The relation between accretion rate and jet power in X-ray luminous elliptical galaxies

Using Chandra X-ray observations of 9 nearby, X-ray luminous ellipticals with good optical velocity dispersion measurements, we show that a tight correlation exists between the Bondi accretion rates calculated from the X-ray data and estimated black hole masses, and the power emerging from these systems in relativistic jets. The jet powers, inferred from the energies and timescales required to inflate the cavities observed in the surrounding X-ray emitting gas, can be related to the accretion rates by a power law model. A significant fraction (2.2^{+1.0}_{-0.7} per cent, for P_jet=10^{43} erg/s) of the energy associated with the rest mass of material entering the accretion radius eventually emerges in the jets. The data also hint that this fraction may rise slightly with increasing jet power. Our results have significant implications for studies of accretion, jet formation and galaxy formation. The tight correlation between P_Bondi and P_jet suggests that the Bondi formulae provide a reasonable description of the accretion process, despite the likely presence of magnetic pressure and angular momentum in the accreting gas, and that the accretion flows are approximately stable over timescales of a few million years. Our results show that the black hole `engines' at the hearts of large elliptical galaxies and groups can feed back sufficient energy to stem cooling and star formation, leading naturally to the observed exponential cut off at the bright end of the galaxy luminosity function.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 10 pages, 4 figures. Includes an enhanced statistical analysis and some additional data. Conclusions unchange

Massless scalar field in two-dimensional de Sitter universe

We study the massless minimally coupled scalar field on a two--dimensional de Sitter space-time in the setting of axiomatic quantum field theory. We construct the invariant Wightman distribution obtained as the renormalized zero--mass limit of the massive one. Insisting on gauge invariance of the model we construct a vacuum state and a Hilbert space of physical states which are invariant under the action of the whole de Sitter group. We also present the integral expression of the conserved charge which generates the gauge invariance and propose a definition of dual field.Comment: 13 page

Adaptive dynamics with interaction structure

Evolutionary dynamics depend critically on a population's interaction structure - the pattern of which individuals interact with which others, depending on the state of the population and the environment. Previous research has shown, for example, that cooperative behaviors disfavored in well-mixed populations can be favored when interactions occur only between spatial neighbors or group members. Combining the adaptive dynamics approach with recent advances in evolutionary game theory, we here introduce a general mathematical framework for analyzing the long-term evolution of continuous game strategies for a broad class of evolutionary models, encompassing many varieties of interaction structure. Our main result, the "canonical equation of adaptive dynamics with interaction structure", characterizes expected evolutionary trajectories resulting from any such model, thereby generalizing a central tool of adaptive dynamics theory. Interestingly, the effects of different interaction structures and update rules on evolutionary trajectories are fully captured by just two real numbers associated with each model, which are independent of the considered game. The first, a structure coefficient, quantifies the effects on selection pressures, and thus on the shapes of expected evolutionary trajectories. The second, an effective population size, quantifies the effects on selection responses, and thus on the expected rates of adaptation. Applying our results to two social dilemmas, we show how the range of evolutionarily stable cooperative behaviors systematically varies with a model's structure coefficient

Turbulent-like fluctuations in quasistatic flow of granular media

We analyze particle velocity fluctuations in a simulated granular system subjected to homogeneous quasistatic shearing. We show that these fluctuations share the following scaling characteristics of fluid turbulence in spite of their different physical origins: 1) Scale-dependent probability distribution with non-Guassian broadening at small time scales; 2) Power-law spectrum, reflecting long-range correlations and the self-affine nature of the fluctuations; 3) Superdiffusion with respect to the mean background flow

Distribution of diatoms in relation to the character of water masses and currents off southern California in 1938

In 1938 the E.W. Scripps made six cruises at intervals of two months, covering on each cruise the same area off the coast of southern California. The station plan is shown in Figure 37, but not all stations indicated in that figure could be occupied on each cruise owing to unfavorable weather conditions and the short time available for completion of the work. On all cruises observations of temperature, salinity, and oxygen were made between the surface and a depth of 600 meters...