2,036 research outputs found
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of the Y0 WISEP J173835.52+273258.9 and the Y1 WISE J035000.32-565830.2: the Importance of Non-Equilibrium Chemistry
We present new near-infrared spectra, obtained at Gemini Observatory, for two
Y dwarfs: WISE J035000.32-565830.2 (W0350) and WISEP J173835.52+273258.9
(W1738). A FLAMINGOS-2 R=540 spectrum was obtained for W0350, covering 1.0 <
lambda um < 1.7, and a cross-dispersed GNIRS R=2800 spectrum was obtained for
W1738, covering 0.993-1.087 um, 1.191-1.305 um, 1.589-1.631 um, and 1.985-2.175
um, in four orders. We also present revised YJH photometry for W1738, using new
NIRI Y and J imaging, and a re-analysis of the previously published NIRI H band
images. We compare these data, together with previously published data for
late-T and Y dwarfs, to cloud-free models of solar metallicity, calculated both
in chemical equilibrium and with disequilibrium driven by vertical transport.
We find that for the Y dwarfs the non-equilibrium models reproduce the
near-infrared data better than the equilibrium models. The remaining
discrepancies suggest that fine-tuning the CH_4/CO and NH_3/N_2 balance is
needed. Improved trigonometric parallaxes would improve the analysis. Despite
the uncertainties and discrepancies, the models reproduce the observed
near-infrared spectra well. We find that for the Y0, W1738, T_eff = 425 +/- 25
K and log g = 4.0 +/- 0.25, and for the Y1, W0350, T_eff = 350 +/- 25 K and log
g = 4.0 +/- 0.25. W1738 may be metal-rich. Based on evolutionary models, these
temperatures and gravities correspond to a mass range for both Y dwarfs of 3-9
Jupiter masses, with W0350 being a cooler, slightly older, version of W1738;
the age of W0350 is 0.3-3 Gyr, and the age of W1738 is 0.15-1 Gyr.Comment: Accepted on March 30 2016 for publication in Ap
A uniform analysis of HD209458b Spitzer/IRAC lightcurves with Gaussian process models
We present an analysis of Spitzer/IRAC primary transit and secondary eclipse
lightcurves measured for HD209458b, using Gaussian process models to
marginalise over the intrapixel sensitivity variations in the 3.6 micron and
4.5 micron channels and the ramp effect in the 5.8 micron and 8.0 micron
channels. The main advantage of this approach is that we can account for a
broad range of degeneracies between the planet signal and systematics without
actually having to specify a deterministic functional form for the latter. Our
results do not confirm a previous claim of water absorption in transmission.
Instead, our results are more consistent with a featureless transmission
spectrum, possibly due to a cloud deck obscuring molecular absorption bands.
For the emission data, our values are not consistent with the thermal inversion
in the dayside atmosphere that was originally inferred from these data.
Instead, we agree with another re-analysis of these same data, which concluded
a non-inverted atmosphere provides a better fit. We find that a solar-abundance
clear-atmosphere model without a thermal inversion underpredicts the measured
emission in the 4.5 micron channel, which may suggest the atmosphere is
depleted in carbon monoxide. An acceptable fit to the emission data can be
achieved by assuming that the planet radiates as an isothermal blackbody with a
temperature of K.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, 6 tables. Accepted by MNRA
Superfluid turbulence and pulsar glitch statistics
Experimental evidence is reviewed for the existence of superfluid turbulence
in a differentially rotating, spherical shell at high Reynolds numbers
(\Rey\gsim 10^3), such as the outer core of a neutron star. It is shown that
torque variability increases with \Rey, suggesting that glitch activity in
radio pulsars may be a function of \Rey as well. The \Rey distribution of
the 67 glitching radio pulsars with characteristic ages {\rm
yr} is constructed from radio timing data and cooling curves and compared with
the \Rey distribution of all 348 known pulsars with {\rm
yr}. The two distributions are different, with a Kolmogorov-Smirnov probability
. The conclusion holds for (modified) Urca and
nonstandard cooling, and for Newtonian and superfluid viscosities
Polyunsaturated fatty acids in fishes increase with total lipids irrespective of feeding sources and trophic position
