12,035 research outputs found
The radio/X-ray correlation in Cyg X-3 and the nature of its hard spectral state
We study the radio/X-ray correlation in Cyg X-3. It has been known that the
soft and hard X-ray fluxes in the hard spectral state are correlated positively
and negatively, respectively, with the radio flux. We show that this implies
that the observed 1--100 keV flux (which is a fair approximation to the
bolometric flux) is completely uncorrelated with the radio flux. We can recover
a positive correlation (seen in other sources and expected theoretically) if
the soft X-rays are strongly absorbed by a local medium. Then, however, the
intrinsic X-ray spectrum of Cyg X-3 in its hard state becomes relatively soft,
similar to that of an intermediate spectral state of black-hole binaries, but
not to their true hard state. We also find the radio spectra in the hard state
of Cyg X-3 are hard on average, and the flux distributions of the radio
emission and soft X-rays can be described by sums of two log-normal functions.
We compare Cyg X-3 with other X-ray binaries using colour-colour,
colour-Eddington ratio and Eddington ratio-radio flux diagrams. We find Cyg X-3
to be spectrally most similar to GRS 1915+105, except that Cyg X-3 is
substantially more radio loud, which appears to be due to its jet emission
enhanced by interaction with the powerful stellar wind from the Wolf-Rayet
donor.Comment: An error in the BAT light curve shown in Fig. A2 corrected. Published
in MNRAS + erratu
Local Volume Effects in the Generalized Pseudopotential Theory
The generalized pseudopotential theory (GPT) is a powerful method for
deriving real-space transferable interatomic potentials. Using a coarse-grained
electronic structure, one can explicitly calculate the pair ion-ion and
multi-ion interactions in simple and transition metals. Whilst successful in
determining bulk properties, in central force metals the GPT fails to describe
crystal defects for which there is a significant local volume change. A
previous paper [PhysRevLett.66.3036 (1991)] found that by allowing the GPT
total energy to depend upon some spatially-averaged local electron density, the
energetics of vacancies and surfaces could be calculated within experimental
ranges. In this paper, we develop the formalism further by explicitly
calculating the forces and stress tensor associated with this total energy. We
call this scheme the adaptive GPT (aGPT) and it is capable of both molecular
dynamics and molecular statics. We apply the aGPT to vacancy formation and
divacancy binding in hcp Mg and also calculate the local electron density
corrections to the bulk elastic constants and phonon dispersion for which there
is refinement over the baseline GPT treatment.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Is there Evidence for a Hubble bubble? The Nature of Type Ia Supernova Colors and Dust in External Galaxies
We examine recent evidence from the luminosity-redshift relation of Type Ia
Supernovae (SNe Ia) for the detection of a ``Hubble bubble'' --
a departure of the local value of the Hubble constant from its globally
averaged value \citep{Jha:07}. By comparing the MLCS2k2 fits used in that study
to the results from other light-curve fitters applied to the same data, we
demonstrate that this is related to the interpretation of SN color excesses
(after correction for a light-curve shape-color relation) and the presence of a
color gradient across the local sample. If the slope of the linear relation
() between SN color excess and luminosity is fit empirically, then the
bubble disappears. If, on the other hand, the color excess arises purely from
Milky Way-like dust, then SN data clearly favors a Hubble bubble. We
demonstrate that SN data give , instead of the
one would expect from purely Milky-Way-like dust. This suggests that either SN
intrinsic colors are more complicated than can be described with a single
light-curve shape parameter, or that dust around SN is unusual. Disentangling
these possibilities is both a challenge and an opportunity for large-survey SN
Ia cosmology.Comment: Further information and data at
http://qold.astro.utoronto.ca/conley/bubble/ Accepted for publication in ApJ
Measurements of the Solid-body Rotation of Anisotropic Particles in 3D Turbulence
We introduce a new method to measure Lagrangian vorticity and the rotational
dynamics of anisotropic particles in a turbulent fluid flow. We use 3D printing
technology to fabricate crosses (two perpendicular rods) and jacks (three
mutually perpendicular rods). Time-resolved measurements of their orientation
