Small Particle Mass Research Articles

Soliton formation and the core-halo mass relation: An eigenstate perspective

Ultralight dark matter (ULDM) is an axion-like dark matter candidate with an extremely small particle mass. ULDM halos consist of a spherically symmetric solitonic core and an NFW-like skirt. We simulate halo creation via soliton mergers and use these results to explore the core-halo mass relation. We calculate the eigenstates of the merged halos and use these to isolate the solitonic core and calculate its relative contribution to the halo mass. We compare this approach to using a fitting function to isolate the core and find a difference in masses up to 8.2%. We analyze three families of simulations---equal-mass mergers, unequal mass mergers, and halos with a two-step merger history. Setting the halo mass to the initial mass in the simulation does not yield a consistent core-halo relationship. Excluding material ``ejected'' by the collision yields a core-halo relationship with a slope of $1/3$ for simultaneous mergers and roughly 0.4 for two-step mergers. Our findings suggest there is no universal core-halo mass relationship for ULDM and shed light on the differing results for the core-halo relationship previously reported in the literature.

Thermo-economic optimization of a novel confined thermal energy storage system based on granular material

Concentrated solar power is a suitable technology for production of green electricity. However, to attain a uniform electricity production, concentrated solar power should be coupled with large Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems. Among the different technologies of TES systems, storage of sensible heat in granular material is widely used due to its simple operation. These TES systems store energy as an increase of temperature of a large mass of small solid particles, through which a fluid circulates exchanging heat. TES systems are typically operated in a fixed bed regime, maximizing their exergy output, thus limiting the maximum allowable velocity of the fluid flow. In this work, a novel confined bed is proposed to mechanically prevent the motion of the solid particles conforming the TES system even for high fluid velocities, to guarantee that the exhaust temperature of the fluid is maximum during a discharge process. In this novel confined bed, a thermocline evolves from bottom to top of the system, separating the low and high temperature of the bed during the discharge process. An analytical model was applied to describe the evolution of the thermocline and the effect of the different operating parameters on the thermocline thickness.The effect of the thermocline thickness was combined with a thermo-economic analysis of a confined bed TES system proposed for a case of study. The new confined bed here proposed was optimized considering thermodynamics aspects, namely the fluid exergy increment in the bed, and economic factors, specifically the total investment cost of the TES system. The optimization resulted in low values of the fluid velocity, between 0.2 and 0.4 m/s, but still higher than the minimum fluidization velocity of sand particles of 750 μm, justifying the requirement of a confined bed, and low bed aspect ratios, between 0.25 and 0.9, to prevent excessively high fluid pressure drops. However, the bed aspect ratio increases significantly for higher granular material particle sizes, up to a ratio of bed height to diameter of 3 for a particle size of 10 mm and a TES demand time of 6 h.

Amide group enhanced self-assembly and adsorption of dicarboxylic amino acid surfactants on a rhodochrosite surface through intermolecular weak interaction

Efficient recovery of fine mineral particles is challenging for minerals flotation due to a small particle mass and high specific surface area. This work innovatively applied a multifunctional surfactant 2-dodecanoylamino-pentanedioic acid (DPA) for achieving flocculation and recovery of fine rhodochrosite. Interestingly, the formation of larger aggregation induced by DPA, instead of sodium oleate (NaOL), was observed and the medium particle size (d50) was 2.29 times than that of NaOL, resulting in more strong collecting ability for fine rhodochrosite particles (with a recovery of 82.5% for 0.1 mmol/L DPA and 35.3% for 0.1 mmol/L NaOL). Analysis with EDLVO theory illustrated that the hydrophobicity force is one of the factors that induces hydrophobic flocculation, along with electrostatic repulsion, the Van der Waals force, and weak interaction. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations revealed the “weak-to-medium” hydrogen bond formation among the amide groups or amide and carboxyl functional groups in the DPA complex, further enhancing aggregation between rhodochrosite fine particles. These discoveries are beneficial for providing new insights into aggregation generation among fine particles in the presence of surfactants containing multiple functional groups.

