Oscillation modes of relativistic slender tori

Accretion flows with pressure gradients permit the existence of standing waves which may be responsible for observed quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO's) in X-ray binaries. We present a comprehensive treatment of the linear modes of a hydrodynamic, non-self-gravitating, polytropic slender torus, with arbitrary specific angular momentum distribution, orbiting in an arbitrary axisymmetric spacetime with reflection symmetry. We discuss the physical nature of the modes, present general analytic expressions and illustrations for those which are low order, and show that they can be excited in numerical simulations of relativistic tori. The mode oscillation spectrum simplifies dramatically for near Keplerian angular momentum distributions, which appear to be generic in global simulations of the magnetorotational instability. We discuss our results in light of observations of high frequency QPO's, and point out the existence of a new pair of modes which can be in an approximate 3:2 ratio for arbitrary black hole spins and angular momentum distributions, provided the torus is radiation pressure dominated. This mode pair consists of the axisymmetric vertical epicyclic mode and the lowest order axisymmetric breathing mode.Comment: submitted to MNRA

Fault-tolerance of a neural network solving the traveling salesman problem

This study presents the results of a fault-injection experiment that stimulates a neural network solving the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). The network is based on a modified version of Hopfield's and Tank's original method. We define a performance characteristic for the TSP that allows an overall assessment of the solution quality for different city-distributions and problem sizes. Five different 10-, 20-, and 30- city cases are sued for the injection of up to 13 simultaneous stuck-at-0 and stuck-at-1 faults. The results of more than 4000 simulation-runs show the extreme fault-tolerance of the network, especially with respect to stuck-at-0 faults. One possible explanation for the overall surprising result is the redundancy of the problem representation

Quasi-Periodic Oscillations from Magnetorotational Turbulence

Quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in the X-ray lightcurves of accreting neutron star and black hole binaries have been widely interpreted as being due to standing wave modes in accretion disks. These disks are thought to be highly turbulent due to the magnetorotational instability (MRI). We study wave excitation by MRI turbulence in the shearing box geometry. We demonstrate that axisymmetric sound waves and radial epicyclic motions driven by MRI turbulence give rise to narrow, distinct peaks in the temporal power spectrum. Inertial waves, on the other hand, do not give rise to distinct peaks which rise significantly above the continuum noise spectrum set by MRI turbulence, even when the fluid motions are projected onto the eigenfunctions of the modes. This is a serious problem for QPO models based on inertial waves.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. submitted to ap

Simulation of the enhanced Curie temperature in Mn_5Ge_3C_x compounds

Mn_5Ge_3C_x films with x>0.5 were experimentally shown to exhibit a strongly enhanced Curie temperature T_C compared to Mn_5Ge_3. In this letter we present the results of our first principles calculations within Green's function approach, focusing on the effect of carbon doping on the electronic and magnetic properties of the Mn_5Ge_3. The calculated exchange coupling constants revealed an enhancement of the ferromagnetic Mn-Mn interactions mediated by carbon. The essentially increased T_C in Mn_5Ge_3C is well reproduced in our Monte Carlo simulations and together with the decrease of the total magnetisation is found to be predominantly of an electronic nature

Strain and correlation of self-organized Ge_(1-x)Mn_x nanocolumns embedded in Ge (001)

We report on the structural properties of Ge_(1-x)Mn_x layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy. In these layers, nanocolumns with a high Mn content are embedded in an almost-pure Ge matrix. We have used grazing-incidence X-ray scattering, atomic force and transmission electron microscopy to study the structural properties of the columns. We demonstrate how the elastic deformation of the matrix (as calculated using atomistic simulations) around the columns, as well as the average inter-column distance can account for the shape of the diffusion around Bragg peaks.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Asymmetric neutrino emission due to neutrino-nucleon scatterings in supernova magnetic fields

