2,531 research outputs found
Critical escape velocity of black holes from branes
In recent work we have shown that a black hole stacked on a brane escapes
once it acquires a recoil velocity. This result was obtained in the {\it
probe-brane} approximation, {\it i.e.}, when the tension of the brane is
negligibly small. Therefore, it is not clear whether the effect of the brane
tension may prevent the black hole from escaping for small recoil velocities.
The question is whether a critical escape velocity exists. Here, we analyze
this problem by studying the interaction between a Dirac-Nambu-Goto brane and a
black hole assuming adiabatic (quasi-static) evolution. By describing the brane
in a fixed black hole spacetime, which restricts our conclusions to lowest
order effects in the tension, we find that the critical escape velocity does
not exist for co-dimension one branes, while it does for higher co-dimension
branes.Comment: 10 pages, revte
Atmospheric Parameters and Metallicities for 2191 stars in the Globular Cluster M4
We report new metallicities for stars of Galactic globular cluster M4 using
the largest number of stars ever observed at high spectral resolution in any
cluster. We analyzed 7250 spectra for 2771 cluster stars gathered with the VLT
FLAMES+GIRAFFE spectrograph at VLT. These medium resolution spectra cover by a
small wavelength range, and often have very low signal-to-noise ratios. We
attacked this dataset by reconsidering the whole method of abundance analysis
of large stellar samples from beginning to end. We developed a new algorithm
that automatically determines the atmospheric parameters of a star. Nearly all
data preparation steps for spectroscopic analyses are processed on the
syntheses, not the observed spectra. For 322 Red Giant Branch stars with we obtain a nearly constant metallicity, ( = 0.02). No difference in the metallicity at the level of
is observed between the two RGB sequences identified by
\cite{Monelli:2013us}. For 1869 Subgiant and Main Sequence Stars we
obtain ( = 0.09) after fixing the
microturbulent velocity. These values are consistent with previous studies that
have performed detailed analyses of brighter RGB stars at higher spectroscopic
resolution and wavelength coverage. It is not clear if the small mean
metallicity difference between brighter and fainter M4 members is real or is
the result of the low signal-to-noise characteristics of the fainter stars. The
strength of our approach is shown by recovering a metallicity close to a single
value for more than two thousand stars, using a dataset that is non-optimal for
atmospheric analyses. This technique is particularly suitable for noisy data
taken in difficult observing conditions.Comment: 17 pages, 20 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in The
Astronomical Journa
Escape of black holes from the brane
TeV-scale gravity theories allow the possibility of producing small black
holes at energies that soon will be explored at the LHC or at the Auger
observatory. One of the expected signatures is the detection of Hawking
radiation, that might eventually terminate if the black hole, once perturbed,
leaves the brane. Here, we study how the `black hole plus brane' system evolves
once the black hole is given an initial velocity, that mimics, for instance,
the recoil due to the emission of a graviton. The results of our dynamical
analysis show that the brane bends around the black hole, suggesting that the
black hole eventually escapes into the extra dimensions once two portions of
the brane come in contact and reconnect. This gives a dynamical mechanism for
the creation of baby branes.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
Multiple stellar populations in Galactic globular clusters: observational evidence
An increasing number of both photometric and spectroscopic observations over
the last years have shown the existence of distinct sub-populations in many
Galactic globular clusters and shattered the paradigm of globulars hosting
single, simple stellar populations.
These multiple populations manifest themselves in a split of different
evolutionary sequences in the cluster color-magnitude diagrams and in
star-to-star abundance variations. In this paper we will summarize the
observational scenario.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings SF2A 201
Supergravity and Superstring Signatures of the One-Parameter Model at LHC
Many string constructions have a classical no-scale structure, resulting in a
one-parameter model (OPM) for the supersymmetry breaking soft terms. As a
highly constrained subset of mSUGRA, the OPM has the potential to be
predictive. Conversely, if the observed superpartner spectrum at LHC is a
subset of the OPM parameter space, then this may provide a clue to the
underlying theory at high energies. We investigate the allowed supersymmetry
parameter space for a generic one-parameter model taking into account the most
recent experimental constraints. We find that in the strict moduli scenario,
there are no regions of the parameter space which may satisfy all constraints.
