Quasi-stationary states and the range of pair interactions

"Quasi-stationary" states are approximately time-independent out of equilibrium states which have been observed in a variety of systems of particles interacting by long-range interactions. We investigate here the conditions of their occurrence for a generic pair interaction V(r \rightarrow \infty) \sim 1/r^a with a > 0, in d>1 dimensions. We generalize analytic calculations known for gravity in d=3 to determine the scaling parametric dependences of their relaxation rates due to two body collisions, and report extensive numerical simulations testing their validity. Our results lead to the conclusion that, for a < d-1, the existence of quasi-stationary states is ensured by the large distance behavior of the interaction alone, while for a > d-1 it is conditioned on the short distance properties of the interaction, requiring the presence of a sufficiently large soft-core in the interaction potential.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; final version to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Is the dark matter halo of the Milky Way flattened?

We performed an extended analysis of the parameter space for the interaction of the Magellanic System with the Milky Way (MW). The varied parameters cover the phase space parameters, the masses, the structure, and the orientation of both Magellanic Clouds, as well as the flattening of the dark matter halo of the MW. The analysis was done by a specially adopted optimization code searching for the best match between numerical models and the detailed HI map of the Magellanic System by Bruens et al. (2005). The applied search algorithm is a genetic algorithm combined with a code based on the fast, but approximative restricted N-body method. By this, we were able to analyze more than 10^6 models, which makes this study one of the most extended ones for the Magellanic System. Here we focus on the flattening q of the axially symmetric MW dark matter halo potential, that is studied within the range 0.74<=q<=1.20. We show that creation of a trailing tail (Magellanic Stream) and a leading stream (Leading Arm) is quite a common feature of the Magellanic System-MW interaction, and such structures were modeled across the entire range of halo flattening values. However, important differences exist between the models, concerning density distribution and kinematics of HI, and also the dynamical evolution of the Magellanic System. Detailed analysis of the overall agreement between modeled and observed distribution of neutral hydrogen shows that the models assuming an oblate (q<1.0) dark matter halo of the Galaxy allow for better satisfaction of HI observations than models with other halo configurations.Comment: 19 pages, 20 figures, 2 appendices, accepted for publication in A&

Measuring dark matter by modeling interacting galaxies

The dark matter content of galaxies is usually determined from galaxies in dynamical equilibrium, mainly from rotationally supported galactic components. Such determinations restrict measurements to special regions in galaxies, e.g. the galactic plane(s), whereas other regions are not probed at all. Interacting galaxies offer an alternative, because extended tidal tails often probe outer or off-plane regions of galaxies. However, these systems are neither in dynamical equilibrium nor simple, because they are composed of two or more galaxies, by this increasing the associated parameter space.We present our genetic algorithm based modeling tool which allows to investigate the extended parameter space of interacting galaxies. From these studies, we derive the dynamical history of (well observed) galaxies. Among other parameters we constrain the dark matter content of the involved galaxies. We demonstrate the applicability of this strategy with examples ranging from stellar streams around theMilkyWay to extended tidal tails, from proto-typical binary galaxies (like M51 or the Antennae system) to small group of galaxies.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, Conf.: Hunting for the dark, Malta 200

Arthritis Impact on Employment Participation among U.S. Adults: A Population-based Perspective

Background: Arthritis affects 53 million U.S. adults, more than two-thirds of whom are younger than age 65. Approximately 1/3 of working-age (18-64 years) U.S adults with arthritis report arthritis-attributable work limitation. Objectives: First, to take a population-based perspective to evaluate the association of arthritis with employment participation among U.S. adults. Next, to examine whether this association differs by sex, age, or other characteristics. Finally, to investigate effects of the Great Recession (December 2007 to June 2009) on employment and to determine if arthritis status moderated its effects. Methods: All three studies were conducted using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The third study also used longitudinal data from the Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS) linked to NHIS. Results: These manuscripts are under peer-review for publication; limited results are presented: Study 1- Employment participation was always statistically significantly and substantially lower (e.g., \u3e10 percentage points) among adults with arthritis compared with those without arthritis. Study 2- Overall, 20.1 million adults (10.4% [95% CI=10.1-10.8] of the working-age population) reported work disability. Study 3- During the period of the Great Recession, people with arthritis stopped work at higher rates and started work at lower rates than those without arthritis, suggesting at least some differential effect among those with arthritis. Conclusion: This work contributes new knowledge by establishing long-term patterns and benchmark information for employment participation, work disability, transitions, and macro economic effects among adults with and without arthritis in the U.S. A population-based, non-condition-specific approach of this type has not been previously reported

