Three dimensional hair model by means particles using Blender

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez-Cedillo, Jesús Antonio; Almanza-Nieto, Roberto; Herrera-Lozada, Juan Carlos

2010-09-01

The simulation and modeling of human hair is a process whose computational complexity is very large, this due to the large number of factors that must be calculated to give a realistic appearance. Generally, the method used in the film industry to simulate hair is based on particle handling graphics. In this paper we present a simple approximation of how to model human hair using particles in Blender. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Simple Common Plane contact detection algorithm for FE/FD methods

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vorobiev, O

2006-07-19

Common-plane (CP) algorithm is widely used in Discrete Element Method (DEM) to model contact forces between interacting particles or blocks. A new simple contact detection algorithm is proposed to model contacts in FE/FD methods which is similar to the CP algorithm. The CP is defined as a plane separating interacting faces of FE/FD mesh instead of blocks or particles in the original CP method. The method does not require iterations. It is very robust and easy to implement both in 2D and 3D case.

Pairwise Interaction Extended Point-Particle (PIEP) model for multiphase jets and sedimenting particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Kai; Balachandar, S.

2017-11-01

We perform a series of Euler-Lagrange direct numerical simulations (DNS) for multiphase jets and sedimenting particles. The forces the flow exerts on the particles in these two-way coupled simulations are computed using the Basset-Bousinesq-Oseen (BBO) equations. These forces do not explicitly account for particle-particle interactions, even though such pairwise interactions induced by the perturbations from neighboring particles may be important especially when the particle volume fraction is high. Such effects have been largely unaddressed in the literature. Here, we implement the Pairwise Interaction Extended Point-Particle (PIEP) model to simulate the effect of neighboring particle pairs. A simple collision model is also applied to avoid unphysical overlapping of solid spherical particles. The simulation results indicate that the PIEP model provides a more elaborative and complicated movement of the dispersed phase (droplets and particles). Office of Naval Research (ONR) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) project N00014-16-1-2617.

On a simple molecular–statistical model of a liquid-crystal suspension of anisometric particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zakhlevnykh, A. N., E-mail: anz@psu.ru; Lubnin, M. S.; Petrov, D. A.

2016-11-15

A molecular–statistical mean-field theory is constructed for suspensions of anisometric particles in nematic liquid crystals (NLCs). The spherical approximation, well known in the physics of ferromagnetic materials, is considered that allows one to obtain an analytic expression for the free energy and simple equations for the orientational state of a suspension that describe the temperature dependence of the order parameters of the suspension components. The transition temperature from ordered to isotropic state and the jumps in the order parameters at the phase-transition point are studied as a function of the anchoring energy of dispersed particles to the matrix, the concentrationmore » of the impurity phase, and the size of particles. The proposed approach allows one to generalize the model to the case of biaxial ordering.« less

Non-additive simple potentials for pre-programmed self-assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendoza, Carlos

2015-03-01

A major goal in nanoscience and nanotechnology is the self-assembly of any desired complex structure with a system of particles interacting through simple potentials. To achieve this objective, intense experimental and theoretical efforts are currently concentrated in the development of the so called ``patchy'' particles. Here we follow a completely different approach and introduce a very accessible model to produce a large variety of pre-programmed two-dimensional (2D) complex structures. Our model consists of a binary mixture of particles that interact through isotropic interactions that is able to self-assemble into targeted lattices by the appropriate choice of a small number of geometrical parameters and interaction strengths. We study the system using Monte Carlo computer simulations and, despite its simplicity, we are able to self assemble potentially useful structures such as chains, stripes, Kagomé, twisted Kagomé, honeycomb, square, Archimedean and quasicrystalline tilings. Our model is designed such that it may be implemented using discotic particles or, alternatively, using exclusively spherical particles interacting isotropically. Thus, it represents a promising strategy for bottom-up nano-fabrication. Partial Financial Support: DGAPA IN-110613.

NMR signals within the generalized Langevin model for fractional Brownian motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lisý, Vladimír; Tóthová, Jana

2018-03-01

The methods of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance belong to the best developed and often used tools for studying random motion of particles in different systems, including soft biological tissues. In the long-time limit the current mathematical description of the experiments allows proper interpretation of measurements of normal and anomalous diffusion. The shorter-time dynamics is however correctly considered only in a few works that do not go beyond the standard memoryless Langevin description of the Brownian motion (BM). In the present work, the attenuation function S (t) for an ensemble of spin-bearing particles in a magnetic-field gradient, expressed in a form applicable for any kind of stationary stochastic dynamics of spins with or without a memory, is calculated in the frame of the model of fractional BM. The solution of the model for particles trapped in a harmonic potential is obtained in an exceedingly simple way and used for the calculation of S (t). In the limit of free particles coupled to a fractal heat bath, the results compare favorably with experiments acquired in human neuronal tissues. The effect of the trap is demonstrated by introducing a simple model for the generalized diffusion coefficient of the particle.

Second Graders' Emerging Particle Models of Matter in the Context of Learning through Model-Based Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samarapungavan, Ala; Bryan, Lynn; Wills, Jamison

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present a study of second graders' learning about the nature of matter in the context of content-rich, model-based inquiry instruction. The goal of instruction was to help students learn to use simple particle models to explain states of matter and phase changes. We examined changes in students' ideas about matter, the coherence…

Refinement of the probability density function model for preferential concentration of aerosol particles in isotropic turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaichik, Leonid I.; Alipchenkov, Vladimir M.

2007-11-01

The purposes of the paper are threefold: (i) to refine the statistical model of preferential particle concentration in isotropic turbulence that was previously proposed by Zaichik and Alipchenkov [Phys. Fluids 15, 1776 (2003)], (ii) to investigate the effect of clustering of low-inertia particles using the refined model, and (iii) to advance a simple model for predicting the collision rate of aerosol particles. The model developed is based on a kinetic equation for the two-point probability density function of the relative velocity distribution of particle pairs. Improvements in predicting the preferential concentration of low-inertia particles are attained due to refining the description of the turbulent velocity field of the carrier fluid by including a difference between the time scales of the of strain and rotation rate correlations. The refined model results in a better agreement with direct numerical simulations for aerosol particles.

Bak-Sneppen model: Local equilibrium and critical value.

PubMed

Fraiman, Daniel

2018-04-01

The Bak-Sneppen (BS) model is a very simple model that exhibits all the richness of self-organized criticality theory. At the thermodynamic limit, the BS model converges to a situation where all particles have a fitness that is uniformly distributed between a critical value p_{c} and 1. The p_{c} value is unknown, as are the variables that influence and determine this value. Here we study the BS model in the case in which the lowest fitness particle interacts with an arbitrary even number of m nearest neighbors. We show that p_{c} verifies a simple local equilibrium relation. Based on this relation, we can determine bounds for p_{c} of the BS model and exact results for some BS-like models. Finally, we show how transformations of the original BS model can be done without altering the model's complex dynamics.

Bak-Sneppen model: Local equilibrium and critical value

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraiman, Daniel

2018-04-01

The Bak-Sneppen (BS) model is a very simple model that exhibits all the richness of self-organized criticality theory. At the thermodynamic limit, the BS model converges to a situation where all particles have a fitness that is uniformly distributed between a critical value pc and 1. The pc value is unknown, as are the variables that influence and determine this value. Here we study the BS model in the case in which the lowest fitness particle interacts with an arbitrary even number of m nearest neighbors. We show that pc verifies a simple local equilibrium relation. Based on this relation, we can determine bounds for pc of the BS model and exact results for some BS-like models. Finally, we show how transformations of the original BS model can be done without altering the model's complex dynamics.

Simple Common Plane contact algorithm for explicit FE/FD methods

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vorobiev, O

2006-12-18

Common-plane (CP) algorithm is widely used in Discrete Element Method (DEM) to model contact forces between interacting particles or blocks. A new simple contact algorithm is proposed to model contacts in FE/FD methods which is similar to the CP algorithm. The CP is defined as a plane separating interacting faces of FE/FD mesh instead of blocks or particles used in the original CP method. The new method does not require iterations even for very stiff contacts. It is very robust and easy to implement both in 2D and 3D parallel codes.

Dynamic self-assembly of charged colloidal strings and walls in simple fluid flows.

PubMed

Abe, Yu; Zhang, Bo; Gordillo, Leonardo; Karim, Alireza Mohammad; Francis, Lorraine F; Cheng, Xiang

2017-02-22

Colloidal particles can self-assemble into various ordered structures in fluid flows that have potential applications in biomedicine, materials synthesis and encryption. These dynamic processes are also of fundamental interest for probing the general principles of self-assembly under non-equilibrium conditions. Here, we report a simple microfluidic experiment, where charged colloidal particles self-assemble into flow-aligned 1D strings with regular particle spacing near a solid boundary. Using high-speed confocal microscopy, we systematically investigate the influence of flow rates, electrostatics and particle polydispersity on the observed string structures. By studying the detailed dynamics of stable flow-driven particle pairs, we quantitatively characterize interparticle interactions. Based on the results, we construct a simple model that explains the intriguing non-equilibrium self-assembly process. Our study shows that the colloidal strings arise from a delicate balance between attractive hydrodynamic coupling and repulsive electrostatic interaction between particles. Finally, we demonstrate that, with the assistance of transverse electric fields, a similar mechanism also leads to the formation of 2D colloidal walls.

Numerical study of the current sheet and PSBL in a magnetotail model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doxas, I.; Horton, W.; Sandusky, K.; Tajima, T.; Steinolfson, R.

1989-01-01

The current sheet and plasma sheet boundary layer (PSBL) in a magnetotail model are discussed. A test particle code is used to study the response of ensembles of particles to a two-dimensional, time-dependent model of the geomagnetic tail, and test the proposition (Coroniti, 1985a, b; Buchner and Zelenyi, 1986; Chen and Palmadesso, 1986; Martin, 1986) that the stochasticity of the particle orbits in these fields is an important part of the physical mechanism for magnetospheric substorms. The realistic results obtained for the fluid moments of the particle distribution with this simple model, and their insensitivity to initial conditions, is consistent with this hypothesis.

A Simple Model of Global Aerosol Indirect Effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ghan, Steven J.; Smith, Steven J.; Wang, Minghuai; Zhang, Kai; Pringle, Kirsty; Carslaw, Kenneth; Pierce, Jeffrey; Bauer, Susanne; Adams, Peter

2013-01-01

Most estimates of the global mean indirect effect of anthropogenic aerosol on the Earth's energy balance are from simulations by global models of the aerosol lifecycle coupled with global models of clouds and the hydrologic cycle. Extremely simple models have been developed for integrated assessment models, but lack the flexibility to distinguish between primary and secondary sources of aerosol. Here a simple but more physically based model expresses the aerosol indirect effect (AIE) using analytic representations of cloud and aerosol distributions and processes. Although the simple model is able to produce estimates of AIEs that are comparable to those from some global aerosol models using the same global mean aerosol properties, the estimates by the simple model are sensitive to preindustrial cloud condensation nuclei concentration, preindustrial accumulation mode radius, width of the accumulation mode, size of primary particles, cloud thickness, primary and secondary anthropogenic emissions, the fraction of the secondary anthropogenic emissions that accumulates on the coarse mode, the fraction of the secondary mass that forms new particles, and the sensitivity of liquid water path to droplet number concentration. Estimates of present-day AIEs as low as 5 W/sq m and as high as 0.3 W/sq m are obtained for plausible sets of parameter values. Estimates are surprisingly linear in emissions. The estimates depend on parameter values in ways that are consistent with results from detailed global aerosol-climate simulation models, which adds to understanding of the dependence on AIE uncertainty on uncertainty in parameter values.

Gradient structure and transport coefficients for strong particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabrielli, Davide; Krapivsky, P. L.

2018-04-01

We introduce and study a simple and natural class of solvable stochastic lattice gases. This is the class of strong particles. The name is due to the fact that when they try to jump to an occupied site they succeed in pushing away a pile of particles. For this class of models we explicitly compute the transport coefficients. We also discuss some generalizations and the relations with other classes of solvable models.

Self-Organized Criticality and Scaling in Lifetime of Traffic Jams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagatani, Takashi

1995-01-01

The deterministic cellular automaton 184 (the one-dimensional asymmetric simple-exclusion model with parallel dynamics) is extended to take into account injection or extraction of particles. The model presents the traffic flow on a highway with inflow or outflow of cars.Introducing injection or extraction of particles into the asymmetric simple-exclusion model drives the system asymptotically into a steady state exhibiting a self-organized criticality. The typical lifetime of traffic jams scales as \\cong Lν with ν=0.65±0.04. It is shown that the cumulative distribution Nm (L) of lifetimes satisfies the finite-size scaling form Nm (L) \\cong L-1 f(m/Lν).

A simple radiative transfer model of the high latitude mesospheric scattering layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hummel, J. R.

1974-01-01

A simple radiative transfer model of the particle layer found at 85 km over the summer poles is presented. The effects of the layer on the global radiative temperature, the polar region temperature, and the greenhouse effect are discussed. The estimated magnitude of the global radiative temperature change is 3.5 x .001 K to 2.2 x .01 K, depending on the value of the imaginary part of the particle index of refraction. The layer is shown to have a possible secondary influence on the temperature of the polar region while the contribution which the layer makes to the greenhouse effect is shown to be negligible. The imaginary part of the particle index of refraction is shown to be important in determining the attenuation properties of the layer.

Simple model for deriving sdg interacting boson model Hamiltonians: 150Nd example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devi, Y. D.; Kota, V. K. B.

1993-07-01

A simple and yet useful model for deriving sdg interacting boson model (IBM) Hamiltonians is to assume that single-boson energies derive from identical particle (pp and nn) interactions and proton, neutron single-particle energies, and that the two-body matrix elements for bosons derive from pn interaction, with an IBM-2 to IBM-1 projection of the resulting p-n sdg IBM Hamiltonian. The applicability of this model in generating sdg IBM Hamiltonians is demonstrated, using a single-j-shell Otsuka-Arima-Iachello mapping of the quadrupole and hexadecupole operators in proton and neutron spaces separately and constructing a quadrupole-quadrupole plus hexadecupole-hexadecupole Hamiltonian in the analysis of the spectra, B(E2)'s, and E4 strength distribution in the example of 150Nd.

Current Fragmentation and Particle Acceleration in Solar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cargill, P. J.; Vlahos, L.; Baumann, G.; Drake, J. F.; Nordlund, Å.

2012-11-01

Particle acceleration in solar flares remains an outstanding problem in plasma physics and space science. While the observed particle energies and timescales can perhaps be understood in terms of acceleration at a simple current sheet or turbulence site, the vast number of accelerated particles, and the fraction of flare energy in them, defies any simple explanation. The nature of energy storage and dissipation in the global coronal magnetic field is essential for understanding flare acceleration. Scenarios where the coronal field is stressed by complex photospheric motions lead to the formation of multiple current sheets, rather than the single monolithic current sheet proposed by some. The currents sheets in turn can fragment into multiple, smaller dissipation sites. MHD, kinetic and cellular automata models are used to demonstrate this feature. Particle acceleration in this environment thus involves interaction with many distributed accelerators. A series of examples demonstrate how acceleration works in such an environment. As required, acceleration is fast, and relativistic energies are readily attained. It is also shown that accelerated particles do indeed interact with multiple acceleration sites. Test particle models also demonstrate that a large number of particles can be accelerated, with a significant fraction of the flare energy associated with them. However, in the absence of feedback, and with limited numerical resolution, these results need to be viewed with caution. Particle in cell models can incorporate feedback and in one scenario suggest that acceleration can be limited by the energetic particles reaching the condition for firehose marginal stability. Contemporary issues such as footpoint particle acceleration are also discussed. It is also noted that the idea of a "standard flare model" is ill-conceived when the entire distribution of flare energies is considered.

Estimating Colloidal Contact Model Parameters Using Quasi-Static Compression Simulations.

PubMed

Bürger, Vincent; Briesen, Heiko

2016-10-05

For colloidal particles interacting in suspensions, clusters, or gels, contact models should attempt to include all physical phenomena experimentally observed. One critical point when formulating a contact model is to ensure that the interaction parameters can be easily obtained from experiments. Experimental determinations of contact parameters for particles either are based on bulk measurements for simulations on the macroscopic scale or require elaborate setups for obtaining tangential parameters such as using atomic force microscopy. However, on the colloidal scale, a simple method is required to obtain all interaction parameters simultaneously. This work demonstrates that quasi-static compression of a fractal-like particle network provides all the necessary information to obtain particle interaction parameters using a simple spring-based contact model. These springs provide resistances against all degrees of freedom associated with two-particle interactions, and include critical forces or moments where such springs break, indicating a bond-breakage event. A position-based cost function is introduced to show the identifiability of the two-particle contact parameters, and a discrete, nonlinear, and non-gradient-based global optimization method (simplex with simulated annealing, SIMPSA) is used to minimize the cost function calculated from deviations of particle positions. Results show that, in principle, all necessary contact parameters for an arbitrary particle network can be identified, although numerical efficiency as well as experimental noise must be addressed when applying this method. Such an approach lays the groundwork for identifying particle-contact parameters from a position-based particle analysis for a colloidal system using just one experiment. Spring constants also directly influence the time step of the discrete-element method, and a detailed knowledge of all necessary interaction parameters will help to improve the efficiency of colloidal particle simulations.

Transport properties and efficiency of elastically coupled particles in asymmetric periodic potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Igarashi, Akito; Tsukamoto, Shinji

2000-02-01

Biological molecular motors drive unidirectional transport and transduce chemical energy to mechanical work. In order to identify this energy conversion which is a common feature of molecular motors, many workers have studied various physical models, which consist of Brownian particles in spatially periodic potentials. Most of the models are, however, based on "single-particle" dynamics and too simple as models for biological motors, especially for actin-myosin motors, which cause muscle contraction. In this paper, particles coupled by elastic strings in an asymmetric periodic potential are considered as a model for the motors. We investigate the dynamics of the model and calculate the efficiency of energy conversion with the use of molecular dynamical method. In particular, we find that the velocity and efficiency of the elastically coupled particles where the natural length of the springs is incommensurable with the period of the periodic potential are larger than those of the corresponding single particle model.

The transition probability and the probability for the left-most particle's position of the q-totally asymmetric zero range process

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Korhonen, Marko; Lee, Eunghyun

2014-01-15

We treat the N-particle zero range process whose jumping rates satisfy a certain condition. This condition is required to use the Bethe ansatz and the resulting model is the q-boson model by Sasamoto and Wadati [“Exact results for one-dimensional totally asymmetric diffusion models,” J. Phys. A 31, 6057–6071 (1998)] or the q-totally asymmetric zero range process (TAZRP) by Borodin and Corwin [“Macdonald processes,” Probab. Theory Relat. Fields (to be published)]. We find the explicit formula of the transition probability of the q-TAZRP via the Bethe ansatz. By using the transition probability we find the probability distribution of the left-most particle'smore » position at time t. To find the probability for the left-most particle's position we find a new identity corresponding to identity for the asymmetric simple exclusion process by Tracy and Widom [“Integral formulas for the asymmetric simple exclusion process,” Commun. Math. Phys. 279, 815–844 (2008)]. For the initial state that all particles occupy a single site, the probability distribution of the left-most particle's position at time t is represented by the contour integral of a determinant.« less

Particle Diffusion in an Inhomogeneous Medium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bringuier, E.

2011-01-01

This paper is an elementary introduction to particle diffusion in a medium where the coefficient of diffusion varies with position. The introduction is aimed at third-year university courses. We start from a simple model of particles hopping on a discrete lattice, in one or more dimensions, and then take the continuous-space limit so as to obtain…

Algebraic perturbation theory for dense liquids with discrete potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adib, Artur B.

2007-06-01

A simple theory for the leading-order correction g1(r) to the structure of a hard-sphere liquid with discrete (e.g., square-well) potential perturbations is proposed. The theory makes use of a general approximation that effectively eliminates four-particle correlations from g1(r) with good accuracy at high densities. For the particular case of discrete perturbations, the remaining three-particle correlations can be modeled with a simple volume-exclusion argument, resulting in an algebraic and surprisingly accurate expression for g1(r) . The structure of a discrete “core-softened” model for liquids with anomalous thermodynamic properties is reproduced as an application.

Single-particle dynamics of the Anderson model: a local moment approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glossop, Matthew T.; Logan, David E.

2002-07-01

A non-perturbative local moment approach to single-particle dynamics of the general asymmetric Anderson impurity model is developed. The approach encompasses all energy scales and interaction strengths. It captures thereby strong coupling Kondo behaviour, including the resultant universal scaling behaviour of the single-particle spectrum; as well as the mixed valence and essentially perturbative empty orbital regimes. The underlying approach is physically transparent and innately simple, and as such is capable of practical extension to lattice-based models within the framework of dynamical mean-field theory.

Modified parton branching model for multi-particle production in hadronic collisions: Application to SUSY particle branching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuanyuan, Zhang

The stochastic branching model of multi-particle productions in high energy collision has theoretical basis in perturbative QCD, and also successfully describes the experimental data for a wide energy range. However, over the years, little attention has been put on the branching model for supersymmetric (SUSY) particles. In this thesis, a stochastic branching model has been built to describe the pure supersymmetric particle jets evolution. This model is a modified two-phase stochastic branching process, or more precisely a two phase Simple Birth Process plus Poisson Process. The general case that the jets contain both ordinary particle jets and supersymmetric particle jets has also been investigated. We get the multiplicity distribution of the general case, which contains a Hypergeometric function in its expression. We apply this new multiplicity distribution to the current experimental data of pp collision at center of mass energy √s = 0.9, 2.36, 7 TeV. The fitting shows the supersymmetric particles haven't participate branching at current collision energy.

A Local-Realistic Model of Quantum Mechanics Based on a Discrete Spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sciarretta, Antonio

2018-01-01

This paper presents a realistic, stochastic, and local model that reproduces nonrelativistic quantum mechanics (QM) results without using its mathematical formulation. The proposed model only uses integer-valued quantities and operations on probabilities, in particular assuming a discrete spacetime under the form of a Euclidean lattice. Individual (spinless) particle trajectories are described as random walks. Transition probabilities are simple functions of a few quantities that are either randomly associated to the particles during their preparation, or stored in the lattice nodes they visit during the walk. QM predictions are retrieved as probability distributions of similarly-prepared ensembles of particles. The scenarios considered to assess the model comprise of free particle, constant external force, harmonic oscillator, particle in a box, the Delta potential, particle on a ring, particle on a sphere and include quantization of energy levels and angular momentum, as well as momentum entanglement.

A versatile model for soft patchy particles with various patch arrangements.

PubMed

Li, Zhan-Wei; Zhu, You-Liang; Lu, Zhong-Yuan; Sun, Zhao-Yan

2016-01-21

We propose a simple and general mesoscale soft patchy particle model, which can felicitously describe the deformable and surface-anisotropic characteristics of soft patchy particles. This model can be used in dynamics simulations to investigate the aggregation behavior and mechanism of various types of soft patchy particles with tunable number, size, direction, and geometrical arrangement of the patches. To improve the computational efficiency of this mesoscale model in dynamics simulations, we give the simulation algorithm that fits the compute unified device architecture (CUDA) framework of NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs). The validation of the model and the performance of the simulations using GPUs are demonstrated by simulating several benchmark systems of soft patchy particles with 1 to 4 patches in a regular geometrical arrangement. Because of its simplicity and computational efficiency, the soft patchy particle model will provide a powerful tool to investigate the aggregation behavior of soft patchy particles, such as patchy micelles, patchy microgels, and patchy dendrimers, over larger spatial and temporal scales.

A Dynamic Approach to Monitoring Particle Fallout in a Cleanroom Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perry, Radford L., III

2010-01-01

This slide presentation discusses a mathematical model to monitor particle fallout in a cleanroom. "Cleanliness levels" do not lead to increases with regards to cleanroom type or time because the levels are not linear. Activity level, impacts the cleanroom class. The numerical method presented leads to a simple Class-hour formulation, that allows for dynamic monitoring of the particle using a standard air particle counter.

Effect of self-deflection on a totally asymmetric simple exclusion process with functions of site assignments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuzuki, Satori; Yanagisawa, Daichi; Nishinari, Katsuhiro

2018-04-01

This study proposes a model of a totally asymmetric simple exclusion process on a single-channel lane with functions of site assignments along the pit lane. The system model attempts to insert a new particle to the leftmost site at a certain probability by randomly selecting one of the empty sites in the pit lane, and reserving it for the particle. Thereafter, the particle is directed to stop at the site only once during its travel. Recently, the system was determined to show a self-deflection effect, in which the site usage distribution biases spontaneously toward the leftmost site, and the throughput becomes maximum when the site usage distribution is slightly biased to the rightmost site. Our exact analysis describes this deflection effect and show a good agreement with simulations.

Modified kinetic theory applied to the shear flows of granular materials

DOE PAGES

Duan, Yifei; Feng, Zhi -Gang; Michaelides, Efstathios E.; ...

2017-04-11

Here, granular materials are characterized by large collections of discrete particles, where the particle-particle interactions are significantly more important than the particle-fluid interactions. The current kinetic theory captures fairly accurately the granular flow behavior in the dilute case, when only binary interactions are significant, but is not accurate at all in the dense flow regime, where multi-particle interactions and contacts must be modeled. To improve the kinetic theory results for granular flows in the dense flow regime, we propose a Modified Kinetic Theory (MKT) model that utilizes the contact duration or cut-off time to account for the complex particle-particle interactionsmore » in the dense regime. The contact duration model, also called TC model, is originally proposed by Luding and McNamara to solve the inelastic collapse issue existing in the Inelastic Hard Sphere (IHS) model. This model defines a cut-off time t c such that dissipation is not counted if the time between two consecutive contacts is less than t c. As shown in their study, the use of a cut-off time t c can also reduce the dissipation during multi-particle contacts. In this paper we relate the TC model with the Discrete Element Method (DEM) by choosing the cut-off time t c to be the duration of contact calculated from the linear-spring-dashpot soft-sphere model of the DEM. We examine two types of granular flows: simple shear flow and the plane shear flow, and compare the results of the classical Kinetic Theory (KT) model, the present MKT model, and the DEM model. Here, we show that the MKT model entails a significant improvement over the KT model for simple shear flows at inertial regimes. With the MKT model the calculations are close to the DEM results at solid fractions as high as 0.57. Even for the plane shear flows, where shear rate and solid fraction are inhomogeneous, the results of the MKT model agree very well with the DEM results.« less

Modified kinetic theory applied to the shear flows of granular materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Duan, Yifei; Feng, Zhi -Gang; Michaelides, Efstathios E.

Here, granular materials are characterized by large collections of discrete particles, where the particle-particle interactions are significantly more important than the particle-fluid interactions. The current kinetic theory captures fairly accurately the granular flow behavior in the dilute case, when only binary interactions are significant, but is not accurate at all in the dense flow regime, where multi-particle interactions and contacts must be modeled. To improve the kinetic theory results for granular flows in the dense flow regime, we propose a Modified Kinetic Theory (MKT) model that utilizes the contact duration or cut-off time to account for the complex particle-particle interactionsmore » in the dense regime. The contact duration model, also called TC model, is originally proposed by Luding and McNamara to solve the inelastic collapse issue existing in the Inelastic Hard Sphere (IHS) model. This model defines a cut-off time t c such that dissipation is not counted if the time between two consecutive contacts is less than t c. As shown in their study, the use of a cut-off time t c can also reduce the dissipation during multi-particle contacts. In this paper we relate the TC model with the Discrete Element Method (DEM) by choosing the cut-off time t c to be the duration of contact calculated from the linear-spring-dashpot soft-sphere model of the DEM. We examine two types of granular flows: simple shear flow and the plane shear flow, and compare the results of the classical Kinetic Theory (KT) model, the present MKT model, and the DEM model. Here, we show that the MKT model entails a significant improvement over the KT model for simple shear flows at inertial regimes. With the MKT model the calculations are close to the DEM results at solid fractions as high as 0.57. Even for the plane shear flows, where shear rate and solid fraction are inhomogeneous, the results of the MKT model agree very well with the DEM results.« less

Numerical evaluation of a single ellipsoid motion in Newtonian and power-law fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Férec, Julien; Ausias, Gilles; Natale, Giovanniantonio

2018-05-01

A computational model is developed for simulating the motion of a single ellipsoid suspended in a Newtonian and power-law fluid, respectively. Based on a finite element method (FEM), the approach consists in seeking solutions for the linear and angular particle velocities using a minimization algorithm, such that the net hydrodynamic force and torque acting on the ellipsoid are zero. For a Newtonian fluid subjected to a simple shear flow, the Jeffery's predictions are recovered at any aspect ratios. The motion of a single ellipsoidal fiber is found to be slightly disturbed by the shear-thinning character of the suspending fluid, when compared with the Jeffery's solutions. Surprisingly, the perturbation can be completely neglected for a particle with a large aspect ratio. Furthermore, the particle centroid is also found to translate with the same linear velocity as the undisturbed simple shear flow evaluated at particle centroid. This is confirmed by recent works based on experimental investigations and modeling approach (1-2).

A simple way to improve AGN feedback prescription in SPH simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zubovas, Kastytis; Bourne, Martin A.; Nayakshin, Sergei

2016-03-01

Active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback is an important ingredient in galaxy evolution, however its treatment in numerical simulations is necessarily approximate, requiring subgrid prescriptions due to the dynamical range involved in the calculations. We present a suite of smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations designed to showcase the importance of the choice of a particular subgrid prescription for AGN feedback. We concentrate on two approaches to treating wide-angle AGN outflows: thermal feedback, where thermal and kinetic energy is injected into the gas surrounding the supermassive black hole (SMBH) particle, and virtual particle feedback, where energy is carried by tracer particles radially away from the AGN. We show that the latter model produces a far more complex structure around the SMBH, which we argue is a more physically correct outcome. We suggest a simple improvement to the thermal feedback model - injecting the energy into a cone, rather than spherically symmetrically - and show that this markedly improves the agreement between the two prescriptions, without requiring any noticeable increase in the computational cost of the simulation.

Controlling silk fibroin particle features for drug delivery

PubMed Central

Lammel, Andreas; Hu, Xiao; Park, Sang-Hyug; Kaplan, David L.; Scheibel, Thomas

2010-01-01

Silk proteins are a promising material for drug delivery due to their aqueous processability, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. A simple aqueous preparation method for silk fibroin particles with controllable size, secondary structure and zeta potential is reported. The particles were produced by salting out a silk fibroin solution with potassium phosphate. The effect of ionic strength and pH of potassium phosphate solution on the yield and morphology of the particles was determined. Secondary structure and zeta potential of the silk particles could be controlled by pH. Particles produced by salting out with 1.25 M potassium phosphate pH 6 showed a dominating silk II (crystalline) structure whereas particles produced at pH 9 were mainly composed of silk I (less crystalline). The results show that silk I rich particles possess chemical and physical stability and secondary structure which remained unchanged during post treatments even upon exposure to 100% ethanol or methanol. A model is presented to explain the process of particle formation based on intra- and intermolecular interactions of the silk domains, influenced by pH and kosmotrope salts. The reported silk fibroin particles can be loaded with small molecule model drugs, such as alcian blue, rhodamine B, and crystal violet, by simple absorption based on electrostatic interactions. In vitro release of these compounds from the silk particles depends on charge – charge interactions between the compounds and the silk. With crystal violet we demonstrated that the release kinetics are dependent on the secondary structure of the particles. PMID:20219241

Electrical conductivity of metal powders under pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montes, J. M.; Cuevas, F. G.; Cintas, J.; Urban, P.

2011-12-01

A model for calculating the electrical conductivity of a compressed powder mass consisting of oxide-coated metal particles has been derived. A theoretical tool previously developed by the authors, the so-called `equivalent simple cubic system', was used in the model deduction. This tool is based on relating the actual powder system to an equivalent one consisting of deforming spheres packed in a simple cubic lattice, which is much easier to examine. The proposed model relates the effective electrical conductivity of the powder mass under compression to its level of porosity. Other physically measurable parameters in the model are the conductivities of the metal and oxide constituting the powder particles, their radii, the mean thickness of the oxide layer and the tap porosity of the powder. Two additional parameters controlling the effect of the descaling of the particle oxide layer were empirically introduced. The proposed model was experimentally verified by measurements of the electrical conductivity of aluminium, bronze, iron, nickel and titanium powders under pressure. The consistency between theoretical predictions and experimental results was reasonably good in all cases.

Beamlets from stochastic acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perri, Silvia; Carbone, Vincenzo

2008-09-01

We investigate the dynamics of a realization of the stochastic Fermi acceleration mechanism. The model consists of test particles moving between two oscillating magnetic clouds and differs from the usual Fermi-Ulam model in two ways. (i) Particles can penetrate inside clouds before being reflected. (ii) Particles can radiate a fraction of their energy during the process. Since the Fermi mechanism is at work, particles are stochastically accelerated, even in the presence of the radiated energy. Furthermore, due to a kind of resonance between particles and oscillating clouds, the probability density function of particles is strongly modified, thus generating beams of accelerated particles rather than a translation of the whole distribution function to higher energy. This simple mechanism could account for the presence of beamlets in some space plasma physics situations.

Time behavior of solar flare particles to 5 AU

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haffner, J. W.

1972-01-01

A simple model of solar flare radiation event particle transport is developed to permit the calculation of fluxes and related quantities as a function of distance from the sun (R). This model assumes the particles spiral around the solar magnetic field lines with a constant pitch angle. The particle angular distributions and onset plus arrival times as functions of energy at 1 AU agree with observations if the pitch angle distribution peaks near 90 deg. As a consequence the time dependence factor is essentially proportional to R/1.7, (R in AU), and the event flux is proportional to R/2.

Angle-Resolved Second-Harmonic Light Scattering from Colloidal Particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, N.; Angerer, W. E.; Yodh, A. G.

2001-09-03

We report angle-resolved second-harmonic generation (SHG) measurements from suspensions of centrosymmetric micron-size polystyrene spheres with surface-adsorbed dye (malachite green). The second-harmonic scattering profiles differ qualitatively from linear light scattering profiles of the same particles. We investigated these radiation patterns using several polarization configurations and particle diameters. We introduce a simple Rayleigh-Gans-Debye model to account for the SHG scattering anisotropy. The model compares favorably with our experimental data. Our measurements suggest scattering anisotropy may be used to isolate particle nonlinear optics from other bulk nonlinear optical effects in suspension.

Simple Benchmark Specifications for Space Radiation Protection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singleterry, Robert C. Jr.; Aghara, Sukesh K.

2013-01-01

This report defines space radiation benchmark specifications. This specification starts with simple, monoenergetic, mono-directional particles on slabs and progresses to human models in spacecraft. This report specifies the models and sources needed to what the team performing the benchmark needs to produce in a report. Also included are brief descriptions of how OLTARIS, the NASA Langley website for space radiation analysis, performs its analysis.

An Alternative Derivation of the Energy Levels of the "Particle on a Ring" System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincent, Alan

1996-10-01

All acceptable wave functions must be continuous mathematical functions. This criterion limits the acceptable functions for a particle in a linear 1-dimensional box to sine functions. If, however, the linear box is bent round into a ring, acceptable wave functions are those which are continuous at the 'join'. On this model some acceptable linear functions become unacceptable for the ring and some unacceptable cosine functions become acceptable. This approach can be used to produce a straightforward derivation of the energy levels and wave functions of the particle on a ring. These simple wave mechanical systems can be used as models of linear and cyclic delocalised systems such as conjugated hydrocarbons or the benzene ring. The promotion energy of an electron can then be used to calculate the wavelength of absorption of uv light. The simple model gives results of the correct order of magnitude and shows that, as the chain length increases, the uv maximum moves to longer wavelengths, as found experimentally.

Simple Models for Tough Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavagnoi, Richard M.; Barnett, Thomas

1976-01-01

Describes the construction of teaching models made from a variety of materials such as poker chips and cardboard that illustrate many chemical phenomena, including subatomic particles, molecular structure, solvation and dissociation, and enzyme-substrate interactions. (MLH)

Shear thinning in soft particle suspensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voudouris, Panayiotis; van der Zanden, Berco; Florea, Daniel; Fahimi, Zahra; Wyss, Hans

2012-02-01

Suspensions of soft deformable particles are encountered in a wide range of food and biological materials. Examples are biological cells, micelles, vesicles or microgel particles. While the behavior of suspenions of hard spheres - the classical model system of colloid science - is reasonably well understood, a full understanding of these soft particle suspensions remains elusive. The relation between single particle properties and macroscopic mechanical behavior still remains poorly understood in these materials. Here we examine the surprising shear thinning behavior that is observed in soft particle suspensions as a function of particle softness. We use poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (p-NIPAM) microgel particles as a model system to study this effect in detail. These soft spheres show significant shear thinning even at very large Peclet numbers, where this would not be observed for hard particles. The degree of shear thinning is directly related to the single particle elastic properties, which we characterize by the recently developed Capillary Micromechanics technique. We present a simple model that qualitatively accounts for the observed behavior.

Assessing the capability of continuum and discrete particle methods to simulate gas-solids flow using DNS predictions as a benchmark

DOE PAGES

Lu, Liqiang; Liu, Xiaowen; Li, Tingwen; ...

2017-08-12

For this study, gas–solids flow in a three-dimension periodic domain was numerically investigated by direct numerical simulation (DNS), computational fluid dynamic-discrete element method (CFD-DEM) and two-fluid model (TFM). DNS data obtained by finely resolving the flow around every particle are used as a benchmark to assess the validity of coarser DEM and TFM approaches. The CFD-DEM predicts the correct cluster size distribution and under-predicts the macro-scale slip velocity even with a grid size as small as twice the particle diameter. The TFM approach predicts larger cluster size and lower slip velocity with a homogeneous drag correlation. Although the slip velocitymore » can be matched by a simple modification to the drag model, the predicted voidage distribution is still different from DNS: Both CFD-DEM and TFM over-predict the fraction of particles in dense regions and under-predict the fraction of particles in regions of intermediate void fractions. Also, the cluster aspect ratio of DNS is smaller than CFD-DEM and TFM. Since a simple correction to the drag model can predict a correct slip velocity, it is hopeful that drag corrections based on more elaborate theories that consider voidage gradient and particle fluctuations may be able to improve the current predictions of cluster distribution.« less

Assessing the capability of continuum and discrete particle methods to simulate gas-solids flow using DNS predictions as a benchmark

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lu, Liqiang; Liu, Xiaowen; Li, Tingwen

For this study, gas–solids flow in a three-dimension periodic domain was numerically investigated by direct numerical simulation (DNS), computational fluid dynamic-discrete element method (CFD-DEM) and two-fluid model (TFM). DNS data obtained by finely resolving the flow around every particle are used as a benchmark to assess the validity of coarser DEM and TFM approaches. The CFD-DEM predicts the correct cluster size distribution and under-predicts the macro-scale slip velocity even with a grid size as small as twice the particle diameter. The TFM approach predicts larger cluster size and lower slip velocity with a homogeneous drag correlation. Although the slip velocitymore » can be matched by a simple modification to the drag model, the predicted voidage distribution is still different from DNS: Both CFD-DEM and TFM over-predict the fraction of particles in dense regions and under-predict the fraction of particles in regions of intermediate void fractions. Also, the cluster aspect ratio of DNS is smaller than CFD-DEM and TFM. Since a simple correction to the drag model can predict a correct slip velocity, it is hopeful that drag corrections based on more elaborate theories that consider voidage gradient and particle fluctuations may be able to improve the current predictions of cluster distribution.« less

An Avoidance Model for Short-Range Order Induced by Soft Repulsions in Systems of Rigid Rods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Jining; Herzfeld, Judith

1996-03-01

The effects of soft repulsions on hard particle systems are calculated using an avoidance model which improves upon the simple mean field approximation. Avoidance reduces, but does not eliminate, the energy due to soft repulsions. On the other hand, it also reduces the configurational entropy. Under suitable conditions, this simple trade-off yields a free energy that is lower than the mean field value. In these cases, the variationally determined avoidance gives an estimate for the short-range positional order induced by soft repulsions. The results indicate little short-range order for isotropically oriented rods. However, for parallel rods, short-range order increases to significant levels as the particle axial ratio increases. The implications for long- range positional ordering are also discussed. In particular, avoidance may explain the smectic ordering of tobacco mosaic virus at volume fractions lower than those necessary for smectic ordering of hard particles.

Size Effect on Specific Energy Distribution in Particle Comminution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yongfu; Wang, Yidong

A theoretical study is made to derive an energy distribution equation for the size reduction process from the fractal model for the particle comminution. Fractal model is employed as a valid measure of the self-similar size distribution of comminution daughter products. The tensile strength of particles varies with particle size in the manner of a power function law. The energy consumption for comminuting single particle is found to be proportional to the 5(D-3)/3rd order of the particle size, D being the fractal dimension of particle comminution daughter. The Weibull statistics is applied to describe the relationship between the breakage probability and specific energy of particle comminution. A simple equation is derived for the breakage probability of particles in view of the dependence of fracture energy on particle size. The calculated exponents and Weibull coefficients are generally in conformity with published data for fracture of particles.

Comparison of continuum and particle simulations of expanding rarefied flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lumpkin, Forrest E., III; Boyd, Iain D.; Venkatapathy, Ethiraj

1993-01-01

Comparisons of Navier-Stokes solutions and particle simulations for a simple two-dimensional model problem at a succession of altitudes are performed in order to assess the importance of rarefaction effects on the base flow region. In addition, an attempt is made to include 'Burnett-type' extensions to the Navier-Stokes constitutive relations. The model geometry consists of a simple blunted wedge with a 0.425 meter nose radius, a 70 deg cone half angle, a 1.7 meter base length, and a rounded shoulder. The working gas is monatomic with a molecular weight and viscosity similar to air and was chosen to focus the study on the continuum and particle methodologies rather than the implementation of thermo-chemical modeling. Three cases are investigated, all at Mach 29, with densities corresponding to altitudes of 92 km, 99 km, and 105 km. At the lowest altitude, Navier-Stokes solutions agree well with particle simulations. At the higher altitudes, the Navier-Stokes equations become less accurate. In particular, the Navier-Stokes equations and particle method predict substantially different flow turning angle in the wake near the after body. Attempts to achieve steady continuum solutions including 'Burnett-type' terms failed. Further research is required to determine whether the boundary conditions, the equations themselves, or other unknown causes led to this failure.

The Design and Construction of a Simple Transmission Electron Microscope for Educational Purposes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hearsey, Paul K.

This document presents a model for a simple transmission electron microscope for educational purposes. This microscope could demonstrate thermonic emission, particle acceleration, electron deflection, and flourescence. It is designed to be used in high school science courses, particularly physics, taking into account the size, weight, complexity…

Modelling Students' Visualisation of Chemical Reaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Maurice M. W.; Gilbert, John K.

2017-01-01

This paper proposes a model-based notion of "submicro representations of chemical reactions". Based on three structural models of matter (the simple particle model, the atomic model and the free electron model of metals), we suggest there are two major models of reaction in school chemistry curricula: (a) reactions that are simple…

Single particle fluorescence: a simple experimental approach to evaluate coincidence effects.

PubMed

Wu, Xihong; Omenetto, Nicoló; Smith, Benjamin W; Winefordner, James D

2007-07-01

Real-time characterization of the chemical and physical properties of individual aerosol particles is an important issue in environmental studies. A well-established way of accomplishing this task relies on the use of laser-induced fluorescence or laser ionization mass spectrometry. We describe here a simple approach aimed at experimentally verifying that single particles are indeed addressed. The approach has been tested with a system consisting of a series of aerodynamic lenses to form a beam of dye-doped particles aerosolized from a solution of known concentration with a medical nebulizer. Two independent spectral detection channels simultaneously measure the fluorescence signals generated in two different spectral regions by the passage of a mixture of two dye-doped particles through a focused laser beam in a vacuum chamber. Coincidence effects, arising from the simultaneous observation of both fluorescence emissions, can then be directly observed. Both dual-color fluorescence and pulse height distribution have been analyzed. As expected, the probability of single- or multiple-particle interaction strongly depends on the particle flux in the chamber, which is related to the concentration of particles in the nebulized solution. In our case, to achieve a two-particle coincidence smaller than 10%, a particle concentration lower than 1.2x10(5) particles/mL is required. Moreover, it was found that the experimental observations are in agreement with a simple mathematical model based on Poisson statistics. Although the results obtained refer to particle concentrations in solution, our approach can equally be applicable to experiments involving direct air sampling, provided that the number density of particles in air can be measured a priori, e.g., with a particle counter.

Relative Biological Effectiveness of HZE Particles for Chromosomal Exchanges and Other Surrogate Cancer Risk Endpoints.

PubMed

Cacao, Eliedonna; Hada, Megumi; Saganti, Premkumar B; George, Kerry A; Cucinotta, Francis A

2016-01-01

The biological effects of high charge and energy (HZE) particle exposures are of interest in space radiation protection of astronauts and cosmonauts, and estimating secondary cancer risks for patients undergoing Hadron therapy for primary cancers. The large number of particles types and energies that makeup primary or secondary radiation in HZE particle exposures precludes tumor induction studies in animal models for all but a few particle types and energies, thus leading to the use of surrogate endpoints to investigate the details of the radiation quality dependence of relative biological effectiveness (RBE) factors. In this report we make detailed RBE predictions of the charge number and energy dependence of RBE's using a parametric track structure model to represent experimental results for the low dose response for chromosomal exchanges in normal human lymphocyte and fibroblast cells with comparison to published data for neoplastic transformation and gene mutation. RBE's are evaluated against acute doses of γ-rays for doses near 1 Gy. Models that assume linear or non-targeted effects at low dose are considered. Modest values of RBE (<10) are found for simple exchanges using a linear dose response model, however in the non-targeted effects model for fibroblast cells large RBE values (>10) are predicted at low doses <0.1 Gy. The radiation quality dependence of RBE's against the effects of acute doses γ-rays found for neoplastic transformation and gene mutation studies are similar to those found for simple exchanges if a linear response is assumed at low HZE particle doses. Comparisons of the resulting model parameters to those used in the NASA radiation quality factor function are discussed.

Relative Biological Effectiveness of HZE Particles for Chromosomal Exchanges and Other Surrogate Cancer Risk Endpoints

DOE PAGES

Cacao, Eliedonna; Hada, Megumi; Saganti, Premkumar B.; ...

2016-04-25

The biological effects of high charge and energy (HZE) particle exposures are of interest in space radiation protection of astronauts and cosmonauts, and estimating secondary cancer risks for patients undergoing Hadron therapy for primary cancers. The large number of particles types and energies that makeup primary or secondary radiation in HZE particle exposures precludes tumor induction studies in animal models for all but a few particle types and energies, thus leading to the use of surrogate endpoints to investigate the details of the radiation quality dependence of relative biological effectiveness (RBE) factors. In this report we make detailed RBE predictionsmore » of the charge number and energy dependence of RBE’s using a parametric track structure model to represent experimental results for the low dose response for chromosomal exchanges in normal human lymphocyte and fibroblast cells with comparison to published data for neoplastic transformation and gene mutation. RBE’s are evaluated against acute doses of γ-rays for doses near 1 Gy. Models that assume linear or non-targeted effects at low dose are considered. Modest values of RBE (<10) are found for simple exchanges using a linear dose response model, however in the non-targeted effects model for fibroblast cells large RBE values (>10) are predicted at low doses <0.1 Gy. The radiation quality dependence of RBE’s against the effects of acute doses γ-rays found for neoplastic transformation and gene mutation studies are similar to those found for simple exchanges if a linear response is assumed at low HZE particle doses. Finally, we discuss comparisons of the resulting model parameters to those used in the NASA radiation quality factor function.« less

Relative Biological Effectiveness of HZE Particles for Chromosomal Exchanges and Other Surrogate Cancer Risk Endpoints

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cacao, Eliedonna; Hada, Megumi; Saganti, Premkumar B.

The biological effects of high charge and energy (HZE) particle exposures are of interest in space radiation protection of astronauts and cosmonauts, and estimating secondary cancer risks for patients undergoing Hadron therapy for primary cancers. The large number of particles types and energies that makeup primary or secondary radiation in HZE particle exposures precludes tumor induction studies in animal models for all but a few particle types and energies, thus leading to the use of surrogate endpoints to investigate the details of the radiation quality dependence of relative biological effectiveness (RBE) factors. In this report we make detailed RBE predictionsmore » of the charge number and energy dependence of RBE’s using a parametric track structure model to represent experimental results for the low dose response for chromosomal exchanges in normal human lymphocyte and fibroblast cells with comparison to published data for neoplastic transformation and gene mutation. RBE’s are evaluated against acute doses of γ-rays for doses near 1 Gy. Models that assume linear or non-targeted effects at low dose are considered. Modest values of RBE (<10) are found for simple exchanges using a linear dose response model, however in the non-targeted effects model for fibroblast cells large RBE values (>10) are predicted at low doses <0.1 Gy. The radiation quality dependence of RBE’s against the effects of acute doses γ-rays found for neoplastic transformation and gene mutation studies are similar to those found for simple exchanges if a linear response is assumed at low HZE particle doses. Finally, we discuss comparisons of the resulting model parameters to those used in the NASA radiation quality factor function.« less

A square-force cohesion model and its extraction from bulk measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Peiyuan; Lamarche, Casey; Kellogg, Kevin; Hrenya, Christine

2017-11-01

Cohesive particles remain poorly understood, with order of magnitude differences exhibited for prior, physical predictions of agglomerate size. A major obstacle lies in the absence of robust models of particle-particle cohesion, thereby precluding accurate prediction of the behavior of cohesive particles. Rigorous cohesion models commonly contain parameters related to surface roughness, to which cohesion shows extreme sensitivity. However, both roughness measurement and its distillation into these model parameters are challenging. Accordingly, we propose a ``square-force'' model, where cohesive force remains constant until a cut-off separation. Via DEM simulations, we demonstrate validity of the square-force model as surrogate of more rigorous models, when its two parameters are selected to match the two key quantities governing dense and dilute granular flows, namely maximum cohesive force and critical cohesive energy, respectively. Perhaps more importantly, we establish a method to extract the parameters in the square-force model via defluidization, due to its ability to isolate the effects of the two parameters. Thus, instead of relying on complicated scans of individual grains, determination of particle-particle cohesion from simple bulk measurements becomes feasible. Dow Corning Corporation.

Particle-in-a-box model of one-dimensional excitons in conjugated polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pedersen, Thomas G.; Johansen, Per M.; Pedersen, Henrik C.

2000-04-01

A simple two-particle model of excitons in conjugated polymers is proposed as an alternative to usual highly computationally demanding quantum chemical methods. In the two-particle model, the exciton is described as an electron-hole pair interacting via Coulomb forces and confined to the polymer backbone by rigid walls. Furthermore, by integrating out the transverse part, the two-particle equation is reduced to one-dimensional form. It is demonstrated how essentially exact solutions are obtained in the cases of short and long conjugation length, respectively. From a linear combination of these cases an approximate solution for the general case is obtained. As an application of the model the influence of a static electric field on the electron-hole overlap integral and exciton energy is considered.

The relation between pre-eruptive bubble size distribution, ash particle morphology, and their internal density: Implications to volcanic ash transport and dispersion models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Proussevitch, Alexander

2014-05-01

Parameterization of volcanic ash transport and dispersion (VATD) models strongly depends on particle morphology and their internal properties. Shape of ash particles affects terminal fall velocities (TFV) and, mostly, dispersion. Internal density combined with particle size has a very strong impact on TFV and ultimately on the rate of ash cloud thinning and particle sedimentation on the ground. Unlike other parameters, internal particle density cannot be measured directly because of the micron scale sizes of fine ash particles, but we demonstrate that it varies greatly depending on the particle size. Small simple type ash particles (fragments of bubble walls, 5-20 micron size) do not contain whole large magmatic bubbles inside and their internal density is almost the same as that of volcanic glass matrix. On the other side, the larger compound type ash particles (>40 microns for silicic fine ashes) always contain some bubbles or the whole spectra of bubble size distribution (BSD), i.e. bubbles of all sizes, bringing their internal density down as compared to simple ash. So, density of the larger ash particles is a function of the void fraction inside them (magmatic bubbles) which, in turn, is controlled by BSD. Volcanic ash is a product of the fragmentation of magmatic foam formed by pre-eruptive bubble population and characterized by BSD. The latter can now be measured from bubble imprints on ash particle surfaces using stereo-scanning electron microscopy (SSEM) and BubbleMaker software developed at UNH, or using traditional high-resolution X-Ray tomography. In this work we present the mathematical and statistical formulation for this problem connecting internal ash density with particle size and BSD, and demonstrate how the TFV of the ash population is affected by variation of particle density.

Photometric studies of Saturn's ring and eclipses of the Galilean satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brunk, W. E.

1972-01-01

Reliable data defining the photometric function of the Saturn ring system at visual wavelengths are interpreted in terms of a simple scattering model. To facilitate the analysis, new photographic photometry of the ring has been carried out and homogeneous measurements of the mean surface brightness are presented. The ring model adopted is a plane parallel slab of isotropically scattering particles; the single scattering albedo and the perpendicular optical thickness are both arbitrary. Results indicate that primary scattering is inadequate to describe the photometric properties of the ring: multiple scattering predominates for all angles of tilt with respect to the Sun and earth. In addition, the scattering phase function of the individual particles is significantly anisotropic: they scatter preferentially towards the sun. Photoelectric photometry of Ganymede during its eclipse by Jupiter indicate that neither a simple reflecting-layer model nor a semi-infinite homogeneous scattering model provides an adequate physical description of the Jupiter atmosphere.

A Simple Engineering Analysis of Solar Particle Event High Energy Tails and Their Impact on Vehicle Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singleterry, Robert C., Jr.; Walker, Steven A.; Clowdsley, Martha S.

2016-01-01

The mathematical models for Solar Particle Event (SPE) high energy tails are constructed with several di erent algorithms. Since limited measured data exist above energies around 400 MeV, this paper arbitrarily de nes the high energy tail as any proton with an energy above 400 MeV. In order to better understand the importance of accurately modeling the high energy tail for SPE spectra, the contribution to astronaut whole body e ective dose equivalent of the high energy portions of three di erent SPE models has been evaluated. To ensure completeness of this analysis, simple and complex geometries were used. This analysis showed that the high energy tail of certain SPEs can be relevant to astronaut exposure and hence safety. Therefore, models of high energy tails for SPEs should be well analyzed and based on data if possible.

A description of rotations for DEM models of particle systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campello, Eduardo M. B.

2015-06-01

In this work, we show how a vector parameterization of rotations can be adopted to describe the rotational motion of particles within the framework of the discrete element method (DEM). It is based on the use of a special rotation vector, called Rodrigues rotation vector, and accounts for finite rotations in a fully exact manner. The use of fictitious entities such as quaternions or complicated structures such as Euler angles is thereby circumvented. As an additional advantage, stick-slip friction models with inter-particle rolling motion are made possible in a consistent and elegant way. A few examples are provided to illustrate the applicability of the scheme. We believe that simple vector descriptions of rotations are very useful for DEM models of particle systems.

MAPPING ANNUAL MEAN GROUND-LEVEL PM2.5 CONCENTRATIONS USING MULTIANGLE IMAGING SPECTRORADIOMETER AEROSOL OPTICAL THICKNESS OVER THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES

EPA Science Inventory

We present a simple approach to estimating ground-level fine particle (PM2.5, particles smaller than 2.5 um in diameter) concentration using global atmospheric chemistry models and aerosol optical thickness (AOT) measurements from the Multi- angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR)...

Effect of heterogeneity and shape on optical properties of urban dust based on three-dimensional modeling of individual particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conny, Joseph M.; Ortiz-Montalvo, Diana L.

2017-09-01

We show the effect of composition heterogeneity and shape on the optical properties of urban dust particles based on the three-dimensional spatial and optical modeling of individual particles. Using scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) and focused ion beam (FIB) tomography, spatial models of particles collected in Los Angeles and Seattle accounted for surface features, inclusions, and voids, as well as overall composition and shape. Using voxel data from the spatial models and the discrete dipole approximation method, we report extinction efficiency, asymmetry parameter, and single-scattering albedo (SSA). Test models of the particles involved (1) the particle's actual morphology as a single homogeneous phase and (2) simple geometric shapes (spheres, cubes, and tetrahedra) depicting composition homogeneity or heterogeneity (with multiple spheres). Test models were compared with a reference model, which included the particle's actual morphology and heterogeneity based on SEM/EDX and FIB tomography. Results show particle shape to be a more important factor for determining extinction efficiency than accounting for individual phases in a particle, regardless of whether absorption or scattering dominated. In addition to homogeneous models with the particles' actual morphology, tetrahedral geometric models provided better extinction accuracy than spherical or cubic models. For iron-containing heterogeneous particles, the asymmetry parameter and SSA varied with the composition of the iron-containing phase, even if the phase was <10% of the particle volume. For particles containing loosely held phases with widely varying refractive indexes (i.e., exhibiting "severe" heterogeneity), only models that account for heterogeneity may sufficiently determine SSA.

The dark side of cosmology: dark matter and dark energy.

PubMed

Spergel, David N

2015-03-06

A simple model with only six parameters (the age of the universe, the density of atoms, the density of matter, the amplitude of the initial fluctuations, the scale dependence of this amplitude, and the epoch of first star formation) fits all of our cosmological data . Although simple, this standard model is strange. The model implies that most of the matter in our Galaxy is in the form of "dark matter," a new type of particle not yet detected in the laboratory, and most of the energy in the universe is in the form of "dark energy," energy associated with empty space. Both dark matter and dark energy require extensions to our current understanding of particle physics or point toward a breakdown of general relativity on cosmological scales. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Induction of chromosomal aberrations at fluences of less than one HZE particle per cell nucleus.

PubMed

Hada, Megumi; Chappell, Lori J; Wang, Minli; George, Kerry A; Cucinotta, Francis A

2014-10-01

The assumption of a linear dose response used to describe the biological effects of high-LET radiation is fundamental in radiation protection methodologies. We investigated the dose response for chromosomal aberrations for exposures corresponding to less than one particle traversal per cell nucleus by high-energy charged (HZE) nuclei. Human fibroblast and lymphocyte cells were irradiated with several low doses of <0.1 Gy, and several higher doses of up to 1 Gy with oxygen (77 keV/μm), silicon (99 keV/μm) or Fe (175 keV/μm), Fe (195 keV/μm) or Fe (240 keV/μm) particles. Chromosomal aberrations at first mitosis were scored using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with chromosome specific paints for chromosomes 1, 2 and 4 and DAPI staining of background chromosomes. Nonlinear regression models were used to evaluate possible linear and nonlinear dose-response models based on these data. Dose responses for simple exchanges for human fibroblasts irradiated under confluent culture conditions were best fit by nonlinear models motivated by a nontargeted effect (NTE). The best fits for dose response data for human lymphocytes irradiated in blood tubes were a linear response model for all particles. Our results suggest that simple exchanges in normal human fibroblasts have an important NTE contribution at low-particle fluence. The current and prior experimental studies provide important evidence against the linear dose response assumption used in radiation protection for HZE particles and other high-LET radiation at the relevant range of low doses.

Forces in inhomogeneous open active-particle systems.

PubMed

Razin, Nitzan; Voituriez, Raphael; Elgeti, Jens; Gov, Nir S

2017-11-01

We study the force that noninteracting pointlike active particles apply to a symmetric inert object in the presence of a gradient of activity and particle sources and sinks. We consider two simple patterns of sources and sinks that are common in biological systems. We analytically solve a one-dimensional model designed to emulate higher-dimensional systems, and study a two-dimensional model by numerical simulations. We specify when the particle flux due to the creation and annihilation of particles can act to smooth the density profile that is induced by a gradient in the velocity of the active particles, and find the net resultant force due to both the gradient in activity and the particle flux. These results are compared qualitatively to observations of nuclear motion inside the oocyte, that is driven by a gradient in activity of actin-coated vesicles.

Computing diffusivities from particle models out of equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Embacher, Peter; Dirr, Nicolas; Zimmer, Johannes; Reina, Celia

2018-04-01

A new method is proposed to numerically extract the diffusivity of a (typically nonlinear) diffusion equation from underlying stochastic particle systems. The proposed strategy requires the system to be in local equilibrium and have Gaussian fluctuations but it is otherwise allowed to undergo arbitrary out-of-equilibrium evolutions. This could be potentially relevant for particle data obtained from experimental applications. The key idea underlying the method is that finite, yet large, particle systems formally obey stochastic partial differential equations of gradient flow type satisfying a fluctuation-dissipation relation. The strategy is here applied to three classic particle models, namely independent random walkers, a zero-range process and a symmetric simple exclusion process in one space dimension, to allow the comparison with analytic solutions.

Study on shear properties of coral sand under cyclic simple shear condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Wendong; Zhang, Yuting; Jin, Yafei

2018-05-01

In recent years, the ocean development in our country urgently needs to be accelerated. The construction of artificial coral reefs has become an important development direction. In this paper, experimental studies of simple shear and cyclic simple shear of coral sand are carried out, and the shear properties and particle breakage of coral sand are analyzed. The results show that the coral sand samples show an overall shear failure in the simple shear test, which is more accurate and effective for studying the particle breakage. The shear displacement corresponding to the peak shear stress of the simple shear test is significantly larger than that corresponding to the peak shear stress of the direct shear test. The degree of particle breakage caused by the simple shear test is significantly related to the normal stress level. The particle breakage of coral sand after the cyclic simple shear test obviously increases compared with that of the simple shear test, and universal particle breakage occurs within the whole particle size range. The increasing of the cycle-index under cyclic simple shear test results in continuous compacting of the sample, so that the envelope curve of peak shearing force increases with the accumulated shear displacement.

Nuclear Checker Board Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lach, Theodore

2017-01-01

The Checkerboard model of the Nucleus has been in the public domain for over 20 years. Over those years it has been described by nuclear and particle physicists as; cute, ``the Bohr model of the nucleus'' and ``reminiscent of the Eightfold Way''. It has also been ridiculed as numerology, laughed at, and even worse. In 2000 the theory was taken to the next level by attempting to explain why the mass of the ``up'' and ``dn'' quarks were significantly heavier than the SM ``u'' and ``d'' quarks. This resulted in a paper published on arXiv.nucl-th/0008026 in 2000, predicting 5 generations of quarks, each quark and negative lepton particle related to each other by a simple geometric mean. The CBM predicts that the radii of the elementary particles are proportional to the cube root of their masses. This was realized Pythagorean musical intervals (octave, perfect 5th, perfect 4th plus two others). Therefore each generation can be explained by a simple right triangle and the height of the hypotenuse. Notice that the height of a right triangle breaks the hypotenuse into two line segments. The geometric mean of those two segments equals the length of the height of this characteristic triangle. Therefore the CBM theory now predicts that all the elementary particles mass are proportion to the cube of their radii. Therefore the mass density of all elementary particles (and perhaps black holes too) are a constant of nature.

Particle momentum effects from the detonation of heterogeneous explosives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frost, D. L.; Ornthanalai, C.; Zarei, Z.; Tanguay, V.; Zhang, F.

2007-06-01

Detonation of a spherical high explosive charge containing solid particles generates a high-speed two-phase flow comprised of a decaying spherical air blast wave together with a rapidly expanding cloud of particles. The particle momentum effects associated with this two-phase flow have been investigated experimentally and numerically for a heterogeneous explosive consisting of a packed bed of inert particles saturated with a liquid explosive. Experimentally, the dispersion of the particles was tracked using flash radiography and high-speed photography. A particle streak gauge was developed to measure the rate of arrival of the particles at various locations. Using a cantilever gauge and a free-piston impulse gauge, it was found that the particle momentum flux provided the primary contribution of the multiphase flow to the near-field impulse applied to a nearby small structure. The qualitative features of the interaction between a particle and the flow field are illustrated using simple models for the particle motion and blast wave dynamics. A more realistic Eulerian two-fluid model for the gas-particle flow and a finite-element model for the structural response of the cantilever gauge are then used to determine the relative contributions of the gas and particles to the loading.

The effects of particle loading on turbulence structure and modelling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Squires, Kyle D.; Eaton, J. K.

1989-01-01

The objective of the present research was to extend the Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) approach to particle-laden turbulent flows using a simple model of particle/flow interaction. The program addressed the simplest type of flow, homogeneous, isotropic turbulence, and examined interactions between the particles and gas phase turbulence. The specific range of problems examined include those in which the particle is much smaller than the smallest length scales of the turbulence yet heavy enough to slip relative to the flow. The particle mass loading is large enough to have a significant impact on the turbulence, while the volume loading was small enough such that particle-particle interactions could be neglected. Therefore, these simulations are relevant to practical problems involving small, dense particles conveyed by turbulent gas flows at moderate loadings. A sample of the results illustrating modifications of the particle concentration field caused by the turbulence structure is presented and attenuation of turbulence by the particle cloud is also illustrated.

Aerosol Complexity and Implications for Predictability and Short-Term Forecasting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colarco, Peter

2016-01-01

There are clear NWP and climate impacts from including aerosol radiative and cloud interactions. Changes in dynamics and cloud fields affect aerosol lifecycle, plume height, long-range transport, overall forcing of the climate system, etc. Inclusion of aerosols in NWP systems has benefit to surface field biases (e.g., T2m, U10m). Including aerosol affects has impact on analysis increments and can have statistically significant impacts on, e.g., tropical cyclogenesis. Above points are made especially with respect to aerosol radiative interactions, but aerosol-cloud interaction is a bigger signal on the global system. Many of these impacts are realized even in models with relatively simple (bulk) aerosol schemes (approx.10 -20 tracers). Simple schemes though imply simple representation of aerosol absorption and importantly for aerosol-cloud interaction particle-size distribution. Even so, more complex schemes exhibit a lot of diversity between different models, with issues such as size selection both for emitted particles and for modes. Prospects for complex sectional schemes to tune modal (and even bulk) schemes toward better selection of size representation. I think this is a ripe topic for more research -Systematic documentation of benefits of no vs. climatological vs. interactive (direct and then direct+indirect) aerosols. Document aerosol impact on analysis increments, inclusion in NWP data assimilation operator -Further refinement of baseline assumptions in model design (e.g., absorption, particle size distribution). Did not get into model resolution and interplay of other physical processes with aerosols (e.g., moist physics, obviously important), chemistry

Fish tracking by combining motion based segmentation and particle filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bichot, E.; Mascarilla, L.; Courtellemont, P.

