728,950 research outputs found
Theoretical dark matter halo kinematics and triaxial shape
In a recent paper, Salvador-Sol\'e et al. (2012) have derived the typical
inner structure of dark matter haloes from that of peaks in the initial random
Gaussian density field, determined by the power-spectrum of density
perturbations characterising the hierarchical cosmology under consideration. In
the present paper, we extend this formalism to the typical kinematics and
triaxial shape of haloes. Specifically, we establish the link between such halo
properties and the power-spectrum of density perturbations through the typical
shape of peaks. The trends of the predicted typical halo shape, pseudo
phase-space density and anisotropy profiles are in good agreement with the
results of numerical simulations. Our model sheds light on the origin of the
power-law-like pseudo phase-space density profile for virialised haloes.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures. Published in MNRA
Water-like anomalies as a function of tetrahedrality
Tetrahedral interactions describe the behaviour of the most abundant and
technologically important materials on Earth, such as water, silicon, carbon,
germanium, and countless others. Despite their differences, these materials
share unique common physical behaviours, such as liquid anomalies, open
crystalline structures, and extremely poor glass-forming ability at ambient
pressure. To reveal the physical origin of these anomalies and their link to
the shape of the phase diagram, we systematically study the properties of the
Stillinger-Weber potential as a function of the strength of the tetrahedral
interaction . We uncover a new transition to a re-entrant spinodal
line at low values of , accompanied with a change in the dynamical
behaviour, from Non-Arrhenius to Arrhenius. We then show that a two-state model
can provide a comprehensive understanding on how the thermodynamic and dynamic
anomalies of this important class of materials depend on the strength of the
tetrahedral interaction. Our work establishes a deep link between the shape of
phase diagram and the thermodynamic and dynamic properties through local
structural ordering in liquids, and hints at why water is so special among all
substances
Phase resolved spectroscopy of the Vela pulsar with XMM-Newton
The ~10^4 y old Vela Pulsar represents the bridge between the young Crab-like
and the middle-aged rotation powered pulsars. Its multiwavelength behaviour is
due to the superposition of different spectral components. We take advantage of
the unprecedented harvest of photons collected by XMM-Newton to assess the Vela
Pulsar spectral shape and to study the pulsar spectrum as a function of its
rotational phase. As for the middle-aged pulsars Geminga, PSR B0656+14 and PSR
B1055-52 (the "Three Musketeers"), the phase-integrated spectrum of Vela is
well described by a three-component model, consisting of two blackbodies
(T_bb1=(1.06+/-0.03)x10^6 K, R_bb1=5.1+/-0.3 km, T_bb2=(2.16+/-0.06)x10^6 K,
R_bb2=0.73+/-0.08 km) plus a power-law (gamma=2.2+/-0.3). The relative
contributions of the three components are seen to vary as a function of the
pulsar rotational phase. The two blackbodies have a shallow 7-9% modulation.
The cooler blackbody, possibly related to the bulk of the neutron star surface,
has a complex modulation, with two peaks per period, separated by ~0.35 in
phase, the radio pulse occurring exactly in between. The hotter blackbody,
possibly originating from a hot polar region, has a nearly sinusoidal
modulation, with a single, broad maximum aligned with the second peak of the
cooler blackbody, trailing the radio pulse by ~0.15 in phase. The non thermal
component, magnetospheric in origin, is present only during 20% of the pulsar
phase and appears to be opposite to the radio pulse. XMM-Newton phase-resolved
spectroscopy unveils the link between the thermally emitting surface of the
neutron star and its charge-filled magnetosphere, probing emission geometry as
a function of the pulsar rotation. This is a fundamental piece of information
for future 3-dimensional modeling of the pulsar magnetosphere.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Theoretical dark matter halo kinematics and triaxial shape
In a recent paper, Salvador-Solé et al. have derived the typical inner structure of dark matter haloes from that of peaks in the initial random Gaussian density field, determined by the power spectrum of density perturbations characterizing the hierarchical cosmology under consideration. In this paper, we extend this formalism to the typical kinematics and triaxial shape of haloes. Specifically, we establish the link between such halo properties and the power spectrum of density perturbations through the typical shape of peaks. The trends of the predicted typical halo shape, pseudo-phase-space density and anisotropy profiles are in good agreement with the results of numerical simulations. Our model sheds light on the origin of the power-law-like pseudo-phase-space density profile for virialized haloes
