Individual Bursts Research Articles

Spatial Structure and Spectra of X-Ray Sources During the 0.8 – 4.5 GHz Reverse Drift Bursts Observations

In the years 2002 – 2005, 38 groups of the reverse drift bursts (RDBs) were observed in the 0.8 – 4.5 GHz frequency range by the Ondřejov radiospectrograph. In 21 cases, which were observed at the times of the RHESSI observations, spatial structure, positional changes, and spectra of X-ray sources during RDB observations are studied in detail. First, based on the frequency drift and the spatial structure of the associated X-ray source, the events are classified as: (a) fast drifting RDBs with a compact X-ray source, (b) fast drifting RDBs with a multiple X-ray source (FM), and slowly drifting RDBs. Then, the spectra of X-ray sources at the times of RDBs are analyzed. It is found that most fast drifting RDBs (16 of 17 cases) are associated with the spectra having a distinct power-law (non-thermal) component. In contrast, the X-ray spectra associated with the slowly drifting RDBs are predominantly purely thermal (in three out of four cases; in the 26 July 2004, case the X-ray spectrum is thermal and high temperature, with non-thermal component). Two special cases of RDBs observed during the 28 October 2003, and 23 July 2004, flares are added for comparison. The most frequent events are those with fast drifting RDBs, a compact short-lasting X-ray sources, and a power-law X-ray spectrum. The individual reverse drift bursts (∼1 s duration) do not show a clear temporal association with individual peaks of hard X-ray bursts. During slowly drifting RDBs the shape of the associated X-ray source changed or expanded. Among them the most interesting one was observed in 26 July 2004, when the very slowly drifting RDBs (+40 MHz s−1) were associated with an X-ray loop-like source continuously elongating in the southwest direction. In the most cases the model of RDBs with electron beams is compatible with the observations, but in flares on 26 July 2004, and 28 October 2003, the RDBs are probably generated by some other type of an agent; we propose here a thermal conduction front.

Memory for sequences of tone bursts in the rat: Reliance on temporal cues and evidence for an instructional ambiguity explanation of the choose-few effect

Two groups of rats were trained in a symbolic delayed matching-to-sample task with a 0-s delay to discriminate sample stimuli that consisted of sequences of tone bursts. For one group, sequences varied in number with total sequence duration controlled. For the other group, total sequence duration, sum of the tone durations, and sum of the gap durations were all controlled. The former group of rats acquired the discrimination, but the latter group of rats were not able to learn the discrimination with the additional temporal cues controlled. Retention functions for the group that acquired the discrimination exhibited a choose-many bias at the 1-s delay and a choose-few bias at the 8-s delay regardless of the similarity in the intertrial interval and delay interval illumination condition. The asymmetrical retention functions appeared to be due to instructional ambiguity which resulted from the similarity of the delay interval to temporal features of the tone burst sequence, such as the gap between tone bursts and the total duration of tone. In Experiment 2, diagnostic tests provided evidence that rats discriminated the sequences of tone bursts by timing and summing the duration of individual tone bursts rather than using an event switch to count tones. Like pigeons, rats use multiple temporal features rather than number to discriminate sequences of successive events.

Prediction and Diagnosis of Tropical Cyclone Formation in an NWP System. Part II: A Diagnosis of Tropical Cyclone Chris Formation