2006-01-01

In this paper, we suggest a new importance sampling scheme to improve a particle filtering based tracking process. This scheme relies on exploitation of motion segmentation. More precisely, we propagate hypotheses from particle filtering to blobs of similar motion to target. Hence, search is driven toward regions of interest in the state space and prediction is more accurate. We also propose to exploit segmentation to update target model. Once the moving target has been identified, a representative model is learnt from its spatial support. We refer to this model in the correction step of the tracking process. The importance sampling scheme and the strategy to update target model improve the performance of particle filtering in complex situations of occlusions compared to a simple Bootstrap approach as shown by our experiments on real fish tank sequences.

A Self-consistent Cloud Model for Brown Dwarfs and Young Giant Exoplanets: Comparison with Photometric and Spectroscopic Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charnay, B.; Bézard, B.; Baudino, J.-L.; Bonnefoy, M.; Boccaletti, A.; Galicher, R.

2018-02-01

We developed a simple, physical, and self-consistent cloud model for brown dwarfs and young giant exoplanets. We compared different parametrizations for the cloud particle size, by fixing either particle radii or the mixing efficiency (parameter f sed), or by estimating particle radii from simple microphysics. The cloud scheme with simple microphysics appears to be the best parametrization by successfully reproducing the observed photometry and spectra of brown dwarfs and young giant exoplanets. In particular, it reproduces the L–T transition, due to the condensation of silicate and iron clouds below the visible/near-IR photosphere. It also reproduces the reddening observed for low-gravity objects, due to an increase of cloud optical depth for low gravity. In addition, we found that the cloud greenhouse effect shifts chemical equilibrium, increasing the abundances of species stable at high temperature. This effect should significantly contribute to the strong variation of methane abundance at the L–T transition and to the methane depletion observed on young exoplanets. Finally, we predict the existence of a continuum of brown dwarfs and exoplanets for absolute J magnitude = 15–18 and J-K color = 0–3, due to the evolution of the L–T transition with gravity. This self-consistent model therefore provides a general framework to understand the effects of clouds and appears well-suited for atmospheric retrievals.

Investigation of unsteadiness in Shock-particle cloud interaction: Fully resolved two-dimensional simulation and one-dimensional modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseinzadeh-Nik, Zahra; Regele, Jonathan D.

2015-11-01

Dense compressible particle-laden flow, which has a complex nature, exists in various engineering applications. Shock waves impacting a particle cloud is a canonical problem to investigate this type of flow. It has been demonstrated that large flow unsteadiness is generated inside the particle cloud from the flow induced by the shock passage. It is desirable to develop models for the Reynolds stress to capture the energy contained in vortical structures so that volume-averaged models with point particles can be simulated accurately. However, the previous work used Euler equations, which makes the prediction of vorticity generation and propagation innacurate. In this work, a fully resolved two dimensional (2D) simulation using the compressible Navier-Stokes equations with a volume penalization method to model the particles has been performed with the parallel adaptive wavelet-collocation method. The results still show large unsteadiness inside and downstream of the particle cloud. A 1D model is created for the unclosed terms based upon these 2D results. The 1D model uses a two-phase simple low dissipation AUSM scheme (TSLAU) developed by coupled with the compressible two phase kinetic energy equation.

Simple analytical model of a thermal diode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaushik, Saurabh; Kaushik, Sachin; Marathe, Rahul

2018-05-01

Recently there is a lot of attention given to manipulation of heat by constructing thermal devices such as thermal diodes, transistors and logic gates. Many of the models proposed have an asymmetry which leads to the desired effect. Presence of non-linear interactions among the particles is also essential. But, such models lack analytical understanding. Here we propose a simple, analytically solvable model of a thermal diode. Our model consists of classical spins in contact with multiple heat baths and constant external magnetic fields. Interestingly the magnetic field is the only parameter required to get the effect of heat rectification.

Unity of elementary particles and forces in higher dimensions.

PubMed

Gogoladze, Ilia; Mimura, Yukihiro; Nandi, S

2003-10-03

The idea of unifying all the gauge and Yukawa forces as well as the gauge, Higgs, and fermionic matter particles naturally leads us to a simple gauge symmetry in higher dimensions with supersymmetry. We present a model in which, for the first time, such a unification is achieved in the framework of quantum field theory.

A stochastic model for density-dependent microwave Snow- and Graupel scattering coefficients of the NOAA JCSDA community radiative transfer model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stegmann, Patrick G.; Tang, Guanglin; Yang, Ping; Johnson, Benjamin T.

2018-05-01

A structural model is developed for the single-scattering properties of snow and graupel particles with a strongly heterogeneous morphology and an arbitrary variable mass density. This effort is aimed to provide a mechanism to consider particle mass density variation in the microwave scattering coefficients implemented in the Community Radiative Transfer Model (CRTM). The stochastic model applies a bicontinuous random medium algorithm to a simple base shape and uses the Finite-Difference-Time-Domain (FDTD) method to compute the single-scattering properties of the resulting complex morphology.

Equilibrium stochastic dynamics of a Brownian particle in inhomogeneous space: Derivation of an alternative model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyay, A.

2018-03-01

An alternative equilibrium stochastic dynamics for a Brownian particle in inhomogeneous space is derived. Such a dynamics can model the motion of a complex molecule in its conformation space when in equilibrium with a uniform heat bath. The derivation is done by a simple generalization of the formulation due to Zwanzig for a Brownian particle in homogeneous heat bath. We show that, if the system couples to different number of bath degrees of freedom at different conformations then the alternative model gets derived. We discuss results of an experiment by Faucheux and Libchaber which probably has indicated possible limitation of the Boltzmann distribution as equilibrium distribution of a Brownian particle in inhomogeneous space and propose experimental verification of the present theory using similar methods.

A Maximum Entropy Method for Particle Filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eyink, Gregory L.; Kim, Sangil

2006-06-01

Standard ensemble or particle filtering schemes do not properly represent states of low priori probability when the number of available samples is too small, as is often the case in practical applications. We introduce here a set of parametric resampling methods to solve this problem. Motivated by a general H-theorem for relative entropy, we construct parametric models for the filter distributions as maximum-entropy/minimum-information models consistent with moments of the particle ensemble. When the prior distributions are modeled as mixtures of Gaussians, our method naturally generalizes the ensemble Kalman filter to systems with highly non-Gaussian statistics. We apply the new particle filters presented here to two simple test cases: a one-dimensional diffusion process in a double-well potential and the three-dimensional chaotic dynamical system of Lorenz.

Fourth Generation Parity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Hye-Sung; Soni, Amarjit

2013-01-01

We present a very simple 4th-generation (4G) model with an Abelian gauge interaction under which only the 4G fermions have nonzero charge. The U(1) gauge symmetry can have a Z_2 residual discrete symmetry (4G-parity), which can stabilize the lightest 4G particle (L4P). When the 4G neutrino is the L4P, it would be a neutral and stable particle and the other 4G fermions would decay into the L4P leaving the trace of missing energy plus the standard model fermions. Because of the new symmetry, the 4G particle creation and decay modes are different from those of the sequential 4G model, andmore » the 4G particles can be appreciably lighter than typical experimental bounds.« less

Physical interrelation between Fokker-Planck and random walk models with application to Coulomb interactions.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Englert, G. W.

1971-01-01

A model of the random walk is formulated to allow a simple computing procedure to replace the difficult problem of solution of the Fokker-Planck equation. The step sizes and probabilities of taking steps in the various directions are expressed in terms of Fokker-Planck coefficients. Application is made to many particle systems with Coulomb interactions. The relaxation of a highly peaked velocity distribution of particles to equilibrium conditions is illustrated.

Electrorotation and levitation of cells and colloidal particles

PubMed Central

Foster, Kenneth R.; Sauer, Friedrich A.; Schwan, Herman P.

1992-01-01

We review dielectrophoretic forces on cells and colloidal particles, emphasizing their use for manipulating and characterizing the electrical properties of suspended particles. Compared with dielectric spectroscopy, these methods offer a measure of independence from electrode artifacts and mixture theory. On the assumption that the particles can be modeled as uniform dielectric objects with effective dielectric properties, a simple theory can be developed for the frequency variation in the field-induced forces. For particles exhibiting counterion polarization, dielectrophoretic forces differ considerably from predictions of this theory at low frequencies, apparently because of double layer phenomena. PMID:19431839

Born-Oppenheimer approximation for a singular system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akbas, Haci; Turgut, O. Teoman

2018-01-01

We discuss a simple singular system in one dimension, two heavy particles interacting with a light particle via an attractive contact interaction and not interacting among themselves. It is natural to apply the Born-Oppenheimer approximation to this problem. We present a detailed discussion of this approach; the advantage of this simple model is that one can estimate the error terms self-consistently. Moreover, a Fock space approach to this problem is presented where an expansion can be proposed to get higher order corrections. A slight modification of the same problem in which the light particle is relativistic is discussed in a later section by neglecting pair creation processes. Here, the second quantized description is more challenging, but with some care, one can recover the first order expression exactly.

Fractality à la carte: a general particle aggregation model.

PubMed

Nicolás-Carlock, J R; Carrillo-Estrada, J L; Dossetti, V

2016-01-19

In nature, fractal structures emerge in a wide variety of systems as a local optimization of entropic and energetic distributions. The fractality of these systems determines many of their physical, chemical and/or biological properties. Thus, to comprehend the mechanisms that originate and control the fractality is highly relevant in many areas of science and technology. In studying clusters grown by aggregation phenomena, simple models have contributed to unveil some of the basic elements that give origin to fractality, however, the specific contribution from each of these elements to fractality has remained hidden in the complex dynamics. Here, we propose a simple and versatile model of particle aggregation that is, on the one hand, able to reveal the specific entropic and energetic contributions to the clusters' fractality and morphology, and, on the other, capable to generate an ample assortment of rich natural-looking aggregates with any prescribed fractal dimension.

Semi-empirical formulation of multiple scattering for the Gaussian beam model of heavy charged particles stopping in tissue-like matter.

PubMed

Kanematsu, Nobuyuki

2009-03-07

Dose calculation for radiotherapy with protons and heavier ions deals with a large volume of path integrals involving a scattering power of body tissue. This work provides a simple model for such demanding applications. There is an approximate linearity between RMS end-point displacement and range of incident particles in water, empirically found in measurements and detailed calculations. This fact was translated into a simple linear formula, from which the scattering power that is only inversely proportional to the residual range was derived. The simplicity enabled the analytical formulation for ions stopping in water, which was designed to be equivalent with the extended Highland model and agreed with measurements within 2% or 0.02 cm in RMS displacement. The simplicity will also improve the efficiency of numerical path integrals in the presence of heterogeneity.

Onion-shell model for cosmic ray electrons and radio synchrotron emission in supernova remnants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beck, R.; Drury, L. O.; Voelk, H. J.; Bogdan, T. J.

1985-01-01

The spectrum of cosmic ray electrons, accelerated in the shock front of a supernova remnant (SNR), is calculated in the test-particle approximation using an onion-shell model. Particle diffusion within the evolving remnant is explicity taken into account. The particle spectrum becomes steeper with increasing radius as well as SNR age. Simple models of the magnetic field distribution allow a prediction of the intensity and spectrum of radio synchrotron emission and their radial variation. The agreement with existing observations is satisfactory in several SNR's but fails in other cases. Radiative cooling may be an important effect, especially in SNR's exploding in a dense interstellar medium.

1-D DC Resistivity Modeling and Interpretation in Anisotropic Media Using Particle Swarm Optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pekşen, Ertan; Yas, Türker; Kıyak, Alper

2014-09-01

We examine the one-dimensional direct current method in anisotropic earth formation. We derive an analytic expression of a simple, two-layered anisotropic earth model. Further, we also consider a horizontally layered anisotropic earth response with respect to the digital filter method, which yields a quasi-analytic solution over anisotropic media. These analytic and quasi-analytic solutions are useful tests for numerical codes. A two-dimensional finite difference earth model in anisotropic media is presented in order to generate a synthetic data set for a simple one-dimensional earth. Further, we propose a particle swarm optimization method for estimating the model parameters of a layered anisotropic earth model such as horizontal and vertical resistivities, and thickness. The particle swarm optimization is a naturally inspired meta-heuristic algorithm. The proposed method finds model parameters quite successfully based on synthetic and field data. However, adding 5 % Gaussian noise to the synthetic data increases the ambiguity of the value of the model parameters. For this reason, the results should be controlled by a number of statistical tests. In this study, we use probability density function within 95 % confidence interval, parameter variation of each iteration and frequency distribution of the model parameters to reduce the ambiguity. The result is promising and the proposed method can be used for evaluating one-dimensional direct current data in anisotropic media.

Universal scaling for second-class particles in a one-dimensional misanthrope process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rákos, Attila

2010-06-01

We consider the one-dimensional Katz-Lebowitz-Spohn (KLS) model, which is a generalization of the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP) with nearest neighbour interaction. Using a powerful mapping, the KLS model can be translated into a misanthrope process. In this model, for the repulsive case, it is possible to introduce second-class particles, the number of which is conserved. We study the distance distribution of second-class particles in this model numerically and find that for large distances it decreases as x-3/2. This agrees with a previous analytical result of Derrida et al (1993) for the TASEP, where the same asymptotic behaviour was found. We also study the dynamical scaling function of the distance distribution and find that it is universal within this family of models.

Natural electroweak breaking from a mirror symmetry.

PubMed

Chacko, Z; Goh, Hock-Seng; Harnik, Roni

2006-06-16

We present "twin Higgs models," simple realizations of the Higgs boson as a pseudo Goldstone boson that protect the weak scale from radiative corrections up to scales of order 5-10 TeV. In the ultraviolet these theories have a discrete symmetry which interchanges each standard model particle with a corresponding particle which transforms under a twin or a mirror standard model gauge group. In addition, the Higgs sector respects an approximate global symmetry. When this global symmetry is broken, the discrete symmetry tightly constrains the form of corrections to the pseudo Goldstone Higgs potential, allowing natural electroweak symmetry breaking. Precision electroweak constraints are satisfied by construction. These models demonstrate that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, stabilizing the weak scale does not require new light particles charged under the standard model gauge groups.

Robust estimation of event-related potentials via particle filter.

PubMed

Fukami, Tadanori; Watanabe, Jun; Ishikawa, Fumito

2016-03-01

In clinical examinations and brain-computer interface (BCI) research, a short electroencephalogram (EEG) measurement time is ideal. The use of event-related potentials (ERPs) relies on both estimation accuracy and processing time. We tested a particle filter that uses a large number of particles to construct a probability distribution. We constructed a simple model for recording EEG comprising three components: ERPs approximated via a trend model, background waves constructed via an autoregressive model, and noise. We evaluated the performance of the particle filter based on mean squared error (MSE), P300 peak amplitude, and latency. We then compared our filter with the Kalman filter and a conventional simple averaging method. To confirm the efficacy of the filter, we used it to estimate ERP elicited by a P300 BCI speller. A 400-particle filter produced the best MSE. We found that the merit of the filter increased when the original waveform already had a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) (i.e., the power ratio between ERP and background EEG). We calculated the amount of averaging necessary after applying a particle filter that produced a result equivalent to that associated with conventional averaging, and determined that the particle filter yielded a maximum 42.8% reduction in measurement time. The particle filter performed better than both the Kalman filter and conventional averaging for a low SNR in terms of both MSE and P300 peak amplitude and latency. For EEG data produced by the P300 speller, we were able to use our filter to obtain ERP waveforms that were stable compared with averages produced by a conventional averaging method, irrespective of the amount of averaging. We confirmed that particle filters are efficacious in reducing the measurement time required during simulations with a low SNR. Additionally, particle filters can perform robust ERP estimation for EEG data produced via a P300 speller. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Density Driven Removal of Sediment from a Buoyant Muddy Plume

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rouhnia, M.; Strom, K.

2014-12-01

Experiments were conducted to study the effect of settling driven instabilities on sediment removal from hypopycnal plumes. Traditional approaches scale removal rates with particle settling velocity however, it has been suggested that the removal from buoyant suspensions happens at higher rates. The enhancement of removal is likely due to gravitational instabilities, such as fingering, at two-fluid interface. Previous studies have all sought to suppress flocculation, and no simple model exists to predict the removal rates under the effect of such instabilities. This study examines whether or not flocculation hampers instability formation and presents a simple removal rate model accounting for gravitational instabilities. A buoyant suspension of flocculated Kaolinite overlying a base of clear saltwater was investigated in a laboratory tank. Concentration was continuously measured in both layers with a pair of OBS sensors, and interface was monitored with digital cameras. Snapshots from the video were used to measure finger velocity. Samples of flocculated particles at the interface were extracted to retrieve floc size data using a floc camera. Flocculation did not stop creation of settling-driven fingers. A simple cylinder-based force balance model was capable of predicting finger velocity. Analogy of fingering process of fine grained suspensions to thermal plume formation and the concept of Grashof number enabled us to model finger spacing as a function of initial concentration. Finally, from geometry, the effective cross-sectional area was correlated to finger spacing. Reformulating the outward flux expression was done by substitution of finger velocity, rather than particle settling velocity, and finger area instead of total area. A box model along with the proposed outward flux was used to predict the SSC in buoyant layer. The model quantifies removal flux based on the initial SSC and is in good agreement with the experimental data.

Restricted Euler dynamics along trajectories of small inertial particles in turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Perry; Meneveau, Charles

2016-11-01

The fate of small particles in turbulent flows depends strongly on the surrounding fluid's velocity gradient properties such as rotation and strain-rates. For non-inertial (fluid) particles, the Restricted Euler model provides a simple, low-dimensional dynamical system representation of Lagrangian evolution of velocity gradients in fluid turbulence, at least for short times. Here we derive a new restricted Euler dynamical system for the velocity gradient evolution of inertial particles such as solid particles in a gas or droplets and bubbles in turbulent liquid flows. The model is derived in the limit of small (sub Kolmogorov scale) particles and low Stokes number. The system exhibits interesting fixed points, stability and invariant properties. Comparisons with data from Direct Numerical Simulations show that the model predicts realistic trends such as the tendency of increased straining over rotation along heavy particle trajectories and, for light particles such as bubbles, the tendency of severely reduced self-stretching of strain-rate. Supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. DGE-1232825 and by a Grant from The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative.

Deposition and reentrainment of Brownian particles in porous media under unfavorable chemical conditions: some concepts and applications.

PubMed

Hahn, Melinda W; O'Meliae, Charles R

2004-01-01

The deposition and reentrainment of particles in porous media have been examined theoretically and experimentally. A Brownian Dynamics/Monte Carlo (MC/BD) model has been developed that simulates the movement of Brownian particles near a collector under "unfavorable" chemical conditions and allows deposition in primary and secondary minima. A simple Maxwell approach has been used to estimate particle attachment efficiency by assuming deposition in the secondary minimum and calculating the probability of reentrainment. The MC/BD simulations and the Maxwell calculations support an alternative view of the deposition and reentrainment of Brownian particles under unfavorable chemical conditions. These calculations indicate that deposition into and subsequent release from secondary minima can explain reported discrepancies between classic model predictions that assume irreversible deposition in a primary well and experimentally determined deposition efficiencies that are orders of magnitude larger than Interaction Force Boundary Layer (IFBL) predictions. The commonly used IFBL model, for example, is based on the notion of transport over an energy barrier into the primary well and does not address contributions of secondary minimum deposition. A simple Maxwell model based on deposition into and reentrainment from secondary minima is much more accurate in predicting deposition rates for column experiments at low ionic strengths. It also greatly reduces the substantial particle size effects inherent in IFBL models, wherein particle attachment rates are predicted to decrease significantly with increasing particle size. This view is consistent with recent work by others addressing the composition and structure of the first few nanometers at solid-water interfaces including research on modeling water at solid-liquid interfaces, surface speciation, interfacial force measurements, and the rheological properties of concentrated suspensions. It follows that deposition under these conditions will depend on the depth of the secondary minimum and that some transition between secondary and primary depositions should occur when the height of the energy barrier is on the order of several kT. When deposition in secondary minima predominates, observed deposition should increase with increasing ionic strength, particle size, and Hamaker constant. Since an equilibrium can develop between bound and bulk particles, the collision efficiency [alpha] can no longer be considered a constant for a given physical and chemical system. Rather, in many cases it can decrease over time until it eventually reaches zero as equilibrium is established.

Investigation of the particle-core structure of odd-mass nuclei in the NpNn scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bucurescu, D.; Cata, G.; Cutoiu, D.; Dragulescu, E.; Ivasu, M.; Zamfir, N. V.; Gizon, A.; Gizon, J.

1989-10-01

The NpNn scheme is applied to data related to collective band structures determined by the unique parity shell model orbitals in odd-A nuclei from the mass regions A≌80-100 and A≌130. Simple systematics are obtained which give a synthetic picture of the evolution of the particle-core coupling in these nuclear regions.

Simulating Self-Assembly with Simple Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rapaport, D. C.

Results from recent molecular dynamics simulations of virus capsid self-assembly are described. The model is based on rigid trapezoidal particles designed to form polyhedral shells of size 60, together with an atomistic solvent. The underlying bonding process is fully reversible. More extensive computations are required than in previous work on icosahedral shells built from triangular particles, but the outcome is a high yield of closed shells. Intermediate clusters have a variety of forms, and bond counts provide a useful classification scheme

Simple algorithms for remote determination of mineral abundances and particle sizes from reflectance spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Paul E.; Smith, Milton O.; Adams, John B.

1992-01-01

Algorithms were developed, based on Hapke's (1981) equations, for remote determinations of mineral abundances and particle sizes from reflectance spectra. In this method, spectra are modeled as a function of end-member abundances and illumination/viewing geometry. The method was tested on a laboratory data set. It is emphasized that, although there exist more sophisticated models, the present algorithms are particularly suited for remotely sensed data, where little opportunity exists to independently measure reflectance versus article size and phase function.

Current sheet in plasma as a system with a controlling parameter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fridman, Yu. A., E-mail: yulya-fridman@yandex.ru; Chukbar, K. V., E-mail: Chukbar-KV@nrcki.ru

2015-08-15

A simple kinetic model describing stationary solutions with bifurcated and single-peaked current density profiles of a plane electron beam or current sheet in plasma is presented. A connection is established between the two-dimensional constructions arising in terms of the model and the one-dimensional considerations by Bernstein−Greene−Kruskal facilitating the reconstruction of the distribution function of trapped particles when both the profile of the electric potential and the free particles distribution function are known.

Motion of Colloidal Particles near Plateau Border in Freely Suspended Soap Film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pak, Hyuk Kyu; Sur, Jeanman

2000-03-01

We study the motion of colloidal particle near Plateau border in free-standing soap film which is placed perpendicularly to the gravitational direction. When the thickness of soap film is a micron order, two air/water interfacial surfaces of the film can be deformed by the presence of the colloidal particle. When the colloidal particles are in the central area of soap film, they move in random directions. But, as the particles approach near Plateau border, they are accelerated to the border of the film. The travelling distance, before the accelerated particle stops, depends on particle size. We propose a simple model to explain the motion of particle near Plateau border using a surface energy argument and compare the results with experimental measurements.

Fast Simulation of Membrane Filtration by Combining Particle Retention Mechanisms and Network Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krupp, Armin; Griffiths, Ian; Please, Colin

2016-11-01

Porous membranes are used for their particle retention capabilities in a wide range of industrial filtration processes. The underlying mechanisms for particle retention are complex and often change during the filtration process, making it hard to predict the change in permeability of the membrane during the process. Recently, stochastic network models have been shown to predict the change in permeability based on retention mechanisms, but remain computationally intensive. We show that the averaged behaviour of such a stochastic network model can efficiently be computed using a simple partial differential equation. Moreover, we also show that the geometric structure of the underlying membrane and particle-size distribution can be represented in our model, making it suitable for modelling particle retention in interconnected membranes as well. We conclude by demonstrating the particular application to microfluidic filtration, where the model can be used to efficiently compute a probability density for flux measurements based on the geometry of the pores and particles. A. U. K. is grateful for funding from Pall Corporation and the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford. I.M.G. gratefully acknowledges support from the Royal Society through a University Research Fellowship.

Solid particle dynamic behavior through twisted blade rows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamed, A.

1982-01-01

The particle trajectory calculations provide the essential information which is required for predicting the pattern and intensity of turbomachinery erosion. Consequently, the evaluation of the machine performance deterioration due to erosion is extremely sensitive to the accuracy of the flow field and blade geometry representation in the trajectory computational model. A model is presented that is simple and efficient yet versatile and general to be applicable to axial, radial and mixed flow machines, and to inlets, nozzles, return passages and separators. The results of the computations are presented for the particle trajectories through a row of twisted vanes in the inlet flow field. The effect of the particle size on their trajectories, blade impacts, and on their redistribution and separation are discussed.

Phase-space analysis of the Schwinger effect in inhomogeneous electromagnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohlfürst, Christian

2018-05-01

Schwinger pair production in spatially and temporally inhomogeneous electric and magnetic fields is studied. The focus is on the particle phase-space distribution within a high-intensity few-cycle pulse. Accurate numerical solutions of a quantum kinetic theory (DHW formalism) are presented in momentum space and, with the aid of coarse-graining techniques, in a mixed spatial-momentum representation. Additionally, signatures of the carrier-envelope phase as well as spin-field interactions are discussed on the basis of a trajectory-based model taking into account instantaneous pair production and relativistic single-particle dynamics. Although our simple semi-classical single-particle model cannot describe every aspect of the particle production process (quantum interferences), essential features such as spin-field interactions are captured.

Actin-based propulsion of a microswimmer.

PubMed

Leshansky, A M

2006-07-01

A simple hydrodynamic model of actin-based propulsion of microparticles in dilute cell-free cytoplasmic extracts is presented. Under the basic assumption that actin polymerization at the particle surface acts as a force dipole, pushing apart the load and the free (nonanchored) actin tail, the propulsive velocity of the microparticle is determined as a function of the tail length, porosity, and particle shape. The anticipated velocities of the cargo displacement and the rearward motion of the tail are in good agreement with recently reported results of biomimetic experiments. A more detailed analysis of the particle-tail hydrodynamic interaction is presented and compared to the prediction of the simplified model.

A simple method for the extraction and identification of light density microplastics from soil.

PubMed

Zhang, Shaoliang; Yang, Xiaomei; Gertsen, Hennie; Peters, Piet; Salánki, Tamás; Geissen, Violette

2018-03-01

This article introduces a simple and cost-saving method developed to extract, distinguish and quantify light density microplastics of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) in soil. A floatation method using distilled water was used to extract the light density microplastics from soil samples. Microplastics and impurities were identified using a heating method (3-5s at 130°C). The number and size of particles were determined using a camera (Leica DFC 425) connected to a microscope (Leica wild M3C, Type S, simple light, 6.4×). Quantification of the microplastics was conducted using a developed model. Results showed that the floatation method was effective in extracting microplastics from soils, with recovery rates of approximately 90%. After being exposed to heat, the microplastics in the soil samples melted and were transformed into circular transparent particles while other impurities, such as organic matter and silicates were not changed by the heat. Regression analysis of microplastics weight and particle volume (a calculation based on image J software analysis) after heating showed the best fit (y=1.14x+0.46, R 2 =99%, p<0.001). Recovery rates based on the empirical model method were >80%. Results from field samples collected from North-western China prove that our method of repetitive floatation and heating can be used to extract, distinguish and quantify light density polyethylene microplastics in soils. Microplastics mass can be evaluated using the empirical model. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Extreme Learning Machine and Particle Swarm Optimization in optimizing CNC turning operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janahiraman, Tiagrajah V.; Ahmad, Nooraziah; Hani Nordin, Farah

2018-04-01

The CNC machine is controlled by manipulating cutting parameters that could directly influence the process performance. Many optimization methods has been applied to obtain the optimal cutting parameters for the desired performance function. Nonetheless, the industry still uses the traditional technique to obtain those values. Lack of knowledge on optimization techniques is the main reason for this issue to be prolonged. Therefore, the simple yet easy to implement, Optimal Cutting Parameters Selection System is introduced to help the manufacturer to easily understand and determine the best optimal parameters for their turning operation. This new system consists of two stages which are modelling and optimization. In modelling of input-output and in-process parameters, the hybrid of Extreme Learning Machine and Particle Swarm Optimization is applied. This modelling technique tend to converge faster than other artificial intelligent technique and give accurate result. For the optimization stage, again the Particle Swarm Optimization is used to get the optimal cutting parameters based on the performance function preferred by the manufacturer. Overall, the system can reduce the gap between academic world and the industry by introducing a simple yet easy to implement optimization technique. This novel optimization technique can give accurate result besides being the fastest technique.

Viscosity of dilute suspensions of rodlike particles: A numerical simulation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Satoru; Matsuoka, Takaaki

1994-02-01

The recently developed simulation method, named as the particle simulation method (PSM), is extended to predict the viscosity of dilute suspensions of rodlike particles. In this method a rodlike particle is modeled by bonded spheres. Each bond has three types of springs for stretching, bending, and twisting deformation. The rod model can therefore deform by changing the bond distance, bond angle, and torsion angle between paired spheres. The rod model can represent a variety of rigidity by modifying the bond parameters related to Young's modulus and the shear modulus of the real particle. The time evolution of each constituent sphere of the rod model is followed by molecular-dynamics-type approach. The intrinsic viscosity of a suspension of rodlike particles is derived from calculating an increased energy dissipation for each sphere of the rod model in a viscous fluid. With and without deformation of the particle, the motion of the rodlike particle was numerically simulated in a three-dimensional simple shear flow at a low particle Reynolds number and without Brownian motion of particles. The intrinsic viscosity of the suspension of rodlike particles was investigated on orientation angle, rotation orbit, deformation, and aspect ratio of the particle. For the rigid rodlike particle, the simulated rotation orbit compared extremely well with theoretical one which was obtained for a rigid ellipsoidal particle by use of Jeffery's equation. The simulated dependence of the intrinsic viscosity on various factors was also identical with that of theories for suspensions of rigid rodlike particles. For the flexible rodlike particle, the rotation orbit could be obtained by the particle simulation method and it was also cleared that the intrinsic viscosity decreased as occurring of recoverable deformation of the rodlike particle induced by flow.

A reappraisal of drug release laws using Monte Carlo simulations: the prevalence of the Weibull function.

PubMed

Kosmidis, Kosmas; Argyrakis, Panos; Macheras, Panos

2003-07-01

To verify the Higuchi law and study the drug release from cylindrical and spherical matrices by means of Monte Carlo computer simulation. A one-dimensional matrix, based on the theoretical assumptions of the derivation of the Higuchi law, was simulated and its time evolution was monitored. Cylindrical and spherical three-dimensional lattices were simulated with sites at the boundary of the lattice having been denoted as leak sites. Particles were allowed to move inside it using the random walk model. Excluded volume interactions between the particles was assumed. We have monitored the system time evolution for different lattice sizes and different initial particle concentrations. The Higuchi law was verified using the Monte Carlo technique in a one-dimensional lattice. It was found that Fickian drug release from cylindrical matrices can be approximated nicely with the Weibull function. A simple linear relation between the Weibull function parameters and the specific surface of the system was found. Drug release from a matrix, as a result of a diffusion process assuming excluded volume interactions between the drug molecules, can be described using a Weibull function. This model, although approximate and semiempirical, has the benefit of providing a simple physical connection between the model parameters and the system geometry, which was something missing from other semiempirical models.

The Physics of Pollen and Spore Rebound from Plant Surfaces.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paw U, Kyaw Tha

1980-12-01

The problem of particle rebound from plant surfaces has been examined. Particle rebound is a component of net deposition; the other components are reentrainment and impingement. I carried out several sets of wind tunnel experiments to examine the nature of rebound, reentrainment and impingement. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out on the data. A simple computer model was created to predict particle deposition in wind tunnel conditions. My work confirms that rebound is an important process in the wind tunnel, and implies the existence of a process I call 'rebound/reentrainment'. I tested several major hypotheses. The first was that biological materials exhibit the same physical rebound characteristics as artificial materials. The second was that particles rebound in a manner predicted by Dahneke's (1971, 1975) theory. The third was that rebound is a dominant component of net deposition. The fourth was that surface characteristics may seriously influence rebound. I carried out my experiments in a low-speed wind tunnel. For surfaces I used glass and the leaves of tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), Coleus (Coleus blumeii) and American elm (Ulmus americana). For particles I used glass microbeads, lycopodium spores (Lycopodium spp.), and ragweed pollen (Ambrosia trifida). Four main sets of experiments were carried out. I examined rebound, as a function of particle speed, of particles impinging upon leaf surfaces, reentrainment of spores and pollen as a function of wind speed and time, net deposition, as a function of wind speed, and adhesion of pollen and spores to the leaf surfaces. From these experiments I concluded that in general, pollen and spore rebound can be described well by Dahneke's (1971, 1975) theory. Particle differences are far more significant than surface differences in the rebound process. I postulate the existence of rebound/reentrainment when particles impinge on surfaces with tangential fluid flow present. Particles will bounce initially, be drawn back to the surface, but if the fluid flow is sufficiently strong, the particles will be reentrained. Rebound processes, if they are defined to include rebound and rebound/reentrainment, are generally more important than reentrainment in limiting net deposition. I used experimental and theoretical work to form a simple net deposition model for large particles in wind tunnel flow. Further development of similar models is necessary for more accurate results, and for linkage to macroscale deposition and transport models.

UV spectroscopy of Titan's atmosphere, planetary organic chemistry and prebiological synthesis. II - Interpretation of new IUE observations in the 220-335 nm range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Courtin, Regis; Wagener, Richard; Mckay, Christopher P.; Caldwell, John; Fricke, Karl-Heinrich

1991-01-01

The theoretical model developed by McKay et al. (1989) to characterize the size distribution, thermal structure, and chemical composition of the stratospheric haze of Titan is applied to new 220-335-nm albedo measurements obtained with the long-wavelength prime camera of the IUE during August 1987. Data and model predictions are presented in extensive graphs and discussed in detail. It is shown that a simple model with particles of one size at a given altitude does not accurately reproduce the observed features in all spectral regions, but that good general agreement is obtained using a model with a uniformly mixed layer at 150-600 km and a bimodal distribution of small 'polymer' haze particles (radius less than 20 nm) and larger haze particles (radius 100-500 nm). The number densities implied by this model require, however, a mechanism such as electrostatic charging or reaction kinetics to inhibit coagulation of the smaller particles.

FAST TRACK COMMUNICATION: Gas liquid phase coexistence in a tetrahedral patchy particle model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romano, Flavio; Tartaglia, Piero; Sciortino, Francesco

2007-08-01

We evaluate the location of the gas-liquid coexistence line and of the associated critical point for the primitive model for water (PMW), introduced by Kolafa and Nezbeda (1987 Mol. Phys. 61 161). Besides being a simple model for a molecular network forming liquid, the PMW is representative of patchy proteins and novel colloidal particles interacting with localized directional short-range attractions. We show that the gas-liquid phase separation is metastable, i.e. it takes place in the region of the phase diagram where the crystal phase is thermodynamically favoured, as in the case of particles interacting via short-range attractive spherical potentials. We do not observe crystallization close to the critical point. The region of gas-liquid instability of this patchy model is significantly reduced as compared to that from equivalent models of spherically interacting particles, confirming the possibility of observing kinetic arrest in a homogeneous sample driven by bonding as opposed to packing.

Induction of Chromosomal Aberrations at Fluences of Less Than One HZE Particle per Cell Nucleus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hada, Megumi; Chappell, Lori J.; Wang, Minli; George, Kerry A.; Cucinotta, Francis A.

2014-01-01

The assumption of a linear dose response used to describe the biological effects of high LET radiation is fundamental in radiation protection methodologies. We investigated the dose response for chromosomal aberrations for exposures corresponding to less than one particle traversal per cell nucleus by high energy and charge (HZE) nuclei. Human fibroblast and lymphocyte cells where irradiated with several low doses of <0.1 Gy, and several higher doses of up to 1 Gy with O (77 keV/ (long-s)m), Si (99 keV/ (long-s)m), Fe (175 keV/ (long-s)m), Fe (195 keV/ (long-s)m) or Fe (240 keV/ (long-s)m) particles. Chromosomal aberrations at first mitosis were scored using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with chromosome specific paints for chromosomes 1, 2 and 4 and DAPI staining of background chromosomes. Non-linear regression models were used to evaluate possible linear and non-linear dose response models based on these data. Dose responses for simple exchanges for human fibroblast irradiated under confluent culture conditions were best fit by non-linear models motivated by a non-targeted effect (NTE). Best fits for the dose response data for human lymphocytes irradiated in blood tubes were a NTE model for O and a linear response model fit best for Si and Fe particles. Additional evidence for NTE were found in low dose experiments measuring gamma-H2AX foci, a marker of double strand breaks (DSB), and split-dose experiments with human fibroblasts. Our results suggest that simple exchanges in normal human fibroblasts have an important NTE contribution at low particle fluence. The current and prior experimental studies provide important evidence against the linear dose response assumption used in radiation protection for HZE particles and other high LET radiation at the relevant range of low doses.

Modeling electrokinetic flows by consistent implicit incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pan, Wenxiao; Kim, Kyungjoo; Perego, Mauro

2017-04-01

We present an efficient implicit incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics (I2SPH) discretization of Navier-Stokes, Poisson-Boltzmann, and advection-diffusion equations subject to Dirichlet or Robin boundary conditions. It is applied to model various two and three dimensional electrokinetic flows in simple or complex geometries. The I2SPH's accuracy and convergence are examined via comparison with analytical solutions, grid-based numerical solutions, or empirical models. The new method provides a framework to explore broader applications of SPH in microfluidics and complex fluids with charged objects, such as colloids and biomolecules, in arbitrary complex geometries.

Prospects for Alpha Particle Heating in JET in the Hot Ion Regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordey, J. G.; Keilhacker, M.; Watkins, M. L.

1987-01-01

The prospects for alpha particle heating in JET are discussed. A computational model is developed to represent adequately the neutron yield from JET plasmas heated by neutral beam injection. This neutral beam model, augmented by a simple plasma model, is then used to determine the neutron yields and fusion Q-values anticipated for different heating schemes in future operation of JET with tritium. The relative importance of beam-thermal and thermal-thermal reactions is pointed out and the dependence of the results on, for example, plasma density, temperature, energy confinement and purity is shown. Full 1½-D transport code calculations, based on models developed for ohmic, ICRF and NBI heated JET discharges, are used also to provide a power scan for JET operation in tritium in the low density, high ion temperature regime. The results are shown to be in good agreement with the estimates made using the simple plasma model and indicate that, based on present knowledge, a fusion Q-value in the plasma centre above unity should be achieved in JET.

Generalized Stoner-Wohlfarth model accurately describing the switching processes in pseudo-single ferromagnetic particles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cimpoesu, Dorin, E-mail: cdorin@uaic.ro; Stoleriu, Laurentiu; Stancu, Alexandru

2013-12-14

We propose a generalized Stoner-Wohlfarth (SW) type model to describe various experimentally observed angular dependencies of the switching field in non-single-domain magnetic particles. Because the nonuniform magnetic states are generally characterized by complicated spin configurations with no simple analytical description, we maintain the macrospin hypothesis and we phenomenologically include the effects of nonuniformities only in the anisotropy energy, preserving as much as possible the elegance of SW model, the concept of critical curve and its geometric interpretation. We compare the results obtained with our model with full micromagnetic simulations in order to evaluate the performance and limits of our approach.

Using dust as probes to determine sheath extent and structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douglass, Angela; Land, V.; Qiao, K.; Matthews, L.; Hyde, T.

2016-08-01

Two in situ experimental methods are presented in which dust particles are used to determine the extent of the sheath and gain information about the time-averaged electric force profile within a radio frequency (RF) plasma sheath. These methods are advantageous because they are not only simple and quick to carry out, but they also can be performed using standard dusty plasma experimental equipment. In the first method, dust particles are tracked as they fall through the plasma towards the lower electrode. These trajectories are then used to determine the electric force on the particle as a function of height as well as the extent of the sheath. In the second method, dust particle levitation height is measured across a wide range of RF voltages. Similarities were observed between the two experiments, but in order to understand the underlying physics behind these observations, the same conditions were replicated using a self-consistent fluid model. Through comparison of the fluid model and experimental results, it is shown that the particles exhibiting a levitation height that is independent of RF voltage indicate the sheath edge - the boundary between the quasineutral bulk plasma and the sheath. Therefore, both of these simple and inexpensive, yet effective, methods can be applied across a wide range of experimental parameters in any ground-based RF plasma chamber to gain useful information regarding the sheath, which is needed for interpretation of dusty plasma experiments.

Inertial particle manipulation in microscale oscillatory flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwal, Siddhansh; Rallabandi, Bhargav; Raju, David; Hilgenfeldt, Sascha

2017-11-01

Recent work has shown that inertial effects in oscillating flows can be exploited for simultaneous transport and differential displacement of microparticles, enabling size sorting of such particles on extraordinarily short time scales. Generalizing previous theory efforts, we here derive a two-dimensional time-averaged version of the Maxey-Riley equation that includes the effect of an oscillating interface to model particle dynamics in such flows. Separating the steady transport time scale from the oscillatory time scale results in a simple and computationally efficient reduced model that preserves all slow-time features of the full unsteady Maxey-Riley simulations, including inertial particle displacement. Comparison is made not only to full simulations, but also to experiments using oscillating bubbles as the driving interfaces. In this case, the theory predicts either an attraction to or a repulsion from the bubble interface due to inertial effects, so that versatile particle manipulation is possible using differences in particle size, particle/fluid density contrast and streaming strength. We also demonstrate that these predictions are in agreement with experiments.

Negative differential mobility in interacting particle systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Amit Kumar; Basu, Urna; Mohanty, P. K.

2018-05-01

Driven particles in the presence of crowded environment, obstacles, or kinetic constraints often exhibit negative differential mobility (NDM) due to their decreased dynamical activity. Based on the empirical studies of conserved lattice gas model, two species exclusion model and other interacting particle systems we propose a new mechanism for complex many-particle systems where slowing down of certain non-driven degrees of freedom by the external field can give rise to NDM. To prove that the slowing down of the non-driven degrees is indeed the underlying cause, we consider several driven diffusive systems including two species exclusion models, misanthrope process, and show from the exact steady state results that NDM indeed appears when some non-driven modes are slowed down deliberately. For clarity, we also provide a simple pedagogical example of two interacting random walkers on a ring which conforms to the proposed scenario.

Full quantum mechanical analysis of atomic three-grating Mach–Zehnder interferometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sanz, A.S., E-mail: asanz@iff.csic.es; Davidović, M.; Božić, M.

2015-02-15

Atomic three-grating Mach–Zehnder interferometry constitutes an important tool to probe fundamental aspects of the quantum theory. There is, however, a remarkable gap in the literature between the oversimplified models and robust numerical simulations considered to describe the corresponding experiments. Consequently, the former usually lead to paradoxical scenarios, such as the wave–particle dual behavior of atoms, while the latter make difficult the data analysis in simple terms. Here these issues are tackled by means of a simple grating working model consisting of evenly-spaced Gaussian slits. As is shown, this model suffices to explore and explain such experiments both analytically and numerically,more » giving a good account of the full atomic journey inside the interferometer, and hence contributing to make less mystic the physics involved. More specifically, it provides a clear and unambiguous picture of the wavefront splitting that takes place inside the interferometer, illustrating how the momentum along each emerging diffraction order is well defined even though the wave function itself still displays a rather complex shape. To this end, the local transverse momentum is also introduced in this context as a reliable analytical tool. The splitting, apart from being a key issue to understand atomic Mach–Zehnder interferometry, also demonstrates at a fundamental level how wave and particle aspects are always present in the experiment, without incurring in any contradiction or interpretive paradox. On the other hand, at a practical level, the generality and versatility of the model and methodology presented, makes them suitable to attack analogous problems in a simple manner after a convenient tuning. - Highlights: • A simple model is proposed to analyze experiments based on atomic Mach–Zehnder interferometry. • The model can be easily handled both analytically and computationally. • A theoretical analysis based on the combination of the position and momentum representations is considered. • Wave and particle aspects are shown to coexist within the same experiment, thus removing the old wave-corpuscle dichotomy. • A good agreement between numerical simulations and experimental data is found without appealing to best-fit procedures.« less

A simple model for the falling cat problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Essén, Hanno; Nordmark, Arne

2018-05-01

We introduce a specific four-particle, four degree-of-freedom model and calculate the rotation that can be achieved by purely internal torques and forces, keeping the total angular momentum zero. We argue that the model qualitatively explains much of the ability of a cat to land on its feet even though released from rest upside down.

Particle in a box in PT-symmetric quantum mechanics and an electromagnetic analog

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasarathy, Anirudh; Isaacson, Joshua P.; Jones-Smith, Katherine; Tabachnik, Jason; Mathur, Harsh

2013-06-01

In PT-symmetric quantum mechanics a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics, that the Hamiltonian must be Hermitian, is replaced by another set of requirements, including notably symmetry under PT, where P denotes parity and T denotes time reversal. Here we study the role of boundary conditions in PT-symmetric quantum mechanics by constructing a simple model that is the PT-symmetric analog of a particle in a box. The model has the usual particle-in-a-box Hamiltonian but boundary conditions that respect PT symmetry rather than Hermiticity. We find that for a broad class of PT-symmetric boundary conditions the model respects the condition of unbroken PT symmetry, namely, that the Hamiltonian and the symmetry operator PT have simultaneous eigenfunctions, implying that the energy eigenvalues are real. We also find that the Hamiltonian is self-adjoint under the PT-symmetric inner product. Thus we obtain a simple soluble model that fulfills all the requirements of PT-symmetric quantum mechanics. In the second part of this paper we formulate a variational principle for PT-symmetric quantum mechanics that is the analog of the textbook Rayleigh-Ritz principle. Finally we consider electromagnetic analogs of the PT-symmetric particle in a box. We show that the isolated particle in a box may be realized as a Fabry-Perot cavity between an absorbing medium and its conjugate gain medium. Coupling the cavity to an external continuum of incoming and outgoing states turns the energy levels of the box into sharp resonances. Remarkably we find that the resonances have a Breit-Wigner line shape in transmission and a Fano line shape in reflection; by contrast, in the corresponding Hermitian case the line shapes always have a Breit-Wigner form in both transmission and reflection.

Patterned assembly of colloidal particles by confined dewetting lithography.

PubMed

Celio, Hugo; Barton, Emily; Stevenson, Keith J

2006-12-19

We report the assembly of colloidal particles into confined arrangements and patterns on various cleaned and chemically modified solid substrates using a method which we term "confined dewetting lithography" or CDL for short. The experimental setup for CDL is a simple deposition cell where an aqueous suspension of colloidal particles (e.g., polystyrene spheres) is placed between a floating deposition template (i.e., metal microgrid) and the solid substrate. The voids of the deposition template serve as an array of micrometer-sized reservoirs where several hydrodynamic processes are confined. These processes include water evaporation, meniscus formation, convective flow, rupturing, dewetting, and capillary-bridge formation. We discuss the optimal conditions where the CDL has a high efficiency to deposit intricate patterns of colloidal particles using polystyrene spheres (PS; 4.5, 2.0, 1.7, 0.11, 0.064 microm diameter) and square and hexagonal deposition templates as model systems. We find that the optimization conditions of the CDL method, when using submicrometer, sulfate-functionalized PS particles, are primarily dependent on minimizing attractive particle-substrate interactions. The CDL methodology described herein presents a relatively simple and rapid method to assemble virtually any geometric pattern, including more complex patterns assembled using PS particles with different diameters, from aqueous suspensions by choosing suitable conditions and materials.

Computational modeling of radiobiological effects in bone metastases for different radionuclides.

PubMed

Liberal, Francisco D C Guerra; Tavares, Adriana Alexandre S; Tavares, João Manuel R S

2017-06-01

Computational simulation is a simple and practical way to study and to compare a variety of radioisotopes for different medical applications, including the palliative treatment of bone metastases. This study aimed to evaluate and compare cellular effects modelled for different radioisotopes currently in use or under research for treatment of bone metastases using computational methods. Computational models were used to estimate the radiation-induced cellular effects (Virtual Cell Radiobiology algorithm) post-irradiation with selected particles emitted by Strontium-89 ( 89 Sr), Samarium-153 ( 153 Sm), Lutetium-177 ( 177 Lu), and Radium-223 ( 223 Ra). Cellular kinetics post-irradiation using 89 Sr β - particles, 153 Sm β -  particles, 177 Lu β -  particles and 223 Ra α particles showed that the cell response was dose- and radionuclide-dependent. 177 Lu beta minus particles and, in particular, 223 Ra alpha particles, yielded the lowest survival fraction of all investigated particles. 223 Ra alpha particles induced the highest cell death of all investigated particles on metastatic prostate cells in comparison to irradiation with β -  radionuclides, two of the most frequently used radionuclides in the palliative treatment of bone metastases in clinical routine practice. Moreover, the data obtained suggest that the used computational methods might provide some perception about cellular effects following irradiation with different radionuclides.

SPH modeling and simulation of spherical particles interacting in a viscoelastic matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vázquez-Quesada, A.; Ellero, M.

2017-12-01

In this work, we extend the three-dimensional Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) non-colloidal particulate model previously developed for Newtonian suspending media in Vázquez-Quesada and Ellero ["Rheology and microstructure of non-colloidal suspensions under shear studied with smoothed particle hydrodynamics," J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 233, 37-47 (2016)] to viscoelastic matrices. For the solvent medium, the coarse-grained SPH viscoelastic formulation proposed in Vázquez-Quesada, Ellero, and Español ["Smoothed particle hydrodynamic model for viscoelastic fluids with thermal fluctuations," Phys. Rev. E 79, 056707 (2009)] is adopted. The property of this particular set of equations is that they are entirely derived within the general equation for non-equilibrium reversible-irreversible coupling formalism and therefore enjoy automatically thermodynamic consistency. The viscoelastic model is derived through a physical specification of a conformation-tensor-dependent entropy function for the fluid particles. In the simple case of suspended Hookean dumbbells, this delivers a specific SPH discretization of the Oldroyd-B constitutive equation. We validate the suspended particle model by studying the dynamics of single and mutually interacting "noncolloidal" rigid spheres under shear flow and in the presence of confinement. Numerical results agree well with available numerical and experimental data. It is straightforward to extend the particulate model to Brownian conditions and to more complex viscoelastic solvents.

Test of a Nb thin film superconducting detector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lacquaniti, V.; Maggi, S.; Menichetti, E.

1993-08-01

Results from tests of several Nb thin film microstrip superconducting detectors are reported. A preliminary measurement of critical radius of the hot spot generated by 5 MeV [alpha]-particles is compared with simple model predictions.

Exact relativistic models of conformastatic charged dust thick disks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Reyes, Gonzalo

2018-04-01

We construct relativistic models of charged dust thick disks for a particular conformastatic spacetime through a Miyamoto-Nagai transformation used in Newtonian gravity to model disk like galaxies. Two simple families of thick disk models and a family of thick annular disks based on the field of an extreme Reissner-Nordström black hole and a Morgan-Morgan-like metric are considered. The electrogeodesic motion of test particles around the structures are analyzed. Also the stability of the particles against radial perturbation is studied using an extension of the Rayleigh criteria of stability of a fluid in rest in a gravitational field. The models built satisfy all the energy conditions.

Scattering of 42-MeV alpha particles from Cu-65

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, W. M.; Seth, K. K.

1972-01-01

The extended particle-core coupling model was used to predict the properties of low-lying levels of Cu-65. A 42-MeV alpha particle cyclotron beam was used for the experiment. The experiment included magnetic analysis of the incident beam and particle detection by lithium-drifted silicon semiconductors. Angular distributions were measured for 10 to 50 degrees in the center of mass system. Data was reduced by fitting the peaks with a skewed Gaussian function using a least squares computer program with a linear background search. The energy calibration of each system was done by pulsar, and the excitation energies are accurate to + or - 25 keV. The simple weak coupling model cannot account for the experimentally observed quantities of the low-lying levels of Cu-65. The extended particle-core calculation showed that the coupling is not weak and that considerable configuration mixing of the low-lying states results.

One- and Two-dimensional Solitary Wave States in the Nonlinear Kramers Equation with Movement Direction as a Variable

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakaguchi, Hidetsugu; Ishibashi, Kazuya

2018-06-01

We study self-propelled particles by direct numerical simulation of the nonlinear Kramers equation for self-propelled particles. In our previous paper, we studied self-propelled particles with velocity variables in one dimension. In this paper, we consider another model in which each particle exhibits directional motion. The movement direction is expressed with a variable ϕ. We show that one-dimensional solitary wave states appear in direct numerical simulations of the nonlinear Kramers equation in one- and two-dimensional systems, which is a generalization of our previous result. Furthermore, we find two-dimensionally localized states in the case that each self-propelled particle exhibits rotational motion. The center of mass of the two-dimensionally localized state exhibits circular motion, which implies collective rotating motion. Finally, we consider a simple one-dimensional model equation to qualitatively understand the formation of the solitary wave state.

Statistical theory of correlations in random packings of hard particles.

PubMed

Jin, Yuliang; Puckett, James G; Makse, Hernán A

2014-05-01

A random packing of hard particles represents a fundamental model for granular matter. Despite its importance, analytical modeling of random packings remains difficult due to the existence of strong correlations which preclude the development of a simple theory. Here, we take inspiration from liquid theories for the n-particle angular correlation function to develop a formalism of random packings of hard particles from the bottom up. A progressive expansion into a shell of particles converges in the large layer limit under a Kirkwood-like approximation of higher-order correlations. We apply the formalism to hard disks and predict the density of two-dimensional random close packing (RCP), ϕ(rcp) = 0.85 ± 0.01, and random loose packing (RLP), ϕ(rlp) = 0.67 ± 0.01. Our theory also predicts a phase diagram and angular correlation functions that are in good agreement with experimental and numerical data.

Single-molecule detection of proteins with antigen-antibody interaction using resistive-pulse sensing of submicron latex particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takakura, T.; Yanagi, I.; Goto, Y.; Ishige, Y.; Kohara, Y.

2016-03-01

We developed a resistive-pulse sensor with a solid-state pore and measured the latex agglutination of submicron particles induced by antigen-antibody interaction for single-molecule detection of proteins. We fabricated the pore based on numerical simulation to clearly distinguish between monomer and dimer latex particles. By measuring single dimers agglutinated in the single-molecule regime, we detected single human alpha-fetoprotein molecules. Adjusting the initial particle concentration improves the limit of detection (LOD) to 95 fmol/l. We established a theoretical model of the LOD by combining the reaction kinetics and the counting statistics to explain the effect of initial particle concentration on the LOD. The theoretical model shows how to improve the LOD quantitatively. The single-molecule detection studied here indicates the feasibility of implementing a highly sensitive immunoassay by a simple measurement method using resistive-pulse sensing.

Implementation and performance of FDPS: a framework for developing parallel particle simulation codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwasawa, Masaki; Tanikawa, Ataru; Hosono, Natsuki; Nitadori, Keigo; Muranushi, Takayuki; Makino, Junichiro

2016-08-01

We present the basic idea, implementation, measured performance, and performance model of FDPS (Framework for Developing Particle Simulators). FDPS is an application-development framework which helps researchers to develop simulation programs using particle methods for large-scale distributed-memory parallel supercomputers. A particle-based simulation program for distributed-memory parallel computers needs to perform domain decomposition, exchange of particles which are not in the domain of each computing node, and gathering of the particle information in other nodes which are necessary for interaction calculation. Also, even if distributed-memory parallel computers are not used, in order to reduce the amount of computation, algorithms such as the Barnes-Hut tree algorithm or the Fast Multipole Method should be used in the case of long-range interactions. For short-range interactions, some methods to limit the calculation to neighbor particles are required. FDPS provides all of these functions which are necessary for efficient parallel execution of particle-based simulations as "templates," which are independent of the actual data structure of particles and the functional form of the particle-particle interaction. By using FDPS, researchers can write their programs with the amount of work necessary to write a simple, sequential and unoptimized program of O(N2) calculation cost, and yet the program, once compiled with FDPS, will run efficiently on large-scale parallel supercomputers. A simple gravitational N-body program can be written in around 120 lines. We report the actual performance of these programs and the performance model. The weak scaling performance is very good, and almost linear speed-up was obtained for up to the full system of the K computer. The minimum calculation time per timestep is in the range of 30 ms (N = 107) to 300 ms (N = 109). These are currently limited by the time for the calculation of the domain decomposition and communication necessary for the interaction calculation. We discuss how we can overcome these bottlenecks.

Some Progress in Large-Eddy Simulation using the 3-D Vortex Particle Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winckelmans, G. S.

1995-01-01

This two-month visit at CTR was devoted to investigating possibilities in LES modeling in the context of the 3-D vortex particle method (=vortex element method, VEM) for unbounded flows. A dedicated code was developed for that purpose. Although O(N(sup 2)) and thus slow, it offers the advantage that it can easily be modified to try out many ideas on problems involving up to N approx. 10(exp 4) particles. Energy spectrums (which require O(N(sup 2)) operations per wavenumber) are also computed. Progress was realized in the following areas: particle redistribution schemes, relaxation schemes to maintain the solenoidal condition on the particle vorticity field, simple LES models and their VEM extension, possible new avenues in LES. Model problems that involve strong interaction between vortex tubes were computed, together with diagnostics: total vorticity, linear and angular impulse, energy and energy spectrum, enstrophy. More work is needed, however, especially regarding relaxation schemes and further validation and development of LES models for VEM. Finally, what works well will eventually have to be incorporated into the fast parallel tree code.

Systematic properties of proton single-particle energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mairle, G.

1985-03-01

Single-particle energies of protons in the 1f7/2, 2p3/2, 2p1/2, 1f5/2 and 1g9/2 shells of medium-weight nuclei were determined from proton pickup and stripping experiments. The data reveal a simple linear dependence on mass number A and isospin To of the target nuclei which can be interpreted in terms of an extended Bansal-French model.

Discrete Element Framework for Modelling Extracellular Matrix, Deformable Cells and Subcellular Components

PubMed Central

Gardiner, Bruce S.; Wong, Kelvin K. L.; Joldes, Grand R.; Rich, Addison J.; Tan, Chin Wee; Burgess, Antony W.; Smith, David W.

2015-01-01

This paper presents a framework for modelling biological tissues based on discrete particles. Cell components (e.g. cell membranes, cell cytoskeleton, cell nucleus) and extracellular matrix (e.g. collagen) are represented using collections of particles. Simple particle to particle interaction laws are used to simulate and control complex physical interaction types (e.g. cell-cell adhesion via cadherins, integrin basement membrane attachment, cytoskeletal mechanical properties). Particles may be given the capacity to change their properties and behaviours in response to changes in the cellular microenvironment (e.g., in response to cell-cell signalling or mechanical loadings). Each particle is in effect an ‘agent’, meaning that the agent can sense local environmental information and respond according to pre-determined or stochastic events. The behaviour of the proposed framework is exemplified through several biological problems of ongoing interest. These examples illustrate how the modelling framework allows enormous flexibility for representing the mechanical behaviour of different tissues, and we argue this is a more intuitive approach than perhaps offered by traditional continuum methods. Because of this flexibility, we believe the discrete modelling framework provides an avenue for biologists and bioengineers to explore the behaviour of tissue systems in a computational laboratory. PMID:26452000

Effective and Accurate Morphology Models for Asian and Saharan Mineral Dust Scattering Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stegmann, P.; Yang, P.

2017-12-01

It is well known that mineral dust particles from desert sources can have a significant influence on the planetary radiation balance. In order to determine the sign and magnitude of the dust radiative forcing effect, complex models have been and continue to be developed. Key factors which influence the single-scattering properties of mineral dust are dust source regions and thus mineralogical composition, and its mixture with water, sea salt, and products of human activity, such as soot. The ensemble of mineral dust scattering particles may then be modeled either as a simple placeholder shape, often ellipsoidal, through the utilization of an appropriate effective medium refractive index scheme. On the other hand, the scattering particles may be represented in a more rigorous manner, such as Voronoi-tessellated aggregates including fractal soot chains. The consequences and differences of either choice are investigated in the project at hand. It will be shown that the effective medium model indicates a drastic dependence of the mineral dust particle composition on the particle size. Thus the refractive index of a dust particle is in fact a function of its size, amongst other factors. Regional differences between African and Asian mineral dust are also of significance.

Discrete Element Framework for Modelling Extracellular Matrix, Deformable Cells and Subcellular Components.

PubMed

Gardiner, Bruce S; Wong, Kelvin K L; Joldes, Grand R; Rich, Addison J; Tan, Chin Wee; Burgess, Antony W; Smith, David W

2015-10-01

This paper presents a framework for modelling biological tissues based on discrete particles. Cell components (e.g. cell membranes, cell cytoskeleton, cell nucleus) and extracellular matrix (e.g. collagen) are represented using collections of particles. Simple particle to particle interaction laws are used to simulate and control complex physical interaction types (e.g. cell-cell adhesion via cadherins, integrin basement membrane attachment, cytoskeletal mechanical properties). Particles may be given the capacity to change their properties and behaviours in response to changes in the cellular microenvironment (e.g., in response to cell-cell signalling or mechanical loadings). Each particle is in effect an 'agent', meaning that the agent can sense local environmental information and respond according to pre-determined or stochastic events. The behaviour of the proposed framework is exemplified through several biological problems of ongoing interest. These examples illustrate how the modelling framework allows enormous flexibility for representing the mechanical behaviour of different tissues, and we argue this is a more intuitive approach than perhaps offered by traditional continuum methods. Because of this flexibility, we believe the discrete modelling framework provides an avenue for biologists and bioengineers to explore the behaviour of tissue systems in a computational laboratory.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jin, C.; Potts, I.; Reeks, M. W., E-mail: mike.reeks@ncl.ac.uk

We present a simple stochastic quadrant model for calculating the transport and deposition of heavy particles in a fully developed turbulent boundary layer based on the statistics of wall-normal fluid velocity fluctuations obtained from a fully developed channel flow. Individual particles are tracked through the boundary layer via their interactions with a succession of random eddies found in each of the quadrants of the fluid Reynolds shear stress domain in a homogeneous Markov chain process. In this way, we are able to account directly for the influence of ejection and sweeping events as others have done but without resorting tomore » the use of adjustable parameters. Deposition rate predictions for a wide range of heavy particles predicted by the model compare well with benchmark experimental measurements. In addition, deposition rates are compared with those obtained from continuous random walk models and Langevin equation based ejection and sweep models which noticeably give significantly lower deposition rates. Various statistics related to the particle near wall behavior are also presented. Finally, we consider the model limitations in using the model to calculate deposition in more complex flows where the near wall turbulence may be significantly different.« less

Magneto-capillary dynamics of amphiphilic Janus particles at curved liquid interfaces.

PubMed

Fei, Wenjie; Driscoll, Michelle M; Chaikin, Paul M; Bishop, Kyle J M

2018-05-11

A homogeneous magnetic field can exert no net force on a colloidal particle. However, by coupling the particle's orientation to its position on a curved interface, even static homogeneous fields can be used to drive rapid particle motions. Here, we demonstrate this effect using magnetic Janus particles with amphiphilic surface chemistry adsorbed at the spherical interface of a water drop in decane. Application of a static homogeneous field drives particle motion to the drop equator where the particle's magnetic moment can align parallel to the field. As explained quantitatively by a simple model, the effective magnetic force on the particle scales linearly with the curvature of the interface. For particles adsorbed on small droplets such as those found in emulsions, these magneto-capillary forces can far exceed those due to magnetic field gradients in both magnitude and range. This mechanism may be useful in creating highly responsive emulsions and foams stabilized by magnetic particles.

Numerical Simulation of the Perrin-Like Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazur, Zygmunt; Grech, Dariusz

2008-01-01

A simple model of the random Brownian walk of a spherical mesoscopic particle in viscous liquids is proposed. The model can be solved analytically and simulated numerically. The analytic solution gives the known Einstein-Smoluchowski diffusion law r[superscript 2] = 2Dt, where the diffusion constant D is expressed by the mass and geometry of a…

The impact of electrostatic correlations on Dielectrophoresis of Non-conducting Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alidoosti, Elaheh; Zhao, Hui

2017-11-01

The dipole moment of a charged, dielectric, spherical particle under the influence of a uniform alternating electric field is computed theoretically and numerically by solving the modified continuum Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) equations accounting for ion-ion electrostatic correlations that is important at concentrated electrolytes (Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 2011). The dependence on the frequency, zeta potential, electrostatic correlation lengths, and double layer thickness is thoroughly investigated. In the limit of thin double layers, we carry out asymptotic analysis to develop simple models which are in good agreement with the modified PNP model. Our results suggest that the electrostatic correlations have a complicated impact on the dipole moment. As the electrostatic correlations length increases, the dipole moment decreases, initially, reach a minimum, and then increases since the surface conduction first decreases and then increases due to the ion-ion correlations. The modified PNP model can improve the theoretical predictions particularly at low frequencies where the simple model can't qualitatively predict the dipole moment. This work was supported, in part, by NIH R15GM116039.

Influence of the particle size and intrinsic magnetic characteristics on the coercivity of sintered magnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turilli, G.; Paoluzi, A.; Lucenti, M.; Pareti, L.

1992-02-01

Using sintered specimens of Ba-hexaferrite powders as a model system, a study was made of the dependence of coercivity on the particle dimensions and on the temperature from RT up to the Curie temperature. The temperature behaviour of the coercive and anisotropy field are the same in single-domain particle specimens while they are rather different in polydomain particle specimens. However, the coercivity behaviour of both systems can be fitted well up to 350°C using a simple relation between Hc, HA, and Ms. Further contributions to the coercivity have to be taken into account at higher temperatures.

Simulation and analysis of light scattering by multilamellar bodies present in the human eye

PubMed Central

Méndez-Aguilar, Emilia M.; Kelly-Pérez, Ismael; Berriel-Valdos, L. R.; Delgado-Atencio, José A.

2017-01-01

A modified computational model of the human eye was used to obtain and compare different probability density functions, radial profiles of light pattern distributions, and images of the point spread function formed in the human retina under the presence of different kinds of particles inside crystalline lenses suffering from cataracts. Specifically, this work uses simple particles without shells and multilamellar bodies (MLBs) with shells. The emergence of such particles alters the formation of images on the retina. Moreover, the MLBs change over time, which affects properties such as the refractive index of their shell. Hence, this work not only simulates the presence of such particles but also evaluates the incidence of particle parameters such as particle diameter, particle thickness, and shell refractive index, which are set based on reported experimental values. In addition, two wavelengths (400 nm and 700 nm) are used for light passing through the different layers of the computational model. The effects of these parameters on light scattering are analyzed using the simulation results. Further, in these results, the effects of light scattering on image formation can be seen when single particles, early-stage MLBs, or mature MLBs are incorporated in the model. Finally, it is found that particle diameter has the greatest impact on image formation. PMID:28663924

Simulation and analysis of light scattering by multilamellar bodies present in the human eye.

