Quantity Of Turns Research Articles

What does cosmology tell us about the mass of thermal-relic dark matter?

The presence of light thermally coupled dark matter affects early expansion history and production of light elements during the Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. Specifically, dark matter that annihilates into Standard Model particles can modify the effective number of light species in the universe N eff, as well as the abundance of light elements created buring BBN. These quantities in turn affect the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy. We present the first joint analysis of small-scale temperature and polarization CMB anisotropy from Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and South Pole Telescope (SPT), together with Planck data and the recent primordial abundance measurements of helium and deuterium to place comprehensive bounds on the mass of light thermal-relic dark matter. We consider a range of models, including dark matter that couples to photons and Standard-Model neutrinos. We discuss the sensitivity of the inferred mass bounds on measurements of N eff, primordial element abundances and the baryon density, and quantify the sensitivity of our results to a possible existence of additional relativistic species. We find that the combination of ACT, SPT, and Planck generally leads to the most stringent mass constraint for dark matter that couples to neutrinos, improving the lower limit by 40%–80%, with respect to previous Planck analyses. On the other hand, the addition of ACT and SPT leads to a slightly weaker bound on electromagnetically coupled particles, due to a shift in the preferred values of Y p and N eff driven by the ground based experiments. In most scenarios, the combination of CMB data has a higher constraining power than the primordial abundance measurements alone, with the best results achieved when all data are combined. Combining all CMB measurements with primordial abundance measurements, we rule out masses below ∼4 MeV at 95% confidence, for all models.We show that allowing for new relativistic species can weaken the mass bounds for dark matter that couples to photons by up to an order of magnitude or more.Finally, we discuss the reach of the next generation of the CMB experiments in terms of probing the mass of the thermal relic dark matter.

Vocal Turn-Taking in Families With Children With and Without Hearing Loss.

Vocal turn-taking is an important predictor of language development in children with and without hearing loss. Most studies have examined vocal turn-taking in mother-child dyads without considering the multitalker context in a child's life. The present study investigates the quantity of vocal turns between deaf and hard-of-hearing children and multiple members of their social environment. Participants were 52 families with children who used hearing aids (HA, mean age 26.3 mo) or cochlear implants (CI, mean age 63.2 mo) and 27 families with normal-hearing (NH, mean age 26.6 mo) children. The Language ENvironment Analysis system estimated the number of conversational turns per hour (CTC/hr) between all family members (i.e., adult female, adult male, target child, and other child) during full-day recordings over a period of about 1 year. The CTC/hr was lower between the target child and the adult female or adult male in the CI compared with the HA and NH groups. Initially, CTC/hr was higher between the target child and the adult female than between the adult male or the other child. As the child's age increased, turn-taking between the target child and the adult female increased in comparison to that between the target child and the adult male. Over time, turn-taking between the target child and the other child increased and exceeded turn-taking between the target child and the adult caregivers. The increase was observed earlier in families with siblings compared with those without. The quantity of vocal turn-taking depends on the degree of child hearing loss and the relationship between the children and the members of their social environment. Longitudinally, the positive effect of an assistive device on the quantity of turns between the children and their family members was found. The effect was stronger in families with siblings.

Capture zone area distributions for nucleation and growth of islands during submonolayer deposition.

A fundamental evolution equation is developed to describe the distribution of areas of capture zones (CZs) associated with islands formed by homogeneous nucleation and growth during submonolayer deposition on perfect flat surfaces. This equation involves various quantities which characterize subtle spatial aspects of the nucleation process. These quantities in turn depend on the complex stochastic geometry of the CZ tessellation of the surface, and their detailed form determines the CZ area distribution (CZD) including its asymptotic features. For small CZ areas, behavior of the CZD reflects the critical island size, i. For large CZ areas, it may reflect the probability for nucleation near such large CZs. Predictions are compared with kinetic Monte Carlo simulation data for models with two-dimensional compact islands with i = 1 (irreversible island formation by diffusing adatom pairs) and i = 0 (adatoms spontaneously convert to stable nuclei, e.g., by exchange with the substrate).

The temperature dependence of the symmetry factor for a model Fe3+(aq)/Fe2+(aq) redox half reaction

The symmetry factor for the activation of an elementary electrode reaction is, in principle, potential dependent and temperature dependent. The variation with temperature is usually rationalised by an Arrhenius-type separation in an enthalpic and entropic contribution. This empirical scheme is investigated for a model aqueous ferrous–ferric oxidation half reaction, using Marcus theory based molecular dynamics simulations. These calculations are extended with umbrella integration and classical transition path sampling methods to verify the validity of the Marcus theory for our model reaction. We show that, in the framework of the Marcus theory, the empirical Arrhenius-type analysis of the symmetry factor is justified provided the activation entropy is evaluated from the temperature dependence of the activation free energy with the potential kept constant. Under these conditions the temperature derivative of the symmetry factor is directly equal to the potential derivative of the activation entropy. Both quantities in turn are proportional to the equilibrium reaction entropy which is the expected behaviour for asymmetric electron transfer of which the half reaction studied here is an example. The numerical simulation results are in good agreement with these theoretical relations confirming that the Marcus theory can be used to analyse the temperature dependence of electron transfer rates.

