4,295 research outputs found
Global Diffusion in a Realistic Three-Dimensional Time-Dependent Nonturbulent Fluid Flow
We introduce and study the first model of an experimentally realizable
three-dimensional time-dependent nonturbulent fluid flow to display the
phenomenon of global diffusion of passive-scalar particles at arbitrarily small
values of the nonintegrable perturbation. This type of chaotic advection,
termed {\it resonance-induced diffusion\/}, is generic for a large class of
flows.Comment: 4 pages, uuencoded compressed postscript file, to appear in Phys.
Rev. Lett. Also available on the WWW from http://formentor.uib.es/~julyan/,
or on paper by reques
DASI First Results: A Measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background Angular Power Spectrum
We present measurements of anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background
(CMB) from the first season of observations with the Degree Angular Scale
Interferometer (DASI). The instrument was deployed at the South Pole in the
austral summer 1999--2000, and made observations throughout the following
austral winter. We have measured the angular power spectrum of the CMB in the
range 100<l<900 with high signal-to-noise. In this paper we review the
formalism used in the analysis, in particular the use of constraint matrices to
project out contaminants such as ground and point source signals, and to test
for correlations with diffuse foreground templates. We find no evidence of
foregrounds other than point sources in the data, and find a maximum likelihood
temperature spectral index beta = -0.1 +/- 0.2 (1 sigma), consistent with CMB.
We detect a first peak in the power spectrum at l approx 200, in agreement with
previous experiments. In addition, we detect a peak in the power spectrum at l
approx 550 and power of similar magnitude at l approx 800 which are consistent
with the second and third harmonic peaks predicted by adiabatic inflationary
cosmological models.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, minor changes in response to referee comment
Impact History on Vesta: Petrographic, Compositional and Future Chronological Studies of Melt Clasts in Howardites
Howardite meteorites are polymict breccias composed mainly of eucritic and diogenitic material that likely originate from the surface of the Asteroid 4 Vesta. They can be separated into two subtypes: Regolithic, which represent the lithified remains of the active vestan regolith; Fragmental, which represent simpler polymict breccias. Amongst the regolithic features observed in the former, melt clasts are particularly striking for their appearance and compositional variability. They range from glassy spherules to finely crystalline (i.e., devitrified) clasts, and clasts containing only relict mineral grains to those containing only phenocrysts. Glasses can be separated into compositional sub-types including those with low FeO/MgO ratios (less than 5) -low alkali glasses, K-rich (K2O greater than 0.2 wt.%), Na-rich (Na2O greater than 0.6 wt.%) and CaO-rich, and those with high FeO/MgO ratios (greater than 10). There is also a distinction to be made between primary volcanic melt clasts and those produced by impacts. While suggested that a lack of chemical homogeneity among their studied melt clasts ruled out a primary volcanic origin, the low siderophile element contents observed in such clasts suggest less compositional influence from impactors than commonly assumed. Studying the chronology of the impact melt clasts in howardites can help us to better determine the timing of impact events on Vesta and the asteroid belt. In this research, we are launching an investigation into the petrology, composition (major/trace element and noble gas) and chronology of melt clasts in howardites. We have selected a set of howardites known to contain large quantities of melt clasts, and have begun the petrological and compositional studies of these materials. Once the melt clasts have been fully classified, we aim to perform chronological studies of individual clasts using both the Ar-40/Ar-39 and Pb-Pb chronometers, as well as determine the noble gas components present. Of particular note, the study will take advantage of the laser ablation techniques associated with the noble gas facilities at ASU, which will allow high-resolution, in-situ analysis of individual clasts. The broader aim of this work is to ascertain whether the impact flux in the region of the asteroid belt was similar to that on the Moon. Our understanding of impact events in the inner Solar System relies heavily on our analyses of lunar meteorites and returned samples, and there is currently some debate regarding whether there was a "Lunar Cataclysm" event around approx. 3.9 Ga, or the end of an epoch of "Late Heavy Bombardment" (LHB) at this time. New and more comprehensive constraints on howardite melt clast ages may help determine whether the asteroid belt experienced such a cataclysm or LHB
Dating Howardite Melt Clasts: Evidence for an Extended Vestan Bombardment?
