Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Newgrange Skyscape In Stellarium, Frank Prendergast

Articles

Newgrange Skyscape in Stellarium is a new customised landscape planetarium model giving the user the unique ability to interrogate the dynamic sky above the Boyne Valley on any date of interest during the hours of daylight or darkness. Archaeological, astronomical and topographical points of interest are labelled in the model and visible even during the hours of darkness. These are summarily described in a short gazetteer appended at the end of the instruction document to encourage further exploration of the wonderful heritage found in the Boyne Valley and beyond.

Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=aGPsVGBXkY4

Watch on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/493351576

Integrable Cosmological Model With Van Der Waals Gas And Matter Creation, Rossen Ivanov, Emil Prodanov

Articles

A cosmological model with van der Waals gas and dust has been studied in the context of a three-component autonomous non-linear dynamical system involving the time evolution of the particle number density, the Hubble parameter and the temperature. Due to the presence of a symmetry of the model, the temperature evolution law is determined (in terms of the particle number density) and with this the dynamical system reduces to a two-component one which is fully integrable. The globally conserved Hamiltonian is identified and, in addition to it, some special (second) integrals, defined and conserved on a lower-dimensional manifold, are found. …

On The Cosmological Models With Matter Creation, Emil M. Prodanov, Rossen Ivanov

Articles

The matter creation model of Prigogine--Géhéniau--Gunzig--Nardone is revisited in terms of a redefined creation pressure which does not lead to irreversible adiabatic evolution at constant specific entropy. With the resulting freedom to choose a particular gas process, a flat FRWL cosmological model is proposed based on three input characteristics: (i) a perfect fluid comprising of an ideal gas, (ii) a quasi-adiabatic polytropic process, and (iii) a particular rate of particle creation. Such model leads to the description of the late-time acceleration of the expanding Universe with a natural transition from decelerating to accelerating regime. Only the Friedmann equations and the …

Pathways To The Cosmos:The Alignment Of Megalithic Tombs In Ireland And Atlantic Europe, Frank Prendergast, Gabriel Cooney

Articles

Gabriel Cooney and Frank Prendergast present the context of and outline the approach to this one-day conference organised by Archaeology Ireland on behalf of the National Monuments Service at the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Office of Public Works to mark the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018. The event will take place at Dublin Castle on 15 September 2018.

Facing The Sun, Frank Prendergast, Muiris O'Sullivan, Ken Williams, Gabriel Cooney

Articles

December 2017 marked 50 years since archaeologist Michael J. O’Kelly first observed the solar illumination of the burial chamber in the Neolithic passage tomb at Newgrange during the period of the winter solstice. O’Kelly subsequently recorded direct sunlight entering Newgrange through the ‘especially contrived slit which lies under the roof-box at the outer end of the passage roof’ on 21 December 1969. The discovery of this historic phenomenon, dating back over 5,000 years, captured the public interest and imagination at that time and ever since. In this major article published in the Winter 2017 edition of Archaeology Ireland (date of …

Conference Review ‘’The Astronomy In Skyscapes - Archaeoastronomy Beyond Alignments’’. Full Day Session At The National Astronomy Meeting, University Of Nottingham (United Kingdom), 27th June–1st July, 2016, Frank Prendergast

Articles

The National Astronomy Meeting (NAM) of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) was held at the University of Nottingham Jubilee Campus on 27th June–1st July, 2016. This event is the primary annual scientific conference for astronomers and space scientists drawn mainly from the UK and Ireland. It is sponsored and coordinated by RAS. NAM 2016 had eight plenary talks spanning topics from planets to cosmology. Additionally, there were 60 parallel sessions broadly split into five themes, one of which was archaeoastronomy. This was the third successive NAM conference to feature a parallel session on archaeoastronomy, and was organised and chaired by …

Hawking Radiation Screening And Penrose Process Shielding In The Kerr Black Hole, Eamon Mccaughey

Articles

The radial motion of massive particles in the equatorial plane of aKerr black hole is considered. Screening of the Hawking radiation and shielding of the Penrose process are examined (both inside and outside the ergosphere) and their effect on the evaporation of the black hole is studied. In particular, the locus and width of a classically forbidden region and their dependence on the particle’s angular momentum and energy is analysed. Tunneling of particles between the boundaries of this region is considered and the transmission coefficient determined.

Cyclic Universe With An Inflationary Phase From A Cosmological Model With Real Gas Quintessence, Rossen Ivanov, Emil Prodanov

Articles

Phase-plane stability analysis of a dynamical system describing the Universe as a two-fraction uid containing baryonic dust and real virial gas quintessence is presented. Existence of a stable periodic solution experiencing in ationary periods is shown. A van der Waals quintessence model is revisited and cyclic Universe solution again found.

