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A very small fraction of (runaway) massive stars have masses exceeding 60-70 M-circle dot and are predicted to evolve as luminous blue variable and Wolf-Rayet stars before ending their lives as core-collapse supernovae. Our 2D axisymmetric hydrodynamical simulations explore how a fast wind (2000 km s(-1)) and high mass-loss rate (10(-5)M(circle dot) yr(-1)) can impact the morphology of the circumstellar medium. It is shaped as 100 pc-scale wind nebula that can be pierced by the driving star when it supersonically moves with velocity 20-40 km s(-1) through the interstellar medium (ISM) in the Galactic plane. The motion of such runaway stars displaces the position of the supernova explosion out of their bow shock nebula, imposing asymmetries to the eventual shock wave expansion and engendering Cygnus-loop-like supernova remnants. We conclude that the size (up to more than 200 pc) of the filamentary wind cavity in which the chemically enriched supernova ejecta expand, mixing efficiently the wind and ISM materials by at least 10 per cent in number density, can be used as a tracer of the runaway nature of the very massive progenitors of such 0.1Myr old remnants. Our results motivate further observational campaigns devoted to the bow shock of the very massive stars BD+43 degrees 3654 and to the close surroundings of the synchrotron-emitting Wolf-Rayet shell G2.4+1.4.
CuI has been recently rediscovered as a p-type transparent conductor with a high figure of merit. Even though many metal iodides are hygroscopic, the effect of moisture on the electrical properties of CuI has not been clarified. In this work, we observe a 2-fold increase in the conductivity of CuI after exposure to ambient humidity for 5 h, followed by slight long-term degradation. Simultaneously, the work function of CuI decreases by almost 1 eV, which can explain the large spread in the previously reported work function values. The conductivity increase is partially reversible and is maximized at intermediate humidity levels. On the basis of the large intragrain mobility measured by THz spectroscopy, we suggest that hydration of grain boundaries may be beneficial for the overall hole mobility.
We report on the detection of very high energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from the BL Lac objects KUV 00311-1938 and PKS 1440-389 with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.). H.E.S.S. observations were accompanied or preceded by multiwavelength observations with Fermi/LAT, XRT and UVOT onboard the Swift satellite, and ATOM. Based on an extrapolation of the Fermi/LAT spectrum towards the VHE gamma-ray regime, we deduce a 95 per cent confidence level upper limit on the unknown redshift of KUV 00311-1938 of z < 0.98 and of PKS 1440-389 of z < 0.53. When combined with previous spectroscopy results, the redshift of KUV 00311-1938 is constrained to 0.51 <= z < 0.98 and of PKS 1440-389 to 0.14 (sic) z < 0.53.
We report on the detection of very high energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV) gamma-ray emission from the BL Lac objects KUV 00311-1938 and PKS 1440-389 with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.). H.E.S.S. observations were accompanied or preceded by multiwavelength observations with Fermi/LAT, XRT and UVOT onboard the Swift satellite, and ATOM. Based on an extrapolation of the Fermi/LAT spectrum towards the VHE gamma-ray regime, we deduce a 95 per cent confidence level upper limit on the unknown redshift of KUV 00311-1938 of z < 0.98 and of PKS 1440-389 of z < 0.53. When combined with previous spectroscopy results, the redshift of KUV 00311-1938 is constrained to 0.51 <= z < 0.98 and of PKS 1440-389 to 0.14 (sic) z < 0.53.
The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) is an instrument which is widely used in physics education to characterize students' attitudes toward physics and learning physics and compare them with those of experts. While CLASS has been extensively validated for use in the context of higher education institutions in the United States, there has been less information about its use with European students. We have studied the structural, content, and substantive aspects of validity of CLASS by first doing a confirmatory factor analysis of N = 642 sets of student answers from the University of Helsinki, Finland. The students represented a culturally and demographically different subset of university physics students than in previous studies. The confirmatory factor analysis used a 3-factor, 15-item factor structure as a starting point and the resulting factor structure was similar to the original. Just minor modifications were needed for fit parameters to be in the acceptable range. We explored the differences by student interviews and consultation of experts. With the exception of one item, they supported the new 14-item, 3-factor structure. The results show that the interpretations made from CLASS results are mostly transferable, and CLASS remains a useful instrument for a wide variety of populations.
Using SXRR to probe the nature of discontinuities in SLM additive manufactured inconel 718 specimens
(2020)
The utilization of additive manufacturing (AM) to fabricate robust structural components relies on understanding the nature of internal anomalies or discontinuities, which can compromise the structural integrity. While some discontinuities in AM microstructures stem from similar mechanisms as observed in more traditional processes such as casting, others are unique to the AM process. Discontinuities in AM are challenging to detect, due to their submicron size and orientation dependency. Toward the goal of improving structural integrity, minimizing discontinuities in an AM build requires an understanding of the mechanisms of formation to mitigate their occurrence. This study utilizes various techniques to evaluate the shape, size, nature and distribution of discontinuities in AM Inconel 718, in a non-hot isostatic pressed (HIPed) as-built, non-HIPed and direct age, and HIPed with two step age samples. Non-destructive synchrotron radiation refraction and transmission radiography (SXRR) provides additional information beyond that obtained with destructive optical microscopy. SXRR was able to distinguish between voids, cracks and lack of melt in, due to its sensitivity to the orientation of the discontinuity.
In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird untersucht, in wie weit physikalische Experimente ein flow-Erleben bei Lernenden hervorrufen. Flow-Erleben wird als Motivationsursache gesehen und soll den Weg zu Freude und Glück darstellen. Insbesondere wegen dem oft zitierten Fachkräftemangel in naturwissenschaftlichen und technischen Berufen ist eine Motivationssteigerung in naturwissenschaftlichen Unterrichtsfächern wichtig. Denn trotz Leistungssteigerungen in internationalen Vergleichstests möchten in Deutschland deutlich weniger Schüler*innen einen solchen Beruf ergreifen als in anderen Industriestaaten. Daher gilt es, möglichst früh Schüler*innen für naturwissenschaftlich-technische Fächer zu begeistern und insbesondere im regelrecht verhassten Physikunterricht flow-Erleben zu erzeugen.
Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wird das flow-Erleben von Studierenden in klassischen Laborexperimenten und FELS (Forschend-Entdeckendes Lernen mit dem Smartphone) als Lernumgebung untersucht. FELS ist eine an die Lebenswelt der Schüler*innen angepasste Lernumgebung, in der sie mit Smartphones ihre eigene Lebenswelt experimentell untersuchen.
Es zeigt sich, dass sowohl klassische Laborexperimente als auch in der Lebenswelt durchgeführte, smartphonebasierte Experimente flow-Erleben erzeugen. Allerdings verursachen die smartphonebasierten Experimente kaum Stressgefühle.
Die in dieser Arbeit herausgefundenen Ergebnisse liefern einen ersten Ansatz, der durch Folgestudien erweitert werden sollte.
