1,557 research outputs found
Production of Polarized Vector Mesons off Nuclei
Using the light-cone QCD dipole formalism we investigate manifestations of
color transparency (CT) and coherence length (CL) effects in electroproduction
of longitudinally (L) and transversally (T) polarized vector mesons. Motivated
by forthcoming data from the HERMES experiment we predict both the A and Q^2
dependence of the L/T- ratios, for rho^0 mesons produced coherently and
incoherently off nuclei. For an incoherent reaction the CT and CL effects add
up and result in a monotonic A dependence of the L/T-ratio at different values
of Q^2. On the contrary, for a coherent process the contraction of the CL with
Q^2 causes an effect opposite to that of CT and we expect quite a nontrivial A
dependence, especially at Q^2 >> m_V^2.Comment: Revtex 24 pages and 14 figure
Rocket and FUSE Observations of IC 405: Differential Extinction and Fluorescent Molecular Hydrogen
We present far-ultraviolet spectroscopy of the emission/reflection nebula IC
405 obtained by a rocket-borne long-slit spectrograph and the Far Ultraviolet
Spectroscopic Explorer. Both data sets show a rise in the ratio of the nebular
surface brightness to stellar flux (S/F_*) of approximately two orders of
magnitude towards the blue end of the far-UV bandpass. Scattering models using
simple dust geometries fail to reproduce the observed S/F_* for realistic grain
properties. The high spectral resolution of the FUSE data reveals a rich
fluorescent molecular hydrogen spectrum ~1000" north of the star that is
clearly distinguished from the steady blue continuum. The S/F_* remains roughly
constant at all nebular pointings, showing that fluorescent molecular hydrogen
is not the dominant cause for the blue rise. We discuss three possible
mechanisms for the ``Blue Dust'': differential extinction of the dominant star
(HD 34078), unusual dust grain properties, and emission from nebular dust. We
conclude that uncertainties in the nebular geometry and the degree of dust
clumping are most likely responsible for the blue rise. As an interesting
consequence of this result, we consider how IC 405 would appear in a spatially
unresolved observation. If IC 405 was observed with a spatial resolution of
less than 0.4 pc, for example, an observer would infer a far-UV flux that was
2.5 times the true value, giving the appearance of a stellar continuum that was
less extinguished than radiation from the surrounding nebula, an effect that is
reminiscent of the observed ultraviolet properties of starburst galaxies.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, using emulateapj, ApJ - accepte
East Asian audio-visual collaboration and the global expansion of Chinese media
This article investigates the significant re-orientation of audio-visual production in East Asia over the last few years brought about by the rise of China, beginning with the proposition that unprecedented change is occurring in East Asian media production. While the 'Sinophone world' has been the locus of critical analysis in the past, all eyes are now focused on China. Flows of knowledge, expertise and content are becoming significant in this mediascape, yet this dimension has been overlooked by most scholarship in the field. Conceptual and theoretical frameworks based on cross-border consumption of East Asian content require urgent revision. This article shows how media collaborations are changing global media practice and East Asian media flows through a variety of contemporary international collaborations, as well as relevant policy frameworks that impact, positively or negatively, productions by international partners working in film, television and online and mobile video content
M87: A Misaligned BL LAC?
The nuclear region of M87 was observed with the Faint Object Spectrograph
(FOS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) at 6 epochs, spanning 18 months,
after the HST image quality was improved with the deployment of the corrective
optics (COSTAR) in December 1993. From the FOS target acquisition data, we have
established that the flux from the optical nucleus of M87 varies by a factor ~2
on time scales of ~2.5 months and by as much as 25% over 3 weeks, and remains
unchanged (<= 2.5%) on time scales of ~1 day. The changes occur in an
unresolved central region <= 5 pc in diameter, with the physical size of the
emitting region limited by the observed time scales to a few hundred
gravitational radii. The featureless continuum spectrum becomes bluer as it
brightens while emission lines remain unchanged. This variability combined with
the observations of the continuum spectral shape, strong relativistic boosting
and the detection of significant superluminal motions in the jet, strongly
suggest that M87 belongs to the class of BL Lac objects but is viewed at an
angle too large to reveal the classical BL Lac properties.Comment: 12 pages, 3 Postscript figure
WFC3 Calibration and Data Processing
Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), a panchromatic imager being developed for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), is now fully integrated and over the past year has completed first rounds of extensive ground testing at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), in both ambient and thermal-vacuum test environments. This report summarizes the results of those tests and describes the pipeline processing methods that will be used to calibrate WFC3 data. WFC3 is designed to ensure that the superb imaging performance of HST is maintained through the end of the mission and takes advantage of recent developments in detector technology to provide new and unique capabilities for HST. WFC3 contains ultraviolet/visible (UVIS) and near-infrared (IR) imaging channels, offering high sensitivity and wide field of view over the broadest wavelength range of any HST instrument. It is slated to replace the current Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 during Servicing Mission 4. The WFC3 UVIS channel is based on elements from the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS)Wide Field Camera (WFC), with a 4096x4096 pixel Marconi CCD covering a 160x160 arcsecond field of view. The WFC3 UVIS channel is optimized for maximum sensitivity in the near-UV and contains a complement of 48 spectral filters and a grism. The WFC3 IR channel uses a 1024x1024 pixel HgCdTe Hawaii-1R detector array covering a 135x135 arcsecond field of view. The array sensitivity is optimized in the 0.8-1.7micron spectral range. The IR channel accomodates 15 filters and 2 grisms for slitless spectroscopy
Environmental heterogeneity predicts global species richness patterns better than area
Aim
It is widely accepted that biodiversity is influenced by both nicheârelated and spatial processes from local to global scales. Their relative importance, however, is still disputed, and empirical tests are surprisingly scarce at the global scale. Here, we compare the importance of area (as a proxy for pure spatial processes) and environmental heterogeneity (as a proxy for nicheârelated processes) for predicting native mammal species richness worldâwide and within biogeographical regions.
Location
Global.
Time period
We analyse a spatial snapshot of richness data collated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Major taxa studied
All terrestrial mammal species, including possibly extinct species and species with uncertain presence.
Methods
We applied a spreading dye algorithm to analyse how native mammal species richness changes with area and environmental heterogeneity. As measures for environmental heterogeneity, we used elevation ranges and precipitation ranges, which are wellâknown correlates of species richness.
Results
We found that environmental heterogeneity explained species richness relationships better than did area, suggesting that nicheârelated processes are more prevalent than pure area effects at broad scales.
Main conclusions
Our results imply that nicheârelated processes are essential to understand broadâscale speciesâarea relationships and that habitat diversity is more important than area alone for the protection of global biodiversity
Infrared generation in low-dimensional semiconductor heterostructures via quantum coherence
A new scheme for infrared generation without population inversion between
subbands in quantum-well and quantum-dot lasers is presented and documented by
detailed calculations. The scheme is based on the simultaneous generation at
three frequencies: optical lasing at the two interband transitions which take
place simultaneously, in the same active region, and serve as the coherent
drive for the IR field. This mechanism for frequency down-conversion does not
rely upon any ad hoc assumptions of long-lived coherences in the semiconductor
active medium. And it should work efficiently at room temperature with
injection current pumping. For optimized waveguide and cavity parameters, the
intrinsic efficiency of the down-conversion process can reach the limiting
quantum value corresponding to one infrared photon per one optical photon. Due
to the parametric nature of IR generation, the proposed inversionless scheme is
especially promising for long-wavelength (far- infrared) operation.Comment: 4 pages, 1 Postscript figure, Revtex style. Replacement corrects a
printing error in the authors fiel
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