Hadamard Renormalization Of The Stress Energy Tensor In A Spherically Symmetric Black Hole Space-Time With An Application To Lukewarm Black Holes, Cormac Breen, Adrian Ottewill

Articles

We consider a quantum field which is in a Hartle-Hawking state propagating in a spherically symmetric black hole space-time. We calculate the components of the stress tensor, renormalized using the Hadamard form of the Green's function, in the exterior region of this space-time. We then specialize these results to the case of the `lukewarm' Riessner-Nordstrom-de Sitter black hole.

Hadamard Renormalisation Of The Stress Energy Tensor On The Horizons Of A Spherically Symmetric Black Hole Space-Time, Cormac Breen, Adrian Ottewill

Articles

We consider a quantum field which is in a Hartle-Hawking state propagating in a general spherically symmetric black hole space-time. We make use of uniform approximations to the radial equation to calculate the components of the stress tensor, renormalized using the Hadamard form of the Green's function, on the horizons of this space-time. We then specialize these results to the case of the `lukewarm' Reissner-Nordstrom-de Sitter black hole and derive some conditions on the stress tensor for the regularity of the Hartle-Hawking state

Multifluid Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulent Decay, Turlough Downes, Stephen O'Sullivan

Articles

It is generally believed that turbulence has a significant impact on the dynamics and evolution of molecular clouds and the star formation that occurs within them. Non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects are known to influence the nature of this turbulence. We present the results of a suite of 5123 resolution simulations of the decay of initially super-Alfv enic and supersonic fully multifluid MHD turbulence. We find that ambipolar diffusion increases the rate of decay of the turbulence while the Hall effect has virtually no impact. The decay of the kinetic energy can be fitted as a power law in time and …

Why Is An Einstein Ring Blue?, Jonathan Blackledge

Articles

Albert Einstein predicted the existence of `Einstein rings' as a consequence of his general theory of relativity. The phenomenon is a direct result of the idea that if a mass warps space-time then light (and other electromagnetic waves) will be `lensed' by the strong gravitational field produced by a large cosmological body such as a galaxy. Since 1998, when the first complete Einstein ring was observed, many more complete or partially complete Einstein rings have been observed in the radio and infrared spectra, for example, and by the Hubble Space Telescope in the optical spectrum. However, in the latter case, …

Extended Green-Liouville Asymptotics And Vacuum Polarization For Lukewarm Black Holes, Cormac Breen, Adrian Ottewill

Articles

We consider a quantum field on a lukewarm black hole spacetime. We introduce a new uniform approximation to the radial equation, constructed using an extension of Green-Liouville asymptotics. We then use this new approximation to construct the renormalized vacuum polarization in the Hartle-Hawking vacuum. Previous calculations of the vacuum polarization rely on the WKB approximation to the solutions of the radial equation, however the nonuniformity of the WKB approximations obscures the results of these calculations near both horizons. The use of our new approximation eliminates these obscurities, enabling us to obtain explicitly finite and easily calculable values of the vacuum …

A Model For Predicting Extragalactic Jet Lifetimes, Daniel S. Spicer, Robert Bingham, Stephen O'Sullivan

Articles

Abstract. In this letter, we propose a model to explain the disintegration of ex- tragalactic jets and to predict the associated timescale. The model assumes that a jet is current and charge neutral as well as collimated at its source; however, the forward electron current gradually decays producing a magnetic field transverse to the direction of jet propagation. This growing transverse magnetic field eventually causes the jet to disintegrate.

Stochastic Particle Acceleration In The Lobes Of Giant Radio Galaxies, Stephen O'Sullivan, Brian Reville, Andrew Taylor

Articles

We investigate the acceleration of particles by Alfv ́en waves via the second-order Fermi process in the lobes of giant radio galaxies. Such sites are candidates for the accelerators of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECR). We focus on the nearby Fanaroff–Riley type I radio galaxy Centaurus A. This is motivated by the coincidence of its position with the arrival direction of several of the highest energy Auger events. The conditions necessary for consistency with the acceleration time-scales predicted by quasi-linear theory are reviewed. Test particle calculations are performed in fields which guarantee electric fields with no component parallel to the local …

Nonideal Magnetohydrodynamic Turbulent Decay In Molecular Clouds, Turlough Downes, Stephen O'Sullivan

Articles

It is well known that non-ideal magnetohydrodynamic effects are important in the dynamics of molecular clouds: both ambipolar diffusion and possibly the Hall effect have been identified as significant. We present the results of a suite of simulations with a resolution of 512-cubed of turbulent decay in molecular clouds incorporating a simplified form of both ambipolar diffusion and the Hall effect simultaneously. The initial velocity field in the turbulence is varied from being super-Alfvénic and hypersonic, through to trans-Alfvénic but still supersonic.