Stochastic models based on random diffusivities, such as the diffusing-diffusivity approach, are popular concepts for the description of non-Gaussian diffusion in heterogeneous media. Studies of these models typically focus on the moments and the displacement probability density function. Here we develop the complementary power spectral description for a broad class of random-diffusivity processes. In our approach we cater for typical single particle tracking data in which a small number of trajectories with finite duration are garnered. Apart from the diffusing-diffusivity model we study a range of previously unconsidered random-diffusivity processes, for which we obtain exact forms of the probability density function. These new processes are different versions of jump processes as well as functionals of Brownian motion. The resulting behaviour subtly depends on the specific model details. Thus, the central part of the probability density function may be Gaussian or non-Gaussian, and the tails may assume Gaussian, exponential, log-normal, or even power-law forms. For all these models we derive analytically the moment-generating function for the single-trajectory power spectral density. We establish the generic 1/f²-scaling of the power spectral density as function of frequency in all cases. Moreover, we establish the probability density for the amplitudes of the random power spectral density of individual trajectories. The latter functions reflect the very specific properties of the different random-diffusivity models considered here. Our exact results are in excellent agreement with extensive numerical simulations.
Stochastic models based on random diffusivities, such as the diffusing-diffusivity approach, are popular concepts for the description of non-Gaussian diffusion in heterogeneous media. Studies of these models typically focus on the moments and the displacement probability density function. Here we develop the complementary power spectral description for a broad class of random-diffusivity processes. In our approach we cater for typical single particle tracking data in which a small number of trajectories with finite duration are garnered. Apart from the diffusing-diffusivity model we study a range of previously unconsidered random-diffusivity processes, for which we obtain exact forms of the probability density function. These new processes are different versions of jump processes as well as functionals of Brownian motion. The resulting behaviour subtly depends on the specific model details. Thus, the central part of the probability density function may be Gaussian or non-Gaussian, and the tails may assume Gaussian, exponential, log-normal, or even power-law forms. For all these models we derive analytically the moment-generating function for the single-trajectory power spectral density. We establish the generic 1/f²-scaling of the power spectral density as function of frequency in all cases. Moreover, we establish the probability density for the amplitudes of the random power spectral density of individual trajectories. The latter functions reflect the very specific properties of the different random-diffusivity models considered here. Our exact results are in excellent agreement with extensive numerical simulations.
The passive and active motion of micron-sized tracer particles in crowded liquids and inside living biological cells is ubiquitously characterised by 'viscoelastic' anomalous diffusion, in which the increments of the motion feature long-ranged negative and positive correlations. While viscoelastic anomalous diffusion is typically modelled by a Gaussian process with correlated increments, so-called fractional Gaussian noise, an increasing number of systems are reported, in which viscoelastic anomalous diffusion is paired with non-Gaussian displacement distributions. Following recent advances in Brownian yet non-Gaussian diffusion we here introduce and discuss several possible versions of random-diffusivity models with long-ranged correlations. While all these models show a crossover from non-Gaussian to Gaussian distributions beyond some correlation time, their mean squared displacements exhibit strikingly different behaviours: depending on the model crossovers from anomalous to normal diffusion are observed, as well as a priori unexpected dependencies of the effective diffusion coefficient on the correlation exponent. Our observations of the non-universality of random-diffusivity viscoelastic anomalous diffusion are important for the analysis of experiments and a better understanding of the physical origins of 'viscoelastic yet non-Gaussian' diffusion.
The passive and active motion of micron-sized tracer particles in crowded liquids and inside living biological cells is ubiquitously characterised by 'viscoelastic' anomalous diffusion, in which the increments of the motion feature long-ranged negative and positive correlations. While viscoelastic anomalous diffusion is typically modelled by a Gaussian process with correlated increments, so-called fractional Gaussian noise, an increasing number of systems are reported, in which viscoelastic anomalous diffusion is paired with non-Gaussian displacement distributions. Following recent advances in Brownian yet non-Gaussian diffusion we here introduce and discuss several possible versions of random-diffusivity models with long-ranged correlations. While all these models show a crossover from non-Gaussian to Gaussian distributions beyond some correlation time, their mean squared displacements exhibit strikingly different behaviours: depending on the model crossovers from anomalous to normal diffusion are observed, as well as a priori unexpected dependencies of the effective diffusion coefficient on the correlation exponent. Our observations of the non-universality of random-diffusivity viscoelastic anomalous diffusion are important for the analysis of experiments and a better understanding of the physical origins of 'viscoelastic yet non-Gaussian' diffusion.
A double-layer transcrystalline polypropylene (PP) film with a flat central interface layer between its two transcrystalline layers is obtained by recrystallization from the melt between two polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surfaces on both sides of the PP film. Its electret properties are studied and compared with those of a single-layer transcrystalline PP film re-crystallized in contact with only one PTFE surface. Within experimental uncertainty, the two types of transcrystalline films exhibit the same thermal properties and crystallinities. After thermal poling, however, two hetero-charge layers of opposite polarity are found on the internal interfaces of the double-layer transcrystalline films and may together be considered as micrometer-sized dipoles. The unexpected phenomenon does not occur in single-layer transcrystalline samples without a central interface layer, suggesting that the interfaces between the transcrystalline layers and the micrometer-thick central interface layer may be the origin of deeper traps rather than the crystalline structures in the transcrystallites or the spherulites. The origin of the interfacial charges was also studied by means of an injection-blocking charging method, which revealed that intrinsic charge carriers introduced during recrystallization are most likely responsible for the interfacial charges. It is fascinating that a material as familiar as PP can exhibit such intriguing properties with a special bipolar space-charge polarization across the central interface layer after quasi-epitaxial surface moulding into a double-layer transcrystalline form. In addition to applications in electret (micro-)devices for electro-mechanical transduction, the highly ordered structures may also be employed as a new paradigm for studying charge storage and transport in polymer electrets and in dielectrics for DC electrical insulation.
Transition path dynamics have been widely studied in chemical, physical, and technological systems. Mostly, the transition path dynamics is obtained for smooth barrier potentials, for instance, generic inverse-parabolic shapes. We here present analytical results for the mean transition path time, the distribution of transition path times, the mean transition path velocity, and the mean transition path shape in a rough inverted parabolic potential function under the driving of Gaussian white noise. These are validated against extensive simulations using the forward flux sampling scheme in parallel computations. We observe how precisely the potential roughness, the barrier height, and the noise intensity contribute to the particle transition in the rough inverted barrier potential.
Towards seasonal prediction: stratosphere-troposphere coupling in the atmospheric model ICON-NWP
(2020)
Stratospheric variability is one of the main potential sources for sub-seasonal to seasonal predictability in mid-latitudes in winter. Stratospheric pathways play an important role for long-range teleconnections between tropical phenomena, such as the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and the mid-latitudes on the one hand, and linkages between Arctic climate change and the mid-latitudes on the other hand. In order to move forward in the field of extratropical seasonal predictions, it is essential that an atmospheric model is able to realistically simulate the stratospheric circulation and variability. The numerical weather prediction (NWP) configuration of the ICOsahedral Non-hydrostatic atmosphere model ICON is currently being used by the German Meteorological Service for the regular weather forecast, and is intended to produce seasonal predictions in future. This thesis represents the first extensive evaluation of Northern Hemisphere stratospheric winter circulation in ICON-NWP by analysing a large set of seasonal ensemble experiments.