This is the second of a three-part investigation into tropical cyclone (TC) genesis in the Australian Bureau of Meteorology’s Tropical Cyclone Limited Area Prediction System (TC-LAPS). The primary TC-LAPS vortex enhancement mechanism (convergence/stretching and vertical advection of absolute vorticity in convective updraft regions) was presented in Part I. In this paper (Part II) results from a numerical simulation of TC Chris (western Australia, February 2002) are used to illustrate the primary and two secondary vortex enhancement mechanisms that led to TC genesis. In Part III a number of simulations are presented exploring the sensitivity and variability of genesis forecasts in TC-LAPS. During the first 18 h of the simulation, a mature vortex of TC intensity developed in a monsoon low from a relatively benign initial state. Deep upright vortex cores developed from convergence/stretching and vertical advection of absolute vorticity within the updrafts of intense bursts of cumulus convection. Individual convective bursts lasted for 6–12 h, with a new burst developing as the previous one weakened. The modeled bursts appear as single updrafts, and represent the mean vertical motion in convective regions because the 0.15° grid spacing imposes a minimum updraft scale of about 60 km. This relatively large scale may be unrealistic in the earlier genesis period when multiple smaller-scale, shorter-lived convective regions are often observed, but observational evidence suggests that such scales can be expected later in the process. The large scale may limit the convection to only one or two active bursts at a time, and may have contributed to a more rapid model intensification than that observed. The monsoon low was tilted to the northwest, with convection initiating about 100–200 km west of the low-level center. The convective bursts and associated upright potential vorticity (PV) anomalies were advected cyclonically around the low, weakening as they passed to the north of the circulation center, leaving remnant cyclonic PV anomalies. Strong convergence into the updrafts led to rapid ingestion of nearby cyclonic PV anomalies, including remnant PV cores from decaying convective bursts. Thus convective intensity, rather than the initial vortex size and intensity, determined dominance in vortex interactions. This scavenging of PV by the active convective region, termed diabatic upscale vortex cascade, ensured that PV cores grew successively and contributed to the construction of an upright central monolithic PV core. The system-scale intensification (SSI) process active on the broader scale (300–500-km radius) also contributed. Latent heating slightly dominated adiabatic cooling within the bursts, which enhanced the system-scale secondary circulation. Convergence of low- to midlevel tropospheric absolute vorticity by this enhanced circulation intensified the system-scale vortex. The diabatic upscale vortex cascade and SSI are secondary processes dependent on the locally enhanced vorticity and heat respectively, generated by the primary mechanism.

A search for optical bursts from the rotating radio transient J1819-1458 with ULTRACAM

We report on the search for optical bursts from J1819-1458, a member of the recently discovered rotating radio transients (RRATs). J1819-1458 exhibits 3-ms bursts with a peak flux of f(nu)(1.4 GHz) = 3.6 Jy every similar to 3.4 min, implying that it is visible for only similar to 1 s per day at radio wavelengths. Assuming that the optical light behaves in a similar manner, the most-sensitive way of detecting RRATs is hence not to take long exposures of the field, but instead to capture individual bursts using a high-speed camera mounted on a large-aperture telescope. Using ULTRACAM on the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (WHT), we obtained 97 100 images of the field of J1819-1458, each of 18.1 ms exposure time and with essentially no dead-time between the frames. We find no evidence for bursts in u', g' and i' at magnitudes brighter than 15.1, 17.4 and 16.6 (5 sigma), corresponding to fluxes of less than 3.3, 0.4 and 0.8 mJy at 3560, 4820 and 7610 angstrom, respectively.

On providing elastic QoS in optical burst switched networks

Integrated services schemes have not been used to support QoS in OBS networks, largely because of the high control overhead involved in monitoring bursts continuously at intermediate nodes . In this paper, we propose for the first time, an integrated services scheme to support elastic QoS in OBS networks. Our scheme relieves intermediate nodes of the burden of monitoring individual bursts continuously, thus largely decreasing the control overhead. We show how absolute bandwidth guarantees can be provided, and how bandwidth used by each connection can be made elastic. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our scheme using both analytical and simulation studies.

Method to locate the polar cap boundary in the nightside ionosphere and application to a substorm event

