Coupling of phonons to a helium atom adsorbed on graphite

We compute the self-energy for a ^4He atom adsorbed on graphite to second order in the phonon coupling. The phonon contributions amount to several degrees Kelvin. The imaginary part corresponds to a lifetime of some 10^(-11) s

The study of parameter optimization in vehicle-borne tracking systems Final technical report

Data smoothing technique for parameter optimization in free flight orbit vehicle-borne tracking system

Physical Bias of Galaxies From Large-Scale Hydrodynamic Simulations

We analyze a new large-scale ($100h^{-1}$Mpc) numerical hydrodynamic simulation of the popular $\Lambda$CDM cosmological model, including in our treatment dark matter, gas and star-formation, on the basis of standard physical processes. The method, applied with a numerical resolution of $<200h^{-1}$kpc (which is still quite coarse for following individual galaxies, especially in dense regions), attempts to estimate where and when galaxies form. We then compare the smoothed galaxy distribution with the smoothed mass distribution to determine the "bias" defined as $b\equiv (\delta M/M)_{gal}/(\delta M/M)_{total}$ on scales large compared with the code numerical resolution (on the basis of resolution tests given in the appendix of this paper). We find that (holding all variables constant except the quoted one) bias increases with decreasing scale, with increasing galactic age or metallicity and with increasing redshift of observations. At the $8h^{-1}$Mpc fiducial comoving scale bias (for bright regions) is 1.35 at $z=0$ reaching to 3.6 at $z=3$, both numbers being consistent with extant observations. We also find that $(10-20)h^{-1}$Mpc voids in the distribution of luminous objects are as observed (i.e., observed voids are not an argument against CDM-like models) and finally that the younger systems should show a colder Hubble flow than do the early type galaxies (a testable proposition). Surprisingly, little evolution is found in the amplitude of the smoothed galaxy-galaxy correlation function (as a function of {\it comoving} separation). Testing this prediction vs observations will allow a comparison between this work and that of Kauffmann et al which is based on a different physical modelingmethod.Comment: in press, ApJ, 26 latex pages plus 7 fig

Observations of Mariner IV with the Parkes 210-ft Radio Telescope

Radio telescope test results from Mariner IV OBSERVATION

Hedge funds, credit risk transfer and financial stability.

Over the past decade, central bankers and financial institution supervisors have sharpened their focus on the increasingly important role that private pools of investment funds play in global financial markets. The growth in these pools has contributed significantly to market efficiency and financial stability by expanding liquidity in many financial markets, improving price discovery, and, ultimately, lowering the costs of capital. Private investment pools and the alternative investment strategies they pursue have contributed to a signifi cant expansion of the global markets and have helped accelerate the evolution in traded credit products such as credit derivatives, collateralized debt obligations, and the securitization of an increasing array of traditionally illiquid assets. However, because of the lack of transparency and an established regime of supervision of these investment vehicles, policymakers and supervisors have become concerned about customer protection and the potential for systemic risk. This paper discusses some of the key issues confronting supervisors in light of the recent growth of private investment pools and the rapid developments in the area of credit risk transfer, with a particular focus on the implications of these trends regarding systemic risk and financial stability.

Credit Guarantee Programs in International Grain Markets: Background and Issues

Marketing,

YOUNG STARS IN AN OLD BULGE: A NATURAL OUTCOME OF INTERNAL EVOLUTION IN THE MILKY WAY

The center of our disk galaxy, the Milky Way, is dominated by a boxy/peanut-shaped bulge. Numerous studies of the bulge based on stellar photometry have concluded that the bulge stars are exclusively old. The perceived lack of young stars in the bulge strongly constrains its likely formation scenarios, providing evidence that the bulge is a unique population that formed early and separately from the disk. However, recent studies of individual bulge stars using the microlensing technique have reported that they span a range of ages, emphasizing that the bulge may not be a monolithic structure. In this Letter we demonstrate that the presence of young stars that are located predominantly nearer to the plane is expected for a bulge that has formed from the disk via dynamical instabilities. Using an N-body+ smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulation of a disk galaxy forming out of gas cooling inside a dark matter halo and forming stars, we find a qualitative agreement between our model and the observations of younger metal-rich stars in the bulge. We are also able to partially resolve the apparent contradiction in the literature between results that argue for a purely old bulge population and those that show a population comprised of a range in ages; the key is where to look

Probing the helium-graphite interaction

Two separate lines of investigation have recently converged to produce a highly detailed picture of the behavior of helium atoms physisorbed on graphite basal plane surfaces. Atomic beam scattering experiments on single crystals have yielded accurate values for the binding energies of several· states for both (^4)He and (^3)He, as well as matrix elements of the largest Fourier component of the periodic part of the interaction potential. From these data, a complete three-dimensional description of the potential has been constructed, and the energy band structure of a helium atom moving in this potential calculated. At the same time, accurate thermodynamic measurements were made on submonolayer helium films adsorbed on Grafoil. The binding energy and low-coverage specific heat deduced from these measurements are in excellent agreement with those calculated from the band structures