stability of viscoelastic systems under Gaussian and Poisson white noise excitations with Lyapunov functions. The viscoelastic force is approximated as equivalent stiffness and damping terms. A stochastic differential equation is set up to represent randomly excited viscoelastic systems, from which a Lyapunov function is determined by intuition. The time derivative of this Lyapunov function is then obtained by stochastic averaging. Approximate conditions are derived for asymptotic Lyapunov stability with probability one of the viscoelastic system. Validity and utility of this approach are illustrated by a Duffing-type oscillator possessing viscoelastic forces, and the influence of different parameters on the stability region is delineated

Comparison of different measures for quantum discord under non-Markovian noise

Two geometric measures for quantum discord were recently proposed by Modi et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 080501 (2010)] and Dakic et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 190502 (2010)]. We study the similarities and differences for total quantum correlations of Bell-diagonal states using these two geometry-based quantum discord and the original quantum discord. We show that, under non-Markovian dephasing channels, quantum discord and one of the geometric measures stay constant for a finite amount of time, but not the other geometric measure. However, all the three measures share a common sudden change point. Our study on critical point of sudden transition might be useful for keeping long time total quantum correlations under decoherence.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures submitted for publicatio

Vibration Powered Radiation of Quaking Magnetar

In juxtaposition with the standard model of rotation powered pulsar, the model of vibration powered magnetar undergoing quake-induced torsional Alfven vibrations in its own ultra strong magnetic field experiencing decay is considered. The presented line of argument suggests that gradual decrease of frequencies (lengthening of periods) of long-periodic pulsed radiation detected from a set of X-ray sources can be attributed to magnetic-field-decay induced energy conversion from seismic vibrations to magneto-dipole radiation of quaking magnetar.Comment: Text of talk presented at "Mini-Workshop on Pulsars", Nov. 12th, 2010; KIAA-PKU, Beijin

Visualizing urban microclimate and quantifying its impact on building energy use in San Francisco

Weather data at nearby airports are usually used in building energy simulation to estimate energy use in buildings or evaluate building design or retrofit options. However, due to urbanization and geography characteristics, local weather conditions can differ significantly from those at airports. This study presents the visualization of 10-year hourly weather data measured at 27 sites in San Francisco, aiming to provide insights into the urban microclimate and urban heat island effect in San Francisco and how they evolve during the recent decade. The 10-year weather data are used in building energy simulations to investigate its influence on energy use and electrical peak demand, which informs the city's policy making on building energy efficiency and resilience. The visualization feature is implemented in CityBES, an open web-based data and computing platform for urban building energy research