PubMed

Méndez-Aguilar, Emilia M; Kelly-Pérez, Ismael; Berriel-Valdos, L R; Delgado-Atencio, José A

2017-06-01

A modified computational model of the human eye was used to obtain and compare different probability density functions, radial profiles of light pattern distributions, and images of the point spread function formed in the human retina under the presence of different kinds of particles inside crystalline lenses suffering from cataracts. Specifically, this work uses simple particles without shells and multilamellar bodies (MLBs) with shells. The emergence of such particles alters the formation of images on the retina. Moreover, the MLBs change over time, which affects properties such as the refractive index of their shell. Hence, this work not only simulates the presence of such particles but also evaluates the incidence of particle parameters such as particle diameter, particle thickness, and shell refractive index, which are set based on reported experimental values. In addition, two wavelengths (400 nm and 700 nm) are used for light passing through the different layers of the computational model. The effects of these parameters on light scattering are analyzed using the simulation results. Further, in these results, the effects of light scattering on image formation can be seen when single particles, early-stage MLBs, or mature MLBs are incorporated in the model. Finally, it is found that particle diameter has the greatest impact on image formation.

Swarming behavior of gradient-responsive Brownian particles in a porous medium.

PubMed

Grančič, Peter; Štěpánek, František

2012-07-01

Active targeting by Brownian particles in a fluid-filled porous environment is investigated by computer simulation. The random motion of the particles is enhanced by diffusiophoresis with respect to concentration gradients of chemical signals released by the particles in the proximity of a target. The mathematical model, based on a combination of the Brownian dynamics method and a diffusion problem is formulated in terms of key parameters that include the particle diffusiophoretic mobility and the signaling threshold (the distance from the target at which the particles release their chemical signals). The results demonstrate that even a relatively simple chemical signaling scheme can lead to a complex collective behavior of the particles and can be a very efficient way of guiding a swarm of Brownian particles towards a target, similarly to the way colonies of living cells communicate via secondary messengers.

Optical modeling of volcanic ash particles using ellipsoids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merikallio, Sini; Muñoz, Olga; Sundström, Anu-Maija; Virtanen, Timo H.; Horttanainen, Matti; de Leeuw, Gerrit; Nousiainen, Timo

2015-05-01

The single-scattering properties of volcanic ash particles are modeled here by using ellipsoidal shapes. Ellipsoids are expected to improve the accuracy of the retrieval of aerosol properties using remote sensing techniques, which are currently often based on oversimplified assumptions of spherical ash particles. Measurements of the single-scattering optical properties of ash particles from several volcanoes across the globe, including previously unpublished measurements from the Eyjafjallajökull and Puyehue volcanoes, are used to assess the performance of the ellipsoidal particle models. These comparisons between the measurements and the ellipsoidal particle model include consideration of the whole scattering matrix, as well as sensitivity studies on the point of view of the Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) instrument. AATSR, which flew on the ENVISAT satellite, offers two viewing directions but no information on polarization, so usually only the phase function is relevant for interpreting its measurements. As expected, ensembles of ellipsoids are able to reproduce the observed scattering matrix more faithfully than spheres. Performance of ellipsoid ensembles depends on the distribution of particle shapes, which we tried to optimize. No single specific shape distribution could be found that would perform superiorly in all situations, but all of the best-fit ellipsoidal distributions, as well as the additionally tested equiprobable distribution, improved greatly over the performance of spheres. We conclude that an equiprobable shape distribution of ellipsoidal model particles is a relatively good, yet enticingly simple, approach for modeling volcanic ash single-scattering optical properties.

Discrete bivariate population balance modelling of heteroaggregation processes.

PubMed

Rollié, Sascha; Briesen, Heiko; Sundmacher, Kai

2009-08-15

Heteroaggregation in binary particle mixtures was simulated with a discrete population balance model in terms of two internal coordinates describing the particle properties. The considered particle species are of different size and zeta-potential. Property space is reduced with a semi-heuristic approach to enable an efficient solution. Aggregation rates are based on deterministic models for Brownian motion and stability, under consideration of DLVO interaction potentials. A charge-balance kernel is presented, relating the electrostatic surface potential to the property space by a simple charge balance. Parameter sensitivity with respect to the fractal dimension, aggregate size, hydrodynamic correction, ionic strength and absolute particle concentration was assessed. Results were compared to simulations with the literature kernel based on geometric coverage effects for clusters with heterogeneous surface properties. In both cases electrostatic phenomena, which dominate the aggregation process, show identical trends: impeded cluster-cluster aggregation at low particle mixing ratio (1:1), restabilisation at high mixing ratios (100:1) and formation of complex clusters for intermediate ratios (10:1). The particle mixing ratio controls the surface coverage extent of the larger particle species. Simulation results are compared to experimental flow cytometric data and show very satisfactory agreement.

A simple shear limited, single size, time dependent flocculation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuprenas, R.; Tran, D. A.; Strom, K.

2017-12-01

This research focuses on the modeling of flocculation of cohesive sediment due to turbulent shear, specifically, investigating the dependency of flocculation on the concentration of cohesive sediment. Flocculation is important in larger sediment transport models as cohesive particles can create aggregates which are orders of magnitude larger than their unflocculated state. As the settling velocity of each particle is determined by the sediment size, density, and shape, accounting for this aggregation is important in determining where the sediment is deposited. This study provides a new formulation for flocculation of cohesive sediment by modifying the Winterwerp (1998) flocculation model (W98) so that it limits floc size to that of the Kolmogorov micro length scale. The W98 model is a simple approach that calculates the average floc size as a function of time. Because of its simplicity, the W98 model is ideal for implementing into larger sediment transport models; however, the model tends to over predict the dependency of the floc size on concentration. It was found that the modification of the coefficients within the original model did not allow for the model to capture the dependency on concentration. Therefore, a new term within the breakup kernel of the W98 formulation was added. The new formulation results is a single size, shear limited, and time dependent flocculation model that is able to effectively capture the dependency of the equilibrium size of flocs on both suspended sediment concentration and the time to equilibrium. The overall behavior of the new model is explored and showed align well with other studies on flocculation. Winterwerp, J. C. (1998). A simple model for turbulence induced flocculation of cohesive sediment. .Journal of Hydraulic Research, 36(3):309-326.

Modeling electrokinetic flows by consistent implicit incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics

DOE PAGES

Pan, Wenxiao; Kim, Kyungjoo; Perego, Mauro; ...

2017-01-03

In this paper, we present a consistent implicit incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics (I 2SPH) discretization of Navier–Stokes, Poisson–Boltzmann, and advection–diffusion equations subject to Dirichlet or Robin boundary conditions. It is applied to model various two and three dimensional electrokinetic flows in simple or complex geometries. The accuracy and convergence of the consistent I 2SPH are examined via comparison with analytical solutions, grid-based numerical solutions, or empirical models. Lastly, the new method provides a framework to explore broader applications of SPH in microfluidics and complex fluids with charged objects, such as colloids and biomolecules, in arbitrary complex geometries.

A simple underwater imaging model.

PubMed

Hou, Weilin

2009-09-01

It is commonly known that underwater imaging is hindered by both absorption and scattering by particles of various origins. However, evidence also indicates that the turbulence in natural underwater environments can cause severe image-quality degradation. A model is presented to include the effects of both particle and turbulence on underwater optical imaging through optical transfer functions to help quantify the limiting factors under different circumstances. The model utilizes Kolmogorov-type index of refraction power spectra found in the ocean, along with field examples, to demonstrate that optical turbulence can limit imaging resolution by affecting high spatial frequencies. The effects of the path radiance are also discussed.

Physical models of collective cell motility: from cell to tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camley, B. A.; Rappel, W.-J.

2017-03-01

In this article, we review physics-based models of collective cell motility. We discuss a range of techniques at different scales, ranging from models that represent cells as simple self-propelled particles to phase field models that can represent a cell’s shape and dynamics in great detail. We also extensively review the ways in which cells within a tissue choose their direction, the statistics of cell motion, and some simple examples of how cell-cell signaling can interact with collective cell motility. This review also covers in more detail selected recent works on collective cell motion of small numbers of cells on micropatterns, in wound healing, and the chemotaxis of clusters of cells.

A biologically inspired two-species exclusion model: effects of RNA polymerase motor traffic on simultaneous DNA replication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, Soumendu; Mishra, Bhavya; Patra, Shubhadeep; Schadschneider, Andreas; Chowdhury, Debashish

2018-04-01

We introduce a two-species exclusion model to describe the key features of the conflict between the RNA polymerase (RNAP) motor traffic, engaged in the transcription of a segment of DNA, concomitant with the progress of two DNA replication forks on the same DNA segment. One of the species of particles (P) represents RNAP motors while the other (R) represents the replication forks. Motivated by the biological phenomena that this model is intended to capture, a maximum of two R particles only are allowed to enter the lattice from two opposite ends whereas the unrestricted number of P particles constitutes a totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP) in a segment in the middle of the lattice. The model captures three distinct pathways for resolving the co-directional as well as head-on collision between the P and R particles. Using Monte Carlo simulations and heuristic analytical arguments that combine exact results for the TASEP with mean-field approximations, we predict the possible outcomes of the conflict between the traffic of RNAP motors (P particles engaged in transcription) and the replication forks (R particles). In principle, the model can be adapted to experimental conditions to account for the data quantitatively.

A Heuristic Probabilistic Approach to Estimating Size-Dependent Mobility of Nonuniform Sediment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woldegiorgis, B. T.; Wu, F. C.; van Griensven, A.; Bauwens, W.

2017-12-01

Simulating the mechanism of bed sediment mobility is essential for modelling sediment dynamics. Despite the fact that many studies are carried out on this subject, they use complex mathematical formulations that are computationally expensive, and are often not easy for implementation. In order to present a simple and computationally efficient complement to detailed sediment mobility models, we developed a heuristic probabilistic approach to estimating the size-dependent mobilities of nonuniform sediment based on the pre- and post-entrainment particle size distributions (PSDs), assuming that the PSDs are lognormally distributed. The approach fits a lognormal probability density function (PDF) to the pre-entrainment PSD of bed sediment and uses the threshold particle size of incipient motion and the concept of sediment mixture to estimate the PSDs of the entrained sediment and post-entrainment bed sediment. The new approach is simple in physical sense and significantly reduces the complexity and computation time and resource required by detailed sediment mobility models. It is calibrated and validated with laboratory and field data by comparing to the size-dependent mobilities predicted with the existing empirical lognormal cumulative distribution function (CDF) approach. The novel features of the current approach are: (1) separating the entrained and non-entrained sediments by a threshold particle size, which is a modified critical particle size of incipient motion by accounting for the mixed-size effects, and (2) using the mixture-based pre- and post-entrainment PSDs to provide a continuous estimate of the size-dependent sediment mobility.

Towards a Simple Constitutive Model for Bread Dough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanner, Roger I.

2008-07-01

Wheat flour dough is an example of a soft solid material consisting of a gluten (rubbery) network with starch particles as a filler. The volume fraction of the starch filler is high-typically 60%. A computer-friendly constitutive model has been lacking for this type of material and here we report on progress towards finding such a model. The model must describe the response to small strains, simple shearing starting from rest, simple elongation, biaxial straining, recoil and various other transient flows. A viscoelastic Lodge-type model involving a damage function. which depends on strain from an initial reference state fits the given data well, and it is also able to predict the thickness at exit from dough sheeting, which has been a long-standing unsolved puzzle. The model also shows an apparent rate-dependent yield stress, although no explicit yield stress is built into the model. This behaviour agrees with the early (1934) observations of Schofield and Scott Blair on dough recoil after unloading.

Development of hybrid computer plasma models for different pressure regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hromadka, Jakub; Ibehej, Tomas; Hrach, Rudolf

2016-09-01

With increased performance of contemporary computers during last decades numerical simulations became a very powerful tool applicable also in plasma physics research. Plasma is generally an ensemble of mutually interacting particles that is out of the thermodynamic equilibrium and for this reason fluid computer plasma models give results with only limited accuracy. On the other hand, much more precise particle models are often limited only on 2D problems because of their huge demands on the computer resources. Our contribution is devoted to hybrid modelling techniques that combine advantages of both modelling techniques mentioned above, particularly to their so-called iterative version. The study is focused on mutual relations between fluid and particle models that are demonstrated on the calculations of sheath structures of low temperature argon plasma near a cylindrical Langmuir probe for medium and higher pressures. Results of a simple iterative hybrid plasma computer model are also given. The authors acknowledge the support of the Grant Agency of Charles University in Prague (project 220215).

Particle-based simulations of self-motile suspensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hinz, Denis F.; Panchenko, Alexander; Kim, Tae-Yeon; Fried, Eliot

2015-11-01

A simple model for simulating flows of active suspensions is investigated. The approach is based on dissipative particle dynamics. While the model is potentially applicable to a wide range of self-propelled particle systems, the specific class of self-motile bacterial suspensions is considered as a modeling scenario. To mimic the rod-like geometry of a bacterium, two dissipative particle dynamics particles are connected by a stiff harmonic spring to form an aggregate dissipative particle dynamics molecule. Bacterial motility is modeled through a constant self-propulsion force applied along the axis of each such aggregate molecule. The model accounts for hydrodynamic interactions between self-propelled agents through the pairwise dissipative interactions conventional to dissipative particle dynamics. Numerical simulations are performed using a customized version of the open-source software package LAMMPS (Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator) software package. Detailed studies of the influence of agent concentration, pairwise dissipative interactions, and Stokes friction on the statistics of the system are provided. The simulations are used to explore the influence of hydrodynamic interactions in active suspensions. For high agent concentrations in combination with dominating pairwise dissipative forces, strongly correlated motion patterns and a fluid-like spectral distributions of kinetic energy are found. In contrast, systems dominated by Stokes friction exhibit weaker spatial correlations of the velocity field. These results indicate that hydrodynamic interactions may play an important role in the formation of spatially extended structures in active suspensions.

A simple derivation for amplitude and time period of charged particles in an electrostatic bathtub potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prathap Reddy, K.

2016-11-01

An ‘electrostatic bathtub potential’ is defined and analytical expressions for the time period and amplitude of charged particles in this potential are obtained and compared with simulations. These kinds of potentials are encountered in linear electrostatic ion traps, where the potential along the axis appears like a bathtub. Ion traps are used in basic physics research and mass spectrometry to store ions; these stored ions make oscillatory motion within the confined volume of the trap. Usually these traps are designed and studied using ion optical software, but in this work the bathtub potential is reproduced by making two simple modifications to the harmonic oscillator potential. The addition of a linear ‘k 1|x|’ potential makes the simple harmonic potential curve steeper with a sharper turn at the origin, while the introduction of a finite-length zero potential region at the centre reproduces the flat region of the bathtub curve. This whole exercise of modelling a practical experimental situation in terms of a well-known simple physics problem may generate interest among readers.

Solvent extraction employing a static micromixer: a simple, robust and versatile technology for the microencapsulation of proteins.

PubMed

Freitas, S; Walz, A; Merkle, H P; Gander, B

2003-01-01

The potential of a static micromixer for the production of protein-loaded biodegradable polymeric microspheres by a modified solvent extraction process was examined. The mixer consists of an array of microchannels and features a simple set-up, consumes only very small space, lacks moving parts and offers simple control of the microsphere size. Scale-up from lab bench to industrial production is easily feasible through parallel installation of a sufficient number of micromixers ('number-up'). Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres loaded with a model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), were prepared. The influence of various process and formulation parameters on the characteristics of the microspheres was examined with special focus on particle size distribution. Microspheres with monomodal size distributions having mean diameters of 5-30 micro m were produced with excellent reproducibility. Particle size distributions were largely unaffected by polymer solution concentration, polymer type and nominal BSA load, but depended on the polymer solvent. Moreover, particle mean diameters could be varied in a considerable range by modulating the flow rates of the mixed fluids. BSA encapsulation efficiencies were mostly in the region of 75-85% and product yields ranged from 90-100%. Because of its simple set-up and its suitability for continuous production, static micromixing is suggested for the automated and aseptic production of protein-loaded microspheres.

Periodic Trajectories in Aeolian Sand Transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valance, A.; Jenkins, J. T.

2014-12-01

Saltation is the primary mode of aeolian sand transport and refers to the hoping motion of grains over the bed [1]. We develop a simple model for steady, uniform transport in aeolian saltation over a horizontal bed that is based on the computation of periodic particle trajectories in a turbulent shearing flow [2]. The wind and the particles interact through drag, and the particles collide with the bed. We consider collisions with a rigid, bumpy bed, from which the particles rebound, and an erodible particle bed, for which a collision involves both rebound and particle ejection. The difference in the nature of the collisions results in qualitative differences in the nature of the solutions for the periodic trajectories and, in particular, to differences in the dependence of the particle flow rate on the strength of the turbulent shearing. We also discuss the pertinence of this model to describe bedload transport in water. References:[1] R. A. Bagnold, « The physics of blown sand and desert dunes » , Methuen, New York (1941).[2] J.T Jenkins and A. Valance. Periodic trajectories in Aeolian saltation transport. Physics of Fluids, 2014, 26, pp. 073301

Applying a Particle-only Model to the HL Tau Disk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tabeshian, Maryam; Wiegert, Paul A.

2018-04-01

Observations have revealed rich structures in protoplanetary disks, offering clues about their embedded planets. Due to the complexities introduced by the abundance of gas in these disks, modeling their structure in detail is computationally intensive, requiring complex hydrodynamic codes and substantial computing power. It would be advantageous if computationally simpler models could provide some preliminary information on these disks. Here we apply a particle-only model (that we developed for gas-poor debris disks) to the gas-rich disk, HL Tauri, to address the question of whether such simple models can inform the study of these systems. Assuming three potentially embedded planets, we match HL Tau’s radial profile fairly well and derive best-fit planetary masses and orbital radii (0.40, 0.02, 0.21 Jupiter masses for the planets orbiting a 0.55 M ⊙ star at 11.22, 29.67, 64.23 au). Our derived parameters are comparable to those estimated by others, except for the mass of the second planet. Our simulations also reproduce some narrower gaps seen in the ALMA image away from the orbits of the planets. The nature of these gaps is debated but, based on our simulations, we argue they could result from planet–disk interactions via mean-motion resonances, and need not contain planets. Our results suggest that a simple particle-only model can be used as a first step to understanding dynamical structures in gas disks, particularly those formed by planets, and determine some parameters of their hidden planets, serving as useful initial inputs to hydrodynamic models which are needed to investigate disk and planet properties more thoroughly.

Interacting particle systems in time-dependent geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, A.; Ball, R. C.; Grosskinsky, S.; Somfai, E.

2013-09-01

Many complex structures and stochastic patterns emerge from simple kinetic rules and local interactions, and are governed by scale invariance properties in combination with effects of the global geometry. We consider systems that can be described effectively by space-time trajectories of interacting particles, such as domain boundaries in two-dimensional growth or river networks. We study trajectories embedded in time-dependent geometries, and the main focus is on uniformly expanding or decreasing domains for which we obtain an exact mapping to simple fixed domain systems while preserving the local scale invariance properties. This approach was recently introduced in Ali et al (2013 Phys. Rev. E 87 020102(R)) and here we provide a detailed discussion on its applicability for self-affine Markovian models, and how it can be adapted to self-affine models with memory or explicit time dependence. The mapping corresponds to a nonlinear time transformation which converges to a finite value for a large class of trajectories, enabling an exact analysis of asymptotic properties in expanding domains. We further provide a detailed discussion of different particle interactions and generalized geometries. All our findings are based on exact computations and are illustrated numerically for various examples, including Lévy processes and fractional Brownian motion.

Implementation and Re nement of a Comprehensive Model for Dense Granular Flows

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sundaresan, Sankaran

2015-09-30

Dense granular ows are ubiquitous in both natural and industrial processes. They manifest three di erent ow regimes, each exhibiting its own dependence on solids volume fraction, shear rate, and particle-level properties. This research project sought to develop continuum rheological models for dense granular ows that bridges multiple regimes of ow, implement them in open-source platforms for gas-particle ows and perform test simulations. The rst phase of the research covered in this project involved implementation of a steady- shear rheological model that bridges quasi-static, intermediate and inertial regimes of ow into MFIX (Multiphase Flow with Interphase eXchanges - a generalmore » purpose computer code developed at the National Energy Technology Laboratory). MFIX simulations of dense granular ows in hourglass-shaped hopper were then performed as test examples. The second phase focused on formulation of a modi ed kinetic theory for frictional particles that can be used over a wider range of particle volume fractions and also apply for dynamic, multi- dimensional ow conditions. To guide this work, simulations of simple shear ows of identical mono-disperse spheres were also performed using the discrete element method. The third phase of this project sought to develop and implement a more rigorous treatment of boundary e ects. Towards this end, simulations of simple shear ows of identical mono-disperse spheres con ned between parallel plates were performed and analyzed to formulate compact wall boundary conditions that can be used for dense frictional ows at at frictional boundaries. The fourth phase explored the role of modest levels of cohesive interactions between particles on the dense phase rheology. The nal phase of this project focused on implementation and testing of the modi ed kinetic theory in MFIX and running bin-discharge simulations as test examples.« less

Clogging in constricted suspension flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marin, Alvaro; Lhuissier, Henri; Rossi, Massimiliano; Kähler, Christian J.

2018-02-01

The flow of a charged-stabilized suspension through a single constricted channel is studied experimentally by tracking the particles individually. Surprisingly, the behavior is found to be qualitatively similar to that of inertial dry granular systems: For small values of the neck-to-particle size ratio (D /d <3 ), clogs form randomly as arches of the particle span the constriction. The statistics of the clogging events are Poissonian as reported for granular systems and agree for moderate particle volume fraction (ϕ ≈20 % ) with a simple stochastic model for the number of particles at the neck. For larger neck sizes (D /d >3 ), even at the largest ϕ (≈60 %) achievable in the experiments, an uninterrupted particle flow is observed, which resembles that of an hourglass. This particularly small value of D /d (≃3 ) at the transition to a practically uninterrupted flow is attributed to the low effective friction between the particles, achieved by the particle's functionalization and lubrication.

String Fragmentation Model in Space Radiation Problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tang, Alfred; Johnson, Eloise (Editor); Norbury, John W.; Tripathi, R. K.

2002-01-01

String fragmentation models such as the Lund Model fit experimental particle production cross sections very well in the high-energy limit. This paper gives an introduction of the massless relativistic string in the Lund Model and shows how it can be modified with a simple assumption to produce formulas for meson production cross sections for space radiation research. The results of the string model are compared with inclusive pion production data from proton-proton collision experiments.

A deterministic mathematical model for bidirectional excluded flow with Langmuir kinetics.

PubMed

Zarai, Yoram; Margaliot, Michael; Tuller, Tamir

2017-01-01

In many important cellular processes, including mRNA translation, gene transcription, phosphotransfer, and intracellular transport, biological "particles" move along some kind of "tracks". The motion of these particles can be modeled as a one-dimensional movement along an ordered sequence of sites. The biological particles (e.g., ribosomes or RNAPs) have volume and cannot surpass one another. In some cases, there is a preferred direction of movement along the track, but in general the movement may be bidirectional, and furthermore the particles may attach or detach from various regions along the tracks. We derive a new deterministic mathematical model for such transport phenomena that may be interpreted as a dynamic mean-field approximation of an important model from mechanical statistics called the asymmetric simple exclusion process (ASEP) with Langmuir kinetics. Using tools from the theory of monotone dynamical systems and contraction theory we show that the model admits a unique steady-state, and that every solution converges to this steady-state. Furthermore, we show that the model entrains (or phase locks) to periodic excitations in any of its forward, backward, attachment, or detachment rates. We demonstrate an application of this phenomenological transport model for analyzing ribosome drop off in mRNA translation.

Further studies of particle acceleration in cassiopeia A

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chevalier, R.A.; Oegerle, W.R.; Scott, J.S.

We have further investigated models for statistical particle acceleration in the supernova remnant Cas A. Simple (three-parameter) models involving continuous second order Fermi acceleration and variable relativistic particle injection can reproduce the observed radio properties of Cas A, including the low-frequency flux anomaly first noted by Erickson and Perley. Models dominated by adiabatic expansion losses are preferable to those dominated by particle escape. The gain time determined from these models agrees well with that predicted from the hydrodynamic situation in Cas A. A model predicting the high-frequency nonthermal spectrum of Cas A indicates that the spectrum turns down in themore » optical regime due to synchrotron losses. The maximum relativistic particle energy content of Cas A was probably about several times 10/sup 49/-10/sup 50/ ergs, which can be compared with an estimated initial kinetic energy in the range 0.24 to 1.0 x 10/sup 52/ ergs. If relativistic particles can escape from Cas A, their spectra will have certain characteristics: the electron spectrum will have a turnover due to synchrotron losses and the proton spectrum will have a cutoff due to the particle gyroradii becoming larger than the sizes of the magnetic scattering centers. The observed bend in the galactic cosmic ray spectrum could be due to energy losses within the source remnant itself instead of losses incurred during propagation through the Galaxy. We also comment on other models for the relativistic electron content of Cas A.« less

Discussion about the use of the volume specific surface area (VSSA) as a criterion to identify nanomaterials according to the EU definition. Part two: experimental approach.

PubMed

Lecloux, André J; Atluri, Rambabu; Kolen'ko, Yury V; Deepak, Francis Leonard

2017-10-12

The first part of this study was dedicated to the modelling of the influence of particle shape, porosity and particle size distribution on the volume specific surface area (VSSA) values in order to check the applicability of this concept to the identification of nanomaterials according to the European Commission Recommendation. In this second part, experimental VSSA values are obtained for various samples from nitrogen adsorption isotherms and these values were used as a screening tool to identify and classify nanomaterials. These identification results are compared to the identification based on the 50% of particles with a size below 100 nm criterion applied to the experimental particle size distributions obtained by analysis of electron microscopy images on the same materials. It is concluded that the experimental VSSA values are able to identify nanomaterials, without false negative identification, if they have a mono-modal particle size, if the adsorption data cover the relative pressure range from 0.001 to 0.65 and if a simple, qualitative image of the particles by transmission or scanning electron microscopy is available to define their shape. The experimental conditions to obtain reliable adsorption data as well as the way to analyze the adsorption isotherms are described and discussed in some detail in order to help the reader in using the experimental VSSA criterion. To obtain the experimental VSSA values, the BET surface area can be used for non-porous particles, but for porous, nanostructured or coated nanoparticles, only the external surface of the particles, obtained by a modified t-plot approach, should be considered to determine the experimental VSSA and to avoid false positive identification of nanomaterials, only the external surface area being related to the particle size. Finally, the availability of experimental VSSA values together with particle size distributions obtained by electron microscopy gave the opportunity to check the representativeness of the two models described in the first part of this study. They were also used to calculate the VSSA values and these calculated values were compared to the experimental results. For narrow particle size distributions, both models give similar VSSA values quite comparable to the experimental ones. But when the particle size distribution broadens or is of multi-bimodal shape, as theoretically predicted, one model leads to VSSA values higher than the experimental ones while the other most often leads to VSSA values lower than the experimental ones. The experimental VSSA approach then appears as a reliable, simple screening tool to identify nano and non-nano-materials. The modelling approach cannot be used as a formal identification tool but could be useful to screen for potential effects of shape, polydispersity and size, for example to compare various possible nanoforms.

Study on effective thermal conductivity of silicone/phosphor composite and its size effect by Lattice Boltzmann method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Lan; Zheng, Huai; Yuan, Chao; Hu, Run; Luo, Xiaobing

2016-12-01

The silicone/phosphor composite is widely used in light emitting diode (LED) packaging. The composite thermal properties, especially the effective thermal conductivity, strongly influence the LED performance. In this paper, a lattice Boltzmann model was presented to predict the silicone/phosphor composite effective thermal conductivity. Based on the present lattice Boltzmann model, a random generation method was established to describe the phosphor particle distribution in composite. Benchmarks were conducted by comparing the simulation results with theoretical solutions for simple cases. Then the model was applied to analyze the effective thermal conductivity of the silicone/phosphor composite and its size effect. The deviations between simulation and experimental results are <7 %, when the phosphor volume fraction varies from 0.038 to 0.45. The simulation results also indicate that effective thermal conductivity of the composite with larger particles is higher than that with small particles at the same volume fraction. While mixing these two sizes of phosphor particles provides an extra enhancement for the effective thermal conductivity.

The effect of model fidelity on prediction of char burnout for single-particle coal combustion

DOE PAGES

McConnell, Josh; Sutherland, James C.

2016-07-09

In this study, practical simulation of industrial-scale coal combustion relies on the ability to accurately capture the dynamics of coal subprocesses while also ensuring the computational cost remains reasonable. The majority of the residence time occurs post-devolatilization, so it is of great importance that a balance between the computational efficiency and accuracy of char combustion models is carefully considered. In this work, we consider the importance of model fidelity during char combustion by comparing combinations of simple and complex gas and particle-phase chemistry models. Detailed kinetics based on the GRI 3.0 mechanism and infinitely-fast chemistry are considered in the gas-phase.more » The Char Conversion Kinetics model and nth-Order Langmuir–Hinshelwood model are considered for char consumption. For devolatilization, the Chemical Percolation and Devolatilization and Kobayashi-Sarofim models are employed. The relative importance of gasification versus oxidation reactions in air and oxyfuel environments is also examined for various coal types. Results are compared to previously published experimental data collected under laminar, single-particle conditions. Calculated particle temperature histories are strongly dependent on the choice of gas phase and char chemistry models, but only weakly dependent on the chosen devolatilization model. Particle mass calculations were found to be very sensitive to the choice of devolatilization model, but only somewhat sensitive to the choice of gas chemistry and char chemistry models. High-fidelity models for devolatilization generally resulted in particle temperature and mass calculations that were closer to experimentally observed values.« less

The effect of model fidelity on prediction of char burnout for single-particle coal combustion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McConnell, Josh; Sutherland, James C.

In this study, practical simulation of industrial-scale coal combustion relies on the ability to accurately capture the dynamics of coal subprocesses while also ensuring the computational cost remains reasonable. The majority of the residence time occurs post-devolatilization, so it is of great importance that a balance between the computational efficiency and accuracy of char combustion models is carefully considered. In this work, we consider the importance of model fidelity during char combustion by comparing combinations of simple and complex gas and particle-phase chemistry models. Detailed kinetics based on the GRI 3.0 mechanism and infinitely-fast chemistry are considered in the gas-phase.more » The Char Conversion Kinetics model and nth-Order Langmuir–Hinshelwood model are considered for char consumption. For devolatilization, the Chemical Percolation and Devolatilization and Kobayashi-Sarofim models are employed. The relative importance of gasification versus oxidation reactions in air and oxyfuel environments is also examined for various coal types. Results are compared to previously published experimental data collected under laminar, single-particle conditions. Calculated particle temperature histories are strongly dependent on the choice of gas phase and char chemistry models, but only weakly dependent on the chosen devolatilization model. Particle mass calculations were found to be very sensitive to the choice of devolatilization model, but only somewhat sensitive to the choice of gas chemistry and char chemistry models. High-fidelity models for devolatilization generally resulted in particle temperature and mass calculations that were closer to experimentally observed values.« less

Derivation and use of simple relationships between aerodynamic and optical particle measurements

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A simple relationship, referred to as a mass conversion factor (MCF), is presented to convert optically based particle measurements to mass concentration. It is calculated from filter-based samples and optical particle counter (OPC) data on a daily or sample period basis. The MCF allows for greater ...

Thermal-Hydraulic Transient Analysis of a Packed Particle Bed Reactor Fuel Element

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-06-01

long fuel elements, arranged to form a core , were analyzed for an up-power transient from 0 MWt to approximately 18 MWt. The simple model significantly...VARIATIONS IN FUEL ELEMENT GEOMETRY ............. 60 4.4 VARIATIONS IN THE MANNER OF TRANSIENT CONTROL ..... 62 4.5 CORE REPRESENTATION BY MULTIPLE FUEL ...the HTGR , however, the PBR packs small fuel particles between inner and outer retention elements, designated as frits. The PBR is appropriate for a

Reconciling phase diffusion and Hartree-Fock approximation in condensate systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giorgi, Gian Luca; de Pasquale, Ferdinando

2012-01-01

Despite the weakly interacting regime, the physics of Bose-Einstein condensates is widely affected by particle-particle interactions. They determine quantum phase diffusion, which is known to be the main cause of loss of coherence. Studying a simple model of two interacting Bose systems, we show how to predict the appearance of phase diffusion beyond the Bogoliubov approximation, providing a self-consistent treatment in the framework of a generalized Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov perturbation theory.

Sonocrystallization-application of radiation forces from acoustic standing waves for configurable assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shields, Charles

Acoustic radiation forces offer a promising approach to rapidly arrange particles across a broad range of scales, yet it remains largely unexplored compared to classical methods like centrifugation, electrophoresis, and magnetophoresis. Acoustic forces offer numerous advantages, including scalability, programmability, and the ability to manipulate particles of variable composition (i.e., without narrowly defined electromagnetic or other properties). While some groups have shown the ability to concentrate particles with ultrasonic radiation, the capabilities and limitations for precise particle assembly and morphological control remain poorly understood. Here, I will discuss our recent efforts to explore the flexibility and limitations of acoustophoresis to rapidly arrange microparticles into organized and programmable structures. In order to execute these studies, we employ a simple ``sonocrystallization chamber'' that creates multidimensional bulk acoustic standing waves to propel particles toward the pressure nodes or antinodes, depending on their contrast factor. We can thus create thousands of size-limited assemblies within minutes. We pair these experiments with simulations and theory to model the migration kinetics and assembly patterns of different particles types. I will further discuss how we have extended these results to understand the lower particle size limit for assembly in systems such as gold nanoparticles with diameters <200 nm. Finally, I will show how we incorporated a simple light-based crosslinking approach for stabilizing the assembly in the small particle limit (i.e., beyond the acoustic focusing limit), which might enable use in a variety of plasmonic and photonic applications.

Suppressing the cytotoxicity of CuO nanoparticles by uptake of curcumin/BSA particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wenjing; Jiang, Pengfei; Chen, Ying; Luo, Peihua; Li, Guanqun; Zheng, Botuo; Chen, Wei; Mao, Zhengwei; Gao, Changyou

2016-05-01

The adverse effects of metal-based nanoparticles on human beings and the environment have received extensive attention recently. It is urgently required to develop a simple and effective method to suppress the toxicity of metal-based nanomaterials. In this study, a hydrophobic antioxidant and a chelation agent curcumin (CUR) were encapsulated into bovine serum albumin (BSA) particles by a simple co-precipitation method, and followed by glutaraldehyde cross-linking. The CUR/BSA particles had an average size of 300 nm in diameter with a negatively charged surface and sustained curcumin release properties. The cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of CUR/BSA particles were followed on A549 cells, HepG2 cells and RAW264.7 cells. The CUR/BSA particles had higher intracellular accumulation and lower cytotoxicity compared with the free curcumin at the same drug concentration. The CUR/BSA particles could suppress the cytotoxicity generated by CuO nanoparticles as a result of decrease of both the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and Cu2+ concentration, while the free curcumin did not show any obvious detoxicating effect. The detoxicating effects of CUR/BSA particles were further studied in an intratracheal instillation model in vivo, demonstrating significant reduction of toxicity and inflammatory response in rat lungs induced by CuO nanoparticles. The concept-proving study demonstrates the potential of the CUR/BSA particles in suppressing cytotoxicity of metal-based nanomaterials, which is a paramount requirement for the safe application of nanotechnology.

Deformed Calogero-Sutherland model and fractional quantum Hall effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atai, Farrokh; Langmann, Edwin

2017-01-01

The deformed Calogero-Sutherland (CS) model is a quantum integrable system with arbitrary numbers of two types of particles and reducing to the standard CS model in special cases. We show that a known collective field description of the CS model, which is based on conformal field theory (CFT), is actually a collective field description of the deformed CS model. This provides a natural application of the deformed CS model in Wen's effective field theory of the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE), with the two kinds of particles corresponding to electrons and quasi-hole excitations. In particular, we use known mathematical results about super-Jack polynomials to obtain simple explicit formulas for the orthonormal CFT basis proposed by van Elburg and Schoutens in the context of the FQHE.

Investigation into the mechanisms of closed three-body abrasive wear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwyer-Joyce, R. S.; Sayles, R. S.; Ioannides, E.

1994-06-01

Contacting components frequently fail by abrasion caused by solid contaminants in the lubricant. This process can be classified as a closed three-body abrasive wear process. The mechanisms by which trapped particles cause material removal are not fully understood. This paper describes tests using model elastohydrodynamic contacts to study these mechanisms. An optical elastohydrodynamic lubrication rig has been used to study the deformation and fracture of ductile and brittle lubricant-borne debris. A ball-on-disk machine was used to study the behavior of the particles in partially sliding contacts. Small diamond particles were used as abrasives since these were thought not to break down in the contact; wear could then be directly related to particles of a known size. The particles were found to embed in the softer surface and to scratch the harder. The mass of material worn from the ball surface was approximately proportional to the particle sliding distance and abrasive concentration. Small particles tumbled through the contact, while larger particles ploughed. Mass loss was found to increase with abrasive particle size. Individual abrasion scratches have been measured and related to the abrading particle. A simple model of the abrasive process has been developed and compared with experimental data. The discrepancies are thought to be the result of the uncertainty about the entrainment of particles into the contact.

Particles with nonlinear electric response: Suppressing van der Waals forces by an external field.

PubMed

Soo, Heino; Dean, David S; Krüger, Matthias

2017-01-01

We study the classical thermal component of Casimir, or van der Waals, forces between point particles with highly anharmonic dipole Hamiltonians when they are subjected to an external electric field. Using a model for which the individual dipole moments saturate in a strong field (a model that mimics the charges in a neutral, perfectly conducting sphere), we find that the resulting Casimir force depends strongly on the strength of the field, as demonstrated by analytical results. For a certain angle between the external field and center-to-center axis, the fluctuation force can be tuned and suppressed to arbitrarily small values. We compare the forces between these particles with those between particles with harmonic Hamiltonians and also provide a simple formula for asymptotically large external fields, which we expect to be generally valid for the case of saturating dipole moments.

Particle bombardment - mediated gene transfer and GFP transient expression in Seteria viridis.

PubMed

Mookkan, Muruganantham

2018-04-03

Setaria viridis is one of the most important model grasses in studying monocot plant biology. Transient gene expression study is a very important tool in plant biotechnology, functional genomics, and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology via particle bombardment. In this study, a particle bombardment-mediated protocol was developed to introduce DNA into Setaria viridis in vitro leaf explants. In addition, physical and biological parameters, such as helium pressure, distance from stopping screen to the target tissues, DNA concentration, and number of bombardments, were tested and optimized. Optimum concentration of transient GFP expression was achieved using 1.5 ug plasmid DNA with 0.6 mm gold particles and 6 cm bombardment distance, using 1,100 psi. Doubling the bombardment instances provides the maximum number of foci of transient GFP expression. This simple protocol will be helpful for genomics studies in the S. viridis monocot model.

Vertical-probe-induced asymmetric dust oscillation in complex plasma.

PubMed

Harris, B J; Matthews, L S; Hyde, T W

2013-05-01

A complex plasma vertical oscillation experiment which modifies the bulk is presented. Spherical, micron-sized particles within a Coulomb crystal levitated in the sheath above the powered lower electrode in a GEC reference cell are perturbed using a probe attached to a Zyvex S100 Nanomanipulator. By oscillating the probe potential sinusoidally, particle motion is found to be asymmetric, exhibiting superharmonic response in one case. Using a simple electric field model for the plasma sheath, including a nonzero electric field at the sheath edge, dust particle charges are found by employing a balance of relevant forces and emission analysis. Adjusting the parameters of the electric field model allowed the change predicted in the levitation height to be compared with experiment. A discrete oscillator Green's function is applied using the derived force, which accurately predicts the particle's motion and allows the determination of the electric field at the sheath edge.

Kinetic analysis of competition between aerosol particle removal and generation by ionization air purifiers.

PubMed

Alshawa, Ahmad; Russell, Ashley R; Nizkorodov, Sergey A

2007-04-01

Ionization air purifiers are increasingly used to remove aerosol particles from indoor air. However, certain ionization air purifiers also emit ozone. Reactions between the emitted ozone and unsaturated volatile organic compounds (VOC) commonly found in indoor air produce additional respirable aerosol particles in the ultrafine (<0.1 microm) and fine (<2.5 microm) size domains. A simple kinetic model is used to analyze the competition between the removal and generation of particulate matter by ionization air purifiers under conditions of a typical residential building. This model predicts that certain widely used ionization air purifiers may actually increase the mass concentration of fine and ultrafine particulates in the presence of common unsaturated VOC, such as limonene contained in many household cleaning products. This prediction is supported by an explicit observation of ultrafine particle nucleation events caused by the addition of D-limonene to a ventilated office room equipped with a common ionization air purifier.

Hydrodynamic capture of microswimmers into sphere-bound orbits.

PubMed

Takagi, Daisuke; Palacci, Jérémie; Braunschweig, Adam B; Shelley, Michael J; Zhang, Jun

2014-03-21

Self-propelled particles can exhibit surprising non-equilibrium behaviors, and how they interact with obstacles or boundaries remains an important open problem. Here we show that chemically propelled micro-rods can be captured, with little change in their speed, into close orbits around solid spheres resting on or near a horizontal plane. We show that this interaction between sphere and particle is short-range, occurring even for spheres smaller than the particle length, and for a variety of sphere materials. We consider a simple model, based on lubrication theory, of a force- and torque-free swimmer driven by a surface slip (the phoretic propulsion mechanism) and moving near a solid surface. The model demonstrates capture, or movement towards the surface, and yields speeds independent of distance. This study reveals the crucial aspects of activity–driven interactions of self-propelled particles with passive objects, and brings into question the use of colloidal tracers as probes of active matter.

Search for massive long-lived particles decaying semileptonically in the LHCb detector.

PubMed

Aaij, R; Adeva, B; Adinolfi, M; Ajaltouni, Z; Akar, S; Albrecht, J; Alessio, F; Alexander, M; Ali, S; Alkhazov, G; Alvarez Cartelle, P; Alves, A A; Amato, S; Amerio, S; Amhis, Y; An, L; Anderlini, L; Andreassi, G; Andreotti, M; Andrews, J E; Appleby, R B; Archilli, F; d'Argent, P; Arnau Romeu, J; Artamonov, A; Artuso, M; Aslanides, E; Auriemma, G; Baalouch, M; Babuschkin, I; Bachmann, S; Back, J J; Badalov, A; Baesso, C; Baker, S; Baldini, W; Barlow, R J; Barschel, C; Barsuk, S; Barter, W; Baszczyk, M; Batozskaya, V; Batsukh, B; Battista, V; Bay, A; Beaucourt, L; Beddow, J; Bedeschi, F; Bediaga, I; Bel, L J; Bellee, V; Belloli, N; Belous, K; Belyaev, I; Ben-Haim, E; Bencivenni, G; Benson, S; Benton, J; Berezhnoy, A; Bernet, R; Bertolin, A; Betancourt, C; Betti, F; Bettler, M-O; van Beuzekom, M; Bezshyiko, Ia; Bifani, S; Billoir, P; Bird, T; Birnkraut, A; Bitadze, A; Bizzeti, A; Blake, T; Blanc, F; Blouw, J; Blusk, S; Bocci, V; Boettcher, T; Bondar, A; Bondar, N; Bonivento, W; Bordyuzhin, I; Borgheresi, A; Borghi, S; Borisyak, M; Borsato, M; Bossu, F; Boubdir, M; Bowcock, T J V; Bowen, E; Bozzi, C; Braun, S; Britsch, M; Britton, T; Brodzicka, J; Buchanan, E; Burr, C; Bursche, A; Buytaert, J; Cadeddu, S; Calabrese, R; Calvi, M; Calvo Gomez, M; Camboni, A; Campana, P; Campora Perez, D H; Capriotti, L; Carbone, A; Carboni, G; Cardinale, R; Cardini, A; Carniti, P; Carson, L; Carvalho Akiba, K; Casse, G; Cassina, L; Castillo Garcia, L; Cattaneo, M; Cauet, Ch; Cavallero, G; Cenci, R; Chamont, D; Charles, M; Charpentier, Ph; Chatzikonstantinidis, G; Chefdeville, M; Chen, S; Cheung, S-F; Chobanova, V; Chrzaszcz, M; Cid Vidal, X; Ciezarek, G; Clarke, P E L; Clemencic, M; Cliff, H V; Closier, J; Coco, V; Cogan, J; Cogneras, E; Cogoni, V; Cojocariu, L; Collazuol, G; Collins, P; Comerma-Montells, A; Contu, A; Cook, A; Coombs, G; Coquereau, S; Corti, G; Corvo, M; Costa Sobral, C M; Couturier, B; Cowan, G A; Craik, D C; Crocombe, A; Cruz Torres, M; Cunliffe, S; Currie, R; D'Ambrosio, C; Da Cunha Marinho, F; Dall'Occo, E; Dalseno, J; David, P N Y; Davis, A; De Aguiar Francisco, O; De Bruyn, K; De Capua, S; De Cian, M; De Miranda, J M; De Paula, L; De Serio, M; De Simone, P; Dean, C-T; Decamp, D; Deckenhoff, M; Del Buono, L; Demmer, M; Dendek, A; Derkach, D; Deschamps, O; Dettori, F; Dey, B; Di Canto, A; Dijkstra, H; Dordei, F; Dorigo, M; Dosil Suárez, A; Dovbnya, A; Dreimanis, K; Dufour, L; Dujany, G; Dungs, K; Durante, P; Dzhelyadin, R; Dziurda, A; Dzyuba, A; Déléage, N; Easo, S; Ebert, M; Egede, U; Egorychev, V; Eidelman, S; Eisenhardt, S; Eitschberger, U; Ekelhof, R; Eklund, L; Ely, S; Esen, S; Evans, H M; Evans, T; Falabella, A; Farley, N; Farry, S; Fay, R; Fazzini, D; Ferguson, D; Fernandez Prieto, A; Ferrari, F; Ferreira Rodrigues, F; Ferro-Luzzi, M; Filippov, S; Fini, R A; Fiore, M; Fiorini, M; Firlej, M; Fitzpatrick, C; Fiutowski, T; Fleuret, F; Fohl, K; Fontana, M; Fontanelli, F; Forshaw, D C; Forty, R; Franco Lima, V; Frank, M; Frei, C; Fu, J; Funk, W; Furfaro, E; Färber, C; Gallas Torreira, A; Galli, D; Gallorini, S; Gambetta, S; Gandelman, M; Gandini, P; Gao, Y; Garcia Martin, L M; García Pardiñas, J; Garra Tico, J; Garrido, L; Garsed, P J; Gascon, D; Gaspar, C; Gavardi, L; Gazzoni, G; Gerick, D; Gersabeck, E; Gersabeck, M; Gershon, T; Ghez, Ph; Gianì, S; Gibson, V; Girard, O G; Giubega, L; Gizdov, K; Gligorov, V V; Golubkov, D; Golutvin, A; Gomes, A; Gorelov, I V; Gotti, C; Gándara, M Grabalosa; Graciani Diaz, R; Granado Cardoso, L A; Graugés, E; Graverini, E; Graziani, G; Grecu, A; Griffith, P; Grillo, L; Gruberg Cazon, B R; Grünberg, O; Gushchin, E; Guz, Yu; Gys, T; Göbel, C; Hadavizadeh, T; Hadjivasiliou, C; Haefeli, G; Haen, C; Haines, S C; Hall, S; Hamilton, B; Han, X; Hansmann-Menzemer, S; Harnew, N; Harnew, S T; Harrison, J; Hatch, M; He, J; Head, T; Heister, A; Hennessy, K; Henrard, P; Henry, L; van Herwijnen, E; Heß, M; Hicheur, A; Hill, D; Hombach, C; Hopchev, H; Hulsbergen, W; Humair, T; Hushchyn, M; Hussain, N; Hutchcroft, D; Idzik, M; Ilten, P; Jacobsson, R; Jaeger, A; Jalocha, J; Jans, E; Jawahery, A; Jiang, F; John, M; Johnson, D; Jones, C R; Joram, C; Jost, B; Jurik, N; Kandybei, S; Kanso, W; Karacson, M; Kariuki, J M; Karodia, S; Kecke, M; Kelsey, M; Kenzie, M; Ketel, T; Khairullin, E; Khanji, B; Khurewathanakul, C; Kirn, T; Klaver, S; Klimaszewski, K; Koliiev, S; Kolpin, M; Komarov, I; Koopman, R F; Koppenburg, P; Kosmyntseva, A; Kozachuk, A; Kozeiha, M; Kravchuk, L; Kreplin, K; Kreps, M; Krokovny, P; Kruse, F; Krzemien, W; Kucewicz, W; Kucharczyk, M; Kudryavtsev, V; Kuonen, A K; Kurek, K; Kvaratskheliya, T; Lacarrere, D; Lafferty, G; Lai, A; Lanfranchi, G; Langenbruch, C; Latham, T; Lazzeroni, C; Le Gac, R; van Leerdam, J; Leflat, A; Lefrançois, J; Lefèvre, R; Lemaitre, F; Lemos Cid, E; Leroy, O; Lesiak, T; Leverington, B; Li, T; Li, Y; Likhomanenko, T; Lindner, R; Linn, C; Lionetto, F; Liu, X; Loh, D; Longstaff, I; Lopes, J H; Lucchesi, D; Lucio Martinez, M; Luo, H; Lupato, A; Luppi, E; Lupton, O; Lusiani, A; Lyu, X; Machefert, F; Maciuc, F; Maev, O; Maguire, K; Malde, S; Malinin, A; Maltsev, T; Manca, G; Mancinelli, G; Manning, P; Maratas, J; Marchand, J F; Marconi, U; Marin Benito, C; Marino, P; Marks, J; Martellotti, G; Martin, M; Martinelli, M; Martinez Santos, D; Martinez Vidal, F; Martins Tostes, D; Massacrier, L M; Massafferri, A; Matev, R; Mathad, A; Mathe, Z; Matteuzzi, C; Mauri, A; Maurin, B; Mazurov, A; McCann, M; McCarthy, J; McNab, A; McNulty, R; Meadows, B; Meier, F; Meissner, M; Melnychuk, D; Merk, M; Merli, A; Michielin, E; Milanes, D A; Minard, M-N; Mitzel, D S; Mogini, A; Molina Rodriguez, J; Monroy, I A; Monteil, S; Morandin, M; Morawski, P; Mordà, A; Morello, M J; Moron, J; Morris, A B; Mountain, R; Muheim, F; Mulder, M; Mussini, M; Muster, B; Müller, D; Müller, J; Müller, K; Müller, V; Naik, P; Nakada, T; Nandakumar, R; Nandi, A; Nasteva, I; Needham, M; Neri, N; Neubert, S; Neufeld, N; Neuner, M; Nguyen, T D; Nguyen-Mau, C; Nieswand, S; Niet, R; Nikitin, N; Nikodem, T; Novoselov, A; O'Hanlon, D P; Oblakowska-Mucha, A; Obraztsov, V; Ogilvy, S; Oldeman, R; Onderwater, C J G; Otalora Goicochea, J M; Otto, A; Owen, P; Oyanguren, A; Pais, P R; Palano, A; Palombo, F; Palutan, M; Panman, J; Papanestis, A; Pappagallo, M; Pappalardo, L L; Parker, W; Parkes, C; Passaleva, G; Pastore, A; Patel, G D; Patel, M; Patrignani, C; Pearce, A; Pellegrino, A; Penso, G; Pepe Altarelli, M; Perazzini, S; Perret, P; Pescatore, L; Petridis, K; Petrolini, A; Petrov, A; Petruzzo, M; Picatoste Olloqui, E; Pietrzyk, B; Pikies, M; Pinci, D; Pistone, A; Piucci, A; Playfer, S; Plo Casasus, M; Poikela, T; Polci, F; Poluektov, A; Polyakov, I; Polycarpo, E; Pomery, G J; Popov, A; Popov, D; Popovici, B; Poslavskii, S; Potterat, C; Price, E; Price, J D; Prisciandaro, J; Pritchard, A; Prouve, C; Pugatch, V; Puig Navarro, A; Punzi, G; Qian, W; Quagliani, R; Rachwal, B; Rademacker, J H; Rama, M; Ramos Pernas, M; Rangel, M S; Raniuk, I; Ratnikov, F; Raven, G; Redi, F; Reichert, S; Dos Reis, A C; Remon Alepuz, C; Renaudin, V; Ricciardi, S; Richards, S; Rihl, M; Rinnert, K; Rives Molina, V; Robbe, P; Rodrigues, A B; Rodrigues, E; Rodriguez Lopez, J A; Rodriguez Perez, P; Rogozhnikov, A; Roiser, S; Rollings, A; Romanovskiy, V; Romero Vidal, A; Ronayne, J W; Rotondo, M; Rudolph, M S; Ruf, T; Ruiz Valls, P; Saborido Silva, J J; Sadykhov, E; Sagidova, N; Saitta, B; Salustino Guimaraes, V; Sanchez Mayordomo, C; Sanmartin Sedes, B; Santacesaria, R; Santamarina Rios, C; Santimaria, M; Santovetti, E; Sarti, A; Satriano, C; Satta, A; Saunders, D M; Savrina, D; Schael, S; Schellenberg, M; Schiller, M; Schindler, H; Schlupp, M; Schmelling, M; Schmelzer, T; Schmidt, B; Schneider, O; Schopper, A; Schubert, K; Schubiger, M; Schune, M-H; Schwemmer, R; Sciascia, B; Sciubba, A; Semennikov, A; Sergi, A; Serra, N; Serrano, J; Sestini, L; Seyfert, P; Shapkin, M; Shapoval, I; Shcheglov, Y; Shears, T; Shekhtman, L; Shevchenko, V; Siddi, B G; Silva Coutinho, R; Silva de Oliveira, L; Simi, G; Simone, S; Sirendi, M; Skidmore, N; Skwarnicki, T; Smith, E; Smith, I T; Smith, J; Smith, M; Snoek, H; Soares Lavra, L; Sokoloff, M D; Soler, F J P; Souza De Paula, B; Spaan, B; Spradlin, P; Sridharan, S; Stagni, F; Stahl, M; Stahl, S; Stefko, P; Stefkova, S; Steinkamp, O; Stemmle, S; Stenyakin, O; Stevenson, S; Stoica, S; Stone, S; Storaci, B; Stracka, S; Straticiuc, M; Straumann, U; Sun, L; Sutcliffe, W; Swientek, K; Syropoulos, V; Szczekowski, M; Szumlak, T; T'Jampens, S; Tayduganov, A; Tekampe, T; Teklishyn, M; Tellarini, G; Teubert, F; Thomas, E; van Tilburg, J; Tilley, M J; Tisserand, V; Tobin, M; Tolk, S; Tomassetti, L; Tonelli, D; Topp-Joergensen, S; Toriello, F; Tournefier, E; Tourneur, S; Trabelsi, K; Traill, M; Tran, M T; Tresch, M; Trisovic, A; Tsaregorodtsev, A; Tsopelas, P; Tully, A; Tuning, N; Ukleja, A; Ustyuzhanin, A; Uwer, U; Vacca, C; Vagnoni, V; Valassi, A; Valat, S; Valenti, G; Vallier, A; Vazquez Gomez, R; Vazquez Regueiro, P; Vecchi, S; van Veghel, M; Velthuis, J J; Veltri, M; Veneziano, G; Venkateswaran, A; Vernet, M; Vesterinen, M; Viaud, B; Vieira, D; Vieites Diaz, M; Viemann, H; Vilasis-Cardona, X; Vitti, M; Volkov, V; Vollhardt, A; Voneki, B; Vorobyev, A; Vorobyev, V; Voß, C; de Vries, J A; Vázquez Sierra, C; Waldi, R; Wallace, C; Wallace, R; Walsh, J; Wang, J; Ward, D R; Wark, H M; Watson, N K; Websdale, D; Weiden, A; Whitehead, M; Wicht, J; Wilkinson, G; Wilkinson, M; Williams, M; Williams, M P; Williams, M; Williams, T; Wilson, F F; Wimberley, J; Wishahi, J; Wislicki, W; Witek, M; Wormser, G; Wotton, S A; Wraight, K; Wyllie, K; Xie, Y; Xing, Z; Xu, Z; Yang, Z; Yao, Y; Yin, H; Yu, J; Yuan, X; Yushchenko, O; Zarebski, K A; Zavertyaev, M; Zhang, L; Zhang, Y; Zhang, Y; Zhelezov, A; Zheng, Y; Zhu, X; Zhukov, V; Zucchelli, S

2017-01-01

A search is presented for massive long-lived particles decaying into a muon and two quarks. The dataset consists of proton-proton interactions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1 and 2[Formula: see text], respectively. The analysis is performed assuming a set of production mechanisms with simple topologies, including the production of a Higgs-like particle decaying into two long-lived particles. The mass range from 20 to 80 [Formula: see text] and lifetimes from 5 to 100[Formula: see text] are explored. Results are also interpreted in terms of neutralino production in different R-Parity violating supersymmetric models, with masses in the 23-198 GeV/[Formula: see text] range. No excess above the background expectation is observed and upper limits are set on the production cross-section for various points in the parameter space of theoretical models.

Heat conduction in a chain of colliding particles with a stiff repulsive potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gendelman, Oleg V.; Savin, Alexander V.

2016-11-01

One-dimensional billiards, i.e., a chain of colliding particles with equal masses, is a well-known example of a completely integrable system. Billiards with different particle masses is generically not integrable, but it still exhibits divergence of a heat conduction coefficient (HCC) in the thermodynamic limit. Traditional billiards models imply instantaneous (zero-time) collisions between the particles. We relax this condition of instantaneous impact and consider heat transport in a chain of stiff colliding particles with the power-law potential of the nearest-neighbor interaction. The instantaneous collisions correspond to the limit of infinite power in the interaction potential; for finite powers, the interactions take nonzero time. This modification of the model leads to a profound physical consequence—the probability of multiple (in particular triple) -particle collisions becomes nonzero. Contrary to the integrable billiards of equal particles, the modified model exhibits saturation of the heat conduction coefficient for a large system size. Moreover, the identification of scattering events with triple-particle collisions leads to a simple definition of the characteristic mean free path and a kinetic description of heat transport. This approach allows us to predict both the temperature and density dependencies for the HCC limit values. The latter dependence is quite counterintuitive—the HCC is inversely proportional to the particle density in the chain. Both predictions are confirmed by direct numerical simulations.

Coma dust scattering concepts applied to the Rosetta mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fink, Uwe; Rinaldi, Giovanna

2015-09-01

This paper describes basic concepts, as well as providing a framework, for the interpretation of the light scattered by the dust in a cometary coma as observed by instruments on a spacecraft such as Rosetta. It is shown that the expected optical depths are small enough that single scattering can be applied. Each of the quantities that contribute to the scattered intensity is discussed in detail. Using optical constants of the likely coma dust constituents, olivine, pyroxene and carbon, the scattering properties of the dust are calculated. For the resulting observable scattering intensities several particle size distributions are considered, a simple power law, power laws with a small particle cut off and a log-normal distributions with various parameters. Within the context of a simple outflow model, the standard definition of Afρ for a circular observing aperture is expanded to an equivalent Afρ for an annulus and specific line-of-sight observation. The resulting equivalence between the observed intensity and Afρ is used to predict observable intensities for 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at the spacecraft encounter near 3.3 AU and near perihelion at 1.3 AU. This is done by normalizing particle production rates of various size distributions to agree with observed ground based Afρ values. Various geometries for the column densities in a cometary coma are considered. The calculations for a simple outflow model are compared with more elaborate Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Calculation (DSMC) models to define the limits of applicability of the simpler analytical approach. Thus our analytical approach can be applied to the majority of the Rosetta coma observations, particularly beyond several nuclear radii where the dust is no longer in a collisional environment, without recourse to computer intensive DSMC calculations for specific cases. In addition to a spherically symmetric 1-dimensional approach we investigate column densities for the 2-dimensional DSMC model on the day and night side of the comet. Our calculations are also applied to estimates of the dust particle densities and flux which are useful for the in-situ experiments on Rosetta.

A simple theoretical model for ⁶³Ni betavoltaic battery.

PubMed

Zuo, Guoping; Zhou, Jianliang; Ke, Guotu

2013-12-01

A numerical simulation of the energy deposition distribution in semiconductors is performed for ⁶³Ni beta particles. Results show that the energy deposition distribution exhibits an approximate exponential decay law. A simple theoretical model is developed for ⁶³Ni betavoltaic battery based on the distribution characteristics. The correctness of the model is validated by two literature experiments. Results show that the theoretical short-circuit current agrees well with the experimental results, and the open-circuit voltage deviates from the experimental results in terms of the influence of the PN junction defects and the simplification of the source. The theoretical model can be applied to ⁶³Ni and ¹⁴⁷Pm betavoltaic batteries. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The influence of particle shape on dielectric enhancement in metal-insulator composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doyle, W. T.; Jacobs, I. S.

1992-04-01

Disordered suspensions of conducting particles exhibit substantial permittivity enhancements beyond the predictions of the Clausius-Mossotti equation and other purely dipolar approximations. The magnitude of the enhancement depends upon the shape of the particles. A recently developed effective cluster model for spherical particles [Phys. Rev. B 42, 9319 (1990)] that treats a disordered suspension as a mixture, or mesosuspension, of isolated spheres and close-packed spherical clusters of arbitrary size is in excellent agreement with experiments on well-stirred suspensions of spheres over the entire accessible range of volume loading. In this paper, the effective cluster model is extended to be applicable to disordered suspensions of arbitrarily shaped conducting particles. Two physical parameters are used to characterize a general suspension: the angular average polarizability of an isolated particle, and the volume loading at closest packing of the suspension. Multipole interactions within the clusters are treated exactly. External particle-shape-dependent interactions between clusters and isolated particles are treated in the dipole approximation in two ways: explicitly, using the Clausius-Mossotti equation, and implicitly, using the Wiener equation. Both versions of the model are used to find the permittivity of a monodisperse suspension of conducting spheroids, for which the model parameters can be determined independently. The two versions are in good agreement when the axial ratio of the particles is not extreme. The Clausius-Mossotti version of the model yields a mesoscopic analogue of the dielectric virial expansion. It is limited to small volume loadings when the particles have an extremely nonspherical shape. The Wiener equation version of the model holds at all volume loadings for particles of arbitrary shape. Comparison of the two versions of the model leads to a simple physical interpretation of Wiener's equation. The models are compared with experiments of Kelly, Stenoien, and Isbell [J. Appl. Phys. 24, 258 (1953)] on aluminum and zinc particles in paraffin, with Nasuhoglu's experiments on iron particles in oil [Commun. Fac. Sci. Univ. Ankara 4, 108 (1952)], and with new X-band and Kα-band permittivity measurements on Ni-Cr alloy particles in a polyurethane binder.

Pulse laser-induced particle separation from polymethyl methacrylate: a mechanistic study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arif, S.; Armbruster, O.; Kautek, W.

2013-04-01

The separation mechanism of opaque and transparent model micro-particles, graphite and polystyrene copolymer spheres, respectively, from polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) substrates were investigated employing a ns-pulse laser radiating at 532 nm. The particles transparent in the visible wavelength range could be removed from PMMA efficiently in a very narrow fluence range between 1 and 2 J/cm2 according to a simple 1D thermal expansion model. Above this fluence region, with single pulses, the transparent microspheres caused local ablation of the PMMA substrate in the optical microlens nearfield. This process led to removal of the particles themselves due to the expansion of the ablation plasma. The irregularly shaped graphite particles shaded the underlying substrate from the incoming radiation so that no optical nearfield damage mechanism could be observed. Therefore, a substantial cleaning window between 0.5 and more than 16 J/cm2 was provided. The graphite data suggest an ablation mechanism of the particulates themselves due to a high optical absorption coefficient.

Particle-Size-Exclusion Clogging Regimes in Porous Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerber, G.; Rodts, S.; Aimedieu, P.; Faure, P.; Coussot, P.

2018-04-01

From observations of the progressive deposition of noncolloidal particles by geometrical exclusion effects inside a 3D model porous medium, we get a complete dynamic view of particle deposits over a full range of regimes from transport over a long distance to clogging and caking. We show that clogging essentially occurs in the form of an accumulation of elements in pore size clusters, which ultimately constitute regions avoided by the flow. The clusters are dispersed in the medium, and their concentration (number per volume) decreases with the distance from the entrance; caking is associated with the final stage of this effect (for a critical cluster concentration at the entrance). A simple probabilistic model, taking into account the impact of clogging on particle transport, allows us to quantitatively predict all these trends up to a large cluster concentration, based on a single parameter: the clogging probability, which is a function of the confinement ratio. This opens the route towards a unification of the different fields of particle transport, clogging, caking, and filtration.

Ballistics Model for Particles on a Horizontal Plane in a Vacuum Propelled by a Vertically Impinging Gas Jet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lane, J. E.; Metzger, P. T.

2010-01-01

A simple trajectory model has been developed and is presented. The particle trajectory path is estimated by computing the vertical position as a function of the horizontal position using a constant horizontal velocity and a vertical acceleration approximated as a power law. The vertical particle position is then found by solving the differential equation of motion using a double integral of vertical acceleration divided by the square of the horizontal velocity, integrated over the horizontal position. The input parameters are: x(sub 0) and y(sub 0), the initial particle starting point; the derivative of the trajectory at x(sub 0) and y(sub 0), s(sub 0) = s(x(sub 0))= dx(y)/dy conditional expectation y = y((sub 0); and b where bx(sub 0)/y(sub 0) is the final trajectory angle before gravity pulls the particle down. The final parameter v(sub 0) is an approximation to a constant horizontal velocity. This model is time independent, providing vertical position x as a function of horizontal distance y: x(y) = (x(sub 0) + s(sub 0) (y-y(sub 0))) + bx(sub 0) -(s(sub 0)y(sub 0) ((y - y(sub 0)/y(sub 0) - ln((y/y(sub 0)))-((g(y-y(sub 0)(exp 2))/ 2((v(sub 0)(exp 2). The first term on the right in the above equation is due to simple ballistics and a spherically expanding gas so that the trajectory is a straight line intersecting (0,0), which is the point at the center of the gas impingement on the surface. The second term on the right is due to vertical acceleration, which may be positive or negative. The last term on the right is the gravity term, which for a particle with velocities less than escape velocity will eventually bring the particle back to the ground. The parameters b, s(sub 0), and in some cases v(sub 0), are taken from an interpolation of similar parameters determined from a CFD simulation matrix, coupled with complete particle trajectory simulations.

