Equilibration Mechanism Research Articles

Contrasting Sr and Nd isotopic behaviour during magma mingling; new insights from the Mannum A-type granite

The Mannum granite in South Australia is a classic A-type granite which displays good evidence for magma mingling, such as numerous syn-plutonic mafic enclaves, and rapakivi feldspars in both the granite and enclave. Study of the Sr and Nd isotopes show that the systems are dominantly controlled by plagioclase and titanite, respectively. The contrasting behaviour of these minerals during the development of a bimodal magmatic system has led to a well-defined 482 Ma isochron across a granite–enclave boundary in the Sr isotope system but not in the Nd isotope system. In-situ techniques, involving the development and production of a new titanite glass standard, were developed to resolve this dichotomy. Inferred repeated interaction with mafic magmas has resulted in the destabilization and restabilization of plagioclase. This has produced rapakivi textures, and provides an effective mechanism for efficient Sr isotope equilibration across the range of bulk rock compositions. Despite this interaction, titanite in the host granite retain a range of initial Nd isotope ratios, indicating multiple parental magmas were assembled to produce the final pluton. Decoupling of the Sr and Nd isotope systems in other magmatic systems could be indicative of magma mixing, as opposed to mingling, where physical evidence (e.g. enclaves, xenocrysts etc.) is absent.

The role of nucleoside/nucleotide transport and metabolism in the uptake and retention of 3′-fluoro-3′-deoxythymidine in human B-lymphoblast cells

Recent studies in the human adenocarcinoma cell line A549 have identified cell growth-dependent equilibrative nucleoside transporter-1 (hENT1) as a modifier of 3'-fluoro-3'-deoxythymidine (FLT) uptake and retention. In the present study, we used the ability to isolate human lymphoblastoid clones deficient in thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) to study how metabolism and nucleoside transport influence FLT uptake and retention. Transport and metabolism of FLT were measured in the human lymphoblastoid cell line TK6 and in eight clones isolated from TK6. Four clones were TK1-proficient, while four were TK1-deficient. Both influx and efflux of FLT were measured under conditions where concentrative and equilibrative transport could be distinguished. Sodium-dependent concentrative FLT transport dominated over equilibrative transport mechanisms and while inhibition of hENT1 reduced FLT uptake, there were no correlations between clonal variations in hENT1 levels and FLT uptake. There was an absolute requirement of TK1 for concentration of FLT in TK6 cells. FLT uptake reached a peak after 60 min of incubation with FLT after which intracellular levels of FLT and FLT metabolites declined. Efflux was rapid and was associated with reductions in FLT and each of its metabolites. Both FLT and FLT-monophosphate were found in the efflux buffer. Initial rates of FLT uptake were a function of both concentrative and equilibrative transporters. TK1 activity was an absolute requirement for the accumulation of FLT. Retention was dependent on nucleoside/nucleotide efflux and retrograde metabolism of FLT nucleotides.

Weak chaos in the disordered nonlinear Schrödinger chain: Destruction of Anderson localization by Arnold diffusion

The subject of this study is the long-time equilibration dynamics of a strongly disordered one-dimensional chain of coupled weakly anharmonic classical oscillators. It is shown that chaos in this system has a very particular spatial structure: it can be viewed as a dilute gas of chaotic spots. Each chaotic spot corresponds to a stochastic pump which drives the Arnold diffusion of the oscillators surrounding it, thus leading to their relaxation and thermalization. The most important mechanism of equilibration at long distances is provided by random migration of the chaotic spots along the chain, which bears analogy with variable-range hopping of electrons in strongly disordered solids. The corresponding macroscopic transport equations are obtained.