and solid-body rotation rate are obtained from stereoscopic video images of
their motion in a turbulent flow between oscillating grids with
=. The advected particles have a largest dimension of 6 times
the Kolmogorov length, making them a good approximation to anisotropic tracer
particles. Crosses rotate like disks and jacks rotate like spheres, so these
measurements, combined with previous measurements of tracer rods, allow
experimental study of ellipsoids across the full range of aspect ratios. The
measured mean square tumbling rate, ,
confirms previous direct numerical simulations that indicate that disks tumble
much more rapidly than rods. Measurements of the alignment of crosses with the
direction of the solid-body rotation rate vector provide the first direct
observation of the alignment of anisotropic particles by the velocity gradients
of the flow.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure
Informing the Cannabis Conjecture: From Life’s Beginnings to Mitochondria, Membranes and the Electrome - A Review
Before the late 1980s, ideas around how the lipophilic phytocannabinoids might be working involved membranes and bioenergetics as these disciplines were “in vogue”. However, as interest in genetics and pharmacology grew, interest in mitochondria (and membranes) waned. The discovery of the cognate receptor for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) led to the classification of the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and the conjecture that phytocannabinoids might be “working” through this system. However, the how and the “why” they might be beneficial, especially for compounds like CBD, remains unclear. Given the centrality of membranes and mitochondria in complex organisms, and their evolutionary heritage from the beginnings of life, revisiting phytocannabinoid action in this light could be enlightening. For example, life can be described as a self-organising and replicating far from equilibrium dissipating system, which is defined by the movement of charge across a membrane. Hence the building evidence, at least in animals, that THC and CBD modulate mitochondrial function could be highly informative. In this paper, we offer a unique perspective to the question, why and how do compounds like CBD potentially work as medicines in so many different conditions? The answer, we suggest, is that they can modulate membrane fluidity in a number of ways and thus dissipation and engender homeostasis, particularly under stress. To understand this, we need to embrace origins of life theories, the role of mitochondria in plants and explanations of disease and ageing from an adaptive thermodynamic perspective, as well as quantum mechanics
Heavy Quark Lifetimes, Mixing and CP Violation
This paper emphasizes four topics that represent some of the year's
highlights in heavy quark physics. First of all, a review is given of charm
lifetime measurements and how they lead to better understanding of the
mechanisms of charm decay. Secondly, the CLEO collaboration's new search for
charm mixing is reported, which significantly extends the search for new
physics in that sector. Thirdly, important updates in Bs mixing are summarized,
which result in a new limit on the mass difference, and which further constrain
the unitarity triangle. Finally, the first efforts to measure CP violation in
the B system are discussed. Results are shown for the CDF and ALEPH
measurements of sin(2beta), as well as the CLEO branching fraction measurements
of B-->Kpi,pipi, which have implications for future measurements of alpha.Comment: 25 pages, 15 figures. Talk given at the XIX International Symposium
on Lepton and Photon Interactions, Stanford University, August 9-14, 199
Limits on Lorentz Violation from the Highest Energy Cosmic Rays
We place several new limits on Lorentz violating effects, which can modify
particles' dispersion relations, by considering the highest energy cosmic rays
observed. Since these are hadrons, this involves considering the partonic
content of such cosmic rays. We get a number of bounds on differences in
maximum propagation speeds, which are typically bounded at the 10^{-21} level,
and on momentum dependent dispersion corrections of the form v = 1 +-
p^2/Lambda^2, which typically bound Lambda > 10^{21} GeV, well above the Planck
scale. For (CPT violating) dispersion correction of the form v = 1 + p/Lambda,
the bounds are up to 15 orders of magnitude beyond the Planck scale.Comment: 24 pages, no figures. Added references, very slight changes. Version
published in Physical Review
- …