13,434 research outputs found
Global Fits of the CKM Matrix
We report upon the present status of global fits to Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa
matrix.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures invited talk presented at EPS conference, Aachen
July 17-2
Massive spheroids can form in single minor mergers
Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 12 pages, 6 figuresUnderstanding how rotationally supported discs transform into dispersion-dominated spheroids is central to our comprehension of galaxy evolution. Morphological transformation is largely merger-driven. While major mergers can efficiently create spheroids, recent work has highlighted the significant role of other processes, like minor mergers, in driving morphological change. Given their rich merger histories, spheroids typically exhibit large fractions of âex situâ stellar mass, i.e. mass that is accreted, via mergers, from external objects. This is particularly true for the most massive galaxies, whose stellar masses typically cannot be attained without a large number of mergers. Here, we explore an unusual population of extremely massive (M â > 10 11M) spheroids, in the Horizon-AGN simulation, which exhibit anomalously low ex situ mass fractions, indicating that they form without recourse to significant merging. These systems form in a single minor-merger event (with typical merger mass ratios of 0.11â0.33), with a specific orbital configuration, where the satellite orbit is virtually co-planar with the disc of the massive galaxy. The merger triggers a catastrophic change in morphology, over only a few hundred Myr, coupled with strong in situ star formation. While this channel produces a minority (âŒ5 per cent) of such galaxies, our study demonstrates that the formation of at least some of the most massive spheroids need not involve major mergers â or any significant merging at all â contrary to what is classically believed.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio
Electronic transport in quantum cascade structures
The transport in complex multiple quantum well heterostructures is
theoretically described. The model is focused on quantum cascade detectors,
which represent an exciting challenge due to the complexity of the structure
containing 7 or 8 quantum wells of different widths. Electronic transport can
be fully described without any adjustable parameter. Diffusion from one subband
to another is calculated with a standard electron-optical phonon hamiltonian,
and the electronic transport results from a parallel flow of electrons using
all the possible paths through the different subbands. Finally, the resistance
of such a complex device is given by a simple expression, with an excellent
agreement with experimental results. This relation involves the sum of
transitions rates between subbands, from one period of the device to the next
one. This relation appears as an Einstein relation adapted to the case of
complex multiple quantum structures.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl
Abundance of local actions for the vacuum Einstein equations
We exhibit large classes of local actions for the vacuum Einstein equations.
In presence of fermions, or more generally of matter which couple to the
connection, these actions lead to inequivalent equations revealing an arbitrary
number of parameters. Even in the pure gravitational sector, any corresponding
quantum theory would depend on these parameters.Comment: 10 pages. Final version to appear in Letters in Mathematical Physic
Hydrodynamic lift of vesicles under shear flow in microgravity
The dynamics of a vesicle suspension in a shear flow between parallel plates
has been investigated under microgravity conditions, where vesicles are only
submitted to hydrodynamic effects such as lift forces due to the presence of
walls and drag forces. The temporal evolution of the spatial distribution of
the vesicles has been recorded thanks to digital holographic microscopy, during
parabolic flights and under normal gravity conditions. The collected data
demonstrates that vesicles are pushed away from the walls with a lift velocity
proportional to where is the shear rate,
the vesicle radius and its distance from the wall. This scaling as well
as the dependence of the lift velocity upon vesicle aspect ratio are consistent
with theoretical predictions by Olla [J. Phys. II France {\bf 7}, 1533--1540
(1997)].Comment: 6 pages, 8 figure
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