4,049 research outputs found
Linear and nonlinear time series analysis of the black hole candidate Cygnus X-1
We analyze the variability in the X-ray lightcurves of the black hole
candidate Cygnus X-1 by linear and nonlinear time series analysis methods.
While a linear model describes the over-all second order properties of the
observed data well, surrogate data analysis reveals a significant deviation
from linearity. We discuss the relation between shot noise models usually
applied to analyze these data and linear stochastic autoregressive models. We
debate statistical and interpretational issues of surrogate data testing for
the present context. Finally, we suggest a combination of tools from linear
andnonlinear time series analysis methods as a procedure to test the
predictions of astrophysical models on observed data.Comment: 15 pages, to appear in Phys. Rev.
UV Imaging of the Galaxy Cluster CL0939+4713 (Abell 851) at z=0.41
The first UV F300W and F218W WFPC2 observations of the rich galaxy cluster
CL0939+4713 at z=0.41 are presented and discussed. UV/optical two-color and c-m
diagrams of the sources detected in the F300W waveband are constructed. Thanks
to pre-existing HST optical images of the same field a morphological
classification for the majority of these objects is also provided. Moreover,
taking advantage of recent redshift surveys along CL0939+4713 line of sight,
separate diagrams comparing the properties of galaxies belonging to the cluster
and to its close projected field are presented. Possible evolutionary effects
in the UV from z~0.4 to present time are investigated by comparing the
restframe [mid-UV-Optical] colors of galaxies in CL0939+4713 with balloon-borne
data of the Coma cluster, as well as by resorting to suitable galaxy evolution
models. Finally, current attempts to constrain the epoch of the UV-upturn onset
in evolved populations by means of HST UV observations are discussed.Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX, with 6 PostScript figures, Submitted to The
Astrophysical Journal, Figures 1 and 2 have lower resolution than the ApJ
submitted versio
Irradiation-induced Ag nanocluster nucleation in silicate glasses: analogy with photography
The synthesis of Ag nanoclusters in sodalime silicate glasses and silica was
studied by optical absorption (OA) and electron spin resonance (ESR)
experiments under both low (gamma-ray) and high (MeV ion) deposited energy
density irradiation conditions. Both types of irradiation create electrons and
holes whose density and thermal evolution - notably via their interaction with
defects - are shown to determine the clustering and growth rates of Ag
nanocrystals. We thus establish the influence of redox interactions of defects
and silver (poly)ions. The mechanisms are similar to the latent image formation
in photography: irradiation-induced photoelectrons are trapped within the glass
matrix, notably on dissolved noble metal ions and defects, which are thus
neutralized (reverse oxidation reactions are also shown to exist). Annealing
promotes metal atom diffusion, which in turn leads to cluster nuclei formation.
The cluster density depends not only on the irradiation fluence, but also - and
primarily - on the density of deposited energy and the redox properties of the
glass. Ion irradiation (i.e., large deposited energy density) is far more
effective in cluster formation, despite its lower neutralization efficiency
(from Ag+ to Ag0) as compared to gamma photon irradiation.Comment: 48 pages, 18 figures, revised version publ. in Phys. Rev. B, pdf fil
On the Origins of Starburst and Post-Starburst Galaxies in Nearby Clusters
HST WFPC2 images in B (F450W) and I (F814W) have been obtained for three
starburst (SB) and two post-starburst (PSB) galaxies in the Coma cluster, and
for three such galaxies in the cluster DC2048-52. V (F555W) and I images for an
additional PSB galaxy in Coma have been extracted from the archive. Seven of
these galaxies were previously classified as E/S0 on the basis of ground-based
images, one as Sa, and the other as an irregular.
The HST images reveal these SB/PSB galaxies to be heterogeneous in
morphology. Nevertheless a common theme is that many of them, especially the SB
galaxies, tend to have centralized spiral structure that appears simply as a
bright ``bulge''on ground-based images. In addition, while some PSB galaxies
exhibit distinct spiral structure, on the whole they have smoother morphologies
than the SB galaxies. The morphologies and luminosity profiles are generally
consistent with substantial starbursts in the form of centralized spiral
structure (the SB galaxies) which fade into smoother morphologies (the PSB
galaxies), with lingering spectroscopic evidence for past central starbursts.
An important point is that the PSB galaxies retain disks, i.e, they have not
evolved into spheroidal systems.Comment: 32 pages, 10 figures including 3 jpg images. To appear in the January
1999 Astronomical Journa
CaracterĂsticas da carne de capivaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) de vida livre.
O estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar as caracterĂsticas da carne de capivaras de vida livre. Para isto foram utilizadas cinco capivaras (2 machos e 3 fĂȘmeas), com peso corporal mĂ©dio/desvio-padrĂŁo de 63,4 kg/100 kg ± 10,25 kg, provenientes de ĂĄreas agrĂcolas da RegiĂŁo da Grande Dourados (MS)
MAXI J1659-152: the shortest orbital period black-hole binary
Following the detection of a bright new X-ray source, MAXI J1659-152, a
series of observations was triggered with almost all currently flying
high-energy missions. We report here on XMM-Newton, INTEGRAL and RXTE
observations during the early phase of the X-ray outburst of this transient
black-hole candidate. We confirm the dipping nature in the X-ray light curves.
