13,107 research outputs found
Ray Tracing Simulations of Weak Lensing by Large-Scale Structure
We investigate weak lensing by large-scale structure using ray tracing
through N-body simulations. Photon trajectories are followed through high
resolution simulations of structure formation to make simulated maps of shear
and convergence on the sky. Tests with varying numerical parameters are used to
calibrate the accuracy of computed lensing statistics on angular scales from
about 1 arcminute to a few degrees. Various aspects of the weak lensing
approximation are also tested. For fields a few degrees on a side the shear
power spectrum is almost entirely in the nonlinear regime and agrees well with
nonlinear analytical predictions. Sampling fluctuations in power spectrum
estimates are investigated by comparing several ray tracing realizations of a
given model. For survey areas smaller than a degree on a side the main source
of scatter is nonlinear coupling to modes larger than the survey. We develop a
method which uses this effect to estimate the mass density parameter Omega from
the scatter in power spectrum estimates for subregions of a larger survey. We
show that the power spectrum can be measured accurately from realistically
noisy data on scales corresponding to 1-10 Mpc/h. Non-Gaussian features in the
one point distribution function of the weak lensing convergence (reconstructed
from the shear) are also sensitive to Omega. We suggest several techniques for
estimating Omega in the presence of noise and compare their statistical power,
robustness and simplicity. With realistic noise Omega can be determined to
within 0.1-0.2 from a deep survey of several square degrees.Comment: 59 pages, 22 figures included. Matches version accepted for Ap
Correlation between Gamma-Ray bursts and Gravitational Waves
The cosmological origin of -ray bursts (GRBs) is now commonly
accepted and, according to several models for the central engine, GRB sources
should also emit at the same time gravitational waves bursts (GWBs). We have
performed two correlation searches between the data of the resonant
gravitational wave detector AURIGA and GRB arrival times collected in the BATSE
4B catalog. No correlation was found and an upper limit \bbox{} on the averaged amplitude of gravitational waves
associated with -ray bursts has been set for the first time.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Multiscale Analysis of the Gradient of Linear Polarisation
We propose a new multiscale method to calculate the amplitude of the gradient
of the linear polarisation vector using a wavelet-based formalism. We
demonstrate this method using a field of the Canadian Galactic Plane Survey
(CGPS) and show that the filamentary structure typically seen in gradients of
linear polarisation maps depends strongly on the instrumental resolution. Our
analysis reveals that different networks of filaments are present on different
angular scales. The wavelet formalism allows us to calculate the power spectrum
of the fluctuations seen in gradients of linear polarisation maps and to
determine the scaling behaviour of this quantity. The power spectrum is found
to follow a power law with gamma ~ 2.1. We identify a small drop in power
between scales of 80 < l < 300 arcmin, which corresponds well to the overlap in
the u-v plane between the Effelsberg 100-m telescope and the DRAO 26-m
telescope data. We suggest that this drop is due to undersampling present in
the 26-m telescope data. In addition, the wavelet coefficient distributions
show higher skewness on smaller scales than at larger scales. The spatial
distribution of the outliers in the tails of these distributions creates a
coherent subset of filaments correlated across multiple scales, which trace the
sharpest changes in the polarisation vector P within the field. We suggest that
these structures may be associated with highly compressive shocks in the
medium. The power spectrum of the field excluding these outliers shows a
steeper power law with gamma ~ 2.5.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure
A new method based on noise counting to monitor the frontend electronics of the LHCb muon detector
A new method has been developed to check the correct behaviour of the
frontend electronics of the LHCb muon detector. This method is based on the
measurement of the electronic noise rate at different thresholds of the
frontend discriminator. The method was used to choose the optimal discriminator
thresholds. A procedure based on this method was implemented in the detector
control system and allowed the detection of a small percentage of frontend
channels which had deteriorated. A Monte Carlo simulation has been performed to
check the validity of the method
Interstellar Sonic and Alfv\'enic Mach Numbers and the Tsallis Distribution
In an effort to characterize the Mach numbers of ISM magnetohydrodynamic
(MHD) turbulence, we study the probability distribution functions (PDFs) of
patial increments of density, velocity, and magnetic field for fourteen ideal
isothermal MHD simulations at resolution 512^3. In particular, we fit the PDFs
using the Tsallis function and study the dependency of fit parameters on the
compressibility and magnetization of the gas. We find that the Tsallis function
fits PDFs of MHD turbulence well, with fit parameters showing sensitivities to
the sonic and Alfven Mach numbers. For 3D density, column density, and
position-position-velocity (PPV) data we find that the amplitude and width of
the PDFs shows a dependency on the sonic Mach number. We also find the width of
the PDF is sensitive to global Alfvenic Mach number especially in cases where
the sonic number is high. These dependencies are also found for mock
observational cases, where cloud-like boundary conditions, smoothing, and noise
are introduced. The ability of Tsallis statistics to characterize sonic and
Alfvenic Mach numbers of simulated ISM turbulence point to it being a useful
tool in the analysis of the observed ISM, especially when used simultaneously
with other statistical techniques.Comment: 20 pages, 16 figures, ApJ submitte
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