Trophic transfer and retention of dietary compounds are vital for somatic development, reproduction, and survival of aquatic consumers. In this field study, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, and fatty acids (FA) contents in invertebrates and fishes of pre-alpine Lake Lunz, Austria, were used to (1) identify the resource use and trophic level of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus), pike (Esox lucius), perch (Perca fluviatilis), brown trout (Salmo trutta), roach (Rutilus rutilus), and minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) and (2) examine how polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA; i.e., omega-3 and -6 PUFA) are related to total lipid status, littoral-pelagic reliance, and trophic position. Stable isotope data suggest that pike, perch, and minnow derived most of their energy from littoral resources, but minnows differed from pike and perch in their trophic position and PUFA composition. The co-occurrence of cyprinids, percids, and pike segregated these fishes into more lipid-rich (roach, minnow) and lipid-poor (pike, percids) species. Although the relatively lipid-poor pike and percids occupied a higher trophic position than cyprinids, there was a concurrent, total lipid-dependent decline in omega-3 and -6 PUFA in these predatory fishes. Results of this lake food-web study demonstrated that total lipids in fish community, littoral-pelagic reliance, and trophic position explained omega-3 and -6 PUFA in dorsal muscle tissues. Omega-3 and -6 PUFA in these fishes decreased with increasing trophic position, demonstrating that these essential FAs did not biomagnify with increasing trophic level. Finally, this lake food-web study provides evidence of fish community-level relationship between total lipid status and PUFA or stable isotope ratios, whereas the strength of such relationships was less strong at the species level.Peer reviewe
Helicase on DNA: A Phase coexistence based mechanism
We propose a phase coexistence based mechanism for activity of helicases,
ubiquitous enzymes that unwind double stranded DNA. The helicase-DNA complex
constitutes a fixed-stretch ensemble that entails a coexistence of domains of
zipped and unzipped phases of DNA, separated by a domain wall. The motor action
of the helicase leads to a change in the position of the fixed constraint
thereby shifting the domain wall on dsDNA. We associate this off-equilibrium
domain wall motion with the unzipping activity of helicase. We show that this
proposal gives a clear and consistent explanation of the main observed features
of helicases.Comment: Revtex4. 5 pages. 4 figures. Published versio
Results from a set of three-dimensional numerical experiments of a hot Jupiter atmosphere
We present highlights from a large set of simulations of a hot Jupiter
atmosphere, nominally based on HD 209458b, aimed at exploring both the
evolution of the deep atmosphere, and the acceleration of the zonal flow or
jet. We find the occurrence of a super-rotating equatorial jet is robust to
changes in various parameters, and over long timescales, even in the absence of
strong inner or bottom boundary drag. This jet is diminished in one simulation
only, where we strongly force the deep atmosphere equator-to-pole temperature
gradient over long timescales. Finally, although the eddy momentum fluxes in
our atmosphere show similarities with the proposed mechanism for accelerating
jets on tidally-locked planets, the picture appears more complex. We present
tentative evidence for a jet driven by a combination of eddy momentum transport
and mean flow.Comment: 26 pages, 22 Figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Interfacial control of vortex-limited critical current in type-II superconductor films
In a small subset of type-II superconductor films, the critical current is determined by a weakened Bean-Livingston barrier posed by the film surfaces to vortex penetration into the sample. A film property thus depends sensitively on the surface or interface to an adjacent material. We theoretically investigate the dependence of vortex barrier and critical current in such films on the Rashba spin-orbit coupling at their interfaces with adjacent materials. Considering an interface with a magnetic insulator, we find the spontaneous supercurrent resulting from the exchange field and interfacial spin-orbit coupling to substantially modify the vortex surface barrier, consistent with a previous prediction. Thus, we show that the critical currents in superconductor-magnet heterostructures can be controlled, and even enhanced, via the interfacial spin-orbit coupling. Since the latter can be controlled via a gate voltage, our analysis predicts a class of heterostructures amenable to gate-voltage modulation of superconducting critical currents. It also sheds light on the recently observed gate-voltage enhancement of critical current in NbN superconducting film
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