Particle Size Measurements from Orally Inhaled and Nasal Drug Products.

Particle size measurement of aerosolized particles from orally inhaled and nasal drug products (OINDPs) can be used to assess the likely deposition distribution in the human respiratory tract (HRT). Size is normally expressed in terms of aerodynamic diameter, since this scale directly relates to the mechanics of particle transport from inhaler to deposition locations. The multistage cascade impactor (CI) is the principal apparatus used to size fractionate aerosols in terms of their aerodynamic particle size distributions (APSDs). Clinically meaningful metrics, such as fine and coarse particle mass fractions, can be determined from the cumulative mass-weighted APSD. In effective data analysis (EDA), CI data are reduced to small and large particle mass. The sum and ratio of these metrics are used to characterize impactor-sized mass, without the need for stage groupings or other APSD interpretation. Aerosol characterization by full-resolution CI is complex, and so, an abbreviated impactor measurement has recently come to prominence. Here, multiple stages of the CI are reduced to just one or two size fractionating stages so that measures of fine (and extrafine) particle mass from a two-stage system can be directly determined without the need to group the mass of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) on adjacent stages. Time-of-flight-based methods determine APSD more rapidly but require refinements such as single-particle mass spectroscopy to relate size measurements to API content. Alternatives for size characterizing OINDP aerosols are few; laser diffractometry is by far the most important, especially for nasal sprays and solution-based orally inhaled formulations in which there is no confounding of data from suspended excipient(s). Laser-phase Doppler anemometry (L-PDA) has also been shown to be useful for nasal sprays. If aerodynamic size-related information is not a priority, optical microscopy combined with Raman chemical imaging offers prospects for separate determination of API components in combination product-generated aerosols.

Identification and source attribution of organic compounds in ultrafine particles near Frankfurt International Airport

Abstract. Analysing the composition of ambient ultrafine particles (UFPs) is a challenging task due to the low mass and chemical complexity of small particles, yet it is a prerequisite for the identification of particle sources and the assessment of potential health risks. Here, we show the molecular characterization of UFPs, based on cascade impactor (Nano-MOUDI) samples that were collected at an air quality monitoring station near one of Europe's largest airports, in Frankfurt, Germany. At this station, particle-size-distribution measurements show an enhanced number concentration of particles smaller than 50 nm during airport operating hours. We sampled the lower UFP fraction (0.010–0.018, 0.018–0.032, 0.032–0.056 µm) when the air masses arrived from the airport. We developed an optimized filter extraction procedure using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) for compound separation and a heated electrospray ionization (HESI) source with an Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometer (HRMS) as a detector for organic compounds. A non-target screening detected ∼200 organic compounds in the UFP fraction with sample-to-blank ratios larger than 5. We identified the largest signals as homologous series of pentaerythritol esters (PEEs) and trimethylolpropane esters (TMPEs), which are base stocks of aircraft lubrication oils. We unambiguously attribute the majority of detected compounds to jet engine lubrication oils by matching retention times, high-resolution and accurate mass measurements, and comparing tandem mass spectrometry (MS2) fragmentation patterns between both ambient samples and commercially available jet oils. For each UFP stage, we created molecular fingerprints to visualize the complex chemical composition of the organic fraction and their average carbon oxidation state. These graphs underline the presence of the homologous series of PEEs and TMPEs and the appearance of jet oil additives (e.g. tricresyl phosphate, TCP). Targeted screening of TCP confirmed the absence of the harmful tri-ortho isomer, while we identified a thermal transformation product of TMPE-based lubrication oil (trimethylolpropane phosphate, TMP-P). Even though a quantitative determination of the identified compounds is limited, the presented method enables the qualitative detection of molecular markers for jet engine lubricants in UFPs and thus strongly improves the source apportionment of UFPs near airports.