Physical Processes in Star-Gas Systems

First we present a recently developed 3D chemodynamical code for galaxy evolution from the K**2 collaboration. It follows the evolution of all components of a galaxy such as dark matter, stars, molecular clouds and diffuse interstellar matter (ISM). Dark matter and stars are treated as collisionless N-body systems. The ISM is numerically described by a smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) approach for the diffuse (hot) gas and a sticky particle scheme for the (cool) molecular clouds. Physical processs such as star formation, stellar death or condensation and evaporation processes of clouds interacting with the ISM are described locally. An example application of the model to a star forming dwarf galaxy will be shown for comparison with other codes. Secondly we will discuss new kinds of exotic chemodynamical processes, as they occur in dense gas-star systems in galactic nuclei, such as non-standard ``drag''-force interactions, destructive and gas producing stellar collisions. Their implementation in 1D dynamical models of galactic nuclei is presented. Future prospects to generalize these to 3D are work in progress and will be discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, "The 5th Workshop on Galactic Chemodynamics" - Swinburne University (9-11 July 2003). To be published in the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia in 2004 (B.K. Gibson and D. Kawata, eds.). Accepted version, minor changes relative to origina

Impact of dark matter subhalos on extended HI disks of galaxies: Possible formation of HI fine structures and stars

Recent observations have discovered star formation activities in the extreme outer regions of disk galaxies. However it remains unclear what physical mechanisms are responsible for triggering star formation in such low-density gaseous environments of galaxies. In order to understand the origin of these outer star-forming regions, we numerically investigate how the impact of dark matter subhalos orbiting a gas-rich disk galaxy embedded in a massive dark matter halo influences the dynamical evolution of outer HI gas disk of the galaxy. We find that if the masses of the subhalos ($M_{\rm sb}$) in a galaxy with an extended HI gas disk are as large as $10^{-3} \times M_{\rm h}$, where $M_{\rm h}$ is the total mass of the galaxy's dark halo, local fine structures can be formed in the extended HI disk. We also find that the gas densities of some apparently filamentary structures can exceed a threshold gas density for star formation and thus be likely to be converted into new stars in the outer part of the HI disk in some models with larger $M_{\rm sb}$. These results thus imply that the impact of dark matter subhalos (``dark impact'') can be important for better understanding the origin of recent star formation discovered in the extreme outer regions of disk galaxies. We also suggest that characteristic morphologies of local gaseous structures formed by the dark impact can indirectly prove the existence of dark matter subhalos in galaxies. We discuss the origin of giant HI holes observed in some gas-rich galaxies (e.g., NGC 6822) in the context of the dark impact.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted by ApJ

Hypermultiplets and Topological Strings

The c-map relates classical hypermultiplet moduli spaces in compactifications of type II strings on a Calabi-Yau threefold to vector multiplet moduli spaces via a further compactification on a circle. We give an off-shell description of the c-map in N=2 superspace. The superspace Lagrangian for the hypermultiplets is a single function directly related to the prepotential of special geometry, and can therefore be computed using topological string theory. Similarly, a class of higher derivative terms for hypermultiplets can be computed from the higher genus topological string amplitudes. Our results provide a framework for studying quantum corrections to the hypermultiplet moduli space, as well as for understanding the black hole wave-function as a function of the hypermultiplet moduli.Comment: 21 pages, references adde