785 research outputs found
Spectral Statistics for the Dirac Operator on Graphs
We determine conditions for the quantisation of graphs using the Dirac
operator for both two and four component spinors. According to the
Bohigas-Giannoni-Schmit conjecture for such systems with time-reversal symmetry
the energy level statistics are expected, in the semiclassical limit, to
correspond to those of random matrices from the Gaussian symplectic ensemble.
This is confirmed by numerical investigation. The scattering matrix used to
formulate the quantisation condition is found to be independent of the type of
spinor. We derive an exact trace formula for the spectrum and use this to
investigate the form factor in the diagonal approximation
Determinants of short-period heart rate variability in the general population
Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) is associated with a worse prognosis in a variety of diseases and disorders. We evaluated the determinants of short-period HRV in a random sample of 149 middle-aged men and 137 women from the general population. Spectral analysis was used to compute low-frequency (LF), high-frequency (HF) and total-frequency power. HRV showed a strong inverse association with age and heart rate in both sexes with a more pronounced effect of heart rate on HRV in women. Age and heart rate-adjusted LF was significantly higher in men and HF higher in women. Significant negative correlations of BMI, triglycerides, insulin and positive correlations of HDL cholesterol with LF and total power occurred only in men. In multivariate analyses, heart rate and age persisted as prominent independent predictors of HRV. In addition, BMI was strongly negatively associated with LF in men but not in women, We conclude that the more pronounced vagal influence in cardiac regulation in middle-aged women and the gender-different influence of heart rate and metabolic factors on HRV may help to explain the lower susceptibility of women for cardiac arrhythmias. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel
From error bounds to the complexity of first-order descent methods for convex functions
This paper shows that error bounds can be used as effective tools for
deriving complexity results for first-order descent methods in convex
minimization. In a first stage, this objective led us to revisit the interplay
between error bounds and the Kurdyka-\L ojasiewicz (KL) inequality. One can
show the equivalence between the two concepts for convex functions having a
moderately flat profile near the set of minimizers (as those of functions with
H\"olderian growth). A counterexample shows that the equivalence is no longer
true for extremely flat functions. This fact reveals the relevance of an
approach based on KL inequality. In a second stage, we show how KL inequalities
can in turn be employed to compute new complexity bounds for a wealth of
descent methods for convex problems. Our approach is completely original and
makes use of a one-dimensional worst-case proximal sequence in the spirit of
the famous majorant method of Kantorovich. Our result applies to a very simple
abstract scheme that covers a wide class of descent methods. As a byproduct of
our study, we also provide new results for the globalization of KL inequalities
in the convex framework.
Our main results inaugurate a simple methodology: derive an error bound,
compute the desingularizing function whenever possible, identify essential
constants in the descent method and finally compute the complexity using the
one-dimensional worst case proximal sequence. Our method is illustrated through
projection methods for feasibility problems, and through the famous iterative
shrinkage thresholding algorithm (ISTA), for which we show that the complexity
bound is of the form where the constituents of the bound only depend
on error bound constants obtained for an arbitrary least squares objective with
regularization
Two-point correlations of the Gaussian symplectic ensemble from periodic orbits
We determine the asymptotics of the two-point correlation function for
quantum systems with half-integer spin which show chaotic behaviour in the
classical limit using a method introduced by Bogomolny and Keating [Phys. Rev.