An ICON control climatology simulated with a default setup is able to reproduce the basic behaviour of the stratospheric polar vortex. However, stratospheric westerlies are significantly too weak and major stratospheric warmings too frequent, especially in January. The weak stratospheric polar vortex in ICON is furthermore connected to a mean sea level pressure (MSLP) bias pattern resembling the negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation (AO). Since a good representation of the drag exerted by gravity waves is crucial for a realistic simulation of the stratosphere, three sensitivity experiments with reduced gravity wave drag are performed. Both a reduction of the non-orographic and orographic gravity wave drag respectively, lead to a strengthening of the stratospheric vortex and thus a bias reduction in winter, in particular in January. However, the effect of the non-orographic gravity wave drag on the stratosphere is stronger. A third experiment, combining a reduced orographic and non-orographic drag, exhibits the largest stratospheric bias reductions. The analysis of stratosphere-troposphere coupling based on an index of the Northern Annular Mode demonstrates that ICON realistically represents downward coupling. This coupling is intensified and more realistic in experiments with a reduced gravity wave drag, in particular with reduced non-orographic drag. Tropospheric circulation is also affected by the reduced gravity wave drag, especially in January, when the strongly improved stratospheric circulation reduces biases in the MSLP patterns. Moreover, a retuning of the subgrid-scale orography parameterisations leads to a significant error reduction in the MSLP in all months. In conclusion, the combination of these adjusted parameterisations is recommended as a current optimal setup for seasonal simulations with ICON.
Additionally, this thesis discusses further possible influences on the stratospheric polar vortex, including the influence of tropical phenomena, such as QBO and ENSO, as well as the influence of a rapidly warming Arctic. ICON does not simulate the quasi-oscillatory behaviour of the QBO and favours weak easterlies in the tropical stratosphere. A comparison with a reanalysis composite of the easterly QBO phase reveals, that the shift towards the easterly QBO in ICON further weakens the stratospheric polar vortex. On the other hand, the stratospheric reaction to ENSO events in ICON is realistic. ICON and the reanalysis exhibit a weakened stratospheric vortex in warm ENSO years. Furthermore, in particular in winter, warm ENSO events favour the negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation, whereas cold events favour the positive phase. The ICON simulations also suggest a significant effect of ENSO on the Atlantic-European sector in late winter. To investigate the influence of Arctic climate change on mid-latitude circulation changes, two differing approaches with transient and fixed sea ice conditions are chosen. Neither ICON approach exhibits the mid-latitude tropospheric negative Arctic Oscillation circulation response to amplified Arctic warming, as it is discussed on the basis of observational evidence. Nevertheless, adding a new model to the current and active discussion on Arctic-midlatitude linkages, further contributes to the understanding of divergent conclusions between model and observational studies.
We show that the equation proposed by Takeuchi and Argon to explain the creep behavior of Al-Mg solid solution can be used to describe also the creep behavior of pure aluminum. In this frame, it is possible to avoid the use of the classic pre-exponential fitting parameter in the power law equation to predict the minimum creep strain rate. The effect of the fractal arrangement of dislocations, developed at the mesoscale, must be considered to fully explain the experimental data. These ideas allow improving the recently introduced SSTC model, fully describing the primary and secondary creep regimes of aluminum alloys without the need for fitting. Creep data from commercially pure A199.8% and Al-Mg alloys tested at different temperatures and stresses are used to validate the proposed ideas.
A new variant of the Laser-Induced Pressure-Pulse (LIPP) method for repeatable, time-resolved space-charge profile measurements is proposed and demonstrated. Automated deposition of a fresh laser-target film before each illumination leads to good repeatability of the LIPP and thus allows for the detection of time-resolved changes in the space-charge distribution over many hours. We describe and discuss the experimental setup and its features, compare the repeatability of the LIPP measurements on the same sample without and with re-preparation of the test cell, and present the time-resolved evolution of the space-charge profile in a two-layer arrangement of a silicone-grease and a silicone-elastomer film as an example. Finally, the temperature dependence of the space-charge evolution during polarization under high voltage and during depolarization in short circuit is shown. Possible uses and future developments of the new LIPP approach are also discussed.
The time-dependent Schrödinger equation in non-integer dimensions for constrained quantum motion
(2020)
We propose a theoretical model, based on a generalized Schroedinger equation, to study the behavior of a constrained quantum system in non-integer, lower than two-dimensional space. The non-integer dimensional space is formed as a product space X x Y, comprising x-coordinate with a Hausdorff measure of dimension alpha(1) = D -1 (1 < D < 2) and y-coordinate with the Lebesgue measure of dimension of length (alpha(2) = 1). Geometric constraints are set at y = 0. Two different approaches to find the Green's function are employed, both giving the same form in terms of the Fox H-function. For D = 2, the solution for two-dimensional quantum motion on a comb is recovered. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet constitutes the largest uncertainty in projections of future sea level rise. Ocean-driven melting underneath the floating ice shelves and subsequent acceleration of the inland ice streams are the major reasons for currently observed mass loss from Antarctica and are expected to become more important in the future. Here we show that for projections of future mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet, it is essential (1) to better constrain the sensitivity of sub-shelf melt rates to ocean warming and (2) to include the historic trajectory of the ice sheet. In particular, we find that while the ice sheet response in simulations using the Parallel Ice Sheet Model is comparable to the median response of models in three Antarctic Ice Sheet Intercomparison projects - initMIP, LARMIP-2 and ISMIP6 - conducted with a range of ice sheet models, the projected 21st century sea level contribution differs significantly depending on these two factors. For the highest emission scenario RCP8.5, this leads to projected ice loss ranging from 1:4 to 4:0 cm of sea level equivalent in simulations in which ISMIP6 ocean forcing drives the PICO ocean box model where parameter tuning leads to a comparably low sub-shelf melt sensitivity and in which no surface forcing is applied. This is opposed to a likely range of 9:1 to 35:8 cm using the exact same initial setup, but emulated from the LARMIP-2 experiments with a higher melt sensitivity, even though both projects use forcing from climate models and melt rates are calibrated with previous oceanographic studies. Furthermore, using two initial states, one with a previous historic simulation from 1850 to 2014 and one starting from a steady state, we show that while differences between the ice sheet configurations in 2015 seem marginal at first sight, the historic simulation increases the susceptibility of the ice sheet to ocean warming, thereby increasing mass loss from 2015 to 2100 by 5% to 50 %. Hindcasting past ice sheet changes with numerical models would thus provide valuable tools to better constrain projections. Our results emphasize that the uncertainty that arises from the forcing is of the same order of magnitude as the ice dynamic response for future sea level projections.
The two hallmark features of Brownian motion are the linear growth < x2(t)> = 2Ddt of the mean squared displacement (MSD) with diffusion coefficient D in d spatial dimensions, and the Gaussian distribution of displacements. With the increasing complexity of the studied systems deviations from these two central properties have been unveiled over the years. Recently, a large variety of systems have been reported in which the MSD exhibits the linear growth in time of Brownian (Fickian) transport, however, the distribution of displacements is pronouncedly non-Gaussian (Brownian yet non-Gaussian, BNG). A similar behaviour is also observed for viscoelastic-type motion where an anomalous trend of the MSD, i.e., <x2(t)> ~ ta, is combined with a priori unexpected non-Gaussian distributions (anomalous yet non-Gaussian, ANG). This kind of behaviour observed in BNG and ANG diffusions has been related to the presence of heterogeneities in the systems and a common approach has been established to address it, that is, the random diffusivity approach.
This dissertation explores extensively the field of random diffusivity models. Starting from a chronological description of all the main approaches used as an attempt of describing BNG and ANG diffusion, different mathematical methodologies are defined for the resolution and study of these models. The processes that are reported in this work can be classified in three subcategories, i) randomly-scaled Gaussian processes, ii) superstatistical models and iii) diffusing diffusivity models, all belonging to the more general class of random diffusivity models. Eventually, the study focuses more on BNG diffusion, which is by now well-established and relatively well-understood. Nevertheless, many examples are discussed for the description of ANG diffusion, in order to highlight the possible scenarios which are known so far for the study of this class of processes.
