18,141 research outputs found
Thermal Quantum Fields without Cut-offs in 1+1 Space-time Dimensions
We construct interacting quantum fields in 1+1 dimensional Minkowski space,
representing neutral scalar bosons at positive temperature. Our work is based
on prior work by Klein and Landau and Hoegh-KrohnComment: 48 page
Primordial black holes as a tool for constraining non-Gaussianity
Primordial Black Holes (PBH's) can form in the early Universe from the
collapse of large density fluctuations. Tight observational limits on their
abundance constrain the amplitude of the primordial fluctuations on very small
scales which can not otherwise be constrained, with PBH's only forming from the
extremely rare large fluctuations. The number of PBH's formed is therefore
sensitive to small changes in the shape of the tail of the fluctuation
distribution, which itself depends on the amount of non-Gaussianity present. We
study, for the first time, how quadratic and cubic local non-Gaussianity of
arbitrary size (parameterised by f_nl and g_nl respectively) affects the PBH
abundance and the resulting constraints on the amplitude of the fluctuations on
very small scales. Intriguingly we find that even non-linearity parameters of
order unity have a significant impact on the PBH abundance. The sign of the
non-Gaussianity is particularly important, with the constraint on the allowed
fluctuation amplitude tightening by an order of magnitude as f_nl changes from
just -0.5 to 0.5. We find that if PBH's are observed in the future, then
regardless of the amplitude of the fluctuations, non-negligible negative f_nl
would be ruled out. Finally we show that g_nl can have an even larger effect on
the number of PBH's formed than f_nl.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, v2: version to appear in Phys. Rev. D with minor
changes, v3: typos corrected (including factor of 1/2 in erfc prefactor), no
changes to result
Propagating Wave Phenomena Detected in Observations and Simulations of the Lower Solar Atmosphere
We present high-cadence observations and simulations of the solar
photosphere, obtained using the Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere
imaging system and the MuRAM magneto-hydrodynamic code, respectively. Each
dataset demonstrates a wealth of magneto-acoustic oscillatory behaviour,
visible as periodic intensity fluctuations with periods in the range 110-600 s.
Almost no propagating waves with periods less than 140s and 110s are detected
in the observational and simulated datasets, respectively. High concentrations
of power are found in highly magnetised regions, such as magnetic bright points
and intergranular lanes. Radiative diagnostics of the photospheric simulations
replicate our observational results, confirming that the current breed of
magneto-hydrodynamic simulations are able to accurately represent the lower
solar atmosphere. All observed oscillations are generated as a result of
naturally occurring magnetoconvective processes, with no specific input driver
present. Using contribution functions extracted from our numerical simulations,
we estimate minimum G-band and 4170 Angstrom continuum formation heights of 100
km and 25 km, respectively. Detected magneto-acoustic oscillations exhibit a
dominant phase delay of -8 degrees between the G-band and 4170 Angstrom
continuum observations, suggesting the presence of upwardly propagating waves.
More than 73% of MBPs (73% from observations, 96% from simulations) display
upwardly propagating wave phenomena, suggesting the abundant nature of
oscillatory behaviour detected higher in the solar atmosphere may be traced
back to magnetoconvective processes occurring in the upper layers of the Sun's
convection zone.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted into Ap
The Velocity Distribution of Solar Photospheric Magnetic Bright Points
We use high spatial resolution observations and numerical simulations to
study the velocity distribution of solar photospheric magnetic bright points.
The observations were obtained with the Rapid Oscillations in the Solar
Atmosphere instrument at the Dunn Solar Telescope, while the numerical
simulations were undertaken with the MURaM code for average magnetic fields of
200 G and 400 G. We implemented an automated bright point detection and
tracking algorithm on the dataset, and studied the subsequent velocity
characteristics of over 6000 structures, finding an average velocity of
approximately 1 km/s, with maximum values of 7 km/s. Furthermore, merging
magnetic bright points were found to have considerably higher velocities, and
significantly longer lifetimes, than isolated structures. By implementing a new
and novel technique, we were able to estimate the background magnetic flux of
our observational data, which is consistent with a field strength of 400 G.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJL, 12 pages, 2 figure
The Discovery of an Embedded Cluster of High-Mass Stars Near SGR 1900+14
Deep I-band imaging to approximately I = 26.5 of the soft gamma-ray repeater
SGR 1900+14 region has revealed a compact cluster of massive stars located only
a few arcseconds from the fading radio source thought to be the location of the
SGR (Frail, Kulkarni, & Bloom 1999). This cluster was previously hidden in the
glare of the pair of M5 supergiant stars (whose light was removed by PSF
subtraction) proposed by Vrba et al. (1996) as likely associated with the SGR
1900+14. The cluster has at least 13 members within a cluster radius of
approximately 0.6 pc, based on an estimated distance of 12-15 kpc. It is
remarkably similar to a cluster found associated with SGR 1806-20 (Fuchs et al.
1999). That similar clusters have now been found at or near the positions of
the two best-studied SGRs suggests that young neutron stars, thought to be
responsible for the SGR phenomenon, have their origins in proximate compact
clusters of massive stars.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted Astrophysical Journal Letter
spectra in elementary cellular automata and fractal signals
We systematically compute the power spectra of the one-dimensional elementary
cellular automata introduced by Wolfram. On the one hand our analysis reveals
that one automaton displays spectra though considered as trivial, and on
the other hand that various automata classified as chaotic/complex display no
spectra. We model the results generalizing the recently investigated
Sierpinski signal to a class of fractal signals that are tailored to produce
spectra. From the widespread occurrence of (elementary) cellular
automata patterns in chemistry, physics and computer sciences, there are
various candidates to show spectra similar to our results.Comment: 4 pages (3 figs included
Enzyme activities in liver and muscle biopsy specimens from thyrotoxic and hypothyroid patiens
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