Lett. 77 (1996) 1472-1475]. For time-reversal invariant systems we obtain the
leading terms of the two-point correlation function of the Gaussian symplectic
ensemble. Special attention has to be paid to the role of Kramers' degeneracy.Comment: 7 pages, no figure
Wind morphology around cool evolved stars in binaries: the case of slowly accelerating oxygen-rich outflows
The late stellar evolutionary phases of low and intermediate-mass stars are
strongly constrained by their mass-loss rates. The wind surrounding cool
evolved stars frequently shows non-spherical features, thought to be due to an
unseen companion orbiting the donor star. We study the morphology of the
circumbinary envelope, in particular around oxygen-rich asymptotic giant branch
(AGB) stars. We run a grid of 70 3D hydrodynamics simulations of a
progressively accelerating wind propagating in the Roche potential formed by a
mass-loosing evolved star in orbit with a main sequence companion. We resolve
the flow structure both in the immediate vicinity of the secondary, where bow
shocks, outflows and wind-captured disks form, and up to 40 orbital
separations, where spiral arms, arcs and equatorial density enhancements
develop. When the companion is deeply engulfed in the wind, the lower terminal
wind speeds and more progressive wind acceleration around oxygen-rich AGB stars
make them more prone than carbon-rich AGB stars to display more disturbed
outflows, a disk-like structure around the companion and a wind concentrated in
the orbital plane. In these configurations, a large fraction of the wind is
captured by the companion which leads to a significant shrinking of the orbit
over the mass-loss timescale, if the donor star is at least a few times more
massive than its companion. Provided the companion has a mass of at least a
tenth of the mass of the donor star, it can compress the wind in the orbital
plane up to large distances. Our grid of models covers a wide scope of
configurations function of the dust chemical content, the terminal wind speed
relative to the orbital speed, the extension of the dust condensation region
around the cool evolved star and the mass ratio. It provides a frame of
reference to interpret high-resolution maps of the outflows surrounding cool
evolved stars
Proposal for a standard problem for micromagnetic simulations including spin-transfer torque
The spin-transfer torque between itinerant electrons and the magnetization in a ferromagnet is of fundamental interest for the applied physics community. To investigate the spin-transfer torque, powerful simulation tools are mandatory. We propose a micromagnetic standard problem includingthe spin-transfer torque that can be used for the validation and falsication of micromagnetic simulation tools. The work is based on the micromagnetic model extended by the spin-transfer torque in continuously varying magnetizations as proposed by Zhang and Li. The standard problem geometry is a permalloy cuboid of 100 nm edge length and 10 nm thickness, which contains a Landau pattern with a vortex in the center of the structure. A spin-polarized dc current density of 1012 A/m2 flows laterally through the cuboid and moves the vortex core to a new steady-state position. We show that the new vortex-core position is a sensitive measure for the correctness of micromagnetic simulatorsthat include the spin-transfer torque. The suitability of the proposed problem as a standard problem is tested by numerical results from four different finite-difference and finite-element-based simulation tools
Beyond the Heisenberg time: Semiclassical treatment of spectral correlations in chaotic systems with spin 1/2
The two-point correlation function of chaotic systems with spin 1/2 is
evaluated using periodic orbits. The spectral form factor for all times thus
becomes accessible. Equivalence with the predictions of random matrix theory
for the Gaussian symplectic ensemble is demonstrated. A duality between the
underlying generating functions of the orthogonal and symplectic symmetry
classes is semiclassically established
SPH modelling of companion-perturbed AGB outflows including a new morphology classification scheme
CONTEXT: Asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars are known to lose a significant amount of mass by a stellar wind, which controls the remainder of their stellar lifetime. High angular-resolution observations show that the winds of these cool stars typically exhibit mid- to small-scale density perturbations such as spirals and arcs, believed to be caused by the gravitational interaction with a (sub-)stellar companion. AIMS: We aim to explore the effects of the wind-companion interaction on the 3D density and velocity distribution of the wind, as a function of three key parameters: wind velocity, binary separation and companion mass. For the first time, we compare the impact on the outflow of a planetary companion to that of a stellar companion. We intend to devise a morphology classification scheme based on a singular parameter. METHODS: We ran a small grid of high-resolution polytropic models with the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) numerical code PHANTOM to examine the 3D density structure of the AGB outflow in the orbital and meridional plane and around the poles. By constructing a basic toy model of the gravitational acceleration due to the companion, we analysed the terminal velocity reached by the outflow in the simulations. RESULTS: We find that