Flow dynamics of binary mixtures of non-spherical particles in the rolling-regime rotating drum

The flow characteristics of binary mixtures of cylindrical particles in the rotating drum are numerically studied by extending the DEM model developed for spherical particles to non-spherical ones. The flow patterns of the binary mixtures of cylindrical particles are similar to that of spherical ones. Enlarging the length ratio obviously increases the dynamic angle of repose throughout the drum length, which gives rise to greater total kinetic energy and corresponding fluctuation magnitude. The length difference of the constituents leads to radial segregation, with small and large cylindrical particles in the radial core and periphery, respectively. Moreover, radial segregation decreases and increases the mass of large and small particles, respectively, in the active region. Also, enlarging the length ratio clearly increases the streamwise velocity in the active region. Different from the translational velocity, the rotating velocity along the axial direction is of the same scale as the transversal ones.

Clockwork Higgs portal model for freeze-in dark matter

The clockwork mechanism can explain interactions which are dimensionally very weak without the need for very large mass scales. We present a model in which the clockwork mechanism generates the very small Higgs portal coupling and dark matter particle mass necessary to explain cold dark matter via the freeze-in mechanism. We introduce a TeV-scale scalar clockwork sector which couples to the Standard Model via the Higgs portal. The dark matter particle is the lightest scalar of the clockwork sector. We show that the freeze-in mechanism is dominated by decay of the heavy clockwork scalars to light dark matter scalars and Higgs bosons. In the model considered, we find that freeze-in dark matter is consistent with the clockwork mechanism for global charge $q$ in the range $2 \lesssim q \lesssim 4$ when the number of massive scalars is in the range $10 \leq N \leq 20$. The dark matter scalar mass and portal coupling are independent of $q$ and $N$. For a typical TeV-scale clockwork sector, the dark matter scalar mass is predicted to be of the order of a MeV.

“Non-cold” dark matter at small scales: a general approach

Structure formation at small cosmological scales provides an important frontier for dark matter (DM) research. Scenarios with small DM particle masses, large momenta or hidden interactions tend to suppress the gravitational clustering at small scales. The details of this suppression depend on the DM particle nature, allowing for a direct link between DM models and astrophysical observations. However, most of the astrophysical constraints obtained so far refer to a very specific shape of the power suppression, corresponding to thermal warm dark matter (WDM), i.e., candidates with a Fermi-Dirac or Bose-Einstein momentum distribution. In this work we introduce a new analytical fitting formula for the power spectrum, which is simple yet flexible enough to reproduce the clustering signal of large classes of non-thermal DM models, which are not at all adequately described by the oversimplified notion of WDM . We show that the formula is able to fully cover the parameter space of sterile neutrinos (whether resonantly produced or from particle decay), mixed cold and warm models, fuzzy dark matter, as well as other models suggested by effective theory of structure formation (ETHOS). Based on this fitting formula, we perform a large suite of N-body simulations and we extract important nonlinear statistics, such as the matter power spectrum and the halo mass function. Finally, we present first preliminary astrophysical constraints, based on linear theory, from both the number of Milky Way satellites and the Lyman-α forest. This paper is a first step towards a general and comprehensive modeling of small-scale departures from the standard cold DM model.

Discriminating Ability of Abbreviated Impactor Measurement Approach (AIM) to Detect Changes in Mass Median Aerodynamic Diameter (MMAD) of an Albuterol/Salbutamol pMDI Aerosol.

This article reports on results from a two-lab, multiple impactor experiment evaluating the abbreviated impactor measurement (AIM) concept, conducted by the Cascade Impaction Working Group of the International Pharmaceutical Aerosol Consortium on Regulation and Science (IPAC-RS). The goal of this experiment was to expand understanding of the performance of an AIM-type apparatus based on the Andersen eight-stage non-viable cascade impactor (ACI) for the assessment of inhalation aerosols and sprays, compared with the full-resolution version of that impactor described in the pharmacopeial compendia. The experiment was conducted at two centers with a representative commercially available pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI) containing albuterol (salbutamol) as active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). Metrics of interest were total mass (TM) emitted from the inhaler, impactor-sized mass (ISM), as well as the ratio of large particle mass (LPM) to small particle mass (SPM). ISM and the LPM/SPM ratio together comprise the efficient data analysis (EDA) metrics. The results of the comparison demonstrated that in this study, the AIM approach had adequate discrimination to detect changes in the mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of the ACI-sampled aerodynamic particle size distribution (APSD), and therefore could be employed for routine product quality control (QC). As with any test method considered for inclusion in a regulatory filing, the transition from an ACI (used in development) to an appropriate AIM/EDA methodology (used in QC) should be evaluated and supported by data on a product-by-product basis.