Granger causality revisited

This technical paper offers a critical re-evaluation of (spectral) Granger causality measures in the analysis of biological timeseries. Using realistic (neural mass) models of coupled neuronal dynamics, we evaluate the robustness of parametric and nonparametric Granger causality. Starting from a broad class of generative (state-space) models of neuronal dynamics, we show how their Volterra kernels prescribe the second-order statistics of their response to random fluctuations; characterised in terms of cross-spectral density, cross-covariance, autoregressive coefficients and directed transfer functions. These quantities in turn specify Granger causality — providing a direct (analytic) link between the parameters of a generative model and the expected Granger causality. We use this link to show that Granger causality measures based upon autoregressive models can become unreliable when the underlying dynamics is dominated by slow (unstable) modes — as quantified by the principal Lyapunov exponent. However, nonparametric measures based on causal spectral factors are robust to dynamical instability. We then demonstrate how both parametric and nonparametric spectral causality measures can become unreliable in the presence of measurement noise. Finally, we show that this problem can be finessed by deriving spectral causality measures from Volterra kernels, estimated using dynamic causal modelling.

PROPERTIES OF THE ACCELERATION REGIONS IN SEVERAL LOOP-STRUCTURED SOLAR FLARES

Using {\em RHESSI} hard X-ray imaging spectroscopy observations, we analyze electron flux maps for a number of extended coronal loop flares. For each event, we fit a collisional model with an extended acceleration region to the observed variation of loop length with electron energy $E$, resulting in estimates of the plasma density in, and longitudinal extent of, the acceleration region. These quantities in turn allow inference of the number of particles within the acceleration region and hence the filling factor $f$ -- the ratio of the emitting volume to the volume that encompasses the emitting region(s). We obtain values of $f$ that lie mostly between 0.1 and 1.0; the (geometric) mean value is $f = 0.20 \times \div 3.9$, somewhat less than, but nevertheless consistent with, unity. Further, coupling information on the number of particles in the acceleration region with information on the total rate of acceleration of particles above a certain reference energy (obtained from spatially-integrated hard X-ray data) also allows inference of the specific acceleration rate (electron s$^{-1}$ per ambient electron above the chosen reference energy). We obtain a (geometric) mean value of the specific acceleration rate $\eta(20$ keV) $ = (6.0 \times / \div 3.4) \times 10^{-3}$ electrons s$^{-1}$ per ambient electron; this value has implications both for the global electrodynamics associated with replenishment of the acceleration region and for the nature of the particle acceleration process.

A first generation numerical geomagnetic storm prediction scheme

Geomagnetic and auroral disturbances cause significant interference on many electrical systems. Therefore, it is essential to develop a reliable geomagnetic and auroral storm prediction scheme. Present geomagnetic storm prediction schemes rely entirely on statistical results, so that they can hardly provide quantitative information on the intensity of a geomagnetic storm caused by a particular solar event. It is for this reason that we have been developing a first generation numerical prediction scheme. The scheme consists of two major computer codes which in turn consist of a large number of subroutine codes and of empirical relationships. First of all, when a solar flare occurs, six flare parameters are determined as the input data set for the first code which is devised to show the simulated propagation of solar wind disturbances in the heliosphere to a distance of 2 a.u. Thus, one can determine the relative location of the propagating disturbances with the Earth's position. The solar wind speed ( V) and the three interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) components ( B x , B y , B z , or B, 0, φ) are then computed as a function of time at the Earth location or any other desired (space probe) locations. These quantities in turn become the input parameters for the second major code which computes first the power (ϵ) of the solar wind-magnetosphere dynamo as a function of time. The power thus obtained and the three IMF components can be used to compute or infer: (i), the predicted geometry of the auroral oval; (ii), the cross-polar cap potential; (iii), the two geomagnetic indices AE and Dst; (iv), the total energy injection rate into the polar ionosphere; (v), the atmospheric temperature, etc. At the present time, the weakest part of the scheme arises from the fact that causes of changes of the IMF B z (or θ) component are not well understood. Further, several empirical relationships are incorporated in the present scheme in the second major code. Thus, there are still a number of solar and geomagnetic storm features which require theoretical studies and proper modeling efforts to eventually replace the empirical relationships by theoretical ones, as our understanding of solar-terrestrial physics advances.

The origin of pressure oscillations in divided chamber engines

The origin of pressure oscillations unique to divided chamber engines, and present even in the absence of knocking, is investigated theoretically with two-dimensional and zero-dimensional combustion models. It is found that, with ignition in the prechamber, if the prechamber pressure increases significantly over a time short in comparison to the acoustic time of the main chamber, a pressure imbalance between the two chambers results and finite-amplitude compression and expansion waves are generated from the throat region. The amplitude of the resulting oscillations, and the rate at which they decay, depend on the maximum value of the pressure difference (or of the throat Mach number) and on the strength and extent of the first, main-chamber compression wave. Such quantities in turn depend on the engine design and operating conditions in a complex manner due to the multidimensionality, unsteadiness, and nonlinearity of the flowfield. Accordingly, simple universal trends are not obtained. However, it is concluded that higher-amplitude oscillations are obtained with higher engine speeds (but not necessarily monotonically) and faster prechamber combustion rates that in turn are related to the geometry of the prechamber, the spark location, and the flame speed. The amplitude also increases with decreasing throat area and increasing prechamber volume, but maxima are reached. At each point of the operating range, there are also optimal spark timings for minimum oscillations.