Phase boundary anisotropy and its effects on the maze-to-lamellar transition in a directionally solidified Al-Al2Cu eutectic
Solid-solid phase boundary anisotropy is a key factor controlling the
selection and evolution of non-faceted eutectic patterns during directional
solidification. This is most remarkably observed during the so-called
maze-to-lamellar transition. By using serial sectioning, we followed the
spatio-temporal evolution of a maze pattern over long times in a large Al-Al2Cu
eutectic grain with known crystal orientation of the Al and Al2Cu phases, hence
known crystal orientation relationship (OR). The corresponding phase boundary
energy anisotropy (-plot) was also known, as being previously estimated
from molecular-dynamics computations. The experimental observations reveal the
time-scale of the maze-to-lamellar transition and shed light on the processes
involved in the gradual alignment of the phase boundaries to one distinct
energy minimum which nearly corresponds to one distinct plane from the family
. This particular plane is selected
due to a crystallographic bias induced by a small disorientation of the
crystals relative to the perfect OR. The symmetry of the OR is thus slightly
broken, which promotes lamellar alignment. Finally, the maze-to-lamellar
transition leaves behind a network of fault lines inherited from the phase
boundary alignment process. In the maze pattern, the fault lines align along
the corners of the Wulff shape, thus allowing us to propose a link between the
pattern defects and missing orientations in the Wulff shapeComment: 26 pages, 6 figure
Supernova 1987A: Rotation and a Binary Companion
In this paper we provide a possible link between the structure of the bipolar
nebula surrounding SN1987A and the properties of its progenitor star. A Wind
Blwon Bubble (WBB) scenario is emplyed, in which a fast, tenuous wind from a
Blue Supergiant expands into a slow, dense wind, expelled during an earlier Red
Supergiant phase. The bipolar shapre develops due to a pole-to-equator density
contrast in the slow wind (ie, the slow wind forms a slow torus). We use the
Wind Compressed Disk (WCD) model of Bjorkman & Cassinelli (1992) to determine
the shape of the slow torus. In the WCD scenario, the shape of the torus is
determined by the rotation of the progenitor star. We then use a self-similar
semi-analytical method for wind blown bubble evolution to determine the shape
of the resulting bipolar nebula.
We find that the union of the wind-compressed-disk and bipolar-wind-blown-
bubble models allows us to recover the salient properties of SN1987A's
circumstellar nebula. In particular, the size, speed and density of SN1987A's
inner ring are easily reproduced in our calculations. An exploration of
parameter space shows the the red supergiant progenitor must be been rotating
at > 0.3 of its breakup speed. We conclude that the progenitor was most likely
spun up by a merger with a binary companion. Using a simple model for the
binary merger we find that the companion is likely to have had a mass > 0.5
M_sun.Comment: 30 pages, 4 figure
Non collinear magnetism and single ion anisotropy in multiferroic perovskites
The link between the crystal distortions of the perovskite structure and the
magnetic exchange interaction, the single-ion anisotropy (SIA) and the
Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya (DM) interaction are investigated by means of
density-functional calculations. Using BiFeO and LaFeO as model
systems, we quantify the relationship between the oxygen octahedra rotations,
the ferroelectricity and the weak ferromagnetism (wFM). We recover the fact
that the wFM is due to the DM interaction induced by the oxygen octahedra
rotations. We find a simple relationship between the wFM, the oxygen rotation
amplitude and the ratio between the DM vector and the exchange parameter such
as the wFM increases with the oxygen octahedra rotation when the SIA does not
compete with the DM forces induced on the spins. Unexpectedly, we also find
that, in spite of the electronic configuration of Fe, the SIA is
very large in some structures and is surprisingly strongly sensitive to the
chemistry of the -site cation of the BO perovskite. In the ground
state phase we show that the SIA shape induced by the ferroelectricity
and the oxygen octahedra rotations are in competition such as it is possible to
tune the wFM "on" and "off" through the relative size of the two types of
distortion
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