Inhomogeneous Segregation of Binary Mixtures in Fluidized Beds

This paper deals with segregation effects in of binary mixtures in a 2D fluidized bed. In the experiment initial inhomogeneities in the particle mixture lead to uneven bed pressure drop. This results in inhomogeneous particle segregation and the formation of heap like structures. The effect is clearly reproducible for small particle mass fractions of 40 to 60%. A numerical model based on a hybrid DPM/Euler model was developed and shows a similar behaviour for initial disturbances in the binary particle mixture.

Prediction of horizontal gas–solid flows under different gravitational fields

Abstract In this paper the performance of horizontal pneumatic conveying under different gravity environments is evaluated. An Euler–Lagrange approach validated versus ground experiments is employed to predict the relevant particle variables such as particle mass flux, mean conveying and fluctuating velocities in terrestrial, lunar and micro-gravity conditions. Gravity reduced computations predict a reduction in the global particle–wall collision frequency. Also, in the case of low wall roughness and small particle mass loading, reduction of gravity acceleration implies an increase of particle–wall collision frequency with the upper wall of the channel affecting greatly the particle mass flux profile. In the case of high wall roughness and/or high particle-to-fluid mass loading (i.e., around 1.0) particle conveying characteristics are similar in the three gravity conditions evaluated. This is due to the fact that both, wall roughness and inter-particle collisions reduce gravitational settling. However, the influence of gravity on the additional pressure loss along the channel due to the conveying of the particles is much reduced.

Determination of Polyphenols in Commercial Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Different Origins (Mediterranean and South American Countries) by Liquid Chromatography–Electrospray Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

The phenolic profiles of extra virgin olive oil samples from different origins and varieties have been studied and compared. The determination of 13 target polyphenols (gallic acid, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, syringic acid, gibberellic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, oleuropein, resveratrol, luteolin, and apigenin) was carried out by liquid chromatography using a column (C18, 4.6 × 100 mm) with small particle size (1.8 μm) and mass spectrometric detection using electrospray time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC–TOFMS). Prior to LC–MS analysis, a solid-phase extraction procedure using SPE-Diol cartridges was used to isolate the polyphenol fraction. The full-scan mass spectra acquisition by TOF analyzers offered the possibility of searching for a large number of compounds by means of accurate mass information of the molecules and allowed the detection of other phenolic compounds not included in the initial target list, namely ligstroside aglycon, oleuropein aglycon, and elenolic acid. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of 78 samples of extra virgin olive oil collected from ten different countries: Argentina (5), Chile (6), France (1), Greece (1), Italy (1), Morocco (4), Peru (32), Portugal (1), Spain (26), and Syria (1). No qualitative differences in the composition of the phenolic fraction were found between samples of different origins. Only quantitative differences were observed for some phenolic compounds. Therefore, further studies are still needed to exploit the possibility of using phenolic profile as a marker for olive oil geographical origin.

Changes in texture and retorting yield in oil shale during its bioleaching by Bacillus Mucilaginosus

Bioleaching of oil shale by Bacillus mucilaginosus was carried out in a reaction column for 13 d. The pH value of the leaching liquor decreased steadily from 7.5 to 5.5 and the free silicon dioxide concentration reached approximately 200 mg/L in it. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) observations revealed that a mass of small particles separated from the matrix of oil shale. Energy dispersive spectrometry(EDS) analysis implied that the total content of Si,O, Al was decreased in the particle area of the matrix. These facts indicate that the silicate was removed, leading to the structural transformation of oil shale. Comparison of the shale oil yields before and after bioleaching illustrated that approximately 10% extra shale oil was obtained. This finding suggests that the demineralisation of the oil shale by silicate bacteria improves shale oil yield.

