840 research outputs found
Difference image analysis: The interplay between the photometric scale factor and systematic photometric errors
Context: Understanding the source of systematic errors in photometry is
essential for their calibration. Aims: We investigate how photometry performed
on difference images can be influenced by errors in the photometric scale
factor. Methods: We explore the equations for difference image analysis (DIA)
and we derive an expression describing how errors in the difference flux, the
photometric scale factor and the reference flux are propagated to the object
photometry. Results: We find that the error in the photometric scale factor is
important, and while a few studies have shown that it can be at a significant
level, it is currently neglected by the vast majority of photometric surveys
employing DIA. Conclusions: Minimising the error in the photometric scale
factor, or compensating for it in a post-calibration model, is crucial for
reducing the systematic errors in DIA photometry.Comment: Accepted A&
Pair-distribution functions of the two-dimensional electron gas
Based on its known exact properties and a new set of extensive fixed-node
reptation quantum Monte Carlo simulations (both with and without backflow
correlations, which in this case turn out to yield negligible improvements), we
propose a new analytical representation of (i) the spin-summed
pair-distribution function and (ii) the spin-resolved potential energy of the
ideal two-dimensional interacting electron gas for a wide range of electron
densities and spin polarization, plus (iii) the spin-resolved pair-distribution
function of the unpolarized gas. These formulae provide an accurate reference
for quantities previously not available in analytic form, and may be relevant
to semiconductor heterostructures, metal-insulator transitions and quantum dots
both directly, in terms of phase diagram and spin susceptibility, and
indirectly, as key ingredients for the construction of new two-dimensional spin
density functionals, beyond the local approximation.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures; misprints correcte
Electron-phonon interaction in Graphite Intercalation Compounds
Motivated by the recent discovery of superconductivity in Ca- and
Yb-intercalated graphite (CaC and YbC) and from the ongoing debate
on the nature and role of the interlayer state in this class of compounds, in
this work we critically study the electron-phonon properties of a simple model
based on primitive graphite. We show that this model captures an essential
feature of the electron-phonon properties of the Graphite Intercalation
Compounds (GICs), namely, the existence of a strong dormant electron-phonon
interaction between interlayer and electrons, for which we
provide a simple geometrical explanation in terms of NMTO Wannier-like
functions. Our findings correct the oversimplified view that
nearly-free-electron states cannot interact with the surrounding lattice, and
explain the empirical correlation between the filling of the interlayer band
and the occurrence of superconductivity in Graphite-Intercalation Compounds.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Local-spin-density functional for multideterminant density functional theory
Based on exact limits and quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we obtain, at any
density and spin polarization, an accurate estimate for the energy of a
modified homogeneous electron gas where electrons repel each other only with a
long-range coulombic tail. This allows us to construct an analytic
local-spin-density exchange-correlation functional appropriate to new,
multideterminantal versions of the density functional theory, where quantum
chemistry and approximate exchange-correlation functionals are combined to
optimally describe both long- and short-range electron correlations.Comment: revised version, ti appear in PR
Accurate mass measurements of Ne, Na, Mg performed with the {\sc Mistral} spectrometer
The minuteness of the nuclear binding energy requires that mass measurements
be highly precise and accurate. Here we report on new measurements Mg
and Na performed with the {\sc Mistral} mass spectrometer at {\sc
Cern}'s {\sc Isolde} facility. Since mass measurements are prone to systematic
errors, considerable effort has been devoted to their evaluation and
elimination in order to achieve accuracy and not only precision. We have
therefore conducted a campaign of measurements for calibration and error
evaluation. As a result, we now have a satisfactory description of the {\sc
Mistral} calibration laws and error budget. We have applied our new
understanding to previous measurements of Ne, Na and
Mg for which re-evaluated values are reported.Comment: submitted to Nuclear Physics
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