Abstract. In this paper we describe a new method to be used for the polar cap boundary (PCB) determination in the nightside ionosphere by using the EISCAT Svalbard radar (ESR) field-aligned measurements by the 42-m antenna and southward directed low-elevation measurements by the ESR 32 m antenna or northward directed low-elevation measurements by the EISCAT VHF radar at Tromsø. The method is based on increased electron temperature (Te) caused by precipitating particles on closed field lines. Since the Svalbard field-aligned measurement provides the reference polar cap Te height profile, the method can be utilised only when the PCB is located between Svalbard and the mainland. Comparison with the Polar UVI images shows that the radar-based method is generally in agreement with the PAE (poleward auroral emission) boundary from Polar UVI. The new technique to map the polar cap boundary was applied to a substorm event on 6 November 2002. Simultaneous measurements by the MIRACLE magnetometers enabled us to put the PCB location in the framework of ionospheric electrojets. During the substorm growth phase, the polar cap expands and the region of the westward electrojet shifts gradually more apart from the PCB. The substorm onset takes place deep within the region of closed magnetic field region, separated by about 6–7° in latitude from the PCB in the ionosphere. We interpret the observations in the framework of the near-Earth neutral line (NENL) model of substorms. After the substorm onset, the reconnection at the NENL reaches within 3 min the open-closed field line boundary and then the PCB moves poleward together with the poleward boundary of the substorm current wedge. The poleward expansion occurs in the form of individual bursts, which are separated by 2–10 min, indicating that the reconnection in the magnetotail neutral line is impulsive. The poleward expansions of the PCB are followed by latitude dispersed intensifications in the westward electrojet with high latitudes affected first and lower latitudes later. We suggest that reconnection bursts energize plasma and produce enhanced flows toward the Earth. While drifting earthward, part of the plasma population precipitates to the ionosphere producing latitude-dispersed enhancements in the WEJ.

Evidence of transformation bursts during thermal cycling of a Pu-Ga alloy

The thermodynamics and kinetics of the fcc (delta) to monoclinic (alpha-prime) phase transformation and its reversion in a plutonium-gallium alloy have been studied using differential scanning calorimetry, resistometry, and dilatometry. Under ambient conditions, the delta phase is metastable in a Pu-2.0 at. pct Ga alloy. Thermal cycling to below the ambient temperature results in a partial transformation to the alpha-prime phase; this transformation is composition-invariant and exhibits martensitic behavior. Because this transformation results in an unusually large 25 vol pct contraction that cannot be fully accommodated by purely elastic adjustments, the transformation mode is expected to involve burst formation of individual alpha-prime particles. However, upon cooling, these individual bursts were not resolved by the above techniques, although signals corresponding to the overall accumulation of many alpha-prime particles were observed. On the other hand, upon heating, signals from differential scanning calorimetry, resistometry, and dilatometry showed a series of discrete changes occurring in periodic increments beginning at approximately 32 °C. These features correspond to the cooperative reversion of many alpha-prime particles to the delta phase; they appear to be the result of an interplay between the autocatalytically driven reversion of a cascade of individual martensite units and self-quenching caused by small changes of temperature or stress accompanying each individual transformation burst. The heat of the delta/alpha-prime transformation is estimated to be about +4 kJ/mol.

Coincident GRB neutrino flux predictions: Implications for experimental UHE neutrino physics

In the hadronic fireball phenomenology of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs), it is expected that the observed photons are accompanied by UHE neutrinos, which have not been observed yet. It is one of the challenges of experimental UHE neutrino astrophysics to look for a signal from GRBs. In this paper, the differences between a search for a diffuse signal and an examination of a source sample given by e.g. BATSE will be analyzed. Since redshift information is needed to determine the correct energy spectrum, long duration bursts with redshifts from different estimate methods will be used. We will start with an overview of the current understanding of GRB neutrino physics and will then use this knowledge to make predictions for a coincidence flux and a corresponding diffuse flux. It can be shown that shape and normalization of the spectrum is highly dependent on the set of bursts used and that individual bursts can determine the total spectrum.

Activation of SK channels inhibits epileptiform bursting in hippocampal CA3 neurons