Supersingular mass distributions in gelling systems

This paper considers the time evolution of disperse systems in which binary coagulation is so rapid that it leads to formation of gels during a finite but nonzero interval of time. Right before the transition point an algebraic particle mass spectrum forms whose behavior at small particle masses does not permit one to define the total particle mass concentration as ∫(0) (∞)gc(g,t)dg, because the integral diverges at low limit. This divergency prevents the formulation of an asymptotic self-similarity spectrum in its traditional form. This difficulty is avoided by introducing the second moment of the particle mass spectrum as a basic scale defining its behavior at the pregelation stage. The equations for the universality mass spectra are formulated. It is shown that these equations correctly reproduce the asymptotic form of the particle mass spectrum for the system with the product kernel. The postcritical behavior in this case is investigated. The time dependencies of the gel mass, the second moment, and particle number concentrations in the postcritical period are found.

Evidence for NO x Control over Nighttime SOA Formation

Laboratory studies have established a number of chemical pathways by which nitrogen oxides (NO(x)) affect atmospheric organic aerosol (OA) production. However, these effects have not been directly observed in ambient OA. We report measurements of particulate organic nitrates in Bakersfield, California, the nighttime formation of which increases with NO(x) and is suppressed by high concentrations of organic molecules that rapidly react with nitrate radical (NO(3))--evidence that multigenerational chemistry is responsible for organic nitrate aerosol production. This class of molecules represents about a third of the nighttime increase in OA, suggesting that most nighttime secondary OA is due to the NO(3) product of anthropogenic NO(x) emissions. Consequently, reductions in NO(x) emissions should reduce the concentration of organic aerosol in Bakersfield and the surrounding region.

Distinct effects of fixed combinations of valsartan with either amlodipine or hydrochlorothiazide on lipoprotein subfraction profile in patients with hypertension

The effect of antihypertensive drugs on lipoprotein subfraction profile is still under investigation. In this study the effects of fixed combination of valsartan with either amlodipine (V-A) or hydrochlorothiazide (V-H) on low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) subfraction profile of patients with stage 2 or 3 hypertension were assessed. A total of 60 drug-naive patients were randomized to either V-A (160/5 mg, n=30) or V-H (160/12.5 mg, n=30). At baseline as well as 16 weeks post-treatment analysis of the LDL and HDL subfraction profile was conducted by using LDL Lipoprint System. Both V-A and V-H effectively reduced blood pressure (BP) to similar levels. An increase in the cholesterol concentration of small-dense LDL subfractions (by 18.2%, P<0.05) was observed in the V-H group, whereas this parameter remained unchanged in the V-A group. Therefore, mean LDL particle size was decreased in the V-H group (from 267 ± 5 to 266 ± 5Å, P<0.05). HDL-Cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were reduced by 4.7% (P<0.05) in the V-H group, mirrored by a reduction in the cholesterol mass of small and intermediate HDL particles. In conclusion, despite similar reductions in BP, V-H combination may adversely affect serum lipids as well as LDL and HDL subfraction profile as compared with V-A.

TRANSITIONAL AND PRE-TRANSITIONAL DISKS: GAP OPENING BY MULTIPLE PLANETS?

