Line mass Created 2026-09-28 Updated 2026-11-05
The line mass is mass per unit length along a filament. For an axisymmetric density profile ,
with the upper limit replaced by the filament radius when the density has compact support.
Mean density Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-11-05
The mean mass density of a body is its total mass divided by its volume. A nonuniform density distribution can have the same mean as a uniform one; orbital information that determines only does not determine the internal density profile.
Assume an isotropic, stationary spherical galaxy cluster. Its three-dimensional velocity dispersion obeys . For a uniform sphere, the virial theorem gives , hence
A different density profile changes the coefficient, so is the meaningful scale. For isothermal X-ray gas in hydrostatic equilibrium,
Using and a representative slope – at gives –. The temperature and extent alone cannot fix this coefficient without a density profile. The total luminosity is , so the previously inferred mass-to-light ratio gives
Assume an isotropic, stationary spherical galaxy cluster. Its three-dimensional velocity dispersion obeys . For a uniform sphere, the virial theorem gives , hence
A different density profile changes the coefficient, so is the meaningful scale. For isothermal X-ray gas in hydrostatic equilibrium,
Using and a representative slope – at gives –. The temperature and extent alone cannot fix this coefficient without a density profile. The total luminosity is , so the previously inferred mass-to-light ratio gives
All three measured factors are below the uniform-sphere value 0.4, indicating central concentration. Earth at 0.331 is consistent with a dense core and less dense mantle; Jupiter at 0.264 and Saturn at 0.21 have still more centrally concentrated normalized distributions, with Saturn especially concentrated relative to its outer radius. These numbers do not uniquely determine core masses, chemical boundaries or density profiles.
Stirred-condensate vortex experiment Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-11-05
Rotating a trap anisotropy can nucleate vortices in an atomic condensate. Expansion followed by absorption imaging resolves depleted cores, while varying rotation and waiting after removing the stirrer tests their preparation and persistence. The interpretation is quantized rotational response, rather than only the appearance of a condensed density profile.