On the Question of the Source of the Apokamp

Technical Physics - The object of this work is the apokamp—a new type of plasma jet, which is formed from a bright offshoot emerging at the bending point of a channel of a high-voltage...     

Influence of the thickness of the liquid layer on the ratio of the dimensions of a convection cell

A theory is developed for a new type of transition — a change in the ratio of the longitudinal and transverse dimensions of a convection cell as the thickness of a liquid layer is varied. A sudden change in the ratio of the cell dimensions takes place because of a change in the predominant mechanism for excitation of convection. The governing influence of buoyancy forces gives way to one of thermocapillary forces, and they in turn give way to the influence of thermoelectric forces for yet thinner layers. As the layer thickness is reduced gradually at a fixed external heating, the ratio of the dimensions will take on the values 0.7, 0.65, and 1, respectively. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 68, 7–11 (November 1998)     

Violations of the Pauli principle and the interior of the sun

The consequences of a violation of the Pauli principle for the physics of the solar interior are explored. It is found that a bound state of two protons becomes possible. This leads to an increase in the rate of hydrogen burning in the sun. Because a very large cross section for this reaction is in clear contradiction with the theory of stellar structure when compared with observations of solar luminosity, radius and mechanical oscillations, stringent limits on a violation of the Pauli principle in the two nucleon system can be given. However, a very small violation of the Pauli principle in the two nucléon system might solve the longstanding solar neutrino problem.     

Status of the energy-buncher in the low-energy branch of the Super-FRS

An ion-optical study on the layout of the so-called energy-buncher stage in the low-energy branch of the planned fragment separator Super-FRS is presented. The main purpose of the energy-buncher is a significant reduction of the energy spread of the `hot' fragments at the exit of the separator. Alternatively, the central unit of the buncher—a large dispersive dipole system—can be used as a high-resolution spectrometer for secondary products of nuclear reactions. The proposed design provides a large degree of flexibility for different experimental scenarios with slowed-down low-energy or stopped exotic isotopes.     

On the calculation of the bremsstrahlung in the region of the plasma frequency

On the basis of the classical theory of radiation produced in incomplete Coulomb interaction, a formula is derived for the coefficient of the bremsstrahlung of fully ionized plasma. In the region of rectilinear approximation a comparison is made with the results of the quantum formula derived from the Born approximation. Furthermore, the influence of dispersion upon the emission coefficient is taken into account; some relations for the region of dispersion are given.     

Equivalence of the method of the kinetic equation and the fluctuating-frequency method in the theory of the broadening of spectral lines

A new expression for the Stark profiles of spectral lines in plasma has been obtained by the method of the kinetic equation taking into account the dynamics of the plasma microfield. The result represents a dynamic line profile in the form of simple functionals of a static profile. The relation of the new solution with the known fluctuating-frequency method has been analyzed. It has been shown that this method is a discrete analog of the method of the kinetic equation and passes to the latter method in the limit of the continuous fluctuations. Simple formulas (4), (5), and (21) for dynamic line profiles provide ultrafast calculations of the profiles of spectral lines taking into account the dynamics of the plasma microfield.     

Effect of the dependence of the specular reflectance on the angle of incidence of electrons on the impedance

We obtain the solution to the problem of the skin effect in a metal with specular-diffusion boundary conditions for arbitrary values of the anomaly parameter in the form of the Neumann series. For this purpose, we develop a method based on the idea of representation of not only the boundary condition imposed on the field (as is conventionally done), but also the boundary condition imposed on the distribution function, in the form of a source. The specular reflectance is an arbitrary function of the angle of incidence of electrons on the metal surface.     

On the Possibility of the Implicit Renormalization of the Casimir Energy

We propose a procedure for renormalizing the Casimir energy that makes the steps that are used in the standard renormalization procedure, that is, regularization, subtraction, and deregularization, implicit. The proposed procedure is based on the calculation of a set of convergent sums, each of which is related to the initial divergent sum of the non-renormalized Casimir energy. Next, we construct a system of linear equations that relates this set of convergent sums to the renormalized Casimir energy. The unknown renormalized Casimir energy is obtained as a result of solving this system of equations. In this case, both the calculations of the convergent sums and the subsequent solution of the system of linear equations are performed with a certain (generally speaking, arbitrary) ordered accuracy; thus, the result is also approximate. The proposed procedure is, first, more computationally effective than the standard one, and, second, applicable not only to the problems where a transcendental equation for the spectrum can be written, but also to the problems where the spectrum is known only numerically.     

Influence of the polarisation of the medium on the radiation of channeled particles

The theory of the electromagnetic radiation from channeled particles is developed with inclusion of a virtual photon interaction with the crystal. Simple estimates are made for the spectral and angular distribution of the radiation. It is shown that the polarisation of the medium may lead to a drastic shrinking of the frequency range allowed for the radiation. The possibility of an increase of the transverse energy of a particle caused by radiation is predicted.     

Forecast of the trajectory of the center of typhoons and the Maslov decomposition

We predict the trajectory of the center of a typhoon by using the coordinates of the first three positions of the center. From this information, we obtain the initial distribution of the wind velocity using a neural network trained for solving this inverse problem. We take the wind field at the initial time as the sum of a smooth part and a singular part, according to the Maslov theory. This form of the field ensures the stability and self-similarity of the flow. The trajectory is found by solving the shallow water equations numerically. In some cases, the resulting trajectory approximates the actual trajectory fairly well. This work has been supported by the project DSTN 521241 (Dep. Physics, Univ. La Sapienza, Italy, DSTN)     

Dependence of the temperature behaviour of the sputtering ratio on the channelled fraction of the ion beam

A method of calculation is presented for the yield of an electron excitation process by a channelled particle in a single encounter with an atomic row or plane in a crystal. It is shown that, if ψ is the initial angle between the ion trajectory and the row or plane, the number of inner-shell electrons excited is an increasing function of ψ whereas the number of outer electrons excited may decrease with increasing ψ.     

