16,385 research outputs found
GRB970228 and the class of GRBs with an initial spikelike emission: do they follow the Amati relation?
On the basis of the recent understanding of GRB050315 and GRB060218, we
return to GRB970228, the first Gamma-Ray Burst (GRB) with detected afterglow.
We proposed it as the prototype for a new class of GRBs with "an occasional
softer extended emission lasting tenths of seconds after an initial spikelike
emission". Detailed theoretical computation of the GRB970228 light curves in
selected energy bands for the prompt emission are presented and compared with
observational BeppoSAX data. From our analysis we conclude that GRB970228 and
likely the ones of the above mentioned new class of GRBs are "canonical GRBs"
have only one peculiarity: they exploded in a galactic environment, possibly
the halo, with a very low value of CBM density. Here we investigate how
GRB970228 unveils another peculiarity of this class of GRBs: they do not
fulfill the "Amati relation". We provide a theoretical explanation within the
fireshell model for the apparent absence of such correlation for the GRBs
belonging to this new class.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, in the Proceedings of the "4th Italian-Sino
Workshop on Relativistic Astrophysics", held in Pescara, Italy, July 20-28,
2007, C.L. Bianco, S.-S. Xue, Editor
Fluorescence intermittency in blinking quantum dots: renewal or slow modulation?
We study time series produced by the blinking quantum dots, by means of an
aging experiment, and we examine the results of this experiment in the light of
two distinct approaches to complexity, renewal and slow modulation. We find
that the renewal approach fits the result of the aging experiment, while the
slow modulation perspective does not. We make also an attempt at establishing
the existence of an intermediate condition.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for pubblication on Journal of Chemical
Physic
The Amati relation in the "fireshell" model
(Shortened) CONTEXT: [...] AIMS: Motivated by the relation proposed by Amati
and collaborators, we look within the ``fireshell'' model for a relation
between the peak energy E_p of the \nu F_\nu total time-integrated spectrum of
the afterglow and the total energy of the afterglow E_{aft}, which in our model
encompasses and extends the prompt emission. METODS: [...] Within the fireshell
model [...] We can then build two sets of ``gedanken'' GRBs varying the total
energy of the electron-positron plasma E^{e^\pm}_{tot} and keeping the same
baryon loading B of GRB050315. The first set assumes for the effective CBM
density the one obtained in the fit of GRB050315. The second set assumes
instead a constant CBM density equal to the average value of the GRB050315
prompt phase. RESULTS: For the first set of ``gedanken'' GRBs we find a
relation E_p\propto (E_{aft})^a, with a = 0.45 \pm 0.01, whose slope strictly
agrees with the Amati one. Such a relation, in the limit B \to 10^{-2},
coincides with the Amati one. Instead, in the second set of ``gedanken'' GRBs
no correlation is found. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis excludes the Proper-GRB
(P-GRB) from the prompt emission, extends all the way to the latest afterglow
phases and is independent on the assumed cosmological model, since all
``gedanken'' GRBs are at the same redshift. The Amati relation, on the other
hand, includes also the P-GRB, focuses on the prompt emission only, and is
therefore influenced by the instrumental threshold which fixes the end of the
prompt emission, and depends on the assumed cosmology. This may well explain
the intrinsic scatter observed in the Amati relation.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, to appear on A&A Letter
Brazil's sugarcane sector : a case of lost opportunity
The Brazilian sugar and ethanol story goes like this: direct market intervention overrides market forces. Markets undergo dramatic change. Intervention establishes vested interests. Rent-seeking blocks adjustment to market change. Economic objectives become blurred behind political objectives. Opportunities go begging. Industry profitability suffers. And national income is forgone. The authors use a simple economic model of the Brazilian sugarcane sector and policy interventions to measure the costs of existing policies and to develop better policies. Brazil is an efficient producer of sugar, but policy intervention has caused: (a) underproduction of sugar cane (too much ethanol, not enough sugar); (b) missed opportunities to market ethanol in high-value uses (as an octane enhancer and clean fuel); (c)missed opportunities to make the world sugar market more competitive. Adopting more market-based policies could be worth billions of additional dollars annually to Brazil.Environmental Economics&Policies,Crops&Crop Management Systems,Economic Theory&Research,Transport and Environment,Access to Markets
Recurrent deficit irrigation and fruit harvest affect tree water relations and fruitlet growth in ‘Valencia’ orange
