6,116 research outputs found
Enhanced Parallel Generation of Tree Structures for the Recognition of 3D Images
Segmentations of a digital object based on a connectivity
criterion at n-xel or sub-n-xel level are useful tools in image topological
analysis and recognition. Working with cell complex analogous of digital
objects, an example of this kind of segmentation is that obtained from
the combinatorial representation so called Homological Spanning Forest
(HSF, for short) which, informally, classifies the cells of the complex as
belonging to regions containing the maximal number of cells sharing the
same homological (algebraic homology with coefficient in a field) information.
We design here a parallel method for computing a HSF (using
homology with coefficients in Z/2Z) of a 3D digital object. If this object
is included in a 3D image of m1 × m2 × m3 voxels, its theoretical time
complexity order is near O(log(m1 + m2 + m3)), under the assumption
that a processing element is available for each voxel. A prototype implementation
validating our results has been written and several synthetic,
random and medical tridimensional images have been used for testing.
The experiments allow us to assert that the number of iterations in which
the homological information is found varies only to a small extent from
the theoretical computational time.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MTM2016-81030-
Kinematics of gas and stars in circumnuclear star-forming regions of early type spirals
(Abbr.) We present high resolution (R~20000) spectra in the blue and the far
red of cicumnuclear star-forming regions (CNSFRs) in three early type spirals
(NGC3351, NGC2903 and NGC3310) which have allowed the study of the kinematics
of stars and ionized gas in these structures and, for the first time, the
derivation of their dynamical masses for the first two. In some cases these
regions, about 100 to 150 pc in size, are seen to be composed of several
individual star clusters with sizes between 1.5 and 4.9 pc estimated from
Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images. The stellar dispersions have been obtained
from the Calcium triplet (CaT) lines at 8494,8542,8662 \AA,
while the gas velocity dispersions have been measured by Gaussian fits to the
H and [OIII] 5007 \AA lines on the high dispersion
spectra. Values of the stellar velocity dispersions are between 30 and 68 km/s.
We apply the virial theorem to estimate dynamical masses of the clusters,
assuming that systems are gravitationally bounded and spherically symmetric,
and using previously measured sizes. The measured values of the stellar
velocity dispersions yield dynamical masses of the order of 10 to 10
solar masses for the whole CNSFRs. Stellar and gas velocity dispersions are
found to differ by about 20 to 30 km/s with the H emission lines being
narrower than both the stellar lines and the [OIII] 5007 \AA
lines. The twice ionized oxygen, on the other hand, shows velocity dispersions
comparable to those shown by stars, in some cases, even larger. We have found
indications of the presence of two different kinematical components in the
ionized gas of the regions...Comment: 4 pages, proceeding of the meeting "Young massive star clusters -
Initial conditions and environments", Granada, Spain, 200
Soil and water pollution in a banana production region in tropical Mexico
The effects of abundant Mancozeb (Mn, Zn— bisdithiocarbamate) applications (2.5 kg ha-1week-1 for 10 years) on soil and surface-, subsurface- and groundwater pollution were monitored in a banana production region of tropical Mexico. In soils, severe manganese accumulation was observed, wheras the main metabolite ethylenethiourea was near the detection limit. Surface and subsurface water was highly polluted with ethylenethiourea, the main metabolite of Mancozeb (22.5 and 4.3 lg L-1, respectively), but not with manganese. In deep ground water, no ethylenethiourea was detected. The level of pollution in the region presents a worrisome risk for aquatic life and for human health
Dynamics for a 2-vertex Quantum Gravity Model
We use the recently introduced U(N) framework for loop quantum gravity to
study the dynamics of spin network states on the simplest class of graphs: two
vertices linked with an arbitrary number N of edges. Such graphs represent two
regions, in and out, separated by a boundary surface. We study the algebraic
structure of the Hilbert space of spin networks from the U(N) perspective. In
particular, we describe the algebra of operators acting on that space and
discuss their relation to the standard holonomy operator of loop quantum
gravity. Furthermore, we show that it is possible to make the restriction to
the isotropic/homogeneous sector of the model by imposing the invariance under
a global U(N) symmetry. We then propose a U(N) invariant Hamiltonian operator
and study the induced dynamics. Finally, we explore the analogies between this
model and loop quantum cosmology and sketch some possible generalizations of
it.Comment: 28 pages, v2: typos correcte
Exploring quantum quasicrystal patterns: a variational study
We study the emergence of quasicrystal configurations produced purely by
quantum fluctuations in the ground-state phase diagram of interacting bosonic
systems. By using a variational mean-field approach, we determine the relevant
features of the pair interaction potential that stabilize such quasicrystalline
states in two dimensions. Unlike their classical counterpart, in which the
interplay between only two wave vectors determines the resulting symmetries of
the solutions, the quantum picture relates in a more complex way to the
instabilities of the excitation spectrum. Moreover, the quantum quasicrystal
patterns are found to emerge as the ground state with no need of moderate
thermal fluctuations. The study extends to the exploration of the excitation
properties and the possible existence of super-quasicrystals, i.e.