The second part of the dissertation deals with the statistical analysis of random diffusivity processes. A general description based on the concept of moment-generating function is initially provided to obtain standard statistical properties of the models. Then, the discussion moves to the study of the power spectral analysis and the first passage statistics for some particular random diffusivity models. A comparison between the results coming from the random diffusivity approach and the ones for standard Brownian motion is discussed. In this way, a deeper physical understanding of the systems described by random diffusivity models is also outlined.
To conclude, a discussion based on the possible origins of the heterogeneity is sketched, with the main goal of inferring which kind of systems can actually be described by the random diffusivity approach.
The optical signatures of molecular-doping induced polarons in poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl)
(2020)
Optical absorption spectroscopy is a key method to investigate doped conjugated polymers and to characterize the doping-induced charge carriers, i.e., polarons. For prototypical poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT), the absorption intensity of molecular dopant induced polarons is widely used to estimate the carrier density and the doping efficiency, i.e., the number of polarons formed per dopant molecule. However, the dependence of the polaron-related absorption features on the structure of doped P3HT, being either aggregates or separated individual chains, is not comprehensively understood in contrast to the optical absorption features of neutral P3HT. In this work, we unambiguously differentiate the optical signatures of polarons on individual P3HT chains and aggregates in solution, notably the latter exhibiting the same shape as aggregates in solid thin films. This is enabled by employing tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (BCF) as dopant, as this dopant forms only ion pairs with P3HT and no charge transfer complexes, and BCF and its anion have no absorption in the spectral region of P3HT polarons. Polarons on individual chains exhibit absorption peaks at 1.5 eV and 0.6 eV, whereas in aggregates the high-energy peak is split into a doublet 1.3 eV and 1.65 eV, and the low-energy peak is shifted below 0.5 eV. The dependence of the fraction of solvated individual chains versus aggregates on absolute solution concentration, dopant concentration, and temperature is elucidated, and we find that aggregates predominate in solution under commonly used processing conditions. Aggregates in BCF-doped P3HT solution can be effectively removed upon simple filtering. From varying the filter pore size (down to 200 nm) and thin film morphology characterization with scanning force microscopy we reveal the aggregates' size dependence on solution absolute concentration and dopant concentration. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the dopant loading in aggregates is higher than for individual P3HT chains. The results of this study help understanding the impact of solution pre-aggregation on thin film properties of molecularly doped P3HT, and highlight the importance of considering such aggregation for other doped conjugated polymers in general.
High diffusion-sensitizing magnetic field gradients have been more and more often applied nowadays to achieve a better characterization of the microstructure. As the resulting spin-echo signal significantly deviates from the conventional Gaussian form, various models have been employed to interpret these deviations and to relate them with the microstructural properties of a sample. In this paper, we argue that the non-Gaussian behavior of the signal is a generic universal feature of the Bloch-Torrey equation. We provide a simple yet rigorous description of the localization regime emerging at high extended gradients and identify its origin as a symmetry breaking at the reflecting boundary. We compare the consequent non-Gaussian signal decay to other diffusion NMR regimes such as slow-diffusion, motional-narrowing and diffusion-diffraction regimes. We emphasize limitations of conventional perturbative techniques and advocate for non-perturbative approaches which may pave a way to new imaging modalities in this field.
Bipolar electrets from polypropylene (PP) are essential, e.g., in electret air filters and in cellular-foam ferroelectrets. Therefore, the mechanism of surface-charge stability enhancement on PP electrets via orthophosphoric-acid surface treatment is investigated in detail. It is shown that the significant charge-stability enhancement can be mainly attributed to deeper surface traps originating from deposited chemicals and topographic features on the modified surfaces. Thermally stimulated discharge of chemically treated and non-treated PP films with different surface-charge densities is used to test the limits of the newly formed deep traps in terms of the capacity for hosting surface charges. When the initial surface-charge density is very high, more charges are forced into shallower original traps on the surface or in the bulk of the treated PP samples, reducing the effect of the deeper surface traps brought by the surface modification. The well-known crossover phenomenon (of the surface-charge decay curves) has been observed between modified PP electrets charged to +/- 2kV and to +/- 3kV. Acoustically probed charge distributions in the thickness direction of PP electrets at different stages of thermal discharging indicate that the deep surface trapping sites may have preference for negative charges, resulting in the observed asymmetric charge stability of the modified PP films.
More than half of Earth's freshwater resources are held by the Antarctic Ice Sheet, which thus represents by far the largest potential source for global sea-level rise under future warming conditions(1). Its long-term stability determines the fate of our coastal cities and cultural heritage. Feedbacks between ice, atmosphere, ocean, and the solid Earth give rise to potential nonlinearities in its response to temperature changes. So far, we are lacking a comprehensive stability analysis of the Antarctic Ice Sheet for different amounts of global warming. Here we show that the Antarctic Ice Sheet exhibits a multitude of temperature thresholds beyond which ice loss is irreversible. Consistent with palaeodata(2)we find, using the Parallel Ice Sheet Model(3-5), that at global warming levels around 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, West Antarctica is committed to long-term partial collapse owing to the marine ice-sheet instability. Between 6 and 9 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, the loss of more than 70 per cent of the present-day ice volume is triggered, mainly caused by the surface elevation feedback. At more than 10 degrees of warming above pre-industrial levels, Antarctica is committed to become virtually ice-free. The ice sheet's temperature sensitivity is 1.3 metres of sea-level equivalent per degree of warming up to 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels, almost doubling to 2.4 metres per degree of warming between 2 and 6 degrees and increasing to about 10 metres per degree of warming between 6 and 9 degrees. Each of these thresholds gives rise to hysteresis behaviour: that is, the currently observed ice-sheet configuration is not regained even if temperatures are reversed to present-day levels. In particular, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet does not regrow to its modern extent until temperatures are at least one degree Celsius lower than pre-industrial levels. Our results show that if the Paris Agreement is not met, Antarctica's long-term sea-level contribution will dramatically increase and exceed that of all other sources. <br /> Modelling shows that the Antarctic Ice Sheet exhibits multiple temperature thresholds beyond which ice loss would become irreversible, and once melted, the ice sheet can regain its previous mass only if the climate cools well below pre-industrial temperatures.
In this study we investigate, using all-atom molecular-dynamics computer simulations, the in-plane diffusion of a doxorubicin drug molecule in a thin film of water confined between two silica surfaces. We find that the molecule diffuses along the channel in the manner of a Gaussian diffusion process, but with parameters that vary according to its varying transversal position. Our analysis identifies that four Gaussians, each describing particle motion in a given transversal region, are needed to adequately describe the data. Each of these processes by itself evolves with time at a rate slower than that associated with classical Brownian motion due to a predominance of anticorrelated displacements. Long adsorption events lead to ageing, a property observed when the diffusion is intermittently hindered for periods of time with an average duration which is theoretically infinite. This study presents a simple system in which many interesting features of anomalous diffusion can be explored. It exposes the complexity of diffusion in nanoconfinement and highlights the need to develop new understanding.
