Dynamical Barrier Research Articles

How Does the Ocean Melt Antarctic Ice Shelves?

The present-day state and future of the Antarctic Ice Sheet depend on the rate at which the ocean melts its fringing ice shelves. Ocean heat must cross many physical and dynamical barriers to melt ice shelves, with the last of these being the ice-ocean boundary layer. This review summarizes the current understanding of ice-ocean boundary-layer dynamics, focusing on recent progress from laboratory experiments, turbulence-resolving numerical simulations, novel observations, and the application to large-scale simulations. The complex interplay between buoyant meltwater and external processes such as current shear leads to the emergence of several melting regimes that we describe, as well as freezing processes. The remaining challenges include developing new parameterizations for large-scale ice-ocean models based on recent advances and understanding the coevolution of melt and basal topography.

Observations, Remote Sensing, and Model Simulation to Analyze Southern Brazil Antarctic Ozone Hole Influence

This paper presents the observational, remote sensing, and model simulation used to analyze southern Brazil Antarctic ozone hole influence (SBAOHI) events that occurred between 2005 and 2014. To analyze it, we use total ozone column (TOC) data provided by a Brewer spectrophotometer (BS) and the OMI (Ozone Monitoring Instrument). In addition to the AURA/MLS (Microwave Limb Sounder) instrument, satellite ozone profiles were utilized with DYBAL (Dynamical Barrier Localization) code in the MIMOSA (Modélisation Isentrope du Transport Mésoéchelle de l’Ozone Stratosphérique par Advection) model Potential Vorticity (PV) fields. TOC has 7.0 ± 2.9 DU reductions average in 62 events. October has more events (30.7%). Polar tongue events are 19.3% in total, being more frequently observed in October (50% of cases), with medium intensity (58.2%), and in the stratosphere medium levels (55.0%). Already, polar filament events (80.7%) are more frequent in September (32.0%), with medium intensity (42.0%), and stratosphere medium levels (40.7%).

Measuring the arrival time of an electron wave packet using a dynamical potential barrier

Measuring the arrival time of an electron wave packet using a dynamical potential barrier

Dynamical self-trapping of two-dimensional binary solitons in cross-combined linear and nonlinear optical lattices.

Dynamical and self-trapping properties of two-dimensional (2D) binary mixtures of Bose-Einstein condensates in cross-combined lattices, consisting of a one-dimensional (1D) linear optical lattice (LOL) in the x direction for the first component and a 1D nonlinear optical lattice (NOL) in the y direction for the second component, are analytically and numerically investigated. The existence and stability of 2D binary matter wave solitons in these settings are demonstrated both by variational analysis and by direct numerical integration of the coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations. We find that in the absence of the NOL, binary solitons, stabilized by the action of the 1D LOL and by the attractive intercomponent interaction, can freely move in the y direction. In the presence of the NOL, we find, quite remarkably, the existence of threshold curves in the parameter space separating regions where solitons can move from regions where the solitons become dynamically self-trapped. The mechanism underlying the dynamical self-trapping phenomenon (DSTP) is qualitatively understood in terms of a dynamical barrier induced by the NOL, similar to the Peirls-Nabarro barrier of solitons in discrete lattices. DSTP is numerically demonstrated for binary solitons that are put in motion both by phase imprinting and by the action of external potentials applied in the y direction. In the latter case, we show that the trapping action of the NOL allows one to maintain a 2D binary soliton at rest in a nonequilibrium position of a parabolic trap or to prevent it from falling under the action of gravity. Possible applications of the results are also briefly discussed.

Lunar ejecta origin of near-Earth asteroid Kamo’oalewa is compatible with rare orbital pathways

Near-Earth asteroid, Kamo’oalewa (469219), is one of a small number of known quasi-satellites of Earth; it transitions between quasi-satellite and horseshoe orbital states on centennial timescales, maintaining this dynamics over megayears. The similarity of its reflectance spectrum to lunar silicates and its Earth-like orbit both suggest that it originated from the lunar surface. Here we carry out numerical simulations of the dynamical evolution of particles launched from different locations on the lunar surface with a range of ejection velocities in order to assess the hypothesis that Kamo‘oalewa originated as a debris-fragment from a meteoroidal impact with the lunar surface. As these ejecta escape the Earth-Moon environment, they face a dynamical barrier for entry into Earth’s co-orbital space. However, a small fraction of launch conditions yields outcomes that are compatible with Kamo‘oalewa’s orbit. The most favored conditions are launch velocities slightly above the escape velocity from the trailing lunar hemisphere.

