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Accessing hadronic form factors at large momentum transfers has traditionally presented a challenge for lattice QCD simulations. Here, we demonstrate how a novel implementation of the Feynman-Hellmann method can be employed to calculate hadronic form factors in lattice QCD at momenta much higher than previously accessible. Our simulations are performed on a single set of gauge configurations with three flavors of degenerate mass quarks corresponding to m π ≈ 470 MeV. We are able to determine the electromagnetic form factors of the pion and nucleon up to approximately 6 GeV 2 , with results for the ratio of the electric and magnetic form factors of the proton at our simulated quark mass agreeing well with experimental results.

The extraction of hadron matrix elements in lattice QCD using the standard two-and threepoint correlator functions demands careful attention to systematic uncertainties. One of the most commonly studied sources of systematic error is contamination from excited states. We apply the variational method to calculate the axial vector current gA, the scalar current gS and the quark momentum fraction x of the nucleon and we compare the results to the more commonly used summation and two-exponential fit methods. The results demonstrate that the variational approach offers a more efficient and robust method for the determination of nucleon matrix elements.

Confined blast loading occurs in many scenarios and the effects of confined blast loading may result in more serious damage to buildings due to multiple shock reflections (Shi et al. 2009). However, spherical charges are assumed for all confined explosive-effects computations in modern standards for blast-resistant design such as UFC-3-340-02 (2008) and the soon-to-be published ASCE Standard for the Blast Protection of Buildings (ASCE forthcoming) without consideration of effects of charge shape on the distribution of reflected overpressure and impulse. As confinement is an aggravation factor of explosion effects, analysis and design of infrastructure under critical scenarios of confined blast loading should take the aggravation factor into consideration. This paper is to develop a numerical model for prediction of blast loads inside unvented structures as a result of variation of the charge shape, charge orientation, geometries and volumes of confined chambers. A finite element program, AUTODYN (Century Dynamics, 2003), is utilized extensively to generate a model which is capable of being calibrated with the experimental results conducted by Wu et al. (2010) in external conditions and by Zyskowski et al. (2004) in a confined small box. The calibrated AUTODYN model is then used to conduct parametric studies to analyze the effects of the variation of charge shape, charge orientation, chamber geometry and chamber volume on the peak reflected overpressure and impulse on the walls of the chamber. The quasi-static overpressure for fully confined blast loading is characterized and the simulated results are used to derive the relationships between the quasi-static overpressure and scaled distance for the fully confined blast loading. Discussion is made on characteristics of fully confined blast loading inside chambers.