Investigation of ‘equal displacement’ rule for bridges subjected to differential support motions

The ‘equal displacement’ rule is employed in seismic design practice to predict inelastic displacements from analyses of the corresponding linear elastic structural models. The accuracy and limitations of this rule have been investigated for ordinary structures but not for bridges subjected to spatially varying ground motions. The present study investigates this rule for moderate levels of inelastic behavior for four highway bridges in California accounting for the effects of spatial variability of the support motions due to incoherence, wave passage and differential site response. The bridge models vary significantly as to their fundamental periods and their overall configurations. Statistical analyses of pier‐drift responses are performed using as input simulated arrays of nonstationary ground motions in accordance with prescribed coherency models. It is found that the ‘equal displacement’ rule is fairly accurate for cases when the fundamental period of the bridge is longer than the transition period between the acceleration‐controlled and velocity‐controlled ranges of the response spectrum. Otherwise, the rule is non‐conservative for cases with large ductility factors and conservative for cases with small ductility factors. Wave passage and incoherence tend to reduce ratios of mean peak inelastic to elastic pier drifts, whereas incorporation of the differential site‐response effect by locating piers on softer soils tends to increase the same ratios. Mild or moderate positive correlation between these ratios and ductility demands is observed in most cases. Effects of spatial variability are more pronounced for longer and stiffer bridges. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vortex–interface interactions and generation of glitches in pulsars

We show that the crust–core interface in neutron stars acts as a potential barrier to the peripheral neutron vortices approaching the interface in the model in which these are coupled to the proton vortex clusters. This elementary barrier arises because of the interaction of vortex magnetic flux with the Meissner currents set up by the crustal magnetic field at the interface. The dominant part of the force is derived from the cluster–interface interaction. As a result of the stopping of the continuous neutron vortex current through the interface, angular momentum is stored in the superfluid layers in the vicinity of the crust–core interface during the interglitch period. Discontinuous annihilation of proton vortices at the boundary restores the neutron vortex current and spins up the observable crust on short time-scales, leading to a glitch in the spin characteristics of a pulsar.     

Wave Transformation and Scattering on Stationary Charged Particles in a Magnetoactive Plasma. I

The scattering and transformation of natural waves of a magnetoactive plasma on a heavy charged particle lying at a plane plasma—vacuum boundary is considered. The angular distribution and cross section for scattering (transformation) of high-frequency ordinary and extraordinary waves are investigated.     

Dynamical equations of a superfluid in curved space-time and Cattaneo’s projection method

The absolute tensorial equations describing the dynamics of a superfluid in general relativity have been brought into the same form as the corresponding classical equations written in 3-vector forms. The expressions of the various forces acting on an element of a superfluid are explicitly displayed. In the Newtonian limit, these equations give the classical equations of motion of a superfluid in Galilean spacetime.     

Relaxation time of the superfluid core of a neutron star

The superconducting proton condensate in the “npe” phase of a neutron star is considered. It is shown to be a type II superconductor in the outer layer of the “npe” phase and a type I superconductor in the inner layer. Relaxation times are found for elastic scattering of normal relativistic electrons from the magnetic fields of proton vortex clusters in the case of a type II superconductor and elastic scattering from the magnetic field at the center of a neutron vortex in the case of a superconductor of the first kind. The dynamical relaxation times obtained for the angular velocity of the pulsar PSR 0833—45 vary, as a function of the density of the layers taking part in the relaxation process, within a fairly wide range: from several hours to l0⁹ years. This means that the characteristic times of variation of pulsar angular velocity may be observed to lie in the indicated time range. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 40, No. 4, op. 497–506, October–December, 1997.     

Neutron-phonon interaction in neutron stars: Phonon spectrum of Coulomb lattice

The phonon excitation spectrum of Coulomb lattice in the neutron star crusts is studied by solving Dyson's equation for phonons. It is shown that a strong renormalization of the phonon spectrum occurs at densities _s /4 for the crustal matter compositions with spherical nuclei, which imply relatively small nuclear mass numbers and charges. It is shown that, the lattice becomes unstable against density fluctuations above a critical density of the order of _s /3, where _s 2.6x10¹⁴ g cm^–3 is the nuclear saturation density. The neutron quasiparticle spectrum and the virtual mass of a nucleus are briefly discussed.     

Some differential equations for problems of wave scattering in a one-dimensional medium

A system of linear differential equations determining the amplitude of reflection R and the amplitude of transmission T for a plane wave (or an electron) and for an arbitrary medium (or a one-dimensional potential of an arbitrary type) is obtained. It is shown that the problem of determining the scattering parameters R and T reduces, in general, to a Cauchy problem for a stationary wave equation (or for the Schrödinger equation).     

Magnetic field energy as a source of the radio luminosity of quasars

Energy release in the superconducting core of a neutron star as neutron vortices move toward the boundary of the star’s core and crust is examined. It is shown that the rate of energy release is on the order of 10²⁶-10³⁰ erg/s, or sufficient to provide the radio luminosity of known pulsars. The energy release rates calculated under the assumption of asymmetric energy release are compared with observational data on the radio luminosity of 575 pulsars.     

Differential rotation of relativistic superfluid in neutron stars

It is shown how to set up a mathematically elegant and fully relativistic superfluid model that can provide a realistic approximation (neglecting small anisotropies due to crust solidity, magnetic fields, etc., but allowing for the regions with vortex pinning) of the global structure of a rotating neutron star, in terms of just two independently moving constituents. One of these represents the differentially rotating neutron superfluid, while the other part represents the combination of all the other ingredients, including the degenerate electrons, the superfluid protons in the core, and the ions in the crust, the electromagnetic interactions of which will tend to keep them locked together in a state of approximately rigid rotation. Order of magnitude estimates are provided for relevant parameters such as the resistive drag coefficient.