Formation of a new archetypal Metal-Organic Framework from a simple monatomic liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metere, Alfredo; Oleynikov, Peter; Dzugutov, Mikhail; O'Keeffe, Michael

2014-12-01

We report a molecular-dynamics simulation of a single-component system of particles interacting via a spherically symmetric potential that is found to form, upon cooling from a liquid state, a low-density porous crystalline phase. Its structure analysis demonstrates that the crystal can be described by a net with a topology that belongs to the class of topologies characteristic of the Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs). The observed net is new, and it is now included in the Reticular Chemistry Structure Resource database. The observation that a net topology characteristic of MOF crystals, which are known to be formed by a coordination-driven self-assembly process, can be reproduced by a thermodynamically stable configuration of a simple single-component system of particles opens a possibility of using these models in studies of MOF nets. It also indicates that structures with MOF topology, as well as other low-density porous crystalline structures can possibly be produced in colloidal systems of spherical particles, with an appropriate tuning of interparticle interaction.

Discontinuous non-equilibrium phase transition in a threshold Schloegl model for autocatalysis: Generic two-phase coexistence and metastability

DOE PAGES

Wang, Chi -Jen; Liu, Da -Jiang; Evans, James W.

2015-04-28

Threshold versions of Schloegl’s model on a lattice, which involve autocatalytic creation and spontaneous annihilation of particles, can provide a simple prototype for discontinuous non-equilibrium phase transitions. These models are equivalent to so-called threshold contact processes. A discontinuous transition between populated and vacuum states can occur selecting a threshold of N ≥ 2 for the minimum number, N, of neighboring particles enabling autocatalytic creation at an empty site. Fundamental open questions remain given the lack of a thermodynamic framework for analysis. For a square lattice with N = 2, we show that phase coexistence occurs not at a unique valuemore » but for a finite range of particle annihilation rate (the natural control parameter). This generic two-phase coexistence also persists when perturbing the model to allow spontaneous particle creation. Such behavior contrasts both the Gibbs phase rule for thermodynamic systems and also previous analysis for this model. We find metastability near the transition corresponding to a non-zero effective line tension, also contrasting previously suggested critical behavior. As a result, mean-field type analysis, extended to treat spatially heterogeneous states, further elucidates model behavior.« less

Enhanced dielectric standoff and mechanical failure in field-structured composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, James E.; Tigges, Chris P.; Anderson, Robert A.; Odinek, Judy

1999-09-01

We report dielectric breakdown experiments on electric-field-structured composites of high-dielectric-constant BaTiO3 particles in an epoxy resin. These experiments show a significant increase in the dielectric standoff strength perpendicular to the field structuring direction, relative to control samples consisting of randomly dispersed particles. To understand the relation of this observation to microstructure, we apply a simple resistor-short breakdown model to three-dimensional composite structures generated from a dynamical simulation. In this breakdown model the composite material is assumed to conduct primarily through particle contacts, so the simulated structures are mapped onto a resistor network where the center of mass of each particle is a node that is connected to neighboring nodes by resistors of fixed resistance that irreversibly short to perfect conductors when the current reaches a threshold value. This model gives relative breakdown voltages that are in good agreement with experimental results. Finally, we consider a primitive model of the mechanical strength of a field-structured composite material, which is a current-driven, conductor-insulator fuse model. This model leads to a macroscopic fusing behavior and can be related to mechanical failure of the composite.

Discontinuous non-equilibrium phase transition in a threshold Schloegl model for autocatalysis: Generic two-phase coexistence and metastability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chi-Jen; Liu, Da-Jiang; Evans, James W.

2015-04-01

Threshold versions of Schloegl's model on a lattice, which involve autocatalytic creation and spontaneous annihilation of particles, can provide a simple prototype for discontinuous non-equilibrium phase transitions. These models are equivalent to so-called threshold contact processes. A discontinuous transition between populated and vacuum states can occur selecting a threshold of N ≥ 2 for the minimum number, N, of neighboring particles enabling autocatalytic creation at an empty site. Fundamental open questions remain given the lack of a thermodynamic framework for analysis. For a square lattice with N = 2, we show that phase coexistence occurs not at a unique value but for a finite range of particle annihilation rate (the natural control parameter). This generic two-phase coexistence also persists when perturbing the model to allow spontaneous particle creation. Such behavior contrasts both the Gibbs phase rule for thermodynamic systems and also previous analysis for this model. We find metastability near the transition corresponding to a non-zero effective line tension, also contrasting previously suggested critical behavior. Mean-field type analysis, extended to treat spatially heterogeneous states, further elucidates model behavior.

The Quantum Arnold Transformation for the damped harmonic oscillator: from the Caldirola-Kanai model toward the Bateman model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-Ruiz, F. F.; Guerrero, J.; Aldaya, V.; Cossío, F.

2012-08-01

Using a quantum version of the Arnold transformation of classical mechanics, all quantum dynamical systems whose classical equations of motion are non-homogeneous linear second-order ordinary differential equations (LSODE), including systems with friction linear in velocity such as the damped harmonic oscillator, can be related to the quantum free-particle dynamical system. This implies that symmetries and simple computations in the free particle can be exported to the LSODE-system. The quantum Arnold transformation is given explicitly for the damped harmonic oscillator, and an algebraic connection between the Caldirola-Kanai model for the damped harmonic oscillator and the Bateman system will be sketched out.

The ST environment: Expected charged particle radiation levels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stassinopoulos, E. G.

1978-01-01

The external (surface incident) charged particle radiation, predicted for the ST satellite at the three different mission altitudes, was determined in two ways: (1) by orbital flux-integration and (2) by geographical instantaneous flux-mapping. The latest standard models of the environment were used in this effort. Magnetic field definitions for three nominal circular trajectories and for the geographic mapping positions were obtained from a current field model. Spatial and temporal variations or conditions affecting the static environment models were considered and accounted for, wherever possible. Limited shielding and dose evaluations were performed for a simple geometry. Results, given in tabular and graphical form, are analyzed, explained, and discussed. Conclusions are included.

A granular flow model for dense planetary rings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borderies, N.; Goldreich, P.; Tremaine, S.

1985-01-01

In the present study of the viscosity of a differentially rotating particle disk, in the limiting case where the particles are densely packed and their collective behavior resembles that of a liquid, the pressure tensor is derived from both the equations of hydrodynamics and a simple kinetic model of collisions due to Haff (1983). Density waves and narrow circular rings are unstable if the liquid approximation applies, and the consequent nonlinear perturbations may generate 'splashing' of the ring material in the vertical direction. These results are pertinent to the origin of the ellipticities of ringlets, the nonaxisymmetric features near the outer edge of the Saturn B ring, and unexplained residuals in kinematic models of the Saturn and Uranus rings.

Self-Assembled Magnetic Surface Swimmers: Theoretical Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aranson, Igor; Belkin, Maxim; Snezhko, Alexey

2009-03-01

The mechanisms of self-propulsion of living microorganisms are a fascinating phenomenon attracting enormous attention in the physics community. A new type of self-assembled micro-swimmers, magnetic snakes, is an excellent tool to model locomotion in a simple table-top experiment. The snakes self-assemble from a dispersion of magnetic microparticles suspended on the liquid-air interface and subjected to an alternating magnetic field. Formation and dynamics of these swimmers are captured in the framework of theoretical model coupling paradigm equation for the amplitude of surface waves, conservation law for the density of particles, and the Navier-Stokes equation for hydrodynamic flows. The results of continuum modeling are supported by hybrid molecular dynamics simulations of magnetic particles floating on the surface of fluid.

Modeling Soft Tissue Damage and Failure Using a Combined Particle/Continuum Approach.

PubMed

Rausch, M K; Karniadakis, G E; Humphrey, J D

2017-02-01

Biological soft tissues experience damage and failure as a result of injury, disease, or simply age; examples include torn ligaments and arterial dissections. Given the complexity of tissue geometry and material behavior, computational models are often essential for studying both damage and failure. Yet, because of the need to account for discontinuous phenomena such as crazing, tearing, and rupturing, continuum methods are limited. Therefore, we model soft tissue damage and failure using a particle/continuum approach. Specifically, we combine continuum damage theory with Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH). Because SPH is a meshless particle method, and particle connectivity is determined solely through a neighbor list, discontinuities can be readily modeled by modifying this list. We show, for the first time, that an anisotropic hyperelastic constitutive model commonly employed for modeling soft tissue can be conveniently implemented within a SPH framework and that SPH results show excellent agreement with analytical solutions for uniaxial and biaxial extension as well as finite element solutions for clamped uniaxial extension in 2D and 3D. We further develop a simple algorithm that automatically detects damaged particles and disconnects the spatial domain along rupture lines in 2D and rupture surfaces in 3D. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by simulating damage and failure under clamped uniaxial extension and in a peeling experiment of virtual soft tissue samples. In conclusion, SPH in combination with continuum damage theory may provide an accurate and efficient framework for modeling damage and failure in soft tissues.

Modeling Soft Tissue Damage and Failure Using a Combined Particle/Continuum Approach

PubMed Central

Rausch, M. K.; Karniadakis, G. E.; Humphrey, J. D.

2016-01-01

Biological soft tissues experience damage and failure as a result of injury, disease, or simply age; examples include torn ligaments and arterial dissections. Given the complexity of tissue geometry and material behavior, computational models are often essential for studying both damage and failure. Yet, because of the need to account for discontinuous phenomena such as crazing, tearing, and rupturing, continuum methods are limited. Therefore, we model soft tissue damage and failure using a particle/continuum approach. Specifically, we combine continuum damage theory with Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH). Because SPH is a meshless particle method, and particle connectivity is determined solely through a neighbor list, discontinuities can be readily modeled by modifying this list. We show, for the first time, that an anisotropic hyperelastic constitutive model commonly employed for modeling soft tissue can be conveniently implemented within a SPH framework and that SPH results show excellent agreement with analytical solutions for uniaxial and biaxial extension as well as finite element solutions for clamped uniaxial extension in 2D and 3D. We further develop a simple algorithm that automatically detects damaged particles and disconnects the spatial domain along rupture lines in 2D and rupture surfaces in 3D. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by simulating damage and failure under clamped uniaxial extension and in a peeling experiment of virtual soft tissue samples. In conclusion, SPH in combination with continuum damage theory may provide an accurate and efficient framework for modeling damage and failure in soft tissues. PMID:27538848

Inertial migration of elastic particles in a pressure-driven power-law fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowie, Samuel; Alexeev, Alexander

2016-11-01

Using three-dimensional computer simulations, we study the cross-stream migration of deformable particles in a channel filled with a non-Newtonian fluid driven by a pressure gradient. Our numerical approach integrates lattice Boltzmann method and lattice spring method in order to model fluid structural interactions of the elastic particle and the surrounding power fluid in the channel. The particles are modeled as elastic shells filled with a viscous fluid that are initially spherical. We focus on the regimes where the inertial effects cannot be neglected and cause cross-stream drift of particles. We probe the flow with different power law indexes including both the shear thickening and thinning fluids. We also examine migration of particles of with different elasticity and relative size. To isolate the non-Newtonian effects on particle migration, we compare the results with the inertial migration results found in the case where the channel is filled with a simple Newtonian fluid. The results can be useful for applications requiring high throughput separation, sorting, and focusing of both synthetic particles and biological cells in microfluidic devices. Financial support provided by National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant No. CMMI1538161.

A simple microviscometric approach based on Brownian motion tracking.

PubMed

Hnyluchová, Zuzana; Bjalončíková, Petra; Karas, Pavel; Mravec, Filip; Halasová, Tereza; Pekař, Miloslav; Kubala, Lukáš; Víteček, Jan

2015-02-01

Viscosity-an integral property of a liquid-is traditionally determined by mechanical instruments. The most pronounced disadvantage of such an approach is the requirement of a large sample volume, which poses a serious obstacle, particularly in biology and biophysics when working with limited samples. Scaling down the required volume by means of microviscometry based on tracking the Brownian motion of particles can provide a reasonable alternative. In this paper, we report a simple microviscometric approach which can be conducted with common laboratory equipment. The core of this approach consists in a freely available standalone script to process particle trajectory data based on a Newtonian model. In our study, this setup allowed the sample to be scaled down to 10 μl. The utility of the approach was demonstrated using model solutions of glycerine, hyaluronate, and mouse blood plasma. Therefore, this microviscometric approach based on a newly developed freely available script can be suggested for determination of the viscosity of small biological samples (e.g., body fluids).

Revisiting the decoupling effects in the running of the Cosmological Constant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antipin, Oleg; Melić, Blaženka

2017-09-01

We revisit the decoupling effects associated with heavy particles in the renormalization group running of the vacuum energy in a mass-dependent renormalization scheme. We find the running of the vacuum energy stemming from the Higgs condensate in the entire energy range and show that it behaves as expected from the simple dimensional arguments meaning that it exhibits the quadratic sensitivity to the mass of the heavy particles in the infrared regime. The consequence of such a running to the fine-tuning problem with the measured value of the Cosmological Constant is analyzed and the constraint on the mass spectrum of a given model is derived. We show that in the Standard Model (SM) this fine-tuning constraint is not satisfied while in the massless theories this constraint formally coincides with the well known Veltman condition. We also provide a remarkably simple extension of the SM where saturation of this constraint enables us to predict the radiative Higgs mass correctly. Generalization to constant curvature spaces is also given.

Interaction of evaporating and condensing particles in the free-molecular regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kogan, M. N.; Bobrov, I. N.; Cercignani, C.; Frezzotti, A.

1995-07-01

In a previous paper it was shown that repulsive/attractive forces arise between evaporating/ condensing particles in the free-molecular regime. Here we obtain explicit expressions for these forces in the case of spherical particles with equal temperatures. The temperature of the surrounding vapor is, generally speaking, different from that of the particles. Numerical results are obtained for different values of the ratios between particle and vapor temperatures and pressures, of the particles radii and of the evaporation coefficients. In the case when the evaporation coefficient equals unity, an exact expression is obtained for the force between particles of different radii. A simple model describing coagulation processes and taking the above-mentioned forces into account is proposed. It is shown that for large values of the vapor supersaturation, the influence of these forces on the coagulation rate may be very pronounced.

Fuzzy logic particle tracking velocimetry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wernet, Mark P.

1993-01-01

Fuzzy logic has proven to be a simple and robust method for process control. Instead of requiring a complex model of the system, a user defined rule base is used to control the process. In this paper the principles of fuzzy logic control are applied to Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV). Two frames of digitally recorded, single exposure particle imagery are used as input. The fuzzy processor uses the local particle displacement information to determine the correct particle tracks. Fuzzy PTV is an improvement over traditional PTV techniques which typically require a sequence (greater than 2) of image frames for accurately tracking particles. The fuzzy processor executes in software on a PC without the use of specialized array or fuzzy logic processors. A pair of sample input images with roughly 300 particle images each, results in more than 200 velocity vectors in under 8 seconds of processing time.

Particle dynamics and deposition in true-scale pulmonary acinar models.

PubMed

Fishler, Rami; Hofemeier, Philipp; Etzion, Yael; Dubowski, Yael; Sznitman, Josué

2015-09-11

Particle transport phenomena in the deep alveolated airways of the lungs (i.e. pulmonary acinus) govern deposition outcomes following inhalation of hazardous or pharmaceutical aerosols. Yet, there is still a dearth of experimental tools for resolving acinar particle dynamics and validating numerical simulations. Here, we present a true-scale experimental model of acinar structures consisting of bifurcating alveolated ducts that capture breathing-like wall motion and ensuing respiratory acinar flows. We study experimentally captured trajectories of inhaled polydispersed smoke particles (0.2 to 1 μm in diameter), demonstrating how intrinsic particle motion, i.e. gravity and diffusion, is crucial in determining dispersion and deposition of aerosols through a streamline crossing mechanism, a phenomenon paramount during flow reversal and locally within alveolar cavities. A simple conceptual framework is constructed for predicting the fate of inhaled particles near an alveolus by identifying capture and escape zones and considering how streamline crossing may shift particles between them. In addition, we examine the effect of particle size on detailed deposition patterns of monodispersed microspheres between 0.1-2 μm. Our experiments underline local modifications in the deposition patterns due to gravity for particles ≥0.5 μm compared to smaller particles, and show good agreement with corresponding numerical simulations.

Particle dynamics and deposition in true-scale pulmonary acinar models

PubMed Central

Fishler, Rami; Hofemeier, Philipp; Etzion, Yael; Dubowski, Yael; Sznitman, Josué

2015-01-01

Particle transport phenomena in the deep alveolated airways of the lungs (i.e. pulmonary acinus) govern deposition outcomes following inhalation of hazardous or pharmaceutical aerosols. Yet, there is still a dearth of experimental tools for resolving acinar particle dynamics and validating numerical simulations. Here, we present a true-scale experimental model of acinar structures consisting of bifurcating alveolated ducts that capture breathing-like wall motion and ensuing respiratory acinar flows. We study experimentally captured trajectories of inhaled polydispersed smoke particles (0.2 to 1 μm in diameter), demonstrating how intrinsic particle motion, i.e. gravity and diffusion, is crucial in determining dispersion and deposition of aerosols through a streamline crossing mechanism, a phenomenon paramount during flow reversal and locally within alveolar cavities. A simple conceptual framework is constructed for predicting the fate of inhaled particles near an alveolus by identifying capture and escape zones and considering how streamline crossing may shift particles between them. In addition, we examine the effect of particle size on detailed deposition patterns of monodispersed microspheres between 0.1–2 μm. Our experiments underline local modifications in the deposition patterns due to gravity for particles ≥0.5 μm compared to smaller particles, and show good agreement with corresponding numerical simulations. PMID:26358580

Reconstructing particle masses in events with displaced vertices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cottin, Giovanna

2018-03-01

We propose a simple way to extract particle masses given a displaced vertex signature in event topologies where two long-lived mother particles decay to visible particles and an invisible daughter. The mother could be either charged or neutral and the neutral daughter could correspond to a dark matter particle in different models. The method allows to extract the parent and daughter masses by using on-shell conditions and energy-momentum conservation, in addition to the displaced decay positions of the parents, which allows to solve the kinematic equations fully on an event-by-event basis. We show the validity of the method by means of simulations including detector effects. If displaced events are seen in discovery searches at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), this technique can be applied.

Blended particle filters for large-dimensional chaotic dynamical systems

PubMed Central

Majda, Andrew J.; Qi, Di; Sapsis, Themistoklis P.

2014-01-01

A major challenge in contemporary data science is the development of statistically accurate particle filters to capture non-Gaussian features in large-dimensional chaotic dynamical systems. Blended particle filters that capture non-Gaussian features in an adaptively evolving low-dimensional subspace through particles interacting with evolving Gaussian statistics on the remaining portion of phase space are introduced here. These blended particle filters are constructed in this paper through a mathematical formalism involving conditional Gaussian mixtures combined with statistically nonlinear forecast models compatible with this structure developed recently with high skill for uncertainty quantification. Stringent test cases for filtering involving the 40-dimensional Lorenz 96 model with a 5-dimensional adaptive subspace for nonlinear blended filtering in various turbulent regimes with at least nine positive Lyapunov exponents are used here. These cases demonstrate the high skill of the blended particle filter algorithms in capturing both highly non-Gaussian dynamical features as well as crucial nonlinear statistics for accurate filtering in extreme filtering regimes with sparse infrequent high-quality observations. The formalism developed here is also useful for multiscale filtering of turbulent systems and a simple application is sketched below. PMID:24825886

A deterministic Lagrangian particle separation-based method for advective-diffusion problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Ken T. M.; Lee, Joseph H. W.; Choi, K. W.

2008-12-01

A simple and robust Lagrangian particle scheme is proposed to solve the advective-diffusion transport problem. The scheme is based on relative diffusion concepts and simulates diffusion by regulating particle separation. This new approach generates a deterministic result and requires far less number of particles than the random walk method. For the advection process, particles are simply moved according to their velocity. The general scheme is mass conservative and is free from numerical diffusion. It can be applied to a wide variety of advective-diffusion problems, but is particularly suited for ecological and water quality modelling when definition of particle attributes (e.g., cell status for modelling algal blooms or red tides) is a necessity. The basic derivation, numerical stability and practical implementation of the NEighborhood Separation Technique (NEST) are presented. The accuracy of the method is demonstrated through a series of test cases which embrace realistic features of coastal environmental transport problems. Two field application examples on the tidal flushing of a fish farm and the dynamics of vertically migrating marine algae are also presented.

Random close packing of polydisperse jammed emulsions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brujic, Jasna

2010-03-01

Packing problems are everywhere, ranging from oil extraction through porous rocks to grain storage in silos and the compaction of pharmaceutical powders into tablets. At a given density, particulate systems pack into a mechanically stable and amorphous jammed state. Theoretical frameworks have proposed a connection between this jammed state and the glass transition, a thermodynamics of jamming, as well as geometric modeling of random packings. Nevertheless, a simple underlying mechanism for the random assembly of athermal particles, analogous to crystalline ordering, remains unknown. Here we use 3D measurements of polydisperse packings of emulsion droplets to build a simple statistical model in which the complexity of the global packing is distilled into a local stochastic process. From the perspective of a single particle the packing problem is reduced to the random formation of nearest neighbors, followed by a choice of contacts among them. The two key parameters in the model, the available space around a particle and the ratio of contacts to neighbors, are directly obtained from experiments. Remarkably, we demonstrate that this ``granocentric'' view captures the properties of the polydisperse emulsion packing, ranging from the microscopic distributions of nearest neighbors and contacts to local density fluctuations and all the way to the global packing density. Further applications to monodisperse and bidisperse systems quantitatively agree with previously measured trends in global density. This model therefore reveals a general principle of organization for random packing and lays the foundations for a theory of jammed matter.

Inflation Due to Quantum Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eingorn, Maxim V.; Rusov, Vitaliy D.

2015-08-01

In the framework of a cosmological model of the Universe filled with a nonrelativistic particle soup, we easily reproduce inflation due to the quantum potential. The lightest particles in the soup serve as a driving force of this simple, natural and promising mechanism. It is explicitly demonstrated that the appropriate choice of their mass and fraction leads to reasonable numbers of e-folds. Thus, the direct introduction of the quantum potential into cosmology of the earliest Universe gives ample opportunities of successful reconsideration of the modern inflationary theory.

Toward a Greater Understanding of the Reduction of Drift Coefficients in the Presence of Turbulence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Engelbrecht, N. E.; Strauss, R. D.; Burger, R. A.

2017-06-01

Drift effects play a significant role in the transport of charged particles in the heliosphere. A turbulent magnetic field is also known to reduce the effects of particle drifts. The exact nature of this reduction, however, is not clear. This study aims to provide some insight into this reduction and proposes a relatively simple, tractable means of modeling it that provides results in reasonable agreement with numerical simulations of the drift coefficient in a turbulent magnetic field.

Possible Mechanism for the Generation of a Fundamental Unit of Charge (long version)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lestone, John Paul

2017-06-16

Various methods for calculating particle-emission rates from hot systems are reviewed. Semi-classically derived photon-emission rates often contain the term exp(-ε/T) which needs to be replaced with the corresponding Planckian factor of [exp(-ε/T)-1] -1 to obtain the correct rate. This replacement is associated with the existence of stimulated emission. Simple arguments are used to demonstrate that black holes can also undergo stimulated emission, as previously determined by others. We extend these concepts to fundamental particles, and assume they can be stimulated to emit virtual photons with a cross section of πλ 2, in the case of an isolated particle when themore » incident virtual-photon energy is < 2πmc 2. Stimulated-virtual photons can be exchanged with other particles generating a force. With the inclusion of near-field effects, the model choices presented give a calculated fundamental unit of charge of 1.6022x10 -19 C. If these choices are corroborated by detailed calculations then an understanding of the numerical value of the fine structure constant may emerge. The present study suggests charge might be an emergent property generated by a simple interaction mechanism between point-like particles and the electromagnetic vacuum, similar to the process that generates the Lamb shift.« less

Phase space effects on fast ion distribution function modeling in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podestà, M.; Gorelenkova, M.; Fredrickson, E. D.; Gorelenkov, N. N.; White, R. B.

2016-05-01

Integrated simulations of tokamak discharges typically rely on classical physics to model energetic particle (EP) dynamics. However, there are numerous cases in which energetic particles can suffer additional transport that is not classical in nature. Examples include transport by applied 3D magnetic perturbations and, more notably, by plasma instabilities. Focusing on the effects of instabilities, ad-hoc models can empirically reproduce increased transport, but the choice of transport coefficients is usually somehow arbitrary. New approaches based on physics-based reduced models are being developed to address those issues in a simplified way, while retaining a more correct treatment of resonant wave-particle interactions. The kick model implemented in the tokamak transport code TRANSP is an example of such reduced models. It includes modifications of the EP distribution by instabilities in real and velocity space, retaining correlations between transport in energy and space typical of resonant EP transport. The relevance of EP phase space modifications by instabilities is first discussed in terms of predicted fast ion distribution. Results are compared with those from a simple, ad-hoc diffusive model. It is then shown that the phase-space resolved model can also provide additional insight into important issues such as internal consistency of the simulations and mode stability through the analysis of the power exchanged between energetic particles and the instabilities.

Phase space effects on fast ion distribution function modeling in tokamaks

DOE Data Explorer

White, R. B. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Podesta, M. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Gorelenkova, M. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Fredrickson, E. D. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States); Gorelenkov, N. N. [Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)

2016-06-01

Integrated simulations of tokamak discharges typically rely on classical physics to model energetic particle (EP) dynamics. However, there are numerous cases in which energetic particles can suffer additional transport that is not classical in nature. Examples include transport by applied 3D magnetic perturbations and, more notably, by plasma instabilities. Focusing on the effects of instabilities, ad-hoc models can empirically reproduce increased transport, but the choice of transport coefficients is usually somehow arbitrary. New approaches based on physics-based reduced models are being developed to address those issues in a simplified way, while retaining a more correct treatment of resonant wave-particle interactions. The kick model implemented in the tokamak transport code TRANSP is an example of such reduced models. It includes modifications of the EP distribution by instabilities in real and velocity space, retaining correlations between transport in energy and space typical of resonant EP transport. The relevance of EP phase space modifications by instabilities is first discussed in terms of predicted fast ion distribution. Results are compared with those from a simple, ad-hoc diffusive model. It is then shown that the phase-space resolved model can also provide additional insight into important issues such as internal consistency of the simulations and mode stability through the analysis of the power exchanged between energetic particles and the instabilities.

Application of particle and lattice codes to simulation of hydraulic fracturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damjanac, Branko; Detournay, Christine; Cundall, Peter A.

2016-04-01

With the development of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs over the last 15 years, the understanding and capability to model the propagation of hydraulic fractures in inhomogeneous and naturally fractured reservoirs has become very important for the petroleum industry (but also for some other industries like mining and geothermal). Particle-based models provide advantages over other models and solutions for the simulation of fracturing of rock masses that cannot be assumed to be continuous and homogeneous. It has been demonstrated (Potyondy and Cundall Int J Rock Mech Min Sci Geomech Abstr 41:1329-1364, 2004) that particle models based on a simple force criterion for fracture propagation match theoretical solutions and scale effects derived using the principles of linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM). The challenge is how to apply these models effectively (i.e., with acceptable models sizes and computer run times) to the coupled hydro-mechanical problems of relevant time and length scales for practical field applications (i.e., reservoir scale and hours of injection time). A formulation of a fully coupled hydro-mechanical particle-based model and its application to the simulation of hydraulic treatment of unconventional reservoirs are presented. Model validation by comparing with available analytical asymptotic solutions (penny-shape crack) and some examples of field application (e.g., interaction with DFN) are also included.

A particle-particle collision strategy for arbitrarily shaped particles at low Stokes numbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daghooghi, Mohsen; Borazjani, Iman

2016-11-01

We present a collision strategy for particles with any general shape at low Stokes numbers. Conventional collision strategies rely upon a short -range repulsion force along particles centerline, which is a suitable choice for spherical particles and may not work for complex-shaped particles. In the present method, upon the collision of two particles, kinematics of particles are modified so that particles have zero relative velocity toward each other along the direction in which they have the minimum distance. The advantage of this novel technique is that it guaranties to prevent particles from overlapping without unrealistic bounce back at low Stokes numbers, which may occur if repulsive forces are used. This model is used to simulate sedimentation of many particles in a vertical channel and suspensions of non-spherical particles under simple shear flow. This work was supported by the American Chemical Society (ACS) Petroleum Research Fund (PRF) Grant Number 53099-DNI9. The computational resources were partly provided by the Center for Computational Research (CCR) at the University at Buffalo.

Modeling of submicrometer aerosol penetration through sintered granular membrane filters.

PubMed

Marre, Sonia; Palmeri, John; Larbot, André; Bertrand, Marielle

2004-06-01

We present a deep-bed aerosol filtration model that can be used to estimate the efficiency of sintered granular membrane filters in the region of the most penetrating particle size. In this region the capture of submicrometer aerosols, much smaller than the filter pore size, takes place mainly via Brownian diffusion and direct interception acting in synergy. By modeling the disordered sintered grain packing of such filters as a simple cubic lattice, and mapping the corresponding 3D connected pore volume onto a discrete cylindrical pore network, the efficiency of a granular filter can be estimated, using new analytical results for the efficiency of cylindrical pores. This model for aerosol penetration in sintered granular filters includes flow slip and the kinetics of particle capture by the pore surface. With a unique choice for two parameters, namely the structural tortuosity and effective kinetic coefficient of particle adsorption, this semiempirical model can account for the experimental efficiency of a new class of "high-efficiency particulate air" ceramic membrane filters as a function of particle size over a wide range of filter thickness and texture (pore size and porosity) and operating conditions (face velocity).

On the numerical dispersion of electromagnetic particle-in-cell code: Finite grid instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyers, M. D.; Huang, C.-K.; Zeng, Y.; Yi, S. A.; Albright, B. J.

2015-09-01

The Particle-In-Cell (PIC) method is widely used in relativistic particle beam and laser plasma modeling. However, the PIC method exhibits numerical instabilities that can render unphysical simulation results or even destroy the simulation. For electromagnetic relativistic beam and plasma modeling, the most relevant numerical instabilities are the finite grid instability and the numerical Cherenkov instability. We review the numerical dispersion relation of the Electromagnetic PIC model. We rigorously derive the faithful 3-D numerical dispersion relation of the PIC model, for a simple, direct current deposition scheme, which does not conserve electric charge exactly. We then specialize to the Yee FDTD scheme. In particular, we clarify the presence of alias modes in an eigenmode analysis of the PIC model, which combines both discrete and continuous variables. The manner in which the PIC model updates and samples the fields and distribution function, together with the temporal and spatial phase factors from solving Maxwell's equations on the Yee grid with the leapfrog scheme, is explicitly accounted for. Numerical solutions to the electrostatic-like modes in the 1-D dispersion relation for a cold drifting plasma are obtained for parameters of interest. In the succeeding analysis, we investigate how the finite grid instability arises from the interaction of the numerical modes admitted in the system and their aliases. The most significant interaction is due critically to the correct representation of the operators in the dispersion relation. We obtain a simple analytic expression for the peak growth rate due to this interaction, which is then verified by simulation. We demonstrate that our analysis is readily extendable to charge conserving models.

On the numerical dispersion of electromagnetic particle-in-cell code: Finite grid instability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meyers, M.D., E-mail: mdmeyers@physics.ucla.edu; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095; Huang, C.-K., E-mail: huangck@lanl.gov

The Particle-In-Cell (PIC) method is widely used in relativistic particle beam and laser plasma modeling. However, the PIC method exhibits numerical instabilities that can render unphysical simulation results or even destroy the simulation. For electromagnetic relativistic beam and plasma modeling, the most relevant numerical instabilities are the finite grid instability and the numerical Cherenkov instability. We review the numerical dispersion relation of the Electromagnetic PIC model. We rigorously derive the faithful 3-D numerical dispersion relation of the PIC model, for a simple, direct current deposition scheme, which does not conserve electric charge exactly. We then specialize to the Yee FDTDmore » scheme. In particular, we clarify the presence of alias modes in an eigenmode analysis of the PIC model, which combines both discrete and continuous variables. The manner in which the PIC model updates and samples the fields and distribution function, together with the temporal and spatial phase factors from solving Maxwell's equations on the Yee grid with the leapfrog scheme, is explicitly accounted for. Numerical solutions to the electrostatic-like modes in the 1-D dispersion relation for a cold drifting plasma are obtained for parameters of interest. In the succeeding analysis, we investigate how the finite grid instability arises from the interaction of the numerical modes admitted in the system and their aliases. The most significant interaction is due critically to the correct representation of the operators in the dispersion relation. We obtain a simple analytic expression for the peak growth rate due to this interaction, which is then verified by simulation. We demonstrate that our analysis is readily extendable to charge conserving models.« less

Discrete Element Modeling of Triboelectrically Charged Particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hogue, Michael D.; Calle, Carlos I.; Weitzman, Peter S.; Curry, David R.

2008-01-01

Tribocharging of particles is common in many processes including fine powder handling and mixing, printer toner transport and dust extraction. In a lunar environment with its high vacuum and lack of water, electrostatic forces are an important factor to consider when designing and operating equipment. Dust mitigation and management is critical to safe and predictable performance of people and equipment. The extreme nature of lunar conditions makes it difficult and costly to carry out experiments on earth which are necessary to better understand how particles gather and transfer charge between each other and with equipment surfaces. DEM (Discrete Element Modeling) provides an excellent virtual laboratory for studying tribocharging of particles as well as for design of devices for dust mitigation and for other purposes related to handling and processing of lunar regolith. Theoretical and experimental work has been performed pursuant to incorporating screened Coulombic electrostatic forces into EDEM, a commercial DEM software package. The DEM software is used to model the trajectories of large numbers of particles for industrial particulate handling and processing applications and can be coupled with other solvers and numerical models to calculate particle interaction with surrounding media and force fields. While simple Coulombic force between two particles is well understood, its operation in an ensemble of particles is more complex. When the tribocharging of particles and surfaces due to frictional contact is also considered, it is necessary to consider longer range of interaction of particles in response to electrostatic charging. The standard DEM algorithm accounts for particle mechanical properties and inertia as a function of particle shape and mass. If fluid drag is neglected, then particle dynamics are governed by contact between particles, between particles and equipment surfaces and gravity forces. Consideration of particle charge and any tribocharging and electric field effects requires calculation of the forces due to these effects.

Codecaying Dark Matter.

PubMed

Dror, Jeff Asaf; Kuflik, Eric; Ng, Wee Hao

2016-11-18

We propose a new mechanism for thermal dark matter freeze-out, called codecaying dark matter. Multicomponent dark sectors with degenerate particles and out-of-equilibrium decays can codecay to obtain the observed relic density. The dark matter density is exponentially depleted through the decay of nearly degenerate particles rather than from Boltzmann suppression. The relic abundance is set by the dark matter annihilation cross section, which is predicted to be boosted, and the decay rate of the dark sector particles. The mechanism is viable in a broad range of dark matter parameter space, with a robust prediction of an enhanced indirect detection signal. Finally, we present a simple model that realizes codecaying dark matter.

Minimal model for a hydrodynamic fingering instability in microroller suspensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delmotte, Blaise; Donev, Aleksandar; Driscoll, Michelle; Chaikin, Paul

2017-11-01

We derive a minimal continuum model to investigate the hydrodynamic mechanism behind the fingering instability recently discovered in a suspension of microrollers near a floor [M. Driscoll et al., Nat. Phys. 13, 375 (2017), 10.1038/nphys3970]. Our model, consisting of two continuous lines of rotlets, exhibits a linear instability driven only by hydrodynamic interactions and reproduces the length-scale selection observed in large-scale particle simulations and in experiments. By adjusting only one parameter, the distance between the two lines, our dispersion relation exhibits quantitative agreement with the simulations and qualitative agreement with experimental measurements. Our linear stability analysis indicates that this instability is caused by the combination of the advective and transverse flows generated by the microrollers near a no-slip surface. Our simple model offers an interesting formalism to characterize other hydrodynamic instabilities that have not been well understood, such as size scale selection in suspensions of particles sedimenting adjacent to a wall, or the recently observed formations of traveling phonons in systems of confined driven particles.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Podestà, M., E-mail: mpodesta@pppl.gov; Gorelenkova, M.; Fredrickson, E. D.

Integrated simulations of tokamak discharges typically rely on classical physics to model energetic particle (EP) dynamics. However, there are numerous cases in which energetic particles can suffer additional transport that is not classical in nature. Examples include transport by applied 3D magnetic perturbations and, more notably, by plasma instabilities. Focusing on the effects of instabilities, ad-hoc models can empirically reproduce increased transport, but the choice of transport coefficients is usually somehow arbitrary. New approaches based on physics-based reduced models are being developed to address those issues in a simplified way, while retaining a more correct treatment of resonant wave-particle interactions.more » The kick model implemented in the tokamak transport code TRANSP is an example of such reduced models. It includes modifications of the EP distribution by instabilities in real and velocity space, retaining correlations between transport in energy and space typical of resonant EP transport. The relevance of EP phase space modifications by instabilities is first discussed in terms of predicted fast ion distribution. Results are compared with those from a simple, ad-hoc diffusive model. It is then shown that the phase-space resolved model can also provide additional insight into important issues such as internal consistency of the simulations and mode stability through the analysis of the power exchanged between energetic particles and the instabilities.« less

A mesoscopic bridging scale method for fluids and coupling dissipative particle dynamics with continuum finite element method

PubMed Central

Kojic, Milos; Filipovic, Nenad; Tsuda, Akira

2012-01-01

A multiscale procedure to couple a mesoscale discrete particle model and a macroscale continuum model of incompressible fluid flow is proposed in this study. We call this procedure the mesoscopic bridging scale (MBS) method since it is developed on the basis of the bridging scale method for coupling molecular dynamics and finite element models [G.J. Wagner, W.K. Liu, Coupling of atomistic and continuum simulations using a bridging scale decomposition, J. Comput. Phys. 190 (2003) 249–274]. We derive the governing equations of the MBS method and show that the differential equations of motion of the mesoscale discrete particle model and finite element (FE) model are only coupled through the force terms. Based on this coupling, we express the finite element equations which rely on the Navier–Stokes and continuity equations, in a way that the internal nodal FE forces are evaluated using viscous stresses from the mesoscale model. The dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method for the discrete particle mesoscale model is employed. The entire fluid domain is divided into a local domain and a global domain. Fluid flow in the local domain is modeled with both DPD and FE method, while fluid flow in the global domain is modeled by the FE method only. The MBS method is suitable for modeling complex (colloidal) fluid flows, where continuum methods are sufficiently accurate only in the large fluid domain, while small, local regions of particular interest require detailed modeling by mesoscopic discrete particles. Solved examples – simple Poiseuille and driven cavity flows illustrate the applicability of the proposed MBS method. PMID:23814322

Particle-based membrane model for mesoscopic simulation of cellular dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadeghi, Mohsen; Weikl, Thomas R.; Noé, Frank

2018-01-01

We present a simple and computationally efficient coarse-grained and solvent-free model for simulating lipid bilayer membranes. In order to be used in concert with particle-based reaction-diffusion simulations, the model is purely based on interacting and reacting particles, each representing a coarse patch of a lipid monolayer. Particle interactions include nearest-neighbor bond-stretching and angle-bending and are parameterized so as to reproduce the local membrane mechanics given by the Helfrich energy density over a range of relevant curvatures. In-plane fluidity is implemented with Monte Carlo bond-flipping moves. The physical accuracy of the model is verified by five tests: (i) Power spectrum analysis of equilibrium thermal undulations is used to verify that the particle-based representation correctly captures the dynamics predicted by the continuum model of fluid membranes. (ii) It is verified that the input bending stiffness, against which the potential parameters are optimized, is accurately recovered. (iii) Isothermal area compressibility modulus of the membrane is calculated and is shown to be tunable to reproduce available values for different lipid bilayers, independent of the bending rigidity. (iv) Simulation of two-dimensional shear flow under a gravity force is employed to measure the effective in-plane viscosity of the membrane model and show the possibility of modeling membranes with specified viscosities. (v) Interaction of the bilayer membrane with a spherical nanoparticle is modeled as a test case for large membrane deformations and budding involved in cellular processes such as endocytosis. The results are shown to coincide well with the predicted behavior of continuum models, and the membrane model successfully mimics the expected budding behavior. We expect our model to be of high practical usability for ultra coarse-grained molecular dynamics or particle-based reaction-diffusion simulations of biological systems.

Backscattering and absorption coefficients for electrons: Solutions of invariant embedding transport equations using a method of convergence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Figueroa, C.; Brizuela, H.; Heluani, S. P.

2014-05-21

The backscattering coefficient is a magnitude whose measurement is fundamental for the characterization of materials with techniques that make use of particle beams and particularly when performing microanalysis. In this work, we report the results of an analytic method to calculate the backscattering and absorption coefficients of electrons in similar conditions to those of electron probe microanalysis. Starting on a five level states ladder model in 3D, we deduced a set of integro-differential coupled equations of the coefficients with a method know as invariant embedding. By means of a procedure proposed by authors, called method of convergence, two types ofmore » approximate solutions for the set of equations, namely complete and simple solutions, can be obtained. Although the simple solutions were initially proposed as auxiliary forms to solve higher rank equations, they turned out to be also useful for the estimation of the aforementioned coefficients. In previous reports, we have presented results obtained with the complete solutions. In this paper, we present results obtained with the simple solutions of the coefficients, which exhibit a good degree of fit with the experimental data. Both the model and the calculation method presented here can be generalized to other techniques that make use of different sorts of particle beams.« less

Improving Memory for Optimization and Learning in Dynamic Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

algorithm uses simple, in- cremental clustering to separate solutions into memory entries. The cluster centers are used as the models in the memory. This is...entire days of traffic with realistic traffic de - mands and turning ratios on a 32 intersection network modeled on downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- vania...early/tardy problem. Management Science, 35(2):177–191, 1989. [78] Daniel Parrott and Xiaodong Li. A particle swarm model for tracking multiple peaks in

Control of nanoparticle agglomeration through variation of the time-temperature profile in chemical vapor synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djenadic, Ruzica; Winterer, Markus

2017-02-01

The influence of the time-temperature history on the characteristics of nanoparticles such as size, degree of agglomeration, or crystallinity is investigated for chemical vapor synthesis (CVS). A simple reaction-coagulation-sintering model is used to describe the CVS process, and the results of the model are compared to experimental data. Nanocrystalline titania is used as model material. Titania nanoparticles are generated from titanium-tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) in a hot-wall reactor. Pure anatase particles and mixtures of anatase, rutile (up to 11 vol.%), and brookite (up to 29 vol.%) with primary particle sizes from 1.7 nm to 10.5 nm and agglomerate particle sizes from 24.3 nm to 55.6 nm are formed depending on the particle time-temperature history. An inductively heated furnace with variable inductor geometry is used as a novel system to control the time-temperature profile in the reactor externally covering a large wall temperature range from 873 K to 2023 K. An appropriate choice of inductor geometry, i.e. time-temperature profile, can significantly reduce the degree of agglomeration. Other particle characteristics such as crystallinity are also substantially influenced by the time-temperature profile.

Shear-induced reaction-limited aggregation kinetics of Brownian particles at arbitrary concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaccone, Alessio; Gentili, Daniele; Wu, Hua; Morbidelli, Massimo

2010-04-01

The aggregation of interacting Brownian particles in sheared concentrated suspensions is an important issue in colloid and soft matter science per se. Also, it serves as a model to understand biochemical reactions occurring in vivo where both crowding and shear play an important role. We present an effective medium approach within the Smoluchowski equation with shear which allows one to calculate the encounter kinetics through a potential barrier under shear at arbitrary colloid concentrations. Experiments on a model colloidal system in simple shear flow support the validity of the model in the concentration range considered. By generalizing Kramers' rate theory to the presence of shear and collective hydrodynamics, our model explains the significant increase in the shear-induced reaction-limited aggregation kinetics upon increasing the colloid concentration.

Finding the strong CP problem at the LHC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Agnolo, Raffaele Tito; Hook, Anson

2016-11-01

We show that a class of parity based solutions to the strong CP problem predicts new colored particles with mass at the TeV scale, due to constraints from Planck suppressed operators. The new particles are copies of the Standard Model quarks and leptons. The new quarks can be produced at the LHC and are either collider stable or decay into Standard Model quarks through a Higgs, a W or a Z boson. We discuss some simple but generic predictions of the models for the LHC and find signatures not related to the traditional solutions of the hierarchy problem. We thus provide alternative motivation for new physics searches at the weak scale. We also briefly discuss the cosmological history of these models and how to obtain successful baryogenesis.

Integrated Analytical Evaluation and Optimization of Model Parameters against Preprocessed Measurement Data

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-23

Iterations .......................... 86 3.2 Comparison between MACH and POLAR ......................... 90 3.3 Flow Chart for VSTS Algorithm...The most recent changes are: a) development of the VSTS (velocity space topology search) algorithm for calculating particle densities b) extension...with simple analytic models. The largest modification of the MACH code was the implementation of the VSTS procedure, which constituted a complete

Radiation Damage to Nervous System: Designing Optimal Models for Realistic Neuron Morphology in Hippocampus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batmunkh, Munkhbaatar; Bugay, Alexander; Bayarchimeg, Lkhagvaa; Lkhagva, Oidov

2018-02-01

The present study is focused on the development of optimal models of neuron morphology for Monte Carlo microdosimetry simulations of initial radiation-induced events of heavy charged particles in the specific types of cells of the hippocampus, which is the most radiation-sensitive structure of the central nervous system. The neuron geometry and particles track structures were simulated by the Geant4/Geant4-DNA Monte Carlo toolkits. The calculations were made for beams of protons and heavy ions with different energies and doses corresponding to real fluxes of galactic cosmic rays. A simple compartmental model and a complex model with realistic morphology extracted from experimental data were constructed and compared. We estimated the distribution of the energy deposition events and the production of reactive chemical species within the developed models of CA3/CA1 pyramidal neurons and DG granule cells of the rat hippocampus under exposure to different particles with the same dose. Similar distributions of the energy deposition events and concentration of some oxidative radical species were obtained in both the simplified and realistic neuron models.

Cell-Division Behavior in a Heterogeneous Swarm Environment.

PubMed

Erskine, Adam; Herrmann, J Michael

2015-01-01

We present a system of virtual particles that interact using simple kinetic rules. It is known that heterogeneous mixtures of particles can produce particularly interesting behaviors. Here we present a two-species three-dimensional swarm in which a behavior emerges that resembles cell division. We show that the dividing behavior exists across a narrow but finite band of parameters and for a wide range of population sizes. When executed in a two-dimensional environment the swarm's characteristics and dynamism manifest differently. In further experiments we show that repeated divisions can occur if the system is extended by a biased equilibrium process to control the split of populations. We propose that this repeated division behavior provides a simple model for cell-division mechanisms and is of interest for the formation of morphological structure and to swarm robotics.

Dynamical boson stars.

PubMed

Liebling, Steven L; Palenzuela, Carlos

2017-01-01

The idea of stable, localized bundles of energy has strong appeal as a model for particles. In the 1950s, John Wheeler envisioned such bundles as smooth configurations of electromagnetic energy that he called geons , but none were found. Instead, particle-like solutions were found in the late 1960s with the addition of a scalar field, and these were given the name boson stars . Since then, boson stars find use in a wide variety of models as sources of dark matter, as black hole mimickers, in simple models of binary systems, and as a tool in finding black holes in higher dimensions with only a single Killing vector. We discuss important varieties of boson stars, their dynamic properties, and some of their uses, concentrating on recent efforts.

Cluster dynamics and cluster size distributions in systems of self-propelled particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peruani, F.; Schimansky-Geier, L.; Bär, M.

2010-12-01

Systems of self-propelled particles (SPP) interacting by a velocity alignment mechanism in the presence of noise exhibit rich clustering dynamics. Often, clusters are responsible for the distribution of (local) information in these systems. Here, we investigate the properties of individual clusters in SPP systems, in particular the asymmetric spreading behavior of clusters with respect to their direction of motion. In addition, we formulate a Smoluchowski-type kinetic model to describe the evolution of the cluster size distribution (CSD). This model predicts the emergence of steady-state CSDs in SPP systems. We test our theoretical predictions in simulations of SPP with nematic interactions and find that our simple kinetic model reproduces qualitatively the transition to aggregation observed in simulations.

Applicability of regular particle shapes in light scattering calculations for atmospheric ice particles.

PubMed

Macke, A; Mishchenko, M I

1996-07-20

We ascertain the usefulness of simple ice particle geometries for modeling the intensity distribution of light scattering by atmospheric ice particles. To this end, similarities and differences in light scattering by axis-equivalent, regular and distorted hexagonal cylindric, ellipsoidal, and circular cylindric ice particles are reported. All the results pertain to particles with sizes much larger than a wavelength and are based on a geometrical optics approximation. At a nonabsorbing wavelength of 0.55 µm, ellipsoids (circular cylinders) have a much (slightly) larger asymmetry parameter g than regular hexagonal cylinders. However, our computations show that only random distortion of the crystal shape leads to a closer agreement with g values as small as 0.7 as derived from some remote-sensing data analysis. This may suggest that scattering by regular particle shapes is not necessarily representative of real atmospheric ice crystals at nonabsorbing wavelengths. On the other hand, if real ice particles happen to be hexagonal, they may be approximated by circular cylinders at absorbing wavelengths.

Asymmetrical Deterministic Lateral Displacement Gaps for Dual Functions of Enhanced Separation and Throughput of Red Blood Cells

PubMed Central

Zeming, Kerwin Kwek; Salafi, Thoriq; Chen, Chia-Hung; Zhang, Yong

2016-01-01

Deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) method for particle separation in microfluidic devices has been extensively used for particle separation in recent years due to its high resolution and robust separation. DLD has shown versatility for a wide spectrum of applications for sorting of micro particles such as parasites, blood cells to bacteria and DNA. DLD model is designed for spherical particles and efficient separation of blood cells is challenging due to non-uniform shape and size. Moreover, separation in sub-micron regime requires the gap size of DLD systems to be reduced which exponentially increases the device resistance, resulting in greatly reduced throughput. This paper shows how simple application of asymmetrical DLD gap-size by changing the ratio of lateral-gap (GL) to downstream-gap (GD) enables efficient separation of RBCs without greatly restricting throughput. This method reduces the need for challenging fabrication of DLD pillars and provides new insight to the current DLD model. The separation shows an increase in DLD critical diameter resolution (separate smaller particles) and increase selectivity for non-spherical RBCs. The RBCs separate better as compared to standard DLD model with symmetrical gap sizes. This method can be applied to separate non-spherical bacteria or sub-micron particles to enhance throughput and DLD resolution. PMID:26961061

Asymmetrical Deterministic Lateral Displacement Gaps for Dual Functions of Enhanced Separation and Throughput of Red Blood Cells.

PubMed

Zeming, Kerwin Kwek; Salafi, Thoriq; Chen, Chia-Hung; Zhang, Yong

2016-03-10

Deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) method for particle separation in microfluidic devices has been extensively used for particle separation in recent years due to its high resolution and robust separation. DLD has shown versatility for a wide spectrum of applications for sorting of micro particles such as parasites, blood cells to bacteria and DNA. DLD model is designed for spherical particles and efficient separation of blood cells is challenging due to non-uniform shape and size. Moreover, separation in sub-micron regime requires the gap size of DLD systems to be reduced which exponentially increases the device resistance, resulting in greatly reduced throughput. This paper shows how simple application of asymmetrical DLD gap-size by changing the ratio of lateral-gap (GL) to downstream-gap (GD) enables efficient separation of RBCs without greatly restricting throughput. This method reduces the need for challenging fabrication of DLD pillars and provides new insight to the current DLD model. The separation shows an increase in DLD critical diameter resolution (separate smaller particles) and increase selectivity for non-spherical RBCs. The RBCs separate better as compared to standard DLD model with symmetrical gap sizes. This method can be applied to separate non-spherical bacteria or sub-micron particles to enhance throughput and DLD resolution.

A simple model for estimating a magnetic field in laser-driven coils

DOE PAGES

Fiksel, Gennady; Fox, William; Gao, Lan; ...

2016-09-26

Magnetic field generation by laser-driven coils is a promising way of magnetizing plasma in laboratory high-energy-density plasma experiments. A typical configuration consists of two electrodes—one electrode is irradiated with a high-intensity laser beam and another electrode collects charged particles from the expanding plasma. The two electrodes are separated by a narrow gap forming a capacitor-like configuration and are connected with a conducting wire-coil. The charge-separation in the expanding plasma builds up a potential difference between the electrodes that drives the electrical current in the coil. A magnetic field of tens to hundreds of Teslas generated inside the coil has beenmore » reported. This paper presents a simple model that estimates the magnetic field using simple assumptions. Lastly, the results are compared with the published experimental data.« less

On the Radio-emitting Particles of the Crab Nebula: Stochastic Acceleration Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tanaka, Shuta J.; Asano, Katsuaki, E-mail: sjtanaka@center.konan-u.ac.jp

The broadband emission of pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) is well described by non-thermal emissions from accelerated electrons and positrons. However, the standard shock acceleration model of PWNe does not account for the hard spectrum in radio wavelengths. The origin of the radio-emitting particles is also important to determine the pair production efficiency in the pulsar magnetosphere. Here, we propose a possible resolution for the particle energy distribution in PWNe; the radio-emitting particles are not accelerated at the pulsar wind termination shock but are stochastically accelerated by turbulence inside PWNe. We upgrade our past one-zone spectral evolution model to include themore » energy diffusion, i.e., the stochastic acceleration, and apply the model to the Crab Nebula. A fairly simple form of the energy diffusion coefficient is assumed for this demonstrative study. For a particle injection to the stochastic acceleration process, we consider the continuous injection from the supernova ejecta or the impulsive injection associated with supernova explosion. The observed broadband spectrum and the decay of the radio flux are reproduced by tuning the amount of the particle injected to the stochastic acceleration process. The acceleration timescale and the duration of the acceleration are required to be a few decades and a few hundred years, respectively. Our results imply that some unveiled mechanisms, such as back reaction to the turbulence, are required to make the energies of stochastically and shock-accelerated particles comparable.« less

Advances in the simulation and automated measurement of well-sorted granular material: 1. Simulation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Daniel Buscombe,; Rubin, David M.

2012-01-01

1. In this, the first of a pair of papers which address the simulation and automated measurement of well-sorted natural granular material, a method is presented for simulation of two-phase (solid, void) assemblages of discrete non-cohesive particles. The purpose is to have a flexible, yet computationally and theoretically simple, suite of tools with well constrained and well known statistical properties, in order to simulate realistic granular material as a discrete element model with realistic size and shape distributions, for a variety of purposes. The stochastic modeling framework is based on three-dimensional tessellations with variable degrees of order in particle-packing arrangement. Examples of sediments with a variety of particle size distributions and spatial variability in grain size are presented. The relationship between particle shape and porosity conforms to published data. The immediate application is testing new algorithms for automated measurements of particle properties (mean and standard deviation of particle sizes, and apparent porosity) from images of natural sediment, as detailed in the second of this pair of papers. The model could also prove useful for simulating specific depositional structures found in natural sediments, the result of physical alterations to packing and grain fabric, using discrete particle flow models. While the principal focus here is on naturally occurring sediment and sedimentary rock, the methods presented might also be useful for simulations of similar granular or cellular material encountered in engineering, industrial and life sciences.

Permeability model of sintered porous media: analysis and experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flórez Mera, Juan Pablo; Chiamulera, Maria E.; Mantelli, Marcia B. H.

2017-11-01

In this paper, the permeability of porous media fabricated from copper powder sintering process was modeled and measured, aiming the use of the porosity as input parameter for the prediction of the permeability of sintering porous media. An expression relating the powder particle mean diameter with the permeability was obtained, based on an elementary porous media cell, which is physically represented by a duct formed by the arrangement of spherical particles forming a simple or orthorhombic packing. A circular duct with variable section was used to model the fluid flow within the porous media, where the concept of the hydraulic diameter was applied. Thus, the porous is modeled as a converging-diverging duct. The electrical circuit analogy was employed to determine two hydraulic resistances of the cell: based on the Navier-Stokes equation and on the Darcýs law. The hydraulic resistances are compared between themselves and an expression to determine the permeability as function of average particle diameter is obtained. The atomized copper powder was sifted to reduce the size dispersion of the particles. The porosities and permeabilities of sintered media fabricated from powders with particle mean diameters ranging from 20 to 200 microns were measured, by means of the image analysis method and using an experimental apparatus. The permeability data of a porous media, made of copper powder and saturated with distilled water, was used to compare with the permeability model. Permeability literature models, which considers that powder particles have the same diameter and include porosity data as input parameter, were compared with the present model and experimental data. This comparison showed to be quite good.

Advanced Multi-phase Flow CFD Model Development for Solid Rocket Motor Flowfield Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liaw, Paul; Chen, Yen-Sen

1995-01-01

A Navier-Stokes code, finite difference Navier-Stokes (FDNS), is used to analyze the complicated internal flowfield of the SRM (solid rocket motor) to explore the impacts due to the effects of chemical reaction, particle dynamics, and slag accumulation on the solid rocket motor (SRM). The particulate multi-phase flowfield with chemical reaction, particle evaporation, combustion, breakup, and agglomeration models are included in present study to obtain a better understanding of the SRM design. Finite rate chemistry model is applied to simulate the chemical reaction effects. Hermsen correlation model is used for the combustion simulation. The evaporation model introduced by Spalding is utilized to include the heat transfer from the particulate phase to the gase phase due to the evaporation of the particles. A correlation of the minimum particle size for breakup expressed in terms of the Al/Al2O3 surface tension and shear force was employed to simulate the breakup of particles. It is assumed that the breakup occurs when the Weber number exceeds 6. A simple L agglomeration model is used to investigate the particle agglomeration. However, due to the large computer memory requirements for the agglomeration model, only 2D cases are tested with the agglomeration model. The VOF (Volume of Fluid) method is employed to simulate the slag buildup in the aft-end cavity of the redesigned solid rocket motor (RSRM). Monte Carlo method is employed to calculate the turbulent dispersion effect of the particles. The flowfield analysis obtained using the FDNS code in the present research with finite rate chemical reaction, particle evaporation, combustion, breakup, agglomeration, and VOG models will provide a design guide for the potential improvement of the SRM including the use of materials and the shape of nozzle geometry such that a better performance of the SRM can be achieved. The simulation of the slag buildup in the aft-end cavity can assist the designer to improve the design of the RSRM geometry.

Decoration of silicon nanostructures with copper particles for simultaneous selective capture and mass spectrometry detection of His-tagged model peptide.

PubMed

Coffinier, Yannick; Kurylo, Ievgen; Drobecq, Hervé; Szunerits, Sabine; Melnyk, Oleg; Zaitsev, Vladimir N; Boukherroub, Rabah

2014-10-21

We present in this work a simple and fast preparation method of a new affinity surface-assisted laser/desorption ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS) substrate based on silicon nanostructures decorated with copper particles. The silicon nanostructures were fabricated by the metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) method. Then, superhydrophilic areas surrounded by superhydrophobic regions were formed through hydrosilylation reaction of 1-octadecene, followed by local degradation of the octadecyl layer. After that, copper particles were deposited in the hydrophilic areas by using the electroless method. We have demonstrated that these surfaces were able to perform high selective capture of model His-tag peptide even in a complex mixture such as serum solution. Then, the captured peptide was detected by mass spectrometry at a femtomolar level without the need of organic matrix.

Particle-based solid for nonsmooth multidomain dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordberg, John; Servin, Martin

2018-04-01

A method for simulation of elastoplastic solids in multibody systems with nonsmooth and multidomain dynamics is developed. The solid is discretised into pseudo-particles using the meshfree moving least squares method for computing the strain tensor. The particle's strain and stress tensor variables are mapped to a compliant deformation constraint. The discretised solid model thus fit a unified framework for nonsmooth multidomain dynamics simulations including rigid multibodies with complex kinematic constraints such as articulation joints, unilateral contacts with dry friction, drivelines, and hydraulics. The nonsmooth formulation allows for impact impulses to propagate instantly between the rigid multibody and the solid. Plasticity is introduced through an associative perfectly plastic modified Drucker-Prager model. The elastic and plastic dynamics are verified for simple test systems, and the capability of simulating tracked terrain vehicles driving on a deformable terrain is demonstrated.

How the Emitted Size Distribution and Mixing State of Feldspar Affect Ice Nucleating Particles in a Global Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perlwitz, Jan P.; Fridlind, Ann M.; Knopf, Daniel A.; Miller, Ron L.; García-Pando, Carlos Perez

2017-01-01

The effect of aerosol particles on ice nucleation and, in turn, the formation of ice and mixed phase clouds is recognized as one of the largest sources of uncertainty in climate prediction. We apply an improved dust mineral specific aerosol module in the NASA GISS Earth System ModelE, which takes into account soil aggregates and their fragmentation at emission as well as the emission of large particles. We calculate ice nucleating particle concentrations from K-feldspar abundance for an active site parameterization for a range of activation temperatures and external and internal mixing assumption. We find that the globally averaged INP concentration is reduced by a factor of two to three, compared to a simple assumption on the size distribution of emitted dust minerals. The decrease can amount to a factor of five in some geographical regions. The results vary little between external and internal mixing and different activation temperatures, except for the coldest temperatures. In the sectional size distribution, the size range 24 micrometer contributes the largest INP number.

How the Emitted Size Distribution and Mixing State of Feldspar Affect Ice Nucleating Particles in a Global Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perlwitz, J. P.; Fridlind, A. M.; Knopf, D. A.; Miller, R. L.; Pérez García-Pando, C.

2017-12-01

The effect of aerosol particles on ice nucleation and, in turn, the formation of ice and mixed phase clouds is recognized as one of the largest sources of uncertainty in climate prediction. We apply an improved dust mineral specific aerosol module in the NASA GISS Earth System ModelE, which takes into account soil aggregates and their fragmentation at emission as well as the emission of large particles. We calculate ice nucleating particle concentrations from K-feldspar abundance for an active site parameterization for a range of activation temperatures and external and internal mixing assumption. We find that the globally averaged INP concentration is reduced by a factor of two to three, compared to a simple assumption on the size distribution of emitted dust minerals. The decrease can amount to a factor of five in some geographical regions. The results vary little between external and internal mixing and different activation temperatures, except for the coldest temperatures. In the sectional size distribution, the size range 2-4 μm contributes the largest INP number.

A simple, efficient polarizable coarse-grained water model for molecular dynamics simulations.

PubMed

Riniker, Sereina; van Gunsteren, Wilfred F

2011-02-28

The development of coarse-grained (CG) models that correctly represent the important features of compounds is essential to overcome the limitations in time scale and system size currently encountered in atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Most approaches reported in the literature model one or several molecules into a single uncharged CG bead. For water, this implicit treatment of the electrostatic interactions, however, fails to mimic important properties, e.g., the dielectric screening. Therefore, a coarse-grained model for water is proposed which treats the electrostatic interactions between clusters of water molecules explicitly. Five water molecules are embedded in a spherical CG bead consisting of two oppositely charged particles which represent a dipole. The bond connecting the two particles in a bead is unconstrained, which makes the model polarizable. Experimental and all-atom simulated data of liquid water at room temperature are used for parametrization of the model. The experimental density and the relative static dielectric permittivity were chosen as primary target properties. The model properties are compared with those obtained from experiment, from clusters of simple-point-charge water molecules of appropriate size in the liquid phase, and for other CG water models if available. The comparison shows that not all atomistic properties can be reproduced by a CG model, so properties of key importance have to be selected when coarse graining is applied. Yet, the CG model reproduces the key characteristics of liquid water while being computationally 1-2 orders of magnitude more efficient than standard fine-grained atomistic water models.

Force fields of charged particles in micro-nanofluidic preconcentration systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Lingyan; Ouyang, Wei; Li, Zirui; Han, Jongyoon

2017-12-01

Electrokinetic concentration devices based on the ion concentration polarization (ICP) phenomenon have drawn much attention due to their simple setup, high enrichment factor, and easy integration with many subsequent processes, such as separation, reaction, and extraction etc. Despite significant progress in the experimental research, fundamental understanding and detailed modeling of the preconcentration systems is still lacking. The mechanism of the electrokinetic trapping of charged particles is currently limited to the force balance analysis between the electric force and fluid drag force in an over-simplified one-dimensional (1D) model, which misses many signatures of the actual system. This letter studies the particle trapping phenomena that are not explainable in the 1D model through the calculation of the two-dimensional (2D) force fields. The trapping of charged particles is shown to significantly distort the electric field and fluid flow pattern, which in turn leads to the different trapping behaviors of particles of different sizes. The mechanisms behind the protrusions and instability of the focused band, which are important factors determining overall preconcentration efficiency, are revealed through analyzing the rotating fluxes of particles in the vicinity of the ion-selective membrane. The differences in the enrichment factors of differently sized particles are understood through the interplay between the electric force and convective fluid flow. These results provide insights into the electrokinetic concentration effect, which could facilitate the design and optimization of ICP-based preconcentration systems.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Podesta, M.; Gorelenkova, M.; Fredrickson, E. D.

