5,702 research outputs found
Chemical and kinematical properties of BSSs and HB stars in NGC 6397
We used three sets of high-resolution spectra acquired with the multifiber
facility FLAMES at the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern
Observatory to investigate the chemical and kinematical properties of a sample
of 42 horizontal branch (HB) stars, 18 Blue Straggler Stars (BSSs) and 86 main
sequence turn-off and sub-giant branch stars in the nearby globular cluster NGC
6397. We measured rotational velocities and Fe, O and Mg abundances. All the
unevolved stars in our sample turn out to have low rotational velocites (v sin
i< 10\kms), while HB stars and BSSs show a broad distribution, with values
ranging from 0 to 70 \kms. For HB stars with T<10500 K there is a clear
temperature-oxygen anti-correlation, that can be understood if the star
position along the HB is mainly determined by the He content. The hottest BSSs
and HB stars (with temperatures T>8200 K and T> 10500 K, respectively) also
show significant deviations in their iron abundance with respect to the cluster
metallicity (as traced by the unevolved stars, [Fe/H]=-2.12). While similar
chemical patterns have been already observed in other hot HB stars, this is the
first evidence ever collected for BSSs. We interprete these abundance anomalies
as due to the metal radiative levitation, occurring in stars with shallow or no
convective envelopes
Utility of Different Electrocardiographical Leads during Diagnostic Ajmaline Test for Suspected Brugada Syndrome
In order to compare the value of different leads and lead combinations to detect the signature Brugada type ECG pattern, we analysed digital 10-second, 15-lead ECGs (12 standard leads + leads V1 to V3 from 3rd intercostal (i.c.) space, V1h to V3h) acquired during diagnostic Ajmaline testing in 128 patients (80 men, age 37±15 years) with suspected Brugada syndrome (BS) (patient group), 15-lead resting ECGs of 108 healthy subjects (53 men, age 31.9±10.5 years) (control group A) and standard 12-lead resting ECGs of 229 healthy subjects (111 men, age 33±4 years) (control group B). Bipolar leads between V2 (positive pole) and V4 or V5 (leads V2-4V2-5) were derived by subtracting leads V4 and V5 from V2 (custom-made program). The 6 peripheral, 6 right precordial leads (V1 to V3, V1h to V3h) and leads V2-4 and V2-5 of the patients group, leads V1h to V3h of control group A, and leads V2-4 and V2-5 of control group B were analysed for the presence of type 1 Brugada pattern. There were 21 (16.4%) positive and 107 (83.6%) negative Ajmaline tests. In 7 positive tests (33%), type 1 pattern appeared only in leads V1h to V3h, whereas in 14 tests 67%) it appeared in both V1 to V3 and V1h to V3h. Lead V2 displayed type 1 pattern during 10 positive tests; in all of them, plus 10 other positive tests type 1 was also noted in lead V2h (n=20, 95.2%). In all 10 cases, in which lead V2 exhibited type 1 pattern (n=10), lead V2-4 and/or V2-5 also exhibited type 1-like pattern. During 7 positive tests, in which lead V2h but not V2 exhibited type 1 pattern, lead V2-4 and/or V2-5 also demonstrated type 1 pattern. Type 1 pattern was observed in leads V3 and V3h during 1 (5%) and 5 (24%) positive tests, in 0 ECGs (0%) in control group A and in 1 ECG (0.4%) in control group B. In conclusion, the "high" V1 and V2 leads (3rd i.c. space) detect more sensitively Brugada type 1 pattern than the standard V1 and V2 leads (4th i.c. space); leads V3 and V3h are not essential for the diagnosis of BS; bipolar leads V2-4 and V2-5 are superior to lead V2 for the ECG diagnosis of BS
Highly Dispersive Spin Excitations in the Chain Cuprate Li2CuO2
We present an inelastic neutron scattering investigation of Li2CuO2 detecting
the long sought quasi-1D magnetic excitations with a large dispersion along the
CuO2-chains studied up to 25 meV. The total dispersion is governed by a
surprisingly large ferromagnetic (FM) nearest-neighbor exchange integral
J1=-228 K. An anomalous quartic dispersion near the zone center and a
pronounced minimum near (0,0.11,0.5) r.l.u. (corresponding to a spiral
excitation with a pitch angle about 41 degree point to the vicinity of a 3D
FM-spiral critical point. The leading exchange couplings are obtained applying
standard linear spin-wave theory. The 2nd neighbor inter-chain interaction
suppresses a spiral state and drives the FM in-chain ordering below the Ne'el
temperature. The obtained exchange parameters are in agreement with the results
for a realistic five-band extended Hubbard Cu 3d O 2p model and L(S)DA+U
predictions.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Europhys. Let
Impact-Induced Chondrule Deformation and Aqueous Alteration of CM2 Murchison