models with a stellar companion, large binary separation and high wind speed obtain a wind morphology in the orbital plane consisting of a single spiral structure, of which the two edges diverge due to a velocity dispersion caused by the gravitational slingshot mechanism. In the meridional plane the spiral manifests itself as concentric arcs, reaching all latitudes. When lowering the wind velocity and/or the binary separation, the morphology becomes more complex: in the orbital plane a double spiral arises, which is irregular for the closest systems, and the wind material gets focussed towards the orbital plane, with the formation of an equatorial density enhancement (EDE) as a consequence. Lowering the companion mass from a stellar to a planetary mass, reduces the formation of density perturbations significantly. CONCLUSIONS: With this grid of models we cover the prominent morphology changes in a companion-perturbed AGB outflow: slow winds with a close, massive binary companion show a more complex morphology. Additionally, we prove that massive planets are able to significantly impact the density structure of an AGB wind. We find that the interaction with a companion affects the terminal velocity of the wind, which can be explained by the gravitational slingshot mechanism. We distinguish between two types of wind focussing to the orbital plane resulting from distinct mechanisms: global flattening of the outflow as a result of the AGB star’s orbital motion and the formation of an EDE as a consequence of the companion’s gravitational pull. We investigate different morphology classification schemes and uncover that the ratio of the gravitational potential energy density of the companion to the kinetic energy density of the AGB outflow yields a robust classification parameter for the models presented in this paper
SPH modelling of wind-companion interactions in eccentric AGB binary systems
The late evolutionary stages of low- and intermediate-mass stars are
characterised by mass loss through a dust-driven stellar wind. Recent
observations reveal complex structures within these winds, that are believed to
be formed primarily via interaction with a companion. How these complexities
arise, and which structures are formed in which type of systems, is still
poorly understood. Particularly, there is a lack of studies investigating the
structure formation in eccentric systems. We aim to improve our understanding
of the wind morphology of eccentric AGB binary systems by investigating the
mechanism responsible for the different small-scale structures and global
morphologies that arise in a polytropic wind with different velocities. Using
the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code Phantom, we generate nine
different high-resolution, 3D simulations of an AGB star with a solar-mass
companion with various wind velocity and eccentricity combinations. The models
assume a polytropic gas, with no additional cooling. We conclude that for
models with a high wind velocity, the short interaction with the companion
results in a regular spiral morphology, that is flattened. In the case of a
lower wind velocity, the stronger interaction results in the formation of a
high-energy region and bow-shock structure that can shape the wind into an
irregular morphology if instabilities arise. High-eccentricity models show a
complex, phase-dependent interaction leading to wind structures that are
irregular in three dimensions. However, the significant interaction with the
companion compresses matter into an equatorial density enhancement,
irrespective of eccentricity.Comment: 23 pages, 22 figure
The Dwarf Galaxy Population of the Dorado group down to Mv=-11
We present V and I CCD photometry of suspected low-surface brightness dwarf
galaxies detected in a survey covering ~2.4 deg^2 around the central region of
the Dorado group of galaxies. The low-surface brightness galaxies were chosen
based on their sizes and magnitudes at the limiting isophote of 26.0V\mu. The
selected galaxies have magnitudes brighter than V=20 (Mv=-11 for an assumed
distance to the group of 17.2 Mpc), with central surface brightnesses \mu0>22.5
V mag/arcsec^2, scale lengths h>2'', and diameters > 14'' at the limiting
isophote. Using these criteria, we identified 69 dwarf galaxy candidates. Four
of them are large very low-surface brightness galaxies that were detected on a
smoothed image, after masking high surface brightness objects. Monte Carlo
simulations performed to estimate completeness, photometric uncertainties and
to evaluate our ability to detect extended low-surface brightness galaxies show
that the completeness fraction is, on average, > 80% for dwarf galaxies with
and 22.5<\mu0<25.5 V mag/arcsec^2, for the range of sizes
considered by us (D>14''). The V-I colors of the dwarf candidates vary from
-0.3 to 2.3 with a peak on V-I=0.98, suggesting a range of different stellar
populations in these galaxies. The projected surface density of the dwarf
galaxies shows a concentration towards the group center similar in extent to
that found around five X-ray groups and the elliptical galaxy NGC1132 studied
by Mulchaey and Zabludoff (1999), suggesting that the dwarf galaxies in Dorado
are probably physically associated with the overall potential well of the
group.Comment: 32 pages, 16 postscript figures and 3 figures in GIF format, aastex
v5.0. To appear in The Astronomical Journal, January 200
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