Cold Jupiters and improved masses in 38 Kepler and K2 small planet systems from 3661 HARPS-N radial velocities

The exoplanet population characterized by relatively short orbital periods (P < 100 d) around solar-type stars is dominated by super-Earths and sub-Neptunes. However, these planets are missing in our Solar System and the reason behind this absence is still unknown. Two theoretical scenarios invoke the role of Jupiter as the possible culprit: Jupiter may have acted as a dynamical barrier to the inward migration of sub-Neptunes from beyond the water iceline; alternatively, Jupiter may have considerably reduced the inward flux of material (pebbles) required to form super-Earths inside that iceline. Both scenarios predict an anti-correlation between the presence of small planets and that of cold Jupiters in exoplanetary systems. To test that prediction, we homogeneously analyzed the radial-velocity measurements of 38 Kepler and K2 transiting small planet systems gathered over nearly ten years with the HARPS-N spectrograph, as well as publicly available radial velocities collected with other facilities. We used Bayesian differential evolution Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques, which in some cases were coupled with Gaussian process regression to model non-stationary variations due to stellar magnetic activity phenomena. We detected five cold Jupiters in three systems: two in Kepler-68, two in Kepler-454, and a very eccentric one in K2-312. We also found linear trends caused by bound companions in Kepler-93, Kepler-454, and K2-12, with slopes that are still compatible with a planetary mass for outer bodies in the Kepler-454 and K2-12 systems. By using binomial statistics and accounting for the survey completeness, we derived an occurrence rate of 9.3−2.9+7.7% for cold Jupiters with 0.3–13 MJup and 1–10 AU, which is lower but still compatible at 1.3σ with the value measured from radial-velocity surveys for solar-type stars, regardless of the presence or absence of small planets. The sample is not large enough to draw a firm conclusion about the predicted anti-correlation between small planets and cold Jupiters; nevertheless, we found no evidence of previous claims of an excess of cold Jupiters in small planet systems. As an important byproduct of our analyses, we homogeneously determined the masses of 64 Kepler and K2 small planets, reaching a precision better than 5, 7.5, and 10σ for 25, 13, and 8 planets, respectively. Finally, we release the 3661 HARPS-N radial velocities used in this work to the scientific community. These radial-velocity measurements mainly benefit from an improved data reduction software that corrects for subtle prior systematic effects.

Decoupling of the Surface and Bottom‐Intensified Antarctic Slope Current in Regions of Dense Shelf Water Export

AbstractThe Antarctic Slope Current is guided by the topographic gradient of the Antarctic continental slope and creates a dynamical barrier between the continental shelf and the open ocean. The current's vertical structure varies around the continent affecting cross‐slope water mass exchange with consequences for Antarctic mass loss, ventilation of the deep ocean, and carbon uptake. The Antarctic Slope Current is surface‐intensified in many regions but bottom‐intensified in regions of dense overflows. This study investigates the role of dense overflows in modifying the dynamics of the bottom‐intensified flow using a 0.1° global ocean‐sea ice model. The occurrence of bottom‐intensification is tightly linked with dense overflows and bottom speeds correlate with dense overflows on interannual time scales. A lack of vertical connectivity between the bottom and surface flow, however, suggests that the along‐slope bottom water flows are coincidentally co‐located with the Antarctic Slope Current, rather than dynamically a part of the current.

On the pollution of white dwarfs by exo-Oort cloud comets

ABSTRACT A large fraction of white dwarfs (WDs) have metal-polluted atmospheres, which are produced by accreting material from remnant planetary systems. The composition of the accreted debris broadly resembles that of rocky Solar system objects. Volatile-enriched debris with compositions similar to long-period comets (LPCs) is rarely observed. We attempt to reconcile this dearth of volatiles with the premise that exo-Oort clouds (XOCs) occur around a large fraction of planet-hosting stars. We estimate the comet accretion rate from an XOC analytically, adapting the ‘loss cone’ theory of LPC delivery in the Solar system. We investigate the dynamical evolution of an XOC during late stellar evolution. Using numerical simulations, we show that 1–30 per cent of XOC objects remain bound after anisotropic stellar mass-loss imparting a WD natal kick of ${\sim}1 \, {\rm km \, s^{-1}}$. We also characterize the surviving comets’ distribution function. Surviving planets orbiting a WD can prevent the accretion of XOC comets by the star. A planet’s ‘dynamical barrier’ is effective at preventing comet accretion if the energy kick imparted by the planet exceeds the comet’s orbital binding energy. By modifying the loss cone theory, we calculate the amount by which a planet reduces the WD’s accretion rate. We suggest that the scarcity of volatile-enriched debris in polluted WDs is caused by an unseen population of 10–$100 \, \mathrm{au}$ scale giant planets acting as barriers to incoming LPCs. Finally, we constrain the amount of volatiles delivered to a planet in the habitable zone of an old, cool WD.