However, for the dilaton scenario, there are small regions of the parameter
space where all constraints may be satisfied and for which the observed dark
matter density may be generated. We also survey the possible signatures which
may be observable at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Finally, we compare
collider signatures of OPM to those from a model with non-universal soft terms,
in particular those of an intersecting D6-brane model. We find that it may be
possible to distinguish between these diverse scenarios at LHC.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in PR
The Hubble Space Telescope UV Legacy Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters. X. The radial distribution of stellar populations in NGC 2808
Due to their extreme helium abundance, the multiple stellar populations of
the globular cluster NGC 2808 have been widely investigated from a photometric,
spectroscopic, and kinematic perspective. The most striking feature of the
color-magnitude diagram of NGC 2808 is the triple main sequence (MS), with the
red MS corresponding to a stellar population with primordial helium, and the
middle and the blue MS being enhanced in helium up to Y0.32 and
0.38, respectively. A recent study has revealed that this massive cluster
hosts at least five distinct stellar populations (A, B, C, D, and E). Among
them populations A, B, and C correspond to the red MS, while populations C and
D are connected to the middle and the blue MS. In this paper we exploit
Hubble-Space-Telescope photometry to investigate the radial distribution of the
red, the middle and the blue MS from the cluster center out to about 8.5
arcmin. Our analysis shows that the radial distribution of each of the three
MSs is different. In particular, as predicted from multiple-population
formation models, both the blue MS and the middle MS appears to be more
concentrated than the red MS with a significance level for this result wich is
above 3{\sigma}.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Far-Ultraviolet Activity Levels of F, G, K, and M dwarf Exoplanet Host Stars
We present a survey of far-ultraviolet (FUV; 1150 - 1450 Ang) emission line
spectra from 71 planet-hosting and 33 non-planet-hosting F, G, K, and M dwarfs
with the goals of characterizing their range of FUV activity levels,
calibrating the FUV activity level to the 90 - 360 Ang extreme-ultraviolet
(EUV) stellar flux, and investigating the potential for FUV emission lines to
probe star-planet interactions (SPIs). We build this emission line sample from
a combination of new and archival observations with the Hubble Space
Telescope-COS and -STIS instruments, targeting the chromospheric and transition
region emission lines of Si III, N V, C II, and Si IV.
We find that the exoplanet host stars, on average, display factors of 5 - 10
lower UV activity levels compared with the non-planet hosting sample; this is
explained by a combination of observational and astrophysical biases in the
selection of stars for radial-velocity planet searches. We demonstrate that UV
activity-rotation relation in the full F - M star sample is characterized by a
power-law decline (with index ~ -1.1), starting at rotation periods
>~3.5 days. Using N V or Si IV spectra and a knowledge of the star's bolometric
flux, we present a new analytic relationship to estimate the intrinsic stellar
EUV irradiance in the 90 - 360 Ang band with an accuracy of roughly a factor of
~2. Finally, we study the correlation between SPI strength and UV activity in
the context of a principal component analysis that controls for the sample
biases. We find that SPIs are not a statistically significant contributor to
the observed UV activity levels.Comment: ApJS, accepted. 33 pages in emulateapj, 13 figures, 10 table
Nuclear quantum effects in ab initio dynamics: theory and experiments for lithium imide
Owing to their small mass, hydrogen atoms exhibit strong quantum behavior
even at room temperature. Including these effects in first principles
calculations is challenging, because of the huge computational effort required
by conventional techniques. Here we present the first ab-initio application of
a recently-developed stochastic scheme, which allows to approximate nuclear
quantum effects inexpensively. The proton momentum distribution of lithium
imide, a material of interest for hydrogen storage, was experimentally measured
by inelastic neutron scattering experiments and compared with the outcome of
quantum thermostatted ab initio dynamics. We obtain favorable agreement between
theory and experiments for this purely quantum mechanical property, thereby
demonstrating that it is possible to improve the modelling of complex
hydrogen-containing materials without additional computational effort
Sequential study of echocardiographic changes in purulent pericarditis
Serial echocardiographic studies were performed in a child with purulent pericarditis. Besides demonstrating the pericardial effusion, echocardiography was used to assess cardiac function. Computer analysis of changes in left ventricular dimension showed impaired diastolic filling, persisting after pericardiocentesis but normalizing after pericardiectomy
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