Symmetry Energy Effects on Low Energy Dissipative Heavy Ion Collisions

We investigate the reaction path followed by Heavy Ion Collisions with exotic nuclear beams at low energies. We focus on the interplay between reaction mechanisms, fusion vs. break-up (fast-fission, deep-inelastic), that in exotic systems is expected to be influenced by the symmetry energy term at densities around the normal value. The method described here, based on the event by event evolution of phase space quadrupole collective modes, will nicely allow to extract the fusion probability at relatively early times, when the transport results are reliable. Fusion probabilities for reactions induced by 132Sn on 64,58Ni targets at 10 AMeV are evaluated. We obtain larger fusion cross sections for the more n-rich composite system, and, for a given reaction, with a soft symmetry term above saturation. A collective charge equilibration mechanism (the Dynamical Dipole Resonance, DDR) is revealed in both fusion and break-up events, depending on the stiffness of the symmetry term just below saturation. Finally we investigate the effect of the mass asymmetry in the entrance channel for systems with the same overall isospin content and similar initial charge asymmetry. As expected we find reduced fusion probabilities for the more mass symmetric case, while the DDR strength appears not much affected. This is a nice confirmation of the prompt nature of such collective isovector mode.

Symmetry energy effects on fusion cross sections

We investigate the reaction path followed by Heavy Ion Collisions with exotic nuclear beams at low energies. We will focus on the interplay between reaction mechanisms, fusion vs. break-up (fast-fission, deep-inelastic), that in exotic systems is expected to be influenced by the symmetry energy term at densities around the normal value. The evolution of the system is described by a Stochastic Mean Field transport equation (SMF), where two parametrizations for the density dependence of symmetry energy (Asysoft and Asystiff) are implemented, allowing one to explore the sensitivity of the results to this ingredient of the nuclear interaction. The method described here, based on the event by event evolution of phase space quadrupole collective modes will nicely allow to extract the fusion probability at relatively early times, when the transport results are reliable. Fusion probabilities for reactions induced by 132Sn on 64,58Ni targets at 10 AMeV are evaluated. We obtain larger fusion cross sections for the more n-rich composite system, and, for a given reaction, in the Asysoft choice. Finally a collective charge equilibration mechanism (the Dynamical Dipole) is revealed in both fusion and break-up events, depending on the stiffness of the symmetry term just below saturation.

Structural and thermodynamic aspects of the cylinder-to-sphere transition in amphiphilic diblock copolymer micelles

The structure of diblock copolymers micelles depends on a delicate balance of thermodynamic forces driving the system towards equilibrium and kinetic factors which limit the systems' exploration of the phase space. The factors governing the morphological transition between cylindrical and spherical micelles are related to a fine balance between entropic forces from chains within the micellar core and corona. In order to understand and control these structures, it is important to gain insight into the fundamental thermodynamic driving forces governing the structure and answer fundamental questions concerning its equilibrium nature. In this work we aim to understand the relationship between thermodynamics and morphological transitions by investigating the detailed structure of a system undergoing a cylinder-to-sphere transition. We focus on the structural properties of micelles constituted of poly(ethylene-alt-propylene)–poly(ethylene oxide) (PEP1–PEO1, the numbers indicate the molar mass in kg/mole) diblock copolymers in dimethylformamide (DMF)/water solvent mixtures. This system is ideal for fundamental studies as it represents a classical well-segregated block copolymer micelle system where the interfacial tension can be controlled in detail without significantly changing other thermodynamic properties. Using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) it is shown that the system undergoes a cylinder-to-sphere transition upon addition of DMF which lowers the interfacial tension. By applying a detailed thermodynamic model we show that both the dependence of the structural parameters with the interfacial tension as well as the morphological transition can be quantitatively understood. The transition itself is governed by the interfacial tension which dictates the stretching of chains within both corona and core. At high interfacial tensions (in water-rich solutions) discrepancies between structural data and predictions from the thermodynamic model are observed. A qualitative comparison with some preliminary results on the chain exchange kinetics in the system show that these deviations coincide with the region where this equilibration mechanism is not active, i.e. when the kinetics are frozen at high interfacial tensions.