Here, integrated simulations of tokamak discharges typically rely on classical physics to model energetic particle (EP) dynamics. However, there are numerous cases in which energetic particles can suffer additional transport that is not classical in nature. Examples include transport by applied 3D magnetic perturbations and, more notably, by plasma instabilities. Focusing on the effects of instabilities,ad-hocmodels can empirically reproduce increased transport, but the choice of transport coefficients is usually somehow arbitrary. New approaches based on physics-based reduced models are being developed to address those issues in a simplified way, while retaining a more correct treatment of resonant wave-particle interactions. Themore » kick model implemented in the tokamaktransport code TRANSP is an example of such reduced models. It includes modifications of the EP distribution by instabilities in real and velocity space, retaining correlations between transport in energy and space typical of resonant EP transport. The relevance of EP phase space modifications by instabilities is first discussed in terms of predicted fast ion distribution. Results are compared with those from a simple, ad-hoc diffusive model. It is then shown that the phase-space resolved model can also provide additional insight into important issues such as internal consistency of the simulations and mode stability through the analysis of the power exchanged between energetic particles and the instabilities.« less

Development of a Two-fluid Drag Law for Clustered Particles using Direct Numerical Simulation and Validation through Experiments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gokaltun, Seckin; Munroe, Norman; Subramaniam, Shankar

2014-12-31

This study presents a new drag model, based on the cohesive inter-particle forces, implemented in the MFIX code. This new drag model combines an existing standard model in MFIX with a particle-based drag model based on a switching principle. Switches between the models in the computational domain occur where strong particle-to-particle cohesion potential is detected. Three versions of the new model were obtained by using one standard drag model in each version. Later, performance of each version was compared against available experimental data for a fluidized bed, published in the literature and used extensively by other researchers for validation purposes.more » In our analysis of the results, we first observed that standard models used in this research were incapable of producing closely matching results. Then, we showed for a simple case that a threshold is needed to be set on the solid volume fraction. This modification was applied to avoid non-physical results for the clustering predictions, when governing equation of the solid granular temperate was solved. Later, we used our hybrid technique and observed the capability of our approach in improving the numerical results significantly; however, improvement of the results depended on the threshold of the cohesive index, which was used in the switching procedure. Our results showed that small values of the threshold for the cohesive index could result in significant reduction of the computational error for all the versions of the proposed drag model. In addition, we redesigned an existing circulating fluidized bed (CFB) test facility in order to create validation cases for clustering regime of Geldart A type particles.« less

Theoretical analysis of the effect of particle size and support on the kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction on platinum nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viswanathan, Venkatasubramanian; Wang, Frank Yi-Fei

2012-07-01

We perform a first-principles based computational analysis of the effect of particle size and support material on the electrocatalytic activity of platinum nanoparticles. Using a mechanism for oxygen reduction that accounts for electric field effects and stabilization from the water layer on the (111) and (100) facets, we show that the model used agrees well with linear sweep voltammetry and rotating ring disk electrode experiments. We find that the per-site activity of the nanoparticle saturates for particles larger than 5 nm and we show that the optimal particle size is in the range of 2.5-3.5 nm, which agrees well with recent experimental work. We examine the effect of support material and show that the perimeter sites on the metal-support interface are important in determining the overall activity of the nanoparticles. We also develop simple geometric estimates for the activity which can be used for determining the activity of other particle shapes and sizes.We perform a first-principles based computational analysis of the effect of particle size and support material on the electrocatalytic activity of platinum nanoparticles. Using a mechanism for oxygen reduction that accounts for electric field effects and stabilization from the water layer on the (111) and (100) facets, we show that the model used agrees well with linear sweep voltammetry and rotating ring disk electrode experiments. We find that the per-site activity of the nanoparticle saturates for particles larger than 5 nm and we show that the optimal particle size is in the range of 2.5-3.5 nm, which agrees well with recent experimental work. We examine the effect of support material and show that the perimeter sites on the metal-support interface are important in determining the overall activity of the nanoparticles. We also develop simple geometric estimates for the activity which can be used for determining the activity of other particle shapes and sizes. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c2nr30572k

Chemical association in simple models of molecular and ionic fluids. III. The cavity function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yaoqi; Stell, George

1992-01-01

Exact equations which relate the cavity function to excess solvation free energies and equilibrium association constants are rederived by using a thermodynamic cycle. A zeroth-order approximation, derived previously by us as a simple interpolation scheme, is found to be very accurate if the associative bonding occurs on or near the surface of the repulsive core of the interaction potential. If the bonding radius is substantially less than the core radius, the approximation overestimates the association degree and the association constant. For binary association, the zeroth-order approximation is equivalent to the first-order thermodynamic perturbation theory (TPT) of Wertheim. For n-particle association, the combination of the zeroth-order approximation with a ``linear'' approximation (for n-particle distribution functions in terms of the two-particle function) yields the first-order TPT result. Using our exact equations to go beyond TPT, near-exact analytic results for binary hard-sphere association are obtained. Solvent effects on binary hard-sphere association and ionic association are also investigated. A new rule which generalizes Le Chatelier's principle is used to describe the three distinct forms of behaviors involving solvent effects that we find. The replacement of the dielectric-continuum solvent model by a dipolar hard-sphere model leads to improved agreement with an experimental observation. Finally, equation of state for an n-particle flexible linear-chain fluid is derived on the basis of a one-parameter approximation that interpolates between the generalized Kirkwood superposition approximation and the linear approximation. A value of the parameter that appears to be near optimal in the context of this application is obtained from comparison with computer-simulation data.

Numerical slope stability simulations of chasma walls in Valles Marineris/Mars using a distinct element method (dem).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imre, B.

2003-04-01

NUMERICAL SLOPE STABILITY SIMULATIONS OF CHASMA WALLS IN VALLES MARINERIS/MARS USING A DISTINCT ELEMENT METHOD (DEM). B. Imre (1) (1) German Aerospace Center, Berlin Adlershof, bernd.imre@gmx.net The 8- to 10-km depths of Valles Marineris (VM) offer excellent views into the upper Martian crust. Layering, fracturing, lithology, stratigraphy and the content of volatiles have influenced the evolution of the Valles Marineris wallslopes. But these parameters also reflect the development of VM and its wall slopes. The scope of this work is to gain understanding in these parameters by back-simulating the development of wall slopes. For that purpose, the two dimensional Particle Flow Code PFC2D has been chosen (ITASCA, version 2.00-103). PFC2D is a distinct element code for numerical modelling of movements and interactions of assemblies of arbitrarily sized circular particles. Particles may be bonded together to represent a solid material. Movements of particles are unlimited. That is of importance because results of open systems with numerous unknown variables are non-unique and therefore highly path dependent. This DEM allows the simulation of whole development paths of VM walls what makes confirmation of the model more complete (e.g. Oreskes et al., Science 263, 1994). To reduce the number of unknown variables a proper (that means as simple as possible) field-site had to be selected. The northern wall of eastern Candor Chasma has been chosen. This wall is up to 8-km high and represents a significant outcrop of the upper Martian crust. It is quite uncomplex, well-aligned and of simple morphology. Currently the work on the model is at the stage of performing the parameter study. Results will be presented via poster by the EGS-Meeting.

A model to estimate the size of nanoparticle agglomerates in gas-solid fluidized beds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Martín, Lilian; van Ommen, J. Ruud

2013-11-01

The estimation of nanoparticle agglomerates' size in fluidized beds remains an open challenge, mainly due to the difficulty of characterizing the inter-agglomerate van der Waals force. The current approach is to describe micron-sized nanoparticle agglomerates as micron-sized particles with 0.1-0.2-μm asperities. This simplification does not capture the influence of the particle size on the van der Waals attraction between agglomerates. In this paper, we propose a new description where the agglomerates are micron-sized particles with nanoparticles on the surface, acting as asperities. As opposed to previous models, here the van der Waals force between agglomerates decreases with an increase in the particle size. We have also included an additional force due to the hydrogen bond formation between the surfaces of hydrophilic and dry nanoparticles. The average size of the fluidized agglomerates has been estimated equating the attractive force obtained from this method to the weight of the individual agglomerates. The results have been compared to 54 experimental values, most of them collected from the literature. Our model approximates without a systematic error the size of most of the nanopowders, both in conventional and centrifugal fluidized beds, outperforming current models. Although simple, the model is able to capture the influence of the nanoparticle size, particle density, and Hamaker coefficient on the inter-agglomerate forces.

Application of the Maxwell-Wagner-Hanai effective medium theory to the analysis of the interfacial polarization relaxations in conducting composite films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

J-P Adohi, B.; Vanga Bouanga, C.; Fatyeyeva, K.; Tabellout, M.

2009-01-01

A new approach to explain the interfacial polarization phenomenon in conducting composite films is proposed. HCl-doped poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and polyamide-6 (PA-6) matrices with embedded polyaniline (PANI) particles as filler were investigated and analysed, combining dielectric spectroscopy and AFM electrical images with the effective medium theory analysis. Up to three relaxation peaks attributed to the interfacial polarization phenomena were detected in the studied frequency range (0.1 Hz-1 MHz). The AFM electrical images revealed that the doped PA-6/PANI composite can be modelled as a single-type particle medium and the PET/PANI one as a two-type particle medium. A simple dielectric loss expression was derived from the Maxwell-Wagner-Hanai mixture equation and was applied to the experimental data to identify the interfaces involved in each of the relaxation peaks. The parameter values (permittivity, conductivity, volume fraction of the PANI particles) were found to agree well with the measured one, hence validating the models.

Multiparticle Collectivity from Initial State Correlations in High Energy Proton-Nucleus Collisions

DOE PAGES

Dusling, Kevin; Mace, Mark; Venugopalan, Raju

2018-01-25

Qualitative features of multiparticle correlations in light-heavy ion (p +A) collisions at RHIC and LHC are reproduced in a simple initial state model of partons in the projectile coherently scattering off localized domains of color charge in the heavy nuclear target. These include i) the ordering of the magnitudes of the azimuthal angle nth Fourier harmonics of two-particle correlations v n{2}, ii) the energy and transverse momentum dependence of the four-particle Fourier harmonic v 2{4}, and iii) the energy dependence of four-particle symmetric cumulants measuring correlations between different Fourier harmonics. Similar patterns are seen in an Abelian version of themore » model, where we observe v 2{2} > v 2{4} ≈ v 2{6} ≈ v 2{8} of two, four, six, and eight particle correlations. While such patterns are often interpreted as signatures of collectivity arising from hydrodynamic flow, our results provide an alternative description of the multiparticle correlations seen in p + A collisions.« less

Multiparticle Collectivity from Initial State Correlations in High Energy Proton-Nucleus Collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dusling, Kevin; Mace, Mark; Venugopalan, Raju

2018-01-01

Qualitative features of multiparticle correlations in light-heavy ion (p +A ) collisions at RHIC and LHC are reproduced in a simple initial state model of partons in the projectile coherently scattering off localized domains of color charge in the heavy nuclear target. These include (i) the ordering of the magnitudes of the azimuthal angle n th Fourier harmonics of two-particle correlations vn{2 }, (ii) the energy and transverse momentum dependence of the four-particle Fourier harmonic v2{4 }, and (iii) the energy dependence of four-particle symmetric cumulants measuring correlations between different Fourier harmonics. Similar patterns are seen in an Abelian version of the model, where we observe v2{2 }>v2{4 }≈v2{6 }≈v2{8 } of two, four, six, and eight particle correlations. While such patterns are often interpreted as signatures of collectivity arising from hydrodynamic flow, our results provide an alternative description of the multiparticle correlations seen in p +A collisions.

Vortex with fourfold defect lines in a simple model of self-propelled particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seyed-Allaei, Hamid; Ejtehadi, Mohammad Reza

2016-03-01

We study the formation of a vortex with fourfold symmetry in a minimal model of self-propelled particles, confined inside a squared box, using computer simulations and also theoretical analysis. In addition to the vortex pattern, we observe five other regimes in the system: a homogeneous gaseous phase, band structures, moving clumps, moving clusters, and vibrating rings. All six regimes emerge from controlling the strength of noise and from the contribution of repulsion and alignment interactions. We study the shape of the vortex and its symmetry in detail. The pattern shows exponential defect lines where incoming and outgoing flows of particles collide. We show that alignment and repulsion interactions between particles are necessary to form such patterns. We derive hydrodynamical equations with an introduction of the "small deviation" technique to describe the vortex phase. The method is applicable to other systems as well. Finally, we compare the theory with the results of both computer simulations and an experiment using Quincke rotors. A good agreement between the three is observed.

Viscoplastic deformations and compressive damage in an A359/SiC{sub p} metal-matrix composite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Y.; Ramesh, K.T.; Chin, E.S.C.

2000-04-19

Recent work by the authors has examined the high-strain-rate compression of a metal-matrix composite consisting of an A359 Al alloy matrix reinforced by 20 vol.% of silicon carbide particulates (SiC{sub p}). The work-hardening that is observed in the experiments is much lower than that predicted by analytical and computational models which assume perfect particle-matrix interfaces and undamaged particles. In this work, the authors show that the discrepancy is a result of particle damage that develops within the A359/SiC{sub p} composite under compression. The evolution of particle damage has been characterized using quantitative microscopy, and is shown to be a functionmore » of the applied strain. A simple analytical model that incorporates evolving damage within the composite is proposed, and it is shown that the analytical predictions are consistent with the experimental observations over a wide range of strain rates.« less

Efficiency of Tungsten Dust Collection of Different Types of Dust Particles by Electrostatic Probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Begrambekov, L. B.; Voityuk, A. N.; Zakharov, A. M.; Bidlevich, O. A.; Vechshev, E. A.; Shigin, P. A.; Vayakis, J.; Walsh, M.

2017-12-01

Formation of dust particles and clusters is observed in almost every modern thermonuclear facility. Accumulation of dust in the next generation thermonuclear installations can dramatically affect the plasma parameters and lead to the accumulation of unacceptably large amounts of tritium. Experiments on collection of dust particles by a model of electrostatic probe developed for collection of metallic dust at ITER are described in the article. Experiments on the generation of tungsten dust consisting of flakes formed during the destruction of tungsten layers formed on the walls of the plasma chamber sputtered from the surface of the tungsten target by plasma ions were conducted. The nature of dust degassing at elevated temperatures and the behavior of dust in an electric field were studied. The results obtained are compared with the results of the experiments with dust consisting of crystal particles of simple geometric shapes. The effectiveness of collection of both types of dust using the model of an electrostatic probe is determined.

Multiparticle Collectivity from Initial State Correlations in High Energy Proton-Nucleus Collisions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dusling, Kevin; Mace, Mark; Venugopalan, Raju

Qualitative features of multiparticle correlations in light-heavy ion (p +A) collisions at RHIC and LHC are reproduced in a simple initial state model of partons in the projectile coherently scattering off localized domains of color charge in the heavy nuclear target. These include i) the ordering of the magnitudes of the azimuthal angle nth Fourier harmonics of two-particle correlations v n{2}, ii) the energy and transverse momentum dependence of the four-particle Fourier harmonic v 2{4}, and iii) the energy dependence of four-particle symmetric cumulants measuring correlations between different Fourier harmonics. Similar patterns are seen in an Abelian version of themore » model, where we observe v 2{2} > v 2{4} ≈ v 2{6} ≈ v 2{8} of two, four, six, and eight particle correlations. While such patterns are often interpreted as signatures of collectivity arising from hydrodynamic flow, our results provide an alternative description of the multiparticle correlations seen in p + A collisions.« less

Analysis of wind-blown sand movement over transverse dunes.

PubMed

Jiang, Hong; Huang, Ning; Zhu, Yuanjian

2014-12-01

Wind-blown sand movement often occurs in a very complicated desert environment where sand dunes and ripples are the basic forms. However, most current studies on the theoretic and numerical models of wind-blown sand movement only consider ideal conditions such as steady wind velocity, flat sand surface, etc. In fact, the windward slope gradient plays a great role in the lift-off and sand particle saltation. In this paper, we propose a numerical model for the coupling effect between wind flow and saltating sand particles to simulate wind-blown sand movement over the slope surface and use the SIMPLE algorithm to calculate wind flow and simulate sands transport by tracking sand particle trajectories. We furthermore compare the result of numerical simulation with wind tunnel experiments. These results prove that sand particles have obvious effect on wind flow, especially that over the leeward slope. This study is a preliminary study on windblown sand movement in a complex terrain, and is of significance in the control of dust storms and land desertification.

Analysis of Wind-blown Sand Movement over Transverse Dunes

PubMed Central

Jiang, Hong; Huang, Ning; Zhu, Yuanjian

2014-01-01

Wind-blown sand movement often occurs in a very complicated desert environment where sand dunes and ripples are the basic forms. However, most current studies on the theoretic and numerical models of wind-blown sand movement only consider ideal conditions such as steady wind velocity, flat sand surface, etc. In fact, the windward slope gradient plays a great role in the lift-off and sand particle saltation. In this paper, we propose a numerical model for the coupling effect between wind flow and saltating sand particles to simulate wind-blown sand movement over the slope surface and use the SIMPLE algorithm to calculate wind flow and simulate sands transport by tracking sand particle trajectories. We furthermore compare the result of numerical simulation with wind tunnel experiments. These results prove that sand particles have obvious effect on wind flow, especially that over the leeward slope. This study is a preliminary study on windblown sand movement in a complex terrain, and is of significance in the control of dust storms and land desertification. PMID:25434372

Active Brownian Particles. From Individual to Collective Stochastic Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanczuk, P.; Bär, M.; Ebeling, W.; Lindner, B.; Schimansky-Geier, L.

2012-03-01

We review theoretical models of individual motility as well as collective dynamics and pattern formation of active particles. We focus on simple models of active dynamics with a particular emphasis on nonlinear and stochastic dynamics of such self-propelled entities in the framework of statistical mechanics. Examples of such active units in complex physico-chemical and biological systems are chemically powered nano-rods, localized patterns in reaction-diffusion system, motile cells or macroscopic animals. Based on the description of individual motion of point-like active particles by stochastic differential equations, we discuss different velocity-dependent friction functions, the impact of various types of fluctuations and calculate characteristic observables such as stationary velocity distributions or diffusion coefficients. Finally, we consider not only the free and confined individual active dynamics but also different types of interaction between active particles. The resulting collective dynamical behavior of large assemblies and aggregates of active units is discussed and an overview over some recent results on spatiotemporal pattern formation in such systems is given.

Search for massive long-lived particles decaying semileptonically in the LHCb detector

DOE PAGES

Aaij, R.; Adeva, B.; Adinolfi, M.; ...

2017-04-10

A search is presented for massive long-lived particles decaying into a muon and two quarks. The dataset consists of proton-proton interactions at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, corresponding to integrated luminosities of 1 and 2 fb -1, respectively. The analysis is performed assuming a set of production mechanisms with simple topologies, including the production of a Higgs-like particle decaying into two long-lived particles. The mass range from 20 to 80 GeV/c 2 and lifetimes from 5 to 100ps are explored. Results are also interpreted in terms of neutralino production in different R-Parity violating supersymmetric models, with masses in the 23–198 GeV/cmore » 2 range. No excess above the background expectation is observed and upper limits are set on the production cross-section for various points in the parameter space of theoretical models.« less

Mechanical trapping of particles in granular media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerimov, Abdulla; Mavko, Gary; Mukerji, Tapan; Al Ibrahim, Mustafa A.

2018-02-01

Mechanical trapping of fine particles in the pores of granular materials is an essential mechanism in a wide variety of natural and industrial filtration processes. The progress of invading particles is primarily limited by the network of pore throats and connected pathways encountered by the particles during their motion through the porous medium. Trapping of invading particles is limited to a depth defined by the size, shape, and distribution of the invading particles with respect to the size, shape, and distribution of the host porous matrix. Therefore, the trapping process, in principle, can be used to obtain information about geometrical properties, such as pore throat and particle size, of the underlying host matrix. A numerical framework is developed to simulate the mechanical trapping of fine particles in porous granular media with prescribed host particle size, shape, and distribution. The trapping of invading particles is systematically modeled in host packings with different host particle distributions: monodisperse, bidisperse, and polydisperse distributions of host particle sizes. Our simulation results show quantitatively and qualitatively to what extent trapping behavior is different in the generated monodisperse, bidisperse, and polydisperse packings of spherical particles. Depending on host particle size and distribution, the information about extreme estimates of minimal pore throat sizes of the connected pathways in the underlying host matrix can be inferred from trapping features, such as the fraction of trapped particles as a function of invading particle size. The presence of connected pathways with minimum and maximum of minimal pore throat diameters can be directly obtained from trapping features. This limited information about the extreme estimates of pore throat sizes of the connected pathways in the host granular media inferred from our numerical simulations is consistent with simple geometrical estimates of extreme value of pore and throat sizes of the densest structural arrangements of spherical particles and geometrical Delaunay tessellation analysis of the pore space of host granular media. Our results suggest simple relations between the host particle size and trapping features. These relationships can be potentially used to describe both the dynamics of the mechanical trapping process and the geometrical properties of the host granular media.

Mechanical trapping of particles in granular media.

PubMed

Kerimov, Abdulla; Mavko, Gary; Mukerji, Tapan; Al Ibrahim, Mustafa A

2018-02-01

Mechanical trapping of fine particles in the pores of granular materials is an essential mechanism in a wide variety of natural and industrial filtration processes. The progress of invading particles is primarily limited by the network of pore throats and connected pathways encountered by the particles during their motion through the porous medium. Trapping of invading particles is limited to a depth defined by the size, shape, and distribution of the invading particles with respect to the size, shape, and distribution of the host porous matrix. Therefore, the trapping process, in principle, can be used to obtain information about geometrical properties, such as pore throat and particle size, of the underlying host matrix. A numerical framework is developed to simulate the mechanical trapping of fine particles in porous granular media with prescribed host particle size, shape, and distribution. The trapping of invading particles is systematically modeled in host packings with different host particle distributions: monodisperse, bidisperse, and polydisperse distributions of host particle sizes. Our simulation results show quantitatively and qualitatively to what extent trapping behavior is different in the generated monodisperse, bidisperse, and polydisperse packings of spherical particles. Depending on host particle size and distribution, the information about extreme estimates of minimal pore throat sizes of the connected pathways in the underlying host matrix can be inferred from trapping features, such as the fraction of trapped particles as a function of invading particle size. The presence of connected pathways with minimum and maximum of minimal pore throat diameters can be directly obtained from trapping features. This limited information about the extreme estimates of pore throat sizes of the connected pathways in the host granular media inferred from our numerical simulations is consistent with simple geometrical estimates of extreme value of pore and throat sizes of the densest structural arrangements of spherical particles and geometrical Delaunay tessellation analysis of the pore space of host granular media. Our results suggest simple relations between the host particle size and trapping features. These relationships can be potentially used to describe both the dynamics of the mechanical trapping process and the geometrical properties of the host granular media.

Analytical model for ion stopping power and range in the therapeutic energy interval for beams of hydrogen and heavier ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donahue, William; Newhauser, Wayne D.; Ziegler, James F.

2016-09-01

Many different approaches exist to calculate stopping power and range of protons and heavy charged particles. These methods may be broadly categorized as physically complete theories (widely applicable and complex) or semi-empirical approaches (narrowly applicable and simple). However, little attention has been paid in the literature to approaches that are both widely applicable and simple. We developed simple analytical models of stopping power and range for ions of hydrogen, carbon, iron, and uranium that spanned intervals of ion energy from 351 keV u-1 to 450 MeV u-1 or wider. The analytical models typically reproduced the best-available evaluated stopping powers within 1% and ranges within 0.1 mm. The computational speed of the analytical stopping power model was 28% faster than a full-theoretical approach. The calculation of range using the analytic range model was 945 times faster than a widely-used numerical integration technique. The results of this study revealed that the new, simple analytical models are accurate, fast, and broadly applicable. The new models require just 6 parameters to calculate stopping power and range for a given ion and absorber. The proposed model may be useful as an alternative to traditional approaches, especially in applications that demand fast computation speed, small memory footprint, and simplicity.

Analytical model for ion stopping power and range in the therapeutic energy interval for beams of hydrogen and heavier ions.

PubMed

Donahue, William; Newhauser, Wayne D; Ziegler, James F

2016-09-07

Many different approaches exist to calculate stopping power and range of protons and heavy charged particles. These methods may be broadly categorized as physically complete theories (widely applicable and complex) or semi-empirical approaches (narrowly applicable and simple). However, little attention has been paid in the literature to approaches that are both widely applicable and simple. We developed simple analytical models of stopping power and range for ions of hydrogen, carbon, iron, and uranium that spanned intervals of ion energy from 351 keV u(-1) to 450 MeV u(-1) or wider. The analytical models typically reproduced the best-available evaluated stopping powers within 1% and ranges within 0.1 mm. The computational speed of the analytical stopping power model was 28% faster than a full-theoretical approach. The calculation of range using the analytic range model was 945 times faster than a widely-used numerical integration technique. The results of this study revealed that the new, simple analytical models are accurate, fast, and broadly applicable. The new models require just 6 parameters to calculate stopping power and range for a given ion and absorber. The proposed model may be useful as an alternative to traditional approaches, especially in applications that demand fast computation speed, small memory footprint, and simplicity.

CCD image sensor induced error in PIV applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Legrand, M.; Nogueira, J.; Vargas, A. A.; Ventas, R.; Rodríguez-Hidalgo, M. C.

2014-06-01

The readout procedure of charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras is known to generate some image degradation in different scientific imaging fields, especially in astrophysics. In the particular field of particle image velocimetry (PIV), widely extended in the scientific community, the readout procedure of the interline CCD sensor induces a bias in the registered position of particle images. This work proposes simple procedures to predict the magnitude of the associated measurement error. Generally, there are differences in the position bias for the different images of a certain particle at each PIV frame. This leads to a substantial bias error in the PIV velocity measurement (˜0.1 pixels). This is the order of magnitude that other typical PIV errors such as peak-locking may reach. Based on modern CCD technology and architecture, this work offers a description of the readout phenomenon and proposes a modeling for the CCD readout bias error magnitude. This bias, in turn, generates a velocity measurement bias error when there is an illumination difference between two successive PIV exposures. The model predictions match the experiments performed with two 12-bit-depth interline CCD cameras (MegaPlus ES 4.0/E incorporating the Kodak KAI-4000M CCD sensor with 4 megapixels). For different cameras, only two constant values are needed to fit the proposed calibration model and predict the error from the readout procedure. Tests by different researchers using different cameras would allow verification of the model, that can be used to optimize acquisition setups. Simple procedures to obtain these two calibration values are also described.

MPPhys—A many-particle simulation package for computational physics education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müller, Thomas

2014-03-01

In a first course to classical mechanics elementary physical processes like elastic two-body collisions, the mass-spring model, or the gravitational two-body problem are discussed in detail. The continuation to many-body systems, however, is deferred to graduate courses although the underlying equations of motion are essentially the same and although there is a strong motivation for high-school students in particular because of the use of particle systems in computer games. The missing link between the simple and the more complex problem is a basic introduction to solve the equations of motion numerically which could be illustrated, however, by means of the Euler method. The many-particle physics simulation package MPPhys offers a platform to experiment with simple particle simulations. The aim is to give a principle idea how to implement many-particle simulations and how simulation and visualization can be combined for interactive visual explorations. Catalogue identifier: AERR_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AERR_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen’s University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.html No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 111327 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 608411 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: C++, OpenGL, GLSL, OpenCL. Computer: Linux and Windows platforms with OpenGL support. Operating system: Linux and Windows. RAM: Source Code 4.5 MB Complete package 242 MB Classification: 14, 16.9. External routines: OpenGL, OpenCL Nature of problem: Integrate N-body simulations, mass-spring models Solution method: Numerical integration of N-body-simulations, 3D-Rendering via OpenGL. Running time: Problem dependent

Underworld: What we set out to do, How far did we get, What did we Learn ? (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moresi, L. N.

2013-12-01

Underworld was conceived as a tool for modelling 3D lithospheric deformation coupled with the underlying / surrounding mantle flow. The challenges involved were to find a method capable of representing the complicated, non-linear, history dependent rheology of the near surface as well as being able to model mantle convection, and, simultaneously, to be able to solve the numerical system efficiently. Underworld is a hybrid particle / mesh code reminiscent of the particle-in-cell techniques from the early 1960s. The Underworld team (*) was not the first to use this approach, nor the last, but the team does have considerable experience and much has been learned along the way. The use of a finite element method as the underlying "cell" in which the Lagrangian particles are embedded considerably reduces errors associated with mapping material properties to the cells. The particles are treated as moving quadrature points in computing the stiffness matrix integrals. The decoupling of deformation markers from computation points allows the use of structured meshes, efficient parallel decompositions, and simple-to-code geometric multigrid solution methods. For a 3D code such efficiencies are very important. The elegance of the method is that it can be completely described in a couple of sentences. However, there are some limitations: it is not obvious how to retain this elegance for unstructured or adaptive meshes, arbitrary element types are not sufficiently well integrated by the simple quadrature approach, and swarms of particles representing volumes are usually an inefficient representation of surfaces. This will be discussed ! (*) Although not formally constituted, my co-conspirators in this exercise are listed as the Underworld team and I will reveal their true identities on the day.

A novel medical information management and decision model for uncertain demand optimization.

PubMed

Bi, Ya

2015-01-01

Accurately planning the procurement volume is an effective measure for controlling the medicine inventory cost. Due to uncertain demand it is difficult to make accurate decision on procurement volume. As to the biomedicine sensitive to time and season demand, the uncertain demand fitted by the fuzzy mathematics method is obviously better than general random distribution functions. To establish a novel medical information management and decision model for uncertain demand optimization. A novel optimal management and decision model under uncertain demand has been presented based on fuzzy mathematics and a new comprehensive improved particle swarm algorithm. The optimal management and decision model can effectively reduce the medicine inventory cost. The proposed improved particle swarm optimization is a simple and effective algorithm to improve the Fuzzy interference and hence effectively reduce the calculation complexity of the optimal management and decision model. Therefore the new model can be used for accurate decision on procurement volume under uncertain demand.

Improving Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) Models using Global Sensitivity Analysis and by Comparison to Chamber Data.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, D. O.; Brune, W. H.

2017-12-01

Accurate estimates of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from atmospheric models is a major research challenge due to the complexity of the chemical and physical processes involved in the SOA formation and continuous aging. The primary uncertainties of SOA models include those associated with the formation of gas-phase products, the conversion between gas phase and particle phase, the aging mechanisms of SOA, and other processes related to the heterogeneous and particle-phase reactions. To address this challenge, we us a modular modeling framework that combines both simple and near-explicit gas-phase reactions and a two-dimensional volatility basis set (2D-VBS) to simulate the formation and evolution of SOA. Global sensitivity analysis is used to assess the relative importance of the model input parameters. In addition, the model is compared to the measurements from the Focused Isoprene eXperiment at the California Institute of Technology (FIXCIT).

Formation of a new archetypal Metal-Organic Framework from a simple monatomic liquid

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Metere, Alfredo, E-mail: alfredo.metere@mmk.su.se; Oleynikov, Peter; Dzugutov, Mikhail

2014-12-21

We report a molecular-dynamics simulation of a single-component system of particles interacting via a spherically symmetric potential that is found to form, upon cooling from a liquid state, a low-density porous crystalline phase. Its structure analysis demonstrates that the crystal can be described by a net with a topology that belongs to the class of topologies characteristic of the Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs). The observed net is new, and it is now included in the Reticular Chemistry Structure Resource database. The observation that a net topology characteristic of MOF crystals, which are known to be formed by a coordination-driven self-assembly process,more » can be reproduced by a thermodynamically stable configuration of a simple single-component system of particles opens a possibility of using these models in studies of MOF nets. It also indicates that structures with MOF topology, as well as other low-density porous crystalline structures can possibly be produced in colloidal systems of spherical particles, with an appropriate tuning of interparticle interaction.« less

Burner Rig with an Unattached Duct for Evaluating the Erosion Resistance of Thermal Barrier Coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Robert A.; Kuczmarski, Maria A.; Zhu, Dongming

2011-01-01

Extensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling backed by experimental observation has demonstrated the feasibility of using an unattached duct to increase the velocity and spatial spread of erodent particles exiting from a burner rig. It was shown that gas velocity and temperature are mostly retained if the inner diameter of the unattached duct equaled the exit diameter of the burner rig nozzle. For particles having a mean diameter of 550 millimeters, the modeled velocity attained at a distance 2.0 in. (50.8 millimeters) beyond the exit of a 12 in. (305 millimeters) long duct was approximately twice as large as the velocity the same distance from the nozzle when the duct was not present. For finer particles, the relative enhancement was somewhat less approximately 1.5 times greater. CFD modeling was also used to guide the construction of a device for slowing down the velocity of the particles being injected into the burner rig. This device used a simple 45 degree fitting to slow the particle velocity in the feed line from 20 meters per second, which is in the range needed to convey the particles, to about 3 meters per second just as they are injected into the burner. This lower injection velocity would lessen the severity of the collision of large particles with the wall of the burner liner opposite the injection port, thereby reducing potential damage to the burner liner by high-velocity particles.

A Simple Model for Immature Retrovirus Capsid Assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paquay, Stefan; van der Schoot, Paul; Dragnea, Bogdan

In this talk I will present simulations of a simple model for capsomeres in immature virus capsids, consisting of only point particles with a tunable range of attraction constrained to a spherical surface. We find that, at sufficiently low density, a short interaction range is sufficient for the suppression of five-fold defects in the packing and causes instead larger tears and scars in the capsid. These findings agree both qualitatively and quantitatively with experiments on immature retrovirus capsids, implying that the structure of the retroviral protein lattice can, for a large part, be explained simply by the effective interaction between the capsomeres. We thank the HFSP for funding under Grant RGP0017/2012.

Tuning the shear viscosity of a dilute suspension using particle shapes that inhibit rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinai Borker, Neeraj; Stroock, Abraham; Koch, Donald

2017-11-01

We show that a suspension of slender, rigid-particles that attain an equilibrium orientation in a simple shear flow have a much smaller intrinsic viscosity relative to a suspension of tumbling particles with the same aspect ratio. An axisymmetric particle, such as a ring or a fiber, with certain cross-sections can attain an equilibrium orientation in a low Reynolds number simple shear flow without application of external forces (Singh et al., J. Fluid Mech., 2013; Bretherton, J. Fluid Mech., 1962 a). These particles align such that the slender dimension(s) of the particle is/are almost perpendicular to the velocity gradient direction of the simple shear flow and thus they have much smaller stresslets compared to the time averaged stresslet of a rotating slender particle. While slender fibers, also remain aligned in a similar state for a long time, the major contribution to the average stresslet occurs when the fiber is flipping. Using slender body theory and boundary element method calculations we demonstrate that particle alignment could significantly reduce the intrinsic viscosity of the suspension relative to a suspension of rotating particles. By choosing particle shapes that can be fabricated using manufacturing techniques such as photolithography or 3-D printing, our results open new pathways to control the rheological properties of a particle suspension by altering the shape of the particle. This research was funded by NSF Grant CBET-1435013.

Characterization and Upscaling of Pore Scale Hydrodynamic Mass Transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gouze, P.; Roubinet, D.; Dentz, M.; Planes, V.; Russian, A.

2017-12-01

Imaging reservoir rocks in 3D using X-ray microtomography with spatial resolution ranging from about 1 to 10 mm provides us a unique opportunity not only to characterize pore space geometry but also for simulating hydrodynamical processes. Yet, pores and throats displaying sizes smaller than the resolution cannot be distinguished on the images and must be assigned to a so called microporous phase during the process of image segmentation. Accordingly one simulated mass transfers caused by advection and diffusion in the connected pores (mobile domain) and diffusion in the microporous clusters (immobile domain) using Time Domain Random Walk (TDRW) and developed a set of metrics that can be used to monitor the different mechanisms of transport in the sample, the final objective being of proposing a simple but accurate upscaled 1D model in which the particle travel times in the mobile and immobile domain and the number of mobile-immobile transfer events (called trapping events) are independently distributed random variables characterized by PDFs. For TDRW the solute concentration is represented by the density distribution of non-interacting point-like solute particles which move due to advection and dispersion. The set of metrics derives from different spatial and temporal statistical analyses of the particle motion, and is used for characterizing the particles transport (i) in the mobile domain in relation with the velocity field properties, (ii) in the immobile domain in relation with the structure and the properties of microporous phase and at the mobile-immobile interface. We specifically focused on how to model the trapping frequency and rate into the immobile domain in relation with the structure and the spatial distribution of the mobile-immobile domain interface. This thorough analysis of the particle motion for both simple artificial structures and real rock images allowed us to derive the parametrization of the upscaled 1D model.

Particle size segregation in granular avalanches: A brief review of recent progress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gray, J. M. N. T.

2010-05-01

Hazardous natural flows such as snow avalanches, debris-flows, lahars and pyroclastic flows are part of a much wider class of granular avalanches, that frequently occur in industrial processes and in our kitchens! Granular avalanches are very efficient at sorting particles by size, with the smaller ones percolating down towards the base and squeezing the larger grains up towards the free-surface, to create inversely-graded layers. This paper provides a short introduction and review of recent theoretical advances in describing segregation and remixing with relatively simple hyperbolic and parabolic models. The derivation from two phase mixture theory is briefly summarized and links are drawn to earlier models of Savage & Lun and Dolgunin & Ukolov. The more complex parabolic version of the theory has a diffusive force that competes against segregation and yields S-shaped steady-state concentration profiles through the avalanche depth, that are able to reproduce results obtained from particle dynamics simulations. Time-dependent exact solutions can be constructed by using the Cole-Hopf transformation to linearize the segregation-remixing equation and the nonlinear surface and basal boundary conditions. In the limit of no diffusion, the theory is hyperbolic and the grains tend to separate out into completely segregated inversely graded layers. A series of elementary problems are used to demonstrate how concentration shocks, expansion fans, breaking waves and the large and small particles paths can be computed exactly using the model. The theory is able to capture the key features of the size distribution observed in stratification experiments, and explains how a large particle rich front is connected to an inversely graded avalanche in the interior. The theory is simple enough to couple it to the bulk flow field to investigate segregation-mobility feedback effects that spontaneously generate self-channelizing leveed avalanches, which can significantly enhance the total run-out distance of geophysical mass flows.

Interaction dynamics of multiple mobile robots with simple navigation strategies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, P. K. C.

1989-01-01

The global dynamic behavior of multiple interacting autonomous mobile robots with simple navigation strategies is studied. Here, the effective spatial domain of each robot is taken to be a closed ball about its mass center. It is assumed that each robot has a specified cone of visibility such that interaction with other robots takes place only when they enter its visibility cone. Based on a particle model for the robots, various simple homing and collision-avoidance navigation strategies are derived. Then, an analysis of the dynamical behavior of the interacting robots in unbounded spatial domains is made. The article concludes with the results of computer simulations studies of two or more interacting robots.

Alpha-Particle Gas-Pressure Sensor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buehler, M. C.; Bell, L. D.; Hecht, M. H.

1996-01-01

An approximate model was developed to establish design curves for the saturation region and a more complete model developed to characterize the current-voltage curves for an alpha-particle pressure sensor. A simple two-parameter current-voltage expression was developed to describe the dependence of the ion current on pressure. The parameters are the saturation-current pressure coefficient and mu/D, the ion mobility/diffusion coefficient. The sensor is useful in the pressure range between 0.1 and 1000 mb using a 1 - mu Ci(241) Am source. Experimental results, taken between 1 and up to 200 mb, show the sensor operates with an anode voltage of 5 V and a sensitivity of 20 fA/mb in nitrogen.

Optical shielding of nickel nanoparticle by a bubble: Optical limiting gets limited

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shukla, Vijay; Jayabalan, J., E-mail: jjaya@rrcat.gov.in; Chari, Rama

2016-06-13

We have demonstrated that in a nickel nanoparticle colloid, the optical limiting action reduces if a vapor bubble forms around the nanoparticle. The energy-dependent transmission and z-scan measurements on nickel nanoparticles in toluene show the onset of an additional process. At high fluence excitation, the particle becomes less visible to the later part of the incoming pulse due to the heat generated bubble formed around it. We have proposed a simple “particle-in-bubble” model which fits the optical limiting and z-scan curves quite well. Using this model, we have also estimated that the bubble radius increases at a rate of 4.5 m/s.

A new fitting law of rovibrationally inelastic rate constants for rapidly rotating molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strekalov, M. L.

2005-04-01

Semiclassical scattering of a particle from a three-dimensional ellipsoid with internal structure is used to model vibration-rotation-translation (VRT) collisional transfer between atoms and diatomic molecules. The result is a very simple analytical expression containing two variable parameters that have a clear physical meaning. Predictions of the model for the Li 2 + Ne system are in reasonably good agreement with experimental results.

Portal Connecting Dark Photons and Axions.

PubMed

Kaneta, Kunio; Lee, Hye-Sung; Yun, Seokhoon

2017-03-10

The dark photon and the axion (or axionlike particle) are popular light particles of the hidden sector. Each of them has been actively searched for through the couplings called the vector portal and the axion portal. We introduce a new portal connecting the dark photon and the axion (axion-photon-dark photon, axion-dark photon-dark photon), which emerges in the presence of the two particles. This dark axion portal is genuinely new couplings, not just from a product of the vector portal and the axion portal, because of the internal structure of these couplings. We present a simple model that realizes the dark axion portal and discuss why it warrants a rich phenomenology.

Predicting charmonium and bottomonium spectra with a quark harmonic oscillator.

PubMed

Norbury, J W; Badavi, F F; Townsend, L W

1986-11-01

We present a simple application of the three-dimensional harmonic oscillator which should provide a very nice particle physics example to be presented in introductory undergraduate quantum mechanics course. The idea is to use the nonrelativistic quark model to calculate the spin-averaged mass levels of the charmonium and bottomonium spectra.

Particle-tracking analysis of contributing areas of public-supply wells in simple and complex flow systems, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barlow, P.M.

1994-01-01

Steady-state, two-and three-dimensional, ground-water flow models coupled with a particle- tracking program were evaluated to determine their effectiveness in delineating contributing areas of existing and hypothetical public-supply wells pumping from two contrasting stratified-drift aquifers of Cape Cod, Mass. Several of the contri- buting areas delineated by use of the three- dimensional models do not conform to simple ellipsoidal shapes that are typically delineated by use of a two-dimensional analytical and numerical modeling techniques, include dis- continuous areas of the water table, and do not surround the wells. Because two-dimensional areal models do not account for vertical flow, they cannot adequately represent many of the hydro- geologic and well-design variables that were shown to complicate the delineation of contributing areas in these flow systems, including the presence of discrete lenses of 1ow hydraulic conductivity, large ratios of horizontal to ver- tical hydraulic conductivity, shallow streams, partially penetrating supply wells, and 1ow pumping rates (less than 0.1 million gallons per day). Nevertheless, contributing areas delineated for two wells in the simpler of the two flow systems--a thin (less than 100 feet), single- layer, uniform aquifer with near-ideal boundary conditions--were not significantly different for the two- or three-dimensional models of the natural system, for a pumping rate of 0.5 million gallons per day. Use of particle tracking helped identify the source of water to simulated wells, which included precipitation recharge, wastewater return flow, and pond water. Pond water and wastewater return flow accounted for as much as 73 and 40 percent, respectively, of the water captured by simulated wells.

Simple preparation of magnetic field-responsive structural colored Janus particles.

PubMed

Teshima, Midori; Seki, Takahiro; Takeoka, Yukikazu

2018-03-08

We established a simple method for preparing Janus particles displaying different structural colors using submicron-sized fine silica particles and magnetic nanoparticles composed of Fe 3 O 4 . A w/o emulsion is prepared by vortex-stirring a mixed aqueous solution of suspended fine silica particles and magnetic nanoparticles and of hexadecane containing an emulsifier. Subsequent drying of the emulsion on a hot plate using a magnetic stirrer provides a polydisperse particle aggregate displaying two different structural colors according to the ratio of the amount of fine silica particles to the amount of magnetic nanoparticles. This polydisperse particle aggregate can be converted into monodisperse particles simply by using a sieve made of stainless steel. In the presence of a magnet, the monodisperse Janus particles can change their orientation and can switch between two different structural colors.

Spectrum-doubled heavy vector bosons at the LHC

DOE PAGES

Appelquist, Thomas; Bai, Yang; Ingoldby, James; ...

2016-01-19

We study a simple effective field theory incorporating six heavy vector bosons together with the standard-model field content. The new particles preserve custodial symmetry as well as an approximate left-right parity symmetry. The enhanced symmetry of the model allows it to satisfy precision electroweak constraints and bounds from Higgs physics in a regime where all the couplings are perturbative and where the amount of fine-tuning is comparable to that in the standard model itself. We find that the model could explain the recently observed excesses in di-boson processes at invariant mass close to 2TeV from LHC Run 1 for amore » range of allowed parameter space. The masses of all the particles differ by no more than roughly 10%. In a portion of the allowed parameter space only one of the new particles has a production cross section large enough to be detectable with the energy and luminosity of Run 1, both via its decay to WZ and to Wh, while the others have suppressed production rates. Furthermore, the model can be tested at the higher-energy and higher-luminosity run of the LHC even for an overall scale of the new particles higher than 3TeV.« less

Statefinder diagnostic for modified Chaplygin gas cosmology in f(R,T) gravity with particle creation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, J. K.; Nagpal, Ritika; Pacif, S. K. J.

In this paper, we have studied flat Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) model with modified Chaplygin gas (MCG) having equation of state pm = Aρ ‑ B ργ, where 0 ≤ A ≤ 1, 0 ≤ γ ≤ 1 and B is any positive constant in f(R,T) gravity with particle creation. We have considered a simple parametrization of the Hubble parameter H in order to solve the field equations and discussed the time evolution of different cosmological parameters for some obtained models showing unique behavior of scale factor. We have also discussed the statefinder diagnostic pair {r,s} that characterizes the evolution of obtained models and explore their stability. The physical consequences of the models and their kinematic behaviors have also been scrutinized here in some detail.

Particle dynamics in a viscously decaying cat's eye: The effect of finite Schmidt numbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newton, P. K.; Meiburg, Eckart

1991-05-01

The dynamics and mixing of passive marker particles for the model problem of a decaying cat's eye flow is studied. The flow field corresponds to Stuart's one-parameter family of solutions [J. Fluid Mech. 29, 417 (1967)]. It is time dependent as a result of viscosity, which is modeled by allowing the free parameter to depend on time according to the self-similar solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for an isolated point vortex. Particle diffusion is numerically simulated by a random walk model. While earlier work had shown that, for small values of time over Reynolds number t/Re≪1, the interval length characterizing the formation of lobes of fluid escaping from the cat's eye scales as Re-1/2, the present study shows that, for the case of diffusive effects and t/Pe≪1, the scaling follows Pe-1/4. A simple argument, taking into account streamline convergence and divergence in different parts of the flow field, explains the Pe-1/4 scaling.

Results from the GSFC fluxgate magnetometer on Pioneer 11

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acuna, M. H.; Ness, N. F.

1976-01-01

A high-field triaxial fluxgate magnetometer was mounted on Pioneer 11 to measure the main magnetic field of Jupiter. It is found that this planetary magnetic field is more complex than that indicated by the results of the Pioneer 10 vector helium magnetometer. At distances less than 3 Jupiter radii, the magnetic field is observed to increase more rapidly than an inverse-cubed distance law associated with any simple dipole model. Contributions from higher-order multipoles are significant, with the quadrupole and octupole being 24 and 21 percent of the dipole moment, respectively. Implications of the results for the study of trapped particles, planetary radio emission, and planetary interiors are discussed. Major conclusions are that the deviation of the main planetary magnetic field from a simple dipole leads to distortion of the L shells of the charged particles and to warping of the magnetic equator. Enhanced absorption effects associated with Amalthea and Io are predicted.

Simple and universal model for electron-impact ionization of complex biomolecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Hong Qi; Mi, Zhaohong; Bettiol, Andrew A.

2018-03-01

We present a simple and universal approach to calculate the total ionization cross section (TICS) for electron impact ionization in DNA bases and other biomaterials in the condensed phase. Evaluating the electron impact TICS plays a vital role in ion-beam radiobiology simulation at the cellular level, as secondary electrons are the main cause of DNA damage in particle cancer therapy. Our method is based on extending the dielectric formalism. The calculated results agree well with experimental data and show a good comparison with other theoretical calculations. This method only requires information of the chemical composition and density and an estimate of the mean binding energy to produce reasonably accurate TICS of complex biomolecules. Because of its simplicity and great predictive effectiveness, this method could be helpful in situations where the experimental TICS data are absent or scarce, such as in particle cancer therapy.

Dark energy, antimatter gravity and geometry of the Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hajdukovic, Dragan Slavkov

2010-11-01

This article is based on two hypotheses. The first one is the existence of the gravitational repulsion between particles and antiparticles. Consequently, virtual particle-antiparticle pairs in the quantum vacuum might be considered as gravitational dipoles. The second hypothesis is that the Universe has geometry of a four-dimensional hyper-spherical shell with thickness equal to the Compton wavelength of a pion, which is a simple generalization of the usual geometry of a 3-hypersphere. It is striking that these two hypotheses lead to a simple relation for the gravitational mass density of the vacuum, which is in very good agreement with the observed dark energy density. It might be a sign that QCD fields provide the largest contribution to the gravitational mass of the physical vacuum; contrary to the prediction of the Standard Model that QCD contribution is much smaller than some other contributions.

Ignition and combustion of aluminum/magnesium alloy particles in O2 at high pressures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Ted A.; Burton, Rodney L.; Krier, Herman

1993-01-01

The ignition and combustion of Al, Mg, and Al/Mg alloy particles in 99 percent O2/1 percent N2 mixtures is investigated at high temperatures and pressures for rocket engine applications. The 20-micron particles contain 0, 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 wt pct Mg alloyed with Al, and are ignited in oxygen using the reflected shock in a single-pulse shock tube near the endwall. Using this technique, the ignition delay and combustion times of the particles are measured at temperatures up to 3250 K as a function of Mg content for oxygen pressures of 8.5, 17, and 34 atm. An ignition model is developed that employs a simple lumped capacitance energy equation and temperature and pressure dependent particle and gas properties. Good agreement is achieved between the measured and predicted trends in the ignition delay times.

UV missile-plume signature model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roblin, Antoine; Baudoux, Pierre E.; Chervet, Patrick

2002-08-01

A new 3D radiative code is used to solve the radiative transfer equation in the UV spectral domain for a nonequilibrium and axisymmetric media such as a rocket plume composed of hot reactive gases and metallic oxide particles like alumina. Calculations take into account the dominant chemiluminescence radiation mechanism and multiple scattering effects produced by alumina particles. Plume radiative properties are studied by using a simple cylindrical media of finite length, deduced from different aerothermochemical real rocket plume afterburning zones. Assumed a log-normal size distribution of alumina particles, optical properties are calculated by using Mie theory. Due to large uncertainties of particles properties, systematic tests have been performed in order to evaluate the influence of the different input data (refractive index, particle mean geometric radius) upon the radiance field. These computations will help us to define the set of parameters which need to be known accurately in order to compare computations with radiance measurements obtained during field experiments.

New Parameterizations for Neutral and Ion-Induced Sulfuric Acid-Water Particle Formation in Nucleation and Kinetic Regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Määttänen, Anni; Merikanto, Joonas; Henschel, Henning; Duplissy, Jonathan; Makkonen, Risto; Ortega, Ismael K.; Vehkamäki, Hanna

2018-01-01

We have developed new parameterizations of electrically neutral homogeneous and ion-induced sulfuric acid-water particle formation for large ranges of environmental conditions, based on an improved model that has been validated against a particle formation rate data set produced by Cosmics Leaving OUtdoor Droplets (CLOUD) experiments at European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The model uses a thermodynamically consistent version of the Classical Nucleation Theory normalized using quantum chemical data. Unlike the earlier parameterizations for H2SO4-H2O nucleation, the model is applicable to extreme dry conditions where the one-component sulfuric acid limit is approached. Parameterizations are presented for the critical cluster sulfuric acid mole fraction, the critical cluster radius, the total number of molecules in the critical cluster, and the particle formation rate. If the critical cluster contains only one sulfuric acid molecule, a simple formula for kinetic particle formation can be used: this threshold has also been parameterized. The parameterization for electrically neutral particle formation is valid for the following ranges: temperatures 165-400 K, sulfuric acid concentrations 104-1013 cm-3, and relative humidities 0.001-100%. The ion-induced particle formation parameterization is valid for temperatures 195-400 K, sulfuric acid concentrations 104-1016 cm-3, and relative humidities 10-5-100%. The new parameterizations are thus applicable for the full range of conditions in the Earth's atmosphere relevant for binary sulfuric acid-water particle formation, including both tropospheric and stratospheric conditions. They are also suitable for describing particle formation in the atmosphere of Venus.

Particle model for nonlocal heat transport in fusion plasmas.

PubMed

Bufferand, H; Ciraolo, G; Ghendrih, Ph; Lepri, S; Livi, R

2013-02-01

We present a simple stochastic, one-dimensional model for heat transfer in weakly collisional media as fusion plasmas. Energies of plasma particles are treated as lattice random variables interacting with a rate inversely proportional to their energy schematizing a screened Coulomb interaction. We consider both the equilibrium (microcanonical) and nonequilibrium case in which the system is in contact with heat baths at different temperatures. The model exhibits a characteristic length of thermalization that can be associated with an interaction mean free path and one observes a transition from ballistic to diffusive regime depending on the average energy of the system. A mean-field expression for heat flux is deduced from system heat transport properties. Finally, it is shown that the nonequilibrium steady state is characterized by long-range correlations.

A simple model of low-scale direct gauge mediation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Csáki, Csaba; Shirman, Yuri; Terning, John

2007-05-01

We construct a calculable model of low-energy direct gauge mediation making use of the metastable supersymmetry breaking vacua recently discovered by Intriligator, Seiberg and Shih. The standard model gauge group is a subgroup of the global symmetries of the SUSY breaking sector and messengers play an essential role in dynamical SUSY breaking: they are composites of a confining gauge theory, and the holomorphic scalar messenger mass appears as a consequence of the confining dynamics. The SUSY breaking scale is around 100 TeV nevertheless the model is calculable. The minimal non-renormalizable coupling of the Higgs to the DSB sector leads in a simple way to a μ-term, while the B-term arises at two-loop order resulting in a moderately large tan β. A novel feature of this class of models is that some particles from the dynamical SUSY breaking sector may be accessible at the LHC.

Phase space effects on fast ion distribution function modeling in tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Podesta, M.; Gorelenkova, M.; Fredrickson, E. D.; ...

2016-04-14

Here, integrated simulations of tokamak discharges typically rely on classical physics to model energetic particle (EP) dynamics. However, there are numerous cases in which energetic particles can suffer additional transport that is not classical in nature. Examples include transport by applied 3D magnetic perturbations and, more notably, by plasma instabilities. Focusing on the effects of instabilities,ad-hocmodels can empirically reproduce increased transport, but the choice of transport coefficients is usually somehow arbitrary. New approaches based on physics-based reduced models are being developed to address those issues in a simplified way, while retaining a more correct treatment of resonant wave-particle interactions. Themore » kick model implemented in the tokamaktransport code TRANSP is an example of such reduced models. It includes modifications of the EP distribution by instabilities in real and velocity space, retaining correlations between transport in energy and space typical of resonant EP transport. The relevance of EP phase space modifications by instabilities is first discussed in terms of predicted fast ion distribution. Results are compared with those from a simple, ad-hoc diffusive model. It is then shown that the phase-space resolved model can also provide additional insight into important issues such as internal consistency of the simulations and mode stability through the analysis of the power exchanged between energetic particles and the instabilities.« less

Observation of frequency cutoff for self-excited dust acoustic waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nosenko, V.; Zhdanov, S. K.; Morfill, G. E.; Kim, S.-H.; Heinrich, J.; Merlino, R. L.

2009-11-01

Complex (dusty) plasmas consist of fine solid particles suspended in a weakly ionized gas. Complex plasmas are excellent model systems to study wave phenomena down to the level of individual ``atoms''. Spontaneously excited dust acoustic waves were observed with high temporal resolution in a suspension of micron-size kaolin particles in a dc discharge in argon. Wave activity was found at frequencies as high as 400 Hz. At high wave numbers, the wave dispersion relation was acoustic-like (frequency proportional to wave number). At low wave numbers, the wave frequency did not tend to zero, but reached a cutoff frequency fc instead. The value of fc declined with distance from the anode. We propose a simple model that explains the observed cutoff by particle confinement in plasma. The existence of a cutoff frequency is very important for the propagation of waves: the waves excited above fc are propagating, and those below fc are evanescent.

Heat transfer from nanoparticles: a corresponding state analysis.

PubMed

Merabia, Samy; Shenogin, Sergei; Joly, Laurent; Keblinski, Pawel; Barrat, Jean-Louis

2009-09-08

In this contribution, we study situations in which nanoparticles in a fluid are strongly heated, generating high heat fluxes. This situation is relevant to experiments in which a fluid is locally heated by using selective absorption of radiation by solid particles. We first study this situation for different types of molecular interactions, using models for gold particles suspended in octane and in water. As already reported in experiments, very high heat fluxes and temperature elevations (leading eventually to particle destruction) can be observed in such situations. We show that a very simple modeling based on Lennard-Jones (LJ) interactions captures the essential features of such experiments and that the results for various liquids can be mapped onto the LJ case, provided a physically justified (corresponding state) choice of parameters is made. Physically, the possibility of sustaining very high heat fluxes is related to the strong curvature of the interface that inhibits the formation of an insulating vapor film.

On the CCN (de)activation nonlinearities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arabas, Sylwester; Shima, Shin-ichiro

2017-09-01

We take into consideration the evolution of particle size in a monodisperse aerosol population during activation and deactivation of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Our analysis reveals that the system undergoes a saddle-node bifurcation and a cusp catastrophe. The control parameters chosen for the analysis are the relative humidity and the particle concentration. An analytical estimate of the activation timescale is derived through estimation of the time spent in the saddle-node bifurcation bottleneck. Numerical integration of the system coupled with a simple air-parcel cloud model portrays two types of activation/deactivation hystereses: one associated with the kinetic limitations on droplet growth when the system is far from equilibrium, and one occurring close to equilibrium and associated with the cusp catastrophe. We discuss the presented analyses in context of the development of particle-based models of aerosol-cloud interactions in which activation and deactivation impose stringent time-resolution constraints on numerical integration.

Statistical mechanics of an ideal active fluid confined in a channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Caleb; Baskaran, Aparna; Hagan, Michael

The statistical mechanics of ideal active Brownian particles (ABPs) confined in a channel is studied by obtaining the exact solution of the steady-state Smoluchowski equation for the 1-particle distribution function. The solution is derived using results from the theory of two-way diffusion equations, combined with an iterative procedure that is justified by numerical results. Using this solution, we quantify the effects of confinement on the spatial and orientational order of the ensemble. Moreover, we rigorously show that both the bulk density and the fraction of particles on the channel walls obey simple scaling relations as a function of channel width. By considering a constant-flux steady state, an effective diffusivity for ABPs is derived which shows signatures of the persistent motion that characterizes ABP trajectories. Finally, we discuss how our techniques generalize to other active models, including systems whose activity is modeled in terms of an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process.

Orientational dynamics of a triaxial ellipsoid in simple shear flow: Influence of inertia.

PubMed

Rosén, Tomas; Kotsubo, Yusuke; Aidun, Cyrus K; Do-Quang, Minh; Lundell, Fredrik

2017-07-01

The motion of a single ellipsoidal particle in simple shear flow can provide valuable insights toward understanding suspension flows with nonspherical particles. Previously, extensive studies have been performed on the ellipsoidal particle with rotational symmetry, a so-called spheroid. The nearly prolate ellipsoid (one major and two minor axes of almost equal size) is known to perform quasiperiodic or even chaotic orbits in the absence of inertia. With small particle inertia, the particle is also known to drift toward this irregular motion. However, it is not previously understood what effects from fluid inertia could be, which is of highest importance for particles close to neutral buoyancy. Here, we find that fluid inertia is acting strongly to suppress the chaotic motion and only very weak fluid inertia is sufficient to stabilize a rotation around the middle axis. The mechanism responsible for this transition is believed to be centrifugal forces acting on fluid, which is dragged along with the rotational motion of the particle. With moderate fluid inertia, it is found that nearly prolate triaxial particles behave similarly to the perfectly spheroidal particles. Finally, we also are able to provide predictions about the stable rotational states for the general triaxial ellipsoid in simple shear with weak inertia.

Conjugated Gammadion Chiral Metamaterial with Uniaxial Optical Activity and Negative Refractive Index

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-10

in Fig. 4, we discuss a procedure of transmutation from the simple -particle chiral element to the conjugated gammadion chiral metamaterial. The...the transmutation from the simple -particle chiral element to the conjugated gammadion chiral metamaterial. The procedure shows how the magnetic or

Statistical complexity without explicit reference to underlying probabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pennini, F.; Plastino, A.

2018-06-01

We show that extremely simple systems of a not too large number of particles can be simultaneously thermally stable and complex. To such an end, we extend the statistical complexity's notion to simple configurations of non-interacting particles, without appeal to probabilities, and discuss configurational properties.

Evolution of the cerebellum as a neuronal machine for Bayesian state estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paulin, M. G.

2005-09-01

The cerebellum evolved in association with the electric sense and vestibular sense of the earliest vertebrates. Accurate information provided by these sensory systems would have been essential for precise control of orienting behavior in predation. A simple model shows that individual spikes in electrosensory primary afferent neurons can be interpreted as measurements of prey location. Using this result, I construct a computational neural model in which the spatial distribution of spikes in a secondary electrosensory map forms a Monte Carlo approximation to the Bayesian posterior distribution of prey locations given the sense data. The neural circuit that emerges naturally to perform this task resembles the cerebellar-like hindbrain electrosensory filtering circuitry of sharks and other electrosensory vertebrates. The optimal filtering mechanism can be extended to handle dynamical targets observed from a dynamical platform; that is, to construct an optimal dynamical state estimator using spiking neurons. This may provide a generic model of cerebellar computation. Vertebrate motion-sensing neurons have specific fractional-order dynamical characteristics that allow Bayesian state estimators to be implemented elegantly and efficiently, using simple operations with asynchronous pulses, i.e. spikes. The computational neural models described in this paper represent a novel kind of particle filter, using spikes as particles. The models are specific and make testable predictions about computational mechanisms in cerebellar circuitry, while providing a plausible explanation of cerebellar contributions to aspects of motor control, perception and cognition.

Analysis of the free-fall behavior of liquid-metal drops in a gaseous atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccoy, J. Kevin; Markworth, Alan J.; Collings, E. W.; Brodkey, Robert S.

1987-01-01

The free-fall of a liquid-metal drop and heat transfer from the drop to its environment are described for both a gaseous atmosphere and vacuum. A simple model, in which the drop is assumed to fall rectilinearly with behavior like that of a rigid particle, is developed first, then possible causes of deviation from this behavior are discussed. The model is applied to describe solidification of drops in a drop tube. Possible future developments of the model are suggested.

Ground truth methods for optical cross-section modeling of biological aerosols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalter, J.; Thrush, E.; Santarpia, J.; Chaudhry, Z.; Gilberry, J.; Brown, D. M.; Brown, A.; Carter, C. C.

2011-05-01

Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems have demonstrated some capability to meet the needs of a fastresponse standoff biological detection method for simulants in open air conditions. These systems are designed to exploit various cloud signatures, such as differential elastic backscatter, fluorescence, and depolarization in order to detect biological warfare agents (BWAs). However, because the release of BWAs in open air is forbidden, methods must be developed to predict candidate system performance against real agents. In support of such efforts, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (JHU/APL) has developed a modeling approach to predict the optical properties of agent materials from relatively simple, Biosafety Level 3-compatible bench top measurements. JHU/APL has fielded new ground truth instruments (in addition to standard particle sizers, such as the Aerodynamic particle sizer (APS) or GRIMM aerosol monitor (GRIMM)) to more thoroughly characterize the simulant aerosols released in recent field tests at Dugway Proving Ground (DPG). These instruments include the Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS), the Ultraviolet Aerodynamic Particle Sizer (UVAPS), and the Aspect Aerosol Size and Shape Analyser (Aspect). The SMPS was employed as a means of measuring smallparticle concentrations for more accurate Mie scattering simulations; the UVAPS, which measures size-resolved fluorescence intensity, was employed as a path toward fluorescence cross section modeling; and the Aspect, which measures particle shape, was employed as a path towards depolarization modeling.

Categorization of Brazil nut effect and its reverse under less-convective conditions for microgravity geology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chujo, Toshihiro; Mori, Osamu; Kawaguchi, Junichiro; Yano, Hajime

2018-03-01

Due to its important role in the sorting of particles on microgravity bodies by size, Brazil nut effect (BNE) is a major subject of study for understanding the evolution of planetesimals. Recent studies have revealed that the mechanism for the BNE on microgravity bodies is the percolation of particles or void-filling, rather than granular convection. This study also considers the mechanism for the BNE under `less-convective' conditions and introduces three categories of behaviour for particles that mainly depend on the dimensionless acceleration of vibration Γ (ratio of maximum acceleration to gravitational acceleration), using a simplified analytical model. The conditions for Γ proposed by the model for each category are verified by both numerical simulations and laboratory experiments. `Less-convective' conditions are realized by reducing the friction force between particles and the wall. We found three distinct behaviours of the particles when Γ > 1: the (i) `slow BNE', (ii) `fast BNE', and (iii) `fluid motion' (the reverse BNE may be induced), and the thresholds for Γ correspond well with those proposed by the simple model. We also applied this categorization to low-gravity environments and found that the categorization scales with gravity level. These results imply that laboratory experiments can provide knowledge of granular mobility on the surface of microgravity bodies.

Effect of particle size on droplet infiltration into hydrophobic porous media as a model of water repellent soil.

PubMed

Hamlett, Christopher A E; Shirtcliffe, Neil J; McHale, Glen; Ahn, Sujung; Bryant, Robert; Doerr, Stefan H; Newton, Michael I

2011-11-15

The wettability of soil is of great importance for plants and soil biota, and in determining the risk for preferential flow, surface runoff, flooding,and soil erosion. The molarity of ethanol droplet (MED) test is widely used for quantifying the severity of water repellency in soils that show reduced wettability and is assumed to be independent of soil particle size. The minimum ethanol concentration at which droplet penetration occurs within a short time (≤ 10 s) provides an estimate of the initial advancing contact angle at which spontaneous wetting is expected. In this study, we test the assumption of particle size independence using a simple model of soil, represented by layers of small (~0.2-2 mm) diameter beads that predict the effect of changing bead radius in the top layer on capillary driven imbibition. Experimental results using a three-layer bead system show broad agreement with the model and demonstrate a dependence of the MED test on particle size. The results show that the critical initial advancing contact angle for penetration can be considerably less than 90° and varies with particle size, demonstrating that a key assumption currently used in the MED testing of soil is not necessarily valid.

A Two Species Bump-On-Tail Model With Relaxation for Energetic Particle Driven Modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aslanyan, V.; Porkolab, M.; Sharapov, S. E.; Spong, D. A.

