5,436 research outputs found
Collective Excitations, NMR, and Phase Transitions in Skyrme Crystals
At Landau level filling factors near nu =1, quantum Hall ferromagnets form a
Skyrme crystal state with quasi-long-range translational and non-collinear
magnetic order. We develop an effective low energy theory which explains the
presence in these systems of magnetic excitations at low energies below the
Larmor gap (Delta) and which predicts a dramatic enhancement of the nuclear
spin relaxation rate by a factor of 1000. The effective theory predicts a rich
set of quantum and classical phase transitions. Based in part on accurate
time-dependent Hartree-Fock calculations of the ordered state collective
excitation spectrum, we discuss aspects of the T-nu-Delta crystal phase
diagram.Comment: 4 pages REVTEX file and 3 postscript figure
Globular Cluster Systems and the Missing Satellite Problem: Implications for Cold Dark Matter Models
We analyze the metallicity distributions of globular clusters belonging to 28
early-type galaxies in the survey of Kundu & Whitmore (2001). A Monte Carlo
algorithm which simulates the chemical evolution of galaxies that grow
hierarchically via dissipationless mergers is used to determine the most
probable protogalactic mass function for each galaxy. Contrary to the claims of
Kundu & Whitmore, we find that the observed metallicity distributions are in
close agreement with the predictions of such hierarchical formation models. The
mass spectrum of protogalactic fragments for the galaxies in our sample has a
power-law behavior, with an exponent of roughly -2. This spectrum is
indistinguishable from the mass spectrum of dark matter halos predicted by cold
dark matter models for structure formation. We argue that these protogalactic
fragments, the likely sites of globular cluster formation in the early
universe, are the disrupted remains of the "missing" satellite galaxies
predicted by cold dark matter models. Our findings suggest that the solution to
the missing satellite problem is through the suppression of gas accretion in
low-mass halos after reionization, or via self-interacting dark matter, and
argue against models with suppressed small-scale power or warm dark matter.Comment: 28 pages, 19 postscript figures. Accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journa
Photoassociative spectroscopy at long range in ultracold strontium
We report photoassociative spectroscopy of Sr in a magneto-optical
trap operating on the intercombination line at 689 nm.
Photoassociative transitions are driven with a laser red-detuned by 600-2400
MHz from the atomic resonance at 461 nm. Photoassociation
takes place at extremely large internuclear separation, and the
photoassociative spectrum is strongly affected by relativistic retardation. A
fit of the transition frequencies determines the atomic lifetime
( ns) and resolves a discrepancy between experiment and
recent theoretical calculations.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitte
Correlations of Globular Cluster Properties: Their Interpretations and Uses
Correlations among the independently measured physical properties of globular
clusters (GCs) can provide powerful tests for theoretical models and new
insights into their dynamics, formation, and evolution. We review briefly some
of the previous work, and present preliminary results from a comparative study
of GC correlations in the Local Group galaxies. The results so far indicate
that these diverse GC systems follow the same fundamental correlations,
suggesting a commonality of formative and evolutionary processes which produce
them.Comment: An invited review, to appear in "New Horizons in Globular Cluster
Astronomy", eds. G. Piotto, G. Meylan, S.G. Djorgovski, and M. Riello, ASPCS,
in press (2003). Latex file, 8 pages, 5 eps figures, style files include
The Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey (NGVS). XVIII. Measurement and Calibration of Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances for Bright Galaxies in Virgo (and Beyond)
We describe a program to measure surface brightness fluctuation (SBF)
distances to galaxies observed in the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey
(NGVS), a photometric imaging survey covering of the Virgo cluster
in the bandpasses with the Canada-France Hawaii Telescope. We
describe the selection of the sample galaxies, the procedures for measuring the
apparent -band SBF magnitude , and the calibration of the absolute
as a function of observed stellar population properties. The
multi-band NGVS data set provides multiple options for calibrating the SBF
distances, and we explore various calibrations involving individual color
indices as well as combinations of two different colors. Within the color range
of the present sample, the two-color calibrations do not significantly improve
the scatter with respect to wide-baseline, single-color calibrations involving
. We adopt the calibration as reference for the present
galaxy sample, with an observed scatter of 0.11 mag. For a few cases that lack
good photometry, we use an alternative relation based on a combination
of and colors, with only a slightly larger observed scatter of
0.12 mag. The agreement of our measurements with the best existing distance
estimates provides confidence that our measurements are accurate. We present a
preliminary catalog of distances for 89 galaxies brighter than