Test of a new heat-flow equation for dense-fluid shock waves

Using a recently proposed equation for the heat-flux vector that goes beyond Fourier's Law of heat conduction, we model shockwave propagation in the dense Lennard-Jones fluid. Disequilibrium among the three components of temperature, namely, the difference between the kinetic temperature in the direction of a planar shock wave and those in the transverse directions, particularly in the region near the shock front, gives rise to a new transport (equilibration) mechanism not seen in usual one-dimensional heat-flow situations. The modification of the heat-flow equation was tested earlier for the case of strong shock waves in the ideal gas, which had been studied in the past and compared to Navier-Stokes-Fourier solutions. Now, the Lennard-Jones fluid, whose equation of state and transport properties have been determined from independent calculations, allows us to study the case where potential, as well as kinetic contributions are important. The new heat-flow treatment improves the agreement with nonequilibrium molecular-dynamics simulations under strong shock wave conditions, compared to Navier-Stokes.

Impact on the Chinese soybean markets from international prices volatility: Empirical study based on VEC model

The paper uses VEC model to analyze the impact of international prices volatility on Chinese soybean spot and future markets before and since the outbreak of the global financial crisis. The results show that: there is a one-way or both-way leading relation between domestic and international soybean markets; there is an equilibrating mechanism of prices in the world soybean market, which shows that the ability of market correction and the degree of adjustment of the mechanism became higher since the outbreak of the crisis; the future market can reduce the risk of prices volatility; prices volatility in domestic soybean markets is aroused by leading exporters, and there has been a volatility spillover effect between domestic soybean spot market and future market since the outbreak of the crisis. Key words: Soybean market, soybean import, prices volatility, financial crisis, VEC model.

ChemInform Abstract: Ring Expansion and Equilibration in Organophosphazenes and the Relationship to Polymerization.

A series of cyclic trimeric phosphazenes that bear both halogen and organic side groups have been found to undergo ring expansion-equilibration reactions at elevated temperatures. Compounds N 3 P 3 F 5 CMe 3 , N 3 P 3 F 5 Ph, non-gem-N 3 P 3 F 4 (CMe 3 ) 2 , N 3 P 3 F 4 Ph 2 , N 3 P 3 Cl 4 Me 2 , N 3 P 3 Cl 4 Et 2 , N 3 P 3 Cl 3 Me 3 , and N 3 P 3 Cl 3 Et 3 yield cyclic tetramers, pentamers, hexamers, and, in some cases, heptamers, octamers, and nonamers when heated. The cyclic tetramers (NPClMe) 4 and (NPClEt) 4 also equilibrate to a range of cyclic species that range from trimer to hexamer. Several of these equilibrations also lead to the formation of high polymers. The results are discussed in terms of possible mechanisms for ring-ring equilibration and polymerization

Effects of Hypoxia, Glucose Deprivation and Recovery on the Expression of Nucleoside Transporters and Adenosine Uptake in Primary Culture of Rat Cortical Astrocytes

The aim of this study was to explore effects of hypoxia, glucose deprivation (HGD) and recovery on expression and activities of equilibrative nucleoside transporters (rENT) and concentrative nucleoside transporters (rCNT) in rat astrocytes in primary culture. Amounts of cellular ATP in the control group (CG, 5% CO(2) in air, medium containing 7 mM D-glucose, 1 mM Na(+)-pyruvate, 1 h), HGD group (2% O(2)/5% CO(2) in N(2), pyruvate-free medium containing 1.5 mM D-glucose and 10 mM 2-deoxy-D-glucose, 1 h) and recovery group (RG, HGD for 1 h, followed by 1 h exposure to the same conditions as the CG) were (nmol/mg protein, n = 4) 18 +/- 1.6, 4.9 +/- 0.6 and 10.1 +/- 0.8, respectively. Extracellular adenosine concentrations increased from (nM, n = 3) 42 +/- 4 in the CG, to 99 +/- 8 in the HGD group and 86 +/- 3 in the RG. Real-time PCR and immunoblotting revealed that in the HGD group and RG, the amounts of rENT1 mRNA and protein were reduced to 40 and 50%, when compared to the CG, respectively. Astrocyte cultures took up [(3)H]adenosine by concentrative and equilibrative transport processes; however, rENT1-mediated uptake was absent in the RG and cultures from the RG took up significantly less [(3)H]adenosine by equilibrative mechanisms than cultures from the CG.

