Realistic Energy Distributions Research Articles

Positive energy warp drive from hidden geometric structures

Warp drives in Einstein’s general theory of relativity provide a unique mechanism for manned interstellar travel. It is well-known that the classical superluminal soliton spacetimes require negative energy densities, likely sourced by quantum processes of the uncertainty principle. It has even been claimed by few that negative energy densities are a requirement of superluminal motion. However, recent studies suggest this may not be the case. A general decomposition of the defining variables and the corresponding decomposition of the Eulerian energy are studied. A geometrical interpretation of the Eulerian energy is found, shedding new light on superluminal solitons generated by realistic energy distributions. With this new interpretation, it becomes a relatively simple matter to generate solitonic configurations, within a certain subclass, that respect the positive energy constraint. Using this newfound interpretation, a superluminal solitonic spacetime is presented that possesses positive semi-definite energy. A modest numerical analysis is carried out on a set of example configurations, finding total energy requirements four orders of magnitude smaller than the solar mass. Extraordinarily, the example configurations are generated by purely positive energy densities, a tremendous improvement on the classical configurations. The geometrical interpretation of the Eulerian energy thus opens new doors to generating realistic warp fields for laboratory study and potential future manned interstellar travel.

Charged-current neutrino-nucleus scattering off Xe isotopes

Xenon detectors are used in the search for dark matter and neutrinoless double-beta decay ($0\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{\beta})$. As the next-generation detectors reach masses in the ton scale, neutrinos from astrophysical sources are soon predicted to become background in such detectors. Theoretical predictions of neutrino scattering cross sections and information of nuclear structure effects therein are crucial in accounting for the background. We perform calculations for differential and total cross sections of charged-current neutrino scattering off the most abundant xenon isotopes. The nuclear-structure calculations are made in the proton-neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation and the microscopic quasiparticle phonon model for even-mass and odd-mass nuclei, respectively. We compute total cross sections as a function of the neutrino energy, and also give estimates of total averaged cross sections for $^{8}\mathrm{B}$ solar neutrinos and supernova neutrinos using realistic energy distributions.

Rehomogenization of Nodal Cross Sections via Modal Synthesis of Neutron Spectrum Changes

Nodal diffusion is currently the preferred neutronics model for industrial reactor core calculations, which use few-group cross-section libraries generated via standard assembly homogenization. The infinite-medium flux-weighted cross sections fail to capture the spectral effects triggered in the core environment by nonreflective boundary conditions at the fuel-assembly edges. This poses a serious limitation to the numerical simulation of current- and next-generation reactor cores, characterized by strong interassembly heterogeneity.Recently, a spectral rehomogenization method has been developed at AREVA NP. This approach consists of an on-the-fly modal synthesis of the spectrum variation between the environmental and infinite-medium conditions. It uses information coming from both the nodal simulation and the lattice transport calculation performed to compute the standard cross sections. The accuracy of the spectral corrections depends on the choice of the basis and weighting functions for the expansion and on the definition of a realistic energy distribution of the neutron leakage. In this paper, we focus on the first aspect. Two tracks are researched: a combination of analytical functions (with a physically justified mode) and a mathematical approach building upon the Proper Orthogonal Decomposition. The method is applied to relevant pressurized-water-reactor benchmark problems. We show that the accuracy of the cross sections is significantly improved at reasonably low computational cost and memory requirement. Several aspects of the methodology are discussed, such as the interplay with space-dependent corrections. We demonstrate that this approach can model not only the spectral interactions between dissimilar neighbor assemblies but also the spectral effects due to different physical conditions (namely, multiplicative properties) in the environment and in the infinite medium.

