1,213 research outputs found
On stability and spiral patterns in polar disks
To investigate the stability properties of polar disks we performed
two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations for flat polytropic gaseous
self-gravitating disks which were perturbed by a central S0-like component. Our
disk was constructed to resemble that of the proto-typical galaxy NGC 4650A.
This central perturbation induces initially a stationary two-armed
tightly-wound leading spiral in the polar disk. For a hot disk (Toomre
parameter Q>1.7), the structure does not change over the simulation time of 4.5
Gyr. In case of colder disks, the self-gravity of the spiral becomes dominant,
it decouples from the central perturbation and grows, until reaching a
saturation stage in which an open trailing spiral is formed, rather similar to
that observed in NGC4650A. The timescale for developing non-linear structures
is 1-2 Gyr; saturation is reached within 2-3 Gyr. The main parameter
controlling the structure formation is the Toomre parameter. The results are
surprisingly insensitive to the properties of the central component. If the
polar disk is much less massive than that in NGC4650A, it forms a weaker
tightly-wound spiral, similar to that seen in dust absorption in the dust disk
of NGC2787. Our results are derived for a polytropic equation of state, but
appear to be generic as the adiabatic exponent is varied between \gamma = 1
(isothermal) and \gamma = 2 (very stiff).Comment: 14 pages including 23 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy
& Astrophysic
Zero-field thermopower of a thin heterostructure membrane with a 2D electron gas
We study the low-temperature thermopower of micron sized, free-standing
membranes containing a two-dimensional electron system. Suspended membranes of
320 nm thickness including a high electron mobility structure in Hall bar
geometry of 34 {\mu}m length are prepared from GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructures
grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Joule heating on the central region of the
membrane generates a thermal gradient with respect to the suspension points
where the membrane is attached to cold reservoirs. Temperature measurements on
the membrane reveal strong thermal gradients due to the low thermal
conductivity. We measure the zero-field thermopower and find that the
phonon-drag contribution is suppressed at low temperatures up to 7 K.Comment: 5 page
Starbursts in isolated galaxies. I. The influence of stellar birth function and IMF
Starbursts and substantial variations in the star formation histories are a
common phenomenon in galaxies. We study the stability properties of isolated
star-forming dwarf galaxies with the aim of identifying starburst modes. The
impact of the stellar birth function, the initial mass function (IMF), the
stellar feedback and the interstellar medium (ISM) model are investigated. We
apply a one-zone model for a star-gas system coupled by mass and energy
transfer. Additionally, we extend the network for active dynamical evolution.
This allows for a coupling between the dynamical state of the galaxy and its
internal properties. While the influence of the dynamics on the total star
formation rate is strong, the coupling of the internal properties (gas
temperature) on the dynamics is rather limited, because radiative cooling keeps
the gas temperature well below the virial temperature. Because of short cooling
and feedback timescales, the star formation rate is close to the equilibrium
star formation rates. Quasi-periodic starbursts occur, because star formation
follows the variations in the gas density induced by decaying virial
oscillations. This behaviour is quite insensitive to the nature and the details
of the stellar birth description, viz. whether spontaneous or induced star
formation is considered or the IMF is varied. A second type of burst is found
as an instability operating when the cooling may drop at very low densities
with increasing temperature. Bursts of star formation occur during transitory
phases, when dynamical equilibrium is established. Then they are quasi-periodic
on the dynamical timescale. Because of short heating and cooling timescales,
the star formation rate follows the equilibrium star formation rate
corresponding to the actual gas density.Comment: 16 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Representations of the Weyl Algebra in Quantum Geometry
The Weyl algebra A of continuous functions and exponentiated fluxes,
introduced by Ashtekar, Lewandowski and others, in quantum geometry is studied.
It is shown that, in the piecewise analytic category, every regular
representation of A having a cyclic and diffeomorphism invariant vector, is
already unitarily equivalent to the fundamental representation. Additional
assumptions concern the dimension of the underlying analytic manifold (at least
three), the finite wide triangulizability of surfaces in it to be used for the
fluxes and the naturality of the action of diffeomorphisms -- but neither any
domain properties of the represented Weyl operators nor the requirement that
the diffeomorphisms act by pull-backs. For this, the general behaviour of
C*-algebras generated by continuous functions and pull-backs of homeomorphisms,
as well as the properties of stratified analytic diffeomorphisms are studied.