Suppression of Charge Equilibration Leading to the Synthesis of Exotic Nuclei

Charge equilibration between two colliding nuclei can take place in the early stage of heavy-ion collisions. A basic mechanism of charge equilibration is presented in terms of the extension of single-particle motion from one nucleus to the other, from which the upper energy limit of the bombarding energy is introduced for significant charge equilibration. The formula for this limit is presented, and is compared to various experimental data. It is examined also by comparison to three-dimensional time-dependent density functional calculations. The suppression of charge equilibration, which appears in collisions at the energies beyond the upper energy limit, gives rise to remarkable effects on the synthesis of exotic nuclei with extreme proton-neutron asymmetry.

PRE-EQUILIBRIUM EFFECTS IN THE SECONDARY PARTICLE SPECTRA IN THE REACTIONS WITH HEAVY IONS

Theoretical description of the experimentally obtained spectra for protons and α-particles and model calculations for the neutron spectra in the reactions with heavy ions has been presented. The hybrid model of non-equilibrium processes was used. Equilibrium evaporation process was analyzed in the framework of the statistical theory of nuclear reactions with Monte-Carlo simulation including certain dynamical and kinematical characteristics. This approach was included in PACE code, which permits to simulate Monte-Carlo de-excitation nuclear process. The Fermi-gas model and level-density phenomenological model for the variation of the nuclear level density parameters was used. In this approach data on 16 O +116 Sn reaction with Ebeam = 130, 250 MeV were analyzed. Double-differential light charged particle spectra for this reaction were measured using the GARFIELD apparatus in coincidence with evaporation residues. The experimental data were collected in four angular ranges from 29 to 41, 41 to 53, 53 to 67 and 67 to 82 degrees in the laboratory system. The results of the calculations are shown and discussed for these four angular ranges. The contributions from the evaporative and pre-equilibrium processes were analyzed in connection with different nucleus equilibration mechanisms.

Equilibration of weakly nonlinear salt fingers

An analytical model is developed to explain the equilibration mechanism of the salt finger instability in unbounded temperature and salinity gradients. The theory is based on the weakly nonlinear asymptotic expansion about the point of marginal instability. The proposed solutions attribute equilibration of salt fingers to a combination of two processes: (i) the triad interaction and (ii) spontaneous development of the mean vertical shear. The non-resonant triad interactions control the equilibration of linear growth for moderate and large values of Prandtl number (Pr) and for slightly unstable parameters. For small Pr and/or rigorous instabilities, the mean shear effects become essential. It is shown that, individually, neither the mean field nor the triad interaction models can accurately describe the equilibrium patterns of salt fingers in all regions of the parameter space. Therefore, we propose a new hybrid model, which represents both stabilizing effects in a single framework. The resulting solutions agree with the fully nonlinear numerical simulations over a wide range of governing parameters.

Energy transfer and magnetic field generation via ion-beam driven instabilities in an electron-ion plasma

Whether an efficient collisionless temperature equilibration mechanism exists for a two-temperature ion-electron plasma, with Ti>Te, is important for understanding astrophysical phenomena such as two-temperature accretion flows and collisionless shocks in supernova remnants or gamma-ray bursts. In this paper, counter-streaming ion beam-driven two-stream, Weibel (or filamentation), and oblique instabilities are studied using two-dimensional (2D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations as a possible plasma instability that could operate in such astrophysical objects. The PIC simulations show interplay among these instabilities and that distinct stages with different dominant modes occur during the nonlinear evolution period. Although the 2D results show stronger electron-ion coupling than the one-dimensional (1D) instabilities, it is still too weak to rule out existing two-temperature accretion solutions. The nonrelativistic quasilinear equations for the 1D Weibel plus 1D two-stream modes are numerically solved to compare the results with the 2D PIC simulations and qualitative similarities were found. The equations also show that the magnetic fields generated by the Weibel instability decay to zero in the end.

Erratum to: Synthesis of exotic nuclei in heavy-ion collisions at higher energies

The charge equilibration upper energy-limit formula is proposed. It shows not only the basic mechanism of charge equilibration but also does imply the possibility of controlling the exotic nuclear synthesis. To understand the mechanism of charge equilibration, charge and mass distributions of final fragments of the heavy-ion collisions are studied based on three-dimensional time-dependent Hartree-Fock calculations with a Skyrme interaction.

