1,792 research outputs found
Nonlinear metrology with a quantum interface
We describe nonlinear quantum atom-light interfaces and nonlinear quantum
metrology in the collective continuous variable formalism. We develop a
nonlinear effective Hamiltonian in terms of spin and polarization collective
variables and show that model Hamiltonians of interest for nonlinear quantum
metrology can be produced in Rb ensembles. With these Hamiltonians,
metrologically relevant atomic properties, e.g. the collective spin, can be
measured better than the "Heisenberg limit" . In contrast to other
proposed nonlinear metrology systems, the atom-light interface allows both
linear and non-linear estimation of the same atomic quantities.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure
The Distribution of Nearby Stars in Velocity Space Inferred from Hipparcos Data
(abridged) The velocity distribution f(v) of nearby stars is estimated, via a
maximum- likelihood algorithm, from the positions and tangential velocities of
a kinematically unbiased sample of 14369 stars observed by the HIPPARCOS
satellite. f(v) shows rich structure in the radial and azimuthal motions, v_R
and v_phi, but not in the vertical velocity, v_z: there are four prominent and
many smaller maxima, many of which correspond to well known moving groups.
While samples of early-type stars are dominated by these maxima, also up to 25%
of red main-sequence stars are associated with them. These moving groups are
responsible for the vertex deviation measured even for samples of late-type
stars; they appear more frequently for ever redder samples; and as a whole they
follow an asymmetric-drift relation, in the sense that those only present in
red samples predominantly have large |v_R| and lag in v_phi w.r.t. the local
standard of rest (LSR). The question arise, how these old moving groups got on
their eccentric orbits. A plausible mechanism, known from solar system
dynamics, which is able to manage a shift in orbit space involves locking into
an orbital resonance.
Apart from these moving groups, there is a smooth background distribution,
akin to Schwarzschild's ellipsoidal model, with axis ratio of about 1:0.6:0.35
in v_R, v_phi, and v_z. The contours are aligned with the direction, but
not w.r.t. the v_phi and v_z axes: the mean v_z increases for stars rotating
faster than the LSR. This effect can be explained by the stellar warp of the
Galactic disk. If this explanation is correct, the warp's inner edge must not
be within the solar circle, while its pattern rotates with frequency of about
13 km/s/kpc or more retrograde w.r.t. the stellar orbits.Comment: 16 pages LaTeX (aas2pp4.sty), 6 figures, accepted by A
Multiple Stellar Populations in the Globular Cluster omega Centauri as Tracers of a Merger Event
The discovery of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, which is being tidally
disrupted by and merging with the Milky Way, supports the view that the halo of
the Galaxy has been built up at least partially by the accretion of similar
dwarf systems. The Sagittarius dwarf contains several distinct populations of
stars, and includes M54 as its nucleus, which is the second most massive
globular cluster associated with the Milky Way. The most massive globular
cluster is omega Centauri, and here we report that omega Centauri also has
several distinct stellar populations, as traced by red-giant-branch stars. The
most metal-rich red-giant-branch stars are about 2 Gyr younger than the
dominant metal-poor component, indicating that omega Centauri was enriched over
this timescale. The presence of more than one epoch of star formation in a
globular cluster is quite surprising, and suggests that omega Centauri was once
part of a more massive system that merged with the Milky Way, as the
Sagittarius dwarf galaxy is in the process of doing now. Mergers probably were
much more frequent in the early history of the Galaxy and omega Centauri
appears to be a relict of this era.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, Latex+nature.sty (included), To appear in
November 4th issue of Natur
OBTAINING THE SENSED TEMPERATURES FROM A DETAILED MODEL OF A WELDED THERMOCOUPLE
ABSTRACT When imbedded in dissimilar materials subject to large temperature gradients, thermocouples are known to yield erroneous (bias) temperature measurements. It has been established that the bias error may be accounted for with an appropriate computational model and the measured temperatures may be corrected with an appropriate kernel function. In this work, a thermocouple with a welded bead is considered. Early two-dimensional models considered the thermocouple to be a single wire with effective thermal properties. The model in the current investigation is threedimensional and represents the sensor as two wires, each with unique thermal properties. The welded bead is represented as a separate entity with properties distinct from those of the wires. The problem of determining what location in the threedimensional model corresponds to the measured temperature is considered. Earlier models have considered the sensed temperature to be the temperature at the tip of the twodimensional thermocouple or, in three-dimensional models, the temperature at the center of the volume of the welded bead. In the current work, a theory is set forth for identifying the location at which the temperature is sensed by a thermocouple. This theory is in line with traditional thermoelectric theory and is supported with experimental evaluation with thermal imaging as well as examination of thermocouples by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The significance of accurate modeling of the sensed temperatures is demonstrated with a numerical experiment
Perspective: Quantum Hamiltonians for optical interactions
The multipolar Hamiltonian of quantum electrodynamics is extensively employed in chemical and optical physics to treat rigorously the interaction of electromagnetic fields with matter. It is also widely used to evaluate intermolecular interactions. The multipolar version of the Hamiltonian is commonly obtained by carrying out a unitary transformation of the Coulomb gauge Hamiltonian that goes by the name of Power-Zienau-Woolley (PZW). Not only does the formulation provide excellent agreement with experiment, and versatility in its predictive ability, but also superior physical insight. Recently, the foundations and validity of the PZW Hamiltonian have been questioned, raising a concern over issues of gauge transformation and invariance, and whether observable quantities obtained from unitarily equivalent Hamiltonians are identical. Here, an in-depth analysis of theoretical foundations clarifies the issues and enables misconceptions to be identified. Claims of non-physicality are refuted: the PZW transformation and ensuing Hamiltonian are shown to rest on solid physical principles and secure theoretical ground
Longitudinal Analysis of Quality of Life, Clinical, Radiographic, Echocardiographic, and Laboratory Variables in Dogs with Preclinical Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease Receiving Pimobendan or Placebo: The EPIC Study
Background: Changes in clinical variables associated with the administration of pimobendan to dogs with preclinical myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) and cardiomegaly have not been described.