Additionally, the paper includes also a short and direct proof of the
irreducibility of A.Comment: 71 pages, 1 figure, LaTeX. Changes v2 to v3: previous results
unchanged; some addings: inclusion of gauge transforms, several comments,
Subsects. 1.5, 3.7, 3.8; comparison with LOST paper moved to Introduction;
Def. 2.5 modified; some typos corrected; Refs. updated. Article now as
accepted by Commun. Math. Phy
Carrier-mediated magnetoelectricity in complex oxide heterostructures
While tremendous success has been achieved to date in creating both single
phase and composite magnetoelectric materials, the quintessential
electric-field control of magnetism remains elusive. In this work, we
demonstrate a linear magnetoelectric effect which arises from a novel
carrier-mediated mechanism, and is a universal feature of the interface between
a dielectric and a spin-polarized metal. Using first-principles density
functional calculations, we illustrate this effect at the SrRuO/SrTiO
interface and describe its origin. To formally quantify the magnetic response
of such an interface to an applied electric field, we introduce and define the
concept of spin capacitance. In addition to its magnetoelectric and spin
capacitive behavior, the interface displays a spatial coexistence of magnetism
and dielectric polarization suggesting a route to a new type of interfacial
multiferroic
Trapped Rydberg Ions: From Spin Chains to Fast Quantum Gates
We study the dynamics of Rydberg ions trapped in a linear Paul trap, and
discuss the properties of ionic Rydberg states in the presence of the static
and time-dependent electric fields constituting the trap. The interactions in a
system of many ions are investigated and coupled equations of the internal
electronic states and the external oscillator modes of a linear ion chain are
derived. We show that strong dipole-dipole interactions among the ions can be
achieved by microwave dressing fields. Using low-angular momentum states with
large quantum defect the internal dynamics can be mapped onto an effective spin
model of a pair of dressed Rydberg states that describes the dynamics of
Rydberg excitations in the ion crystal. We demonstrate that excitation transfer
through the ion chain can be achieved on a nanosecond timescale and discuss the
implementation of a fast two-qubit gate in the ion chain.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figure
Cardiovascular Applications of Hyperpolarized MRI
Many applications of MRI are limited by an inherently low sensitivity. Previous attempts to overcome this insensitivity have focused on the use of MRI systems with stronger magnetic fields. However, the gains that can be achieved in this way are relatively small and increasing the magnetic field invariably leads to greater technical challenges. More recently, the development of a range of techniques, which can be gathered under the umbrella term of “hyperpolarization,” has offered potential solutions to the low sensitivity. Hyperpolarization techniques have been demonstrated to temporarily increase the signal available in an MRI experiment by as much as 100,000-fold. This article outlines the main hyperpolarization techniques that have been proposed and explains how they can increase MRI signals. With particular emphasis on the emerging technique of dynamic nuclear polarization, the existing preclinical cardiovascular applications are reviewed and the potential for clinical translation is discussed
Potentially inappropriate medication in older participants of the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II) - Sex differences and associations with morbidity and medication use
INTRODUCTION:
Multimorbidity in advanced age and the need for drug treatment may lead to polypharmacy, while pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes may increase the risk of adverse drug events (ADEs).
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of subjects using potentially inappropriate medication (PIM) in a cohort of older and predominantly healthy adults in relation to polypharmacy and morbidity.
METHODS:
Cross-sectional data were available from 1,382 study participants (median age 69 years, IQR 67-71, 51.3% females) of the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II). PIM was classified according to the EU(7)-PIM and German PRISCUS (representing a subset of the former) list. Polypharmacy was defined as the concomitant use of at least five drugs. A morbidity index (MI) largely based on the Charlson Index was applied to evaluate the morbidity burden.
RESULTS:
Overall, 24.1% of the participants were affected by polypharmacy. On average, men used 2 (IQR 1-4) and women 3 drugs (IQR 1-5). According to PRISCUS and EU(7)-PIM, 5.9% and 22.6% of participants received at least one PIM, while use was significantly more prevalent in females (25.5%) compared to males (19.6%) considering EU(7)-PIM (p = 0.01). In addition, morbidity in males receiving PIM according to EU(7)-PIM was higher (median MI 1, IQR 1-3) compared to males without PIM use (median MI 1, IQR 0-2, p<0.001).
CONCLUSION:
PIM use occurred more frequently in women than in men, while it was associated with higher morbidity in males. As expected, EU(7)-PIM identifies more subjects as PIM users than the PRISCUS list but further studies are needed to investigate the differential impact of both lists on ADEs and outcome.
KEY POINTS:
We found PIM use to be associated with a higher number of regular medications and with increased morbidity. Additionally, we detected a higher prevalence of PIM use in females compared to males, suggesting that women and people needing intensive drug treatment are patient groups, who are particularly affected by PIM use
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