The effect of competition between the frequency of the field and the frequency of the spin flipping on the kinetics of Ising metamagnet

We consider the effect of a variable representing the competition between the frequency of the field and the frequency of the spin flipping (Ω) on the dynamics of the metamagnetic Ising model in a cubic lattice under the presence of a time varying (oscillating) external magnetic field. The system is modelled with a formalism of master equation at a mean-field level. The time averaged staggered magnetization (Ms) acts as the order parameter and divides temperature field plane into three regions: anti-ferromagnetic, paramagnetic and coexistence of anti-ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases. It is observed that the topology of the dynamical phase diagram depends strongly on Ω as well as the ratio between interlayer and intralayer couplings.     

On the kinematics of the torsion of space-time

On a macroscopic level we take general relativity as the appropriate theory of space-time and gravity. We will argue that, on a more microscopic level, in the Compton wavelength regime of elementary particles, there are good reasons for suspecting the presence of a torsion of space-time. A corresponding gaugetheoretical formalism related to the Poincaré group is reviewed, and the kinematical consequences of the presence of a torsion are worked out. In particular we discuss the operational meaning and the measurability of torsion. The dynamics of torsion is left for a forthcoming article.     

Application of the structured illumination method to study the topography of the sole of the foot during a walk

The structured illumination technique consists of projecting a fringe system onto a 3D object from a well defined space point, which results in a pattern that depends on the characteristic of the projected fringes, the viewpoint and the illuminated object morphology. Therefore, the structured illumination method enables to determine the topography of 3D objects. To implement this technique we set up an optoelectronic array that allows studying the sole of the foot during a walk. The method consists of projecting a Ronchi grid and capturing the images generated on the foot by a CCD camera. These obtained images are graphically processed and fringes converted into vectors. A depending algorithm on the experimental setup allows obtaining, from those vectors data, cotes for a discrete profile plotting of the studied object. The method enables the quantitative determination of the sole topography during the walk. Qualitatively, it can be used for diagnosis and control of deformation and injuries caused by accidents or illnesses. It can be introduced in the primary attention health system to study a great number of patients, due to its simplicity and low cost installation, and for being a non-invasive technique.     

Contributions of the cornea and the lens to the aberrations of the human eye

The relative contributions of optical aberrations of the cornea and the crystalline lens to the final image quality of the human eye were studied. The aberrations of the entire eye were obtained from pairs of double-pass retinal images, and the aberrations of the cornea were obtained from videokeratographic data. Third-order spherical aberration and coma were significantly larger for the cornea than for the complete eye, indicating a significant role of the lens in compensating for corneal aberrations. In a second experiment retinal images were recorded in an eye before and after we neutralized the aberrations of the cornea by having the subjects wear swimming goggles filled with saline water, providing a direct estimate of the optical performance of the crystalline lens.     

Effect of the configuration of the discharge chamber of the plasma focus on the neutron yield

Preliminary probe experiments on the Filippov-type plasma focus with the energy E = 70 kJ and a current of about 1 MA show significant stray currents flowing near the insulator. To suppress them and optimize the discharge circuit, the main discharge chamber elements, i.e., the insulator, anode and cathode liner, were changed. As a result, a 30-fold increase in the setup neutron yield to Y _n = 5· 10¹⁰ neutrons per pulse was detected.     

Probing the structure of the pomeron

We suggest that the pseudo-rapidity cut dependence of diffractive deep-inelastic scattering events at HERA may provide a sensitive test of models of diffraction. A comparison with the experimental cross section shows that the Donnachie-Landshoff model and a simple two-gluon exchange model of the pomeron model are disfavoured. However a model with a direct coupling of the pomeron to quarks is viable for a harder quark–pomeron form factor, as is a model based on the leading-twist operator contribution. We also consider a direct-coupling scalar pomeron model. We comment on the implications of these results for the determination of the partonic structure of the pomeron. Received: 5 March 1999 / Published online: 3 August 1999     

Kinetics of the maintenance of the epidermis

The epidermis is the outermost layer of skin. It is comprised of keratin-containing cells called keratinocytes. Functionally, the epidermis serves as a physical barrier that can prevent infection and regulate body hydration. Maintenance and repair of the epidermis are important for human health. Mechanistically, these processes occur primarily via proliferation and differentiation of stem cells located in the basal monolayer. These processes are believed to depend on cell-cell communication and spatial constraints but existing kinetic models focus mainly on proliferation and differentiation. To address this issue, we present a mean-field kinetic model that takes these additional factors into account and describes the epidermis at a biosystem level. The corresponding equations operate with the populations of stem cells and differentiated cells in the basal layer. The keratinocytes located above the basal layer are treated at a more coarse-grained level by considering the thickness of the epidermis. The model clarifies the likely role of various negative feedbacks that may control the epidermis and, accordingly, provides insight into the cellular mechanisms underlying complex biological phenomena such as wound healing.     

Study of the cavitation region and the evolution of the acoustic spectrum

An experimental setup and a technique for measuring the transient period before a stationary cavitation in a liquid by the evolution of the cavitation noise spectrum are described. The time dependences of harmonic amplitudes both near the radiator and outside the cavitation region are presented. From the form of these dependences, the characteristic transient periods preceding the stage of a fully developed cavitation in water and in transformer oil are calculated. A formal scheme for describing the cavitation region is proposed.