Porous ceramic diesel particulate filters (DPFs) are extruded products that possess macroscopic anisotropic mechanical and thermal properties. This anisotropy is caused by both morphological features (mostly the orientation of porosity) and crystallographic texture. We systematically studied those two aspects in two aluminum titanate ceramic materials of different porosity using mercury porosimetry, gas adsorption, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray refraction radiography. We found that a lower porosity content implies a larger isotropy of both the crystal texture and the porosity orientation. We also found that, analogous to cordierite, crystallites do align with their axis of negative thermal expansion along the extrusion direction. However, unlike what found for cordierite, the aluminium titanate crystallite form is such that a more pronounced (0 0 2) texture along the extrusion direction implies porosity aligned perpendicular to it.
SwSt 1 (PN G001.5-06.7) is a bright and compact planetary nebula containing a late [WC]-type central star. Previous studies suggested that the nebular and stellar lines are slowly changing with time. We studied new and archival optical and ultraviolet spectra of the object. The [O III] 4959 and 5007 angstrom to H beta line flux ratios decreased between about 1976 and 1997/2015. The stellar spectrum also shows changes between these epochs. We modelled the stellar and nebular spectra observed at different epochs. The analyses indicate a drop of the stellar temperature from about 42 kK to 40.5 kK between 1976 and 1993. We do not detect significant changes between 1993 and 2015. The observations show that the star performed a loop in the H-R diagram. This is possible when a shell source is activated during its post-AGB evolution. We infer that a late thermal pulse (LTP) experienced by a massive post-AGB star can explain the evolution of the central star. Such a star does not expand significantly as the result of the LTP and does not became a born-again red giant. However, the released energy can remove the tiny H envelope of the star.
As VLSI design moves into ultra-deep-submicron technologies, timing margins added to the clock period are mandatory, to ensure correct circuit behavior under worst-case conditions. Timing resilient architectures emerged as a promising solution to alleviate these worst-case timing margins. These architectures allow improving system performance and reducing energy consumption. Asynchronous systems, on the other hand, have the potential to improve energy efficiency and performance. Blade is an asynchronous timing resilient template that leverages the advantages of both asynchronous and timing resilient techniques. However, Blade still presents challenges regarding its testability, which hinders its commercial or large-scale application. This paper demonstrates that scan chains can be prohibitive for Blade due to their high silicon costs., which can reach more than 100%. Then, it proposes an alternative test approach that allows concurrent testing, stuck-at, and delay testing. The test approach is based on the reuse the Blade features to provide testability, with silicon area overheads between 4 and 7%.
Context.
The supergiant ionized shell SMC-SGS 1 (DEM 167), which is located in the outer Wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), resembles structures that originate from an energetic star-formation event and later stimulate star formation as they expand into the ambient medium. However, stellar populations within and surrounding SMC-SGS 1 tell a different story. Aims. We present a photometric study of the stellar population encompassed by SMC-SGS 1 in order to trace the history of such a large structure and its potential influence on star formation within the low-density, low-metallicity environment of the SMC.
Methods.
For a stellar population that is physically associated with SMC-SGS 1, we combined near-ultraviolet (NUV) photometry from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer with archival optical (V-band) photometry from the ESO Danish 1.54 m Telescope. Given their colors and luminosities, we estimated stellar ages and masses by matching observed photometry to theoretical stellar isochrone models. Results. We find that the investigated region supports an active, extended star-formation event spanning similar to 25-40 Myr ago, as well as continued star formation into the present. Using a standard initial mass function, we infer a lower bound on the stellar mass from this period of similar to 3 x 10(4) M-circle dot, corresponding to a star-formation intensity of similar to 6 x 10(-3) M-circle dot kpc(-2) yr(-1).
Conclusions.
The spatial and temporal distributions of young stars encompassed by SMC-SGS 1 imply a slow, consistent progression of star formation over millions of years. Ongoing star formation, both along the edge and interior to SMC-SGS 1, suggests a combined stimulated and stochastic mode of star formation within the SMC Wing. We note that a slow expansion of the shell within this low-density environment may preserve molecular clouds within the volume of the shell, leaving them to form stars even after nearby stellar feedback expels local gas and dust.
This paper presents a study of the surface properties of two Ce/Zr mixed oxides with different reducibility, obtained by applying distinct thermal ageing treatments to an oxide with the composition Ce0.62Zr0.38O2. The surface composition was investigated by XPS. Chemical reactivity of the surface was studied by adsorption of the probe molecules CO2, D-2 and methanol. Nanostructural characterization was carried out by XRD, Raman and high-resolution Eu3+ spectroscopy (FLNS). The characterization showed only slight variations in surface composition and bulk Ce-Zr distribution, but hardy differences concerning the type and strength of acidic surface centres, as well as strong differences in the ability to dissociate hydrogen. Structural variations between both samples were identified by comparing the optical spectra of Eu3+ in surface doped samples.
Brownian motion and viscoelastic anomalous diffusion in homogeneous environments are intrinsically Gaussian processes. In a growing number of systems, however, non-Gaussian displacement distributions of these processes are being reported. The physical cause of the non-Gaussianity is typically seen in different forms of disorder. These include, for instance, imperfect "ensembles" of tracer particles, the presence of local variations of the tracer mobility in heteroegenous environments, or cases in which the speed or persistence of moving nematodes or cells are distributed. From a theoretical point of view stochastic descriptions based on distributed ("superstatistical") transport coefficients as well as time-dependent generalisations based on stochastic transport parameters with built-in finite correlation time are invoked. After a brief review of the history of Brownian motion and the famed Gaussian displacement distribution, we here provide a brief introduction to the phenomenon of non-Gaussianity and the stochastic modelling in terms of superstatistical and diffusing-diffusivity approaches.
Organic photovoltaics based on non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) show record efficiency of 16 to 17% and increased photovoltage owing to the low driving force for interfacial charge-transfer. However, the low driving force potentially slows down charge generation, leading to a tradeoff between voltage and current. Here, we disentangle the intrinsic charge-transfer rates from morphology-dependent exciton diffusion for a series of polymer:NFA systems. Moreover, we establish the influence of the interfacial energetics on the electron and hole transfer rates separately. We demonstrate that charge-transfer timescales remain at a few hundred femtoseconds even at near-zero driving force, which is consistent with the rates predicted by Marcus theory in the normal region, at moderate electronic coupling and at low re-organization energy. Thus, in the design of highly efficient devices, the energy offset at the donor:acceptor interface can be minimized without jeopardizing the charge-transfer rate and without concerns about a current-voltage tradeoff.
Organic photovoltaics based on non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) show record efficiency of 16 to 17% and increased photovoltage owing to the low driving force for interfacial charge-transfer. However, the low driving force potentially slows down charge generation, leading to a tradeoff between voltage and current. Here, we disentangle the intrinsic charge-transfer rates from morphology-dependent exciton diffusion for a series of polymer:NFA systems. Moreover, we establish the influence of the interfacial energetics on the electron and hole transfer rates separately. We demonstrate that charge-transfer timescales remain at a few hundred femtoseconds even at near-zero driving force, which is consistent with the rates predicted by Marcus theory in the normal region, at moderate electronic coupling and at low re-organization energy. Thus, in the design of highly efficient devices, the energy offset at the donor:acceptor interface can be minimized without jeopardizing the charge-transfer rate and without concerns about a current-voltage tradeoff.
