7,359 research outputs found
Charge-Transfer from Molecular-Hydrogen to Stored O-2+ and O-3+ Ions
Journals published by the American Physical Society can be found at http://publish.aps.org
ASMs and Operational Algorithmic Completeness of Lambda Calculus
We show that lambda calculus is a computation model which can step by step
simulate any sequential deterministic algorithm for any computable function
over integers or words or any datatype. More formally, given an algorithm above
a family of computable functions (taken as primitive tools, i.e., kind of
oracle functions for the algorithm), for every constant K big enough, each
computation step of the algorithm can be simulated by exactly K successive
reductions in a natural extension of lambda calculus with constants for
functions in the above considered family. The proof is based on a fixed point
technique in lambda calculus and on Gurevich sequential Thesis which allows to
identify sequential deterministic algorithms with Abstract State Machines. This
extends to algorithms for partial computable functions in such a way that
finite computations ending with exceptions are associated to finite reductions
leading to terms with a particular very simple feature.Comment: 37 page
Reservoirs and radiocarbon: <sup>14</sup>C dating problems in Myvatnssveit, Northern Iceland
This paper examines 2 potential sources of the radiocarbon offset between human and terrestrial mammal (horse) bones recovered from Norse (~AD 870–1000) pagan graves in Mývatnssveit, north Iceland. These are the marine and freshwater 14C reservoir effects that may be incorporated into human bones from dietary sources. The size of the marine 14C reservoir effect (MRE) during the Norse period was investigated by measurement of multiple paired samples (terrestrial mammal
and marine mollusk shell) at 2 archaeological sites in Mývatnssveit and 1 site on the north Icelandic coast. These produced 3 new ΔR values for the north coast of Iceland, indicating a ΔR of 106 ± 10 14C yr at AD 868–985, and of 144 ± 28 14C yr at AD 1280–1400. These values are statistically comparable and give an overall weighted mean ΔR of 111 ± 10 14C yr.
The freshwater reservoir effect was similarly quantified using freshwater fish bones from a site in Mývatnssveit. These show an offset of between 1285 and 1830 14C yr, where the fish are depleted in 14C relative to the terrestrial mammals. This is attributed to the input of geothermally derived CO2 into the groundwater and subsequently into Lake Mývatn. We conclude the following: i) some of the Norse inhabitants of Mývatnssveit incorporated non-terrestrial resources into their diet that may be identified from the stable isotope composition of their bone collagen; ii) the MRE off the north Icelandic coast during the Norse period fits a spatial gradient of wider North Atlantic MRE values with increasing values to the northwest; and iii) it is important to consider the effect that geothermal activity could have on the 14C activity of samples influenced by groundwater at Icelandic archaeological sites
Natural and Human-Induced Variability in Barrier-Island Response to Sea Level Rise
Storm-driven sediment fluxes onto and behind barrier islands help coastal barrier systems keep pace with sea level rise (SLR). Understanding what controls cross-shore sediment flux magnitudes is critical for making accurate forecasts of barrier response to increased SLR rates. Here, using an existing morphodynamic model for barrier island evolution, observations are used to constrain model parameters and explore potential variability in future barrier behavior. Using modeled drowning outcomes as a proxy for vulnerability to SLR, 0%, 28%, and 100% of the barrier is vulnerable to SLR rates of 4, 7, and 10 mm/yr, respectively. When only overwash fluxes are increased in the model, drowning vulnerability increases for the same rates of SLR, suggesting that future increases in storminess may increase island vulnerability particularly where sediment resources are limited. Developed sites are more vulnerable to SLR, indicating that anthropogenic changes to overwash fluxes and estuary depths could profoundly affect future barrier response to SLR
Temporal and spatial variations in freshwater 14C reservoir effects: Lake Myvatn, Northern Iceland