Howardites are polymict breccias that, together with eucrites and diogenites (HED), likely originate from the vestan surface (regolith/ megaregolith), and display a heterogeneous distribution of eucritic and diogenitic material. Melt clasts are also present alongside other regolithic features within howardites, and are noteworthy for their compositional variability and appearance. Melt clasts formed by impact events provide a snapshot of the timings and conditions of surface gardening and bombardment on the vestan surface. By dating such clasts, we aim to better constrain the timings of impact events on Vesta, and to establish whether the impact flux in the asteroid belt was similar to that on the Moon. As the Moon is used as the basis for characterising impact models of the inner solar system, it is necessary to verify that apparent wide-scale events are seen in other planetary bodies. In particular, the observed clustering of Apollo melt clast ages between 3.8-4.0 Ga has led to two hypotheses: 1) The Moon was subjected to a sudden event - 'Lunar Cataclysm' or period of 'Late Heavy Bombardment' (LHB), 2) The age cluster represents the end of an epoch of declining bombardment or 'Heavy Bombardment. No consensus has emerged regarding one or other hypothesis. We are testing these hypotheses by seeking evidence for such events in materials other than those derived from the Moon
Episodic, compression-driven fluid venting in layered sedimentary basins
Fluid venting phenomena are prevalent in sedimentary basins globally.
Offshore, these localised fluid-expulsion events are archived in the geologic
record via the resulting pockmarks at the sea-floor. Venting is widely
interpreted to occur via hydraulic fracturing, which requires near-lithostatic
pore pressures for initiation. One common driver for these extreme pressures is
horizontal tectonic compression, which pressurises the entire sedimentary
column over a wide region. Fluid expulsion leads to a sudden, local relief of
this pressure, which then gradually recharges through continued compression,
leading to episodic venting. Pressure recharge will also occur through pressure
diffusion from neighboring regions that remain pressurised, but the combined
role of compression and pressure diffusion in episodic venting has not
previously been considered. Here, we develop a novel poroelastic model for
episodic, compression-driven venting. We show that compression and pressure
diffusion together set the resulting venting period. We derive a simple
analytical expression for this venting period, demonstrating that pressure
diffusion can significantly reduce the venting period associated with a given
rate of compression and allowing this rate of compression to be inferred from
observations of episodic venting. Our results indicate that pressure diffusion
is a major contributor to episodic fluid venting in mudstone-dominated basins
Episodic fluid venting from sedimentary basins fuelled by pressurised mudstones
Subsurface sandstone reservoirs sealed by overlying, low-permeability layers
provide capacity for long-term sequestration of anthropogenic waste. Leakage
can occur if reservoir pressures rise sufficiently to fracture the seal. Such
pressures can be generated within the reservoir by vigorous injection of waste
or, over thousands of years, by natural processes. In either case, the precise
role of intercalated mudstones in the long-term evolution of reservoir pressure
remains unclear; these layers have variously been viewed as seals, as pressure
sinks or as pressure sources. Here, we use the geological record of episodic
fluid venting in the Levant Basin to provide striking evidence for the
pressure-source hypothesis. We use a Bayesian framework to combine recently
published venting data, which record critical subsurface pressures since
2 Ma, with a stochastic model of pressure evolution to infer a
pressure-recharge rate of 30 MPa/Myr. To explain this large rate, we
quantify and compare a range of candidate mechanisms. We find that poroelastic
pressure diffusion from mudstones provides the most plausible explanation for
these observations, amplifying the 1 MPa/Myr recharge caused by tectonic
compression. Since pressurised mudstones are ubiquitous in sedimentary basins,
pressure diffusion from mudstones is likely to promote seal failure globally
The Cosmic Background Imager
Design and performance details are given for the Cosmic Background Imager
(CBI), an interferometer array that is measuring the power spectrum of
fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) for multipoles
in the range 400 < l < 3500. The CBI is located at an altitude of 5000 m in the
Atacama Desert in northern Chile. It is a planar synthesis array with 13 0.9-m
diameter antennas on a 6-m diameter tracking platform. Each antenna has a
cooled, low-noise receiver operating in the 26-36 GHz band. Signals are
cross-correlated in an analog filterbank correlator with ten 1 GHz bands. This
allows spectral index measurements which can be used to distinguish CMBR
signals from diffuse galactic foregrounds. A 1.2 kHz 180-deg phase switching
scheme is used to reject cross-talk and low-frequency pick-up in the signal
processing system. The CBI has a 3-axis mount which allows the tracking
platform to be rotated about the optical axis, providing improved (u,v)
coverage and a powerful discriminant against false signals generated in the
receiving electronics. Rotating the tracking platform also permits polarization
measurements when some of the antennas are configured for the orthogonal
polarization.Comment: 14 pages. Accepted for publication in PASP. See also
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~tjp/CBI
Linear resolutions of powers and products
The goal of this paper is to present examples of families of homogeneous
ideals in the polynomial ring over a field that satisfy the following
condition: every product of ideals of the family has a linear free resolution.
As we will see, this condition is strongly correlated to good primary
decompositions of the products and good homological and arithmetical properties
of the associated multi-Rees algebras. The following families will be discussed
in detail: polymatroidal ideals, ideals generated by linear forms and Borel
fixed ideals of maximal minors. The main tools are Gr\"obner bases and Sagbi
deformation
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