The harmonic oscillator is a powerful model that can appear as a limit case when examining a nonlinear system. A well known fact is that, without driving, the inclusion of a friction term makes the origin of the phase space-which is a fixed point of the system-linearly stable. In this work, we include a telegraph process as perturbation of the oscillator's frequency, for example, to describe the motion of a particle with fluctuating charge gyrating in an external magnetic field. Increasing intensity of this colored noise is capable of changing the quality of the fixed point. To characterize the stability of the system, we use a stability measure that describes the growth of the displacement of the system's phase space position and express it in a closed form. We expand the respective exponent for light friction and low noise intensity and compare both the exact analytic solution and the expansion to numerical values. Our findings allow stability predictions for several physical systems.
The Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process is a stationary and ergodic Gaussian process, that is fully determined by its covariance function and mean. We show here that the generic definitions of the ensemble- and time-averaged mean squared displacements fail to capture these properties consistently, leading to a spurious ergodicity breaking. We propose to remedy this failure by redefining the mean squared displacements such that they reflect unambiguously the statistical properties of any stochastic process. In particular we study the effect of the initial condition in the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process and its fractional extension. For the fractional Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process representing typical experimental situations in crowded environments such as living biological cells, we show that the stationarity of the process delicately depends on the initial condition.
The Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process is a stationary and ergodic Gaussian process, that is fully determined by its covariance function and mean. We show here that the generic definitions of the ensemble- and time-averaged mean squared displacements fail to capture these properties consistently, leading to a spurious ergodicity breaking. We propose to remedy this failure by redefining the mean squared displacements such that they reflect unambiguously the statistical properties of any stochastic process. In particular we study the effect of the initial condition in the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process and its fractional extension. For the fractional Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process representing typical experimental situations in crowded environments such as living biological cells, we show that the stationarity of the process delicately depends on the initial condition.
The current thesis is focused on the properties of graphene supported by metallic substrates and specifically on the behaviour of electrons in such systems. Methods of scanning tunneling microscopy, electron diffraction and photoemission spectroscopy were applied to study the structural and electronic properties of graphene. The purpose of the first part of this work is to introduce the most relevant aspects of graphene physics and the methodical background of experimental techniques used in the current thesis.
The scientific part of this work starts with the extensive study by means of scanning tunneling microscopy of the nanostructures that appear in Au intercalated graphene on Ni(111). This study was aimed to explore the possible structural explanations of the Rashba-type spin splitting of ~100 meV experimentally observed in this system — much larger than predicted by theory. It was demonstrated that gold can be intercalated under graphene not only as a dense monolayer, but also in the form of well-periodic arrays of nanoclusters, a structure previously not reported. Such nanocluster arrays are able to decouple graphene from the strongly interacting Ni substrate and render it quasi-free-standing, as demonstrated by our DFT study. At the same time calculations confirm strong enhancement of the proximity-induced SOI in graphene supported by such nanoclusters in comparison to monolayer gold. This effect, attributed to the reduced graphene-Au distance in the case of clusters, provides a large Rashba-type spin splitting of ~60 meV.
The obtained results not only provide a possible mechanism of SOI enhancement in this particular system, but they can be also generalized for graphene on other strongly interacting substrates intercalated by nanostructures of heavy noble d metals.
Even more intriguing is the proximity of graphene to heavy sp-metals that were predicted to induce an intrinsic SOI and realize a spin Hall effect in graphene. Bismuth is the heaviest stable sp-metal and its compounds demonstrate a plethora of exciting physical phenomena. This was the motivation behind the next part of the current thesis, where structural and electronic properties of a previously unreported phase of Bi-intercalated graphene on Ir(111) were studied by means of scanning tunneling microscopy, spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and electron diffraction. Photoemission experiments revealed a remarkable, nearly ideal graphene band structure with strongly suppressed signatures of interaction between graphene and the Ir(111) substrate, moreover, the characteristic moiré pattern observed in graphene on Ir(111) by electron diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy was strongly suppressed after intercalation. The whole set of experimental data evidences that Bi forms a dense intercalated layer that efficiently decouples graphene from the substrate. The interaction manifests itself only in the n-type charge doping (~0.4 eV) and a relatively small band gap at the Dirac point (~190 meV). The origin of this minor band gap is quite intriguing and in this work it was possible to exclude a wide range of mechanisms that could be responsible for it, such as induced intrinsic spin-orbit interaction, hybridization with the substrate states and corrugation of the graphene lattice. The main origin of the band gap was attributed to the A-B symmetry breaking and this conclusion found support in the careful analysis of the interference effects in photoemission that provided the band gap estimate of ~140 meV.
While the previous chapters were focused on adjusting the properties of graphene by proximity to heavy metals, graphene on its own is a great object to study various physical effects at crystal surfaces. The final part of this work is devoted to a study of surface scattering resonances by means of photoemission spectroscopy, where this effect manifests itself as a distinct modulation of photoemission intensity. Though scattering resonances were widely studied in the past by means of electron diffraction, studies about their observation in photoemission experiments started to appear only recently and they are very scarce.
For a comprehensive study of scattering resonances graphene was selected as a versatile model system with adjustable properties. After the theoretical and historical introduction to the topic of scattering resonances follows a detailed description of the unusual features observed in the photoemission spectra obtained in this work and finally the equivalence between these features and scattering resonances is proven. The obtained photoemission results are in a good qualitative agreement with the existing theory, as verified by our calculations in the framework of the interference model. This simple model gives a suitable explanation for the general experimental observations.
The possibilities of engineering the scattering resonances were also explored. A systematic study of graphene on a wide range of substrates revealed that the energy position of the resonances is in a direct relation to the magnitude of charge transfer between graphene and the substrate. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the scattering resonances in graphene on Ir(111) can be suppressed by nanopatterning either by a superlattice of Ir nanoclusters or by atomic hydrogen. These effects were attributed to strong local variations of tork function and/or destruction of long-range order of thephene lattice. The tunability of scattering resonances can be applied for optoelectronic devices based on graphene. Moreover, the results of this study expand the general understanding of the phenomenon of scattering resonances and are applicable to many other materials besides graphene.
The photosensitive azobenzene-containing surfactant C-4-Azo-OC(6)TMAB is a promising agent for reversible DNA packaging in a solution. The simulation of the trans-isomer surfactant organization into associates in a solution with and without salt as well as its binding to DNA at different NaCl concentrations was carried out by molecular dynamics. Experimental data obtained by spectral and hydrodynamic methods were used to verify the results of simulation. It was shown that head-to-tail aggregates with close to antiparallel orientation of surfactant molecules were formed at certain NaCl and surfactant concentrations (below critical micelle concentration). Such aggregates have two positively charged ends, and therefore, they can be attracted to negatively charged DNA phosphates far located along the chain, as well as those that belong to different molecules. This contributes to the formation of intermolecular DNA-DNA contacts, and this way, the experimentally observed precipitation of DNA can be explained.
In the present paper, we study phase waves of self-sustained oscillators with a nearest-neighbor dispersive coupling on an infinite lattice. To analyze the underlying dynamics, we approximate the lattice with a quasi-continuum (QC). The resulting partial differential model is then further reduced to the Gardner equation, which predicts many properties of the underlying solitary structures. Using an iterative procedure on the original lattice equations, we determine the shapes of solitary waves, kinks, and the flat-like solitons that we refer to as flatons. Direct numerical experiments reveal that the interaction of solitons and flatons on the lattice is notably clean. All in all, we find that both the QC and the Gardner equation predict remarkably well the discrete patterns and their dynamics.