2017-10-01

Energetic particle driven Alfvén Eigenmodes (AEs) observed in present day experiments exhibit various nonlinear behaviours varying from steady state amplitude at a fixed frequency to bursting amplitudes and sweeping frequency. Using the appropriate action-angle variables, the problem of resonant wave-particle interaction becomes effectively one-dimensional. Previously, a simple one-dimensional Bump-On-Tail (BOT) model has proven to be one of the most effective in describing characteristic nonlinear near-threshold wave evolution scenarios. In particular, dynamical friction causes bursting mode evolution, while diffusive relaxation may give steady-state, periodic or chaotic mode evolution. BOT has now been extended to include two populations of fast particles, with one dominated by dynamical friction at the resonance and the other by diffusion; the relative size of the populations determines the temporal evolution of the resulting wave. This suggests an explanation for recent observations on the TJ-II stellarator, where a transition between steady state and bursting occured as the magnetic configuration varied. The two species model is then applied to burning plasma with drag-dominated alpha particles and diffusion-dominated ICRH accelerated minority ions. This work was supported by the US DoE and the RCUK Energy Programme [Grant Number EP/P012450/1].

Cluster-cluster aggregation with particle replication and chemotaxy: a simple model for the growth of animal cells in culture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, S. G.; Martins, M. L.

2010-09-01

Aggregation of animal cells in culture comprises a series of motility, collision and adhesion processes of basic relevance for tissue engineering, bioseparations, oncology research and in vitro drug testing. In the present paper, a cluster-cluster aggregation model with stochastic particle replication and chemotactically driven motility is investigated as a model for the growth of animal cells in culture. The focus is on the scaling laws governing the aggregation kinetics. Our simulations reveal that in the absence of chemotaxy the mean cluster size and the total number of clusters scale in time as stretched exponentials dependent on the particle replication rate. Also, the dynamical cluster size distribution functions are represented by a scaling relation in which the scaling function involves a stretched exponential of the time. The introduction of chemoattraction among the particles leads to distribution functions decaying as power laws with exponents that decrease in time. The fractal dimensions and size distributions of the simulated clusters are qualitatively discussed in terms of those determined experimentally for several normal and tumoral cell lines growing in culture. It is shown that particle replication and chemotaxy account for the simplest cluster size distributions of cellular aggregates observed in culture.

Correlating subjective and objective descriptors of ultra high molecular weight wear particles from total joint prostheses.

PubMed

McMullin, Brian T; Leung, Ming-Ying; Shanbhag, Arun S; McNulty, Donald; Mabrey, Jay D; Agrawal, C Mauli

2006-02-01

A total of 750 images of individual ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) particles isolated from periprosthetic failed hip, knee, and shoulder arthroplasties were extracted from archival scanning electron micrographs. Particle size and morphology was subsequently analyzed using computerized image analysis software utilizing five descriptors found in ASTM F1877-98, a standard for quantitative description of wear debris. An online survey application was developed to display particle images, and allowed ten respondents to classify particle morphologies according to commonly used terminology as fibers, flakes, or granules. Particles were categorized based on a simple majority of responses. All descriptors were evaluated using a one-way ANOVA and Tukey-Kramer test for all-pairs comparison among each class of particles. A logistic regression model using half of the particles included in the survey was then used to develop a mathematical scheme to predict whether a given particle should be classified as a fiber, flake, or granule based on its quantitative measurements. The validity of the model was then assessed using the other half of the survey particles and compared with human responses. Comparison of the quantitative measurements of isolated particles showed that the morphologies of each particle type classified by respondents were statistically different from one another (p<0.05). The average agreement between mathematical prediction and human respondents was 83.5% (standard error 0.16%). These data suggest that computerized descriptors can be feasibly correlated with subjective terminology, thus providing a basis for a common vocabulary for particle description which can be translated into quantitative dimensions.

Correlating subjective and objective descriptors of ultra high molecular weight wear particles from total joint prostheses

PubMed Central

McMullin, Brian T.; Leung, Ming-Ying; Shanbhag, Arun S.; McNulty, Donald; Mabrey, Jay D.; Agrawal, C. Mauli

2014-01-01

A total of 750 images of individual ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) particles isolated from periprosthetic failed hip, knee, and shoulder arthroplasties were extracted from archival scanning electron micrographs. Particle size and morphology was subsequently analyzed using computerized image analysis software utilizing five descriptors found in ASTM F1877-98, a standard for quantitative description of wear debris. An online survey application was developed to display particle images, and allowed ten respondents to classify particle morphologies according to commonly used terminology as fibers, flakes, or granules. Particles were categorized based on a simple majority of responses. All descriptors were evaluated using a one-way ANOVA and Tukey–Kramer test for all-pairs comparison among each class of particles. A logistic regression model using half of the particles included in the survey was then used to develop a mathematical scheme to predict whether a given particle should be classified as a fiber, flake, or granule based on its quantitative measurements. The validity of the model was then assessed using the other half of the survey particles and compared with human responses. Comparison of the quantitative measurements of isolated particles showed that the morphologies of each particle type classified by respondents were statistically different from one another (po0:05). The average agreement between mathematical prediction and human respondents was 83.5% (standard error 0.16%). These data suggest that computerized descriptors can be feasibly correlated with subjective terminology, thus providing a basis for a common vocabulary for particle description which can be translated into quantitative dimensions. PMID:16112725

An Application of X-Ray Fluorescence as Process Analytical Technology (PAT) to Monitor Particle Coating Processes.

PubMed

Nakano, Yoshio; Katakuse, Yoshimitsu; Azechi, Yasutaka

2018-06-01

An attempt to apply X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis to evaluate small particle coating process as a Process Analytical Technologies (PAT) was made. The XRF analysis was used to monitor coating level in small particle coating process with at-line manner. The small particle coating process usually consists of multiple coating processes. This study was conducted by a simple coating particles prepared by first coating of a model compound (DL-methionine) and second coating by talc on spherical microcrystalline cellulose cores. The particles with two layered coating are enough to demonstrate the small particle coating process. From the result by the small particle coating process, it was found that the XRF signal played different roles, resulting that XRF signals by first coating (layering) and second coating (mask coating) could demonstrate the extent with different mechanisms for the coating process. Furthermore, the particle coating of the different particle size has also been investigated to evaluate size effect of these coating processes. From these results, it was concluded that the XRF could be used as a PAT in monitoring particle coating processes and become powerful tool in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Micro-valve using induced-charge electrokinetic motion of Janus particle.

PubMed

Daghighi, Yasaman; Li, Dongqing

2011-09-07

A new micro-valve using the electrokinetic motion of a Janus particle is introduced in this paper. A Janus particle with a conducting hemisphere and a non-conducting hemisphere is placed in a junction of several microchannels. Under an applied electric field, the induced-charge electrokinetic flow around the conducting side of the Janus particle forms vortices. The vortices push the particle moving forwards to block the entrance of a microchannel. By switching the direction of the applied electric field, the motion of the Janus particle can be changed to block different microchannels. This paper develops a theoretical model and conducts numerical simulations of the three-dimensional transient motion of the Janus particle. The results show that this Janus particle-based micro-valve is feasible for switching and controlling the flow rate in a microfluidic chip. This method is simple in comparison with other types of micro-valve methods. It is easy for fabrication, for operation control, and has a fast response time. To better understand the micro-valve functions, comparisons with a non-conducting particle and a fully conducting particle were made. Results proved that only a Janus particle can fulfill the requirements of such a micro-valve.

Multimedia modeling of engineered nanoparticles with SimpleBox4nano: model definition and evaluation.

PubMed

Meesters, Johannes A J; Koelmans, Albert A; Quik, Joris T K; Hendriks, A Jan; van de Meent, Dik

2014-05-20

Screening level models for environmental assessment of engineered nanoparticles (ENP) are not generally available. Here, we present SimpleBox4Nano (SB4N) as the first model of this type, assess its validity, and evaluate it by comparisons with a known material flow model. SB4N expresses ENP transport and concentrations in and across air, rain, surface waters, soil, and sediment, accounting for nanospecific processes such as aggregation, attachment, and dissolution. The model solves simultaneous mass balance equations (MBE) using simple matrix algebra. The MBEs link all concentrations and transfer processes using first-order rate constants for all processes known to be relevant for ENPs. The first-order rate constants are obtained from the literature. The output of SB4N is mass concentrations of ENPs as free dispersive species, heteroaggregates with natural colloids, and larger natural particles in each compartment in time and at steady state. Known scenario studies for Switzerland were used to demonstrate the impact of the transport processes included in SB4N on the prediction of environmental concentrations. We argue that SB4N-predicted environmental concentrations are useful as background concentrations in environmental risk assessment.

A simplified 137Cs transport model for estimating erosion rates in undisturbed soil.

PubMed

Zhang, Xinbao; Long, Yi; He, Xiubin; Fu, Jiexiong; Zhang, Yunqi

2008-08-01

(137)Cs is an artificial radionuclide with a half-life of 30.12 years which released into the environment as a result of atmospheric testing of thermo-nuclear weapons primarily during the period of 1950s-1970s with the maximum rate of (137)Cs fallout from atmosphere in 1963. (137)Cs fallout is strongly and rapidly adsorbed by fine particles in the surface horizons of the soil, when it falls down on the ground mostly with precipitation. Its subsequent redistribution is associated with movements of the soil or sediment particles. The (137)Cs nuclide tracing technique has been used for assessment of soil losses for both undisturbed and cultivated soils. For undisturbed soils, a simple profile-shape model was developed in 1990 to describe the (137)Cs depth distribution in profile, where the maximum (137)Cs occurs in the surface horizon and it exponentially decreases with depth. The model implied that the total (137)Cs fallout amount deposited on the earth surface in 1963 and the (137)Cs profile shape has not changed with time. The model has been widely used for assessment of soil losses on undisturbed land. However, temporal variations of (137)Cs depth distribution in undisturbed soils after its deposition on the ground due to downward transport processes are not considered in the previous simple profile-shape model. Thus, the soil losses are overestimated by the model. On the base of the erosion assessment model developed by Walling, D.E., He, Q. [1999. Improved models for estimating soil erosion rates from cesium-137 measurements. Journal of Environmental Quality 28, 611-622], we discuss the (137)Cs transport process in the eroded soil profile and make some simplification to the model, develop a method to estimate the soil erosion rate more expediently. To compare the soil erosion rates calculated by the simple profile-shape model and the simple transport model, the soil losses related to different (137)Cs loss proportions of the reference inventory at the Kaixian site of the Three Gorge Region, China are estimated by the two models. The over-estimation of the soil loss by using the previous simple profile-shape model obviously increases with the time period from the sampling year to the year of 1963 and (137)Cs loss proportion of the reference inventory. As to 20-80% of (137)Cs loss proportions of the reference inventory at the Kaixian site in 2004, the annual soil loss depths estimated by the new simplified transport process model are only 57.90-56.24% of the values estimated by the previous model.

Dynamics in a one-dimensional ferrogel model: relaxation, pairing, shock-wave propagation.

PubMed

Goh, Segun; Menzel, Andreas M; Löwen, Hartmut

2018-05-23

Ferrogels are smart soft materials, consisting of a polymeric network and embedded magnetic particles. Novel phenomena, such as the variation of the overall mechanical properties by external magnetic fields, emerge consequently. However, the dynamic behavior of ferrogels remains largely unveiled. In this paper, we consider a one-dimensional chain consisting of magnetic dipoles and elastic springs between them as a simple model for ferrogels. The model is evaluated by corresponding simulations. To probe the dynamics theoretically, we investigate a continuum limit of the energy governing the system and the corresponding equation of motion. We provide general classification scenarios for the dynamics, elucidating the touching/detachment dynamics of the magnetic particles along the chain. In particular, it is verified in certain cases that the long-time relaxation corresponds to solutions of shock-wave propagation, while formations of particle pairs underlie the initial stage of the dynamics. We expect that these results will provide insight into the understanding of the dynamics of more realistic models with randomness in parameters and time-dependent magnetic fields.

Infrared backscattering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bohren, Craig F.; Nevitt, Timothy J.; Singham, Shermila Brito

1989-01-01

All particles in the atmosphere are not spherical. Moreover, the scattering properties of randomly oriented nonspherical particles are not equivalent to those of spherical particles no matter how the term equivalent is defined. This is especially true for scattering in the backward direction and at the infrared wavelengths at which some atmospheric particles have strong absorption bands. Thus calculations based on Mie theory of infrared backscattering by dry or insoluble atmospheric particles are suspect. To support this assertion, it was noted that peaks in laboratory-measured infrared backscattering spectra show appreciable shifts compared with those calculated using Mie theory. One example is ammonium sulfate. Some success was had in modeling backscattering spectra of ammonium sulfate particles using a simple statistical theory called the continuous distribution of ellipsoids (CDE) theory. In this theory, the scattering properties of an ensemble are calculated. Recently a modified version of this theory was applied to measured spectra of scattering by kaolin particles. The particles were platelike, so the probability distribution of ellipsoidal shapes was chosen to reflect this. As with ammonium sulfate, the wavelength of measured peak backscattering is shifted longward of that predicted by Mie theory.

Hysteresis compensation of the Prandtl-Ishlinskii model for piezoelectric actuators using modified particle swarm optimization with chaotic map.

PubMed

Long, Zhili; Wang, Rui; Fang, Jiwen; Dai, Xufei; Li, Zuohua

2017-07-01

Piezoelectric actuators invariably exhibit hysteresis nonlinearities that tend to become significant under the open-loop condition and could cause oscillations and errors in nanometer-positioning tasks. Chaotic map modified particle swarm optimization (MPSO) is proposed and implemented to identify the Prandtl-Ishlinskii model for piezoelectric actuators. Hysteresis compensation is attained through application of an inverse Prandtl-Ishlinskii model, in which the parameters are formulated based on the original model with chaotic map MPSO. To strengthen the diversity and improve the searching ergodicity of the swarm, an initial method of adaptive inertia weight based on a chaotic map is proposed. To compare and prove that the swarm's convergence occurs before stochastic initialization and to attain an optimal particle swarm optimization algorithm, the parameters of a proportional-integral-derivative controller are searched using self-tuning, and the simulated results are used to verify the search effectiveness of chaotic map MPSO. The results show that chaotic map MPSO is superior to its competitors for identifying the Prandtl-Ishlinskii model and that the inverse Prandtl-Ishlinskii model can provide hysteresis compensation under different conditions in a simple and effective manner.

Micrometeoroid ablation simulated in the laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sternovsky, Zoltan; Thomas, Evan W.; DeLuca, Michael; Horanyi, Mihaly; Janches, Diego; Munsat, Tobin L.; Plane, John M. C.

2016-04-01

A facility is developed to simulate the ablation of micrometeoroids in laboratory conditions, which also allows measuring the ionization probability of the ablated material. An electrostatic dust accelerator is used to generate iron and meteoric analog particles with velocities 10-50 km/s. The particles are then introduced into a cell filled with nitrogen, air or carbon dioxide gas with pressures adjustable in the 0.02 - 0.5 Torr range, where the partial or complete ablation of the particle occurs over a short distance. An array of biased electrodes is used to collect the ionized products with spatial resolution along the ablating particles' path, allowing thus the study of the temporal resolution of the process. A simple ablation model is used to match the observations. For completely ablated particles the total collected charge directly yields the ionization efficiency for. The measurements using iron particles in N2 and air are in relatively good agreement with earlier data. The measurements with CO2 and He gases, however, are significantly different from the expectations.

Microscopic origin and macroscopic implications of lane formation in mixtures of oppositely-driven particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitelam, Stephen

Colloidal particles of two types, driven in opposite directions, can segregate into lanes. I will describe some results on this phenomenon obtained by simple physical arguments and computer simulations. Laning results from rectification of diffusion on the scale of a particle diameter: oppositely-driven particles must, in the time taken to encounter each other in the direction of the drive, diffuse in the perpendicular direction by about one particle diameter. This geometric constraint implies that the diffusion constant of a particle, in the presence of those of the opposite type, grows approximately linearly with Peclet number, a prediction confirmed by our numerics. Such environment-dependent diffusion is statistically similar to an effective interparticle attraction; consistent with this observation, we find that oppositely-driven colloids display features characteristic of the simplest model system possessing both interparticle attractions and persistent motion, the driven Ising lattice gas. Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Uncertainty in simulated groundwater-quality trends in transient flow

USGS Publications Warehouse

Starn, J. Jeffrey; Bagtzoglou, Amvrossios; Robbins, Gary A.

2013-01-01

In numerical modeling of groundwater flow, the result of a given solution method is affected by the way in which transient flow conditions and geologic heterogeneity are simulated. An algorithm is demonstrated that simulates breakthrough curves at a pumping well by convolution-based particle tracking in a transient flow field for several synthetic basin-scale aquifers. In comparison to grid-based (Eulerian) methods, the particle (Lagrangian) method is better able to capture multimodal breakthrough caused by changes in pumping at the well, although the particle method may be apparently nonlinear because of the discrete nature of particle arrival times. Trial-and-error choice of number of particles and release times can perhaps overcome the apparent nonlinearity. Heterogeneous aquifer properties tend to smooth the effects of transient pumping, making it difficult to separate their effects in parameter estimation. Porosity, a new parameter added for advective transport, can be accurately estimated using both grid-based and particle-based methods, but predictions can be highly uncertain, even in the simple, nonreactive case.

Positron accumulation effect in particles embedded in a low-density matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dryzek, Jerzy; Siemek, Krzysztof

2015-02-01

Systematic studies of the so-called positron accumulation effect for samples with particles embedded in a matrix are reported. This effect is related to energetic positrons which penetrate inhomogeneous medium. Due to differences in the linear absorption coefficient, different amounts of positrons are accumulated and annihilate in the identical volume of both materials. Positron lifetime spectroscopy and Doppler broadening of the annihilation line using Na-22 positrons were applied to the studies of the epoxy resin samples with embedded micro-sized particles of transition metals, i.e., Ni, Sn, Mo, W, and nonmetal particles, i.e., Si and NaF. The significant difference between the determined fraction of positrons annihilating in the particles and the particle volume fraction indicates the positron accumulation effect. The simple phenomenological model and Monte Carlo simulations are able to describe the main features of the obtained dependencies. The aluminum alloy with embedded Sn nanoparticles is also considered for demonstration differences between the accumulation and another related effect, i.e., the positron affinity.

Random walk, diffusion and mixing in simulations of scalar transport in fluid flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klimenko, A. Y.

2008-12-01

Physical similarity and mathematical equivalence of continuous diffusion and particle random walk form one of the cornerstones of modern physics and the theory of stochastic processes. In many applied models used in simulation of turbulent transport and turbulent combustion, mixing between particles is used to reflect the influence of the continuous diffusion terms in the transport equations. We show that the continuous scalar transport and diffusion can be accurately specified by means of mixing between randomly walking Lagrangian particles with scalar properties and assess errors associated with this scheme. This gives an alternative formulation for the stochastic process which is selected to represent the continuous diffusion. This paper focuses on statistical errors and deals with relatively simple cases, where one-particle distributions are sufficient for a complete description of the problem.

Unity of quarks and leptons at the TeV scale

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Foot, R.; Lew, H.

1990-08-01

The gauge group (SU(3)){sup 2}{direct product}(SU(2)){sup 2}{direct product}(U(1){sub {ital Y}{prime}}){sup 3} supplemented by quark-lepton, left-right, and generation discrete symmetries represents a new approach to the understanding of the particle content of the standard model. In particular, as a result of the large number of symmetries, the fermion sector of the model is very simple. After symmetry breaking, the standard model can be shown to emerge from this highly symmetric model at low energies.

Occupation probabilities and fluctuations in the asymmetric simple inclusion process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reuveni, Shlomi; Hirschberg, Ori; Eliazar, Iddo; Yechiali, Uri

2014-04-01

The asymmetric simple inclusion process (ASIP), a lattice-gas model of unidirectional transport and aggregation, was recently proposed as an "inclusion" counterpart of the asymmetric simple exclusion process. In this paper we present an exact closed-form expression for the probability that a given number of particles occupies a given set of consecutive lattice sites. Our results are expressed in terms of the entries of Catalan's trapezoids—number arrays which generalize Catalan's numbers and Catalan's triangle. We further prove that the ASIP is asymptotically governed by the following: (i) an inverse square-root law of occupation, (ii) a square-root law of fluctuation, and (iii) a Rayleigh law for the distribution of interexit times. The universality of these results is discussed.

Theory of inhomogeneous quantum systems. III. Variational wave functions for Fermi fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krotscheck, E.

1985-04-01

We develop a general variational theory for inhomogeneous Fermi systems such as the electron gas in a metal surface, the surface of liquid 3He, or simple models of heavy nuclei. The ground-state wave function is expressed in terms of two-body correlations, a one-body attenuation factor, and a model-system Slater determinant. Massive partial summations of cluster expansions are performed by means of Born-Green-Yvon and hypernetted-chain techniques. An optimal single-particle basis is generated by a generalized Hartree-Fock equation in which the two-body correlations screen the bare interparticle interaction. The optimization of the pair correlations leads to a state-averaged random-phase-approximation equation and a strictly microscopic determination of the particle-hole interaction.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seinfeld, John H.

This project addressed the following research need in the Atmospheric System Research (ASR) Science and Program Plan: "Measurements downwind of urban sources of aerosol particles and precursor gases have shown that the mass concentration of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) can be several-fold greater than can be explained on the basis of current model calculations using observed precursor concentrations. ASR will continue conducting laboratory experiments on both gas-phase and aqueous-phase SOA formation to characterize the particle formation and the organic gases that react to form new organic aerosol material on aerosol seeds. ASR will use these experiments to guide the developmentmore » of comprehensive chemical mechanisms... to guide the development of parameterizations that are simple enough to be applied to aerosol life cycle models."« less

The race for supersymmetry: Using m{sub T2} for discovery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barr, Alan J.; Gwenlan, Claire

2009-10-01

We describe how one may employ a very simple event selection, using only the kinematic variable m{sub T2}, to search for new particles at the LHC. The method is useful when searching for evidence of models (such as R-parity conserving supersymmetry), which have a Z{sub 2} parity and a weakly interacting lightest parity-odd particle. We discuss the kinematic properties which make this variable an excellent discriminant against the great majority of standard model backgrounds. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that this approach could be used to discover supersymmetry with somewhat smaller integrated luminosities (or perhaps lower center-of-mass energies) than would bemore » required for other comparable analyses.« less

Two particle model for studying the effects of space-charge force on strong head-tail instabilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chin, Yong Ho; Chao, Alexander Wu; Blaskiewicz, Michael M.

In this paper, we present a new two particle model for studying the strong head-tail instabilities in the presence of the space-charge force. It is a simple expansion of the well-known two particle model for strong head-tail instability and is still analytically solvable. No chromaticity effect is included. It leads to a formula for the growth rate as a function of the two dimensionless parameters: the space-charge tune shift parameter (normalized by the synchrotron tune) and the wakefield strength, Upsilon. The three-dimensional contour plot of the growth rate as a function of those two dimensionless parameters reveals stopband structures. Manymore » simulation results generally indicate that a strong head-tail instability can be damped by a weak space-charge force, but the beam becomes unstable again when the space-charge force is further increased. The new two particle model indicates a similar behavior. In weak space-charge regions, additional tune shifts by the space-charge force dissolve the mode coupling. As the space-charge force is increased, they conversely restore the mode coupling, but then a further increase of the space-charge force decouples the modes again. Lastly, this mode coupling/decoupling behavior creates the stopband structures.« less

Two particle model for studying the effects of space-charge force on strong head-tail instabilities

DOE PAGES

Chin, Yong Ho; Chao, Alexander Wu; Blaskiewicz, Michael M.

2016-01-19

In this paper, we present a new two particle model for studying the strong head-tail instabilities in the presence of the space-charge force. It is a simple expansion of the well-known two particle model for strong head-tail instability and is still analytically solvable. No chromaticity effect is included. It leads to a formula for the growth rate as a function of the two dimensionless parameters: the space-charge tune shift parameter (normalized by the synchrotron tune) and the wakefield strength, Upsilon. The three-dimensional contour plot of the growth rate as a function of those two dimensionless parameters reveals stopband structures. Manymore » simulation results generally indicate that a strong head-tail instability can be damped by a weak space-charge force, but the beam becomes unstable again when the space-charge force is further increased. The new two particle model indicates a similar behavior. In weak space-charge regions, additional tune shifts by the space-charge force dissolve the mode coupling. As the space-charge force is increased, they conversely restore the mode coupling, but then a further increase of the space-charge force decouples the modes again. Lastly, this mode coupling/decoupling behavior creates the stopband structures.« less

Combined effects of drift waves and neoclassical transport on density profiles in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houlberg, W. A.; Strand, P.

2005-10-01

The relative importance of neoclassical and anomalous particle transport depends on the charge number of the species being studied. The detailed particle balance including the EDWM [1] drift wave model for anomalous transport that includes ITG, TEM and in some cases ETG modes, and the neoclassical model NCLASS [2], are illustrated by simulations with the DEA particle transport code. DEA models the evolution of all ion species, and can be run in a mode to evaluate dynamic responses to perturbations or to conditions far from equilibrium by perturbing the profiles from the experimental measurements. The perturbations allow the fluxes to be decomposed into diffusive and convective (pinch) terms. The different scaling with charge number between drift wave and neoclassical models favors a stronger component of neoclassical transport for higher Z impurities through the effective pinch term. Although trace impurities illustrate a simple Ficks Law form, the main ions as well as higher concentrations of intrinsic impurities exhibit non-linear responses to the density gradients as well as off-diagonal gradient dependencies, leading to a more complicated response for the particle fluxes.[1] H. Nordman, et al., Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 47 (2005) L11. [2] W.A. Houlberg, et al., Phys. Plasmas 4 (1997) 3230.

A parallel competitive Particle Swarm Optimization for non-linear first arrival traveltime tomography and uncertainty quantification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luu, Keurfon; Noble, Mark; Gesret, Alexandrine; Belayouni, Nidhal; Roux, Pierre-François

2018-04-01

Seismic traveltime tomography is an optimization problem that requires large computational efforts. Therefore, linearized techniques are commonly used for their low computational cost. These local optimization methods are likely to get trapped in a local minimum as they critically depend on the initial model. On the other hand, global optimization methods based on MCMC are insensitive to the initial model but turn out to be computationally expensive. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is a rather new global optimization approach with few tuning parameters that has shown excellent convergence rates and is straightforwardly parallelizable, allowing a good distribution of the workload. However, while it can traverse several local minima of the evaluated misfit function, classical implementation of PSO can get trapped in local minima at later iterations as particles inertia dim. We propose a Competitive PSO (CPSO) to help particles to escape from local minima with a simple implementation that improves swarm's diversity. The model space can be sampled by running the optimizer multiple times and by keeping all the models explored by the swarms in the different runs. A traveltime tomography algorithm based on CPSO is successfully applied on a real 3D data set in the context of induced seismicity.

A simple model of space radiation damage in GaAs solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, J. W.; Stith, J. J.; Stock, L. V.

1983-01-01

A simple model is derived for the radiation damage of shallow junction gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cells. Reasonable agreement is found between the model and specific experimental studies of radiation effects with electron and proton beams. In particular, the extreme sensitivity of the cell to protons stopping near the cell junction is predicted by the model. The equivalent fluence concept is of questionable validity for monoenergetic proton beams. Angular factors are quite important in establishing the cell sensitivity to incident particle types and energies. A fluence of isotropic incidence 1 MeV electrons (assuming infinite backing) is equivalent to four times the fluence of normal incidence 1 MeV electrons. Spectral factors common to the space radiations are considered, and cover glass thickness required to minimize the initial damage for a typical cell configuration is calculated. Rough equivalence between the geosynchronous environment and an equivalent 1 MeV electron fluence (normal incidence) is established.

Dynamics of Nanoparticles in Entangled Polymer Solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nath, Pooja; Mangal, Rahul; Kohle, Ferdinand

The mean square displacement < r 2 > of nanoparticle probes dispersed in simple isotropic liquids and in polymer solutions is interrogated using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and single-particle tracking (SPT) experiments. Probe dynamics in different regimes of particle diameter (d), relative to characteristic polymer length scales, including the correlation length (ξ), the entanglement mesh size (a), and the radius of gyration (R g), are investigated. In simple fluids and for polymer solutions in which d >> R g, long-time particle dynamics obey random-walk statistics < r 2 >:t, with the bulk zero-shear viscosity of the polymer solution determining the frictionalmore » resistance to particle motion. In contrast, in polymer solutions with d < R g, polymer molecules in solution exert noncontinuum resistances to particle motion and nanoparticle probes appear to interact hydrodynamically only with a local fluid medium with effective drag comparable to that of a solution of polymer chain segments with sizes similar to those of the nanoparticle probes. Under these conditions, the nanoparticles exhibit orders of magnitude faster dynamics than those expected from continuum predictions based on the Stokes–Einstein relation. SPT measurements further show that when d > a, nanoparticle dynamics transition from diffusive to subdiffusive on long timescales, reminiscent of particle transport in a field with obstructions. This last finding is in stark contrast to the nanoparticle dynamics observed in entangled polymer melts, where X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy measurements reveal faster but hyperdiffusive dynamics. As a result, we analyze these results with the help of the hopping model for particle dynamics in polymers proposed by Cai et al. and, on that basis, discuss the physical origins of the local drag experienced by the nanoparticles in entangled polymer solutions.« less

Dynamics of Nanoparticles in Entangled Polymer Solutions

DOE PAGES

Nath, Pooja; Mangal, Rahul; Kohle, Ferdinand; ...

2017-12-01

The mean square displacement < r 2 > of nanoparticle probes dispersed in simple isotropic liquids and in polymer solutions is interrogated using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and single-particle tracking (SPT) experiments. Probe dynamics in different regimes of particle diameter (d), relative to characteristic polymer length scales, including the correlation length (ξ), the entanglement mesh size (a), and the radius of gyration (R g), are investigated. In simple fluids and for polymer solutions in which d >> R g, long-time particle dynamics obey random-walk statistics < r 2 >:t, with the bulk zero-shear viscosity of the polymer solution determining the frictionalmore » resistance to particle motion. In contrast, in polymer solutions with d < R g, polymer molecules in solution exert noncontinuum resistances to particle motion and nanoparticle probes appear to interact hydrodynamically only with a local fluid medium with effective drag comparable to that of a solution of polymer chain segments with sizes similar to those of the nanoparticle probes. Under these conditions, the nanoparticles exhibit orders of magnitude faster dynamics than those expected from continuum predictions based on the Stokes–Einstein relation. SPT measurements further show that when d > a, nanoparticle dynamics transition from diffusive to subdiffusive on long timescales, reminiscent of particle transport in a field with obstructions. This last finding is in stark contrast to the nanoparticle dynamics observed in entangled polymer melts, where X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy measurements reveal faster but hyperdiffusive dynamics. As a result, we analyze these results with the help of the hopping model for particle dynamics in polymers proposed by Cai et al. and, on that basis, discuss the physical origins of the local drag experienced by the nanoparticles in entangled polymer solutions.« less

Hydrogen recycling in graphite at higher fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsson, D.; Bergsåker, H.; Hedqvist, A.

Understanding hydrogen recycling is essential for particle control in fusion devices with a graphite wall. At Extrap T2 three different models have been used. A zero-dimensional (0D) recycling model reproduces the density behavior in plasma discharges as well as in helium glow discharge. A more sophisticated one-dimensional (1D) model is used along with a simple mixing model to explain the results in isotopic exchange experiments. Due to high fluxes some changes in the models were needed. In the paper, the three models are discussed and the results are compared with experimental data.

Catalytic micromotor generating self-propelled regular motion through random fluctuation.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Daigo; Mukai, Atsushi; Okita, Naoaki; Yoshikawa, Kenichi; Shioi, Akihisa

2013-07-21

Most of the current studies on nano∕microscale motors to generate regular motion have adapted the strategy to fabricate a composite with different materials. In this paper, we report that a simple object solely made of platinum generates regular motion driven by a catalytic chemical reaction with hydrogen peroxide. Depending on the morphological symmetry of the catalytic particles, a rich variety of random and regular motions are observed. The experimental trend is well reproduced by a simple theoretical model by taking into account of the anisotropic viscous effect on the self-propelled active Brownian fluctuation.

Catalytic micromotor generating self-propelled regular motion through random fluctuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Daigo; Mukai, Atsushi; Okita, Naoaki; Yoshikawa, Kenichi; Shioi, Akihisa

2013-07-01

Most of the current studies on nano/microscale motors to generate regular motion have adapted the strategy to fabricate a composite with different materials. In this paper, we report that a simple object solely made of platinum generates regular motion driven by a catalytic chemical reaction with hydrogen peroxide. Depending on the morphological symmetry of the catalytic particles, a rich variety of random and regular motions are observed. The experimental trend is well reproduced by a simple theoretical model by taking into account of the anisotropic viscous effect on the self-propelled active Brownian fluctuation.

Kalman and particle filtering methods for full vehicle and tyre identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogdanski, Karol; Best, Matthew C.

2018-05-01

This paper considers identification of all significant vehicle handling dynamics of a test vehicle, including identification of a combined-slip tyre model, using only those sensors currently available on most vehicle controller area network buses. Using an appropriately simple but efficient model structure, all of the independent parameters are found from test vehicle data, with the resulting model accuracy demonstrated on independent validation data. The paper extends previous work on augmented Kalman Filter state estimators to concentrate wholly on parameter identification. It also serves as a review of three alternative filtering methods; identifying forms of the unscented Kalman filter, extended Kalman filter and particle filter are proposed and compared for effectiveness, complexity and computational efficiency. All three filters are suited to applications of system identification and the Kalman Filters can also operate in real-time in on-line model predictive controllers or estimators.

Non-perturbative reheating and Nnaturalness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardy, Edward

2017-11-01

We study models in which reheating happens only through non-perturbative processes. The energy transferred can be exponentially suppressed unless the inflaton is coupled to a particle with a parametrically small mass. Additionally, in some models a light scalar with a negative mass squared parameter leads to much more efficient reheating than one with a positive mass squared of the same magnitude. If a theory contains many sectors similar to the Standard Model coupled to the inflaton via their Higgses, such dynamics can realise the Nnaturalness solution to the hierarchy problem. A sector containing a light Higgs with a non-zero vacuum expectation value is dominantly reheated and there is little energy transferred to the other sectors, consistent with cosmological constraints. The inflaton must decouple from other particles and have a flat potential at large field values, in which case the visible sector UV cutoff can be raised to 10 TeV in a simple model.

Rutherford's Nuclear Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heibron, John

2011-04-01

Rutherford's nuclear model originally was a theory of scattering that represented both the incoming alpha particles and their targets as point charges. The assumption that the apha particle, which Rutherford knew to be a doubly ionized helium atom, was a bare nucleus, and the associated assumption that the electronic structure of the atom played no significant role in large-angle scattering, had immediate and profound consequences well beyond the special problem for which Rutherford introduced them. The group around him in Manchester in 1911/12, which included Niels Bohr, Charles Darwin, Georg von Hevesy, and Henry Moseley, worked out some of these consequences. Their elucidation of radioactivity, isotopy, atomic number, and quantization marked an epoch in microphysics. Rutherford's nuclear model was exemplary not only for its fertility and picturability, but also for its radical simplicity. The lecturer will not undertake to answer the baffling question why such simple models work.

Cellular automaton model for molecular traffic jams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belitsky, V.; Schütz, G. M.

2011-07-01

We consider the time evolution of an exactly solvable cellular automaton with random initial conditions both in the large-scale hydrodynamic limit and on the microscopic level. This model is a version of the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process with sublattice parallel update and thus may serve as a model for studying traffic jams in systems of self-driven particles. We study the emergence of shocks from the microscopic dynamics of the model. In particular, we introduce shock measures whose time evolution we can compute explicitly, both in the thermodynamic limit and for open boundaries where a boundary-induced phase transition driven by the motion of a shock occurs. The motion of the shock, which results from the collective dynamics of the exclusion particles, is a random walk with an internal degree of freedom that determines the jump direction. This type of hopping dynamics is reminiscent of some transport phenomena in biological systems.

Pauli-Zeldovich cancellation of the vacuum energy divergences, auxiliary fields and supersymmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamenshchik, Alexander Yu.; Starobinsky, Alexei A.; Tronconi, Alessandro; Vardanyan, Tereza; Venturi, Giovanni

2018-03-01

We have considered the Pauli-Zeldovich mechanism for the cancellation of the ultraviolet divergences in vacuum energy. This mechanism arises because bosons and fermions give contributions of the opposite signs. In contrast with the preceding papers devoted to this topic wherein mainly free fields were studied, here we have taken their interactions into account to the lowest order of perturbation theory. We have constructed some simple toy models having particles with spin 0 and spin 1 / 2, where masses of the particles are equal while the interactions can be quite non-trivial.

Inflation, quintessence, and the origin of mass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wetterich, C.

2015-08-01

In a unified picture both inflation and present dynamical dark energy arise from the same scalar field. The history of the Universe describes a crossover from a scale invariant "past fixed point" where all particles are massless, to a "future fixed point" for which spontaneous breaking of the exact scale symmetry generates the particle masses. The cosmological solution can be extrapolated to the infinite past in physical time - the universe has no beginning. This is seen most easily in a frame where particle masses and the Planck mass are field-dependent and increase with time. In this "freeze frame" the Universe shrinks and heats up during radiation and matter domination. In the equivalent, but singular Einstein frame cosmic history finds the familiar big bang description. The vicinity of the past fixed point corresponds to inflation. It ends at a first stage of the crossover. A simple model with no more free parameters than ΛCDM predicts for the primordial fluctuations a relation between the tensor amplitude r and the spectral index n, r = 8.19 (1 - n) - 0.137. The crossover is completed by a second stage where the beyond-standard-model sector undergoes the transition to the future fixed point. The resulting increase of neutrino masses stops a cosmological scaling solution, relating the present dark energy density to the present neutrino mass. At present our simple model seems compatible with all observational tests. We discuss how the fixed points can be rooted within quantum gravity in a crossover between ultraviolet and infrared fixed points. Then quantum properties of gravity could be tested both by very early and late cosmology.

Modeling of electrochemical flow capacitors using Stokesian dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karzar Jeddi, Mehdi; Luo, Haoxiang; Cummings, Peter; Hatzell, Kelsey

2017-11-01

Electrochemical flow capacitors (EFCs) are supercapacitors designed to store electrical energy in the form of electrical double layer (EDL) near the surface of porous carbon particles. During its operation, a slurry of activated carbon beads and smaller carbon black particles is pumped between two flat and parallel electrodes. In the charging phase, ions in the electrolyte diffuse to the EDL, and electrical charges percolate through the dynamic network of particles from the flat electrodes; during the discharging phase, the process is reversed with the ions released to the bulk fluid and electrical charges percolating back through the network. In these processes, the relative motion and contact of particle of different sizes affect not only the rheology of the slurry but also charge transfer of the percolation network. In this study, we use Stoekesian dynamics simulation to investigate the role of hydrodynamic interactions of packed carbon particles in the charging/discharging behaviors of EFCs. We derived mobility functions for polydisperse spheres near a no-slip wall. A code is implemented and validated, and a simple charging model has been incorporated to represent charge transfer. Theoretical formulation and results demonstration will be presented in this talk.

Mechanisms behind overshoots in mean cluster size profiles in aggregation-breakup processes.

PubMed

Sadegh-Vaziri, Ramiar; Ludwig, Kristin; Sundmacher, Kai; Babler, Matthaus U

2018-05-26

Aggregation and breakup of small particles in stirred suspensions often shows an overshoot in the time evolution of the mean cluster size: Starting from a suspension of primary particles the mean cluster size first increases before going through a maximum beyond which a slow relaxation sets in. Such behavior was observed in various systems, including polymeric latices, inorganic colloids, asphaltenes, proteins, and, as shown by independent experiments in this work, in the flocculation of microalgae. This work aims at investigating possible mechanism to explain this phenomenon using detailed population balance modeling that incorporates refined rate models for aggregation and breakup of small particles in turbulence. Four mechanisms are considered: (1) restructuring, (2) decay of aggregate strength, (3) deposition of large clusters, and (4) primary particle aggregation where only aggregation events between clusters and primary particles are permitted. We show that all four mechanisms can lead to an overshoot in the mean size profile, while in contrast, aggregation and breakup alone lead to a monotonic, "S"-shaped size evolution profile. In order to distinguish between the different mechanisms simple protocols based on variations of the shear rate during the aggregation-breakup process are proposed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A simple derivation of Lorentz self-force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haque, Asrarul

2014-09-01

We derive the Lorentz self-force for a charged particle in arbitrary non-relativistic motion by averaging the retarded fields. The derivation is simple and at the same time pedagogically accessible. We obtain the radiation reaction for a charged particle moving in a circle. We pin down the underlying concept of mass renormalization.

Geometrical correlations in the nucleosomal DNA conformation and the role of the covalent bonds rigidity

PubMed Central

Ghorbani, Maryam; Mohammad-Rafiee, Farshid

2011-01-01

We develop a simple elastic model to study the conformation of DNA in the nucleosome core particle. In this model, the changes in the energy of the covalent bonds that connect the base pairs of each strand of the DNA double helix, as well as the lateral displacements and the rotation of adjacent base pairs are considered. We show that because of the rigidity of the covalent bonds in the sugar-phosphate backbones, the base pair parameters are highly correlated, especially, strong twist-roll-slide correlation in the conformation of the nucleosomal DNA is vividly observed in the calculated results. This simple model succeeds to account for the detailed features of the structure of the nucleosomal DNA, particularly, its more important base pair parameters, roll and slide, in good agreement with the experimental results. PMID:20972223

Particles at fluid-fluid interfaces: A new Navier-Stokes-Cahn-Hilliard surface- phase-field-crystal model.

PubMed

Aland, Sebastian; Lowengrub, John; Voigt, Axel

2012-10-01

Colloid particles that are partially wetted by two immiscible fluids can become confined to fluid-fluid interfaces. At sufficiently high volume fractions, the colloids may jam and the interface may crystallize. The fluids together with the interfacial colloids form an emulsion with interesting material properties and offer an important route to new soft materials. A promising approach to simulate these emulsions was presented in Aland et al. [Phys. Fluids 23, 062103 (2011)], where a Navier-Stokes-Cahn-Hilliard model for the macroscopic two-phase fluid system was combined with a surface phase-field-crystal model for the microscopic colloidal particles along the interface. Unfortunately this model leads to spurious velocities which require very fine spatial and temporal resolutions to accurately and stably simulate. In this paper we develop an improved Navier-Stokes-Cahn-Hilliard-surface phase-field-crystal model based on the principles of mass conservation and thermodynamic consistency. To validate our approach, we derive a sharp interface model and show agreement with the improved diffuse interface model. Using simple flow configurations, we show that the new model has much better properties and does not lead to spurious velocities. Finally, we demonstrate the solid-like behavior of the crystallized interface by simulating the fall of a solid ball through a colloid-laden multiphase fluid.

Macroscopic modelling of semisolid deformation for considering segregation bands induced by shear deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morita, S.; Yasuda, H.; Nagira, T.; Gourlay, C. M.; Yoshiya, M.; Sugiyama, A.

2012-07-01

In-situ observation was carried out to observe deformation of semi-solid Fe-2mass%C steel with 65% solid and globular morphology by X-ray radiography. Deformation was predominantly controlled by the rearrangement of globules. The solid particles were pushed into each other and rearrangement caused lower solid fraction regions to form. On the basis of the observation, a macroscopic model that introduces a normal stress acting on the solid due to collisions and rearrangement is proposed. The solid particles are treated as a non-Newtonian fluid. The stiffness parameters, which characterize the flow of the solid, are introduced. Stability of semisolid to fluctuations in solid fraction during simple shear was analysed. Shear deformation can be stably localized in the semisolid with a certain solid fraction range. The model essentially reproduces band segregation formation.

Coupled large eddy simulation and discrete element model of bedload motion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furbish, D.; Schmeeckle, M. W.

2011-12-01

We combine a three-dimensional large eddy simulation of turbulence to a three-dimensional discrete element model of turbulence. The large eddy simulation of the turbulent fluid is extended into the bed composed of non-moving particles by adding resistance terms to the Navier-Stokes equations in accordance with the Darcy-Forchheimer law. This allows the turbulent velocity and pressure fluctuations to penetrate the bed of discrete particles, and this addition of a porous zone results in turbulence structures above the bed that are similar to previous experimental and numerical results for hydraulically-rough beds. For example, we reproduce low-speed streaks that are less coherent than those over smooth-beds due to the episodic outflow of fluid from the bed. Local resistance terms are also added to the Navier-Stokes equations to account for the drag of individual moving particles. The interaction of the spherical particles utilizes a standard DEM soft-sphere Hertz model. We use only a simple drag model to calculate the fluid forces on the particles. The model reproduces an exponential distribution of bedload particle velocities that we have found experimentally using high-speed video of a flat bed of moving sand in a recirculating water flume. The exponential distribution of velocity results from the motion of many particles that are nearly constantly in contact with other bed particles and come to rest after short distances, in combination with a relatively few particles that are entrained further above the bed and have velocities approaching that of the fluid. Entrainment and motion "hot spots" are evident that are not perfectly correlated with the local, instantaneous fluid velocity. Zones of the bed that have recently experienced motion are more susceptible to motion because of the local configuration of particle contacts. The paradigm of a characteristic saltation hop length in riverine bedload transport has infused many aspects of geomorphic thought, including even bedrock erosion. In light of our theoretical, experimental, and numerical findings supporting the exponential distribution of bedload particle motion, the idea of a characteristic saltation hop should be scrapped or substantially modified.

Extending self-organizing particle systems to problem solving.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Alejandro; Reggia, James A

2004-01-01

Self-organizing particle systems consist of numerous autonomous, purely reflexive agents ("particles") whose collective movements through space are determined primarily by local influences they exert upon one another. Inspired by biological phenomena (bird flocking, fish schooling, etc.), particle systems have been used not only for biological modeling, but also increasingly for applications requiring the simulation of collective movements such as computer-generated animation. In this research, we take some first steps in extending particle systems so that they not only move collectively, but also solve simple problems. This is done by giving the individual particles (agents) a rudimentary intelligence in the form of a very limited memory and a top-down, goal-directed control mechanism that, triggered by appropriate conditions, switches them between different behavioral states and thus different movement dynamics. Such enhanced particle systems are shown to be able to function effectively in performing simulated search-and-collect tasks. Further, computational experiments show that collectively moving agent teams are more effective than similar but independently moving ones in carrying out such tasks, and that agent teams of either type that split off members of the collective to protect previously acquired resources are most effective. This work shows that the reflexive agents of contemporary particle systems can readily be extended to support goal-directed problem solving while retaining their collective movement behaviors. These results may prove useful not only for future modeling of animal behavior, but also in computer animation, coordinated movement control in robotic teams, particle swarm optimization, and computer games.

Han's model parameters for microalgae grown under intermittent illumination: Determined using particle swarm optimization.

PubMed

Pozzobon, Victor; Perre, Patrick

2018-01-21

This work provides a model and the associated set of parameters allowing for microalgae population growth computation under intermittent lightning. Han's model is coupled with a simple microalgae growth model to yield a relationship between illumination and population growth. The model parameters were obtained by fitting a dataset available in literature using Particle Swarm Optimization method. In their work, authors grew microalgae in excess of nutrients under flashing conditions. Light/dark cycles used for these experimentations are quite close to those found in photobioreactor, i.e. ranging from several seconds to one minute. In this work, in addition to producing the set of parameters, Particle Swarm Optimization robustness was assessed. To do so, two different swarm initialization techniques were used, i.e. uniform and random distribution throughout the search-space. Both yielded the same results. In addition, swarm distribution analysis reveals that the swarm converges to a unique minimum. Thus, the produced set of parameters can be trustfully used to link light intensity to population growth rate. Furthermore, the set is capable to describe photodamages effects on population growth. Hence, accounting for light overexposure effect on algal growth. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ice phase in altocumulus clouds over Leipzig: remote sensing observations and detailed modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simmel, M.; Bühl, J.; Ansmann, A.; Tegen, I.

2015-09-01

The present work combines remote sensing observations and detailed cloud modeling to investigate two altocumulus cloud cases observed over Leipzig, Germany. A suite of remote sensing instruments was able to detect primary ice at rather high temperatures of -6 °C. For comparison, a second mixed phase case at about -25 °C is introduced. To further look into the details of cloud microphysical processes, a simple dynamics model of the Asai-Kasahara (AK) type is combined with detailed spectral microphysics (SPECS) forming the model system AK-SPECS. Vertical velocities are prescribed to force the dynamics, as well as main cloud features, to be close to the observations. Subsequently, sensitivity studies with respect to ice microphysical parameters are carried out with the aim to quantify the most important sensitivities for the cases investigated. For the cases selected, the liquid phase is mainly determined by the model dynamics (location and strength of vertical velocity), whereas the ice phase is much more sensitive to the microphysical parameters (ice nucleating particle (INP) number, ice particle shape). The choice of ice particle shape may induce large uncertainties that are on the same order as those for the temperature-dependent INP number distribution.

Solution on the Bethe lattice of a hard core athermal gas with two kinds of particles.

PubMed

Oliveira, Tiago J; Stilck, Jürgen F

2011-11-14

Athermal lattice gases of particles with first neighbor exclusion have been studied for a long time as simple models exhibiting a fluid-solid transition. At low concentration the particles occupy randomly both sublattices, but as the concentration is increased one of the sublattices is occupied preferentially. Here, we study a mixed lattice gas with excluded volume interactions only in the grand-canonical formalism with two kinds of particles: small ones, which occupy a single lattice site and large ones, which, when placed on a site, do not allow other particles to occupy its first neighbors also. We solve the model on a Bethe lattice of arbitrary coordination number q. In the parameter space defined by the activities of both particles, at low values of the activity of small particles (z(1)) we find a continuous transition from the fluid to the solid phase as the activity of large particles (z(2)) is increased. At higher values of z(1) the transition becomes discontinuous, both regimes are separated by a tricritical point. The critical line has a negative slope at z(1) = 0 and displays a minimum before reaching the tricritical point, so that a re-entrant behavior is observed for constant values of z(2) in the region of low density of small particles. The isobaric curves of the total density of particles as a function of the density or the activity of small particles show a minimum in the fluid phase. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Stochastic dynamics of intermittent pore-scale particle motion in three-dimensional porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales, V. L.; Dentz, M.; Willmann, M.; Holzner, M.

2017-12-01

A proper understanding of velocity dynamics is key for making transport predictions through porous media at any scale. We study the velocity evolution process from particle dynamics at the pore-scale with particular interest in preasymptotic (non-Fickian) behavior. Experimental measurements from 3-dimensional particle tracking velocimetry are used to obtain Lagrangian velocity statistics for three different types of media heterogeneity. Particle velocities are found to be intermittent in nature, log-normally distributed and non-stationary. We show that these velocity characteristics can be captured with a correlated Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process for a random walk in space that is parameterized from velocity distributions. Our simple model is rigorously tested for accurate reproduction of velocity variability in magnitude and frequency. We further show that it captures exceptionally well the preasymptotic mean and mean squared displacement in the ballistic and superdiffusive regimes, and can be extended to determine if and when Fickian behavior will be reached. Our approach reproduces both preasymptotic and asymptotic transport behavior with a single transport model, demonstrating correct description of the fundamental controls of anomalous transport.

Kinetics of devolatilization and oxidation of a pulverized biomass in an entrained flow reactor under realistic combustion conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jimenez, Santiago; Remacha, Pilar; Ballester, Javier

2008-03-15

In this paper the results of a complete set of devolatilization and combustion experiments performed with pulverized ({proportional_to}500 {mu}m) biomass in an entrained flow reactor under realistic combustion conditions are presented. The data obtained are used to derive the kinetic parameters that best fit the observed behaviors, according to a simple model of particle combustion (one-step devolatilization, apparent oxidation kinetics, thermally thin particles). The model is found to adequately reproduce the experimental trends regarding both volatile release and char oxidation rates for the range of particle sizes and combustion conditions explored. The experimental and numerical procedures, similar to those recentlymore » proposed for the combustion of pulverized coal [J. Ballester, S. Jimenez, Combust. Flame 142 (2005) 210-222], have been designed to derive the parameters required for the analysis of biomass combustion in practical pulverized fuel configurations and allow a reliable characterization of any finely pulverized biomass. Additionally, the results of a limited study on the release rate of nitrogen from the biomass particle along combustion are shown. (author)« less

Laser Transmission Measurements and Plume Particle Size Distributions for Propellant Burn Tests at ATK Elkton in May 2012

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Willitsford, Adam H.; Brown, David M.; Brown, Andrea M.

2014-08-28

Multi-wavelength laser transmittance was measured during a series of open-air propellant burn tests at Alliant Techsystems, Inc., in Elkton, MD, in May 2012. A Mie scattering model was combined with an alumina optical properties model in a simple single-scatter approach to fitting plume transmittance. Wavelength-dependent plume transmission curves were fit to the measured multi-wave- length transmittance data to infer plume particle size distributions at several heights in the plume. Tri-modal lognormal distributions described transmittance data well at all heights. Overall distributions included a mode with nanometer-scale diameter, a second mode at a diameter of ~0.5 µm, and a third, largermore » particle mode. Larger parti- cles measured 2.5 µm in diameter at 34 cm (14 in.) above the burning propellant surface, but grew to 4 µm in diameter at a height of 57 cm (22 in.), indicative of particle agglomeration in progress as the plume rises. This report presents data, analysis, and results from the study.« less

Predicting drifter trajectories and particle dispersion in the Caribbean using a high resolution coastal ocean forecasting system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solano, M.

2016-02-01

The present study discusses the accuracy of a high-resolution ocean forecasting system in predicting floating drifter trajectories and the uncertainty of modeled particle dispersion in coastal areas. Trajectories were calculated using an offline particle-tracking algorithm coupled to the operational model developed for the region of Puerto Rico by CariCOOS. Both, a simple advection algorithm as well as the Larval TRANSport (LTRANS) model, a more sophisticated offline particle-tracking application, were coupled to the ocean model. Numerical results are compared with 12 floating drifters deployed in the near-shore of Puerto Rico during February and March 2015, and tracked for several days using Global Positioning Systems mounted on the drifters. In addition the trajectories have also been calculated with the AmSeas Navy Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM). The operational model is based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) with a uniform horizontal resolution of 1/100 degrees (1.1km). Initial, surface and open boundary conditions are taken from NCOM, except for wind stress, which is computed using winds from the National Digital Forecasting Database. Probabilistic maps were created to quantify the uncertainty of particle trajectories at different locations. Results show that the forecasted trajectories are location dependent, with tidally active regions having the largest error. The predicted trajectories by both the ROMS and NCOM models show good agreement on average, however both perform differently at particular locations. The effect of wind stress on the drifter trajectories is investigated to account for wind slippage. Furthermore, a real case scenario is presented where simulated trajectories show good agreement when compared to the actual drifter trajectories.

Cirrus cloud model parameterizations: Incorporating realistic ice particle generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sassen, Kenneth; Dodd, G. C.; Starr, David OC.

1990-01-01

Recent cirrus cloud modeling studies have involved the application of a time-dependent, two dimensional Eulerian model, with generalized cloud microphysical parameterizations drawn from experimental findings. For computing the ice versus vapor phase changes, the ice mass content is linked to the maintenance of a relative humidity with respect to ice (RHI) of 105 percent; ice growth occurs both with regard to the introduction of new particles and the growth of existing particles. In a simplified cloud model designed to investigate the basic role of various physical processes in the growth and maintenance of cirrus clouds, these parametric relations are justifiable. In comparison, the one dimensional cloud microphysical model recently applied to evaluating the nucleation and growth of ice crystals in cirrus clouds explicitly treated populations of haze and cloud droplets, and ice crystals. Although these two modeling approaches are clearly incompatible, the goal of the present numerical study is to develop a parametric treatment of new ice particle generation, on the basis of detailed microphysical model findings, for incorporation into improved cirrus growth models. For example, the relation between temperature and the relative humidity required to generate ice crystals from ammonium sulfate haze droplets, whose probability of freezing through the homogeneous nucleation mode are a combined function of time and droplet molality, volume, and temperature. As an example of this approach, the results of cloud microphysical simulations are presented showing the rather narrow domain in the temperature/humidity field where new ice crystals can be generated. The microphysical simulations point out the need for detailed CCN studies at cirrus altitudes and haze droplet measurements within cirrus clouds, but also suggest that a relatively simple treatment of ice particle generation, which includes cloud chemistry, can be incorporated into cirrus cloud growth.

Self-Organized Dynamic Flocking Behavior from a Simple Deterministic Map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krueger, Wesley

2007-10-01

Coherent motion exhibiting large-scale order, such as flocking, swarming, and schooling behavior in animals, can arise from simple rules applied to an initial random array of self-driven particles. We present a completely deterministic dynamic map that exhibits emergent, collective, complex motion for a group of particles. Each individual particle is driven with a constant speed in two dimensions adopting the average direction of a fixed set of non-spatially related partners. In addition, the particle changes direction by π as it reaches a circular boundary. The dynamical patterns arising from these rules range from simple circular-type convective motion to highly sophisticated, complex, collective behavior which can be easily interpreted as flocking, schooling, or swarming depending on the chosen parameters. We present the results as a series of short movies and we also explore possible order parameters and correlation functions capable of quantifying the resulting coherence.

Sustained currents in coupled diffusive systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larralde, Hernán; Sanders, David P.

2014-08-01

Coupling two diffusive systems may give rise to a nonequilibrium stationary state (NESS) with a non-trivial persistent, circulating current. We study a simple example that is exactly soluble, consisting of random walkers with different biases towards a reflecting boundary, modelling, for example, Brownian particles with different charge states in an electric field. We obtain analytical expressions for the concentrations and currents in the NESS for this model, and exhibit the main features of the system by numerical simulation.

Raman scattering in HfxZr1-xO2 nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, Richard D.; Tang, Jing; Steigerwald, Michael L.; Brus, Louis E.; Herman, Irving P.

2005-03-01

Raman spectroscopy demonstrates that ˜5nm dimension HfxZr1-xO2 nanocrystals prepared by a nonhydrolytic sol-gel synthesis method are solid solutions of hafnia and zirconia, with no discernable segregation within the individual nanoparticles. Zirconia-rich particles are tetragonal and ensembles of hafnia-rich particles show mixed tetragonal/monoclinic phases. Sintering at 1200 °C produces larger particles (20-30 nm) that are monoclinic. A simple lattice dynamics model with composition-averaged cation mass and scaled force constants is used to understand how the Raman mode frequencies vary with composition in the tetragonal HfxZr1-xO2 nanoparticles. Background luminescence from these particles is minimized after oxygen treatment, suggesting possible oxygen defects in the as-prepared particles. Raman scattering is also used to estimate composition and the relative fractions of tetragonal and monoclinic phases. In some regimes there are mixed phases, and Raman analysis suggests that in these regimes the tetragonal phase particles are relatively rich in zirconium and the monoclinic phase particles are relatively rich in hafnium.

Supersymmetric Model-Building in the Era of LHC Data: From Struggles with Naturalness to the Simple Delights of Fine-Tuning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zorawski, Thomas

The Standard Model (SM) of particle physics has withstood decades of experimental tests, making it the crowning achievement of 20th century physics. However, it is not a complete description of nature. Observations have revealed that most of the matter in the universe is not of the baryonic form described in the SM but rather something else known as dark matter. The SM also has theoretical shortcomings: 1) No explanation for the widely-varying masses of different particles (flavor puzzle); 2) Failure of the couplings that characterize the strength of the three SM forces to unify at a high energy scale; 3) Instability of the Higgs mass (hierarchy problem). The simplest version of supersymmetry (SUSY) introduces a partner for each SM particle, resulting in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The lightest of these is stable and an appealing dark matter candidate, and the extra particle content yields good gauge coupling unification. Most model-building, however, has been inspired by the natural solution that the MSSM provides to the hierarchy problem when the superpartner masses are close to the weak scale, leading to the paradigm of the Natural (weak-scale) MSSM. Although the first run of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) did not operate at the design energy, the data is already in tension with the idea of naturalness, as the bounds on some superpartner masses in vanilla models are significantly above the weak scale. We address this by constructing a hybrid of the two most appealing SUSY breaking mechanisms (gauge and anomaly mediation) that compresses part of the superpartner spectrum and reduces experimental sensitivity, thereby loosening the constraints. Nonetheless, the recent discovery of a Higgs-like particle at the LHC with a mass around 125 GeV that can only be obtained in the weak-scale MSSM with fairly heavy superpartners casts serious doubt on naturalness. It does, however, point in the direction of a different paradigm in the MSSM known as Split SUSY, where only the superpartners that are potential dark matter candidates are light. We present a simple realization of a modification of Split SUSY, called Mini-Split SUSY, where all of the superpartner masses are determined by just one parameter. We show that it easily accommodates the Higgs mass, preserves gauge coupling unification, and has a good dark matter candidate. We then exploit the defining features of the Mini-Split framework to obtain a radiative solution to the flavor puzzle, where the hierarchy of SM particle masses is explained by successive orders of quantum corrections.

Direct simulation of electroosmosis around a spherical particle with inhomogeneously acquired surface charge.

PubMed

Alizadeh, Amer; Wang, Moran

2017-03-01

Uncovering electroosmosis around an inhomogeneously acquired charge spherical particle in a confined space could provide detailed insights into its broad applications from biology to geology. In the present study, we developed a direct simulation method with the effects of inhomogeneously acquired charges on the particle surface considered, which has been validated by the available analytical and experimental data. Modeling results reveal that the surface charge and zeta potential, which are acquired through chemical interactions, strongly depend on the local solution properties and the particle size. The surface charge and zeta potential of the particle would significantly vary with the tangential positions on the particle surface by increasing the particle radius. Moreover, regarding the streaming potential for a particle-fluid tube system, our results uncover that the streaming potential has a reverse relation with the particle size in a micro or nanotube. To explain this phenomenon, we present a simple relation that bridges the streaming potential with the particle size and tube radius, zeta potential, bulk and surface conductivity. This relation could predict good results specifically for higher ion concentrations and provide deeper understanding of the particle size effects on the streaming potential measurements of the particle fluid tube system. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Modeling and measurements of urban aerosol processes on the neighborhood scale in Rotterdam, Oslo and Helsinki

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karl, Matthias; Kukkonen, Jaakko; Keuken, Menno P.; Lützenkirchen, Susanne; Pirjola, Liisa; Hussein, Tareq

2016-04-01

This study evaluates the influence of aerosol processes on the particle number (PN) concentrations in three major European cities on the temporal scale of 1 h, i.e., on the neighborhood and city scales. We have used selected measured data of particle size distributions from previous campaigns in the cities of Helsinki, Oslo and Rotterdam. The aerosol transformation processes were evaluated using the aerosol dynamics model MAFOR, combined with a simplified treatment of roadside and urban atmospheric dispersion. We have compared the model predictions of particle number size distributions with the measured data, and conducted sensitivity analyses regarding the influence of various model input variables. We also present a simplified parameterization for aerosol processes, which is based on the more complex aerosol process computations; this simple model can easily be implemented to both Gaussian and Eulerian urban dispersion models. Aerosol processes considered in this study were (i) the coagulation of particles, (ii) the condensation and evaporation of two organic vapors, and (iii) dry deposition. The chemical transformation of gas-phase compounds was not taken into account. By choosing concentrations and particle size distributions at roadside as starting point of the computations, nucleation of gas-phase vapors from the exhaust has been regarded as post tail-pipe emission, avoiding the need to include nucleation in the process analysis. Dry deposition and coagulation of particles were identified to be the most important aerosol dynamic processes that control the evolution and removal of particles. The error of the contribution from dry deposition to PN losses due to the uncertainty of measured deposition velocities ranges from -76 to +64 %. The removal of nanoparticles by coagulation enhanced considerably when considering the fractal nature of soot aggregates and the combined effect of van der Waals and viscous interactions. The effect of condensation and evaporation of organic vapors emitted by vehicles on particle numbers and on particle size distributions was examined. Under inefficient dispersion conditions, the model predicts that condensational growth contributes to the evolution of PN from roadside to the neighborhood scale. The simplified parameterization of aerosol processes predicts the change in particle number concentrations between roadside and urban background within 10 % of that predicted by the fully size-resolved MAFOR model.

In-Flight Annealing of Magnetic Nanoparticles, Produced by the Particle Gun Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoyanov, S.; Skumryev, V.; Zhang, Y.; Huang, Y.; Hadjipanayis, G. C.

2003-03-01

The need of post annealing of nanocomposite structures aimed to form nanoparticles or to obtain a desired crystal structure often results in particles growth and/or a harmful alloying with the matrix material. In this study, we present a new technique to perform an in situ phase transformation of particles produced by the gas condensation process in a Particle Gun (PG). Particles are heat treated during their flight from the PG to the substrate, by absorption of light in a specially designed Heating Stage (HS), placed on the top of the PG. The total power of the light sources used is 2 kWatt. A simple model for the thermodynamic conditions in a single particle during the annealing process is developed. It is shown that the temperature of the particle depends on the light power and the size of the particle and can easily reach the required annealing values of 400 to 900^oC in a millisecond time scale. The versatility of this technique is demonstrated on the fabrication of high anisotropy FePt and SmCo particles, embedded in a carbon matrix. Work supported by NSF DMR9972035

High-throughput flow alignment of barcoded hydrogel microparticles†

PubMed Central

Chapin, Stephen C.; Pregibon, Daniel C.

