619 research outputs found
Ten Years of Challenge Course Research: A Review of Affective Outcome Studies
Over the past 30 years, challenge/ropes courses have spread across the country and are now focused toward a variety of populations, including adolescents, college students, and corporate employees. Despite their success and growing popularity as an effective training tool, challenge/ropes courses have earned little credibility through academic research. Although a significant amount of research has· been completed, questions continue to arise regarding the efficacy of challenge/ropes experiences for corporate team development and the educational enhancement for adolescent and college students. The purpose of this study was to assimilate and synthesize challenge/ropes course research during the 1990s that studied affective outcomes with non-therapeutic populations
Unveiling a Population of X-ray Non-Detected AGN
We define a sample of 27 radio-excess AGN in the Chandra Deep Field North by
selecting galaxies that do not obey the radio/infrared correlation for
radio-quiet AGN and star-forming galaxies. Approximately 60% of these
radio-excess AGN are X-ray undetected in the 2 Ms Chandra catalog, even at
exposures of > 1 Ms; 25% lack even 2-sigma X-ray detections. The absorbing
columns to the faint X-ray-detected objects are 10^22 cm^-2 < N_H < 10^24
cm^-2, i.e., they are obscured but unlikely to be Compton thick. Using a local
sample of radio-selected AGN, we show that a low ratio of X-ray to radio
emission, as seen in the X-ray weakly- and non-detected samples, is correlated
with the viewing angle of the central engine, and therefore with obscuration.
Our technique can explore the proportion of obscured AGN in the distant
Universe; the results reported here for radio-excess objects are consistent
with but at the low end of the overall theoretical predictions for
Compton-thick objects.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, 15 pages, 10
figures, 4 table
Why Optically--Faint AGN Are Faint: The Spitzer Perspective
Optically--faint X-ray sources (those with f_X/f_R > 10) constitute about 20%
of X-ray sources in deep surveys, and are potentially highly obscured and/or at
high redshift. Their faint optical fluxes are generally beyond the reach of
spectroscopy. For a sample of 20 optically--faint sources in CDFS, we compile
0.4--24 um photometry, relying heavily on Spitzer. We estimate photometric
redshifts for 17 of these 20 sources. We find that these AGN are
optically--faint both because they lie at significantly higher redshifts
(median z ~ 1.6) than most X-ray--selected AGN, and because their spectra are
much redder than standard AGN. They have 2--8 keV X-ray luminosities in the
Seyfert range, unlike the QSO--luminosities of optically--faint AGN found in
shallow, wide--field surveys. Their contribution to the X-ray Seyfert
luminosity function is comparable to that of z>1 optically--bright AGN.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Bose-Einstein condensate collapse: a comparison between theory and experiment
We solve the Gross-Pitaevskii equation numerically for the collapse induced
by a switch from positive to negative scattering lengths. We compare our
results with experiments performed at JILA with Bose-Einstein condensates of
Rb-85, in which the scattering length was controlled using a Feshbach
resonance. Building on previous theoretical work we identify quantitative
differences between the predictions of mean-field theory and the results of the
experiments. Besides the previously reported difference between the predicted
and observed critical atom number for collapse, we also find that the predicted
collapse times systematically exceed those observed experimentally. Quantum
field effects, such as fragmentation, that might account for these
discrepancies are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Spitzer Power-law AGN Candidates in the Chandra Deep Field-North
We define a sample of 62 galaxies in the Chandra Deep Field-North whose
Spitzer IRAC SEDs exhibit the characteristic power-law emission expected of
luminous AGN. We study the multiwavelength properties of this sample, and
compare the AGN selected in this way to those selected via other Spitzer
color-color criteria. Only 55% of the power-law galaxies are detected in the
X-ray catalog at exposures of >0.5 Ms, although a search for faint emission
results in the detection of 85% of the power-law galaxies at the > 2.5 sigma
detection level. Most of the remaining galaxies are likely to host AGN that are
heavily obscured in the X-ray. Because the power-law selection requires the AGN
to be energetically dominant in the near- and mid-infrared, the power-law
galaxies comprise a significant fraction of the Spitzer-detected AGN population
at high luminosities and redshifts. The high 24 micron detection fraction also
points to a luminous population. The power-law galaxies comprise a subset of
color-selected AGN candidates. A comparison with various mid-infrared color
selection criteria demonstrates that while the color-selected samples contain a
larger fraction of the X-ray luminous AGN, there is evidence that these
selection techniques also suffer from a higher degree of contamination by
star-forming galaxies in the deepest exposures. Considering only those
power-law galaxies detected in the X-ray catalog, we derive an obscured
fraction of 68% (2:1). Including all of the power-law galaxies suggests an
obscured fraction of < 81% (4:1).Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, 27 pages, 20
figures, 5 tables, version with high-resolution figures and online-only
tables available at: http://frodo.as.arizona.edu/~jdonley/powerlaw
Characterization of AGN and their hosts in the Extended Groth Strip: a multiwavelength analysis
We have employed a reliable technique of classification of Active Galactic
Nuclei (AGN) based on the fit of well-sampled spectral energy distributions
(SEDs) with a complete set of AGN and starburst galaxy templates. We have
compiled ultraviolet, optical, and infrared data for a sample of 116 AGN
originally selected for their X-ray and mid-infrared emissions (96 with single
detections and 20 with double optical counterparts). This is the most complete
compilation of multiwavelength data for such a big sample of AGN in the
Extended Groth Strip (EGS). Through these SEDs, we are able to obtain highly
reliable photometric redshifts and to distinguish between pure and
host-dominated AGN. For the objects with unique detection we find that they can
be separated into five main groups, namely: Starburst-dominated AGN (24 % of
the sample), Starburst-contaminated AGN (7 %), Type-1 AGN (21 %), Type-2 AGN
(24 %), and Normal galaxy hosting AGN (24 %). We find these groups concentrated
at different redshifts: Type-2 AGN and Normal galaxy hosting AGN are
concentrated at low redshifts, whereas Starburst-dominated AGN and Type-1 AGN
show a larger span. Correlations between hard/soft X-ray and ultraviolet,
optical and infrared luminosities, respectively, are reported for the first
time for such a sample of AGN spanning a wide range of redshifts. For the 20
objects with double detection the percentage of Starburst-dominated AGN
increases up to 48%.Comment: 38 pages, 8 figures, 5 tables. Accepted by A
Dynamic depletion in a Bose condensate via a sudden increase of the scattering length
We examine the time-dependent quantum depletion of a trapped Bose condensate
arising from a rapid increase of the scattering length. Our solution indicates
that a significant buildup of incoherent atoms can occur within a
characteristic time short compared with the harmonic trap period. We discuss
how the depletion density and the characteristic time depend on the physical
parameters of the condensate
Measurements of Sheath Currents and Equilibrium Potential on the Explorer VIII Satellite (1960 xi)
Experimental data were obtained from the Explorer VIII satellite on five parameters pertinent to the problem of the interaction of space vehicles with an ionized atmosphere. The five parameters are: photoemission current due to electrons emitted from the satellite surfaces as a result of solar radiation; electron and positive ion currents due to the diffusion of charged particles from the medium to the spacecraft; the vehicle potential relative to the medium, and the ambient electron temperature. Included in the experimental data is the aspect dependence of the photoemission and diffusion currents. On the basis of the observations, certain characteristics of the satellite's plasma sheath are postulated
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