Background. Partial rootzone drying is an irrigation strategy known for increasing water use efficiency without significantly affecting tree water status. ‘Valencia’ oranges have a very long development period and nearly mature fruit and new fruitlets may be present at the same time on the tree, competing for water and assimilates. Objectives. The present study investigates the effect of recurrent deficit irrigation and fruit harvest on tree water status and fruitlet growth of ‘Valencia’ orange. Methods. Forty-eight adult trees were exposed to three irrigation treatments for seven years (2007-2013): irrigation with 100% of ETc (CI), continuous deficit irrigation (DI, 50% of CI) and partial root-zone drying (PRD, 50% of CI on alternated sides of the root-zone). In spring 2014, stem water potential (Ψstem) and continuous measurements of sap flow and fruitlet growth were recorded before (May) and after (June) the harvest of mature fruit. Results. No differences in Ψstem were found among irrigation treatments, while Ψstem was lower in June than in May at midday. In both May and June, sap flow density (not sap flow per tree) was higher in DI than in CI and PRD trees suggesting more efficient water uptake/transport in the former. In May, DI and PRD fruit showed lower daily relative growth rate (RGR) than CI fruit due to a possible shortage of carbon and nutrients. After removing mature fruits, differences among irrigation treatments were canceled. Sap flow was directly related to fruit RGR at low sap flow rates, but inversely related to RGR at high sap flow rates. Conclusions. Our data show that the presence of maturing fruit does not impact the water status of ‘Valencia’ trees, while it may transiently limit fruitlet growth (by source limitation) in deficit irrigated trees
On the physical processes which lie at the bases of time variability of GRBs
The relative-space-time-transformation (RSTT) paradigm and the interpretation
of the burst-structure (IBS) paradigm are applied to probe the origin of the
time variability of GRBs. Again GRB 991216 is used as a prototypical case,
thanks to the precise data from the CGRO, RXTE and Chandra satellites. It is
found that with the exception of the relatively inconspicuous but
scientifically very important signal originating from the initial ``proper
gamma ray burst'' (P-GRB), all the other spikes and time variabilities can be
explained by the interaction of the accelerated-baryonic-matter pulse with
inhomogeneities in the interstellar matter. This can be demonstrated by using
the RSTT paradigm as well as the IBS paradigm, to trace a typical spike
observed in arrival time back to the corresponding one in the laboratory time.
Using these paradigms, the identification of the physical nature of the time
variablity of the GRBs can be made most convincingly. It is made explicit the
dependence of a) the intensities of the afterglow, b) the spikes amplitude and
c) the actual time structure on the Lorentz gamma factor of the
accelerated-baryonic-matter pulse. In principle it is possible to read off from
the spike structure the detailed density contrast of the interstellar medium in
the host galaxy, even at very high redshift.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
The EMBH model in GRB 991216 and GRB 980425
This is a summary of the two talks presented at the Rome GRB meeting by C.L.
Bianco and R. Ruffini. It is shown that by respecting the Relative Space-Time
Transformation (RSTT) paradigm and the Interpretation of the Burst Structure
(IBS) paradigm, important inferences are possible: a) in the new physics
occurring in the energy sources of GRBs, b) on the structure of the bursts and
c) on the composition of the interstellar matter surrounding the source.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, in the Proceedings of the "Third Rome Workshop on
Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Afterglow Era", 17-20 September 2002, M. Feroci, F.
Frontera, N. Masetti, L. Piro (editors
On the Mass to Charge Ratio of Neutron Cores and Heavy Nuclei
We determine theoretically the relation between the total number of protons
and the mass number (the charge to mass ratio) of nuclei and
neutron cores with the model recently proposed by Ruffini et al. (2007) and we
compare it with other versus relations: the empirical one, related to
the Periodic Table, and the semi-empirical relation, obtained by minimizing the
Weizs\"{a}cker mass formula. We find that there is a very good agreement
between all the relations for values of typical of nuclei, with differences
of the order of per cent. Our relation and the semi-empirical one are in
agreement up to ; for higher values, we find that the two relations
differ. We interprete the different behaviour of our theoretical relation as a
result of the penetration of electrons (initially confined in an external
shell) inside the core, that becomes more and more important by increasing ;
these effects are not taken into account in the semi-empirical mass-formula.Comment: Some misprints of the published version corrected (value of nuclear
density and eq. 7). Talk given at the 4th Italian-Sino Workshop, July 20-30
(2007), Pescara (Italy
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