457 research outputs found
Quantum spin circulator in Y junctions of Heisenberg chains
We show that a quantum spin circulator, a nonreciprocal device that routes
spin currents without any charge transport, can be achieved in Y junctions of
identical spin- Heisenberg chains coupled by a chiral three-spin
interaction. Using bosonization, boundary conformal field theory, and
density-matrix renormalization group simulations, we find that a chiral fixed
point with maximally asymmetric spin conductance arises at a critical point
separating a regime of disconnected chains from a spin-only version of the
three-channel Kondo effect. We argue that networks of spin-chain Y junctions
provide a controllable approach to construct long-sought chiral spin liquid
phases.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
Finite volume form factors in the presence of integrable defects
We developed the theory of finite volume form factors in the presence of
integrable defects. These finite volume form factors are expressed in terms of
the infinite volume form factors and the finite volume density of states and
incorporate all polynomial corrections in the inverse of the volume. We tested
our results, in the defect Lee-Yang model, against numerical data obtained by
truncated conformal space approach (TCSA), which we improved by renormalization
group methods adopted to the defect case. To perform these checks we determined
the infinite volume defect form factors in the Lee-Yang model exactly,
including their vacuum expectation values. We used these data to calculate the
two point functions, which we compared, at short distance, to defect CFT. We
also derived explicit expressions for the exact finite volume one point
functions, which we checked numerically. In all of these comparisons excellent
agreement was found.Comment: pdflatex, 34 pages, many figure
A Coherent Timing Solution for the Nearby Isolated Neutron Star RX J0720.4-3125
We present the results of a dedicated effort to measure the spin-down rate of
the nearby isolated neutron star RX J0720.4-3125. Comparing arrival times of
the 8.39-sec pulsations for data from Chandra we derive an unambiguous timing
solution for RX J0720.4-3125 that is accurate to 5 years.
Adding data from XMM and ROSAT, the final solution yields
Pdot=(6.98+/-0.02)x10^(-14) s/s; for dipole spin-down, this implies a
characteristic age of 2 Myr and a magnetic field strength of 2.4e13 G. The
phase residuals are somewhat larger than those for purely regular spin-down,
but do not show conclusive evidence for higher-order terms or a glitch. From
our timing solution as well as recent X-ray spectroscopy, we concur with recent
suggestions that RX J0720.4-3125 is most likely an off-beam radio pulsar with a
moderately high magnetic field.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Accepted for publication in ApJ
Agricultural land use curbs exotic invasion but sustains native plant diversity at intermediate levels
Unveiling the processes driving exotic plant invasion represent a central issue in taking decisions aimed at constraining the loss of biodiversity and related ecosystem services. The invasion success is often linked to anthropogenic land uses and warming due to climate change. We studied the responses of native versus casual and naturalised exotic species richness to land uses and climate at the landscape level, relying on a large floristic survey undertaken in North - Eastern Italy. Both climate and land use drove exotic species richness. Our results suggest that the success of plant invasion at this scale is mainly due to warm climatic conditions and the extent of urban and agricultural land, but with different effects on casual and naturalized exotic species. The occurrence of non-linear trends showed that a small percentage of extensive agricultural land in the landscape may concurrently reduce the number of exotic plant while sustaining native plant diversity. Plant invasion could be potentially limited by land management, mainly focusing on areas with extensive agricultural land use. A more consciousness land management is more and more commonly required by local administrations. According to our results, a shift of intensive to extensive agricultural land, by implementing green infrastructures, seems to be a win\u2013win solution favouring native species while controlling the oversimplification of the flora due to plant invasion
A GEOSITE TO BE SAVED: THE TYRRHENIAN FOSSIL DEPOSIT ON THE ISLAND OF USTICA
During the 1960s, fossil beds characterized by a tropical-sea malacofauna were discovered by G.
Ruggieri and G. Buccheri in the Island of Ustica, on the southern slope of Falconiera hill, 32 m asl.
