13,448 research outputs found
The Distance of the First Overtone RR Lyrae Variables in the MACHO LMC Database: A New Method to Correct for the Effects of Crowding
Previous studies have indicated that many of the RR Lyrae variables in the
LMC have properties similar to the ones in the Galactic globular cluster M3.
Assuming that the M3 RR Lyrae variables follow the same relationships among
period, temperature, amplitude and Fourier phase parameter phi31 as their LMC
counterparts, we have used the M3 phi31-logP relation to identify the M3-like
unevolved first overtone RR Lyrae variables in 16 fields near the LMC bar. The
temperatures of these variables were calculated from the M3 logP-logTe relation
so that the extinction could be derived for each star separately. Since blended
stars have lower amplitudes for a given period, the period amplitude relation
should be a useful tool for identifying which stars are affected by crowding.
We find that the low amplitude stars are brighter. We remove them from the
sample and derive an LMC distance modulus 18.49+/-0.11.Comment: 30 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical
Journa
Extracting the depolarization coefficient D_NN from data measured with a full acceptance detector
The spin transfer from vertically polarized beam protons to Lambda or Sigma
hyperons of the associated strangeness production pp -> pK Lambda (Sigma) is
described with the depolarization coefficient D_NN. As the polarization of the
hyperons is determined by their weak decays, detectors, which have a large
acceptance for the decay particles, are needed. In this paper a formula is
derived, which describes the depolarization coefficient D_NN by count rates of
a 4 pi detector. It is shown, that formulas, which are given in publications
for detectors with restricted acceptance, are specific cases of this formula
for a 4 pi detector.Comment: Accepted for publication by Nuclear Instruments and Methods in
Physics Research Section
Granular Pressure and the Thickness of a Layer Jamming on a Rough Incline
Dense granular media have a compaction between the random loose and random
close packings. For these dense media the concept of a granular pressure
depending on compaction is not unanimously accepted because they are often in a
"frozen" state which prevents them to explore all their possible microstates, a
necessary condition for defining a pressure and a compressibility
unambiguously. While periodic tapping or cyclic fluidization have already being
used for that exploration, we here suggest that a succession of flowing states
with velocities slowly decreasing down to zero can also be used for that
purpose. And we propose to deduce the pressure in \emph{dense and flowing}
granular media from experiments measuring the thickness of the granular layer
that remains on a rough incline just after the flow has stopped.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure
A Microscopic Energy- and Density-Dependent Effective Interaction and its Test by Nucleus-Nucleus Scattering
An effective nucleon-nucleon interaction calculated in nuclear matter from
the Bonn potential has been parametrized in terms of a local density- and
energy-dependent two-body interaction. This allows to calculate the real part
of the nucleus-nucleus scattering potential and to test this effective
interaction over a wide region of densities () produced
dynamically in scattering experiments. Comparing our calculations with
empirical potentials extracted from data on light and heavy ion scattering by
model-unrestricted analysis methods, we find quantitative agreement with the
exception of proton scattering. The failure in this case may be traced back to
the properties of the effective interaction at low densities, for which the
nuclear matter results are not reliable. The success of the interaction at high
overlap densities confirms the empirical evidence for a soft equation of state
for cold nuclear matter.Comment: 8 pages 3 Figures included, to appear in Phys. Lett.
The first Frontier Fields cluster: 4.5{\mu}m excess in a z~8 galaxy candidate in Abell 2744
We present in this letter the first analysis of a z~8 galaxy candidate found
in the Hubble and Spitzer imaging data of Abell 2744, as part of the Hubble
Frontier Fields legacy program. We applied the most commonly-used methods to
select exceptionally high-z galaxies by combining non-detection and
color-criteria using seven HST bands. We used GALFIT on IRAC images for fitting
and subtracting contamination of bright nearby sources. The physical properties
have been inferred from SED-fitting using templates with and without nebular
emission. This letter is focussed on the brightest candidate we found
(m=26.2) over the 4.9 arcmin field of view covered by the WFC3.
It shows a non-detection in the ACS bands and at 3.6{\mu}m whereas it is
clearly detected at 4.5{\mu}m with rather similar depths. This break in the
IRAC data could be explained by strong [OIII]+H{\beta} lines at z~8 which
contribute to the 4.5{\mu}m photometry. The best photo-z is found at
z~8.0, although solutions at low-redshift (z~1.9) cannot be
completely excluded, but they are strongly disfavoured by the SED-fitting work.