The role of calcium-activated potassium channels in the regulation of neuronal hyperexcitability, as in epilepsy, is unclear. To examine this issue, we have used the acute hippocampal slice model of epileptiform activity to investigate the effects of an enhancer of SK channel activity, 1-ethyl-benzimidazolinone (EBIO). That EBIO is an SK channel modulator was confirmed by its potentiation of hSK1, hSK2, hSK3 and hIK currents (EC 50 values in the range of 130–870 μM) and its apamin (1 μM) sensitive reduction of the number of action potentials fired in CA3 pyramidal neurons in response to a depolarizing current step. In addition, while EBIO did not significantly affect electrically evoked glutamatergic synaptic transmission, it did inhibit epileptiform activity (IC 50 values in the range of 150–325 μM) induced by (1) modifying the extracellular ionic environment by removing extracellular Mg 2+ or elevating extracellular K + from 3.0 to 8.5 mM and (2) disinhibiting the slice using 3 mM pentylenetetrazol or combined application of 10 μM gabazine and 10 μM CGP55845. Furthermore, its inhibitory effect in the full disinhibition model of epileptiform activity (10 μM gabazine + 10 μM CGP55845) was occluded by the SK channel blocker apamin (300 nM–1 μM) which in its own right increased the duration and reduced the frequency of individual epileptiform bursts. In conclusion, compounds that enhance the activation of small conductance Ca 2+-activated K + channels are effective inhibitors of epileptiform activity in vitro.

Simultaneous suppression of tone burst-evoked otoacoustic emissions – Effect of level and presentation paradigm

There is conflict in the literature over whether individual frequency components of a transient-evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) are generated within relatively independent “channels” along the basilar membrane (BM), or whether each component may be generated by widespread areas of the BM. Two previous studies on TEOAE suppression are consistent with generation within largely independent channels, but with a degree of interaction between nearby channels. However, both these studies reported significant suppression only at high stimulus levels, at which the “nonlinear” presentation paradigm was used. The present study clarifies the separate influences of stimulus level and presentation paradigm on this type of suppression. TEOAEs were recorded using stimulus tone bursts at 1, 2 and 3 kHz and a complex stimulus consisting of a digital addition of the three tone bursts, over a range of stimulus levels and both “linear” and “nonlinear” presentation paradigms. Responses to the individual tone bursts were combined offline and compared with responses to the complex stimuli. Results clearly demonstrate that TEOAE suppression under these conditions is dependent upon stimulus level, and not upon presentation paradigm. It is further argued that the data support the “local” rather than “widespread” model of TEOAE generation, subject to nonlinear interactions between nearby generation channels.

Toward a More Standardized Candle Using Gamma‐Ray Burst Energetics and Spectra

The use of gamma-ray burst (GRB) energetics for cosmography has long been advanced as a means to probe out to high redshifts, to the epoch of deceleration. However, although relatively immune to systematic biases from dust extinction, the prompt energy release in GRBs, even when corrected for jetting geometry, is far from being a standard candle. In this work we explore the cosmographic potential of a GRB standard candle based on the newly discovered relation by Ghirlanda and coworkers between the apparent geometry-corrected energies (Eγ) and the peak in the rest-frame prompt-burst spectrum (Ep). We present an explicit, self-consistent formalism for correcting GRB energies with a thorough accounting for observational uncertainties. In contrast to other work, we demonstrate that the current sample of 19 GRBs is not yet cosmographically competitive with results from Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), large-scale structure, and the microwave background. Although the Ep-Eγ relation is a highly significant correlation across a range of cosmologies [0 ≤ ΩM, ΩΛ ≤ 2], the goodness of fit of the data to a power law (Ep ∝ E) depends strongly on input assumptions. The most important of these assumptions concern the unknown density (and density profile) of the circumburst medium, the efficiency of converting explosion energy to gamma rays, data selection choices for individual bursts (some of which were not included in similar work), and assumptions in the error analysis. Independent of assumptions, with very few low-z bursts, the current sample is most sensitive to ΩM but essentially insensitive to ΩΛ (let alone the dark energy equation of state w). The relation clearly represents a significant improvement in the search for an empirical GRB standard candle but is further hindered by an unknown physical basis for the relation, the lack of a low-z training set to calibrate the relation in a cosmology-independent way, and several major potential systematic uncertainties and selection effects. Until these concerns are addressed, a larger sample is acquired, and attempts are made to marginalize or perform Monte Carlo simulations over the unknown density distribution (which itself may evolve with redshift), we urge caution concerning claims of the utility of GRBs for cosmography and especially attempts to combine the results from GRBs with those of SNe Ia.

