Detection of buried pipes using a shear wave ground surface vibration technique

A major UK initiative, entitled 'Mapping the Underworld', is seeking to address the serious social, environmental and economic consequences arising from an inability to locate the buried utility service infrastructure without resorting to extensive excavations. Mapping the Underworld aims to develop and prove the efficacy of a multi-sensor device for accurate remote buried utility service detection, location and, where possible, identification. One of the technologies to be incorporated in the device is low-frequency vibro-acoustics, and the application of this technology for detecting buried infrastructure is currently being investigated. Here, a shear wave ground vibration technique for detecting buried pipes is described. For this technique, shear waves are generated at the ground surface, and the resulting ground surface vibrations measured, using geophones, along a line traversing the anticipated run of the pipe. Measurements were made at a test site with a single pressurized polyethylene mains water pipe. Time-extended signals were employed to generate the illuminating wave. Cross-correlation functions between the measured ground velocities and a reference measurement adjacent to the excitation were then calculated and summed using a stacking method to generate a cross-sectional image of the ground. The wide cross-correlation peaks caused by high ground attenuation were partially compensated for by using a generalized cross-correlation function called the smoothed coherence transform. To mitigate the effects of other potential sources of vibration in the vicinity, the excitation signal was used as an additional reference when calculating the generalized cross-correlation functions. For two out of three tests, the pipe was detected, indicating that this technique will be a valuable addition to the Mapping the Underworld armoury.

Spin squeezing and entanglement via finite-dimensional discrete phase-space description

We show how mapping techniques inherent to N2-dimensional discrete phase spaces can be used to treat a wide family of spin systems which exhibits squeezing and entanglement effects. This algebraic framework is then applied to the modified Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick (LMG) model in order to obtain the time evolution of certain special parameters related to the Robertson- Schrödinger (RS) uncertainty principle and some particular proposals of entanglement measure based on collective angular-momentum generators. Our results reinforce the connection between both the squeezing and entanglement effects, as well as allow to investigate the basic role of spin correlations through the discrete representatives of quasiprobability distribution functions. Entropy functionals are also discussed in this context. The main sequence correlations → entanglement → squeezing of quantum effects embraces a new set of insights and interpretations in this framework, which represents an effective gain for future researches in different spin systems. © 2013 World Scientific Publishing Company.

Spin and pseudospin symmetries of the Dirac equation with confining central potentials

We derive the node structure of the radial functions which are solutions of the Dirac equation with scalar S and vector V confining central potentials, in the conditions of exact spin or pseudospin symmetry, i.e., when one has V=±S+C, where C is a constant. We show that the node structure for exact spin symmetry is the same as the one for central potentials which go to zero at infinity but for exact pseudospin symmetry the structure is reversed. We obtain the important result that it is possible to have positive energy bound solutions in exact pseudospin symmetry conditions for confining potentials of any shape, including naturally those used in hadron physics, from nuclear to quark models. Since this does not occur for potentials going to zero at large distances, which are used in nuclear relativistic mean-field potentials or in the atomic nucleus, this shows the decisive importance of the asymptotic behavior of the scalar and vector central potentials on the onset of pseudospin symmetry and on the node structure of the radial functions. Finally, we show that these results are still valid for negative energy bound solutions for antifermions. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Bósons de spin 0 e spin 1 em um duplo degrau de potencial com acoplamento vetorial não-mínimo no formalismo de Duffin-Kemmer-Petiau

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Graphene sheet versus two-dimensional electron gas: A relativistic Fano spin filter via STM and AFM tips

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Geometrical quaternionic coupling for three dimensional wave equations

The present work has the scope to show the relationship between four three-dimensional waves. This fact will be made in the form of coupling, using for it the Cauchy-Riemann conditions for quaternionic functions [#!BorgesZeMarcio!#], through certain Laplace's equation in [#!MaraoBorgesLP!#]. The coupling will relate those functions that determine the wave as well as their respective propagation speeds.

Narrow-band search of continuous gravitational-wave signals from Crab and Vela pulsars in Virgo VSR4 data

In this paper we present the results of a coherent narrow-band search for continuous gravitational-wave signals from the Crab and Vela pulsars conducted on Virgo VSR4 data. In order to take into account a possible small mismatch between the gravitational-wave frequency and two times the star rotation frequency, inferred from measurement of the electromagnetic pulse rate, a range of 0.02 Hz around two times the star rotational frequency has been searched for both the pulsars. No evidence for a signal has been found and 95% confidence level upper limits have been computed assuming both that polarization parameters are completely unknown and that they are known with some uncertainty, as derived from x-ray observations of the pulsar wind torii. For Vela the upper limits are comparable to the spin-down limit, computed assuming that all the observed spin-down is due to the emission of gravitational waves. For Crab the upper limits are about a factor of 2 below the spin-down limit, and represent a significant improvement with respect to past analysis. This is the first time the spin-down limit is significantly overcome in a narrow-band search.

