2,305 research outputs found
X-ray AGN in the XMM-LSS galaxy clusters: no evidence of AGN suppression
We present a study of the overdensity of X-ray selected AGN in 33 galaxy
clusters in the XMM-LSS field, up to redhift z=1.05. Previous studies have
shown that the presence of X-ray selected AGN in rich galaxy clusters is
suppressed. In the current study we investigate the occurrence of X-ray
selected AGN in low and moderate X-ray luminosity galaxy clusters. Due to the
wide contiguous XMM-LSS survey area we are able to extend the study to the
cluster outskirts. We therefore determine the projected overdensity of X-ray
point-like sources out to 6r_{500} radius. To provide robust statistical
results we also use a stacking analysis of the cluster projected overdensities.
We investigate whether the observed X-ray overdensities are to be expected by
estimating also the corresponding optical galaxy overdensities. We find a
positive X-ray projected overdensity at the first radial bin, which is however
of the same amplitude as that of optical galaxies. Therefore, no suppression of
X-ray AGN activity with respect to the field is found, implying that the
mechanisms responsible for the suppression are not so effective in lower
density environments. After a drop to roughly the background level between 2
and 3r_{500}, the X-ray overdensity exhibits a rise at larger radii,
significantly larger than the corresponding optical overdensity. Finally, using
redshift information of all optical counterparts, we derive the spatial
overdensity profile of the clusters. We find that the agreement between X-ray
and optical overdensities in the first radial bin is also suggested in the
3-dimensional analysis. However, we argue that the X-ray overdensity "bump" at
larger radial distance is probably a result of flux boosting by gravitational
lensing of background QSOs. For high redshift clusters an enhancement of X-ray
AGN activity in their outskirts is still possible.Comment: 16 pages. Accepted for publication in A&
Dielectric resonances of lattice animals and other fractal structures
Electrical and optical properties of binary inhomogeneous media are currently
modelled by a random network of metallic bonds (conductance ,
concentration ) and dielectric bonds (conductance , concentration
). The macroscopic conductivity of this model is analytic in the complex
plane of the dimensionless ratio of the conductances of
both phases, cut along the negative real axis. This cut originates in the
accumulation of the resonances of clusters with any size and shape. We
demonstrate that the dielectric response of an isolated cluster, or a finite
set of clusters, is characterised by a finite spectrum of resonances, occurring
at well-defined negative real values of , and we define the cross-section
which gives a measure of the strength of each resonance. These resonances show
up as narrow peaks with Lorentzian line shapes, e.g. in the weak-dissipation
regime of the model. The resonance frequencies and the corresponding
cross-sections only depend on the underlying lattice, on the geometry of the
clusters, and on their relative positions. Our approach allows an exact
determination of these characteristics. It is applied to several examples of
clusters drawn on the square lattice. Scaling laws are derived analytically,
and checked numerically, for the resonance spectra of linear clusters, of
lattice animals, and of several examples of self-similar fractals.Comment: 25 pages, plain TeX. Figures (hard copies) available upon request, to
appear in the Journal of Physics
Mesoscale simulations of surfactant dissolution and mesophase formation
The evolution of the contact zone between pure surfactant and solvent has
been studied by mesoscale simulation. It is found that mesophase formation
becomes diffusion controlled and follows the equilibrium phase diagram
adiabatically almost as soon as individual mesophases can be identified,
corresponding to times in real systems of order 10 microseconds.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, ReVTeX
The XMM-LSS survey: the Class 1 cluster sample over the extended 11 deg and its spatial distribution
This paper presents 52 X-ray bright galaxy clusters selected within the 11
deg XMM-LSS survey. 51 of them have spectroscopic redshifts
(), one is identified at , and all together make
the high-purity "Class 1" (C1) cluster sample of the XMM-LSS, the highest
density sample of X-ray selected clusters with a monitored selection function.
Their X-ray fluxes, averaged gas temperatures (median keV),
luminosities (median ergs/s) and total mass
estimates (median ) are measured, adapting to
the specific signal-to-noise regime of XMM-LSS observations. The redshift
distribution of clusters shows a deficit of sources when compared to the
cosmological expectations, regardless of whether WMAP-9 or Planck-2013 CMB
parameters are assumed. This lack of sources is particularly noticeable at . However, after quantifying uncertainties due to small
number statistics and sample variance we are not able to put firm (i.e. ) constraints on the presence of a large void in the cluster
distribution. We work out alternative hypotheses and demonstrate that a
negative redshift evolution in the normalization of the relation
(with respect to a self-similar evolution) is a plausible explanation for the
observed deficit. We confirm this evolutionary trend by directly studying how
C1 clusters populate the space, properly accounting for selection
biases. We point out that a systematically evolving, unresolved, central
component in clusters and groups (AGN contamination or cool core) can impact
the classification as extended sources and be partly responsible for the
observed redshift distribution.[abridged]Comment: 33 pages, 21 figures, 3 tables ; accepted for publication in MNRA
Direct evidence for ferroelectric polar distortion in ultrathin lead titanate perovskite films
X-ray photoelectron diffraction is used to directly probe the intra-cell
polar atomic distortion and tetragonality associated with ferroelectricity in
ultrathin epitaxial PbTiO3 films. Our measurements, combined with ab-initio
calculations, unambiguously demonstrate non-centro-symmetry in films a few unit
cells thick, imply that films as thin as 3 unit cells still preserve a
ferroelectric polar distortion, and also show that there is no thick
paraelectric dead layer at the surface
Selective emitters design and optimization for thermophotovoltaic applications
Among several solutions to exploit solar energy, thermophotovoltaics (TPV)
have been popularized and have known great breakthroughs during the past two
decades. Yet, existing systems still have low efficiencies since the wavelength
range of optimal photovoltaic (PV) conversion is very small compared to the
emitter spectral range. Selective emitters are a very promising solution to
this problem. We developed numerical tools to design and optimize such
emitters. Some of the resulting structures composed of two or four layers of
metals and semiconductors are presented in this paper. We also show that the
usual PV devices efficiency limits (30% for crystalline silicon under solar
radiation, according to Shockley-Queisser model) can be easily overcome thanks
to these structures.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure
Effect of the Photon's Brownian Doppler Shift on the Weak-Localization Coherent-Backscattering Cone
We report the first observation of the dependence of the
coherent-backscattering (CBS) enhanced cone with the frequency of the
backscattered photon. The experiment is performed on a diffusing liquid
suspension and the Doppler broadening of light is induced by the Brownian
motion of the scatterers. Heterodyne detection on a CCD camera is used to
measure the complex field (i.e., the hologram) of the light that is
backscattered at a given frequency. The analysis of the holograms yield the
frequency and the propagation direction of the backscattered photons. We
observe that the angular CBS cone becomes more narrow in the tail of the
Brownian spectrum. The experimental results are in good agreement with a simple
theoretical model
Zig-zag instability of an Ising wall in liquid crystals
We present a theoretical explanation for the interfacial zigzag instability
that appears in anisotropic systems. Such an instability has been
experimentally highlighted for an Ising wall formed in a nematic liquid crystal
cell under homeotropic anchoring conditions. From an envelope equation,
relevant close to the Freedericksz transition, we have derived an asymptotic
equation describing the interface dynamics in the vicinity of its bifurcation.
The asymptotic limit used accounts for a strong difference between two of the
elastic constants. The model is characterized by a conservative order parameter
which satisfies a Cahn-Hilliard equation. It provides a good qualitative
understanding of the experiments.Comment: 4 pagess, 4 figures, lette
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