7,966 research outputs found
Triggering Active Galactic Nuclei in Hierarchical Galaxy Formation: Disk instability vs. Interactions
Using a semi analytic model for galaxy formation we investigate the effects
of Black Hole accretion triggered by disk instabilities (DI) in isolated
galaxies on the evolution of AGN. Specifically, we took on, developed and
expanded the Hopkins & Quataert (2011) model for the mass inflow following disk
perturbations, and compare the corresponding evolution of the AGN population
with that arising in a scenario where galaxy interactions trigger AGN (IT
mode). We extended and developed the DI model by including different disk
surface density profiles, to study the maximal contribution of DI to the
evolution of the AGN population. We obtained the following results: i) for
luminosities corresponding to the DI mode can provide the
BH accretion needed to match the observed AGN luminosity functions up to ; in such a luminosity range and redshift, it can compete with the
IT scenario as the main driver of cosmological evolution of AGN; ii) The DI
scenario cannot provide the observed abundance of high-luminosity QSO with
AGN, as well as the abundance of high-redhshift QSOs with , while the IT scenario provides
an acceptable match up to , as found in our earliest works; iii)
The dispersion of the distributions of Eddington ratio for low- and
intermediate-luminosity AGN (bolometric = -
erg/s) is predicted to be much smaller in the DI scenario compared to the IT
mode; iv) The above conclusions are robust with respect to the explored
variants of the Hopkins & Quataert (2011) model. We discuss the physical origin
of our findings, and how it is possible to pin down the dominant fueling
mechanism in the low-intermediate luminosity range where
both the DI and the IT modes are viable candidates as drivers for the AGN
evolution.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, 24 pages, 8
figures; updated reference
Backscattering Differential Ghost Imaging in Turbid Media
In this Letter we present experimental results concerning the retrieval of
images of absorbing objects immersed in turbid media via differential ghost
imaging (DGI) in a backscattering configuration. The method has been applied,
for the first time to our knowledge, to the imaging of small thin black objects
located at different depths inside a turbid solution of polystyrene nanospheres
and its performances assessed via comparison with standard imaging techniques.
A simple theoretical model capable of describing the basic optics of DGI in
turbid media is proposed.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure
Coherent imaging of a pure phase object with classical incoherent light
By using the ghost imaging technique, we experimentally demonstrate the
reconstruction of the diffraction pattern of a {\em pure phase} object by using
the classical correlation of incoherent thermal light split on a beam splitter.
The results once again underline that entanglement is not a necessary feature
of ghost imaging. The light we use is spatially highly incoherent with respect
to the object (m speckle size) and is produced by a
pseudo-thermal source relying on the principle of near-field scattering. We
show that in these conditions no information on the phase object can be
retrieved by only measuring the light that passed through it, neither in a
direct measurement nor in a Hanbury Brown-Twiss (HBT) scheme. In general, we
show a remarkable complementarity between ghost imaging and the HBT scheme when
dealing with a phase object.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures. Published in Physical Review A. Replaced
version fixes some problems with Figs. 1, 4 and 1
Investigation of the reinforcement of ductule metals with strong, high modulus discontinuous, brittle fibers Quarterly report, 1 May - 1 Aug. 1968
Factors affecting tensile strength of ductile metals reinforced with short, brittle fiber
Some fundamental fracture mechanisms applicable to advanced filament reinforced composites
Stress analysis and fracture mechanisms of advanced fiber reinforced composite
RF performance measurement of the DSS-14 70-meter antenna at C-band/L-band
The calibration of the 70-meter antenna at C-band (5.01 GHz) and L-band (1.668 GHz) is described. This calibration comes after a modification to an existing L-band feed to include the C-band frequencies. The test technique employs noise-adding radiometers and associated equipment running simultaneously at both frequencies. The test procedure is described including block diagrams, and results are presented for efficiency, system temperature, and pointing
Quantum spatial correlations in high-gain parametric down-conversion measured by means of a CCD camera
We consider travelling-wave parametric down-conversion in the high-gain
regime and present the experimental demonstration of the quantum character of
the spatial fluctuations in the system. In addition to showing the presence of
sub-shot noise fluctuations in the intensity difference, we demonstrate that
the peak value of the normalized spatial correlations between signal and idler
lies well above the line marking the boundary between the classical and the
quantum domain. This effect is equivalent to the apparent violation of the
Cauchy-Schwartz inequality, predicted by some of us years ago, which represents
a spatial analogue of photon antibunching in time. Finally, we analyse
numerically the transition from the quantum to the classical regime when the
gain is increased and we emphasize the role of the inaccuracy in the
determination of the symmetry center of the signal/idler pattern in the
far-field plane.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures, submitted to J. Mod. Opt. special issue on
Quantum Imagin
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