mag within the survey footprint, including members of the background M and W
Clouds at roughly twice the distance of the main body of the Virgo cluster. The
extension of the present work to fainter and bluer galaxies is in progress.Comment: ApJ accepte
The Low Velocity Wind from the Circumstellar Matter Around the B9V Star sigma Herculis
We have obtained FUSE spectra of sigma Her, a nearby binary system, with a
main sequence primary, that has a Vega-like infrared excess. We observe
absorption in the excited fine structure lines C II* at 1037 A, N II* at 1085
A, and N II** at 1086 A that are blueshifted by as much as ~30 km/sec with
respect to the star. Since these features are considerably narrower than the
stellar lines and broader than interstellar features, the C II and N II are
circumstellar. We suggest that there is a radiatively driven wind, arising from
the circumstellar matter, rather than accretion as occurs around beta Pic,
because of sigma Her's high luminosity. Assuming that the gas is liberated by
collisions between parent bodies at 20 AU, the approximate distance at which
blackbody grains are in radiative equilibrium with the star and at which 3-body
orbits become unstable, we infer dM/dt ~ 6 * 10^-12 M_{sun}/yr. This wind
depletes the minimum mass of parent bodies in less than the estimated age of
the system.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, ApJ in pres
The properties of the Malin 1 galaxy giant disk: A panchromatic view from the NGVS and GUViCS surveys
Low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs) represent a significant percentage of
local galaxies but their formation and evolution remain elusive. They may hold
crucial information for our understanding of many key issues (i.e., census of
baryonic and dark matter, star formation in the low density regime, mass
function). The most massive examples - the so called giant LSBGs - can be as
massive as the Milky Way, but with this mass being distributed in a much larger
disk. Malin 1 is an iconic giant LSBG, perhaps the largest disk galaxy known.
We attempt to bring new insights on its structure and evolution on the basis of
new images covering a wide range in wavelength. We have computed surface
brightness profiles (and average surface brightnesses in 16 regions of
interest), in six photometric bands (FUV, NUV, u, g, i, z). We compared these
data to various models, testing a variety of assumptions concerning the
formation and evolution of Malin 1. We find that the surface brightness and
color profiles can be reproduced by a long and quiet star-formation history due
to the low surface density; no significant event, such as a collision, is
necessary. Such quiet star formation across the giant disk is obtained in a
disk model calibrated for the Milky Way, but with an angular momentum
approximately 20 times larger. Signs of small variations of the star-formation
history are indicated by the diversity of ages found when different regions
within the galaxy are intercompared.For the first time, panchromatic images of
Malin 1 are used to constrain the stellar populations and the history of this
iconic example among giant LSBGs. Based on our model, the extreme disk of Malin
1 is found to have a long history of relatively low star formation (about 2
Msun/yr). Our model allows us to make predictions on its stellar mass and
metallicity.Comment: Accepted in Astronomy and Astrophysic
New Insights from HST Studies of Globular Cluster Systems I: Colors, Distances and Specific Frequencies of 28 Elliptical Galaxies
We present an analysis of the globular cluster systems of 28 elliptical
galaxies using archival WFPC2 images in the V and I-bands. The V-I color
distributions of at least 50% of the galaxies appear to be bimodal {\it at the
present level of photometric accuracy}. We argue that this is indicative of
multiple epochs of cluster formation early in the history of these galaxies,
possibly due to mergers. We also present the first evidence of bimodality in
low luminosity galaxies and discuss its implication on formation scenarios. The
mean color of the 28 cluster systems studied by us is V-I = 1.040.04
(0.01) mag corresponding to a mean metallicity of Fe/H = -1.00.19 (0.04).
We find that the turnover magnitudes of the globular cluster luminosity
functions (GCLF) of our sample are in excellent agreement with the distance
measurements using other methods and conclude that the accuracy of the GCLF is
at least as good as the surface brightness fluctuation method. The absolute
magnitude of the turnover luminosity of the GCLF is M = -7.41 (0.03) in V
and M = -8.46 (0.03) in I. The mean local specific frequency of our
sample of elliptical galaxies within the WFPC2 field-of-view is 2.41.8
(0.4), considerably higher than the 1.00.6 (0.1) derived for a comparable
sample of S0s in a similar analysis. It shows no obvious correlation with
metallicity, host galaxy mass or membership in a galaxy cluster. The median
size of clusters in all galaxies appears to be remarkably constant at 2.4
pc. We suggest that in the future it might be possible to use the sizes of
clusters in the inner regions of galaxies as a simple geometrical distance
indicator.Comment: 45 pages including 13 figs (4 two-part figs) and 8 tables. Accepted
for publication in the Astronomical Journa
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