We derive the cross section of neutrino-nucleon scatterings in supernova magnetic fields, including weak-magnetism and recoil corrections. Since the weak interaction violates the parity, the scattering cross section asymmetrically depends on the directions of the neutrino momenta to the magnetic field; the origin of pulsar kicks may be explained by the mechanism. An asymmetric neutrino emission (a drift flux) due to neutrino-nucleon scatterings is absent at the leading level of $\mathcal O(\mu_BB/T)$, where $\mu_B$ is the nucleon magneton, $B$ is the magnetic field strength, and $T$ is the matter temperature at a neutrinosphere. This is because at this level the drift flux of the neutrinos are exactly canceled by that of the antineutrinos. Hence, the relevant asymmetry in the neutrino emission is suppressed by much smaller coefficient of $\mathcal O(\mu_BB/m)$, where $m$ is the nucleon mass; detailed form of the relevant drift flux is also derived from the scattering cross section, using a simple diffusion approximation. It appears that the asymmetric neutrino emission is too small to induce the observed pulsar kicks. However, we note the fact that the drift flux is proportional to the deviation of the neutrino distribution function from the value of thermal equilibrium at neutrinosphere. Since the deviation can be large for non-electron neutrinos, it is expected that there occurs cancellation between the deviation and the small suppression factor of $\mathcal O(\mu_BB/m)$. Using a simple parameterization, we show that the drift flux due to neutrino-nucleon scatterings may be comparable to the leading term due to beta processes with nucleons, which has been estimated to give a relevant kick velocity when the magnetic field is sufficiently strong as $10^{15}$--$10^{16}$ G.Comment: 19 pages, 1 figure. Accepted by Physical Review

Assessment of post-laparotomy pain in laboratory mice by telemetric recording of heart rate and heart rate variability

BACKGROUND: Pain of mild to moderate grade is difficult to detect in laboratory mice because mice are prey animals that attempt to elude predators or man by hiding signs of weakness, injury or pain. In this study, we investigated the use of telemetry to identify indicators of mild-to-moderate post-laparotomy pain. RESULTS: Adult mice were subjected to laparotomy, either combined with pain treatment (carprofen or flunixin, 5mg/kg s/c bid, for 1 day) or without pain relief. Controls received anesthesia and analgesics or vehicle only. Telemetrically measured locomotor activity was undisturbed in all animals, thus confirming that any pain experienced was of the intended mild level. No symptoms of pain were registered in any of the groups by scoring the animals' outer appearance or spontaneous and provoked behavior. In contrast, the group receiving no analgesic treatment after laparotomy demonstrated significant changes in telemetry electrocardiogram recordings: increased heart rate and decreased heart rate variability parameters pointed to sympathetic activation and pain lasting for 24 hours. In addition, core body temperature was elevated. Body weight and food intake were reduced for 3 and 2 days, respectively. Moreover, unstructured cage territory and destroyed nests appeared for 1-2 days in an increased number of animals in this group only. In controls these parameters were not affected. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, real-time telemetric recordings of heart rate and heart rate variability were indicative of mild-to-moderate post-laparotomy pain and could define its duration in our mouse model. This level of pain cannot easily be detected by direct observation

Stellar Pollution in the Solar Neighborhood

We study spectroscopically determined iron abundances of 640 solar-type stars to search for the signature of accreted iron-rich material. We find that the metallicity [Fe/H] of a subset of 466 main-sequence stars, when plotted as a function of stellar mass, mimics the pattern seen in lithium abundances in open clusters. Using Monte Carlo models, we find that, on average, these stars appear to have accreted ~0.5 M⊕ of iron while on the main-sequence. A consistency check is provided by a much smaller sample of 19 stars in the Hertzsprung gap, which are slightly evolved and the convection zones of which are significantly more massive; they have lower average [Fe/H], and their metallicity shows no clear variation with stellar mass. We argue that our Sun is likely to have accreted a similar amount of iron; in this respect, most systems resemble ours rather than the currently known extrasolar planetary systems. These findings suggest that terrestrial-type material is common around solar-type stars

Excitation of Trapped Waves in Simulations of Tilted Black Hole Accretion Disks with Magnetorotational Turbulence

We analyze the time dependence of fluid variables in general relativistic, magnetohydrodynamic simulations of accretion flows onto a black hole with dimensionless spin parameter a/M=0.9. We consider both the case where the angular momentum of the accretion material is aligned with the black hole spin axis (an untilted flow) and where it is misaligned by 15 degrees (a tilted flow). In comparison to the untilted simulation, the tilted simulation exhibits a clear excess of inertial variability, that is, variability at frequencies below the local radial epicyclic frequency. We further study the radial structure of this inertial-like power by focusing on a radially extended band at 118 (M/10Msol)^-1 Hz found in each of the three analyzed fluid variables. The three dimensional density structure at this frequency suggests that the power is a composite oscillation whose dominant components are an over dense clump corotating with the background flow, a low order inertial wave, and a low order inertial-acoustic wave. Our results provide preliminary confirmation of earlier suggestions that disk tilt can be an important excitation mechanism for inertial waves.Comment: 8 Pages, 6 Figures, accepted for publication in Ap