47,329 research outputs found
Variational analysis of self-focusing of intense ultrashort pulses in gases
By using perturbation theory we derive an expression for the electrical field
of a Gaussian laser pulse propagating in a gas medium. This expression is used
as a trial solution in a variational method to get quasianalytical solutions
for the width, intensity and self-focusing distance of ultrashort pulse. The
approximation gives an improved agreement with results of numerical simulations
for a broad range of values of the input power of the pulse than previous
analytical results available in the literature.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figure
An X-ray survey of nine historical novae
The Einstein Observatory imaging proportional counter was used to search for X-ray emission from nine nearby historical novae. Six of the novae were detected with estimated X-ray intensities between .1 to 4 keV of 10 to the -13th power to 10 to the -11th power ergs/sq cm-s, comparable to the intensities of previously detected cataclysmic variables. The X-ray intensity of one of the novae, V603 Aql, varies over times of several hundred seconds. The data suggest a correlation between the decay rate of the historical outburst and the current X-ray luminosity. Alternatively, the X-ray luminosity may be related to the inclination of the binary system
Host Galaxies of Young Dust-Reddened Quasars
We present results on a multiwavelength campaign to identify the nature of dust-reddened Type 1 quasars. These quasars were selected by matching FIRST, 2MASS and very red optical counterparts with r' − K > 5. We find a very high fraction of Low Ionization Broad Absorption Line Quasars (LoBALs) among AGN selected with this method, perhaps a sign of quasar feedback. From X-ray observations and Balmer decrement measurements, the obscuring dust is most likely located in a cold absorber such as the host galaxy, rather than from a torus near the AGN. Hubble ACS imaging of a sub-sample of these sources showed a very high fraction of interacting and merging systems. The quasars appear to be very young in which dust from the merging galaxies is still settling in. Spitzer IRS and MIPS data show star formation signatures and deep Silicate absorption features in these objects, but overall the quasar is the dominant source in the Mid-infrared
Learning Curves for Mutual Information Maximization
An unsupervised learning procedure based on maximizing the mutual information
between the outputs of two networks receiving different but statistically
dependent inputs is analyzed (Becker and Hinton, Nature, 355, 92, 161). For a
generic data model, I show that in the large sample limit the structure in the
data is recognized by mutual information maximization. For a more restricted
model, where the networks are similar to perceptrons, I calculate the learning
curves for zero-temperature Gibbs learning. These show that convergence can be
rather slow, and a way of regularizing the procedure is considered.Comment: 13 pages, to appear in Phys.Rev.
Solar wind helium, neon and argon released by oxidation of metal grains from the Weston chondrite
A set of experiments were carried out to test the feasibility of determining unfractionated elemental and isotopic ratios for the noble gases in the presumably ancient solar wind present in the gas rich meteorites. The problems of diffusive loss was avoided by analyzing metal rather than the usual silicates. In order to avoid chemical, and even harsh physical, treatment of the sample, which might have affected the surfaces of metal grains, a means of analyzing the metal in the presence of residual silicate not removed by gentle crushing and magnetic separation was devised. Preliminary results given were obtained by taking advantage of the differing properties of metal and silicates with regard to diffusion. The results suggests that, with some modifications in the choice of pyrolysis and combustion temperatures and in the amount of O2 used, it should be possible, by oxidizing the surfaces of metal grains from gas rich meteorites, to obtain data on solar wind that has not been fractionated by diffusive loss
A new model for the X-ray continuum of the magnetized accreting pulsars
Accreting highly magnetized pulsars in binary systems are among the brightest
X-ray emitters in our Galaxy. Although a number of high statistical quality
broad-band (0.1-100 keV) X-ray observations are available, the spectral energy
distribution of these sources is usually investigated by adopting pure
phenomenological models, rather than models linked to the physics of accretion.