Magnetostatic coupling effects on reversal dynamics

The effects of magnetostatic coupling on switching dynamics are investigated for assemblies of patterned disc-shaped magnetic elements using mumax3 micromagnetic simulations. The arrangements of coupled dots were designed using information about the switching fields and reversal dynamics of isolated dots, as well as the magnitude of the magnetic stray fields they generate. The magnetization dynamics for individual dots was examined during a reversal cascade down a linear chain of dots. The magnetization angle fluctuated much more when neighboring dots have opposite magnetization directions, consistent with a lower energy barrier for reversal. The data were analyzed to differentiate thermal and interaction field effects. While many systems of interacting nanomagnets have been analyzed in terms of empirical models, the dynamical energy barrier approach offers a methodology with a more detailed and physically intuitive way to study both simple systems like the chain and more complex assemblies such as artificial spin ice.

New Coulomb barrier scaling law with reference to the synthesis of superheavy elements

The synthesis of superheavy elements based on fusion reactions and multinucleon transfer reactions is sensitive to the reaction energies, where the Coulomb barrier plays a crucial role as it must be overcome for the projectile and target to contact each other. The Coulomb barrier cannot be measured directly, and the synthesis of superheavy elements is sensitive to it. In this study, we systematically extract the barrier information from the experimental fusion excitation functions by the empirical cross section formula, which is based on a single-Gaussian distribution of fusion barrier heights. A total of 403 sets of experimental data are fitted, among which 243 sets have good results with ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{2}/pt$ less than one. The extracted fusion barrier is a dynamical barrier, which includes the overall effect of coupled channels. Different from the prediction of the WKJ formula, the new scaling law proposed in this work is almost identical to the CW76 Coulomb barrier at the $z=170--300$ region and reproduces well the centroid barrier extracted from quasielastic scattering. The comparison to the other 14 bare potential models and exploration of the very large $z$ region is also discussed. It is also remarkable to find that the predictions of the DP2015 potential, including of the contributions of the macroscopic and shell correction terms, are highly consistent with the extracted results in this work and the CW76 potential. The numerical results demonstrated that the dynamical fusion barrier and the centroid barrier extracted from the quasielastic reaction (the reaction threshold) could be the same physical quantity for superheavy reactions. This study could provide important references for the synthesis of superheavy nuclei based on fusion reactions and very heavy multinucleon transfer reactions.

Potential vorticity structure of Titan’s polar vortices from Cassini CIRS observations

The Cassini mission has provided the best opportunity to date to extensively study the seasonal variation in Titan’s atmosphere, with observations spanning almost half a Titan year (Ls=293−93°). An important feature in the Titan middle-atmosphere is the formation of a polar vortex. Observations have shown that an initially well-developed northern vortex enriched with trace gas species gradually breaks down after spring equinox as a new vortex emerges in southern winter. Here we use Cassini CIRS observations to derive the temperature and composition of the middle-atmosphere. We use the gradient wind equation to first estimate the mean zonal winds, and then the Potential Vorticity (PV) throughout Titan’s atmosphere over the timespan of the Cassini mission. PV is a useful diagnostic quantity for studying the dynamics of polar vortices because it is materially conserved for adiabatic and frictionless flows, and can be inverted to find all other dynamical fields. Our results show the formation of a strong zonal jet in the winter hemisphere, with wind velocities reaching 220 ms−1, which is consistent with previous studies. An annular PV structure is also observed over the winter poles, whereby a ring of PV encircles a local minima over the pole. Such distributions are often found to be unstable without a restoring force, yet they are seen here in numerous observations in both the northern and southern hemispheres. A comparison with the annular Martian vortices shows that latent heat release from condensation or subsidence-induced adiabatic heating may explain the origin and stability of the annulus. Finally, we investigate the evolution of the size of the vortices and the role of strong PV gradients as a dynamical mixing barrier for trace gas species across the vortex edge. We find that longer lived gases are less confined to the vortex than those with shorter photochemical lifetimes.