The amplification factor is relatively small at {\mu}=1.490.02. The Star
Formation Rate in this object is ranging from 8 to 60 Mo/yr, the stellar mass
is in the order of M=(2.5-10) x 10Mo and the size is
r~0.350.15 kpc. This object is one of the first z~8 LBG candidates showing
a clear break between 3.6{\mu}m and 4.5{\mu}m which is consistent with the IRAC
properties of the first spectroscopically confirmed galaxy at a similar
redshift. Due to its brightness, the redshift of this object could potentially
be confirmed by near infrared spectroscopy with current 8-10m telescopes. The
nature of this candidate will be revealed in the coming months with the arrival
of new ACS and Spitzer data, increasing the depth at optical and near-IR
wavelengths.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysics Letter
The high-intensity hyperon beam at CERN
A high-intensity hyperon beam was constructed at CERN to deliver Sigma- to
experiment WA89 at the Omega facility and operated from 1989 to 1994. The setup
allowed rapid changeover between hyperon and conventional hadron beam
configurations. The beam provided a Sigma-flux of 1.4 x 10^5 per burst at mean
momenta between 330 and 345 Gev/c, produced by about 3 x 10^10 protons of 450
GeV/c . At the experiment target the beam had a Sigma-/pi- ratio close to 0.4
and a size of 1.6 x 3.7 cm^2. The beam particle trajectories and their momenta
were measured with a scintillating fibre hodoscope in the beam channel and a
silicon microstrip detector at the exit of the channel. A fast transition
radiation detector was used to identify the pion component of the beam.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures. Submitted to Nucl. Instr. Meth.
Modification of Eye Movements and Motion Perception during Off-Vertical Axis Rotation
Constant velocity Off-Vertical Axis Rotation (OVAR) imposes a continuously varying orientation of the head and body relative to gravity. The ensuing ocular reflexes include modulation of both torsional and horizontal eye movements as a function of the varying linear acceleration along the lateral plane, and modulation of vertical and vergence eye movements as a function of the varying linear acceleration along the sagittal plane. Previous studies have demonstrated that tilt and translation otolith-ocular responses, as well as motion perception, vary as a function of stimulus frequency during OVAR. The purpose of this study is to examine normative OVAR responses in healthy human subjects, and examine adaptive changes in astronauts following short duration space flight at low (0.125 Hz) and high (0.5 Hz) frequencies. Data was obtained on 24 normative subjects (14 M, 10 F) and 14 (13 M, 1F) astronaut subjects. To date, astronauts have participated in 3 preflight sessions (n=14) and on R+0/1 (n=7), R+2 (n= 13) and R+4 (n= 13) days after landing. Subjects were rotated in darkness about their longitudinal axis 20 deg off-vertical at constant rates of 45 and 180 deg/s, corresponding to 0.125 and 0.5 Hz. Binocular responses were obtained with video-oculography. Perceived motion was evaluated using verbal reports and a two-axis joystick (pitch and roll tilt) mounted on top of a two-axis linear stage (anterior-posterior and medial-lateral translation). Eye responses were obtained in ten of the normative subjects with the head and trunk aligned, and then with the head turned relative to the trunk 40 deg to the right or left of center. Sinusoidal curve fits were used to derive amplitude, phase and bias of the responses over several cycles at each stimulus frequency. Eye responses during 0.125 Hz OVAR were dominated by modulation of torsional and vertical eye position, compensatory for tilt relative to gravity. While there is a bias horizontal slow phase velocity (SPV), the modulation of horizontal and vergence SPV is negligible at this lower stimulus frequency. Eye responses during 0.5 Hz OVAR; however, are characterized by modulation of horizontal and vergence SPV, compensatory for translation in the lateral and sagittal planes, respectively. Neither amplitude nor bias velocities were significantly altered by head-on-trunk position. The phases of the ocular reflexes, on the other hand, shifted towards alignment with the head. During the lower frequency OVAR, subjects reported the perception of progressing along the edge of a cone. During higher frequency OVAR, subjects reported the perception of progressing along the edge of an upright cylinder. In contrast to the eye movements, the phase of both perceived tilt and translation motion is not altered by stimulus frequency. Preliminary results from astronaut data suggest that the ocular responses are not substantially altered by short-duration spaceflight. However, compared to preflight averages, astronauts reported greater amplitude of both perceived tilt and translation at low and high frequency, respectively, during early post-flight testing. We conclude that the neural processing to distinguish tilt and translation linear acceleration stimuli differs between eye movements and motion perception. The results from modifying head-on-trunk position are consistent with the modulation of ocular reflexes during OVAR being primarily mediated by the otoliths in response to the sinusoidally varying linear acceleration along the interaural and naso-occipital head axis. While the tilt and translation ocular reflexes appear to operate in an independent fashion, the timing of perceived tilt and translation influence each other. We conclude that the perceived motion path during linear acceleration in darkness results from a composite representation of tilt and translation inputs from both vestibular and somatosensory systems
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