Scattering From A Tenuous Random Medium With Applications In Optics, Jonathan Blackledge

Articles

Mathematical models for the scattering of light (and other radiation) tend to fall into two categories based on a weak field condition (single scattering processes) or a strong field condition (multiple scattering processes). In the latter case, the complexity of deterministic models coupled with available solutions often fail to provide results that are of value to engineering systems (e.g. imaging systems). For this reason, multiple scattering problems are often approached using stochastic modelling methods whose foundations lie in random walk theory where the amplitude and phase of the scattered field are taken to conform to an appropriate statistical process and …

Daemon Decay And Inflation, Emil Prodanov

Articles

In 1971, Hawking suggested [1] that there may be a very large number of gravitationally collapsed charged objects of very low masses, formed as a result of fluctuations in the early Universe. A mass of of these objects could be accumulated at the centre of a star like the Sun. The masses of these collapsed objects are from and above and their charges are up to ±30 electron units [1].

Some Rather Mechanical Reflections On Symmetry: In Art, Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Etc., Jim Mcgovern

Articles

This Inaugural Lecture consists of some of my rather mechanical, being an engineer, reflections on symmetry in diverse areas such as art, science, engineering, mathematics, etc. I explain what symmetry is to me, giving examples with lots of images and mentioning or at least barely referencing art, science, architecture, engineering, heritage, cosmology, bicycles, flight, invention, ingenuity, history, wallpaper, mathematics, typography, structures, regular shapes, coordinate systems, spacetime, thermodynamics and suchlike.

The Transport Of Cosmic Rays In Self‐Excited Magnetic Turbulence, Brian Reville, Stephen O'Sullivan, Peter Duffy, John Kirk

Articles

The process of diffusive shock acceleration relies on the efficacy with which hydromagnetic waves can scatter charged particles in the precursor of a shock. The growth of self-generated waves is driven by both resonant and non-resonant processes. We perform high-resolution magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the non-resonant cosmic ray driven instability, in which the unstable waves are excited beyond the linear regime. In a snapshot of the resultant field, particle transport simulations are carried out. The use of a static snapshot of the field is reasonable given that the Larmor period for particles is typically very short relative to the instability growth …

Interacting Jets From Binary Protostars, Gareth Murphy, Thibaut Lery, Stephen O'Sullivan, Daniel S. Spicer, Francesca Bacciotti, Alex Rosen

Articles

Aims. We investigate potential models that could explain why multiple proto-stellar systems predominantly show single jets. During their formation, stars most frequently produce energetic outflows and jets. However, binary jets have only been observed in a very small number of systems. Methods. We model numerically 3D binary jets for various outflow parameters. We also model the propagation of jets from a specific source, namely L1551 IRS 5, known to have two jets, using recent observations as constraints for simulations with a new MHD code. We examine their morphology and dynamics, and produce synthetic emission maps. Results. We find that the …

Equation Of State For A Van Der Waals Universe During Reissner–Nordstrom Expansion, Emil Prodanov, Rossen Ivanov, Vesselin Gueorguiev

Articles

In a previous work [E.M. Prodanov, R.I. Ivanov and V.G. Gueorguiev, Reissner-Nordström expansion, Astropart. Phys. 27 (2007) 150], we proposed a classical model for the expansion of the Universe during the radiation-dominated epoch based on the gravitational repulsion of the Reissner-Nordström geometry — naked singularity description of particles that "grow" with the drop of the temperature. In this work we model the Universe during the Reissner-Nordström expansion as a van der Waals gas and determine the equation of state.