The Zapiola Anticyclone: A Lagrangian study of its kinematics in an eddy-permitting ocean model

The Zapiola Anticyclone (ZA) is a strong, O(100 Sv), barotropic vortex in the center of the Argentine Basin that is tied to a bathymetric feature called the Zapiola Rise. It is regionally significant for two reasons: first, the strong vortex is a dynamical barrier that inhibits the lateral exchange of water, and hence has the ability to trap water for a long period of time. Second, its dynamics is governed by a balance between eddy-driven mass convergence and divergent Ekman transport, which gives rise to strong downwelling and Ekman pumping into the bottom boundary layer.This study investigates the kinematics of the ZA by studying the fate of the water parcels that are trapped by the ZA. We use output from a five-year simulation with an eddy-permitting ocean model, and we use a Lagrangian approach to track water parcels originating from within the ZA. We determine basic statistics of the parcel trajectories, including retention time, number of revolutions, vertical displacement, and temperature and salinity changes. The picture that emerges is one of water parcels spiraling downward through the water column, undergoing downwelling while they revolve anticyclonically around the center of the ZA. In our experiment, water parcels spend on average 451 days within the ZA, and make 2.6 revolutions around its center, with each revolution taking somewhere between 100 and 200 days. On average, parcels undergo a 94 m descent, 0.03 °C cooling and 0.0042 psu freshening. But individual parcels can undergo more than 800 m of downwelling, 0.2 °C of cooling, and ± 0.02 psu of salinity change. We believe that vertical motions of this order of magnitude, and the associated water mass transformations, are unique in the abyssal mid-latitude oceans.

Dynamics of dense hard sphere colloidal systems: A numerical analysis.

The applicability to dense hard sphere colloidal suspensions of a general coarse-graining approach called Record Dynamics (RD) is tested by extensive molecular dynamics simulations. We reproduce known results as logarithmic diffusion and the logarithmic decay of the average potential energy per particle. We provide quantitative measures for the cage size and identify the displacements of single particles corresponding to intermittent cage breakings. We then partition the system into spatial domains and show that, within each domain, a subset of such intermittent events called quakes constitutes a log-Poisson process, as predicted by RD. Specifically, quakes are shown to be statistically independent and Poisson distributed with an average depending on the logarithm of time. Finally, we discuss the nature of the dynamical barriers surmounted by quakes and link RD to the phenomenology of aging hard sphere colloids.

Cellular and Molecular Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Focusing on Intestinal Barrier Function.

The human gut relies on several cellular and molecular mechanisms to allow for an intact and dynamical intestinal barrier. Normally, only small amounts of luminal content pass the mucosa, however, if the control is broken it can lead to enhanced passage, which might damage the mucosa, leading to pathological conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is well established that genetic, environmental, and immunological factors all contribute in the pathogenesis of IBD, and a disturbed intestinal barrier function has become a hallmark of the disease. Genetical studies support the involvement of intestinal barrier as several susceptibility genes for IBD encode proteins with key functions in gut barrier and homeostasis. IBD patients are associated with loss in bacterial diversity and shifts in the microbiota, with a possible link to local inflammation. Furthermore, alterations of immune cells and several neuro-immune signaling pathways in the lamina propria have been demonstrated. An inappropriate immune activation might lead to mucosal inflammation, with elevated secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines that can affect the epithelium and promote a leakier barrier. This review will focus on the main cells and molecular mechanisms in IBD and how these can be targeted in order to improve intestinal barrier function and reduce inflammation.

Extremely high Q and unidirectional laser emission due to combination of the Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser barrier and the chaotic sea in a dielectric microdisk.

Emission characteristics of an oval-shaped microcavity laser are studied. In experiments, modes localized on periodic orbits emit unidirectionally with a narrow in-plane divergence angle of about 12deg. The origin of high directionality is elucidated by means of classical ray dynamics. Wave calculations show that the Q-factors of the resonances are higher than 108. We explain this extraordinary high Q-factor in relation with a dynamical barrier region where Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser curves significantly obstruct leakages of resonances.

Influence of the tensor force on the microscopic heavy-ion interaction potential

Background: The tensor interaction is known to play an important role in the nuclear structure studies of exotic nuclei. However, most microscopic studies of low-energy nuclear reactions neglect the tensor force, resulting in a lack of knowledge concerning the effect of the tensor force on HIC...... Purpose: The theoretical study of the influence of the tensor force on heavy-ion interaction potentials is required to further our understanding of the microscopic mechanisms entailed in fusion dynamics. Method: The full Skyrme tensor force is implemented into the static Hartree-Fock and dynamic density-constrained time-dependent Hartree-Fock (DC-TDHF) theory to calculate both static (frozen density) and dynamic microscopic interaction potentials for reactions involving exotic and stable nuclei. Results: The static potentials are found to be systematically higher than the dynamical results, which are attributed to the microscopic dynamical effects included in TDHF. We also show that the dynamical potential barriers vary more significantly by the inclusion of tensor force than the static barriers. The influence of isoscalar and isovector tensor terms is also investigated with the TIJ set of forces. For light systems, the tensor force is found to have an imperceptible effect on the nucleus-nucleus potential. However, for medium and heavy spin-unsaturated reactions, the potentials may change from a fraction of an MeV to almost 2 MeV by the inclusion of tensor force, indicating a strong impact of the tensor force on sub-barrier fusion. Conclusions: The tensor force could indeed play a large role in the fusion of nuclei, with spin-unsaturated systems seeing a systematic increase in ion-ion barrier height and width. This fusion hindrance is partly due to static, ground state effects from the inclusion of the tensor force, though additional hindrance appears when studying nuclear dynamics.

