5,858 research outputs found
On the nature of the magnetic ground-state wave function of V_2O_3
After a brief historical introduction, we dwell on two recent experiments in
the low-temperature, monoclinic phase of V_2O_3: K-edge resonant x-ray
scattering and non-reciprocal linear dichroism, whose interpretations are in
conflict, as they require incompatible magnetic space groups. Such a conflict
is critically reviewed, in the light of the present literature, and new
experimental tests are suggested, in order to determine unambiguously the
magnetic group. We then focus on the correlated, non-local nature of the
ground-state wave function, that is at the basis of some drawbacks of the LDA+U
approach: we singled out the physical mechanism that makes LDA+U unreliable,
and indicate the way out for a possible remedy. Finally we explain, by means of
a symmetry argument related to the molecular wave function, why the magnetic
moment lies in the glide plane, even in the absence of any local symmetry at
vanadium sites.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur
The Milky Way as a High Redshift Galaxy: The Importance of Thick Disk Formation in Galaxies
We compare the star-formation history and dynamics of the Milky Way (MW) with
the properties of distant disk galaxies. During the first ~4 Gyr of its
evolution, the MW formed stars with a high star-formation intensity (SFI),
Sigma_SFR~0.6 Msun/yr/kpc2 and as a result, generated outflows and high
turbulence in its interstellar medium. This intense phase of star formation
corresponds to the formation of the thick disk. The formation of the thick disk
is a crucial phase which enables the MW to have formed approximately half of
its total stellar mass by z~1 which is similar to "MW progenitor galaxies"
selected by abundance matching. This agreement suggests that the formation of
the thick disk may be a generic evolutionary phase in disk galaxies. Using a
simple energy injection-kinetic energy relationship between the 1-D velocity
dispersion and SFI, we can reproduce the average perpendicular dispersion in
stellar velocities of the MW with age. This relationship, its inferred
evolution, and required efficiency are consistent with observations of galaxies
from z~0-3. The high turbulence generated by intense star formation naturally
resulted in a thick disk, a chemically well-mixed ISM, and is the mechanism
that links the evolution of MW to the observed characteristics of distant disk
galaxies.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures; accepted to ApJ Letter
Are Coworkers in the Italian Peripheral Areas Performing Better? A Counterfactual Analysis
Coworking spaces are “serendipity accelerators” designed to host creative people and
entrepreneurs. While recent literature has started exploring the indirect effects of coworking spaces
on the local context, little is still known on how coworking spaces may directly affect the coworkers’
economic performance and wellbeing. Using a novel dataset based on a survey of 326 CWs working in
the Italian coworking spaces in 2018, this paper explores the potential economic impact for coworkers,
depending on whether a coworking space is localized in a peripheral or an urban area. Through a
propensity-score matching approach, we found that being located in a peripheral area for coworkers
may represent an opportunity to earn more than working in an urban center. The same holds for the
organization coworkers belong to
Interplay between topology and dynamics in the World Trade Web
We present an empirical analysis of the network formed by the trade
relationships between all world countries, or World Trade Web (WTW). Each
(directed) link is weighted by the amount of wealth flowing between two
countries, and each country is characterized by the value of its Gross Domestic
Product (GDP). By analysing a set of year-by-year data covering the time
interval 1950-2000, we show that the dynamics of all GDP values and the
evolution of the WTW (trade flow and topology) are tightly coupled. The
probability that two countries are connected depends on their GDP values,
supporting recent theoretical models relating network topology to the presence
of a `hidden' variable (or fitness). On the other hand, the topology is shown
to determine the GDP values due to the exchange between countries. This leads
us to a new framework where the fitness value is a dynamical variable
determining, and at the same time depending on, network topology in a
continuous feedback.Comment: Proceedings of the 5th conference on Applications of Physics in
Financial Analysis (APFA5), 29 June - 1 July 2006, Torino (ITALY
Applications of physical methods in high-frequency futures markets
In the present work we demonstrate the application of different physical
methods to high-frequency or tick-by-tick financial time series data. In
particular, we calculate the Hurst exponent and inverse statistics for the
price time series taken from a range of futures indices. Additionally, we show
that in a limit order book the relaxation times of an imbalanced book state
with more demand or supply can be described by stretched exponential laws
analogous to those seen in many physical systems.Comment: 14 Pages and 10 figures. Proceeding to the SPIE conference, 4 - 7
December 2007 Australian National Univ. Canberra, ACT, Australi
When the Milky Way turned off the lights: APOGEE provides evidence of star formation quenching in our Galaxy
Quenching, the cessation of star formation, is one of the most significant
events in the life cycle of galaxies. We show here the first evidence that the
Milky Way experienced a generalised quenching of its star formation at the end
of its thick disk formation 9 Gyr ago. Elemental abundances of stars
studied as part of the APOGEE survey reveal indeed that in less than 2
Gyr the star formation rate in our Galaxy dropped by an order-of-magnitude.
Because of the tight correlation between age and alpha abundance, this event
reflects in the dearth of stars along the inner disk sequence in the
[Fe/H]-[/Fe] plane. Before this phase, which lasted about 1.5 Gyr, the
Milky Way was actively forming stars. Afterwards, the star formation resumed at
a much lower level to form the thin disk. These events are very well matched by
the latest observation of MW-type progenitors at high redshifts. In late type
galaxies, quenching is believed to be related to a long and secular exhaustion
of gas. In our Galaxy, it occurred on a much shorter time scale, while the
chemical continuity before and after the quenching indicates that it was not
due to the exhaustion of the gas. While quenching is generally associated with
spheroids, our results show that it also occurs in galaxies like the Milky Way,
possibly when they are undergoing a morphological transition from thick to thin
disks. Given the demographics of late type galaxies in the local universe, in
which classical bulges are rare, we suggest further that this may hold true
generally in galaxies with mass lower than or approximately , where
quenching could be directly a consequence of thick disk formation. We emphasize
that the quenching phase in the Milky Way could be contemporaneous with, and
related to, the formation of the bar. We sketch a scenario on how a strong bar
may inhibit star formation.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures. Published versio
Propagation of UHECRs in cosmological backgrounds: some results from SimProp
Ultra-High-Energy Cosmic Ray (UHECR) nuclei propagating in cosmological
radiation backgrounds produce secondary particles detectable at Earth. SimProp
is a one dimensional code for extragalactic propagation of UHECR nuclei,
inspired by the kinetic approach of Aloisio et al. As in this approach, only a
subset of nuclei and nuclear channels are used as representative. We discuss
the validation of the code and present applications to UHECR experimental
results. In particular we present the expected fluxes of neutrinos produced in
some astrophysical scenario.Comment: Poster presented by A. Di Matteo at the 33rd International Cosmic Ray
Conference, Rio De Janeiro (Brasil) July 2-9 201
Cosmogenic neutrinos and ultra-high energy cosmic ray models
We use an updated version of {\it SimProp}, a Monte Carlo simulation scheme
for the propagation of ultra-high energy cosmic rays, to compute cosmogenic
neutrino fluxes expected on Earth in various scenarios. These fluxes are
compared with the newly detected IceCube events at PeV energies and with recent
experimental limits at EeV energies of the Pierre Auger Observatory. This
comparison allows us to draw some interesting conclusions about the source
models for ultra-high energy cosmic rays. We will show how the available
experimental observations are almost at the level of constraining such models,
mainly in terms of the injected chemical composition and cosmological evolution
of sources. The results presented here will also be important in the evaluation
of the discovery capabilities of the future planned ultra-high energy cosmic
ray and neutrino observatories.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, some reference added, version accepted for
publication in JCA
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