supersolid-like quasicrystalline states in which the long-range non-periodic
density profile coexist with a non-zero superfluid fraction. Our calculations
show that, in an intermediate region between the homogeneous superfluid and the
normal quasicrystal phases, these exotic states indeed exist at zero
temperature. Comparison with full numerical simulations provides a solid
verification of the variational approach adopted in this work.Comment: 10 pages, 6 Figure
A graceful multiversal link of particle physics to cosmology
In this paper we work out a multiverse scenario whose physical
characteristics enable us to advance the following the conjecture that whereas
the physics of particles and fields is confined to live in the realm of the
whole multiverse formed by finite-time single universes, that for our
observable universe must be confined just in one of the infinite number of
universes of the multiverse when such a universe is consistently referred to an
infinite cosmic time. If this conjecture is adopted then some current
fundamental problems that appear when one tries to make compatible particle
physics and cosmology- such as that for the cosmological constant, the arrow of
time and the existence of a finite proper size of the event horizon- can be
solved.Comment: 10 pages, LaTe
Ionised outflows in z 2.4 quasar host galaxies
AGN-driven outflows are invoked by galaxy evolutionary models to quench star
formation and to explain the origin of the relations observed locally between
super massive black holes and their host galaxies. This work aims to detect the
presence of extended ionised outflows in luminous quasars where we expect the
maximum activity both in star formation and in black hole accretion. Currently,
there are only a few studies based on spatially resolved observations of
outflows at high redshift, . We analyse a sample of six luminous () quasars at , observed in H-band using the
near-IR integral field spectrometer SINFONI at VLT. We perform a kinematic
analysis of the [OIII] emission line at . [OIII] has a
complex gas kinematic, with blue-shifted velocities of a few hundreds of km/s
and line widths up to 1500 km/s. Using the spectroastrometric method we infer
size of the ionised outflows of up to 2 kpc. The properties of the
ionised outflows, mass outflow rate, momentum rate and kinetic power, are
correlated with the AGN luminosity. The increase in outflow rate with
increasing AGN luminosity is consistent with the idea that a luminous AGN
pushes away the surrounding gas through fast outflows driven by radiation
pressure, which depends on the emitted luminosity. We derive mass outflow rates
of about 6-700 M/yr for our sample, which are lower than those
observed in molecular outflows. Indeed physical properties of ionised outflows
show dependences on AGN luminosity which are similar to those of molecular
outflows but indicating that the mass of ionised gas is smaller than that of
the molecular one. Alternatively, this discrepancy between ionised and
molecular outflows could be explained with different acceleration mechanisms.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures; accepted for publication in A&
Curvature invariants in type N spacetimes
Scalar curvature invariants are studied in type N solutions of vacuum
Einstein's equations with in general non-vanishing cosmological constant
Lambda. Zero-order invariants which include only the metric and Weyl (Riemann)
tensor either vanish, or are constants depending on Lambda. Even all
higher-order invariants containing covariant derivatives of the Weyl (Riemann)
tensor are shown to be trivial if a type N spacetime admits a non-expanding and
non-twisting null geodesic congruence.
However, in the case of expanding type N spacetimes we discover a
non-vanishing scalar invariant which is quartic in the second derivatives of
the Riemann tensor.
We use this invariant to demonstrate that both linearized and the third order
type N twisting solutions recently discussed in literature contain
singularities at large distances and thus cannot describe radiation fields
outside bounded sources.Comment: 17 pages, to appear in Class. Quantum Gra
The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey XVII. Physical and wind properties of massive stars at the top of the main sequence
The evolution and fate of very massive stars (VMS) is tightly connected to
their mass-loss properties. Their initial and final masses differ significantly
as a result of mass loss. VMS have strong stellar winds and extremely high
ionising fluxes, which are thought to be critical sources of both mechanical
and radiative feedback in giant Hii regions. However, how VMS mass-loss
properties change during stellar evolution is poorly understood. In the
framework of the VLT-Flames Tarantula Survey (VFTS), we explore the mass-loss
transition region from optically thin O to denser WNh star winds, thereby
testing theoretical predictions. To this purpose we select 62 O, Of, Of/WN, and
WNh stars, an unprecedented sample of stars with the highest masses and
luminosities known. We perform a spectral analysis of optical VFTS as well as
near-infrared VLT/SINFONI data using the non-LTE radiative transfer code CMFGEN
to obtain stellar and wind parameters. For the first time, we observationally
resolve the transition between optically thin O and optically thick WNh star
winds. Our results suggest the existence of a kink between both mass-loss
regimes, in agreement with recent MC simulations. For the optically thick
regime, we confirm the steep dependence on the Eddington factor from previous
theoretical and observational studies. The transition occurs on the MS near a
luminosity of 10^6.1Lsun, or a mass of 80...90Msun. Above this limit, we find
that - even when accounting for moderate wind clumping (with f = 0.1) - wind
mass-loss rates are enhanced with respect to standard prescriptions currently
adopted in stellar evolution calculations. We also show that this results in
substantial helium surface enrichment. Based on our spectroscopic analyses, we
are able to provide the most accurate ionising fluxes for VMS known to date,
confirming the pivotal role of VMS in ionising and shaping their environments.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 19 pages, 14 figures, 6 tables, (74
pages appendix, 68 figures, 4 tables
Chromomagnetic Dipole Moment of the Top Quark Revisited
We study the complete one-loop contributions to the chromagnetic dipole
moment of the top quark in the Standard Model, two Higgs doublet
models, topcolor assited technicolor models (TC2), 331 models and extended
models with a single extra dimension. We find that the SM predicts
and that the predictions of the other models are also
consitent with the constraints imposed on by low-energy
precision measurements.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, Updat
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