High‐Resolution Observations and Tracking of a Dual‐Core Anticyclonic Eddy in the Algerian Basin

AbstractMesoscale dynamics in the Mediterranean Sea have been investigated for years, and anticyclonic eddies are regularly observed features in the Algerian Basin. Here we used the AMEDA eddy detection algorithm to track and monitor a particular anticyclonic eddy from its birth to its death. The analysis of remote sensing data sets (AVISO and sea surface temperature) revealed that this anticyclone split from an Algerian eddy, in October 2015, interacted with the North Balearic Front and merged 7 months later, in May 2016, with a similar Algerian eddy. In early spring 2016, a field experiment during the ProtevsMed 2016 cruise thoroughly investigated this eddy, when it was located near the North Balearic Front, taking high‐resolution (Seasoar) hydrological transects, several Conductivity‐Temperature‐Depth (CTD) casts, and Lowered Acoustic Doppler Profiler measurements. In addition, four drifting buoys were released in the eddy core. These in situ measurements revealed that the vertical structure of this anticyclone was made of two water lenses of very different origins (Atlantic Water above and Western Intermediate Water below) spinning together. In the vicinity of the North Balearic Front, which may act as a dynamical barrier to such oceanic structures, the eddy interacted with a subsurface anticyclonic eddy made of modal water, which fostered cross‐front exchanges generating filaments by stirring. The high‐resolution sampling revealed fine‐scale structures both adjacent to the eddy and within its core.

Chaotic‐To‐Regular Tunneling: Transporting the Optical Chirality through the Dynamical Barriers in Optical Microcavities (Laser Photonics Rev. 12(10)/2018)

Chaotic‐To‐Regular Tunneling: Transporting the Optical Chirality through the Dynamical Barriers in Optical Microcavities (Laser Photonics Rev. 12(10)/2018)

Role of gaseous giants in the dynamical evolution of terrestrial planets and water delivery in the habitable zone

In the present research, we study the effects of a single giant planet in the dynamical evolution of water-rich embryos and planetesimals, located beyond the snow line of systems around Sun-like stars, in order to determine what kind of terrestrial-like planets could be formed in the habitable zone (hereafter HZ) of these systems. To do this, we carry out N-body simulations of planetary accretion, considering that the gas has been already dissipated from the disk and a single giant planet has been formed beyond the snow line of the system, at 3 au. We find that a giant planet with a value of mass between Saturn-mass and Jupiter-mass, represents a limit from which the amount of water-rich embryos that moves inward from beyond the snow line starts to decrease. From this, our research suggests that giant planets more massive than one Jupiter-mass become efficient dynamical barriers to inward-migrating water-rich embryos. Moreover, we infer that the number of these embryos that survive in the HZ significantly decreases for systems that host a giant planet more massive than one Jupiter-mass. This result has important consequences concerning the formation of terrestrial-like planets in the HZ with very high water contents and could provide a selection criteria in the search of potentially habitable exoplanets in systems that host a gaseous giant around solar-type stars.

Transporting the Optical Chirality through the Dynamical Barriers in Optical Microcavities

AbstractIn mixed phase space structures, the stable islands and chaotic sea are separated by dynamical barriers. Considering the small tunneling rate, intuitively, the properties of long‐lived resonances within stable islands are supposed to be less affected by the perturbations in chaotic sea. Here, the modifications on the chaotic sea which can be transported through dynamical barriers and strongly affect long‐lived resonances within stable islands are experimentally demonstrated. In waveguide‐connected quadruple microdisks (WCQMs), the finite orbital angular momentum and the propagation directions of long‐lived resonances within stable islands could be changed and controlled by the waveguides connecting to the chaotic sea. The numerical calculations and the corresponding 4 × 4 non‐Hermitian Hamiltonian theoretical model match the experimental results well and demonstrate the essential roles of asymmetrical scattering in the chaotic sea and chaotic‐to‐regular tunneling. This research will be interesting for fundamental studies on quantum chaos and practical applications in optical sensing.