The origin of the long time correlations of the density fluctuations in the scrape-off layer of the Tore Supra Tokamak

It is shown that intermittent density bursts observed in the scrape-off layer of Tore Supra [J. Jacquinot, Nucl. Fusion 43, 1583 (2003)] are detected in packs on the probe. In such a pack, typically two to three bursts are separated by time intervals smaller than the mean separation time. The long tails above 50μs observed on the autocorrelation function of the density fluctuations are found to be the temporal correlation between the individual bursts within their pack. Packs of density bursts can be detected in two limiting states of the turbulence: when the coupling between density and potential is strong and large density bursts split during their radial propagation or at the opposite when the coupling is weak so that different density bursts can propagate radially along the potential valleys. The lack of spatial resolution of the diagnostic does not allow to discriminate between the two mechanisms.

Uterine Electromyography Characteristics for Early Diagnosis of Mifepristone-Induced Preterm Labor

Differentiating uterine contractions leading to preterm birth from ineffective uterine activity is difficult with current tools. Uterine electromyographic activity is recordable and consists of bursts (group of action potentials) characterized by characteristics that are different during pregnancy and labor. Our aim was to identify the chronology of the changes in uterine pressure and electromyographic characteristics during mifepristone-induced preterm labor in pregnant rats and to determine the earliest characteristic to change. On day 17 of gestation, intrauterine catheter and electromyography electrodes were implanted in the uterus. On day 18, rats were allocated for treatment with mifepristone or placebo. Intrauterine pressure and electromyography integral activities and electromyography mean were calculated before treatment and 6, 12, 18, 20, 22, and 24 hours after treatment. After mathematical transformation, burst analysis was performed by using power density spectrum energy, peak amplitude, and frequency. As expected, delivery rate within 24 hours was higher in the mifepristone-treated group. Changes in electromyography integral activity and mean, power density spectrum energy, and intrauterine pressure integral activity occurred late during preterm labor, in a range of 2-4 hours before delivery. Electromyography peak frequency of the power density spectrum exhibited early changes, with a shift from low to high frequencies starting at 12 hours before delivery. Electromyography peak frequency of the power density spectrum from individual bursts was the first characteristic to change after antiprogestin treatment, preceding any change in intrauterine pressure, making it a potentially useful marker for the early diagnosis of preterm labor.

Exaggeration of epileptic-like patterns by nicotine receptor activation during the GABA withdrawal syndrome

To understand how nicotinic cholinergic receptors may participate in epileptic seizures, we tested the effects of nicotine and of the competitive nicotinic antagonists dihydro-β-erythroidine and α-bungarotoxin on synaptic paroxysmal depolarization shifts (PDSs) and intrinsic bursts of action potentials recorded in slices from rats presenting a cortical status epilepticus. This model named GABA-withdrawal syndrome (GWS) appears consecutive to the interruption of a prolonged intracortical GABA infusion. Effects of both nicotinic antagonists suggest a distinct involvement of α4-β2 and α7 subunits in shaping individual PDSs and patterning repetitive bursts. On one hand, in GWS rats, an increase of PDS latency and prolongation of PDS and bursts were induced by nicotine and reduced by dihydro-β-erythroidine, but not by α-bungarotoxin. The K + blocker tetraethylammonium also increased duration without changing latency. Thus, dihydro-β-erythroidine-sensitive receptors exert distinct controls on the presynaptic generation of PDS and on the process which terminates PDSs and bursts. On the other hand, α-bungarotoxin depolarized neurons and generated rhythmic discharges of clustered bursts. Clustered bursts were also observed in slices obtained from GWS rats treated with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor eserine. We suggest that both dihydro-β-erythroidine and α-bungarotoxin-sensitive sites control paroxysmic activities in GWS and could be involved in some human and animal epilepsies presenting mutations of nicotinic cholinergic receptors.