2010-01-01

Suspension (particle-based) arrays offer several advantages over conventional planar arrays in the detection and quantification of biomolecules, including the use of smaller sample volumes, more favorable probe-target binding kinetics, and rapid probe-set modification. We present a microfluidic system for the rapid alignment of multifunctional hydrogel microparticles designed to bear one or several biomolecule probe regions, as well as a graphical code to identify the embedded probes. Using high-speed imaging, we have developed and optimized a flow-through system that (1) allows for a high particle throughput, (2) ensures proper particle alignment for decoding and target quantification, and (3) can be reliably operated continuously without clogging. A tapered channel flanked by side focusing streams is used to orient the flexible, tablet-shaped particles into a well-ordered flow in the center of the channel. The effects of channel geometry, particle geometry, particle composition, particle loading density, and barcode design are explored to determine the best combination for eventual use in biological assays. Particles in the optimized system move at velocities of ~50 cm s−1 and with throughputs of ~40 particles s−1. Simple physical models and CFD simulations have been used to investigate flow behavior in the device. PMID:19823726

The dynamics of aloof baby Skyrmions

DOE PAGES

Salmi, Petja; Sutcliffe, Paul

2016-01-25

The aloof baby Skyrme model is a (2+1)-dimensional theory with solitons that are lightly bound. It is a low-dimensional analogue of a similar Skyrme model in (3+1)- dimensions, where the lightly bound solitons have binding energies comparable to nuclei. A previous study of static solitons in the aloof baby Skyrme model revealed that multi-soliton bound states have a cluster structure, with constituents that preserve their individual identities due to the short-range repulsion and long-range attraction between solitons. Furthermore, there are many different local energy minima that are all well-described by a simple binary species particle model. In this paper wemore » present the first results on soliton dynamics in the aloof baby Skyrme model. Numerical field theory simulations reveal that the lightly bound cluster structure results in a variety of exotic soliton scattering events that are novel in comparison to standard Skyrmion scattering. A dynamical version of the binary species point particle model is shown to provide a good qualitative description of the dynamics.« less

Millimeter wave radiative transfer studies for precipitation measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vivekanandan, J.; Evans, Frank

1989-01-01

Scattering calculations using the discrete dipole approximation and vector radiative transfer calculations were performed to model multiparameter radar return and passive microwave emission for a simple model of a winter storm. The issue of dendrite riming was addressed by computing scattering properties of thin ice disks with varying bulk density. It was shown that C-band multiparameter radar contains information about particle density and the number concentration of the ice particles. The radiative transfer modeling indicated that polarized multifrequency passive microwave emission may be used to infer some properties of ice hydrometers. Detailed radar modeling and vector radiative transfer modeling is in progress to enhance the understanding of simultaneous radar and radiometer measurements, as in the case of the proposed TRMM field program. A one-dimensional cloud model will be used to simulate the storm structure in detail and study the microphysics, such as size and density. Multifrequency polarized radiometer measurements from the SSMI satellite instrument will be analyzed in relation to dual-frequency and dual-polarization radar measurements.

The dynamics of aloof baby Skyrmions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salmi, Petja; Sutcliffe, Paul

2016-01-01

The aloof baby Skyrme model is a (2+1)-dimensional theory with solitons that are lightly bound. It is a low-dimensional analogue of a similar Skyrme model in (3+1)-dimensions, where the lightly bound solitons have binding energies comparable to nuclei. A previous study of static solitons in the aloof baby Skyrme model revealed that multi-soliton bound states have a cluster structure, with constituents that preserve their individual identities due to the short-range repulsion and long-range attraction between solitons. Furthermore, there are many different local energy minima that are all well-described by a simple binary species particle model. In this paper we present the first results on soliton dynamics in the aloof baby Skyrme model. Numerical field theory simulations reveal that the lightly bound cluster structure results in a variety of exotic soliton scattering events that are novel in comparison to standard Skyrmion scattering. A dynamical version of the binary species point particle model is shown to provide a good qualitative description of the dynamics.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Salmi, Petja; Sutcliffe, Paul

The aloof baby Skyrme model is a (2+1)-dimensional theory with solitons that are lightly bound. It is a low-dimensional analogue of a similar Skyrme model in (3+1)- dimensions, where the lightly bound solitons have binding energies comparable to nuclei. A previous study of static solitons in the aloof baby Skyrme model revealed that multi-soliton bound states have a cluster structure, with constituents that preserve their individual identities due to the short-range repulsion and long-range attraction between solitons. Furthermore, there are many different local energy minima that are all well-described by a simple binary species particle model. In this paper wemore » present the first results on soliton dynamics in the aloof baby Skyrme model. Numerical field theory simulations reveal that the lightly bound cluster structure results in a variety of exotic soliton scattering events that are novel in comparison to standard Skyrmion scattering. A dynamical version of the binary species point particle model is shown to provide a good qualitative description of the dynamics.« less

Simple, Fast and Accurate Implementation of the Diffusion Approximation Algorithm for Stochastic Ion Channels with Multiple States

PubMed Central

Orio, Patricio; Soudry, Daniel

2012-01-01

Background The phenomena that emerge from the interaction of the stochastic opening and closing of ion channels (channel noise) with the non-linear neural dynamics are essential to our understanding of the operation of the nervous system. The effects that channel noise can have on neural dynamics are generally studied using numerical simulations of stochastic models. Algorithms based on discrete Markov Chains (MC) seem to be the most reliable and trustworthy, but even optimized algorithms come with a non-negligible computational cost. Diffusion Approximation (DA) methods use Stochastic Differential Equations (SDE) to approximate the behavior of a number of MCs, considerably speeding up simulation times. However, model comparisons have suggested that DA methods did not lead to the same results as in MC modeling in terms of channel noise statistics and effects on excitability. Recently, it was shown that the difference arose because MCs were modeled with coupled gating particles, while the DA was modeled using uncoupled gating particles. Implementations of DA with coupled particles, in the context of a specific kinetic scheme, yielded similar results to MC. However, it remained unclear how to generalize these implementations to different kinetic schemes, or whether they were faster than MC algorithms. Additionally, a steady state approximation was used for the stochastic terms, which, as we show here, can introduce significant inaccuracies. Main Contributions We derived the SDE explicitly for any given ion channel kinetic scheme. The resulting generic equations were surprisingly simple and interpretable – allowing an easy, transparent and efficient DA implementation, avoiding unnecessary approximations. The algorithm was tested in a voltage clamp simulation and in two different current clamp simulations, yielding the same results as MC modeling. Also, the simulation efficiency of this DA method demonstrated considerable superiority over MC methods, except when short time steps or low channel numbers were used. PMID:22629320

Gauge Theories of Vector Particles

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Glashow, S. L.; Gell-Mann, M.

1961-04-24

The possibility of generalizing the Yang-Mills trick is examined. Thus we seek theories of vector bosons invariant under continuous groups of coordinate-dependent linear transformations. All such theories may be expressed as superpositions of certain "simple" theories; we show that each "simple theory is associated with a simple Lie algebra. We may introduce mass terms for the vector bosons at the price of destroying the gauge-invariance for coordinate-dependent gauge functions. The theories corresponding to three particular simple Lie algebras - those which admit precisely two commuting quantum numbers - are examined in some detail as examples. One of them might play a role in the physics of the strong interactions if there is an underlying super-symmetry, transcending charge independence, that is badly broken. The intermediate vector boson theory of weak interactions is discussed also. The so-called "schizon" model cannot be made to conform to the requirements of partial gauge-invariance.

Modeling filtration and fouling with a microstructured membrane filter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cummings, Linda; Sanaei, Pejman

2017-11-01

Membrane filters find widespread use in diverse applications such as A/C systems and water purification. While the details of the filtration process may vary significantly, the broad challenge of efficient filtration is the same: to achieve finely-controlled separation at low power consumption. The obvious resolution to the challenge would appear simple: use the largest pore size consistent with the separation requirement. However, the membrane characteristics (and hence the filter performance) are far from constant over its lifetime: the particles removed from the feed are deposited within and on the membrane filter, fouling it and degrading the performance over time. The processes by which this occurs are complex, and depend on several factors, including: the internal structure of the membrane and the type of particles in the feed. We present a model for fouling of a simple microstructured membrane, and investigate how the details of the microstructure affect the filtration efficiency. Our idealized membrane consists of bifurcating pores, arranged in a layered structure, so that the number (and size) of pores changes in the depth of the membrane. In particular, we address how the details of the membrane microstructure affect the filter lifetime, and the total throughput. NSF DMS 1615719.

Corresponding-states behavior of an ionic model fluid with variable dispersion interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, Volker C.

2016-06-01

Guggenheim's corresponding-states approach for simple fluids leads to a remarkably universal representation of their thermophysical properties. For more complex fluids, such as polar or ionic ones, deviations from this type of behavior are to be expected, thereby supplying us with valuable information about the thermodynamic consequences of the interaction details in fluids. Here, the gradual transition of a simple fluid to an ionic one is studied by varying the relative strength of the dispersion interactions compared to the electrostatic interactions among the charged particles. In addition to the effects on the reduced surface tension that were reported earlier [F. Leroy and V. C. Weiss, J. Chem. Phys. 134, 094703 (2011)], we address the shape of the coexistence curve and focus on properties that are related to and derived from the vapor pressure. These quantities include the enthalpy and entropy of vaporization, the boiling point, and the critical compressibility factor Zc. For all of these properties, the crossover from simple to characteristically ionic fluid is seen once the dispersive attraction drops below 20%-40% of the electrostatic attraction (as measured for two particles at contact). Below this threshold, ionic fluids display characteristically low values of Zc as well as large Guggenheim and Guldberg ratios for the reduced enthalpy of vaporization and the reduced boiling point, respectively. The coexistence curves are wider and more skewed than those for simple fluids. The results for the ionic model fluid with variable dispersion interactions improve our understanding of the behavior of real ionic fluids, such as inorganic molten salts and room temperature ionic liquids, by gauging the importance of different types of interactions for thermodynamic properties.

Corresponding-states behavior of an ionic model fluid with variable dispersion interactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weiss, Volker C., E-mail: volker.weiss@bccms.uni-bremen.de

2016-06-21

Guggenheim’s corresponding-states approach for simple fluids leads to a remarkably universal representation of their thermophysical properties. For more complex fluids, such as polar or ionic ones, deviations from this type of behavior are to be expected, thereby supplying us with valuable information about the thermodynamic consequences of the interaction details in fluids. Here, the gradual transition of a simple fluid to an ionic one is studied by varying the relative strength of the dispersion interactions compared to the electrostatic interactions among the charged particles. In addition to the effects on the reduced surface tension that were reported earlier [F. Leroymore » and V. C. Weiss, J. Chem. Phys. 134, 094703 (2011)], we address the shape of the coexistence curve and focus on properties that are related to and derived from the vapor pressure. These quantities include the enthalpy and entropy of vaporization, the boiling point, and the critical compressibility factor Z{sub c}. For all of these properties, the crossover from simple to characteristically ionic fluid is seen once the dispersive attraction drops below 20%–40% of the electrostatic attraction (as measured for two particles at contact). Below this threshold, ionic fluids display characteristically low values of Z{sub c} as well as large Guggenheim and Guldberg ratios for the reduced enthalpy of vaporization and the reduced boiling point, respectively. The coexistence curves are wider and more skewed than those for simple fluids. The results for the ionic model fluid with variable dispersion interactions improve our understanding of the behavior of real ionic fluids, such as inorganic molten salts and room temperature ionic liquids, by gauging the importance of different types of interactions for thermodynamic properties.« less

Improvement of gas hydrate preservation by increasing compression pressure to simple hydrates of methane, ethane, and propane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kida, Masato; Jin, Yusuke; Watanabe, Mizuho; Murayama, Tetsuro; Nagao, Jiro

2017-09-01

In this report, we describe the dissociation behavior of gas hydrate grains pressed at 1 and 6 MPa. Certain simple gas hydrates in powder form show anomalous preservation phenomenon under their thermodynamic unstable condition. Investigation of simple hydrates of methane, ethane, and propane reveals that high pressure applied to the gas hydrate particles enhances their preservation effects. Application of high pressure increases the dissociation temperature of methane hydrate and has a restrictive effect against the dissociation of ethane and propane hydrate grains. These improvements of gas hydrate preservation by increasing pressure to the initial gas hydrate particles imply that appropriate pressure applied to gas hydrate particles enhances gas hydrate preservation effects.

Gravel-Sand-Clay Mixture Model for Predictions of Permeability and Velocity of Unconsolidated Sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konishi, C.

2014-12-01

Gravel-sand-clay mixture model is proposed particularly for unconsolidated sediments to predict permeability and velocity from volume fractions of the three components (i.e. gravel, sand, and clay). A well-known sand-clay mixture model or bimodal mixture model treats clay contents as volume fraction of the small particle and the rest of the volume is considered as that of the large particle. This simple approach has been commonly accepted and has validated by many studies before. However, a collection of laboratory measurements of permeability and grain size distribution for unconsolidated samples show an impact of presence of another large particle; i.e. only a few percent of gravel particles increases the permeability of the sample significantly. This observation cannot be explained by the bimodal mixture model and it suggests the necessity of considering the gravel-sand-clay mixture model. In the proposed model, I consider the three volume fractions of each component instead of using only the clay contents. Sand becomes either larger or smaller particles in the three component mixture model, whereas it is always the large particle in the bimodal mixture model. The total porosity of the two cases, one is the case that the sand is smaller particle and the other is the case that the sand is larger particle, can be modeled independently from sand volume fraction by the same fashion in the bimodal model. However, the two cases can co-exist in one sample; thus, the total porosity of the mixed sample is calculated by weighted average of the two cases by the volume fractions of gravel and clay. The effective porosity is distinguished from the total porosity assuming that the porosity associated with clay is zero effective porosity. In addition, effective grain size can be computed from the volume fractions and representative grain sizes for each component. Using the effective porosity and the effective grain size, the permeability is predicted by Kozeny-Carman equation. Furthermore, elastic properties are obtainable by general Hashin-Shtrikman-Walpole bounds. The predicted results by this new mixture model are qualitatively consistent with laboratory measurements and well log obtained for unconsolidated sediments. Acknowledgement: A part of this study was accomplished with a subsidy of River Environment Fund of Japan.

A modern approach to superradiance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Endlich, Solomon; Penco, Riccardo

In this paper, we provide a simple and modern discussion of rotational super-radiance based on quantum field theory. We work with an effective theory valid at scales much larger than the size of the spinning object responsible for superradiance. Within this framework, the probability of absorption by an object at rest completely determines the superradiant amplification rate when that same object is spinning. We first discuss in detail superradiant scattering of spin 0 particles with orbital angular momentum ℓ = 1, and then extend our analysis to higher values of orbital angular momentum and spin. Along the way, we providemore » a simple derivation of vacuum friction — a ''quantum torque'' acting on spinning objects in empty space. Our results apply not only to black holes but to arbitrary spinning objects. We also discuss superradiant instability due to formation of bound states and, as an illustration, we calculate the instability rate Γ for bound states with massive spin 1 particles. For a black hole with mass M and angular velocity Ω, we find Γ ~ (GMμ) 7Ω when the particle’s Compton wavelength 1/μ is much greater than the size GM of the spinning object. This rate is parametrically much larger than the instability rate for spin 0 particles, which scales like (GM μ) 9Ω. This enhanced instability rate can be used to constrain the existence of ultralight particles beyond the Standard Model.« less

A modern approach to superradiance

DOE PAGES

Endlich, Solomon; Penco, Riccardo

2017-05-10

In this paper, we provide a simple and modern discussion of rotational super-radiance based on quantum field theory. We work with an effective theory valid at scales much larger than the size of the spinning object responsible for superradiance. Within this framework, the probability of absorption by an object at rest completely determines the superradiant amplification rate when that same object is spinning. We first discuss in detail superradiant scattering of spin 0 particles with orbital angular momentum ℓ = 1, and then extend our analysis to higher values of orbital angular momentum and spin. Along the way, we providemore » a simple derivation of vacuum friction — a ''quantum torque'' acting on spinning objects in empty space. Our results apply not only to black holes but to arbitrary spinning objects. We also discuss superradiant instability due to formation of bound states and, as an illustration, we calculate the instability rate Γ for bound states with massive spin 1 particles. For a black hole with mass M and angular velocity Ω, we find Γ ~ (GMμ) 7Ω when the particle’s Compton wavelength 1/μ is much greater than the size GM of the spinning object. This rate is parametrically much larger than the instability rate for spin 0 particles, which scales like (GM μ) 9Ω. This enhanced instability rate can be used to constrain the existence of ultralight particles beyond the Standard Model.« less

Origin of Stability in Particle Sedimentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Segre, Philip N.

2003-01-01

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is used to study the slow settling motions of spheres in suspensions ranging from dilute to highly concentrated, 0.0001 less than phi less than 0.50. During sedimentation, particle velocity fluctuations are found to be organized into regions of characteristic size xi approximately 11 a phi (exp -1/3). A simple model, based upon buoyant mass fluctuations DELTAm given by random density fluctuations in a region of size xi, accurately predicts the magnitudes of the velocity fluctuations DELTAV. We also find a new universal relation for particle diffusion during sedimentation. It can be written in a Stokes-Einstein form as Dapproximately(DELTAmxi)/(6pietaxi), where the effective temperature DELTAmgxi is the gravitational potential energy of density fluctuations. In addition related experiments examining inertial effects and transient states, that are aimed at uncovering the origin of the new lengthscale xi, will also be given.

Brownian Dynamics of Colloidal Particles in Lyotropic Chromonic Liquid Crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, Angel; Collings, Peter J.; Yodh, Arjun G.

We employ video microscopy to study the Brownian dynamics of colloidal particles in the nematic phase of lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs). These LCLCs (in this case, DSCG) are water soluble, and their nematic phases are characterized by an unusually large elastic anisotropy. Our preliminary measurements of particle mean-square displacement for polystyrene colloidal particles (~5 micron-diameter) show diffusive and sub-diffusive behaviors moving parallel and perpendicular to the nematic director, respectively. In order to understand these motions, we are developing models that incorporate the relaxation of elastic distortions of the surrounding nematic field. Further experiments to confirm these preliminary results and to determine the origin of these deviations compared to simple diffusion theory are ongoing; our results will also be compared to previous diffusion experiments in nematic liquid crystals. We gratefully acknowledge financial support through NSF DMR12-05463, MRSEC DMR11-20901, and NASA NNX08AO0G.

Azimuthal anisotropy and correlations at large transverse momenta in p + p and Au + Au collisions at square root sNN=200 GeV.

PubMed

Adams, J; Aggarwal, M M; Ahammed, Z; Amonett, J; Anderson, B D; Arkhipkin, D; Averichev, G S; Badyal, S K; Bai, Y; Balewski, J; Barannikova, O; Barnby, L S; Baudot, J; Bekele, S; Belaga, V V; Bellwied, R; Berger, J; Bezverkhny, B I; Bharadwaj, S; Bhasin, A; Bhati, A K; Bhatia, V S; Bichsel, H; Billmeier, A; Bland, L C; Blyth, C O; Bonner, B E; Botje, M; Boucham, A; Brandin, A V; Bravar, A; Bystersky, M; Cadman, R V; Cai, X Z; Caines, H; Calderón de la Barca Sánchez, M; Carroll, J; Castillo, J; Cebra, D; Chajecki, Z; Chaloupka, P; Chattopdhyay, S; Chen, H F; Chen, Y; Cheng, J; Cherney, M; Chikanian, A; Christie, W; Coffin, J P; Cormier, T M; Cramer, J G; Crawford, H J; Das, D; Das, S; de Moura, M M; Derevschikov, A A; Didenko, L; Dietel, T; Dogra, S M; Dong, W J; Dong, X; Draper, J E; Du, F; Dubey, A K; Dunin, V B; Dunlop, J C; Dutta Mazumdar, M R; Eckardt, V; Edwards, W R; Efimov, L G; Emelianov, V; Engelage, J; Eppley, G; Erazmus, B; Estienne, M; Fachini, P; Faivre, J; Fatemi, R; Fedorisin, J; Filimonov, K; Filip, P; Finch, E; Fine, V; Fisyak, Y; Foley, K J; Fomenko, K; Fu, J; Gagliardi, C A; Gans, J; Ganti, M S; Gaudichet, L; Geurts, F; Ghazikhanian, V; Ghosh, P; Gonzalez, J E; Grachov, O; Grebenyuk, O; Grosnick, D; Guertin, S M; Guo, Y; Gupta, A; Gutierrez, T D; Hallman, T J; Hamed, A; Hardtke, D; Harris, J W; Heinz, M; Henry, T W; Hepplemann, S; Hippolyte, B; Hirsch, A; Hjort, E; Hoffmann, G W; Huang, H Z; Huang, S L; Hughes, E W; Humanic, T J; Igo, G; Ishihara, A; Jacobs, P; Jacobs, W W; Janik, M; Jiang, H; Jones, P G; Judd, E G; Kabana, S; Kang, K; Kaplan, M; Keane, D; Khodyrev, V Yu; Kiryluk, J; Kisiel, A; Kislov, E M; Klay, J; Klein, S R; Klyachko, A; Koetke, D D; Kollegger, T; Kopytine, M; Kotchenda, L; Kramer, M; Kravtsov, P; Kravtsov, V I; Krueger, K; Kuhn, C; Kulikov, A I; Kumar, A; Kunz, C L; Kutuev, R Kh; Kuznetsov, A A; Lamont, M A C; Landgraf, J M; Lange, S; Laue, F; Lauret, J; Lebedev, A; Lednicky, R; Lehocka, S; LeVine, M J; Li, C; Li, Q; Li, Y; Lindenbaum, S J; Lisa, M A; Liu, F; Liu, L; Liu, Q J; Liu, Z; Ljubicic, T; Llope, W J; Long, H; Longacre, R S; Lopez-Noriega, M; Love, W A; Lu, Y; Ludlam, T; Lynn, D; Ma, G L; Ma, J G; Ma, Y G; Magestro, D; Mahajan, S; Mahapatra, D P; Majka, R; Mangotra, L K; Manweiler, R; Margetis, S; Markert, C; Martin, L; Marx, J N; Matis, H S; Matulenko, Yu A; McClain, C J; McShane, T S; Meissner, F; Melnick, Yu; Meschanin, A; Miller, M L; Milosevich, Z; Minaev, N G; Mironov, C; Mischke, A; Mishra, D K; Mitchell, J; Mohanty, B; Molnar, L; Moore, C F; Morozov, D A; Munhoz, M G; Nandi, B K; Nayak, S K; Nayak, T K; Nelson, J M; Netrakanti, P K; Nikitin, V A; Nogach, L V; Nurushev, S B; Odyniec, G; Ogawa, A; Okorokov, V; Oldenburg, M; Olson, D; Pal, S K; Panebratsev, Y; Panitkin, S Y; Pavlinov, A I; Pawlak, T; Peitzmann, T; Perevoztchikov, V; Perkins, C; Peryt, W; Petrov, V A; Phatak, S C; Picha, R; Planinic, M; Pluta, J; Porile, N; Porter, J; Poskanzer, A M; Potekhin, M; Potrebenikova, E; Potukuchi, B V K S; Prindle, D; Pruneau, C; Putschke, J; Rai, G; Rakness, G; Raniwala, R; Raniwala, S; Ravel, O; Ray, R L; Razin, S V; Reichhold, D; Reid, J G; Renault, G; Retiere, F; Ridiger, A; Ritter, H G; Roberts, J B; Rogachevskiy, O V; Romero, J L; Rose, A; Roy, C; Ruan, L; Sahoo, R; Sakrejda, I; Salur, S; Sandweiss, J; Savin, I; Sazhin, P S; Schambach, J; Scharenberg, R P; Schmitz, N; Schroeder, L S; Schweda, K; Seger, J; Seyboth, P; Shahaliev, E; Shao, M; Shao, W; Sharma, M; Shen, W Q; Shestermanov, K E; Shimanskiy, S S; Sichtermann, E; Simon, F; Singaraju, R N; Skoro, G; Smirnov, N; Snellings, R; Sood, G; Sorensen, P; Sowinski, J; Speltz, J; Spinka, H M; Srivastava, B; Stadnik, A; Stanislaus, T D S; Stock, R; Stolpovsky, A; Strikhanov, M; Stringfellow, B; Suaide, A A P; Sugarbaker, E; Suire, C; Sumbera, M; Surrow, B; Symons, T J M; Szanto de Toledo, A; Szarwas, P; Tai, A; Takahashi, J; Tang, A H; Tarnowsky, T; Thein, D; Thomas, J H; Timoshenko, S; Tokarev, M; Trentalange, S; Tribble, R E; Tsai, O D; Ulery, J; Ullrich, T; Underwood, D G; Urkinbaev, A; Van Buren, G; van Leeuwen, M; Vander Molen, A M; Varma, R; Vasilevski, I M; Vasiliev, A N; Vernet, R; Vigdor, S E; Viyogi, Y P; Vokal, S; Voloshin, S A; Vznuzdaev, M; Waggoner, W T; Wang, F; Wang, G; Wang, G; Wang, X L; Wang, Y; Wang, Y; Wang, Z M; Ward, H; Watson, J W; Webb, J C; Wells, R; Westfall, G D; Wetzler, A; Whitten, C; Wieman, H; Wissink, S W; Witt, R; Wood, J; Wu, J; Xu, N; Xu, Z; Xu, Z Z; Yamamoto, E; Yepes, P; Yurevich, V I; Zanevsky, Y V; Zhang, H; Zhang, W M; Zhang, Z P; Zolnierczuk, P A; Zoulkarneev, R; Zoulkarneeva, Y; Zubarev, A N

2004-12-17

Results on high transverse momentum charged particle emission with respect to the reaction plane are presented for Au + Au collisions at square root s(NN)=200 GeV. Two- and four-particle correlations results are presented as well as a comparison of azimuthal correlations in Au + Au collisions to those in p + p at the same energy. The elliptic anisotropy v(2) is found to reach its maximum at p(t) approximately 3 GeV/c, then decrease slowly and remain significant up to p(t) approximately 7-10 GeV/c. Stronger suppression is found in the back-to-back high-p(t) particle correlations for particles emitted out of plane compared to those emitted in plane. The centrality dependence of v(2) at intermediate p(t) is compared to simple models based on jet quenching.

Particle migration and sorting in microbubble streaming flows

PubMed Central

Thameem, Raqeeb; Hilgenfeldt, Sascha

2016-01-01

Ultrasonic driving of semicylindrical microbubbles generates strong streaming flows that are robust over a wide range of driving frequencies. We show that in microchannels, these streaming flow patterns can be combined with Poiseuille flows to achieve two distinctive, highly tunable methods for size-sensitive sorting and trapping of particles much smaller than the bubble itself. This method allows higher throughput than typical passive sorting techniques, since it does not require the inclusion of device features on the order of the particle size. We propose a simple mechanism, based on channel and flow geometry, which reliably describes and predicts the sorting behavior observed in experiment. It is also shown that an asymptotic theory that incorporates the device geometry and superimposed channel flow accurately models key flow features such as peak speeds and particle trajectories, provided it is appropriately modified to account for 3D effects caused by the axial confinement of the bubble. PMID:26958103

Interactions of non-spherical particles in simple flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niazi, Mehdi; Brandt, Luca; Costa, Pedro; Breugem, Wim-Paul

2015-11-01

The behavior of particles in a flow affects the global transport and rheological properties of the mixture. In recent years much effort has been therefore devoted to the development of an efficient method for the direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the motion of spherical rigid particles immersed in an incompressible fluid. However, the literature on non-spherical particle suspensions is quite scarce despite the fact that these are more frequent. We develop a numerical algorithm to simulate finite-size spheroid particles in shear flows to gain new understanding of the flow of particle suspensions. In particular, we wish to understand the role of inertia and its effect on the flow behavior. For this purpose, DNS simulations with a direct-forcing immersed boundary method are used, with collision and lubrication models for particle-particle and particle-wall interactions. We will discuss pair interactions, relative motion and rotation, of two sedimenting spheroids and show that the interaction time increases significantly for non-spherical particles. More interestingly, we show that the particles are attracted to each other from larger lateral displacements. This has important implications for collision kernels. This work was supported by the European Research Council Grant No. ERC-2013-CoG-616186, TRITOS, and by the Swedish Research Council (VR).

Cooperative standing-horizontal-standing reentrant transition for numerous solid particles under external vibration.

PubMed

Takatori, Satoshi; Baba, Hikari; Ichino, Takatoshi; Shew, Chwen-Yang; Yoshikawa, Kenichi

2018-01-11

We report the collective behavior of numerous plastic bolt-like particles exhibiting one of two distinct states, either standing stationary or horizontal accompanied by tumbling motion, when placed on a horizontal plate undergoing sinusoidal vertical vibration. Experimentally, we prepared an initial state in which all of the particles were standing except for a single particle that was placed at the center of the plate. Under continuous vertical vibration, the initially horizontal particle triggers neighboring particles to fall over into a horizontal state through tumbling-induced collision, and this effect gradually spreads to all of the particles, i.e., the number of horizontal particles is increased. Interestingly, within a certain range of vibration intensity, almost all of the horizontal particles revert back to standing in association with the formation of apparent 2D hexagonal dense-packing. Thus, phase segregation between high and low densities, or crystalline and disperse domains, of standing particles is generated as a result of the reentrant transition. The essential features of such cooperative dynamics through the reentrant transition are elucidated with a simple kinetic model. We also demonstrate that an excitable wave with the reentrant transition is observed when particles are situated in a quasi-one-dimensional confinement on a vibrating plate.

A model for the behaviour of the Solar Energetic Particle Events inside Magnetic Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medina, J.; Hidalgo, M. A.

2006-12-01

The modulation effects of the solar ejecta over the solar energetic particle event SEPe fluxes (0,5-100 MeV) provided by solar flares have recently been highlighted. Especially important is the behaviour of these fluxes inside MCs where, in spite of the low magnetic field intensities of these interplanetary structures (about 30 nT), a decrease in the population of the energetic particles is observed. In the present work it is shown a simple theoretical model we have developed to analyse the behaviour of those fluxes inside the magnetic clouds (MCs) using, as a starting point, our previous magnetic field model for MCs. The experimental data from ACE, GOES, SAMPEX, SOHO, Ulysses and WIND satellites are presented, both from MC coincident with SEPe and not coincident. This work has been supported by the Spanish Comisión Internacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT), grant ESP2005-07290-C02-01 and ESP2006-08459 and Madrid Autonomous Community / University of Alcala grant CAM-UAH 2005/007. This work is performed inside COST Action 724.

A New Paradigm for Flare Particle Acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guidoni, Silvina E.; Karpen, Judith T.; DeVore, C. Richard

2017-08-01

The mechanism that accelerates particles to the energies required to produce the observed high-energy impulsive emission and its spectra in solar flares is not well understood. Here, we propose a first-principle-based model of particle acceleration that produces energy spectra that closely resemble those derived from hard X-ray observations. Our mechanism uses contracting magnetic islands formed during fast reconnection in solar flares to accelerate electrons, as first proposed by Drake et al. (2006) for kinetic-scale plasmoids. We apply these ideas to MHD-scale islands formed during fast reconnection in a simulated eruptive flare. A simple analytic model based on the particles’ adiabatic invariants is used to calculate the energy gain of particles orbiting field lines in our ultrahigh-resolution, 2.5D, MHD numerical simulation of a solar eruption (flare + coronal mass ejection). Then, we analytically model electrons visiting multiple contracting islands to account for the observed high-energy flare emission. Our acceleration mechanism inherently produces sporadic emission because island formation is intermittent. Moreover, a large number of particles could be accelerated in each macroscopic island, which may explain the inferred rates of energetic-electron production in flares. We conclude that island contraction in the flare current sheet is a promising candidate for electron acceleration in solar eruptions. This work was supported in part by the NASA LWS and H-SR programs..

Retrieval of Snow Properties for Ku- and Ka-band Dual-Frequency Radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liao, Liang; Meneghini, Robert; Tokay, Ali; Bliven, Larry F.

2016-01-01

The focus of this study is on the estimation of snow microphysical properties and the associated bulk parameters such as snow water content and water equivalent snowfall rate for Ku- and Ka-band dual-frequency radar. This is done by exploring a suitable scattering model and the proper particle size distribution (PSD) assumption that accurately represent, in the electromagnetic domain, the micro/macro-physical properties of snow. The scattering databases computed from simulated aggregates for small-to-moderate particle sizes are combined with a simple scattering model for large particle sizes to characterize snow scattering properties over the full range of particle sizes. With use of the single-scattering results, the snow retrieval lookup tables can be formed in a way that directly links the Ku- and Ka-band radar reflectivities to snow water content and equivalent snowfall rate without use of the derived PSD parameters. A sensitivity study of the retrieval results to the PSD and scattering models is performed to better understand the dual-wavelength retrieval uncertainties. To aid in the development of the Ku- and Ka-band dual-wavelength radar technique and to further evaluate its performance, self-consistency tests are conducted using measurements of the snow PSD and fall velocity acquired from the Snow Video Imager Particle Image Probe (SVIPIP) duringthe winter of 2014 at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility site in Wallops Island, Virginia.

Retrieval of Snow Properties for Ku- and Ka-Band Dual-Frequency Radar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liao, Liang; Meneghini, Robert; Tokay, Ali; Bliven, Larry F.

2016-01-01

The focus of this study is on the estimation of snow microphysical properties and the associated bulk parameters such as snow water content and water equivalent snowfall rate for Ku- and Ka-band dual-frequency radar. This is done by exploring a suitable scattering model and the proper particle size distribution (PSD) assumption that accurately represent, in the electromagnetic domain, the micro-macrophysical properties of snow. The scattering databases computed from simulated aggregates for small-to-moderate particle sizes are combined with a simple scattering model for large particle sizes to characterize snow-scattering properties over the full range of particle sizes. With use of the single-scattering results, the snow retrieval lookup tables can be formed in a way that directly links the Ku- and Ka-band radar reflectivities to snow water content and equivalent snowfall rate without use of the derived PSD parameters. A sensitivity study of the retrieval results to the PSD and scattering models is performed to better understand the dual-wavelength retrieval uncertainties. To aid in the development of the Ku- and Ka-band dual-wavelength radar technique and to further evaluate its performance, self-consistency tests are conducted using measurements of the snow PSD and fall velocity acquired from the Snow Video Imager Particle Image Probe (SVIPIP) during the winter of 2014 at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility site in Wallops Island, Virginia.

Direct Measurements of Gas/Particle Partitioning and Mass Accommodation Coefficients in Environmental Chambers.

PubMed

Krechmer, Jordan E; Day, Douglas A; Ziemann, Paul J; Jimenez, Jose L

2017-10-17

Secondary organic aerosols (SOA) are a major contributor to fine particulate mass and wield substantial influences on the Earth's climate and human health. Despite extensive research in recent years, many of the fundamental processes of SOA formation and evolution remain poorly understood. Most atmospheric aerosol models use gas/particle equilibrium partitioning theory as a default treatment of gas-aerosol transfer, despite questions about potentially large kinetic effects. We have conducted fundamental SOA formation experiments in a Teflon environmental chamber using a novel method. A simple chemical system produces a very fast burst of low-volatility gas-phase products, which are competitively taken up by liquid organic seed particles and Teflon chamber walls. Clear changes in the species time evolution with differing amounts of seed allow us to quantify the particle uptake processes. We reproduce gas- and aerosol-phase observations using a kinetic box model, from which we quantify the aerosol mass accommodation coefficient (α) as 0.7 on average, with values near unity especially for low volatility species. α appears to decrease as volatility increases. α has historically been a very difficult parameter to measure with reported values varying over 3 orders of magnitude. We use the experimentally constrained model to evaluate the correction factor (Φ) needed for chamber SOA mass yields due to losses of vapors to walls as a function of species volatility and particle condensational sink. Φ ranges from 1-4.

Amine quinone polyurethane polymers for improved performance in advanced particulate media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warren, G. W.; Sharma, Rahul; Nikles, D. E.; Hu, Y.; Street, S. C.

1999-03-01

The magnetic layer used in commercial, high density, metal particle recording media consists of sub-micron sized Fe particles suspended in a polyurethane polymer binder. New amine-quinone polymers, AQPU15 and AQPU100, have been developed for improving corrosion resistance of the particles. A fundamental study of the nature of the AQ polymer/metal oxide interface and its relationship to corrosion resistance is reported. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to evaluate corrosion behavior of Fe substrates coated with two different thicknesses of each polymer. The extent of corrosion of Fe particles coated with AQ polymers was also measured via the loss in MS with time of immersion in an acid solution. AQ coated particles showed significant improvement in corrosion resistance. FTIR-RA and XPS data show an interaction between AQM14A, a simple model for a portion of the polymer, and metal (Fe, Cu, Al) surfaces which occurs through the π system of the AQ functional group.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garcia, Andres

Transport and reaction in zeolites and other porous materials, such as mesoporous silica particles, has been a focus of interest in recent years. This is in part due to the possibility of anomalous transport effects (e.g. single-file diffusion) and its impact in the reaction yield in catalytic processes. Computational simulations are often used to study these complex nonequilibrium systems. Computer simulations using Molecular Dynamics (MD) techniques are prohibitive, so instead coarse grained one-dimensional models with the aid of Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations are used. Both techniques can be computationally expensive, both time and resource wise. These coarse-grained systems canmore » be exactly described by a set of coupled stochastic master equations, that describe the reaction-diffusion kinetics of the system. The equations can be written exactly, however, coupling between the equations and terms within the equations make it impossible to solve them exactly; approximations must be made. One of the most common methods to obtain approximate solutions is to use Mean Field (MF) theory. MF treatments yield reasonable results at high ratios of reaction rate k to hop rate h of the particles, but fail completely at low k=h due to the over-estimation of fluxes of particles within the pore. We develop a method to estimate fluxes and intrapore diffusivity in simple one- dimensional reaction-diffusion models at high and low k=h, where the pores are coupled to an equilibrated three-dimensional fluid. We thus successfully describe analytically these simple reaction-diffusion one-dimensional systems. Extensions to models considering behavior with long range steric interactions and wider pores require determination of multiple boundary conditions. We give a prescription to estimate the required parameters for these simulations. For one dimensional systems, if single-file diffusion is relaxed, additional parameters to describe particle exchange have to be introduced. We use Langevin Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to assess these parameters.« less

Equation of state and Helmholtz free energy for the atomic system of the repulsive Lennard-Jones particles.

PubMed

Mirzaeinia, Ali; Feyzi, Farzaneh; Hashemianzadeh, Seyed Majid

2017-12-07

Simple and accurate expressions are presented for the equation of state (EOS) and absolute Helmholtz free energy of a system composed of simple atomic particles interacting through the repulsive Lennard-Jones potential model in the fluid and solid phases. The introduced EOS has 17 and 22 coefficients for fluid and solid phases, respectively, which are regressed to the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation data over the reduced temperature range of 0.6≤T * ≤6.0 and the packing fraction range of 0.1 ≤ η ≤ 0.72. The average absolute relative percent deviation in fitting the EOS parameters to the MC data is 0.06 and 0.14 for the fluid and solid phases, respectively. The thermodynamic integration method is used to calculate the free energy using the MC simulation results. The Helmholtz free energy of the ideal gas is employed as the reference state for the fluid phase. For the solid phase, the values of the free energy at the reduced density equivalent to the close-packed of a hard sphere are used as the reference state. To check the validity of the predicted values of the Helmholtz free energy, the Widom particle insertion method and the Einstein crystal technique of Frenkel and Ladd are employed. The results obtained from the MC simulation approaches are well agreed to the EOS results, which show that the proposed model can reliably be utilized in the framework of thermodynamic theories.

Crowding Effects on the Formation and Maintenance of Nuclear Bodies: Insights from Molecular-Dynamics Simulations of Simple Spherical Model Particles

PubMed Central

Cho, Eun Jin; Kim, Jun Soo

2012-01-01

The physics of structure formation and maintenance of nuclear bodies (NBs), such as nucleoli, Cajal bodies, promyelocytic leukemia bodies, and speckles, in a crowded nuclear environment remains largely unknown. We investigate the role of macromolecular crowding in the formation and maintenance of NBs using computer simulations of a simple spherical model, called Lennard-Jones (LJ) particles. LJ particles form a one-phase, dilute fluid when the intermolecular interaction is weaker than a critical value, above which they phase separate and form a condensed domain. We find that when volume-exclusive crowders exist in significant concentrations, domain formation is induced even for weaker intermolecular interactions, and the effect is more pronounced with increasing crowder concentration. Simulation results show that a previous experimental finding that promyelocytic leukemia bodies disappear in the less-crowded condition and reassemble in the normal crowded condition can be interpreted as a consequence of the increased intermolecular interactions between NB proteins due to crowding. Based on further analysis of the simulation results, we discuss the acceleration of macromolecular associations that occur within NBs, and the delay of diffusive transport of macromolecules within and out of NBs when the crowder concentration increases. This study suggests that in a polydisperse nuclear environment that is enriched with a variety of macromolecules, macromolecular crowding not only plays an important role in the formation and maintenance of NBs, but also may perform some regulatory functions in response to alterations in the crowding conditions. PMID:22947858

Equation of state and Helmholtz free energy for the atomic system of the repulsive Lennard-Jones particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirzaeinia, Ali; Feyzi, Farzaneh; Hashemianzadeh, Seyed Majid

2017-12-01

Simple and accurate expressions are presented for the equation of state (EOS) and absolute Helmholtz free energy of a system composed of simple atomic particles interacting through the repulsive Lennard-Jones potential model in the fluid and solid phases. The introduced EOS has 17 and 22 coefficients for fluid and solid phases, respectively, which are regressed to the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation data over the reduced temperature range of 0.6 ≤T*≤6.0 and the packing fraction range of 0.1 ≤ η ≤ 0.72. The average absolute relative percent deviation in fitting the EOS parameters to the MC data is 0.06 and 0.14 for the fluid and solid phases, respectively. The thermodynamic integration method is used to calculate the free energy using the MC simulation results. The Helmholtz free energy of the ideal gas is employed as the reference state for the fluid phase. For the solid phase, the values of the free energy at the reduced density equivalent to the close-packed of a hard sphere are used as the reference state. To check the validity of the predicted values of the Helmholtz free energy, the Widom particle insertion method and the Einstein crystal technique of Frenkel and Ladd are employed. The results obtained from the MC simulation approaches are well agreed to the EOS results, which show that the proposed model can reliably be utilized in the framework of thermodynamic theories.

Fermionic minimal dark matter in 5D gauge-Higgs unification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maru, Nobuhito; Okada, Nobuchika; Okada, Satomi

2017-12-01

We propose a minimal dark matter (MDM) scenario in the context of a simple gauge-Higgs unification (GHU) model based on the gauge group S U (3 )×U (1 )' in five-dimensional Minkowski space with a compactification of the fifth dimension on the 1S/Z2 orbifold. A pair of vectorlike S U (3 ) multiplet fermions in a higher-dimensional representation is introduced in the bulk, and the DM particle is identified with the lightest mass eigenstate among the components in the multiplets. In the original model description, the DM particle communicates with the Standard Model (SM) particles only through the bulk gauge interaction, and hence our model is the GHU version of the MDM scenario. There are two typical realizations of the DM particle in four-dimensional effective theory: (i) the DM particle is mostly composed of the SM S U (2 )L multiplets, or (ii) the DM is mostly composed of the SM S U (2 )L singlets. Since the case (i) is very similar to the original MDM scenario, we focus on the case (ii), which is a realization of the Higgs-portal DM scenario in the context of the GHU model. We identify an allowed parameter region to be consistent with the current experimental constraints, which will be fully covered by the direct dark matter detection experiments in the near future. In the presence of the bulk multiplet fermions in higher-dimensional S U (3 ) representations, we reproduce the 125 GeV Higgs boson mass through the renormalization group evolution of Higgs quartic coupling with the compactification scale of 10-100 TeV.

Tracking Water Diffusion Fronts in a Highly Viscous Aerosol Particle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bastelberger, Sandra; Krieger, Ulrich; Peter, Thomas

2016-04-01

Field measurements indicate that atmospheric secondary aerosol particles can be present in a highly viscous, glassy state [1]. In contrast to liquid state particles, the gas phase equilibration is kinetically limited and governed by condensed phase diffusion. In recent water diffusion experiments on highly viscous single aerosol particles levitated in an electrodynamic balance (EDB) we observed a characteristic shift behavior of the Mie whispering gallery modes (WGM) indicative of the changing radial structure of the particle, thus providing us with an experimental method to track the diffusion process inside the particle. When a highly viscous, homogeneous particle is exposed to an abrupt increase in relative humidity, the rapid gas phase diffusion and strong concentration dependence of the diffusion coefficient in the condensed phase lead to extremely steep water concentration gradients inside the particle, reminiscent of diffusion fronts. The resulting quasi step-like concentration profile motivates the introduction of a simple core-shell model describing the morphology of the non-equilibrium particle during humidification. The subsequent particle growth and reduction of the shell refractive index can be observed as red and blueshift behavior of the WGM, respectively. The shift pattern can be attributed to a core-shell radius ratio and particle radius derived from model calculations [2]. If supplemented with growth information obtained from the WGM redshift and thermodynamic equilibrium data, we can infer a comprehensive picture of the time evolution of the diffusion fronts in the framework of our core-shell model. The measured time dependent concentration profile is then compared with simulations solving the non-linear diffusion equation [3] [1] Virtanen, A., et al., Nature, 467, 824-827, 2010 [2] Kaiser, T., Schweiger, G., Computers in Physics, Vol. 7, No. 6, 682-686, Nov/Dec 1993 [3] Zobrist, B., Soonsin, V., Luo, B.P., Peter, T. et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 13,3514-3526, 2011

Why Did the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull Volcanic Eruption Cloud Last So Long?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jellinek, M.; Carazzo, G.

2013-12-01

The global economic consequences of the relatively small Eyjafjallajokull eruption in the spring of 2010 caught the world off guard. That the eruption cloud lasted for several months rather than weeks, efficiently disrupting air travel and the holiday plans of thousands of tourists, drew arguably more attention and a certainly garnered a highly emotional response. The longevity of this eruption cloud was touted to be "an anomaly". However, this anomaly nearly repeated itself the following year in the form of the 2011 Puyehue-Cordon Caulle eruption cloud. A major reason that the behavior of the 2010 Eyjafjallajokul cloud was surprising is that "standard" models for ash sedimentation (i.e., heavy particles fall out of the cloud faster than light particles) are incomplete. Observations of the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull, as well as the structure of atmospheric aerosol clouds from the 1991 Mt Pinatubo event, suggest that an additional key process in addition to particle settling is the production of internal layering. We use analog experiments on turbulent particle-laden umbrella clouds and simple models to show that this layering occurs where natural convection driven by particle sedimentation and the differential diffusion of primarily heat and fine particles give rise to a large scale instability leading to this layering. This 'particle diffusive convection' strongly influences cloud longevity where volcanic umbrella clouds are enriched in fine ash. More generally, volcanic cloud residence times will depend on ash fluxes related to both individual particle settling and diffusive convection. We discuss a new sedimentation model that includes both contributions to the particle flux and explains the the rate of change of particle concentration in the 1982 El Chichon, 1991 Mt Pinatubo and 1992 Mt Spurr ash-clouds. Examples of periodic layering in volcanic clouds compared with experiments in which periodic layering emerges as a result of buoyancy effects related to a particle-salt double diffusive instability.

Biased growth processes and the ``rich-get-richer'' principle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Moura, Alessandro P.

2004-05-01

We study a simple stochastic system with a “rich-get-richer” behavior, in which there are 2 states, and N particles that are successively assigned to one of the states, with a probability pi that depends on the states’ occupation ni as pi = nγi /( nγ1 + nγ2 ) . We show that there is a phase transition as γ crosses the critical value γc =1 . For γ<1 , in the thermodynamic limit the occupations are approximately the same, n1 ≈ n2 . For γ>1 , however, a spontaneous symmetry breaking occurs, and the system goes to a highly clustered configuration, in which one of the states has almost all the particles. These results also hold for any finite number of states (not only two). We show that this “rich-get-richer” principle governs the growth dynamics in a simple model of gravitational aggregation, and we argue that the same is true in all growth processes mediated by long-range forces like gravity.

Intracellular signal propagation in a two-dimensional autocatalytic reaction model.

PubMed

Castiglione, F; Bernaschi, M; Succi, S; Heinrich, R; Kirschner, M W

2002-09-01

We study a simple reaction scheme in a two-dimensional lattice of particles or molecules with a refractory state. We analyze the dynamics of the propagating front as a function of physical-chemical properties of the host medium. The anisotropy of the medium significantly affects the smoothness of the wave front. Similarly, if particles or molecules may diffuse slowly to neighboring sites, then the front wave is more likely to be irregular. Both situations affect the ability of the whole system to relax to the original state, which is a required feature in the biological cells. Attempts to map this simple reaction scheme to reactions involved in the intracellular pathways suggest that, in some cases, signal transduction might take both connotation of a random walk and a propagating wave, depending on the local density of the medium. In particular, a sufficient condition for the appearance of waves in high-density regions of the media, is the existence of at least one autocatalytic reaction in the chain of reactions characterizing the pathway.

Evaluation on simultaneous removal of particles and off-flavors using population balance for application of powdered activated carbon in dissolved air flotation process.

PubMed

Kwak, D H; Yoo, S J; Lee, E J; Lee, J W

2010-01-01

Most of the water treatment plants applying the DAF process are faced with off-flavors control problems. For simultaneous control of particles of impurities and dissolved organics that cause pungent taste and odor in water, an effective method would be the simple application of powdered activated carbon (PAC) in the DAF process. A series of experiments were carried out to explore the feasibility for simultaneous removal of kaolin particles and organic compounds that produce off-flavors (2-MIB and geosmin). In addition, the flotation efficiency of kaolin and PAC particles adsorbing organics in the DAF process was evaluated by employing the population balance theory. The removal efficiency of 2-MIB and geosmin under the treatment condition with kaolin particles for simultaneous treatment was lower than that of the individual treatment. The decrease in the removal efficiency was probably caused by 2-MIB and geosmin remaining in the PAC particle in the treated water of DAF after bubble flotation. Simulation results obtained by the population balance model indicate, that the initial collision-attachment efficiency of PAC particles was lower than that of kaolin particles.

Astrophysical uncertainties on the local dark matter distribution and direct detection experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Anne M.

2017-08-01

The differential event rate in weakly interacting massive particle (WIMP) direct detection experiments depends on the local dark matter density and velocity distribution. Accurate modelling of the local dark matter distribution is therefore required to obtain reliable constraints on the WIMP particle physics properties. Data analyses typically use a simple standard halo model which might not be a good approximation to the real Milky Way (MW) halo. We review observational determinations of the local dark matter density, circular speed and escape speed and also studies of the local dark matter distribution in simulated MW-like galaxies. We discuss the effects of the uncertainties in these quantities on the energy spectrum and its time and direction dependence. Finally, we conclude with an overview of various methods for handling these astrophysical uncertainties.

Phase diagrams of Janus fluids with up-down constrained orientations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fantoni, Riccardo; Giacometti, Achille; Maestre, Miguel Ángel G.; Santos, Andrés

2013-11-01

A class of binary mixtures of Janus fluids formed by colloidal spheres with the hydrophobic hemispheres constrained to point either up or down are studied by means of Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations and simple analytical approximations. These fluids can be experimentally realized by the application of an external static electrical field. The gas-liquid and demixing phase transitions in five specific models with different patch-patch affinities are analyzed. It is found that a gas-liquid transition is present in all the models, even if only one of the four possible patch-patch interactions is attractive. Moreover, provided the attraction between like particles is stronger than between unlike particles, the system demixes into two subsystems with different composition at sufficiently low temperatures and high densities.

An Investigation into the Effect of Hydrodynamic Cavitation on Diesel using Optical Extinction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lockett, R. D.; Fatmi, Z.; Kuti, O.; Price, R.

2015-12-01

A conventional diesel and paraffinic-rich model diesel fuel were subjected to sustained cavitation in a custom-built high-pressure recirculation flow rig. Changes to the spectral extinction coefficient at 405 nm were measured using a simple optical arrangement. The spectral extinction coefficient at 405 nm for the conventional diesel sample was observed to increase to a maximum value and then asymptotically decrease to a steady-state value, while that for the paraffinic-rich model diesel was observed to progressively decrease. It is suggested that this is caused by the sonochemical pyrolysis of mono-aromatics to form primary soot-like carbonaceous particles, which then coagulate to form larger particles, which are then trapped by the filter, leading to a steady-state spectral absorbance.

Precipitation growth in convective clouds. [hail

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivastava, R. C.

1981-01-01

Analytical solutions to the equations of both the growth and motion of hailstones in updrafts and of cloud water contents which vary linearly with height were used to investigate hail growth in a model cloud. A strong correlation was found between the hail embyro starting position and its trajectory and final size. A simple model of the evolution of particle size distribution by coalescence and spontaneous and binary disintegrations was formulated. Solutions for the mean mass of the distribution and the equilibrium size distribution were obtained for the case of constant collection kernel and disintegration parameters. Azimuthal scans of Doppler velocity at a number of elevation angles were used to calculate high resolution vertical profiles of particle speed and horizontal divergence (the vertical air velocity) in a region of widespread precipitation trailing a mid-latitude squall line.

Simple model of surface roughness for binary collision sputtering simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindsey, Sloan J.; Hobler, Gerhard; Maciążek, Dawid; Postawa, Zbigniew

2017-02-01

It has been shown that surface roughness can strongly influence the sputtering yield - especially at glancing incidence angles where the inclusion of surface roughness leads to an increase in sputtering yields. In this work, we propose a simple one-parameter model (the "density gradient model") which imitates surface roughness effects. In the model, the target's atomic density is assumed to vary linearly between the actual material density and zero. The layer width is the sole model parameter. The model has been implemented in the binary collision simulator IMSIL and has been evaluated against various geometric surface models for 5 keV Ga ions impinging an amorphous Si target. To aid the construction of a realistic rough surface topography, we have performed MD simulations of sequential 5 keV Ga impacts on an initially crystalline Si target. We show that our new model effectively reproduces the sputtering yield, with only minor variations in the energy and angular distributions of sputtered particles. The success of the density gradient model is attributed to a reduction of the reflection coefficient - leading to increased sputtering yields, similar in effect to surface roughness.

Direct writing of metal nanostructures: lithographic tools for nanoplasmonics research.

PubMed

Leggett, Graham J

2011-03-22

Continued progress in the fast-growing field of nanoplasmonics will require the development of new methods for the fabrication of metal nanostructures. Optical lithography provides a continually expanding tool box. Two-photon processes, as demonstrated by Shukla et al. (doi: 10.1021/nn103015g), enable the fabrication of gold nanostructures encapsulated in dielectric material in a simple, direct process and offer the prospect of three-dimensional fabrication. At higher resolution, scanning probe techniques enable nanoparticle particle placement by localized oxidation, and near-field sintering of nanoparticulate films enables direct writing of nanowires. Direct laser "printing" of single gold nanoparticles offers a remarkable capability for the controlled fabrication of model structures for fundamental studies, particle-by-particle. Optical methods continue to provide a powerful support for research into metamaterials.

"Light sail" acceleration reexamined.

PubMed

Macchi, Andrea; Veghini, Silvia; Pegoraro, Francesco

2009-08-21

The dynamics of the acceleration of ultrathin foil targets by the radiation pressure of superintense, circularly polarized laser pulses is investigated by analytical modeling and particle-in-cell simulations. By addressing self-induced transparency and charge separation effects, it is shown that for "optimal" values of the foil thickness only a thin layer at the rear side is accelerated by radiation pressure. The simple "light sail" model gives a good estimate of the energy per nucleon, but overestimates the conversion efficiency of laser energy into monoenergetic ions.

Cancellation Mechanism for Dark-Matter-Nucleon Interaction.

PubMed

Gross, Christian; Lebedev, Oleg; Toma, Takashi

2017-11-10

We consider a simple Higgs portal dark-matter model, where the standard model is supplemented with a complex scalar whose imaginary part plays the role of weakly interacting massive particle dark matter (DM). We show that the direct DM detection cross section vanishes at the tree level and zero momentum transfer due to a cancellation by virtue of a softly broken symmetry. This cancellation is operative for any mediator masses. As a result, our electroweak-scale dark matter satisfies all of the phenomenological constraints quite naturally.

Statistical moments in superposition models and strongly intensive measures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broniowski, Wojciech; Olszewski, Adam

2017-06-01

First, we present a concise glossary of formulas for composition of standard, cumulant, factorial, and factorial cumulant moments in superposition (compound) models, where final particles are created via independent emission from a collection of sources. Explicit mathematical formulas for the composed moments are given to all orders. We discuss the composition laws for various types of moments via the generating-function methods and list the formulas for the unfolding of the unwanted fluctuations. Second, the technique is applied to the difference of the scaled multiplicities of two particle types. This allows for a systematic derivation and a simple algebraic interpretation of the so-called strongly intensive fluctuation measures. With the help of the formalism we obtain several new strongly intensive measures involving higher-rank moments. The reviewed as well as the new results may be useful in investigations of mechanisms of particle production and event-by-event fluctuations in high-energy nuclear and hadronic collisions, and in particular in the search for signatures of the QCD phase transition at a finite baryon density.

Quantification of Stokes Drift as a Mechanism for Surface Oil Advection in the DWH Oil Spill

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, M.

2013-12-01

Stokes drift has previously been qualitatively shown to be a factor in ocean surface particle transport, but has never been comprehensively quantified. In addition, most operational ocean particle advection models used during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill do not explicitly account for Stokes drift, instead using a simple parameterization based on wind drift (or ignoring it completely). This research works to quantify Stokes drift via direct calculation, with a focus on shallow water, where Stokes drift is more likely to have a relatively large impact compared to other transport processes such as ocean currents. For this study, WaveWatch III modeled waves in the Gulf of Mexico are used, from which Stokes drift is calculated using the peak wave period and significant wave height outputs. Trajectories are also calculated to examine the role Stokes drift plays in bringing surface particles (and specifically surface oil slicks) onshore. The impact of Stokes drift is compared to transport by currents and traditional estimates of wind drift.

Heat transfer from nanoparticles: A corresponding state analysis

PubMed Central

Merabia, Samy; Shenogin, Sergei; Joly, Laurent; Keblinski, Pawel; Barrat, Jean-Louis

2009-01-01

In this contribution, we study situations in which nanoparticles in a fluid are strongly heated, generating high heat fluxes. This situation is relevant to experiments in which a fluid is locally heated by using selective absorption of radiation by solid particles. We first study this situation for different types of molecular interactions, using models for gold particles suspended in octane and in water. As already reported in experiments, very high heat fluxes and temperature elevations (leading eventually to particle destruction) can be observed in such situations. We show that a very simple modeling based on Lennard–Jones (LJ) interactions captures the essential features of such experiments and that the results for various liquids can be mapped onto the LJ case, provided a physically justified (corresponding state) choice of parameters is made. Physically, the possibility of sustaining very high heat fluxes is related to the strong curvature of the interface that inhibits the formation of an insulating vapor film. PMID:19571000

Thermal and athermal three-dimensional swarms of self-propelled particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Nguyen H. P.; Jankowski, Eric; Glotzer, Sharon C.

2012-07-01

Swarms of self-propelled particles exhibit complex behavior that can arise from simple models, with large changes in swarm behavior resulting from small changes in model parameters. We investigate the steady-state swarms formed by self-propelled Morse particles in three dimensions using molecular dynamics simulations optimized for graphics processing units. We find a variety of swarms of different overall shape assemble spontaneously and that for certain Morse potential parameters at most two competing structures are observed. We report a rich “phase diagram” of athermal swarm structures observed across a broad range of interaction parameters. Unlike the structures formed in equilibrium self-assembly, we find that the probability of forming a self-propelled swarm can be biased by the choice of initial conditions. We investigate how thermal noise influences swarm formation and demonstrate ways it can be exploited to reconfigure one swarm into another. Our findings validate and extend previous observations of self-propelled Morse swarms and highlight open questions for predictive theories of nonequilibrium self-assembly.

Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of powder mixtures and composites: Packing, densification, and microstructural effects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, E.K.H.; Funkenbusch, P.D.

1993-06-01

Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) of powder mixtures (containing differently sized components) and of composite powders is analyzed. Recent progress, including development of a simple scheme for estimating radial distribution functions, has made modeling of these systems practical. Experimentally, powders containing bimodal or continuous size distributions are observed to hot isostatically press to a higher density tinder identical processing conditions and to show large differences in the densification rate as a function of density when compared with the monosize powders usually assumed for modeling purposes. Modeling correctly predicts these trends and suggests that they can be partially, but not entirely, attributedmore » to initial packing density differences. Modeling also predicts increased deformation in the smaller particles within a mixture. This effect has also been observed experimentally and is associated with microstructural changes, such as preferential recrystallization of small particles. Finally, consolidation of a composite mixture containing hard, but deformable, inclusions has been modeled for comparison with existing experimental data. Modeling results match both the densification and microstructural observations reported experimentally. Densification is retarded due to contacts between the reinforcing particles which support a significant portion of the applied pressure. In addition, partitioning of deformation between soft matrix and hard inclusion powders results in increased deformation of the softer material.« less

Microwave absorption in powders of small conducting particles for heating applications.

PubMed

Porch, Adrian; Slocombe, Daniel; Edwards, Peter P

2013-02-28

In microwave chemistry there is a common misconception that small, highly conducting particles heat profusely when placed in a large microwave electric field. However, this is not the case; with the simple physical explanation that the electric field (which drives the heating) within a highly conducting particle is highly screened. Instead, it is the magnetic absorption associated with induction that accounts for the large experimental heating rates observed for small metal particles. We present simple principles for the effective heating of particles in microwave fields from calculations of electric and magnetic dipole absorptions for a range of practical values of particle size and conductivity. For highly conducting particles, magnetic absorption dominates electric absorption over a wide range of particle radii, with an optimum absorption set by the ratio of mean particle radius a to the skin depth δ (specifically, by the condition a = 2.41δ). This means that for particles of any conductivity, optimized magnetic absorption (and hence microwave heating by magnetic induction) can be achieved by simple selection of the mean particle size. For weakly conducting samples, electric dipole absorption dominates, and is maximized when the conductivity is approximately σ ≈ 3ωε(0) ≈ 0.4 S m(-1), independent of particle radius. Therefore, although electric dipole heating can be as effective as magnetic dipole heating for a powder sample of the same volume, it is harder to obtain optimized conditions at a fixed frequency of microwave field. The absorption of sub-micron particles is ineffective in both magnetic and electric fields. However, if the particles are magnetic, with a lossy part to their complex permeability, then magnetic dipole losses are dramatically enhanced compared to their values for non-magnetic particles. An interesting application of this is the use of very small magnetic particles for the selective microwave heating of biological samples.

Disambiguating seesaw models using invariant mass variables at hadron colliders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dev, P. S. Bhupal; Kim, Doojin; Mohapatra, Rabindra N.

2016-01-01

We propose ways to distinguish between different mechanisms behind the collider signals of TeV-scale seesaw models for neutrino masses using kinematic endpoints of invariant mass variables. We particularly focus on two classes of such models widely discussed in literature: (i) Standard Model extended by the addition of singlet neutrinos and (ii) Left-Right Symmetric Models. Relevant scenarios involving the same "smoking-gun" collider signature of dilepton plus dijet with no missing transverse energy differ from one another by their event topology, resulting in distinctive relationships among the kinematic endpoints to be used for discerning them at hadron colliders. These kinematic endpoints are readily translated to the mass parameters of the on-shell particles through simple analytic expressions which can be used for measuring the masses of the new particles. A Monte Carlo simulation with detector effects is conducted to test the viability of the proposed strategy in a realistic environment. Finally, we discuss the future prospects of testing these scenarios at the √{s}=14 and 100 TeV hadron colliders.

The rotation and translation of non-spherical particles in homogeneous isotropic turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byron, Margaret

The motion of particles suspended in environmental turbulence is relevant to many scientific fields, from sediment transport to biological interactions to underwater robotics. At very small scales and simple shapes, we are able to completely mathematically describe the motion of inertial particles; however, the motion of large aspherical particles is significantly more complex, and current computational models are inadequate for large or highly-resolved domains. Therefore, we seek to experimentally investigate the coupling between freely suspended particles and ambient turbulence. A better understanding of this coupling will inform not only engineering and physics, but the interactions between small aquatic organisms and their environments. In the following pages, we explore the roles of shape and buoyancy on the motion of passive particles in turbulence, and allow these particles to serve as models for meso-scale aquatic organisms. We fabricate cylindrical and spheroidal particles and suspend them in homogeneous, isotropic turbulence that is generated via randomly-actuated jet arrays. The particles are fabricated with agarose hydrogel, which is refractive-index-matched to the surrounding fluid (water). Both the fluid and the particle are seeded with passive tracers, allowing us to perform Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) simultaneously on the particle and fluid phase. To investigate the effects of shape, particles are fabricated at varying aspect ratios; to investigate the effects of buoyancy, particles are fabricated at varying specific gravities. Each particle type is freely suspended at a volume fraction of F=0.1%, for which four-way coupling interactions are negligible. The suspended particles are imaged together with the surrounding fluid and analyzed using stereoscopic PIV, which yields three velocity components in a two-dimensional measurement plane. Using image thresholding, the results are separated into simultaneous fluid-phase and solid-phase velocity fields. Using these simultaneous measurements, we examine particles' turbulent slip velocity and compare it to particles' quiescent settling velocity, which we measure directly. We observe that the slip velocity is strongly reduced relative to the quiescent case, and explore various mechanisms of particle loitering in turbulence. We further explore the relationship between the instantaneous particle velocity and the instantaneous fluid velocity, and develop a linear parametrization. By comparing our experimental data to a simple one-dimensional flow in the context of this parametrization, we elucidate aspects of slip velocity that are unique to turbulence. We obtain the particles' angular velocity by applying the solid-body rotation equation to velocity measurements at points inside the particle. We find that the expected value of angular velocity magnitude does not vary significantly with particle aspect ratio, as long as particles are nearly neutrally buoyant. Stronger effects on rotation are found for more negatively-buoyant particles. We also investigate particles' inheritance of vorticity from turbulent velocity fields, and find that particle rotation can be predicted by applying a spatial filter to fluid-phase vorticity. The results of this study will allow us to more accurately predict the motion of aspherical particles, giving new insights into oceanic carbon cycling, industrial processes, and other important topics. This analysis will also shed light onto biological questions of navigation, reproduction, and predator-prey interaction by quantifying the turbulence-driven behavior of meso-scale aquatic organisms, allowing researchers to sift out passive vs. active effects in a behaving organism. Lastly, processes that are directly dependent on particle dynamics (e.g., sediment transport, industrial processes) will be informed by our results.

Bidirectional reflectance modeling of non-homogeneous plant canopies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norman, John M.

1986-01-01

The objective of this research is to develop a 3-dimensional radiative transfer model for predicting the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) for heterogeneous vegetation canopies. Leaf bidirectional reflectance and transmittance distribution functions were measured for corn and soybean leaves. The measurements clearly show that leaves are complex scatterers and considerable specular reflectance is possible. Because of the character of leaf reflectance, true leaf reflectance is larger than the nadir reflectances that are normally used to represent leaves. A 3-dimensional reflectance model, named BIGAR (Bidirectional General Array Model), was developed and compared with measurements from corn and soybean. The model is based on the concept that heterogeneous canopies can be described by a combination of many subcanopies, which contain all the foliage, and these subcanopy envelopes can be characterized by ellipsoids of various sizes and shapes. The model/measurement comparison results indicate that this relatively simple model captures the essential character of row crop BRDF's. Finally, two soil BDRF models were developed: one represents soil particles as rectangular blocks and the other represents soil particles as spheres. The sphere model was found to be superior.