Lake Mývatn is an interior highland lake in northern Iceland that forms a unique ecosystem of international scientific importance and is surrounded by a landscape rich in archaeological and palaeoenvironmental sites. A significant Freshwater 14C Reservoir Effect (FRE) has been identified in carbon from the lake at some Norse (c.870-1000 AD) archaeological sites in the wider region (Mývatnssveit). Previous AMS measurements indicated this FRE was ~1500-1900 14C years. Here we present the results of a study using stable isotope and 14C measurements to quantify the Mývatn FRE for both the Norse and modern periods. This work has identified a temporally variable FRE that is greatly in excess of previous assessments. New, paired samples of contemporaneous bone from terrestrial herbivores and omnivores (including humans) from Norse sites demonstrate at least some omnivore diets incorporated sufficient freshwater resources to result in a herbivore-omnivore age offset of up to 400 14C yrs. Modern samples of benthic detritus, aquatic plants, zooplankton, invertebrates and freshwater fish indicate an FRE in excess of 5000 14C yrs in some species. Likely geothermal mechanisms for this large FRE are discussed, along with implications for both chronological reconstruction and integrated investigation of stable and radioactive isotop
An X-Ray Dip in the X-Ray Transient 4U 1630-47
An x-ray dip was observed during a 1996 Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer
observation of the recurrent x-ray transient 4U 1630-47. During the dip, the
2-60 keV x-ray flux drops by a factor of about three, and, at the lowest point
of the dip, the x-ray spectrum is considerably softer than at non-dip times. We
find that the 4U 1630-47 dip is best explained by absorption of the inner part
of an accretion disk, while the outer part of the disk is unaffected. The
spectral evolution during the dip is adequately described by the variation of a
single parameter, the column density obscuring the inner disk.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap
The Structure and X-ray Recombination Emission of a Centrally Illuminated Accretion Disk Atmosphere and Corona
We model an accretion disk atmosphere and corona photoionized by a central
X-ray continuum source. We calculate the opacity and radiation transfer for an
array of disk radii, to obtain the two-dimensional structure of the disk and
its X-ray recombination emission. The atmospheric structure is insensitive to
the viscosity alpha. We find a feedback mechanism between the disk structure
and the central illumination, which expands the disk and increases the solid
angle subtended by the atmosphere. We model the disk of a neutron star X-ray
binary. We map the temperature, density, and ionization structure of the disk,
and we simulate the high resolution spectra observable with the Chandra and
XMM-Newton grating spectrometers. The X-ray emission lines from the disk
atmosphere are detectable, especially for high-inclination binary systems. The
grating observations of two classes of X-ray binaries already reveal important
spectral similarities with our models. The line spectrum is very sensitive to
the structure of each atmospheric layer, and it probes the heating mechanisms
in the disk. The model spectrum is dominated by double-peaked lines of H-like
and He-like ions, plus weak Fe L. Species with a broad range of ionization
levels coexist at each radius: from Fe XXVI in the hot corona, to C VI at the
base of the atmosphere. The choice of stable solutions affects the spectrum,
since a thermal instability is present in the regime where the X-ray
recombination emission is most intense.Comment: 32 pages, incl. 26 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
A mapping approach to synchronization in the "Zajfman trap": stability conditions and the synchronization mechanism
We present a two particle model to explain the mechanism that stabilizes a
bunch of positively charged ions in an "ion trap resonator" [Pedersen etal,
Phys. Rev. Lett. 87 (2001) 055001]. The model decomposes the motion of the two
ions into two mappings for the free motion in different parts of the trap and
one for a compressing momentum kick. The ions' interaction is modelled by a
time delay, which then changes the balance between adjacent momentum kicks.
Through these mappings we identify the microscopic process that is responsible
for synchronization and give the conditions for that regime.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures; submitted to Phys Rev
Computable functions, quantum measurements, and quantum dynamics
We construct quantum mechanical observables and unitary operators which, if
implemented in physical systems as measurements and dynamical evolutions, would
contradict the Church-Turing thesis which lies at the foundation of computer
science. We conclude that either the Church-Turing thesis needs revision, or
that only restricted classes of observables may be realized, in principle, as
measurements, and that only restricted classes of unitary operators may be
realized, in principle, as dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, REVTE
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