We use 2D hydrodynamic simulations of viscous disks to examine whether dynamically-interacting multiple giant planets can explain the large gaps (spanning over one order of magnitude in radius) inferred for the transitional and pre-transitional disks around T Tauri stars. In the absence of inner disk dust depletion, we find that it requires three to four giant planets to open up large enough gaps to be consistent with inferences from spectral energy distributions, because the gap width is limited by the tendency of the planets to be driven together into 2:1 resonances. With very strong tidal torques and/or rapid planetary accretion, fewer planets can also generate a large cavity interior to the locally formed gap(s) by preventing outer disk material from moving in. In these cases, however, the reduction of surface density produces a corresponding reduction in the inner disk accretion rate onto the star; this makes it difficult to explain the observed accretion rates of the pre/transitional disks. We find that even with four planets in disks, additional substantial dust depletion is required to explain observed disk gaps/holes. Substantial dust settling and growth, with consequent significant reductions in optical depths, is inferred for typical T Tauri disks in any case, and an earlier history of dust growth is consistent with the hypothesis that pre/transitional disks are explained by the presence of giant planets. We conclude that the depths and widths of gaps, and disk accretion rates in pre/transitional disks cannot be reproduced by a planet-induced gap opening scenario alone. Significant dust depletion is also required within the gaps/holes. Order of magnitude estimates suggest the mass of small dust particles (<1 micron) relative to the gas must be depleted to 1e-5 -- 1e-2 of the interstellar medium value, implying a very efficient mechanism of small dust removal or dust growth.

Electromagnetic pulses generated by meteoroid impacts on spacecraft

Meteoroid impacts on spacecraft are known to cause mechanical damage, but their electrical effect on spacecraft systems are not well characterized. Several reported spacecraft anomalies are suggestive of an electrical failure associated with meteoroid impact. We present a theory to explain plasma production and subsequent electric fields occurring when a meteoroid strikes a spacecraft, ionizing itself and part of the spacecraft. This plasma, with a charge separation commensurate with different specie mobilities, can produce a strong electromagnetic pulse (EMP) at broad frequency spectra, potentially causing catastrophic damage if the impact is relatively near an area with low shielding or an open umbilical. Anomalies such as gyrostability loss can be caused by an EMP without any detectable momentum transfer due to small (&lt;1 μg) particle mass. Subsequent plasma oscillations can also emit significant power and may be responsible for many reported satellite anomalies. The presented theory discusses both a dust‐free plasma expansion with coherent electron oscillation and a dusty plasma expansion with macroscopic charge separation.

Device overshield for mass-sensing enhancement (DOME) structure fabrication

Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) have demonstrated excellent sensitivity in their ability to measure small particle masses even to the point of being able to differentiate between different chemical species based on their mass. NEMS mass responsivity, however, depends upon mechanical mode profile and adsorption location, a fact which considerably complicates mass-sensing analysis and reduces overall sensitivity. We introduce a fabrication scheme-termed device overshield for mass-sensing enhancement (DOME) involving structures which physically limit the position at which a flux of material is deposited onto a NEMS resonating sensor. This surface nanomachining process uses silicon-on-insulator, silicon dioxide and silicon nitride layers to produce multiple, independent structural levels. It could be used to create MEMS over NEMS structures, to fabricate integrated shadow-masks resistant to high temperature processing, or for enhancing the mass-sensing performance of underlying nanomechanical devices. The DOME structures do not appear to significantly affect the resonator response and are shown to successfully block incoming mass from being deposited on specified portions of a NEMS beam.

Human-Induced Particle Re-Suspension in a Room

A large-eddy simulation/immersed boundary method for particulate flows in an Eulerian framework is utilized to investigate short-term particle re-suspension due to human motion. The simulations involve a human walking through a room, stopping, and then walking in place, causing particles to be re-suspended from a carpet. The carpet layer is modeled as the porous medium and a classical adhesive force model is applied to model the resistance of the carpet-bound material to hydrodynamic forcing. The effects of parameters such as the foot penetration depth and adhesive force coefficient on mass re-suspended during the foot stamping events are examined. Simulations of particulate re-suspension experiments conducted in a room within a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency test house are also described. The simulations vary the type of human motion (stamping in place versus stamping in place with rotation). The results indicate that significant amounts of particulate material are re-suspended from the carpet layer due to the impingement of the feet during the motion event. The net mass re-suspended for human motion with rotation is two times greater than that for the motion without rotation, while the mass of re-suspended small particles is slightly greater than that of large particles. The re-suspension rates are estimated based on several time scales, and the predicted total particle number concentrations at several locations in the room show good agreement with experimental data. The present CFD model can be utilized to predict particle re-suspension rates as induced by human motion, but further work in modeling the fine-scale details of the re-suspension process is needed.