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Efficient modeling of rarefied flow has drawn widespread interest for practical engineering applications. In the present work, we proposed the Grad's distribution function for 13 moments-based moment gas kinetic solver (G13-MGKS) and the macroscopic governing equations are derived based on the moment integral of discrete Boltzmann equation in the finite volume framework. Numerical fluxes at the cell interface related to the macroscopic variables, stress and heat flux can be reconstructed from the Boltzmann integration equation at surrounding points of the cell interface directly, so the complicated partial differential equations with tedious implementation of boundary conditions in the moment method can be avoided. Meanwhile, the explicit expression of numerical fluxes is proposed, which could release the present solver the from the discretization and numerical summation in molecular velocity space. To evaluate the Grad's distribution function for 13 moments in the present framework, the G13-MGKS with the discrete and explicit form of numerical fluxes are examined by several test cases covering the steady and unsteady rarefied flows. Numerical results indicate that the G13-MGKS could simulate continuum flows accurately and present reasonable prediction for rarefied flows at moderate Knudsen number. Moreover, the tests of computations and memory costs demonstrate that the present framework could preserve the highly efficient feature.

The routine atomic-resolution structure determination of single particles is expected to have profound implications for probing the structure-function relationship in systems ranging from energy materials to biological molecules. Extremely-bright, ultrashort-pulse X-ray sources---X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs)---provide X-rays that can be used to probe ensembles of nearly identical nano-scale particles. When combined with coherent diffractive imaging, these objects can be imaged; however, as the resolution of the images approaches the atomic scale, the measured data are increasingly difficult to obtain and, during an X-ray pulse, the number of photons incident on the two-dimensional detector is much smaller than the number of pixels. This latter concern, the signal "sparsity," materially impedes the application of the method. We demonstrate an experimental analog using a synchrotron X-ray source that yields signal levels comparable to those expected from single biomolecules illuminated by focused XFEL pulses. The analog experiment provides an invaluable cross-check on the fidelity of the reconstructed data that is not available during XFEL experiments. We establish---using this experimental data---that a sparsity of order $1.3\times10^{-3}$ photons per pixel per frame can be overcome, lending vital insight to the solution of the atomic-resolution XFEL single particle imaging problem by experimentally demonstrating 3D coherent diffractive imaging from photon-sparse random projections., Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures

We theoretically show that a magnet can be stably levitated on top of a punctured superconductor sheet in the Meissner state without applying any external field. The trapping potential created by such induced-only superconducting currents is characterized for magnetic spheres ranging from tens of nanometers to tens of millimeters. Such a diamagnetically levitated magnet is predicted to be extremely well isolated from the environment. We therefore propose to use it as an ultrasensitive force and inertial sensor. A magnetomechanical read-out of its displacement can be performed by using superconducting quantum interference devices. An analysis using current technology shows that force and acceleration sensitivities on the order of $10^{-23}\text{N}/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ (for a 100 nm magnet) and $10^{-14}g/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ (for a 10 mm magnet) might be within reach in a cryogenic environment. Such unprecedented sensitivities can be used for a variety of purposes, from designing ultra-sensitive inertial sensors for technological applications (i.e. gravimetry, avionics, and space industry), to scientific investigations on measuring Casimir forces of magnetic origin and gravitational physics., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, article + supplemental material