4,259 research outputs found
Dispersive Bounds on the Shape of B -> D^(*) l nu Form Factors
Dispersive constraints on the shape of the form factors which describe the
exclusive decays B -> D^(*) l nu are derived by fully exploiting spin symmetry
in the ground-state doublet of heavy-light mesons. The analysis includes all
twenty B^(*) -> D^(*) semileptonic form factors. Heavy-quark symmetry, with
both short-distance and 1/m_Q corrections included, is used to provide
relations between the form factors near zero recoil. Simple one-parameter
functions are derived, which describe the form factors in the semileptonic
region with an accuracy of better than 2%. The implications of our results for
the determination of |V_cb| are discussed.Comment: 32 pages, 6 figure
Dynamic similarity promotes interpersonal coordination in joint-action
Human movement has been studied for decades and dynamic laws of motion that
are common to all humans have been derived. Yet, every individual moves
differently from everyone else (faster/slower, harder/smoother etc). We propose
here an index of such variability, namely an individual motor signature (IMS)
able to capture the subtle differences in the way each of us moves. We show
that the IMS of a person is time-invariant and that it significantly differs
from those of other individuals. This allows us to quantify the dynamic
similarity, a measure of rapport between dynamics of different individuals'
movements, and demonstrate that it facilitates coordination during interaction.
We use our measure to confirm a key prediction of the theory of similarity that
coordination between two individuals performing a joint-action task is higher
if their motions share similar dynamic features. Furthermore, we use a virtual
avatar driven by an interactive cognitive architecture based on feedback
control theory to explore the effects of different kinematic features of the
avatar motion on the coordination with human players
Interpreting large-scale redshift-space distortion measurements
The simplest theory describing large-scale redshift-space distortions (RSD),
based on linear theory and distant galaxies, depends on the growth of
cosmological structure, suggesting that strong tests of General Relativity can
be constructed from galaxy surveys. As data sets become larger and the expected
constraints more precise, the extent to which the RSD follow the simple theory
needs to be assessed in order that we do not introduce systematic errors into
the tests by introducing inaccurate simplifying assumptions. We study the
impact of the sample geometry, non-linear processes, and biases induced by our
lack of understanding of the radial galaxy distribution on RSD measurements.
Using LasDamas simulations of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey II (SDSS-II)
Luminous Red Galaxy (LRG) data, these effects are shown to be important at the
level of 20 per cent. Including them, we can accurately model the recovered
clustering in these mock catalogues on scales 30 -- 200 Mpc/h. Applying this
analysis to robustly measure parameters describing the growth history of the
Universe from the SDSS-II data, gives
and
when no prior is imposed on the
growth-rate, and the background geometry is assumed to follow a CDM
model with the WMAP + SNIa priors. The standard WMAP constrained CDM
model with General Relativity predicts
and
, which is fully consistent with
these measurements.Comment: 20 pages, 17 figures, 1 tabl
The XXL Survey VIII: MUSE characterisation of intracluster light in a z0.53 cluster of galaxies
Within a cluster, gravitational effects can lead to the removal of stars from
their parent galaxies. Gas hydrodynamical effects can additionally strip gas
and dust from galaxies. The properties of the ICL can therefore help constrain
the physical processes at work in clusters by serving as a fossil record of the
interaction history. The present study is designed to characterise this ICL in
a ~10^14 M_odot and z~0.53 cluster of galaxies from imaging and spectroscopic
points of view. By applying a wavelet-based method to CFHT Megacam and WIRCAM
images, we detect significant quantities of diffuse light. These sources were
then spectroscopically characterised with MUSE. MUSE data were also used to
compute redshifts of 24 cluster galaxies and search for cluster substructures.
An atypically large amount of ICL has been detected in this cluster. Part of
the detected diffuse light has a very weak optical stellar component and
apparently consists mainly of gas emission, while other diffuse light sources
are clearly dominated by old stars. Furthermore, emission lines were detected
in several places of diffuse light. Our spectral analysis shows that this
emission likely originates from low-excitation parameter gas. The stellar
contribution to the ICL is about 2.3x10^9 yrs old even though the ICL is not
currently forming a large number of stars. On the other hand, the contribution
of the gas emission to the ICL in the optical is much greater than the stellar
contribution in some regions, but the gas density is likely too low to form
stars. These observations favour ram pressure stripping, turbulent viscous
stripping, or supernovae winds as the origin of the large amount of
intracluster light. Since the cluster appears not to be in a major merging
phase, we conclude that ram pressure stripping is the most plausible process
that generates the observed ICL sources.Comment: Accepted in A&A, english enhanced, figure location different than in
the A&A version due to different style files, shortened abstrac
The structure of the magnetic field in the massive star-forming region W75N
A debated topic in star formation theory is the role of magnetic fields
during the protostellar phase of high-mass stars. It is still unclear how
magnetic fields influence the formation and dynamics of massive disks and
outflows. Most current information on magnetic fields close to high-mass
protostars comes from polarized maser emissions, which allows us to investigate
the magnetic field on small scales by using very long-baseline interferometry.
The massive star-forming region W75N contains three radio continuum sources
(VLA1, VLA2, and VLA3), at three different evolutionary stages, and associated
masers, while a large-scale molecular bipolar outflow is also present. Very
recently, polarization observations of the 6.7 GHz methanol masers at
milliarsecond resolution have been able to probe the strength and structure of
the magnetic field over more than 2000 AU around VLA1. The magnetic field is
parallel to the outflow, suggesting that VLA1 is its powering source. The
observations of water masers at 22 GHz can give more information about the gas
dynamics and the magnetic fields around VLA1 and VLA2. The NRAO Very Long
Baseline Array was used to measure the linear polarization and the
Zeeman-splitting of the 22 GHz water masers in the star-forming region W75N. We
detected 124 water masers, 36 around VLA1 and 88 around VLA2 of W75N, which
indicate two different physical environments around the two sources, where VLA1
is in a more evolved state. The linear polarization of the masers confirms the
tightly ordered magnetic field around VLA1, which is aligned with the
large-scale molecular outflow, and also reveals an ordered magnetic field
around VLA2, which is not parallel to the outflow. [abridged]Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 2 Tables, accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic
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