264 research outputs found
Optimal Survey Strategies and Predicted Planet Yields for the Korean Microlensing Telescope Network
The Korean Microlensing Telescope Network (KMTNet) will consist of three 1.6m
telescopes each with a 4 deg^{2} field of view (FoV) and will be dedicated to
monitoring the Galactic Bulge to detect exoplanets via gravitational
microlensing. KMTNet's combination of aperture size, FoV, cadence, and
longitudinal coverage will provide a unique opportunity to probe exoplanet
demographics in an unbiased way. Here we present simulations that optimize the
observing strategy for, and predict the planetary yields of, KMTNet. We find
preferences for four target fields located in the central Bulge and an exposure
time of t_{exp} = 120s, leading to the detection of ~2,200 microlensing events
per year. We estimate the planet detection rates for planets with mass and
separation across the ranges 0.1 <= M_{p}/M_{Earth} <= 1000 and 0.4 <= a/AU <=
16, respectively. Normalizing these rates to the cool-planet mass function of
Cassan (2012), we predict KMTNet will be approximately uniformly sensitive to
planets with mass 5 <= M_{p}/M_{Earth} <= 1000 and will detect ~20 planets per
year per dex in mass across that range. For lower-mass planets with mass 0.1 <=
M_{p}/M_{Earth} < 5, we predict KMTNet will detect ~10 planets per year. We
also compute the yields KMTNet will obtain for free-floating planets (FFPs) and
predict KMTNet will detect ~1 Earth-mass FFP per year, assuming an underlying
population of one such planet per star in the Galaxy. Lastly, we investigate
the dependence of these detection rates on the number of observatories, the
photometric precision limit, and optimistic assumptions regarding seeing,
throughput, and flux measurement uncertainties.Comment: 29 pages, 31 figures, submitted to ApJ. For a brief video explaining
the key results of this paper, please visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5rWVjiO26
Uncoupling clutch size, prolactin, and luteinizing hormone using experimental egg removal
Clutch size is a key avian fitness and life history trait. A physiological model for clutch size determination CSD), involving an anti-gonadal effect of prolactin (PRL) via suppression of luteinizing hormone (LH),was proposed over 20 years ago, but has received scant experimental attention since. The few studies looking at a PRL-based mechanistic hypothesis for CSD have been equivocal, but recent experiments utilizing a pharmacological agent to manipulate PRL in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) found no
support for a role of this hormone in clutch size determination. Here, we take a complementary approach
by manipulating clutch size through egg removal, examining co-variation in PRL and LH between two breeding attempts, as well as through experimentally-extended laying. Clutch size increased for egg removal females, but not controls, but this was not correlated with changes in PRL or LH. There were also no differences in PRL between egg removal females and controls, nor did PRL levels during early, mid- or late-laying of supra-normal clutches predict clutch size. By uncoupling PRL, LH and clutch size in our study, several key predictions of the PRL-based mechanistic model for CSD were not supported. However,a positive correlation between PRL levels late in laying and days relative to the last egg (clutch completion) provides an alternative explanation for the equivocal results surrounding the conventional PRL-based physiological model for CSD. We suggest that females coordinate PRL-mediated incubation
onset with clutch completion to minimize hatching asynchrony and sibling hierarchy, a behavior that
is amplified in females laying larger clutches
Di-electrons from meson Dalitz decay in proton-proton collisions
The reaction is discussed within a
covariant effective meson-nucleon theory. The model is adjusted to data of the
subreaction . Our focus is on di-electrons from Dalitz decays
of mesons, , and the role of
the corresponding transition form factor . Numerical
results are presented for the intermediate energy kinematics of HADES
experiments
Is early postnatal growth velocity, a proxy of minipubertal androgen action, related to adult second-to-fourth digit (2D:4D) ratios in men? A test in Cebu, Philippines
Wide-Orbit Exoplanet Demographics
The Kepler, K2 and TESS transit surveys are revolutionizing our understanding of planets orbiting close to their host stars and our understanding of exoplanet systems in general, but there remains a gap in our understanding of wide-orbit planets. This gap in our understanding must be filled if we are to understand planet formation and how it affects exoplanet habitability. We summarize current and planned exoplanet detection programs using a variety of methods: microlensing (including WFIRST), radial velocities, Gaia astrometry, and direct imaging. Finally, we discuss the prospects for joint analyses using results from multiple methods and obstacles that could hinder such analyses.