Multiple Interacting Sites of Ectopic Spike Electrogenesis in Primary Sensory Neurons

Ectopic discharge generated in injured afferent axons and cell somata in vivo contributes significantly to chronic neuropathic dysesthesia and pain after nerve trauma. Progress has been made toward understanding the processes responsible for this discharge using a preparation consisting of whole excised dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) with the cut nerve attached. In the in vitro preparation, however, spike activity originates in the DRG cell soma but rarely in the axon. We have now overcome this impediment to understanding the overall electrogenic processes in soma and axon, including the resulting discharge patterns, by modifying the bath medium in which recordings are made. At both sites, bursts can be triggered by subthreshold oscillations, a phasic stimulus, or spikes arising elsewhere in the neuron. In the soma, once triggered, bursts are maintained by depolarizing afterpotentials, whereas in the axon, an additional process also plays a role, delayed depolarizing potentials. This alternative process appears to be involved in "clock-like" bursting, a discharge pattern much more common in axons than somata. Ectopic spikes arise alternatively in the soma, the injured axon end (neuroma), and the region of the axonal T-junction. Discharge sequences, and even individual multiplet bursts, may be a mosaic of action potentials that originate at these alternative electrogenic sites within the neuron. Correspondingly, discharge generated at these alternative sites may interact, explaining the sometimes-complex firing patterns observed in vivo.

Aggravation of Absence Seizures by Carbamazepine in a Genetic Rat Model Does Not Induce Neuronal c-Fos Activation

The mechanisms underlying carbamazepine aggravation of absence seizures are uncertain but are thought to involve enhancement of neuronal activity within the thalamocortical circuitry. We used c-Fos immunohistochemistry (cFos-ir) to examine patterns of neuronal activation and the relationship to seizure expression following administration of carbamazepine in a rat model of absence epilepsy (Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats of Strasbourg, GAERS). Female ovariectomized GAERS implanted with extradural EEG electrodes received either 20 mg/kg carbamazepine or vehicle IP. Seizure expression was quantified by measuring the total number and duration of spike-wave discharges (SWD) and with the individual burst discharge lengths over a 90-minute EEG. This was correlated with cFos-ir in thalamocortical slices from rats killed 180 minutes after carbamazepine administration. Carbamazepine-treated rats (n = 5) had a significantly greater total duration of SWD than vehicle-treated rats (17.9% versus 8.8%, P = 0.04). Despite this aggravation of seizures, the level of cFos-ir did not differ between the treatment groups. A positive correlation was found between cFos-ir in the reticularis thalami (Rt) and the total seizure duration (R = 0.66, P = 0.04) and mean burst length (R = 0.68, P = 0.03) but not total number of seizures. The lack of difference in cFos activation patterns between carbamazepine and vehicle-treated animals suggests that the mechanism for carbamazepine aggravation of absence seizures may not involve neuronal activation but rather enhanced neuronal synchronization. The association between increased neuronal activation in the Rt and seizure burden in GAERS provides further support for the critical role of this structure in the maintenance, but not initiation, of absence seizure activity.

Wavelet analysis of intermittent turbulence in a very stable nocturnal boundary layer: implications for the vertical mixing of ozone

Turbulence in the very stable nocturnal boundary layer is weak, patchy and intermittent. Near the surface isolated bursts of turbulent activity, characterised by abrupt changes in vertical velocity variance, have been shown to play an important role in determining the vertical transport of pollutants. However, there is little consensus as to the most appropriate methods for identifying or analysing the characteristics of intermittent turbulence that are of direct relevance to air quality studies. This paper presents an original technique, based on wavelet analysis, to objectively isolate intermittent turbulent ‘bursts’ within vertical velocity time series. The technique permits the quantitative description of global intermittency and can be used to assess the duration and strength of turbulence within a time series. The technique is applied to a dataset from a summer field experiment in the Lower Fraser Valley, British Columbia, 1998. A very stable nocturnal boundary layer was observed in this region of complex terrain during anticyclonic synoptic conditions. During the 11 nights studied turbulent activity was characterised (within each 30-min time series) by three to four individual bursts persisting for less than 10 min in total. The implications of these results for air quality studies are discussed within the context of the vertical mixing of ozone (stored within the residual layer) to the surface. Results show that, despite the complexity of the processes determining nocturnal surface ozone concentration, the strength and duration of turbulent bursts can play an important role in determining local surface concentrations.