Experimental and theoretical studies of light-to-heat conversion and collective heating effects in metal nanoparticle solutions.

We perform a set of experiments on photoheating in a water droplet containing gold nanoparticles (NPs). Using photocalorimetric methods, we determine efficiency of light-to-heat conversion (eta) which turns out to be remarkably close to 1, (0.97 < eta < 1.03). Detailed studies reveal a complex character of heat transfer in an optically stimulated droplet. The main mechanism of equilibration is due to convectional flow. Theoretical modeling is performed to describe thermal effects at both nano- and millimeter scales. Theory shows that the collective photoheating is the main mechanism. For a large concentration of NPs and small laser intensity, an averaged temperature increase (at the millimeter scale) is significant (approximately 7 degrees C), whereas on the nanometer scale the temperature increase at the surface of a single NP is small (approximately 0.02 degrees C). In the opposite regime, that is, a small NP concentration and intense laser irradiation, we find an opposite picture: a temperature increase at the millimeter scale is small (0.1 degrees C) but a local, nanoscale temperature has strong local spikes at the surfaces of NPs (approximately 3 degrees C). These studies are crucial for the understanding of photothermal effects in NPs and for their potential and current applications in nano- and biotechnologies.

Competition of break-up and dissipative processes in peripheral collisions at Fermi energies

Heavy ion collisions in the Fermi energy regime may simultaneously show features of direct and dissipative processes. To investigate this behavior in detail, we study isotope and velocity distributions of projectile-like fragments in the reactions $^{18}$O (35 $A\cdot$MeV) + $^9$Be($^{181}$Ta) at forward angles. We decompose the experimental velocity distributions empirically into two contributions: a direct, `breakup' component centered at beam velocity and a dissipative component at lower velocities leading to a tail of the velocity distributions. The direct component is interpreted in the Goldhaber model, and the widths of the velocity distributions are extracted. The dissipative component is then successfully described by transport calculations. The ratio of the yields of the direct and the dissipative contributions can be understood from the behavior of the deflection functions. The isotope distributions of the dissipative component agree qualitatively with the data, but the modification due to secondary de-excitation needs to be considered. We conclude, that such reactions are of interest to study the equilibration mechanism in heavy ion collisions.

Correlations in STAR: interferometry and event structure

STAR observes a complex picture of RHIC collisions where correlation effects of different origins–initial state geometry, semi-hard scattering, hadronization, as well as final state interactions such as quantum intensity interference - coexist. Presenting the measurements of flow, mini-jet deformation, modified hadronization, and the Hanbury Brown and Twiss effect, we trace the history of the system from the initial to the final state. The resulting picture is discussed in the context of identifying the relevant degrees of freedom and the likely equilibration mechanism.

Nanoisland shape relaxation mechanism

The shape relaxation of supported crystallites is studied by means of kinetic Monte Carlo simulations, initialising the system with different configurations. At low temperature, when the facet nucleation limits the relaxation, the simulations show that the equilibration mechanism and the equilibration time scaling laws depend strongly on the initialisation. In this regime, the adhesion strongly increases the stability of intermediate configurations with large contact area. The relationship between the different equilibration pathways and the equilibration scaling laws is discussed considering the dependence of the nucleation barrier energy G ∗ on the particle energetics in the regions with the largest kinks and steps density.

Nonequilibrium Green’s function formalism and the problem of bound states

The non-equilibrium Green's function formalism for infinitely extended reservoirs coupled to a finite system can be derived by solving the equations of motion for a tight-binding Hamiltonian. While this approach gives the correct density for the continuum states, we find that it does not lead, in the absence of any additional mechanisms for equilibration, to a unique expression for the density matrix of any bound states which may be present. Introducing some auxiliary reservoirs which are very weakly coupled to the system leads to a density matrix which is unique in the equilibrium situation, but which depends on the details of the auxiliary reservoirs in the non-equilibrium case.