Transmission coefficient and two-fold degenerate discrete spectrum of spin-1 bosons in a double-step potential

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Excited leptonic states in polarized e(-)gamma and e(+)e(-) collisions

We analyze the capability of the next generation of linear electron-positron colliders to unravel the spin and couplings of excited leptons predicted by composite models. Assuming that these machines will be able to operate both in the e+e- and e-γ modes, we study the effects of the excited electrons of spin 1/2 and 3/2 in the reactions e-γ → e-γ and e+e- → γγ. We show how the use of polarized beams is able not only to increase the reach of these machines, but also to determine the spin and couplings of the excited states.

Espalhamento coulombiano relativístico próximo das condições de simetria de spin e pseudospin

Pós-graduação em Física - FEG

Uma abordagem de potencial e massa efetiva e a descrição de espaço de fase quântico para tratar sistemas de spins: Caracterizando o tunelamento de spin e propriedades da molécula de Fe8

Pós-graduação em Física - IFT

Inhomogeneous Fermi and quantum spin systems on lattices

We study the thermodynamic properties of a certain type of space-inhomogeneous Fermi and quantum spin systems on lattices. We are particularly interested in the case where the space scale of the inhomogeneities stays macroscopic, but very small as compared to the side-length of the box containing fermions or spins. The present study is however not restricted to "macroscopic inhomogeneities" and also includes the (periodic) microscopic and mesoscopic cases. We prove that - as in the homogeneous case - the pressure is, up to a minus sign, the conservative value of a two-person zero-sum game, named here thermodynamic game. Because of the absence of space symmetries in such inhomogeneous systems, it is not clear from the beginning what kind of object equilibrium states should be in the thermodynamic limit. However, we give rigorous statements on correlations functions for large boxes. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4763465]

Differential calculus and integration of generalized functions over membranes

In this paper we continue the development of the differential calculus started in Aragona et al. (Monatsh. Math. 144: 13-29, 2005). Guided by the so-called sharp topology and the interpretation of Colombeau generalized functions as point functions on generalized point sets, we introduce the notion of membranes and extend the definition of integrals, given in Aragona et al. (Monatsh. Math. 144: 13-29, 2005), to integrals defined on membranes. We use this to prove a generalized version of the Cauchy formula and to obtain the Goursat Theorem for generalized holomorphic functions. A number of results from classical differential and integral calculus, like the inverse and implicit function theorems and Green's theorem, are transferred to the generalized setting. Further, we indicate that solution formulas for transport and wave equations with generalized initial data can be obtained as well.

CdSe/CdTe interface band gaps and band offsets calculated using spin-orbit and self-energy corrections

We performed ab initio calculations of the electronic structures of bulk CdSe and CdTe, and their interface band alignments on the CdSe in-plane lattice parameters. For this, we employed the LDA-1/2 self-energy correction scheme [L.G. Ferreira, M. Marques, L.K. Teles, Phys. Rev. B 78 (2008) 125116] to obtain corrected band gaps and band offsets. Our calculations include the spin-orbit effects for the bulk cases, which have shown to be of importance for the equilibrium systems and are possibly degraded in these strained semiconductors. Therefore, the SO showed reduced importance for the band alignment of this particular system. Moreover, the electronic structure calculated along the transition region across the CdSe/CdTe interface shows an interesting non-monotonic variation of the band gap in the range 0.8-1.8 eV, which may enhance the absorption of light for corresponding frequencies at the interface between these two materials in photovoltaic applications. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Generalized Metropolis dynamics with a generalized master equation: An approach for time-independent and time-dependent Monte Carlo simulations of generalized spin systems

The extension of Boltzmann-Gibbs thermostatistics, proposed by Tsallis, introduces an additional parameter q to the inverse temperature beta. Here, we show that a previously introduced generalized Metropolis dynamics to evolve spin models is not local and does not obey the detailed energy balance. In this dynamics, locality is only retrieved for q = 1, which corresponds to the standard Metropolis algorithm. Nonlocality implies very time-consuming computer calculations, since the energy of the whole system must be reevaluated when a single spin is flipped. To circumvent this costly calculation, we propose a generalized master equation, which gives rise to a local generalized Metropolis dynamics that obeys the detailed energy balance. To compare the different critical values obtained with other generalized dynamics, we perform Monte Carlo simulations in equilibrium for the Ising model. By using short-time nonequilibrium numerical simulations, we also calculate for this model the critical temperature and the static and dynamical critical exponents as functions of q. Even for q not equal 1, we show that suitable time-evolving power laws can be found for each initial condition. Our numerical experiments corroborate the literature results when we use nonlocal dynamics, showing that short-time parameter determination works also in this case. However, the dynamics governed by the new master equation leads to different results for critical temperatures and also the critical exponents affecting universality classes. We further propose a simple algorithm to optimize modeling the time evolution with a power law, considering in a log-log plot two successive refinements.