Objectives: To investigate the effect of pimobendan on clinical variables and the relationship between a change in heart size and the time to congestive heart failure (CHF) or cardiac-related death (CRD) in dogs with MMVD and cardiomegaly. To determine whether pimobendan-treated dogs differ from dogs receiving placebo at onset of CHF.
Animals: Three hundred and fifty-four dogs with MMVD and cardiomegaly.
Materials and Methods: Prospective, blinded study with dogs randomized (ratio 1:1) to pimobendan (0.4-0.6 mg/kg/d) or placebo. Clinical, laboratory, and heart-size variables in both groups were measured and compared at different time points (day 35 and onset of CHF) and over the study duration. Relationships between short-term changes in echocardiographic variables and time to CHF or CRD were explored.
Results: At day 35, heart size had reduced in the pimobendan group:median change in (Delta) LVIDDN -0.06 (IQR:-0.15 to + 0.02), P < 0.0001, and LA:Ao -0.08 (IQR:-0.23 to + 0.03), P < 0.0001. Reduction in heart size was associated with increased time to CHF or CRD. Hazard ratio for a 0.1 increase in Delta LVIDDN was 1.26, P = 0.0003. Hazard ratio for a 0.1 increase in Delta LA:Ao was 1.14, P = 0.0002. At onset of CHF, groups were similar.
Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Pimobendan treatment reduces heart size. Reduced heart size is associated with improved outcome. At the onset of CHF, dogs treated with pimobendan were indistinguishable from those receiving placebo
Galactic Kinematics Towards the South Galactic Pole. First Results from the Yale-San Juan Southern Proper-Motion Program
The predictions from a Galactic Structure and Kinematic model code are
compared to the color counts and absolute proper-motions derived from the
Southern Proper-Motion survey covering more than 700 toward the South
Galactic Pole in the range . The theoretical assumptions
and associated computational procedures, the geometry for the kinematic model,
and the adopted parameters are presented in detail and compared to other
Galactic Kinematic models of its kind. The data to which the model is compared
consists of more than 30,000 randomly selected stars, and it is best fit by
models with a solar peculiar motion of +5 km s in the V-component
(pointing in the direction of Galactic rotation), a large LSR speed of 270 km
s, and a (disk) velocity ellipsoid that always points towards the
Galactic center. The absolute proper-motions in the U-component indicate a
solar peculiar motion of km s, with no need for a local
expansion or contraction term. The fainter absolute motions show an indication
that the thick-disk must exhibit a rather steep velocity gradient of about -36
km s kpc with respect to the LSR. We are not able to set
constraints on the overall rotation for the halo, nor on the thick-disk or halo
velocity dispersions. Some substructure in the U & V proper-motions could be
present in the brighter bins , and it might be indicative
of (disk) moving groups.Comment: 24 double-column pages, 12 tables, AAS Latex macros v4.0, 19 B&W
figures, 1 color figure. Accepted for publication on The Astronomical Journa
Effect of Pimobendan in Dogs with Preclinical Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease and Cardiomegaly: The EPIC Study - A Randomized Clinical Trial
Background: Pimobendan is effective in treatment of dogs with congestive heart failure (CHF) secondary to myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). Its effect on dogs before the onset of CHF is unknown. Hypothesis/Objectives: Administration of pimobendan (0.4-0.6 mg/kg/d in divided doses) to dogs with increased heart size secondary to preclinical MMVD, not receiving other cardiovascular medications, will delay the onset of signs of CHF, cardiac-related death, or euthanasia. Animals: 360 client-owned dogs with MMVD with left atrial-to-aortic ratio >= 1.6, normalized left ventricular internal diameter in diastole >= 1.7, and vertebral heart sum >10.5. Methods: Prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded, multicenter clinical trial. Primary outcome variable was time to a composite of the onset of CHF, cardiac-related death, or euthanasia. Results: Median time to primary endpoint was 1228 days (95% CI: 856-NA) in the pimobendan group and 766 days (95% CI: 667-875) in the placebo group (P = .0038). Hazard ratio for the pimobendan group was 0.64 (95% CI: 0.47-0.87) compared with the placebo group. The benefit persisted after adjustment for other variables. Adverse events were not different between treatment groups. Dogs in the pimobendan group lived longer (median survival time was 1059 days (95% CI: 952-NA) in the pimobendan group and 902 days (95% CI: 747-1061) in the placebo group) (P = .012). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Administration of pimobendan to dogs with MMVD and echocardiographic and radiographic evidence of cardiomegaly results in prolongation of preclinical period and is safe and well tolerated. Prolongation of preclinical period by approximately 15 months represents substantial clinical benefit
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