Erratum: Reconnection and particle acceleration in interacting flux ropes – II. 3D effects on test particles in magnetically dominated plasmas

We analyze particle acceleration in explosive reconnection events in magnetically dominated proton-electron plasmas. Reconnection is driven by large-scale magnetic stresses in interacting current-carrying flux tubes. Our model relies on development of current-driven instabilities on macroscopic scales. These tilt-kink instabilities develop in an initially force-free equilibrium of repelling current channels. Using MHD methods we study a 3D model of repelling and interacting flux tubes in which we simultaneously evolve test particles, guided by electromagnetic fields obtained from MHD. We identify two stages of particle acceleration; Initially particles accelerate in the current channels, after which the flux ropes start tilting and kinking and particles accelerate due to reconnection processes in the plasma. The explosive stage of reconnection produces non-thermal energy distributions with slopes that depend on plasma resistivity and the initial particle velocity. We also discuss the influence of the length of the flux ropes on particle acceleration and energy distributions. This study extends previous 2.5D results to 3D setups, providing all ingredients needed to model realistic scenarios like solar flares, black hole flares and particle acceleration in pulsar wind nebulae: formation of strong resistive electric fields, explosive reconnection and non-thermal particle distributions. By assuming initial energy equipartition between electrons and protons, applying low resistivity in accordance with solar corona conditions and limiting the flux rope length to a fraction of a solar radius we obtain realistic energy distributions for solar flares with non-thermal power law tails and maximum electron energies up to 11 MeV and maximum proton energies up to 1 GeV.

Reconnection and particle acceleration in interacting flux ropes – II. 3D effects on test particles in magnetically dominated plasmas

We analyze particle acceleration in explosive reconnection events in magnetically dominated proton-electron plasmas. Reconnection is driven by large-scale magnetic stresses in interacting current-carrying flux tubes. Our model relies on development of current-driven instabilities on macroscopic scales. These tilt-kink instabilities develop in an initially force-free equilibrium of repelling current channels. Using MHD methods we study a 3D model of repelling and interacting flux tubes in which we simultaneously evolve test particles, guided by electromagnetic fields obtained from MHD. We identify two stages of particle acceleration; Initially particles accelerate in the current channels, after which the flux ropes start tilting and kinking and particles accelerate due to reconnection processes in the plasma. The explosive stage of reconnection produces non-thermal energy distributions with slopes that depend on plasma resistivity and the initial particle velocity. We also discuss the influence of the length of the flux ropes on particle acceleration and energy distributions. This study extends previous 2.5D results to 3D setups, providing all ingredients needed to model realistic scenarios like solar flares, black hole flares and particle acceleration in pulsar wind nebulae: formation of strong resistive electric fields, explosive reconnection and non-thermal particle distributions. By assuming initial energy equipartition between electrons and protons, applying low resistivity in accordance with solar corona conditions and limiting the flux rope length to a fraction of a solar radius we obtain realistic energy distributions for solar flares with non-thermal power law tails and maximum electron energies up to 11 MeV and maximum proton energies up to 1 GeV.

Enhanced vibration damping and modal energy transfer in a smart structure

The next challenge in the field of embedded structures is the development of an efficient, energetically autonomous vibration control technique. The proposed new approach consists in transferring energy between modes of the same structure: energy is harvested in a uncontrolled mode to increase attenuation in a targeted mode. This approach may even permit a ‘stand-alone’ design by generating constant voltages by using the structural motion with an energy harvesting technique. The proposed electrical architecture – called synchronized switch damping and harvesting (SSDH) – is composed of a harvesting circuit (synchronized switch harvesting on inductor [SSHI]), a DC-DC converter (buck-boost topology), and a modal circuit to control vibration (similar to combining the synchronized switch damping on voltage [SSDV] and modal synchronized switch damping on inductor [SSDI] methods). The theoretical analysis and numerical simulation of this architecture addressed the transfer of modal energy through a smart structure based on an academic case: a cantilever beam. The study aimed to increase damping in a selected mode by using the energy of other modes in configurations with realistic energy distributions. The circuit and energy transfer were analyzed to determine the minimum modal contributions necessary to achieve this aim and to ensure long-term stability (steady state). Compared with traditional SSDI, the bi-harmonic excitation used with this new technique increased attenuation damping by 13 dB. The proposed general approach can be extended to the majority of complex or composite industrial structures subjected to vibration.