Entropy-based separation of yeast cells using a microfluidic system of conjoined spheres

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Kai-Jian; Qin, S.-J., E-mail: shuijie.qin@gmail.com; Bai, Zhong-Chen

2013-11-21

A physical model is derived to create a biological cell separator that is based on controlling the entropy in a microfluidic system having conjoined spherical structures. A one-dimensional simplified model of this three-dimensional problem in terms of the corresponding effects of entropy on the Brownian motion of particles is presented. This dynamic mechanism is based on the Langevin equation from statistical thermodynamics and takes advantage of the characteristics of the Fokker-Planck equation. This mechanism can be applied to manipulate biological particles inside a microfluidic system with identical, conjoined, spherical compartments. This theoretical analysis is verified by performing a rapid andmore » a simple technique for separating yeast cells in these conjoined, spherical microfluidic structures. The experimental results basically match with our theoretical model and we further analyze the parameters which can be used to control this separation mechanism. Both numerical simulations and experimental results show that the motion of the particles depends on the geometrical boundary conditions of the microfluidic system and the initial concentration of the diffusing material. This theoretical model can be implemented in future biophysics devices for the optimized design of passive cell sorters.« less

A Micro Aerosol Sensor for the Measurement of Airborne Ultrafine Particles.

PubMed

Zhang, Chao; Zhu, Rong; Yang, Wenming

2016-03-18

Particle number concentration and particle size are the two key parameters used to characterize exposure to airborne nanoparticles or ultrafine particles that have attracted the most attention. This paper proposes a simple micro aerosol sensor for detecting the number concentration and particle size of ultrafine particles with diameters from 50 to 253 nm based on electrical diffusion charging. The sensor is composed of a micro channel and a couple of planar electrodes printed on two circuit boards assembled in parallel, which thus integrate charging, precipitating and measurement elements into one chip, the overall size of which is 98 × 38 × 25 mm³. The experiment results demonstrate that the sensor is useful for measuring monodisperse aerosol particles with number concentrations from 300 to 2.5 × 10⁴ /cm³ and particle sizes from 50 to 253 nm. The aerosol sensor has a simple structure and small size, which is favorable for use in handheld devices.

A Micro Aerosol Sensor for the Measurement of Airborne Ultrafine Particles

PubMed Central

Zhang, Chao; Zhu, Rong; Yang, Wenming

2016-01-01

Particle number concentration and particle size are the two key parameters used to characterize exposure to airborne nanoparticles or ultrafine particles that have attracted the most attention. This paper proposes a simple micro aerosol sensor for detecting the number concentration and particle size of ultrafine particles with diameters from 50 to 253 nm based on electrical diffusion charging. The sensor is composed of a micro channel and a couple of planar electrodes printed on two circuit boards assembled in parallel, which thus integrate charging, precipitating and measurement elements into one chip, the overall size of which is 98 × 38 × 25 mm3. The experiment results demonstrate that the sensor is useful for measuring monodisperse aerosol particles with number concentrations from 300 to 2.5 × 104 /cm3 and particle sizes from 50 to 253 nm. The aerosol sensor has a simple structure and small size, which is favorable for use in handheld devices. PMID:26999156

Cellular track model of biological damage to mammalian cell cultures from galactic cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cucinotta, Francis A.; Katz, Robert; Wilson, John W.; Townsend, Lawrence W.; Nealy, John E.; Shinn, Judy L.

1991-01-01

The assessment of biological damage from the galactic cosmic rays (GCR) is a current interest for exploratory class space missions where the highly ionizing, high-energy, high-charge ions (HZE) particles are the major concern. The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values determined by ground-based experiments with HZE particles are well described by a parametric track theory of cell inactivation. Using the track model and a deterministic GCR transport code, the biological damage to mammalian cell cultures is considered for 1 year in free space at solar minimum for typical spacecraft shielding. Included are the effects of projectile and target fragmentation. The RBE values for the GCR spectrum which are fluence-dependent in the track model are found to be more severe than the quality factors identified by the International Commission on Radiological Protection publication 26 and seem to obey a simple scaling law with the duration period in free space.

Unified TeV scale picture of baryogenesis and dark matter.

PubMed

Babu, K S; Mohapatra, R N; Nasri, Salah

2007-04-20

We present a simple extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model which provides a unified picture of cosmological baryon asymmetry and dark matter. Our model introduces a gauge singlet field N and a color triplet field X which couple to the right-handed quark fields. The out-of-equilibrium decay of the Majorana fermion N mediated by the exchange of the scalar field X generates adequate baryon asymmetry for MN approximately 100 GeV and MX approximately TeV. The scalar partner of N (denoted N1) is naturally the lightest SUSY particle as it has no gauge interactions and plays the role of dark matter. The model is experimentally testable in (i) neutron-antineutron oscillations with a transition time estimated to be around 10(10)sec, (ii) discovery of colored particles X at LHC with mass of order TeV, and (iii) direct dark matter detection with a predicted cross section in the observable range.

Material point method of modelling and simulation of reacting flow of oxygen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mason, Matthew; Chen, Kuan; Hu, Patrick G.

2014-07-01

Aerospace vehicles are continually being designed to sustain flight at higher speeds and higher altitudes than previously attainable. At hypersonic speeds, gases within a flow begin to chemically react and the fluid's physical properties are modified. It is desirable to model these effects within the Material Point Method (MPM). The MPM is a combined Eulerian-Lagrangian particle-based solver that calculates the physical properties of individual particles and uses a background grid for information storage and exchange. This study introduces chemically reacting flow modelling within the MPM numerical algorithm and illustrates a simple application using the AeroElastic Material Point Method (AEMPM) code. The governing equations of reacting flows are introduced and their direct application within an MPM code is discussed. A flow of 100% oxygen is illustrated and the results are compared with independently developed computational non-equilibrium algorithms. Observed trends agree well with results from an independently developed source.

Heat-flow properties of systems with alternate masses or alternate on-site potentials.

PubMed

Pereira, Emmanuel; Santana, Leonardo M; Ávila, Ricardo

2011-07-01

We address a central issue of phononics: the search of properties or mechanisms to manage the heat flow in reliable materials. We analytically study standard and simple systems modeling the heat flow in solids, namely, the harmonic, self-consistent harmonic and also anharmonic chains of oscillators, and we show an interesting insulating effect: While in the homogeneous models the heat flow decays as the inverse of the particle mass, in the chain with alternate masses it decays as the inverse of the square of the mass difference, that is, it decays essentially as the mass ratio (between the smaller and the larger one) for a large mass difference. A similar effect holds if we alternate on-site potentials instead of particle masses. The existence of such behavior in these different systems, including anharmonic models, indicates that it is a ubiquitous phenomenon with applications in the heat flow control.

New Experimental Results of Simulating Micrometeoroid Ablation in the Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sternovsky, Zoltan; Thomas, Evan; DeLuca, Michael; Janches, Diego; Munsat, Tobin; Plane, John

2017-04-01

A facility is developed to simulate the ablation of micrometeoroids in laboratory conditions, which also allows measuring the ionization probability of the ablated material. An electrostatic dust accelerator is used to generate iron, aluminum and meteoric analog particles with velocities 10-50 km/s. The particles are then introduced into a cell filled with nitrogen, air or carbon dioxide gas with pressures adjustable in the 0.02 - 0.5 Torr range, where the partial or complete ablation of the particle occurs over a short distance. An array of biased electrodes is used to collect the ionized products with spatial resolution along the ablating particles' path, allowing thus the study of the temporal resolution of the process. A new optical observation setup using a 64 channel PMT system was added to the setup to allow the observation of the ablating particle and deceleration of the particle from the neutral drag. A simple ablation model is used to match the observations. For completely ablated particles the total collected charge directly yields the ionization efficiency. The measurements using iron particles in N2 and air are in relatively good agreement with earlier data. The new experimental data using aluminum particles suggest that the neutral drag acting of the particle is smaller than expected.

Filtration of submicrometer particles by pelagic tunicates

PubMed Central

Sutherland, Kelly R.; Madin, Laurence P.; Stocker, Roman

2010-01-01

Salps are common in oceanic waters and have higher per-individual filtration rates than any other zooplankton filter feeder. Although salps are centimeters in length, feeding via particle capture occurs on a fine, mucous mesh (fiber diameter d ∼0.1 μm) at low velocity (U = 1.6 ± 0.6 cm·s−1, mean ± SD) and is thus a low Reynolds-number (Re ∼10−3) process. In contrast to the current view that particle encounter is dictated by simple sieving of particles larger than the mesh spacing, a low-Re mathematical model of encounter rates by the salp feeding apparatus for realistic oceanic particle-size distributions shows that submicron particles, due to their higher abundances, are encountered at higher rates (particles per time) than larger particles. Data from feeding experiments with 0.5-, 1-, and 3-μm diameter polystyrene spheres corroborate these findings. Although particles larger than 1 μm (e.g., flagellates, small diatoms) represent a larger carbon pool, smaller particles in the 0.1- to 1-μm range (e.g., bacteria, Prochlorococcus) may be more quickly digestible because they present more surface area, and we find that particles smaller than the mesh size (1.4 μm) can fully satisfy salp energetic needs. Furthermore, by packaging submicrometer particles into rapidly sinking fecal pellets, pelagic tunicates can substantially change particle-size spectra and increase downward fluxes in the ocean. PMID:20696887

Filtration of submicrometer particles by pelagic tunicates.

PubMed

Sutherland, Kelly R; Madin, Laurence P; Stocker, Roman

2010-08-24

Salps are common in oceanic waters and have higher per-individual filtration rates than any other zooplankton filter feeder. Although salps are centimeters in length, feeding via particle capture occurs on a fine, mucous mesh (fiber diameter d approximately 0.1 microm) at low velocity (U = 1.6 +/- 0.6 cmxs(-1), mean +/- SD) and is thus a low Reynolds-number (Re approximately 10(-3)) process. In contrast to the current view that particle encounter is dictated by simple sieving of particles larger than the mesh spacing, a low-Re mathematical model of encounter rates by the salp feeding apparatus for realistic oceanic particle-size distributions shows that submicron particles, due to their higher abundances, are encountered at higher rates (particles per time) than larger particles. Data from feeding experiments with 0.5-, 1-, and 3-microm diameter polystyrene spheres corroborate these findings. Although particles larger than 1 microm (e.g., flagellates, small diatoms) represent a larger carbon pool, smaller particles in the 0.1- to 1-microm range (e.g., bacteria, Prochlorococcus) may be more quickly digestible because they present more surface area, and we find that particles smaller than the mesh size (1.4 microm) can fully satisfy salp energetic needs. Furthermore, by packaging submicrometer particles into rapidly sinking fecal pellets, pelagic tunicates can substantially change particle-size spectra and increase downward fluxes in the ocean.

Alpha particles diffusion due to charge changes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clauser, C. F., E-mail: cesar.clauser@ib.edu.ar; Farengo, R.

2015-12-15

Alpha particles diffusion due to charge changes in a magnetized plasma is studied. Analytical calculations and numerical simulations are employed to show that this process can be very important in the pedestal-edge-SOL regions. This is the first study that presents clear evidence of the importance of atomic processes on the diffusion of alpha particles. A simple 1D model that includes inelastic collisions with plasma species, “cold” neutrals, and partially ionized species was employed. The code, which follows the exact particle orbits and includes the effect of inelastic collisions via a Monte Carlo type random process, runs on a graphic processormore » unit (GPU). The analytical and numerical results show excellent agreement when a uniform background (plasma and cold species) is assumed. The simulations also show that the gradients in the density of the plasma and cold species, which are large and opposite in the edge region, produce an inward flux of alpha particles. Calculations of the alpha particles flux reaching the walls or divertor plates should include these processes.« less

Point-particle method to compute diffusion-limited cellular uptake.

PubMed

Sozza, A; Piazza, F; Cencini, M; De Lillo, F; Boffetta, G

2018-02-01

We present an efficient point-particle approach to simulate reaction-diffusion processes of spherical absorbing particles in the diffusion-limited regime, as simple models of cellular uptake. The exact solution for a single absorber is used to calibrate the method, linking the numerical parameters to the physical particle radius and uptake rate. We study the configurations of multiple absorbers of increasing complexity to examine the performance of the method by comparing our simulations with available exact analytical or numerical results. We demonstrate the potential of the method to resolve the complex diffusive interactions, here quantified by the Sherwood number, measuring the uptake rate in terms of that of isolated absorbers. We implement the method in a pseudospectral solver that can be generalized to include fluid motion and fluid-particle interactions. As a test case of the presence of a flow, we consider the uptake rate by a particle in a linear shear flow. Overall, our method represents a powerful and flexible computational tool that can be employed to investigate many complex situations in biology, chemistry, and related sciences.

Particle transport through hydrogels is charge asymmetric.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaolu; Hansing, Johann; Netz, Roland R; DeRouchey, Jason E

2015-02-03

Transport processes within biological polymer networks, including mucus and the extracellular matrix, play an important role in the human body, where they serve as a filter for the exchange of molecules and nanoparticles. Such polymer networks are complex and heterogeneous hydrogel environments that regulate diffusive processes through finely tuned particle-network interactions. In this work, we present experimental and theoretical studies to examine the role of electrostatics on the basic mechanisms governing the diffusion of charged probe molecules inside model polymer networks. Translational diffusion coefficients are determined by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy measurements for probe molecules in uncharged as well as cationic and anionic polymer solutions. We show that particle transport in the charged hydrogels is highly asymmetric, with diffusion slowed down much more by electrostatic attraction than by repulsion, and that the filtering capability of the gel is sensitive to the solution ionic strength. Brownian dynamics simulations of a simple model are used to examine key parameters, including interaction strength and interaction range within the model networks. Simulations, which are in quantitative agreement with our experiments, reveal the charge asymmetry to be due to the sticking of particles at the vertices of the oppositely charged polymer networks. Copyright © 2015 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microfluidic system for facilitated quantification of nanoparticle accumulation to cells under laminar flow

PubMed Central

Kusunose, Jiro; Zhang, Hua; Gagnon, M. Karen J.; Pan, Tingrui; Simon, Scott I.; Ferrara, Katherine W.

2012-01-01

The identification of novel, synthetic targeting ligands to endothelial receptors has led to the rapid development of targeted nanoparticles for drug, gene and imaging probe delivery. Central to development and optimization are effective models for assessing particle binding in vitro. Here, we developed a simple and cost effective method to quantitatively assess nanoparticle accumulation under physiologically-relevant laminar flow. We designed reversibly vacuum–sealed PDMS microfluidic chambers compatible with 35 mm petri dishes, which deliver uniform or gradient shear stress. These chambers have sufficient surface area for facile cell collection for particle accumulation quantitation through FACS. We tested this model by synthesizing and flowing liposomes coated with APN (KD ~ 300 µM) and VCAM-1-targeting (KD ~ 30 µM) peptides over HUVEC. Particle binding significantly increased with ligand concentration (up to 6 mol%) and decreased with excess PEG. While the accumulation of particles with the lower affinity ligand decreased with shear, accumulation of those with the higher affinity ligand was highest in a low shear environment (2.4 dyne/cm2), as compared with greater shear or the absence of shear. We describe here a robust flow chamber model that is applied to optimize the properties of 100 nm liposomes targeted to inflamed endothelium. PMID:22855121

Mixing behavior of a model cellulosic biomass slurry during settling and resuspension

DOE PAGES

Crawford, Nathan C.; Sprague, Michael A.; Stickel, Jonathan J.

2016-01-29

Thorough mixing during biochemical deconstruction of biomass is crucial for achieving maximum process yields and economic success. However, due to the complex morphology and surface chemistry of biomass particles, biomass mixing is challenging and currently it is not well understood. This study investigates the bulk rheology of negatively buoyant, non-Brownian α-cellulose particles during settling and resuspension. The torque signal of a vane mixer across two distinct experimental setups (vane-in-cup and vane-in-beaker) was used to understand how mixing conditions affect the distribution of biomass particles. During experimentation, a bifurcated torque response as a function of vane speed was observed, indicating thatmore » the slurry transitions from a “settling-dominant” regime to a “suspension-dominant” regime. The torque response of well-characterized fluids (i.e., DI water) were then used to empirically identify when sufficient mixing turbulence was established in each experimental setup. The predicted critical mixing speeds were in agreement with measured values, suggesting that secondary flows are required in order to keep the cellulose particles fully suspended. In addition, a simple scaling relationship was developed to model the entire torque signal of the slurry throughout settling and resuspension. Furthermore, qualitative and semi-quantitative agreement between the model and experimental results was observed.« less

A planetary dust ring generated by impact-ejection from the Galilean satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sachse, Manuel

2018-03-01

All outer planets in the Solar System are surrounded by a ring system. Many of these rings are dust rings or they contain at least a high proportion of dust. They are often formed by impacts of micro-meteoroids onto embedded bodies. The ejected material typically consists of micron-sized charged particles, which are susceptible to gravitational and non-gravitational forces. Generally, detailed information on the dynamics and distribution of the dust requires expensive numerical simulations of a large number of particles. Here we develop a relatively simple and fast, semi-analytical model for an impact-generated planetary dust ring governed by the planet's gravity and the relevant perturbation forces for the dynamics of small charged particles. The most important parameter of the model is the dust production rate, which is a linear factor in the calculation of the dust densities. We apply our model to dust ejected from the Galilean satellites using production rates obtained from flybys of the dust sources. The dust densities predicted by our model are in good agreement with numerical simulations and with in situ measurements by the Galileo spacecraft. The lifetimes of large particles are about two orders of magnitude greater than those of small ones, which implies a flattening of the size distribution in circumplanetary space. Information about the distribution of circumplanetary dust is also important for the risk assessment of spacecraft orbits in the respective regions.

High negative charge of a dust particle in a hot cathode discharge.

PubMed

Arnas, C; Mikikian, M; Doveil, F

1999-12-01

Dust particle levitation experiments in a plasma produced by a hot filament discharge, operating at low argon pressure, are presented. The basic characteristics of a dust grain trapped in a plate sheath edge in these experimental conditions are reported. Taking into account the sheath potential profiles measured with a differential emissive probe diagnostic, the forces applied to an isolated dust grain can be determined. Two different experimental methods yield approximately the same value for the dust charge. The observed high negative charge is mainly due to the contribution of the primary electrons emitted by the filaments as predicted by a simple model.

a Point-Like Picture of the Hydrogen Atom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faghihi, F.; Jangjoo, A.; Khani, M.

A point-like picture of the Schrödinger solution for hydrogen atom is worked to emphasize that "point-like particles" may describe as "probability wave function". In each case, the three-dimensional shape of the |Ψnlm(rn, cosθ)|2 is plotted and the paths of the point-like electron (it is better to say reduced mass of the pair particles) are described in each closed shell. Finally, the orbital shape of the molecules are given according to the present simple model. In our opinion, "interpretations of the Correspondence Principle", which is a basic principle in all elementary quantum text, seems to be reviewed again!

Magnetic response of a viscoelastic ferrodispersion: From a nearly Newtonian ferrofluid to a Jeffreys ferrogel.

PubMed

Rusakov, V V; Raikher, Yu L

2017-09-28

The theory of orientational motion of a Brownian magnetic nanoparticle embedded in a viscoelastic medium and subjected to a time-dependent uniform magnetic field is developed. The rheology of the viscoelastic environment of the particle is modeled by the Jeffreys scheme, which under variation of a minimal number of parameters is able to resemble a wide range of soft materials: from a weakly structured (nearly Newtonian) polymer solution to a gel. It is shown that in the Jeffreys model, the diffusional orientational motion of a particle is a combination of two modes, which could be associated with a fast motion within the polymer mesh cell and a slow displacement that involves deformation of the mesh, respectively. The dependencies of the reference times of both relaxation modes on the Jeffreys viscous and elastic parameters and temperature are found. It turns out that in substantially viscoelastic media, the rate of the slow mode (it dominates in relaxation) quadratically depends on the matrix temperature. This effect does not have analogs in linearly viscous systems. For an ensemble of magnetic nanoparticles in viscoelastic and gel Jeffreys matrices: (1) the dynamic magnetic susceptibility is derived and evaluated both within an exact approach and in a simple approximation; (2) the problem of magnetic relaxometry, i.e., evolution of magnetization after step-wise turning off the field, is solved; (3) the specific power loss caused by viscous dissipation generated by the particles under an ac field is analyzed as a function of the rheological parameters. Results (1) and (2) provide simple models for magnetic nanorheology; consideration (3) advances the physics of magnetic hyperthermia in viscoelastic and gel-like media.

Discrete element modeling of microstructure of nacre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandler, Mei Qiang; Cheng, Jing-Ru C.

2018-04-01

The microstructure of nacre consists of polygon-shaped aragonite mineral tablets bonded by very thin layers of organic materials and is organized in a brick-mortar morphology. In this research, the discrete element method was utilized to model this structure. The aragonite mineral tablets were modeled with three-dimensional polygon particles generated by the Voronoi tessellation method to represent the Voronoi-like patterns of mineral tablets assembly observed in experiments. The organic matrix was modeled with a group of spring elements. The constitutive relations of the spring elements were inspired from the experimental results of organic molecules from the literature. The mineral bridges were modeled with simple elastic bonds with the parameters based on experimental data from the literature. The bulk stress-strain responses from the models agreed well with experimental results. The model results show that the mineral bridges play important roles in providing the stiffness and yield strength for the nacre, while the organic matrix in providing the ductility for the nacre. This work demonstrated the suitability of particle methods for modeling microstructures of nacre.

The experimental basis for interpreting particle and magnetic fabrics of sheared till

USGS Publications Warehouse

Iverson, N.R.; Hooyer, T.S.; Thomason, J.F.; Graesch, M.; Shumway, J.R.

2008-01-01

Particle fabrics of basal tills may allow testing of the bed-deformation model of glacier flow, which requires high bed shear strains (>100). Field studies, however, have not yielded a systematic relationship between shear-strain magnitude and fabric development. To isolate this relationship four basal tills and viscous putty were sheared in a ring-shear device to strains as high as 714. Fabric was characterized within a zone of shear deformation using the long-axis orientations of fine-gravel and sand particles and the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of small (???5-8 cm3) intact samples. Results indicate that till particles rotate toward the plane of shearing with long-axis orientations that become tightly clustered in the direction of shear (0??78 < S1 < 0??94 for three-dimensional data). These strong, steady-state fabrics are attained at shear strains of 7-30, with no evidence of fabric weakening with further strain, regardless of the specific till or particle-size fraction under consideration. These results do not support the Jeffery model of particle rotation, which correctly describes particle rotation in the viscous putty but not in the tills, owing to fluid-mechanical assumptions of the model that are violated in till. The sensitivity of fabric development to shear-strain magnitude indicates that, for most till units where shear-strain magnitude is poorly known, attributing fabric variations to spatial differences in other variables, such as till thickness or water content, will be inherently speculative. Attributing fabric characteristics to particular basal till facies is uncertain because shear-strain magnitude is unlikely to be closely correlated to till facies. Weak or spatially variable fabrics, in the absence of post-depositional disturbance or major deviations from unidirectional simple shear, indicate that till has not been pervasively sheared to the high strains required by the bed-deformation model. Strong flow-parallel fabrics are a necessary but insufficient criterion for confirming the model. Copyright ?? 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Laboratory Experiment to Demonstrate the Principles of Sedimentation in a Centrifuge: Estimation of Radius and Settling Velocity of Bacteria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riley, Erin; Felse, P. Arthur

2017-01-01

Centrifugation is a major unit operation in chemical and biotechnology industries. Here we present a simple, hands-on laboratory experiment to teach the basic principles of centrifugation and to explore the shear effects of centrifugation using bacterial cells as model particles. This experiment provides training in the use of a bench-top…

Genetic and molecular dosimetry of HZE radiation (7-IML-1)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Gregory A.

1992-01-01

The objectives of the study are to determine the kinetics of production and to characterize the unique aspects of genetic and developmental lesion induced in animal cells by radiation present in the space environment. Special attention is given to heavy charged particles. The organism Caenorhabditis elegans, a simple nematode, is used as a model system for a coordinated set of ground-based and flight experiments.

Antiparticle cloud temperatures for antihydrogen experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianconi, A.; Charlton, M.; Lodi Rizzini, E.; Mascagna, V.; Venturelli, L.

2017-07-01

A simple rate-equation description of the heating and cooling of antiparticle clouds under conditions typical of those found in antihydrogen formation experiments is developed and analyzed. We include single-particle collisional, radiative, and cloud expansion effects and, from the modeling calculations, identify typical cooling phenomena and trends and relate these to the underlying physics. Some general rules of thumb of use to experimenters are derived.

Simple Fabrication of Gd(III)-DTPA-Nanodiamond Particles by Chemical Modification for Use as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Contrast Agent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakamura, Takako; Ohana, Tsuguyori; Yabuno, Hajime; Kasai, Rumiko; Suzuki, Tetsuya; Hasebe, Terumitsu

2013-01-01

We have developed a simple and useful process for fabricating nanodiamond (ND) particles modified with an organogadolinium moiety by chemical modification for their use as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent. The introduction of the organogadolinium moiety on the surface of the ND particles was performed by the condensation of ND and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) followed by treatment with GdCl3. The modified surfaces were evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy analyses. MRI experiments on the Gd-DTPA-ND particles indicated their high signal intensity on T1-weighted images.

Energy transduction inside vesicles, photocatalysis by titanium dioxide and formation of NADH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Summers, David; Noveron, Juan; Rodoni, David; Basa, Ranor

A number of theories on the origin and early evolution of life have focused on the role of lipid bilayer membrane structures (vesicles). These vesicles are similar to modern cellular membranes , and have been postulated to have been abiotically formed and spontaneously assemble on the prebiotic Earth to provide compartments for early cellular life. They can contain water-soluble species, concentrate species, and have the potential to catalyze reactions. The origin of the use of photochemical energy to drive metabolism (ie. energy transduction) is also one of the central issues in our attempts to understand the origin and evolution of life. When did energy transduction and photosynthesis begin? What was the original system for capturing photochemical energy? How simple can such a system be? It has been postulated that vesicle structures developed the ability to capture and transduce light, providing energy for reactions. It has been shown that pH gradients can be photo-chemically created, but it has been found difficult to couple these to drive chemical reactions. Minerals can introduce a number of properties to a vesicle system. The incorporation of clay particles into vesicles can provide catalytic activity that mediates both vesicle assembly and RNA oligomerization. It is known that colloidal semiconducting mineral particles can act as photocatalysts and drive redox chemistry. We show that encapsulation of these particles has the potential to provide a source of energy transduction inside vesicles, and thereby drive protocellular chemistry and represent a model system for early photosynthesis. TiO2 particles can be incorporated into vesicles and retain their photoactivity through the dehydration/rehydration cycles that have been shown to be able concentrate species inside a vesicle. It is shown that these can be used to produce biochemical species such as enzymatically active NADH in such structures. This system demonstrates a simple energy source inside vesicles/protocells suitable either for simple prebiotic systems and/or for more complex "protobiochemical" systems. It could act as a precursor to metabolic systems and provide a model of how metabolism could have developed prebiotically in a vesicle based "protocell origin of life". It can provide a source of prebiotic compounds inside vesicles, an environment considered to be of great importance for the origin of life. An energy transduction system that is simple enough to have formed at an early stage of the origin of life (even before the formation of enzymatic or ribozymal activity) makes an autotrophic origin of life easier to envision.

Single-particle cryo-EM-Improved ab initio 3D reconstruction with SIMPLE/PRIME.

PubMed

Reboul, Cyril F; Eager, Michael; Elmlund, Dominika; Elmlund, Hans

2018-01-01

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and single-particle analysis now enables the determination of high-resolution structures of macromolecular assemblies that have resisted X-ray crystallography and other approaches. We developed the SIMPLE open-source image-processing suite for analysing cryo-EM images of single-particles. A core component of SIMPLE is the probabilistic PRIME algorithm for identifying clusters of images in 2D and determine relative orientations of single-particle projections in 3D. Here, we extend our previous work on PRIME and introduce new stochastic optimization algorithms that improve the robustness of the approach. Our refined method for identification of homogeneous subsets of images in accurate register substantially improves the resolution of the cluster centers and of the ab initio 3D reconstructions derived from them. We now obtain maps with a resolution better than 10 Å by exclusively processing cluster centers. Excellent parallel code performance on over-the-counter laptops and CPU workstations is demonstrated. © 2017 The Protein Society.

Particles at fluid-fluid interfaces: A new Navier-Stokes-Cahn-Hilliard surface-phase-field-crystal model

PubMed Central

Aland, Sebastian; Lowengrub, John; Voigt, Axel

2013-01-01

Colloid particles that are partially wetted by two immiscible fluids can become confined to fluid-fluid interfaces. At sufficiently high volume fractions, the colloids may jam and the interface may crystallize. The fluids together with the interfacial colloids form an emulsion with interesting material properties and offer an important route to new soft materials. A promising approach to simulate these emulsions was presented in Aland et al. [Phys. Fluids 23, 062103 (2011)], where a Navier-Stokes-Cahn-Hilliard model for the macroscopic two-phase fluid system was combined with a surface phase-field-crystal model for the microscopic colloidal particles along the interface. Unfortunately this model leads to spurious velocities which require very fine spatial and temporal resolutions to accurately and stably simulate. In this paper we develop an improved Navier-Stokes-Cahn-Hilliard-surface phase-field-crystal model based on the principles of mass conservation and thermodynamic consistency. To validate our approach, we derive a sharp interface model and show agreement with the improved diffuse interface model. Using simple flow configurations, we show that the new model has much better properties and does not lead to spurious velocities. Finally, we demonstrate the solid-like behavior of the crystallized interface by simulating the fall of a solid ball through a colloid-laden multiphase fluid. PMID:23214691

Made-to-measure modelling of observed galaxy dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bovy, Jo; Kawata, Daisuke; Hunt, Jason A. S.

2018-01-01

Amongst dynamical modelling techniques, the made-to-measure (M2M) method for modelling steady-state systems is amongst the most flexible, allowing non-parametric distribution functions in complex gravitational potentials to be modelled efficiently using N-body particles. Here, we propose and test various improvements to the standard M2M method for modelling observed data, illustrated using the simple set-up of a one-dimensional harmonic oscillator. We demonstrate that nuisance parameters describing the modelled system's orientation with respect to the observer - e.g. an external galaxy's inclination or the Sun's position in the Milky Way - as well as the parameters of an external gravitational field can be optimized simultaneously with the particle weights. We develop a method for sampling from the high-dimensional uncertainty distribution of the particle weights. We combine this in a Gibbs sampler with samplers for the nuisance and potential parameters to explore the uncertainty distribution of the full set of parameters. We illustrate our M2M improvements by modelling the vertical density and kinematics of F-type stars in Gaia DR1. The novel M2M method proposed here allows full probabilistic modelling of steady-state dynamical systems, allowing uncertainties on the non-parametric distribution function and on nuisance parameters to be taken into account when constraining the dark and baryonic masses of stellar systems.

Limits on the Efficiency of Event-Based Algorithms for Monte Carlo Neutron Transport

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romano, Paul K.; Siegel, Andrew R.

The traditional form of parallelism in Monte Carlo particle transport simulations, wherein each individual particle history is considered a unit of work, does not lend itself well to data-level parallelism. Event-based algorithms, which were originally used for simulations on vector processors, may offer a path toward better utilizing data-level parallelism in modern computer architectures. In this study, a simple model is developed for estimating the efficiency of the event-based particle transport algorithm under two sets of assumptions. Data collected from simulations of four reactor problems using OpenMC was then used in conjunction with the models to calculate the speedup duemore » to vectorization as a function of the size of the particle bank and the vector width. When each event type is assumed to have constant execution time, the achievable speedup is directly related to the particle bank size. We observed that the bank size generally needs to be at least 20 times greater than vector size to achieve vector efficiency greater than 90%. Lastly, when the execution times for events are allowed to vary, the vector speedup is also limited by differences in execution time for events being carried out in a single event-iteration.« less

Limits on the Efficiency of Event-Based Algorithms for Monte Carlo Neutron Transport

DOE PAGES

Romano, Paul K.; Siegel, Andrew R.

2017-07-01

The traditional form of parallelism in Monte Carlo particle transport simulations, wherein each individual particle history is considered a unit of work, does not lend itself well to data-level parallelism. Event-based algorithms, which were originally used for simulations on vector processors, may offer a path toward better utilizing data-level parallelism in modern computer architectures. In this study, a simple model is developed for estimating the efficiency of the event-based particle transport algorithm under two sets of assumptions. Data collected from simulations of four reactor problems using OpenMC was then used in conjunction with the models to calculate the speedup duemore » to vectorization as a function of the size of the particle bank and the vector width. When each event type is assumed to have constant execution time, the achievable speedup is directly related to the particle bank size. We observed that the bank size generally needs to be at least 20 times greater than vector size to achieve vector efficiency greater than 90%. Lastly, when the execution times for events are allowed to vary, the vector speedup is also limited by differences in execution time for events being carried out in a single event-iteration.« less

Autogenous bone particle/titanium fiber composites for bone regeneration in a rabbit radius critical-size defect model.

PubMed

Xie, Huanxin; Ji, Ye; Tian, Qi; Wang, Xintao; Zhang, Nan; Zhang, Yicai; Xu, Jun; Wang, Nanxiang; Yan, Jinglong

2017-11-01

To explore the effects of autogenous bone particle/titanium fiber composites on repairing segmental bone defects in rabbits. A model of bilateral radial bone defect was established in 36 New Zealand white rabbits which were randomly divided into 3 groups according to filling materials used for bilaterally defect treatment: in group C, 9 animal bone defect areas were prepared into simple bilateral radius bone defect (empty sham) as the control group; 27 rabbits were used in groups ABP and ABP-Ti. In group ABP, left defects were simply implanted with autogenous bone particles; meanwhile, group ABP-Ti animals had right defects implanted with autogenous bone particle/titanium fiber composites. Animals were sacrificed at 4, 8, and 12 weeks, respectively, after operation. Micro-CT showed that group C could not complete bone regeneration. Bone volume to tissue volume values in group ABP-Ti were better than group ABP. From histology and histomorphometry Groups ABP and ABP-Ti achieved bone repair, the bone formation of group ABP-Ti was better. The mechanical strength of group ABP-Ti was superior to that of other groups. These results confirmed the effectiveness of autologous bone particle/titanium fiber composites for promoting bone regeneration and mechanical strength.

Plume-exit modeling to determine cloud condensation nuclei activity of aerosols from residential biofuel combustion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mena, Francisco; Bond, Tami C.; Riemer, Nicole

Residential biofuel combustion is an important source of aerosols and gases in the atmosphere. The change in cloud characteristics due to biofuel burning aerosols is uncertain, in part, due to the uncertainty in the added number of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) from biofuel burning. We provide estimates of the CCN activity of biofuel burning aerosols by explicitly modeling plume dynamics (coagulation, condensation, chemical reactions, and dilution) in a young biofuel burning plume from emission until plume exit, defined here as the condition when the plume reaches ambient temperature and specific humidity through entrainment. We found that aerosol-scale dynamics affect CCNmore » activity only during the first few seconds of evolution, after which the CCN efficiency reaches a constant value. Homogenizing factors in a plume are co-emission of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) or emission at small particle sizes; SVOC co-emission can be the main factor determining plume-exit CCN for hydrophobic or small particles. Coagulation limits emission of CCN to about 10 16 per kilogram of fuel. Depending on emission factor, particle size, and composition, some of these particles may not activate at low supersaturation ( s sat). Hygroscopic Aitken-mode particles can contribute to CCN through self-coagulation but have a small effect on the CCN activity of accumulation-mode particles, regardless of composition differences. Simple models (monodisperse coagulation and average hygroscopicity) can be used to estimate plume-exit CCN within about 20 % if particles are unimodal and have homogeneous composition, or when particles are emitted in the Aitken mode even if they are not homogeneous. On the other hand, if externally mixed particles are emitted in the accumulation mode without SVOCs, an average hygroscopicity overestimates emitted CCN by up to a factor of 2. This work has identified conditions under which particle populations become more homogeneous during plume processes. This homogenizing effect requires the components to be truly co-emitted, rather than sequentially emitted.« less

Plume-exit modeling to determine cloud condensation nuclei activity of aerosols from residential biofuel combustion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mena, Francisco; Bond, Tami C.; Riemer, Nicole

2017-08-01

Residential biofuel combustion is an important source of aerosols and gases in the atmosphere. The change in cloud characteristics due to biofuel burning aerosols is uncertain, in part, due to the uncertainty in the added number of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) from biofuel burning. We provide estimates of the CCN activity of biofuel burning aerosols by explicitly modeling plume dynamics (coagulation, condensation, chemical reactions, and dilution) in a young biofuel burning plume from emission until plume exit, defined here as the condition when the plume reaches ambient temperature and specific humidity through entrainment. We found that aerosol-scale dynamics affect CCN activity only during the first few seconds of evolution, after which the CCN efficiency reaches a constant value. Homogenizing factors in a plume are co-emission of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) or emission at small particle sizes; SVOC co-emission can be the main factor determining plume-exit CCN for hydrophobic or small particles. Coagulation limits emission of CCN to about 1016 per kilogram of fuel. Depending on emission factor, particle size, and composition, some of these particles may not activate at low supersaturation (ssat). Hygroscopic Aitken-mode particles can contribute to CCN through self-coagulation but have a small effect on the CCN activity of accumulation-mode particles, regardless of composition differences. Simple models (monodisperse coagulation and average hygroscopicity) can be used to estimate plume-exit CCN within about 20 % if particles are unimodal and have homogeneous composition, or when particles are emitted in the Aitken mode even if they are not homogeneous. On the other hand, if externally mixed particles are emitted in the accumulation mode without SVOCs, an average hygroscopicity overestimates emitted CCN by up to a factor of 2. This work has identified conditions under which particle populations become more homogeneous during plume processes. This homogenizing effect requires the components to be truly co-emitted, rather than sequentially emitted.

Plume-exit modeling to determine cloud condensation nuclei activity of aerosols from residential biofuel combustion

DOE PAGES

Mena, Francisco; Bond, Tami C.; Riemer, Nicole

2017-08-07

Residential biofuel combustion is an important source of aerosols and gases in the atmosphere. The change in cloud characteristics due to biofuel burning aerosols is uncertain, in part, due to the uncertainty in the added number of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) from biofuel burning. We provide estimates of the CCN activity of biofuel burning aerosols by explicitly modeling plume dynamics (coagulation, condensation, chemical reactions, and dilution) in a young biofuel burning plume from emission until plume exit, defined here as the condition when the plume reaches ambient temperature and specific humidity through entrainment. We found that aerosol-scale dynamics affect CCNmore » activity only during the first few seconds of evolution, after which the CCN efficiency reaches a constant value. Homogenizing factors in a plume are co-emission of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) or emission at small particle sizes; SVOC co-emission can be the main factor determining plume-exit CCN for hydrophobic or small particles. Coagulation limits emission of CCN to about 10 16 per kilogram of fuel. Depending on emission factor, particle size, and composition, some of these particles may not activate at low supersaturation ( s sat). Hygroscopic Aitken-mode particles can contribute to CCN through self-coagulation but have a small effect on the CCN activity of accumulation-mode particles, regardless of composition differences. Simple models (monodisperse coagulation and average hygroscopicity) can be used to estimate plume-exit CCN within about 20 % if particles are unimodal and have homogeneous composition, or when particles are emitted in the Aitken mode even if they are not homogeneous. On the other hand, if externally mixed particles are emitted in the accumulation mode without SVOCs, an average hygroscopicity overestimates emitted CCN by up to a factor of 2. This work has identified conditions under which particle populations become more homogeneous during plume processes. This homogenizing effect requires the components to be truly co-emitted, rather than sequentially emitted.« less

Biological effectiveness of accelerated particles for the induction of chromosome damage: track structure effects.

PubMed

George, Kerry A; Hada, Megumi; Chappell, Lori; Cucinotta, Francis A

2013-07-01

We have investigated how radiation quality affects the induction of chromosomal aberrations in human cells. Human lymphocytes were irradiated in vitro with various energies of accelerated high charge and energy (HZE) particles including oxygen, neon, silicon, titanium and iron. Chromosome damage was assessed using three-color FISH chromosome painting in chemically induced premature chromosome condensation samples collected at first cell division after irradiation. The LET values for these particles ranged from 30 to 195 keV/μm, and their energies ranged from about 55 MeV/u to more than 1,000 MeV/u. The 89 and 142 MeV/u neon particles produced the most simple-type reciprocal exchanges per unit dose. For complex-type exchanges, 64 MeV/u neon and 450 MeV/u iron were equally effective and induced the greatest amount of complex damage. Track structure models predict that at a fixed value of LET, particles with lower charge number (Z) will have a higher biological effectiveness compared to particles with a higher Z, and that a saturation cross section will be observed for different radiation qualities. Our results are consistent with model expectations within the limitation of experimental error, and provide the most extensive data that have been reported on the radiation quality dependences of chromosomal aberrations. © 2013 by Radiation Research Society

Experimental studies of tuned particle damper: Design and characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Kai; Xi, Yanhui; Chen, Tianning; Ma, Zhihao

2018-01-01

To better suppress the structural vibration in the micro vibration and harsh environment, a new type of damper, tuned particle damper (TPD), was designed by combining the advantage of classical dynamic vibration absorber (DVA) and particle damper (PD). An equivalent theoretical model was established to describe the dynamic behavior of a cantilever system treated with TPD. By means of a series of sine sweep tests, the dynamic characteristic of TPD under different excitation intensity was explored and the damping performance of TPD was investigated by comparing with classical DVA and PD with the same mass ratio. Experimental results show that with the increasing of excitation intensity TPD shows two different dynamic characteristics successively, i.e., PD-like and DVA-like. TPD shows a wider suppression frequency band than classical DVA and better practicability than PD in the micro vibration environment. Moreover, to characterize the dynamic characteristic of TPD, a simple evaluation of the equivalent dynamic mass and equivalent dynamic damping of the cantilever system treated with TPD was performed by fitting the experimental data to the presented theoretical model. Finally, based on the rheology behaviors of damping particles reported by the previous research results, an approximate phase diagram which shows the motion states of damping particles in TPD was employed to analyze the dynamic characteristic of TPD and several motion states of damping particles in TPD were presented via a high-speed camera.

A nephron-based model of the kidneys for macro-to-micro α-particle dosimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hobbs, Robert F.; Song, Hong; Huso, David L.; Sundel, Margaret H.; Sgouros, George

2012-07-01

Targeted α-particle therapy is a promising treatment modality for cancer. Due to the short path-length of α-particles, the potential efficacy and toxicity of these agents is best evaluated by microscale dosimetry calculations instead of whole-organ, absorbed fraction-based dosimetry. Yet time-integrated activity (TIA), the necessary input for dosimetry, can still only be quantified reliably at the organ or macroscopic level. We describe a nephron- and cellular-based kidney dosimetry model for α-particle radiopharmaceutical therapy, more suited to the short range and high linear energy transfer of α-particle emitters, which takes as input kidney or cortex TIA and through a macro to micro model-based methodology assigns TIA to micro-level kidney substructures. We apply a geometrical model to provide nephron-level S-values for a range of isotopes allowing for pre-clinical and clinical applications according to the medical internal radiation dosimetry (MIRD) schema. We assume that the relationship between whole-organ TIA and TIA apportioned to microscale substructures as measured in an appropriate pre-clinical mammalian model also applies to the human. In both, the pre-clinical and the human model, microscale substructures are described as a collection of simple geometrical shapes akin to those used in the Cristy-Eckerman phantoms for normal organs. Anatomical parameters are taken from the literature for a human model, while murine parameters are measured ex vivo. The murine histological slides also provide the data for volume of occupancy of the different compartments of the nephron in the kidney: glomerulus versus proximal tubule versus distal tubule. Monte Carlo simulations are run with activity placed in the different nephron compartments for several α-particle emitters currently under investigation in radiopharmaceutical therapy. The S-values were calculated for the α-emitters and their descendants between the different nephron compartments for both the human and murine models. The renal cortex and medulla S-values were also calculated and the results compared to traditional absorbed fraction calculations. The nephron model enables a more optimal implementation of treatment and is a critical step in understanding toxicity for human translation of targeted α-particle therapy. The S-values established here will enable a MIRD-type application of α-particle dosimetry for α-emitters, i.e. measuring the TIA in the kidney (or renal cortex) will provide meaningful and accurate nephron-level dosimetry.

Discrete element modelling of bedload transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loyer, A.; Frey, P.

2011-12-01

Discrete element modelling (DEM) has been widely used in solid mechanics and in granular physics. In this type of modelling, each individual particle is taken into account and intergranular interactions are modelled with simple laws (e.g. Coulomb friction). Gravity and contact forces permit to solve the dynamical behaviour of the system. DEM is interesting to model configurations and access to parameters not directly available in laboratory experimentation, hence the term "numerical experimentations" sometimes used to describe DEM. DEM was used to model bedload transport experiments performed at the particle scale with spherical glass beads in a steep and narrow flume. Bedload is the larger material that is transported on the bed on stream channels. It has a great geomorphic impact. Physical processes ruling bedload transport and more generally coarse-particle/fluid systems are poorly known, arguably because granular interactions have been somewhat neglected. An existing DEM code (PFC3D) already computing granular interactions was used. We implemented basic hydrodynamic forces to model the fluid interactions (buoyancy, drag, lift). The idea was to use the minimum number of ingredients to match the experimental results. Experiments were performed with one-size and two-size mixtures of coarse spherical glass beads entrained by a shallow turbulent and supercritical water flow down a steep channel with a mobile bed. The particle diameters were 4 and 6mm, the channel width 6.5mm (about the same width as the coarser particles) and the channel inclination was typically 10%. The water flow rate and the particle rate were kept constant at the upstream entrance and adjusted to obtain bedload transport equilibrium. Flows were filmed from the side by a high-speed camera. Using image processing algorithms made it possible to determine the position, velocity and trajectory of both smaller and coarser particles. Modelled and experimental particle velocity and concentration depth profiles were compared in the case of the one-size mixture. The turbulent fluid velocity profile was prescribed and attached to the variable upper bedline. Provided the upper bedline was calculated with a refined space and time resolution, a fair agreement between DEM and experiments was reached. Experiments with two-size mixtures were designed to study vertical grain size sorting or segregation patterns. Sorting is arguably the reason why the predictive capacity of bedload formulations remains so poor. Modelling of the two-size mixture was also performed and gave promising qualitative results.

Research on Orbital Plasma-Electrodynamics (ROPE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, S. T.; Wright, K.

1994-01-01

Since the development of probe theory by Langmuir and Blodgett, the problem of current collection by a charged spherically or cylindrically symmetric body has been investigated by a number of authors. This paper overviews the development of a fully three-dimensional particle simulation code which can be used to understand the physics of current collection in three dimensions and can be used to analyze data resulting from the future tethered satellite system (TSS). According to the TSS configurations, two types of particle simulation models were constructed: a simple particle simulation (SIPS) and a super particle simulation (SUPS). The models study the electron transient response and its asymptotic behavior around a three dimensional, highly biased satellite. The potential distribution surrounding the satellite is determined by solving Laplace's equation in the SIPS model and by solving Poisson's equation in the SUPS model. Thus, the potential distribution in space is independent of the density distribution of the particles in the SUPS model but it does depend on the density distribution of the particles in the SUPS model. The evolution of the potential distribution in the SUPS model is described. When the spherical satellite is charged to a highly positive potential and immersed in a plasma with a uniform magnetic field, the formation of an electron torus in the equatorial plane (the plane in perpendicular to the magnetic field) and elongation of the torus along the magnetic field are found in both the SIPS and the SUPS models but the shape of the torus is different. The areas of high potential that exist in the polar regions in the SUPS model exaggerate the elongation of the electron torus along the magnetic field. The current collected by the satellite for different magentic field strengths is investigated in both models. Due to the nonlinear effects present in SUPS, the oscillating phenomenon of the current collection curve during the first 10 plasma periods can be seen (this does not appear in SIPS). From the parametric studies, it appears that the oscillating phenomenon of the current collection curve occurs only when the magnetic field strength is less than 0.2 gauss for the present model.

Size-Based Separation of Particles and Cells Utilizing Viscoelastic Effects in Straight Microchannels.

PubMed

Liu, Chao; Xue, Chundong; Chen, Xiaodong; Shan, Lei; Tian, Yu; Hu, Guoqing

2015-06-16

Viscoelasticity-induced particle migration has recently received increasing attention due to its ability to obtain high-quality focusing over a wide range of flow rates. However, its application is limited to low throughput regime since the particles can defocus as flow rate increases. Using an engineered carrier medium with constant and low viscosity and strong elasticity, the sample flow rates are improved to be 1 order of magnitude higher than those in existing studies. Utilizing differential focusing of particles of different sizes, here, we present sheathless particle/cell separation in simple straight microchannels that possess excellent parallelizability for further throughput enhancement. The present method can be implemented over a wide range of particle/cell sizes and flow rates. We successfully separate small particles from larger particles, MCF-7 cells from red blood cells (RBCs), and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria from RBCs in different straight microchannels. The proposed method could broaden the applications of viscoelastic microfluidic devices to particle/cell separation due to the enhanced sample throughput and simple channel design.

Is There a Critical Distance for Fickian Transport? - a Statistical Approach to Sub-Fickian Transport Modelling in Porous Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Most, S.; Nowak, W.; Bijeljic, B.

2014-12-01

Transport processes in porous media are frequently simulated as particle movement. This process can be formulated as a stochastic process of particle position increments. At the pore scale, the geometry and micro-heterogeneities prohibit the commonly made assumption of independent and normally distributed increments to represent dispersion. Many recent particle methods seek to loosen this assumption. Recent experimental data suggest that we have not yet reached the end of the need to generalize, because particle increments show statistical dependency beyond linear correlation and over many time steps. The goal of this work is to better understand the validity regions of commonly made assumptions. We are investigating after what transport distances can we observe: A statistical dependence between increments, that can be modelled as an order-k Markov process, boils down to order 1. This would be the Markovian distance for the process, where the validity of yet-unexplored non-Gaussian-but-Markovian random walks would start. A bivariate statistical dependence that simplifies to a multi-Gaussian dependence based on simple linear correlation (validity of correlated PTRW). Complete absence of statistical dependence (validity of classical PTRW/CTRW). The approach is to derive a statistical model for pore-scale transport from a powerful experimental data set via copula analysis. The model is formulated as a non-Gaussian, mutually dependent Markov process of higher order, which allows us to investigate the validity ranges of simpler models.

Simple Scaling of Multi-Stream Jet Plumes for Aeroacoustic Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bridges, James

2015-01-01

When creating simplified, semi-empirical models for the noise of simple single-stream jets near surfaces it has proven useful to be able to generalize the geometry of the jet plume. Having a model that collapses the mean and turbulent velocity fields for a range of flows allows the problem to become one of relating the normalized jet field and the surface. However, most jet flows of practical interest involve jets of two or more co-annular flows for which standard models for the plume geometry do not exist. The present paper describes one attempt to relate the mean and turbulent velocity fields of multi-stream jets to that of an equivalent single-stream jet. The normalization of single-stream jets is briefly reviewed, from the functional form of the flow model to the results of the modeling. Next, PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) data from a number of multi-stream jets is analyzed in a similar fashion. The results of several single-stream approximations of the multi-stream jet plume are demonstrated, with a 'best' approximation determined and the shortcomings of the model highlighted.

Group size, individual role differentiation and effectiveness of cooperation in a homogeneous group of hunters

PubMed Central

Escobedo, R.; Muro, C.; Spector, L.; Coppinger, R. P.

2014-01-01

The emergence of cooperation in wolf-pack hunting is studied using a simple, homogeneous, particle-based computational model. Wolves and prey are modelled as particles that interact through attractive and repulsive forces. Realistic patterns of wolf aggregation readily emerge in numerical simulations, even though the model includes no explicit wolf–wolf attractive forces, showing that the form of cooperation needed for wolf-pack hunting can take place even among strangers. Simulations are used to obtain the stationary states and equilibria of the wolves and prey system and to characterize their stability. Different geometric configurations for different pack sizes arise. In small packs, the stable configuration is a regular polygon centred on the prey, while in large packs, individual behavioural differentiation occurs and induces the emergence of complex behavioural patterns between privileged positions. Stable configurations of large wolf-packs include travelling and rotating formations, periodic oscillatory behaviours and chaotic group behaviours. These findings suggest a possible mechanism by which larger pack sizes can trigger collective behaviours that lead to the reduction and loss of group hunting effectiveness, thus explaining the observed tendency of hunting success to peak at small pack sizes. They also explain how seemingly complex collective behaviours can emerge from simple rules, among agents that need not have significant cognitive skills or social organization. PMID:24694897

Transition from Gaseous Compounds to Aerosols in Titan's Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lebonnois, Sebastien; Bakes, E. L. O.; McKay, Christopher P.; DeVincenzi, Donald (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

We investigate the chemical transition of simple molecules like C2H2 and HCN into aerosol particles in the context of Titan's atmosphere. Experiments that synthesize analogs (tholins) for these aerosols can help understand and constrain these polymerization mechanisms. Using information available from these experiments, we suggest chemical pathways that can link simple molecules to macromolecules, that will be the precursors to aerosol particles: polymers of acetylene and cyanoacetylene, polycyclic aromatics (PAHs), polymers of HCN and other nitriles, and polynes. Although our goal here is not to build a detailed kinetic model for this transition, we propose parameterizations to estimate the production rates of these macromolecules, their C/N and C/H ratios, and the loss of parent molecules (C2H2, HCN, HC3N and other nitriles, C6H6) from the gas phase to the haze. We use a 1-dimensional photochemical model of Titan's atmosphere to estimate the formation rate of precursors macromolecules. We find a production zone slightly lower than 200 km altitude with a total production rate of 4 x 10(exp -14) g/ sq cm s and a C/N approx. = 4. These results are compared with experimental data, and to microphysical models requirements. The Cassini/Huygens mission will bring a detailed picture of the haze distribution and properties, that will be a great challenge for our understanding of those chemical processes.

The Uncertainty Principle, Virtual Particles and Real Forces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Goronwy Tudor

2002-01-01

This article provides a simple practical introduction to wave-particle duality, including the energy-time version of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. It has been successful in leading students to an intuitive appreciation of "virtual particles" and the role they play in describing the way ordinary particles, like electrons and protons, exert…

Statistical Modelling of Temperature and Moisture Uptake of Biochars Exposed to Selected Relative Humidity of Air.

PubMed

Bastistella, Luciane; Rousset, Patrick; Aviz, Antonio; Caldeira-Pires, Armando; Humbert, Gilles; Nogueira, Manoel

2018-02-09

New experimental techniques, as well as modern variants on known methods, have recently been employed to investigate the fundamental reactions underlying the oxidation of biochar. The purpose of this paper was to experimentally and statistically study how the relative humidity of air, mass, and particle size of four biochars influenced the adsorption of water and the increase in temperature. A random factorial design was employed using the intuitive statistical software Xlstat. A simple linear regression model and an analysis of variance with a pairwise comparison were performed. The experimental study was carried out on the wood of Quercus pubescens , Cyclobalanopsis glauca , Trigonostemon huangmosun , and Bambusa vulgaris , and involved five relative humidity conditions (22, 43, 75, 84, and 90%), two mass samples (0.1 and 1 g), and two particle sizes (powder and piece). Two response variables including water adsorption and temperature increase were analyzed and discussed. The temperature did not increase linearly with the adsorption of water. Temperature was modeled by nine explanatory variables, while water adsorption was modeled by eight. Five variables, including factors and their interactions, were found to be common to the two models. Sample mass and relative humidity influenced the two qualitative variables, while particle size and biochar type only influenced the temperature.

Imaging and Quantitation of a Succession of Transient Intermediates Reveal the Reversible Self-Assembly Pathway of a Simple Icosahedral Virus Capsid.

PubMed

Medrano, María; Fuertes, Miguel Ángel; Valbuena, Alejandro; Carrillo, Pablo J P; Rodríguez-Huete, Alicia; Mateu, Mauricio G

2016-11-30

Understanding the fundamental principles underlying supramolecular self-assembly may facilitate many developments, from novel antivirals to self-organized nanodevices. Icosahedral virus particles constitute paradigms to study self-assembly using a combination of theory and experiment. Unfortunately, assembly pathways of the structurally simplest virus capsids, those more accessible to detailed theoretical studies, have been difficult to study experimentally. We have enabled the in vitro self-assembly under close to physiological conditions of one of the simplest virus particles known, the minute virus of mice (MVM) capsid, and experimentally analyzed its pathways of assembly and disassembly. A combination of electron microscopy and high-resolution atomic force microscopy was used to structurally characterize and quantify a succession of transient assembly and disassembly intermediates. The results provided an experiment-based model for the reversible self-assembly pathway of a most simple (T = 1) icosahedral protein shell. During assembly, trimeric capsid building blocks are sequentially added to the growing capsid, with pentamers of building blocks and incomplete capsids missing one building block as conspicuous intermediates. This study provided experimental verification of many features of self-assembly of a simple T = 1 capsid predicted by molecular dynamics simulations. It also demonstrated atomic force microscopy imaging and automated analysis, in combination with electron microscopy, as a powerful single-particle approach to characterize at high resolution and quantify transient intermediates during supramolecular self-assembly/disassembly reactions. Finally, the efficient in vitro self-assembly achieved for the oncotropic, cell nucleus-targeted MVM capsid may facilitate its development as a drug-encapsidating nanoparticle for anticancer targeted drug delivery.

Turbulent transport of large particles in the atmospheric boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richter, D. H.; Chamecki, M.

2017-12-01

To describe the transport of heavy dust particles in the atmosphere, assumptions must typically be made in order to connect the micro-scale emission processes with the larger-scale atmospheric motions. In the context of numerical models, this can be thought of as the transport process which occurs between the domain bottom and the first vertical grid point. For example, in the limit of small particles (both low inertia and low settling velocity), theory built upon Monin-Obukhov similarity has proven effective in relating mean dust concentration profiles to surface emission fluxes. For increasing particle mass, however, it becomes more difficult to represent dust transport as a simple extension of the transport of a passive scalar due to issues such as the crossing trajectories effect. This study focuses specifically on the problem of large particle transport and dispersion in the turbulent boundary layer by utilizing direct numerical simulations with Lagrangian point-particle tracking to determine under what, if any, conditions the large dust particles (larger than 10 micron in diameter) can be accurately described in a simplified Eulerian framework. In particular, results will be presented detailing the independent contributions of both particle inertia and particle settling velocity relative to the strength of the surrounding turbulent flow, and consequences of overestimating surface fluxes via traditional parameterizations will be demonstrated.

A new method for shape and texture classification of orthopedic wear nanoparticles.

PubMed

Zhang, Dongning; Page, Janet R; Kavanaugh, Aaron E; Billi, Fabrizio

2012-09-27

Detailed morphologic analysis of particles produced during wear of orthopedic implants is important in determining a correlation among material, wear, and biological effects. However, the use of simple shape descriptors is insufficient to categorize the data and to compare the nature of wear particles generated by different implants. An approach based on Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) is presented for describing particle shape and surface texture. Four metal-on-metal bearing couples were tested in an orbital wear simulator under standard and adverse (steep-angled cups) wear simulator conditions. Digitized Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of the wear particles were imported into MATLAB to carry out Fourier descriptor calculations via a specifically developed algorithm. The descriptors were then used for studying particle characteristics (shape and texture) as well as for cluster classification. Analysis of the particles demonstrated the validity of the proposed model by showing that steep-angle Co-Cr wear particles were more asymmetric, compressed, extended, triangular, square, and roughened at 3 Mc than after 0.25 Mc. In contrast, particles from standard angle samples were only more compressed and extended after 3 Mc compared to 0.25 Mc. Cluster analysis revealed that the 0.25 Mc steep-angle particle distribution was a subset of the 3 Mc distribution.

Two-dimensional hybrid Monte Carlo–fluid modelling of dc glow discharges: Comparison with fluid models, reliability, and accuracy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eylenceoğlu, E.; Rafatov, I., E-mail: rafatov@metu.edu.tr; Kudryavtsev, A. A.

2015-01-15

Two-dimensional hybrid Monte Carlo–fluid numerical code is developed and applied to model the dc glow discharge. The model is based on the separation of electrons into two parts: the low energetic (slow) and high energetic (fast) electron groups. Ions and slow electrons are described within the fluid model using the drift-diffusion approximation for particle fluxes. Fast electrons, represented by suitable number of super particles emitted from the cathode, are responsible for ionization processes in the discharge volume, which are simulated by the Monte Carlo collision method. Electrostatic field is obtained from the solution of Poisson equation. The test calculations weremore » carried out for an argon plasma. Main properties of the glow discharge are considered. Current-voltage curves, electric field reversal phenomenon, and the vortex current formation are developed and discussed. The results are compared to those obtained from the simple and extended fluid models. Contrary to reports in the literature, the analysis does not reveal significant advantages of existing hybrid methods over the extended fluid model.« less

Effective particle size from molecular dynamics simulations in fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ju, Jianwei; Welch, Paul M.; Rasmussen, Kim Ø.; Redondo, Antonio; Vorobieff, Peter; Kober, Edward M.

2018-04-01

We report molecular dynamics simulations designed to investigate the effective size of colloidal particles suspended in a fluid in the vicinity of a rigid wall where all interactions are defined by smooth atomic potential functions. These simulations are used to assess how the behavior of this system at the atomistic length scale compares to continuum mechanics models. In order to determine the effective size of the particles, we calculate the solvent forces on spherical particles of different radii as a function of different positions near and overlapping with the atomistically defined wall and compare them to continuum models. This procedure also then determines the effective position of the wall. Our analysis is based solely on forces that the particles sense, ensuring self-consistency of the method. The simulations were carried out using both Weeks-Chandler-Andersen and modified Lennard-Jones (LJ) potentials to identify the different contributions of simple repulsion and van der Waals attractive forces. Upon correction for behavior arising the discreteness of the atomic system, the underlying continuum physics analysis appeared to be correct down to much less than the particle radius. For both particle types, the effective radius was found to be ˜ 0.75σ , where σ defines the length scale of the force interaction (the LJ diameter). The effective "hydrodynamic" radii determined by this means are distinct from commonly assumed values of 0.5σ and 1.0σ , but agree with a value developed from the atomistic analysis of the viscosity of such systems.

Stochastic driven systems far from equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyung Hyuk

We study the dynamics and steady states of two systems far from equilibrium: a 1-D driven lattice gas and a driven Brownian particle with inertia. (1) We investigate the dynamical scaling behavior of a 1-D driven lattice gas model with two species of particles hopping in opposite directions. We confirm numerically that the dynamic exponent is equal to z = 1.5. We show analytically that a quasi-particle representation relates all phase points to a special phase line directly related to the single-species asymmetric simple exclusion process. Quasi-particle two-point correlations decay exponentially, and in such a manner that quasi-particles of opposite charge dynamically screen each other with a special balance. The balance encompasses all over the phase space. These results indicate that the model belongs to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class. (2) We investigate the non-equilibrium thermodynamics of a Brownian particle with inertia under feedback control of its inertia. We find such open systems can act as a molecular refrigerator due to an entropy pumping mechanism. We extend the fluctuation theorems to the refrigerator. The entropy pumping modifies both the Jarzynski equality and the fluctuation theorems. We discover that the entropy pumping has a dual role of work and heat. We also investigate the thermodynamics of the particle under a hydrodynamic interaction described by a Langevin equation with a multiplicative noise. The Stratonovich stochastic integration prescription involved in the definition of heat is shown to be the unique physical choice.

Detection of heteroplasmy in individual mitochondrial particles

PubMed Central

Poe, Bobby G.; Duffy, Ciarán F.; Greminger, Michael A.; Nelson, Bradley J.

2011-01-01

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations have been associated with disease and aging. Since each cell has thousands of mtDNA copies, clustered into nucleoids of five to ten mtDNA molecules each, determining the effects of a given mtDNA mutation and their connection with disease phenotype is not straightforward. It has been postulated that heteroplasmy (coexistence of mutated and wild-type DNA) follows simple probability rules dictated by the random distribution of mtDNA molecules at the nucleoid level. This model has been used to explain how mutation levels correlate with the onset of disease phenotype and loss of cellular function. Nonetheless, experimental evidence of heteroplasmy at the nucleoid level is scarce. Here, we report a new method to determine heteroplasmy of individual mitochondrial particles containing one or more nucleoids. The method uses capillary cytometry with laser-induced fluorescence detection to detect individual mitochondrial particles stained with PicoGreen, which makes it possible to quantify the mtDNA copy number of each particle. After detection, one or more particles are collected into polymerase chain reaction (PCR) wells and then subjected to real-time multiplexed PCR amplification. This PCR strategy is suitable to obtain the relative abundance of mutated and wild-type mtDNA. The results obtained here indicate that individual mitochondrial particles and nucleoids contained within these particles are not heteroplasmic. The results presented here suggest that current models of mtDNA segregation and distribution (i.e., heteroplasmic nucleoids) need further consideration. PMID:20467729

Effective particle size from molecular dynamics simulations in fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ju, Jianwei; Welch, Paul M.; Rasmussen, Kim Ø.; Redondo, Antonio; Vorobieff, Peter; Kober, Edward M.

2017-12-01

We report molecular dynamics simulations designed to investigate the effective size of colloidal particles suspended in a fluid in the vicinity of a rigid wall where all interactions are defined by smooth atomic potential functions. These simulations are used to assess how the behavior of this system at the atomistic length scale compares to continuum mechanics models. In order to determine the effective size of the particles, we calculate the solvent forces on spherical particles of different radii as a function of different positions near and overlapping with the atomistically defined wall and compare them to continuum models. This procedure also then determines the effective position of the wall. Our analysis is based solely on forces that the particles sense, ensuring self-consistency of the method. The simulations were carried out using both Weeks-Chandler-Andersen and modified Lennard-Jones (LJ) potentials to identify the different contributions of simple repulsion and van der Waals attractive forces. Upon correction for behavior arising the discreteness of the atomic system, the underlying continuum physics analysis appeared to be correct down to much less than the particle radius. For both particle types, the effective radius was found to be ˜ 0.75σ , where σ defines the length scale of the force interaction (the LJ diameter). The effective "hydrodynamic" radii determined by this means are distinct from commonly assumed values of 0.5σ and 1.0σ , but agree with a value developed from the atomistic analysis of the viscosity of such systems.