2,001 research outputs found
System locates randomly placed remote objects
System to locate objects submerged underwater uses active/passive sonar techniques in which a transmitter is attached to the object to be recovered and a receiver is used for search. The system is rugged, has a long term operating life, and furnishes a precise bearing on the object
Yield stress and shear-banding in granular suspensions
We study the emergence of a yield stress in dense suspensions of non-Brownian
particles, by combining local velocity and concentration measurements using
Magnetic Resonance Imaging with macroscopic rheometric experiments. We show
that the competition between gravity and viscous stresses is at the origin of
the development of a yield stress in these systems at relatively low volume
fractions. Moreover, it is accompanied by a shear banding phenomenon that is
the signature of this competition. However, if the system is carefully density
matched, no yield stress is encountered until a volume fraction of 62.7 0.3%
Commentary : Disentangling the contributions of childhood and adult weight to cardiovascular disease risk
Non peer reviewe
GMRT detection of HI 21 cm associated absorption towards the z=1.2 red quasar 3C 190
We report the GMRT detection of associated HI 21 cm-line absorption in the
z=1.1946 red quasar 3C 190. Most of the absorption is blue-shifted with respect
to the systemic redshift. The absorption, at 647.7 MHz, is broad and
complex, spanning a velocity width of 600 \kms. Since the core is
self-absorbed at this frequency, the absorption is most likely towards the
hotspots. Comparison of the radio and deep optical images reveal linear
filaments in the optical which overlap with the brighter radio jet towards the
south-west. We therefore suggest that most of the HI 21 cm-line absorption
could be occurring in the atomic gas shocked by the south-west jet.Comment: 8 pages, 1 fugure. To appear in Journal of Astrophysics and Astronom
Morphology and evolution of emission line galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field
We investigate the properties and evolution of a sample of galaxies selected
to have prominent emission lines in low-resolution grism spectra of the Hubble
Ultra Deep Field (HUDF). These objects, eGRAPES, are late type blue galaxies,
characterized by small proper sizes (R_50 < 2 kpc) in the 4350A rest-frame, low
masses (5x10^9 M_sun), and a wide range of luminosities and surface
brightnesses. The masses, sizes and volume densities of these objects appear to
change very little up to a redshift of z=1.5. On the other hand, their surface
brightness decreases significantly from z=1.5 to z=0 while their mass-to-light
ratio increases two-folds. This could be a sign that most of low redshift
eGRAPES have an older stellar population than high redshift eGRAPES and hence
that most eGRAPES formed at higher redshifts. The average volume density of
eGRAPES is (1.8 \pm 0.3)x10^{-3} Mpc^{-3} between 0.3 < z < 1.5. Many eGRAPES
would formally have been classified as Luminous Compact Blue Galaxies (LCBGs)
if these had been selected based on small physical size, blue intrinsic color,
and high surface brightness, while the remainder of the sample discussed in
this paper forms an extension of LCBGs towards fainter luminosities.Comment: Accepted, to appear in Ap
On Star Formation and the Non-Existence of Dark Galaxies
We investigate whether a baryonic dark galaxy or `galaxy without stars' could
persist indefinitely in the local universe, while remaining stable against star
formation. To this end, a simple model has been constructed to determine the
equilibrium distribution and composition of a gaseous protogalactic disk.
Specifically, we determine the amount of gas that will transit to a Toomre
unstable cold phase via the H2 cooling channel in the presence of a UV--X-ray
cosmic background radiation field.
All but one of the models are predicted to become unstable to star formation.
Moreover, we find that all our model objects would be detectable via HI line
emission, even in the case that star formation is potentially avoided. These
results are consistent with the non-detection of isolated extragalactic HI
clouds with no optical counterpart (galaxies without stars) by HIPASS.
Additionally, where star formation is predicted to occur, we determine the
minimum interstellar radiation field required to restore gravothermal
stability, which we then relate to a minimum global star formation rate. This
leads to the prediction of a previously undocumented relation between HI mass
and star formation rate that is observed for a wide variety of dwarf galaxies
in the HI mass range 10^8--10^10 M_sun. The existence of such a relation
strongly supports the notion that the well observed population of dwarf
galaxies represent the minimum rates of self-regulating star formation in the
universe. (Barely abridged)Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, TeX using emulateapj.cls, v2 accepted for
publication in ApJ (16/8/5) with one figure deleted and a number of minor
clarifying revision
On the Structural Differences between Disk and Dwarf Galaxies
Gas-rich dwarf and disk galaxies overlap in numerous physical quantities that
make their classification subjective. We report the discovery of a separation
between dwarfs and disks into two unique sequences in the mass (luminosity)
versus scale length plane. This provides an objective classification scheme for
late-type galaxies that only requires optical or near-IR surface photometry of
a galaxy. Since the baryonic Tully-Fisher relation for these samples produces a
continuous relation between baryonic mass and rotational velocity, we conclude
that the difference between dwarfs and disks must be because of their
distribution of stellar light such that dwarfs are more diffuse than disk
galaxies. This structural separation may be due to a primordial difference
between low and high mass galaxies or produced by hierarchical mergers where
disks are built up from dwarfs. Structural differences between dwarf and disk
galaxies may also be driven by the underlying kinematics where the strong
rotation in disks produces an axial symmetric object that undergoes highly
efficient star formation in contrast to the lower rotation, more disordered
motion of dwarfs that produces a diffuse, triaxial object with a history of
inefficient star formation.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figures, AJ in press, AASTeX5.
Comparison of Langevin and Markov channel noise models for neuronal signal generation
The stochastic opening and closing of voltage-gated ion channels produces
noise in neurons. The effect of this noise on the neuronal performance has been
modelled using either approximate or Langevin model, based on stochastic
differential equations or an exact model, based on a Markov process model of
channel gating. Yet whether the Langevin model accurately reproduces the
channel noise produced by the Markov model remains unclear. Here we present a
comparison between Langevin and Markov models of channel noise in neurons using
single compartment Hodgkin-Huxley models containing either and
, or only voltage-gated ion channels. The performance of the
Langevin and Markov models was quantified over a range of stimulus statistics,
membrane areas and channel numbers. We find that in comparison to the Markov
model, the Langevin model underestimates the noise contributed by voltage-gated
ion channels, overestimating information rates for both spiking and non-spiking
membranes. Even with increasing numbers of channels the difference between the
two models persists. This suggests that the Langevin model may not be suitable
for accurately simulating channel noise in neurons, even in simulations with
large numbers of ion channels
Electron spectroscopy of carbon materials: Experiment and theory
We present a comparative spectroscopic study of carbon as graphite, diamond and C60 using C1s K-edge electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), X-ray emission spectroscopy, and theoretical modelling. The first principles calculations of these spectra are obtained in the local density approximation using a self-consistent Gaussian basis pseudo-potential method. Calculated spectra show excellent agreement with experiment and are able to discriminate not only between various carbon hybridisations but also local variation in environment. Core-hole effects on the calculated spectra are also investigated. For the first time, the EEL spectrum of carbyne is calculated
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