Duality between time and frequency domains for vibration serviceability analysis of floor structures

For vibration serviceability of floors, current design guidelines adopt different criteria to assess vibration levels due to human walking dynamic excitation. Whatever the adopted criterion is, it requires a quantified vibration response of the structure. This quantification could be achieved following either a time- or a frequency-domain approach to response analysis. Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages. For instance, when using the time-domain analysis, exact time-domain amplitudes of the response time histories could be quantified but the process could take time. On the other hand, a frequency-domain analysis approach could reduce the calculation time, but it is impossible to recover exact time-domain amplitudes of the response, which is essentially averaged by the process of calculation. In this paper, the theoretical duality between time and frequency domains is examined practically in the context of vibration serviceability of a floor structure. Weight-normalised vertical ground reaction force (GRF) measured on an instrumented treadmill due to walking is used for that purpose because it has realistic distribution of energy in the frequency domain. This GRF is applied on a finite element model of a reinforced concrete high-frequency floor and the responses are calculated via both time and frequency domain analyses. Comparison of these two methods reveals that time-domain analysis could introduce significant errors in the calculated vibration responses. This is due to the errors in the numerical solution of equation of motion.

On the mean profiles of radio pulsars - I. Theory of propagation effects

We study the influence of propagation effects on the mean profiles of radio pulsars using the method of wave propagation in inhomogeneous media described by Kravtsov & Orlov. This approach allows us first to take into consideration the transition from geometrical optics to vacuum propagation, the cyclotron absorption and the wave refraction simultaneously. In addition, the non-dipole magnetic field configuration, the drift motion of plasma particles and their realistic energy distribution are taken into account. It is confirmed that, for ordinary pulsars (period P ∼ 1 s, surface magnetic field B0 ∼ 1012 G) and typical plasma generation near the magnetic poles (multiplicity parameter λ = ne/nGJ ∼ 103), the polarization is formed inside the light cylinder at a distance resc ∼ 1000 R from the neutron star, the circular polarization being 5–20 per cent which is in agreement with observational data. A one-to-one correspondence between the signs of circular polarization and position angle (PA) derivative along the profile for both ordinary and extraordinary waves is predicted. Using numerical integration we now can model the mean profiles of radio pulsars. It is shown that the standard S-shape form of the PA swing can be realized for small enough multiplicity λ and large enough bulk Lorentz factor γ only. It is also shown that the value of the maximum derivative of PA, which is often used for determination of the angle between magnetic dipole and rotation axis, depends on the plasma parameters and could differ from the rotation vector model (RVM) prediction.

Realistic neutron energy spectrum and a possible enhancement of reaction rates in the early Universe plasma

A plasma-kinetic model to properly describe the behavior of neutrons in the primordial plasma during the epoch of big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN) is formulated. For the first time, this model is applied to calculate the realistic energy distribution function of these neutrons and examine their main characteristics. The fact that the realistic neutron distribution departs from a conventional Maxwellian function is obtained; its high-energy tail is essentially enhanced by nonthermal neutrons produced in the $\mathrm{T}(d,n{)}^{4}\mathrm{He}$ and $\mathrm{D}(d,n{)}^{3}\mathrm{He}$ reactions. The fraction of these neutrons ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{n}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ in the total neutron component is at a level of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}2}%--{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}%$, while their effective temperature ${T}_{n}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ reaches several MeV and exceeds the plasma temperature in the BBN epoch by about a factor of ${10}^{2}$. The nonthermal neutron influence on individual reactions is examined on the example of the threshold $\mathrm{D}(n,2n)p$, $^{7}\mathrm{Li}(n,nt)^{4}\mathrm{He}$, and $^{7}\mathrm{Be}(n,n^{3}\mathrm{He})^{4}\mathrm{He}$ processes. We show that at plasma temperatures ${T}_{9}\ensuremath{\lesssim}1.2$ the nonthermal neutrons strongly maintain these reactions, increasing their rates by orders of magnitude as compared with the respective Maxwellian estimates. Note that the obtained phenomenon has a general nature. It may manifest in other nuclear systems and becomes a natural supplement of nonthermal effects triggered by dark matter decay, which has been extensively studied elsewhere. An important question remains---to what extent such fast particles may affect chain reaction kinetics in the plasma and change the predictions of standard BBN.