We endorse the findings and recommendations published in the 2018 National Academy report on Exoplanet Science Strategy. This white paper extends and complements the material presented therein
Second-to-fourth digit ratio (2D:4D) is unrelated to measures of somatic reproductive effort among young men from Cebu, the Philippines
A versatile method for simulating pp -> ppe+e- and dp -> pne+e-p_spec reactions
We have developed a versatile software package for the simulation of
di-electron production in and collisions at SIS energies. Particular
attention has been paid to incorporate different descriptions of the Dalitz
decay via a common interface. In addition, suitable
parameterizations for the virtual bremsstrahlung process
based on one-boson exchange models have been implemented. Such simulation tools
with high flexibility of the framework are important for the interpretation of
the di-electron data taken with the HADES spectrometer and the design of
forthcoming experiments
Dilepton production in heavy ion collisions at intermediate energies
We present a unified description of the vector meson and dilepton production
in elementary and in heavy ion reactions. The production of vector mesons
() is described via the excitation of nuclear resonances ().
The theoretical framework is an extended vector meson dominance model (eVMD).
The treatment of the resonance decays with arbitrary spin is
covariant and kinematically complete. The eVMD includes thereby excited vector
meson states in the transition form factors. This ensures correct asymptotics
and provides a unified description of photonic and mesonic decays. The
resonance model is successfully applied to the production in
reactions. The same model is applied to the dilepton production in elementary
reactions (). Corresponding data are well reproduced. However, when
the model is applied to heavy ion reactions in the BEVALAC/SIS energy range the
experimental dilepton spectra measured by the DLS Collaboration are
significantly underestimated at small invariant masses. As a possible solution
of this problem the destruction of quantum interference in a dense medium is
discussed. A decoherent emission through vector mesons decays enhances the
corresponding dilepton yield in heavy ion reactions. In the vicinity of the
-peak the reproduction of the data requires further a substantial
collisional broadening of the and in particular of the meson.Comment: 32 pages revtex, 19 figures, to appear in PR
Biofouling and its control for in situ lab-on-a-chip marine environmental sensors
Biofouling is the process by which biological organisms attach to surfaces in an aqueous environment. This occurs on nearly all surfaces in all natural aquatic environments, and can cause problems with the functioning of scientific equipment exposed to the marine environment for extended periods. At the National Oceanographic Centre in Southampton (NOCS), the Centre for Marine Microsystems (CMM) is developing lab-on-chip micro-sensors to monitor the chemical and biological environment in situ in the oceans. Due to the long periods (up to several months) that these sensors will be deployed, biofouling by microbial biofilms is an important concern for the efficient running of these sensors. The aim of this project was therefore to determine the potential level of fouling within the sensors and to investigate the potential use of low-concentration diffusible molecules (LCDMs) to remediate biofouling.Many of the sensors in development by CMM are designed to sense specific chemical species and they use various chemical reagents to achieve this. The effects of some of these reagents on the formation of biofilms by mixed marine communities were investigated. It was shown that Griess reagent and ortho-phthadialdehyde (OPA), used to sense nitrites and ammonium respectively, effectively stop biofilm formation by killing microorganisms before they can attach to surfaces.Biofouling on two different polymers, cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), used in the construction of micro-sensors, was compared with biofouling on glass. No differences were observed between COC and PMMA, however a small but significant difference in surface coverage was observed between glass and COC at the early stages of exposure to the marine environment. The lack of differences between the two polymers suggests that biofouling is not an important consideration when deciding whether to construct sensors from COC or PMMA. However, the larger degree of fouling on hydrophobic COC compared with hydrophilic glass indicates a potential use of surface modifications as an antifouling strategy.The effects on biofouling of the LCDMs nitric oxide (NO), cis-2-decenoic acid (CDA) and patulin, were investigated to evaluate their potential for anti-fouling in marine micro sensors. All three molecules were shown to reduce the formation of biofilms by mixed marine communities, but colony counts suggested that the effect of patulin was due to toxicity as opposed to a physiological effect. Investigation of biofilm growth in the light and the dark revealed that there was less biofilm formation in the light that the dark and this effect was determined to be due to an interaction with the polystyrene growth substratum.Analysis of the biofilm communities grown in the presence of LCDMs by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), showed no clear differences in community profiles depending on the LCDMs. However those biofilms grown in the light appeared to have a greater proportion of Alphaproteobacteria than those grown in the dark.Further study is needed to determine the level of fouling and the applicability of LCDMs in real micro-sensor systems. However, this study has shown that LCDMs have the potential to remediate, at least in part, the biofouling of marine micro-sensors
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