29,928 research outputs found
The Structure of the Outer Halo of the Galaxy and its Relationship to Nearby Large-Scale Structure
We present evidence to support an earlier indication that the Galaxy is
embedded in an extended, highly inclined, triaxial halo outlined by the spatial
distribution of companion galaxies to the Milky Way. Signatures of this spatial
distribution are seen in 1) the angular variation of the radial-velocity
dispersion of the companion galaxies, 2) the spatial distribution of the M~31
sub-group of galaxies, 3) the spatial distribution of the isolated, mainly
dwarf irregular, galaxies of the Local Group, 4) the velocity anisotropy
quadrupole of a sub-group of high-velocity clouds, and 5) the spatial
distribution of galaxies in the Coma-Sculptor cloud. Tidal effects of M~31 and
surrounding galaxies on the Galaxy are not strong enough to have affected the
observed structure. We conclude that this distribution is a reflection of
initial conditions. A simple galaxy formation scenario is proposed which ties
together the results found here with those of Holmberg (1969) and Zaritsky et
al. (1997) on the peculiar distribution of satellites around a large sample of
spiral galaxies.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astron J., March 2000, 12 pages with
1 figur
Experimenter's Freedom in Bell's Theorem and Quantum Cryptography
Bell's theorem states that no local realistic explanation of quantum
mechanical predictions is possible, in which the experimenter has a freedom to
choose between different measurement settings. Within a local realistic picture
the violation of Bell's inequalities can only be understood if this freedom is
denied. We determine the minimal degree to which the experimenter's freedom has
to be abandoned, if one wants to keep such a picture and be in agreement with
the experiment. Furthermore, the freedom in choosing experimental arrangements
may be considered as a resource, since its lacking can be used by an
eavesdropper to harm the security of quantum communication. We analyze the
security of quantum key distribution as a function of the (partial) knowledge
the eavesdropper has about the future choices of measurement settings which are
made by the authorized parties (e.g. on the basis of some quasi-random
generator). We show that the equivalence between the violation of Bell's
inequality and the efficient extraction of a secure key - which exists for the
case of complete freedom (no setting knowledge) - is lost unless one adapts the
bound of the inequality according to this lack of freedom.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, incorporated referee comment
Spectral universality of strong shocks accelerating charged particles
As a rule, the shock compression controls the spectrum of diffusively
accelerated particles. We argue that this is not so if the backreaction of
these particles on the shock structure is significant. We present a
self-similar solution in which the accelerated particles change the flow
structure near the shock so strongly that the total shock compression may
become arbitrarily large. Despite this, the energy spectrum behind the shock is
close to E^{-3/2} independently of anything at all.Comment: Submitted to ApJL, 4 pages, 1 figure, uses revtex and boxedep
Local Hidden Variable Theories for Quantum States
While all bipartite pure entangled states violate some Bell inequality, the
relationship between entanglement and non-locality for mixed quantum states is
not well understood. We introduce a simple and efficient algorithmic approach
for the problem of constructing local hidden variable theories for quantum
states. The method is based on constructing a so-called symmetric
quasi-extension of the quantum state that gives rise to a local hidden variable
model with a certain number of settings for the observers Alice and Bob.Comment: 8 pages Revtex; v2 contains substantial changes, a strengthened main
theorem and more reference
Affine actions on non-archimedean trees
We initiate the study of affine actions of groups on -trees for a
general ordered abelian group ; these are actions by dilations rather
than isometries. This gives a common generalisation of isometric action on a
-tree, and affine action on an -tree as studied by I. Liousse. The
duality between based length functions and actions on -trees is
generalised to this setting. We are led to consider a new class of groups:
those that admit a free affine action on a -tree for some .
Examples of such groups are presented, including soluble Baumslag-Solitar
groups and the discrete Heisenberg group.Comment: 27 pages. Section 1.4 expanded, typos corrected from previous versio
New Bell inequalities for the singlet state: Going beyond the Grothendieck bound
Contemporary versions of Bell's argument against local hidden variable (LHV)
theories are based on the Clauser Horne Shimony and Holt (CHSH) inequality, and
various attempts to generalize it. The amount of violation of these
inequalities cannot exceed the bound set by the Grothendieck constants.
However, if we go back to the original derivation by Bell, and use the perfect
anti-correlation embodied in the singlet spin state, we can go beyond these
bounds. In this paper we derive two-particle Bell inequalities for traceless
two-outcome observables, whose violation in the singlet spin state go beyond
the Grothendieck constants both for the two and three dimensional cases.
Moreover, creating a higher dimensional analog of perfect correlations, and
applying a recent result of Alon and his associates (Invent. Math. 163 499
(2006)) we prove that there are two-particle Bell inequalities for traceless
two-outcome observables whose violation increases to infinity as the dimension
and number of measurements grow. Technically these result are possible because
perfect correlations (or anti-correlations) allow us to transport the indices
of the inequality from the edges of a bipartite graph to those of the complete
graph. Finally, it is shown how to apply these results to mixed Werner states,
provided that the noise does not exceed 20%.Comment: 18 pages, two figures, some corrections and additional references,
published versio
Non-thermal Origin of the EUV and Soft X-rays from the Coma Cluster - Cosmic Rays in Equipartition with the Thermal Medium
The role of cosmic rays (CR) in the formation and evolution of clusters of
galaxies has been much debated. It may well be related to other fundamental
questions, such as the mechanism which heats and virializes the intracluster
medium (ICM), and the frequency at which the ICM is shocked. There is now
compelling evidence both from the cluster soft excess (CSE) and the `hard-tail'
emissions at energies above 10 keV, that many clusters are luminous sources of
inverse-Compton (IC) emission. This is the first direct measurement of cluster
CR: the technique is free from our uncertainties in the ICM magnetic field, and
is not limited to the small subset of clusters which exhibit radio halos. The
CSE emitting electrons fall within a crucial decade of energy where they have
the least spectral evolution, and where most of the CR pressure resides.
However their survival times do not date them back to the relic CR population.
By using the CSE data of the Coma cluster, we demonstrate that the CR are
energetically as important as the thermal ICM: the two components are in
pressure equiparition. Thus, contrary to previous expectations, CR are a
dominant component of the ICM, and their origin and effects should be explored.
The best-fit CR spectral index is in agreement with the Galactic value.Comment: ApJ accepted; 10 pages LaTeX; 2 figures and 1 table in PostScrip
Periodically driven stochastic un- and refolding transitions of biopolymers
Mechanical single molecule experiments probe the energy profile of
biomolecules. We show that in the case of a profile with two minima (like
folded/unfolded) periodic driving leads to a stochastic resonance-like
phenomenon. We demonstrate that the analysis of such data can be used to
extract four basic parameters of such a transition and discuss the statistical
requirements of the data acquisition. As advantages of the proposed scheme, a
polymeric linker is explicitly included and thermal fluctuations within each
well need not to be resolved.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, submitted to EP
National evaluation of the neighbourhood nurseries: impact report
This study assessed the impact of NNI on parental employment, use of formal childcare, and take-up of benefits and tax credits, particularly for disadvantaged groups such as lone parents, low income families and ethnic minority groups
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