Is 0716+714 a superluminal blazar?

We present an analysis of new and old high frequency VLBI data collected during the last 10 years at 5--22 GHz. For the jet components in the mas-VLBI jet, two component identifications are possible. One of them with quasi-stationary components oscillating about their mean positions. Another identification scheme, which formally gives the better expansion fit, yields motion with $\sim 9$ $c$ for $H_0=65$ km s$^{-1}$ Mpc$^{-1}$ and $q_0=0.5$. This model would be in better agreement with the observed rapid IDV and the expected high Lorentz-factor, deduced from IDV.Comment: 2 pages, 3 figures, appears in: Proceedings of the 6th European VLBI Network Symposium held on June 25th-28th in Bonn, Germany. Edited by: E. Ros, R.W. Porcas, A.P. Lobanov, and J.A. Zensu

Optical conductivity for a dimer in the Dynamic Hubbard model

The Dynamic Hubbard Model represents the physics of a multi-band Hubbard model by using a pseudo-spin degree of freedom to dynamically modify the on-site Coulomb interaction. Here we use a dimer system to obtain analytical results for this model. The spectral function and the optical conductivity are calculated analytically for any number of electrons, and the distribution of optical spectral weight is analyzed in great detail. The impact of polaron-like effects due to overlaps between pseudo-spin states on the optical spectral weight distribution is derived analytically. Our conclusions support results obtained previously with different models and techniques: holes are less mobile than electrons.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Hippocampal representation of threat features and behavior in a human approach-avoidance conflict anxiety task

Decisions under threat are crucial to survival and require integration of distinct situational features such as threat probability and magnitude. Recent evidence from human lesion and neuroimaging studies implicated anterior hippocampus (aHC) and amygdala in approach/avoidance decisions under threat, and linked their integrity to cautious behavior. Here we sought to elucidate how threat dimensions and behavior are represented in these structures. Twenty human participants (11 female) completed an approach-avoidance conflict task during high-resolution functional MRI. Participants could gather tokens under threat of capture by a virtual predator, which would lead to token loss. Threat probability (predator wake-up rate) and magnitude (amount of token loss) varied on each trial. To disentangle effects of threat features, and ensuing behavior, we performed a multifold parametric analysis. We found that high threat probability and magnitude related to BOLD signal in left anterior hippocampus/entorhinal cortex. However BOLD signal in this region was better explained by avoidance behavior than by these threat features. A priori region-of-interest analysis confirmed the relation of anterior hippocampus BOLD response with avoidance. Exploratory subfield analysis revealed that this relation was specific to anterior CA2/3 but not CA1. Left lateral amygdala responded to low and high, but not intermediate threat probability. Our results suggest that anterior hippocampus BOLD signal is better explained by avoidance behavior than by threat features in approach-avoidance conflict. Rather than representing threat features in a monotonic manner, it appears that anterior hippocampus may compute approach/avoidance decisions based on integration of situational threat features represented in other neural structures

Ground State and Resonances in the Standard Model of Non-relativistic QED

We prove existence of a ground state and resonances in the standard model of the non-relativistic quantum electro-dynamics (QED). To this end we introduce a new canonical transformation of QED Hamiltonians and use the spectral renormalization group technique with a new choice of Banach spaces.Comment: 50 pages change

Insights into the Carbon chemistry of Mon R2

Aiming to learn about the chemistry of the dense PDR around the ultracompact (UC) HII region in Mon R2, we have observed a series of mm-wavelength transitions of C3H2 and C2H. In addition, we have traced the distribution of other molecules, such as H13CO+, SiO, HCO, and HC3N. These data, together with the reactive ions recently detected, have been considered to determine the physical conditions and to model the PDR chemistry. We then identified two kind of molecules. The first group, formed by the reactive ions (CO+, HOC+) and small hydrocarbons (C2H, C3H2), traces the surface layers of the PDR and is presumably exposed to a high UV field (hence we called it as "high UV", or HUV). HUV species is expected to dominate for visual absorptions 2 < Av < 5 mag. A second group (less exposed to the UV field, and hence called "low UV", or LUV) includes HCO and SiO, and is mainly present at the edges of the PDR (Av > 5 mag). While the abundances of the HUV molecules can be explained by gas phase models, this is not the case for the studied LUV ones. Although some efficient gas-phase reactions might be lacking, grain chemistry sounds like a probable mechanism able to explain the observed enhancement of HCO and SiO. Within this scenario, the interaction of UV photons with grains produces an important effect on the molecular gas chemistry and constitutes the first evidence of an ionization front created by the UC HII region carving its host molecular cloud. The physical conditions and kinematics of the gas layer which surrounds the UC HII region were derived from the HUV molecules. Molecular hydrogen densities > 4 10^6 cm^(-3) are required to reproduce the observations. Such high densities suggest that the HII region could be pressure-confined by the surrounding high density molecular gas.Comment: 32 pages, 8 figures. Accepted by Astrophysical Journa