Evidence for a Strong Correlation of Solar Proton Events with Solar Radio Bursts

A statistical analysis is made on the correlation between solar proton events with energies >10 Mev and solar radio bursts during the four-year period from 1997 November to 2000 November. We examine 28 solar proton events and their corresponding solar radio bursts at 15400, 8800, 4995, 2695, 1415, 606, 410 and 245 MHz. The statistical result shows that there is a close association between solar proton events and ⩾3 solar radio bursts occurring at several frequencies, one or two days before. In particular, it is noteworthy that proton events occurring in pairs within the same month are preceded 1–2 days by individual radio bursts and most of the radio bursts of solar flares occur at all eight frequencies. Those 245 MHz radio bursts associated with proton events have intense peak fluxes (up to 67000 sfu). Solar proton events are preceded 1 or 2 days by ⩾3 radio bursts at several frequencies and proton events occurring in pairs within the same month are preceded 1 or 2 days by some individual radio bursts. These correlations may be used for providing short-term or medium-term prediction of solar proton events.

Burst Martensitic Transformations in a Pu-Ga Alloy

AbstractMartensitic transformations can occur via two modes: thermoelastic and burst. In thermoelastic martensites, deformation can be accommodated elastically and transformations occur smoothly with changes in temperature or stress. Burst martensitic transformations require both elastic and plastic deformation to accommodate strain; individual martensite particles form at the speed of sound, and the overall accumulation of martensite may increase in discrete, incremental steps. Here, we examine a unique martensitic transformation and reversion in a Pu-2.0 at% Ga alloy and show evidence that they proceed via the burst mode. Upon cooling from ambient conditions, the metastable delta phase partially transforms martensitically to the alpha-prime phase with a volume contraction of 20%. This large volume change suggests a burst transformation. Furthermore, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), we observed that the alpha-prime to delta reversion proceeds in discrete increments, which appear as sharp peaks in DSC data. The DSC data is compared to similar results obtained using dilatometry and resistometry. This incremental progression is believed to be the result of autocatalytic cascades of many alpha-prime particles reverting nearly-simultaneously to the delta phase. Finite-element modeling suggests that residual stresses in the regions of reverted alpha-prime particles may catalyze (or retard) additional transformation. These stresses could initiate cascades of alpha-prime particles that revert nearly-simultaneously. The cascades are likely quenched by stress and/or temperature changes resulting from the transformation itself. During the forward delta to alpha-prime transformation, burst events are not observed with the above techniques. The transformation, however, is still expected to proceed via the burst martensite mode because of the large volume changes required. Because alpha-prime must be nucleated in the delta matrix before it can grow as an individual burst, the transformation may not occur cooperatively. These individual bursts may be too small to be resolved by the above techniques, and the signal observed corresponds to a cumulative total of all the events.

A Global Test of a Quasi‐universal Gamma‐Ray Burst Jet Model through Monte Carlo Simulations

The possibility that long gamma-ray burst (GRB) jets are structured has received growing attention recently, and we have suggested that most GRBs and their softer, less energetic brethren, X-ray flashes (XRFs), can be understood within a quasi-universal structured jet picture, given that the jet structure of each individual burst is a Gaussian or similar function. Here we perform a global test on such a quasi-universal Gaussian-like structured jet by comparing Monte Carlo simulation results with a broad spectrum of observational data. Using the same set of input parameters as in previous work by Zhang and coworkers, we confront the model with more observational constraints. These constraints include the burst redshift distribution, jet break angle distribution, two-dimensional redshift versus jet break angle distribution, luminosity function, and log N- log P distribution. The results indicate that the model is generally compatible with the data. This conclusion, together with our previous tests with the observed jet break angle versus isotropic energy and observed peak energy versus fluence relations, suggests that current long GRB and XRF data are generally consistent with such a quasi-standard energy and quasi-standard angle jet picture. With future homogeneous burst samples (such as the one to be retrieved from the Swift mission), the refined GRB jet structure can be further constrained through a global comparison between various observed and predicted burst property distributions and relations.