Deformed chondrules in CM2 Murchison have been found to define a prominent foliation [1,2] and lineation [3] in 3D using X-ray computed tomography (XCT). It has been hypothesized that chondrules in foliated chondrites deform by "squeezing" into surrounding pore space [4,5], a process that also likely removes primary porosity [6]. However, shock stage classification based on olivine extinction in Murchison is consistently low (S1-S2) [4-5,7] implying that significant intracrystalline plastic deformation of olivine has not occurred. One objective of our study is therefore to determine the microstructural mechanisms and phases that are accommodating the impact stress and resulting in relative displacements within the chondrules. Another question regarding impact deformation in Murchison is whether it facilitated aqueous alteration as has been proposed for the CMs which generally show a positive correlation between degree of alteration and petrofabric strength [7,2]. As pointed out by [2], CM Murchison represents a unique counterpoint to this correlation: it has a strong petrofabric but a relatively low degree of aqueous alteration. However, Murchison may not represent an inconsistency to the proposed causal relationship between impact and alteration, if it can be established that the incipient aqueous alteration post-dated chondrule deformation. Methods: Two thin sections from Murchison sample USNM 5487 were cut approximately perpendicular to the foliation and parallel to lineation determined by XCT [1,3] and one section was additionally polished for EBSD. Using a combination of optical petrography, SEM, EDS, and EBSD several chondrules were characterized in detail to: determine phases, find microstructures indicative of strain, document the geometric relationships between grain-scale microstructures and the foliation and lineation direction, and look for textural relationships of alteration minerals (tochilinite and Mg-Fe serpentine) that indicate timing of their formation relative to deformation event(s). Preliminary Results: Deformed chondrules are dominated by forsterite and clinoenstatite with lesser amounts of Fe-Mg serpentine, sulfides, and low calcium pyroxene. Olivine grains are commonly fractured but generally show sharp optical extinction. The pyroxene, in contrast, is not only fractured but also often displays undulose extinction. In addition, the clinoenstatite is frequently twinned but it is unclear whether the twins are the result of mechanical deformation or inversion from protoenstatite [8]. EBSD work is currently ongoing to determine if areas of higher crystallographic strain can be imaged and mapped, and to determine the pyroxene twin orientations. In regards to alteration, we have found evidence for post-deformation formation of tochilinite and Mg-Fe serpentine indicating that aqueous alteration has indeed post-dated the deformation of the chondrules
Magnetic behavior of single crystalline HoPdSi
The magnetic behavior of single-crystal HoPdSi, crystallizing in an
AlB-derived hexagonal structure, is investigated by magnetic susceptibility
() and electrical resistivity () measurements along two directions.
There is no dramatic anisotropy in the high temperature Curie-Weiss parameter
or in the and isothermal magnetization data, though there is a
noticeable anisotropy in the magnitude of between two perpendicular
orientations. The degree of anisotropy is overall less prominent than in the Gd
(which is an S-state ion!) and Tb analogues. A point of emphasis is that this
compound undergoes long range magnetic ordering below 8 K as in the case of
analogous Gd and Dy compounds. Considering this fact for these compounds with
well-localised f-orbital, the spin glass freezing noted for isomorphous U
compounds in the recent literature could be attributed to the role of the
f-ligand hybridization, rather than just Pd-Si disorder.Comment: Physical Review B, in pres
Polarization and relaxation of radon
Investigations of the polarization and relaxation of Rn by spin
exchange with laser optically pumped rubidium are reported. On the order of one
million atoms per shot were collected in coated and uncoated glass cells.
Gamma-ray anisotropies were measured as a signal of the alignment (second order
moment of the polarization) resulting from the combination of polarization and
quadrupole relaxation at the cell walls. The temperature dependence over the
range 130C to 220C shows the anisotropies increasing with
increasing temperature as the ratio of the spin exchange polarization rate to
the wall relaxation rate increases faster than the rubidium polarization
decreases. Polarization relaxation rates for coated and uncoated cells are
presented. In addition, improved limits on the multipole mixing ratios of some
of the main gamma-ray transitions have been extracted. These results are
promising for electric dipole moment measurements of octupole-deformed
Rn and other isotopes, provided sufficient quantities of the rare
isotopes can be produced.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
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