We find that the dips recur on a period of 2.4139+/-0.0005 hrs, and interpret
this as the orbital period of the system. It is thus the shortest period
black-hole X-ray binary known to date. Using the various observables, we derive
the properties of the source. The inclination of the accretion disk with
respect to the line of sight is estimated to be 60-75 degrees. The companion
star to the black hole is possibly a M5 dwarf star, with a mass and radius of
about 0.15 M_sun and 0.23 R_sun, respectively. The system is rather compact
(orbital separation is about 1.35 R_sun) and is located at a distance of
roughly 7 kpc. In quiescence, MAXI J1659-152 is expected to be optically faint,
about 28 mag in the V-band.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, to be published in the proceedings of the 4th
International MAXI Workshop `The First Year of MAXI: Monitoring variable
X-ray sources', 2010 Nov 30 - Dec 2, Tokyo, Japa
Yukawa potentials in systems with partial periodic boundary conditions I : Ewald sums for quasi-two dimensional systems
Yukawa potentials are often used as effective potentials for systems as
colloids, plasmas, etc. When the Debye screening length is large, the Yukawa
potential tends to the non-screened Coulomb potential ; in this small screening
limit, or Coulomb limit, the potential is long ranged. As it is well known in
computer simulation, a simple truncation of the long ranged potential and the
minimum image convention are insufficient to obtain accurate numerical data on
systems. The Ewald method for bulk systems, i.e. with periodic boundary
conditions in all three directions of the space, has already been derived for
Yukawa potential [cf. Y., Rosenfeld, {\it Mol. Phys.}, \bm{88}, 1357, (1996)
and G., Salin and J.-M., Caillol, {\it J. Chem. Phys.}, \bm{113}, 10459,
(2000)], but for systems with partial periodic boundary conditions, the Ewald
sums have only recently been obtained [M., Mazars, {\it J. Chem. Phys.}, {\bf
126}, 056101 (2007)]. In this paper, we provide a closed derivation of the
Ewald sums for Yukawa potentials in systems with periodic boundary conditions
in only two directions and for any value of the Debye length. A special
attention is paid to the Coulomb limit and its relation with the
electroneutrality of systems.Comment: 40 pages, 5 figures and 4 table
Challenging assumptions of the enlargement literature : the impact of the EU on human and minority rights in Macedonia
This article argues that from the very start of the transition process in Macedonia, a fusion of concerns about security and democratisation locked local nationalist elites and international organisations intoa political dynamic that prioritised security over democratisation. This dynamic resulted in little progress in the implementation of human and minority rights until 2009, despite heavy EU involvement in Macedonia after the internal warfare of 2001. The effects of this informally institutionalised relationship have been overlooked by scholarship on EU enlargement towards Eastern Europe, which has made generalisations based on assumptions relevant to the democratisation of countries in Eastern Europe, but not the Western Balkans
Independent Ion Migration in Suspensions of Strongly Interacting Charged Colloidal Spheres
We report on sytematic measurements of the low frequency conductivity in
aequous supensions of highly charged colloidal spheres. System preparation in a
closed tubing system results in precisely controlled number densities between
1E16/m3 and 1E19/m^3 (packing fractions between 1E-7 and 1E-2) and electrolyte
concentrations between 1E-7 and 1E-3 mol/l. Due to long ranged Coulomb
repulsion some of the systems show a pronounced fluid or crystalline order.
Under deionized conditions we find s to depend linearily on the packing
fraction with no detectable influence of the phase transitions. Further at
constant packing fraction s increases sublinearily with increasing number of
dissociable surface groups N. As a function of c the conductivity shows
pronounced differences depending on the kind of electrolyte used. We propose a
simple yet powerful model based on independent migration of all species present
and additivity of the respective conductivity contributions. It takes account
of small ion macro-ion interactions in terms of an effectivly transported
charge. The model successfully describes our qualitatively complex experimental
observations. It further facilitates quantitative estimates of conductivity
over a wide range of particle and experimental parameters.Comment: 32 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables, Accepted by Physical Review
Accreting Neutron Stars in Low-Mass X-Ray Binary Systems
Using the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RossiXTE), astronomers have discovered
that disk-accreting neutron stars with weak magnetic fields produce three
distinct types of high-frequency X-ray oscillations. These oscillations are
powered by release of the binding energy of matter falling into the strong
gravitational field of the star or by the sudden nuclear burning of matter that
has accumulated in the outermost layers of the star. The frequencies of the
oscillations reflect the orbital frequencies of gas deep in the gravitational
field of the star and/or the spin frequency of the star. These oscillations can
therefore be used to explore fundamental physics, such as strong-field gravity
and the properties of matter under extreme conditions, and important
astrophysical questions, such as the formation and evolution of millisecond
pulsars. Observations using RossiXTE have shown that some two dozen neutron
stars in low-mass X-ray binary systems have the spin rates and magnetic fields
required to become millisecond radio-emitting pulsars when accretion ceases,
but that few have spin rates above about 600 Hz. The properties of these stars
show that the paucity of spin rates greater than 600 Hz is due in part to the
magnetic braking component of the accretion torque and to the limited amount of
angular momentum that can be accreted in such systems. Further study will show
whether braking by gravitational radiation is also a factor. Analysis of the
kilohertz oscillations has provided the first evidence for the existence of the
innermost stable circular orbit around dense relativistic stars that is
predicted by strong-field general relativity. It has also greatly narrowed the
possible descriptions of ultradense matter.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, updated list of sources and references, to
appear in "Short-period Binary Stars: Observation, Analyses, and Results",
eds. E.F. Milone, D.A. Leahy, and D. Hobill (Dordrecht: Springer,
http://www.springerlink.com
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