Monte Carlo simulation for excessive Balmer line broadening generated by transport of fast H Atoms in an abnormal glow discharge

Monte Carlo code for fast hydrogen atom transport and generating of excessively Doppler broadened profiles based on the collision model is presented. Results for the initial monoenergetic atom beam and for a more realistic energy distribution of H atoms are reported. Line profiles obtained from the simulation are compared to our experimentally obtained data. Initial energy distribution for atoms is approximately calculated from the measured line profiles while the initial angle distribution was taken to be cosine. Balmer alpha intensity was found to exponentially decay in the negative glow region, which concurs with the experimental results. These agreements between the simulation and experiment support the collision model for excessive line broadening.

OPEN about obesity: recovery biomarkers, dietary reporting errors and BMI

Obesity-related under-reporting of usual dietary intake is one of the most persistent sources of bias in nutrition research. The aim of this paper is to characterize obese and non-obese individuals with respect to reporting errors observed with two common dietary instruments, using energy and protein recovery biomarkers as reference measures. This report employs data from the Observing Protein and Energy Nutrition (OPEN) study. Analyses are based on stratified samples of 211 (57 obese) men and 179 (50 obese) women who completed 24-h recalls (24HR), food frequency questionnaires (FFQ), doubly labelled water (DLW) and urinary nitrogen (UN) assessments. In obese and non-obese subgroups, FFQ yielded lower energy and protein intake estimates than 24HR, although biomarker-based information indicated under-reporting with both dietary instruments. Gender differences in obesity-related bias were noted. Among women, the DLW-based energy requirement was 378 kcal greater in obese than in non-obese groups; the FFQ was able to detect a statistically significant portion of this extra energy, while the 24HR was not. Among men, the DLW-based energy requirement was 485 kcal greater in the obese group; however, neither FFQ nor 24HR detected this difference in energy requirement. Combining protein and energy estimates, obese men significantly over-reported the proportion of energy from protein using the 24HR, but not with the FFQ. In obese women, no significant reporting error for energy percent protein was observed by either method. At the individual level, correlations between energy expenditure and reported energy intake tended to be weaker in obese than non-obese groups, particularly with the 24HR. Correlations between true and reported protein density were consistently higher than for protein or energy alone, and did not vary significantly with obesity. This work adds to existing evidence that neither of these commonly used dietary reporting methods adequately measures energy or protein intake in obese groups. The 24HR, while capturing more realistic energy distributions for usual intake, may be particularly problematic in the obese.

Generation of inflow data for inhomogeneous turbulence

Inflow boundary conditions for turbulent plane channel flow are generated by solving evolution equations only for the most energetic eddies. The dynamical systems are derived by Galerkin projecting the Navier-Stokes equations onto the subspaces spanned by various sets of the most energetic modes from a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) of the same flow. Low-energy small-scale POD-modes are added randomly in order to impose some energy in the high wave number range. This is found to be crucial in order to more rapidly establish the correct level of dissipation and achieve a more realistic distribution of energy between the velocity components. The method is tested on a DNS of R*=180 and a LES of R*=400. Statistics such as mean velocity, rms-profiles, turbulent shear-stress and energy spectra become close to the fully developed state within 1500 wall units downstream the inlet.

Absence of self-organized criticality in a random-neighbor version of the OFC stick-slip model

We report some numerical simulations to investigate the existence of a self-organized critical (SOC) state in a random-neighbor version of the OFC model for a range of parameters corresponding to a non-conservative case. In contrast to a recent work, we do not find any evidence of SOC. We use a more realistic distribution of energy among sites to perform some analytical calculations that agree with our numerical conclusions.

Numerical simulation of electron beam relaxation in dense media

Monte Carlo calculations have been carried out for the relaxation of electron beams in dense media. Calculations have been carried out for initial beam energies from 0.2 to 1 MeV and for targets of copper, tin, and air. The results on the energy dissipation are compared for the cases in which the incident electrons have a δfunction energy distribution and a realistic energy distribution. Comparison reveals a satisfactory agreement with data reported by Spencer. The intensity function for the volume bremsstrahlung of the electron beam is calculated.