A Cosmic Ray Current-Driven Instability In Partially Ionised Media, Brian Reville, John Kirk, Peter Duffy, Stephen O'Sullivan

Articles

We investigate the growth of hydromagnetic waves driven by streaming cosmic rays in the precursor environment of a supernova remnant shock. It is known that transverse waves propagating parallel to the mean magnetic field are unstable to anisotropies in the cosmic ray distribution, and may provide a mechanism to substantially amplify the ambient magnetic field. We quantify the extent to which temperature and ionisation fractions modify this picture. Using a kinetic description of the plasma we derive the dispersion relation for a collisionless thermal plasma with a streaming cosmic ray current. Fluid equations are then used to discuss the effects …

A Three‐Dimensional Numerical Method For Modelling Weakly Ionized Plasmas, Stephen O'Sullivan, Turlough Downes

Articles

Astrophysical fluids under the influence of magnetic fields are often subjected to single- or two-fluid approximations. In the case of weakly ionized plasmas, however, this can be inappropriate due to distinct responses from the multiple constituent species to both collisional and non-collisional forces. As a result, in dense molecular clouds and protostellar accretion discs, for instance, the conductivity of the plasma may be highly anisotropic leading to phenomena such as Hall and ambipolar diffusion strongly influencing the dynamics.

Reissner–Nordstrom Expansion, Emil Prodanov, Rossen Ivanov, Vesselin Gueorguiev

Articles

We propose a classical mechanism for the cosmic expansion during the radiation-dominated era, assuming the Universe as a two-component gas. The first component is the ultra-relativistic “standard” fraction described by an equation of state of an ideal quantum gas of massless particles. The second component consist of superheavy charged particles and their interaction with the “standard” fraction drives the expansion. This interaction is described by the Reissner–Nordstr¨om metric purely geometrically — the superheavy charged particles are modeled as zero-dimensional naked singularities which exhibit gravitational repulsion. The radius of a repulsive sphere, surrounding a naked singularity of charge Q, is inversely …

An Explicit Scheme For Multifluid Magnetohydrodynamics, Stephen O'Sullivan, Turlough Downes

Articles

When modelling astrophysical fluid flows, it is often appropriate to discard the canonical magnetohydrodynamic approximation, thereby freeing the magnetic field to diffuse with respect to the bulk velocity field. As a consequence, however, the induction equation can become problematic to solve via standard explicit techniques. In particular, the Hall diffusion term admits fast-moving whistler waves which can impose a vanishing time-step limit.Within an explicit differencing framework, a multifluid scheme for weakly ionized plasmas is presented which relies upon a new approach to integrating the induction equation efficiently. The first component of this approach is a relatively unknown method of accelerating …

Manev Potential And General Relativity, Rossen Ivanov, Emil Prodanov

Articles

Manevis classical potential is known to successfully modify Newtonian celestial mechanics, in accordance with the general-relativistic description. The idea of replacing the exact solution of Einsteinis equations, describing orbiting bodies, with a classical potential is widely used today. These models are not restricted to planetary motion only, but also include numerous interesting astrophysical phenomena such as accretion of matter around black holes or massive stars.

Riemann Tensor Of The Ambient Universe, The Dilaton, And Newton’S Constant, Rossen Ivanov, Emil Prodanov

Articles

We investigate a four-dimensional world, embedded into a five-dimensional spacetime, and find the five-dimensional Riemann tensor via generalisation of the Gauss (--Codacci) equations. We then derive the generalised equations of the four-dimensional world and also show that the square of the dilaton field is equal to the Newton's constant. We find plausable constant and non-constant solutions for the dilaton. Comment: 5 pages, revtex

Astrophysical Plasma Diagnostics Through Analysis Of Ar Iine Shape Characteristics, Vladimir Milosavljevic, Stevan Djenize

Articles

On the basis of five accurately recorded neutral argon ( ) line shapes (in the 4s-5p transition) we have recovered the basic plasma parameters i.e. electron temperature ( T) and electron density ( N) using our new line deconvolution procedure in the case of three different plasmas created in a linear, low-pressure, pulsed arc discharge. The mentioned plasma parameters have also been measured using independent experimental diagnostic techniques. An excellent agreement has been found among the two sets of obtained parameters. This recommends our deconvolution procedure for plasma diagnostic purposes, especially in astrophysics where direct measurements of the …

Ion Contribution To The Astrophysical Important 447.15, 587.56 And 667.82 Nm He I Spectral Lines Broadening, Vladimir Milosavljevic, Stevan Djenize

Articles

Characteristics of the astrophysical important Stark broadened 447.15 nm, 587.56 nm and 667.82 nm spectral line profiles have been measured at electron densities between 0.3 10 and 8.2 10 m and electron temperatures between 8000 and 33 000 K in plasmas created in five various discharge conditions using a linear, low-pressure, pulsed arc as an optically thin plasma source operated in a helium-nitrogen-oxygen gas mixture. On the basis of the observed asymmetry of the line profiles we have obtained their ion broadening parameters ( A) caused by influence of the ion microfield on the line broadening mechanism and also …