The combined effect of ultraviolet (UV) light soaking and self-assembled monolayer deposition on the work function (WF) of thin ZnO layers and on the efficiency of hole injection into the prototypical conjugated polymer poly(3-hexylthiophen-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) is systematically investigated. It is shown that the WF and injection efficiency depend strongly on the history of UV light exposure. Proper treatment of the ZnO layer enables ohmic hole injection into P3HT, demonstrating ZnO as a potential anode material for organic optoelectronic devices. The results also suggest that valid conclusions on the energy-level alignment at the ZnO/organic interfaces may only be drawn if the illumination history is precisely known and controlled. This is inherently problematic when comparing electronic data from ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) measurements carried out under different or ill-defined illumination conditions.
Salinization is a well-known problem in agricultural areas worldwide. In the last 20-30 yr, rising salinity in the upper, unconfined aquifer has been observed in the Freepsumer Meer, a grassland near the German North Sea coast. For investigating long-term development of salinity and water balance during 1961-2099, the one-dimensional Soil-Water-Atmosphere-Plant (SWAP) model was set up and calibrated for a soil column in the area. The model setup involves a deep aquifer as the source of salt through upward seepage. In the vertical salt transport equation, dispersion and advection are included. Six different regional outputs of statistical downscaling methods were used as climate scenarios. These comprise different rates of increasing surface temperature and different trends in seasonal rainfall. The simulation results exhibit opposing salinity trends for topsoil and deeper layers. Although projections of some scenarios entail decreasing salinities near the surface, most of them project a rise in subsoil salinity, with the strongest trends of up to +0.9 mg cm(-3) 100 yr(-1) at -65 cm. The results suggest that topsoil salinity trends in the study area are affected by the magnitude of winter rainfall trends, whereas high subsoil salinities correspond to low winter rainfall and high summer temperature. How these projected trends affect the vegetation and thereby future land use will depend on the future management of groundwater levels in the area.
Acceleration of the flow of ice drives mass losses in both the Antarctic and the Greenland Ice Sheet. The projections of possible future sea-level rise rely on numerical ice-sheet models, which solve the physics of ice flow, melt, and calving. While major advancements have been made by the ice-sheet modeling community in addressing several of the related uncertainties, the flow law, which is at the center of most process-based ice-sheet models, is not in the focus of the current scientific debate. However, recent studies show that the flow law parameters are highly uncertain and might be different from the widely accepted standard values. Here, we use an idealized flow-line setup to investigate how these uncertainties in the flow law translate into uncertainties in flow-driven mass loss. In order to disentangle the effect of future warming on the ice flow from other effects, we perform a suite of experiments with the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM), deliberately excluding changes in the surface mass balance. We find that changes in the flow parameters within the observed range can lead up to a doubling of the flow-driven mass loss within the first centuries of warming, compared to standard parameters. The spread of ice loss due to the uncertainty in flow parameters is on the same order of magnitude as the increase in mass loss due to surface warming. While this study focuses on an idealized flow-line geometry, it is likely that this uncertainty carries over to realistic three-dimensional simulations of Greenland and Antarctica.
Three-component molecular brushes with a polyimide backbone and amphiphilic block copolymer side chains with different contents of the "inner" hydrophilic (poly(methacrylic acid)) and "outer" hydrophobic (poly(methyl methacrylate)) blocks were synthesized and characterized by molecular hydrodynamics and optics methods in solutions of chloroform, dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran and ethanol. The peculiarity of the studied polymers is the amphiphilic structure of the grafted chains. The molar masses of the molecular brushes were determined by static and dynamic light scattering in chloroform in which polymers form molecularly disperse solutions. Spontaneous self-assembly of macromolecules was detected in dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran and ethanol. The aggregates size depended on the thermodynamic quality of the solvent as well as on the macromolecular architectural parameters. In dimethylformamide and tetrahydrofuran, the distribution of hydrodynamic radii of aggregates was bimodal, while in ethanol, it was unimodal. Moreover, in ethanol, an increase in the poly(methyl methacrylate) content caused a decrease in the hydrodynamic radius of aggregates. A significant difference in the nature of the blocks included in the brushes determines the selectivity of the used solvents, since their thermodynamic quality with respect to the blocks is different. The macromolecules of the studied graft copolymers tend to self-organization in selective solvents with formation of a core-shell structure with an insoluble solvophobic core surrounded by the solvophilic shell of side chains.
Context:
Gyrochronology allows the derivation of ages for cool main sequence stars based on their observed rotation periods and masses, or a suitable proxy thereof. It is increasingly well-explored for FGK stars, but requires further measurements for older ages and K - M-type stars.
Aims:
We study the 2.7 Gyr-old open cluster Ruprecht 147 to compare it with the previously-studied, but far more distant, NGC 6819 cluster, and especially to measure cooler stars than was previously possible there.
Methods:
We constructed an inclusive list of 102 cluster members from prior work, including Gaia DR2, and for which light curves were also obtained during Campaign 7 of the Kepler/K2 space mission. We placed them in the cluster color-magnitude diagram and checked the related information against appropriate isochrones. The light curves were then corrected for data systematics using Principal Component Analysis on all observed K2 C07 stars and subsequently subjected to periodicity analysis.
Results:
Periodic signals are found for 32 stars, 21 of which are considered to be both highly reliable and to represent single, or effectively single, Ru 147 stars. These stars cover the spectral types from late-F to mid-M stars, and they have periods ranging from 6 d - 33 d, allowing for a comparison of Ruprecht 147 to both other open clusters and to models of rotational spindown. The derived rotation periods connect reasonably to, overlap with, and extend to lower masses the known rotation period distribution of the 2.5 Gyr-old cluster NGC 6819.
Conclusions:
The data confirm that cool stars lie on a single surface in rotation period-mass-age space, and they simultaneously challenge its commonly assumed shape. The shape at the low mass region of the color-period diagram at the age of Ru 147 favors a recently-proposed model which requires a third mass-dependent timescale in addition to the two timescales required by a former model, suggesting that a third physical process is required to model rotating stars effectively.
Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) features high deposition rates and, thus, allows production of large components that are relevant for aerospace applications. However, a lot of aerospace parts are currently produced by forging or machining alone to ensure fast production and to obtain good mechanical properties; the use of these conventional process routes causes high tooling and material costs. A hybrid approach (a combination of forging and WAAM) allows making production more efficient. In this fashion, further structural or functional features can be built in any direction without using additional tools for every part. By using a combination of forging basic geometries with one tool set and adding the functional features by means of WAAM, the tool costs and material waste can be reduced compared to either completely forged or machined parts. One of the factors influencing the structural integrity of additively manufactured parts are (high) residual stresses, generated during the build process. In this study, the triaxial residual stress profiles in a hybrid WAAM part are reported, as determined by neutron diffraction. The analysis is complemented by microstructural investigations, showing a gradient of microstructure (shape and size of grains) along the part height. The highest residual stresses were found in the transition zone (between WAAM and forged part). The total stress range showed to be lower than expected for WAAM components. This could be explained by the thermal history of the component.