Thanks to the presence of Strombus bubonius and other Senegalese guests, the authors estimated that
the molluscan fauna had lived around 125,000 years ago, during the Tyrrhenian stage. Recently on
the initiative of the “Centro Studi e Documentazione Isola di Ustica”, a research has been initiated to
verify the persistence of sand-layers mixed up with Tyrrhenian fossils, even though, in the last 50
years, that area has undergone great changes, because of earthworks which have sealed the deposit.
The new research led to the discovery of a fossil assemblage formed by 22 taxa (16 species of gastropods
and 6 of bivalves), characterized by the presence of some Senegalese guests and other accompanying
species that can be associated with the Eutyrrhenian subunit (MIS 5.5). This is the main subject
of this note, along with the suggestion to preserve what remains of the Ustica Tyrrhenian deposit
X-ray Timing of PSR J1852+0040 in Kesteven 79: Evidence of Neutron Stars Weakly Magnetized at Birth
The 105-ms X-ray pulsar J1852+0040 is the central compact object (CCO) in SNR
Kes 79. We report a sensitive upper limit on its radio flux density of 12 uJy
at 2 GHz using the NRAO GBT. Timing using XMM and Chandra over a 2.4 yr span
reveals no significant change in its spin period. The 2 sigma upper limit on
the period derivative leads, in the dipole spin-down formalism, to an energy
loss rate E-dot < 7e33 ergs/s, surface magnetic field strength B_p < 1.5e11 G,
and characteristic age tau_c = P/2P-dot > 8 Myr. This tau_c exceeds the age of
the SNR by 3 orders of magnitude, implying that the pulsar was born spinning at
its current period. However, the X-ray luminosity of PSR J1852+0040, L(bol) ~
3e33(d/7.1 kpc)^2 ergs/s is a large fraction of E-dot, which challenges the
rotation-powered assumption. Instead, its high blackbody temperature,
0.46+/-0.04 keV, small blackbody radius ~ 0.8 km, and large pulsed fraction, ~
80%, may be evidence of accretion onto a polar cap, possibly from a fallback
disk made of supernova debris. If B_p < 1e10 G, an accretion disk can penetrate
the light cylinder and interact with the magnetosphere while resulting torques
on the neutron star remain within the observed limits. A weak B-field is also
inferred in another CCO, the 424-ms pulsar 1E 1207.4-5209, from its steady spin
and soft X-ray absorption lines. We propose this origin of radio-quiet CCOs:
the B-field, derived from a turbulent dynamo, is weaker if the NS is formed
spinning slowly, which enables it to accrete SN debris. Accretion excludes
neutron stars born with both B_p 0.1 s from radio pulsar
surveys, where B_p
40 Myr) or recycled pulsars. Finally, such a CCO, if born in SN 1987A, could
explain the non-detection of a pulsar there.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, to appear in The Astrophysical Journa
Fully superconducting josephson bolometers for gigahertz astronomy
The origin and the evolution of the universe are concealed in the evanescent diffuse extragalactic background radiation (DEBRA). To reveal these signals, the development of innovative ultra-sensitive bolometers operating in the gigahertz band is required. Here, we review the design and experimental realization of two bias-current-tunable sensors based on one dimensional fully superconducting Josephson junctions: the nanoscale transition edge sensor (nano-TES) and the Josephson escape sensor (JES). In particular, we cover the theoretical basis of the sensors operation, the device fabrication, their experimental electronic and thermal characterization and the deduced detection performance. Indeed, the nano-TES promises a state-of-the-art noise equivalent power (NEP) of about 5 × 10−20 W/√Hz, while the JES active region is expected to show an unprecedented NEP of the order of 10−25 W/√Hz. Therefore, the nano-TES and JES are strong candidates to push radio astronomy to the next level
The final COS-B database: In-flight calibration of instrumental parameters
A method for the determination of temporal variation of sensitivity is designed to find a set of parameters which lead to maximum consistency between the intensities derived from different observation periods. This method is briefly described and the resulting sensitivity and background variations presented
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