In this paper, a detailed spectral study of the X-ray emission recorded from
the high-mass X-ray binary pulsars Cen X-3, 4U 0115+63, and Her X-1 is carried
out by using BeppoSAX and joined Suzaku+NuStar data, together with an advanced
version of the compmag model. The latter provides a physical description of the
high energy emission from accreting pulsars, including the thermal and bulk
Comptonization of cyclotron and bremsstrahlung seed photons along the neutron
star accretion column. The compmag model is based on an iterative method for
solving second-order partial differential equations, whose convergence
algorithm has been improved and consolidated during the preparation of this
paper. Our analysis shows that the broad-band X-ray continuum of all considered
sources can be self-consistently described by the compmag model. The cyclotron
absorption features, not included in the model, can be accounted for by using
Gaussian components. From the fits of the compmag model to the data we inferred
the physical properties of the accretion columns in all sources, finding values
reasonably close to those theoretically expected according to our current
understanding of accretion in highly magnetized neutron stars. The updated
version of the compmag model has been tailored to the physical processes that
are known to occur in the columns of highly magnetized accreting neutron stars
and it can thus provide a better understanding of the high energy radiation
from these sources.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A&
A 2 component X-ray spectrum from SMC X-1
Both HEAO-1 A2 and Einstein SSS observations of SMC X-1 are presented. An unpulsed soft component is found with a blackbody temperature of 0.16 keV and an area for the emission region of 10 to the 15th power sq cm to 10 to the 17th power sq cm. The hard X-ray component is pulsed; the phase averaged spectrum is a power law with alpha approximately 0.5 keV up to 17 keV above which it steepens. The SSS sets an upper limit of 4 x 10 to the 21st power H cm/2 to any absorption and is consistent with that expected from the wind of SK160. Absorption dips with a timescale of several hundred seconds are seen immediately following an eclipse exit and are probably caused by inhomogeneities in the wind of SK160
Stellar Population Effects on the Inferred Photon Density at Reionization
The relationship between stellar populations and the ionizing flux with which
they irradiate their surroundings has profound implications for the evolution
of the intergalactic medium. We quantify the ionizing flux arising from
synthetic stellar populations which incorporate the evolution of interacting
binary stars. We determine that these show ionizing flux boosted by 60 per cent
at 0.05 < Z < 0.3 Z_sun and a more modest 10-20 per cent at near-Solar
metallicities relative to star-forming populations in which stars evolve in
isolation. The relation of ionizing flux to observables such as 1500A continuum
and ultraviolet spectral slope is sensitive to attributes of the stellar
population including age, star formation history and initial mass function. For
a galaxy forming 1 M_sun yr^{-1}, observed at > 100 Myr after the onset of star
formation, we predict a production rate of photons capable of ionizing
hydrogen, N_ion = 1.4 x 10^{53} s^{-1} at Z = Z_sun and 3.5 x 10^{53} s^{-1} at
0.1 Z_sun, assuming a Salpeter-like initial mass function. We evaluate the
impact of these issues on the ionization of the intergalactic medium, finding
that the known galaxy populations can maintain the ionization state of the
Universe back to z ~ 9, assuming that their luminosity functions continue to
M_UV = -10, and that constraints on the intergalactic medium at z ~ 2 - 5 can
be satisfied with modest Lyman continuum photon escape fractions of 4 - 24 per
cent depending on assumed metallicity.Comment: 17 pages, accepted by MNRAS. BPASS models can be found at
http://bpass.auckland.ac.nz
Analytical ground state for the three-band Hubbard model
For the calculation of charge excitations as those observed in, e.g.,
photo-emission spectroscopy or in electron-energy loss spectroscopy, a correct
description of ground-state charge properties is essential. In strongly
correlated systems like the undoped cuprates this is a highly non-trivial
problem. In this paper we derive a non-perturbative analytical approximation
for the ground state of the three-band Hubbard model on an infinite, half
filled CuO_2 plane. By comparison with Projector Quantum Monte Carlo
calculations it is shown that the resulting expressions correctly describe the
charge properties of the ground state. Relations to other approaches are
discussed. The analytical ground state preserves size consistency and can be
generalized for other geometries, while still being both easy to interpret and
to evaluate.Comment: REVTeX, 8 pages, 6 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Coccidia
Several years ago there appeared in U) a well-known poultry journal an article on coccidiosis of chickens entitled Poultry Enemy No. 1. It is not improbable that the author was deservedly subject to a charge of over-emphasis, but on the other hand, it is undeniable that three or four coccidian infections of poultry together constitute a serious menace to poultrymen
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