We study Brownian motion in a confining potential under a constant-rate resetting to a reset position x(0). The relaxation of this system to the steady-state exhibits a dynamic phase transition, and is achieved in a light cone region which grows linearly with time. When an absorbing boundary is introduced, effecting a symmetry breaking of the system, we find that resetting aids the barrier escape only when the particle starts on the same side as the barrier with respect to the origin. We find that the optimal resetting rate exhibits a continuous phase transition with critical exponent of unity. Exact expressions are derived for the mean escape time, the second moment, and the coefficient of variation (CV).
We present the use of modern machine learning approaches to suppress self-sustained collective oscillations typically signaled by ensembles of degenerative neurons in the brain. The proposed hybrid model relies on two major components: an environment of oscillators and a policy-based reinforcement learning block. We report a model-agnostic synchrony control based on proximal policy optimization and two artificial neural networks in an Actor-Critic configuration. A class of physically meaningful reward functions enabling the suppression of collective oscillatory mode is proposed. The synchrony suppression is demonstrated for two models of neuronal populations-for the ensembles of globally coupled limit-cycle Bonhoeffer-van der Pol oscillators and for the bursting Hindmarsh-Rose neurons using rectangular and charge-balanced stimuli.
Over the last decades, the Arctic regions of the earth have warmed at a rate 2–3 times faster than the global average– a phenomenon called Arctic Amplification. A complex, non-linear interplay of physical processes and unique pecularities in the Arctic climate system is responsible for this, but the relative role of individual processes remains to be debated. This thesis focuses on the climate change and related processes on Svalbard, an archipelago in the North Atlantic sector of the Arctic, which is shown to be a "hotspot" for the amplified recent warming during winter. In this highly dynamical region, both oceanic and atmospheric large-scale transports of heat and moisture interfere with spatially inhomogenous surface conditions, and the corresponding energy exchange strongly shapes the atmospheric boundary layer. In the first part, Pan-Svalbard gradients in the surface air temperature (SAT) and sea ice extent (SIE) in the fjords are quantified and characterized. This analysis is based on observational data from meteorological stations, operational sea ice charts, and hydrographic observations from the adjacent ocean, which cover the 1980–2016 period. It is revealed that typical estimates of SIE during late winter range from 40–50% (80–90%) in the western (eastern) parts of Svalbard. However, strong SAT warming during winter of the order of 2–3K per decade dictates excessive ice loss, leaving fjords in the western parts essentially ice-free in recent winters. It is further demostrated that warm water currents on the west coast of Svalbard, as well as meridional winds contribute to regional differences in the SIE evolution. In particular, the proximity to warm water masses of the West Spitsbergen Current can explain 20–37% of SIE variability in fjords on west Svalbard, while meridional winds and associated ice drift may regionally explain 20–50% of SIE variability in the north and northeast. Strong SAT warming has overruled these impacts in recent years, though.
In the next part of the analysis, the contribution of large-scale atmospheric circulation changes to the Svalbard temperature development over the last 20 years is investigated. A study employing kinematic air-back trajectories for Ny-Ålesund reveals a shift in the source regions of lower-troposheric air over time for both the winter and the summer season. In winter, air in the recent decade is more often of lower-latitude Atlantic origin, and less frequent of Arctic origin. This affects heat- and moisture advection towards Svalbard, potentially manipulating clouds and longwave downward radiation in that region. A closer investigation indicates that this shift during winter is associated with a strengthened Ural blocking high and Icelandic low, and contributes about 25% to the observed winter warming on Svalbard over the last 20 years. Conversely, circulation changes during summer include a strengthened Greenland blocking high which leads to more frequent cold air advection from the central Arctic towards Svalbard, and less frequent air mass origins in the lower latitudes of the North Atlantic. Hence, circulation changes during winter are shown to have an amplifying effect on the recent warming on Svalbard, while summer circulation changes tend to mask warming.
An observational case study using upper air soundings from the AWIPEV research station in Ny-Ålesund during May–June 2017 underlines that such circulation changes during summer are associated with tropospheric anomalies in temperature, humidity and boundary layer height.
In the last part of the analysis, the regional representativeness of the above described changes around Svalbard for the broader Arctic is investigated. Therefore, the terms in the diagnostic temperature equation in the Arctic-wide lower troposphere are examined for the Era-Interim atmospheric reanalysis product. Significant positive trends in diabatic heating rates, consistent with latent heat transfer to the atmosphere over regions of increasing ice melt, are found for all seasons over the Barents/Kara Seas, and in individual months in the vicinity of Svalbard. The above introduced warm (cold) advection trends during winter (summer) on Svalbard are successfully reproduced. Regarding winter, they are regionally confined to the Barents Sea and Fram Strait, between 70°–80°N, resembling a unique feature in the whole Arctic. Summer cold advection trends are confined to the area between eastern Greenland and Franz Josef Land, enclosing Svalbard.
Percolation process, which is intrinsically a phase transition process near the critical point, is ubiquitous in nature. Many of its applications embrace a wide spectrum of natural phenomena ranging from the forest fires, spread of contagious diseases, social behaviour dynamics to mathematical finance, formation of bedrocks and biological systems. The topology generated by the percolation process near the critical point is a random (stochastic) fractal. It is fundamental to the percolation theory that near the critical point, a unique infinite fractal structure, namely the infinite cluster, would emerge. As de Gennes suggested, the properties of the infinite cluster could be deduced by studying the dynamical behaviour of the random walk process taking place on it. He coined the term the ant in the labyrinth. The random walk process on such an infinite fractal cluster exhibits a subdiffusive dynamics in the sense that the mean squared displacement grows as ~t2/dw, where dw, called the fractal dimension of the random walk path, is greater than 2. Thus, the random walk process on the infinite cluster is classified as a process exhibiting the properties of anomalous diffusions. Yet near the critical point, the infinite cluster is not the sole emergent topology, but it coexists with other clusters whose size is finite. Though finite, on specific length scales these finite clusters exhibit fractal properties as well. In this work, it is assumed that the random walk process could take place on these finite size objects as well. Bearing this assumption in mind requires one address the non-equilibrium initial condition. Due to the lack of knowledge on the propagator of the random walk process in stochastic random environments, a phenomenological correspondence between the renowned Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process and the random walk process on finite size clusters is established. It is elucidated that when an ensemble of these finite size clusters and the infinite cluster is considered, the anisotropy and size of these finite clusters effects the mean squared displacement and its time averaged counterpart to grow in time as ~t(d+df (t-2))/dw, where d is the embedding Euclidean dimension, df is the fractal dimension of the infinite cluster, and , called the Fisher exponent, is a critical exponent governing the power-law distribution of the finite size clusters. Moreover, it is demonstrated that, even though the random walk process on a specific finite size cluster is ergodic, it exhibits a persistent non-ergodic behaviour when an ensemble of finite size and the infinite clusters is considered.
This paper focuses on the ground state phase diagram of a 1D spin-1/2 quantum Ising model with competing first and second nearest neighbour interactions known as the axial next nearest neighbour Ising model in the presence of a transverse magnetic field. Here, using quantum correlations, both numerically and analytically, some evidence is provided to clarify the identification of the ground state phase diagram. Local quantum correlations play a crucial role in detecting the critical lines either revealed or hidden by symmetry-breaking. A non-symmetry-breaking disorder transition line can be identified by the first derivative of both entanglement of formation and quantum discord between nearest neighbour spins. In addition, the quantum correlations between the second neighbour spins can also be used to reveal Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition when their interaction strength grows and becomes closer to the first nearest neighbour one. The results obtained using the Jordan-Wigner transformation confirm the accuracy of the numerical case.