7,386 research outputs found
Extensive X-ray variability studies of NGC 7314 using long XMM-Newton observations
We present a detailed X-ray variability study of the low mass Active Galactic
Nuclei (AGN) NGC 7314 using the two newly obtained XMM-Newton observations
( and ks), together with two archival data sets of shorter duration
( and ks). The relationship between the X-ray variability
characteristics and other physical source properties (such as the black hole
mass) are still relatively poorly defined, especially for low-mass AGN. We
perform a new, fully analytical, power spectral density (PSD) model analysis
method, which will be described in detail in a forthcoming paper, that takes
into consideration the spectral distortions, caused by red-noise leak. We find
that the PSD in the keV energy range, can be represented by a bending
power-law with a bend around Hz, having a slope of
and below and above the bend, respectively. Adding our bend time-scale
estimate, to an already published ensemble of estimates from several AGN,
supports the idea that the bend time-scale depends linearly only on the black
hole mass and not on the bolometric luminosity. Moreover, we find that as the
energy range increases, the PSD normalization increases and there is a hint
that simultaneously the high frequency slope becomes steeper. Finally, the
X-ray time-lag spectrum of NGC 7314 shows some very weak signatures of
relativistic reflection, and the energy resolved time-lag spectrum, for
frequencies around Hz, shows no signatures of X-ray
reverberation. We show that the previous claim about ks time-delays in this
source, is simply an artefact induced by the minuscule number of points
entering during the time-lag estimation in the low frequency part of the
time-lag spectrum (i.e. below Hz).Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. The paper is 21 pages long and
contains 15 figures and 3 table
No-vent fill pressurization tests using a cryogen simulant
The results are described of an experimental program which studied the performance of various no-vent fill techniques for tank-to-tank liquid transfer. The tests were performed using a cryogen simulant (Freon-114) and a test bed consisting of a multiple tank/plumbing network that enabled studies of a variety of different inlet flow and active mixing regimes. Several results and conclusions were drawn from the 26 transfer experiments comprising the program. Most notable was the significant improvement in fill performance (i.e., minimized fill time and maximized fill fraction) with increased agitation of the liquid surface. Another was the close correlation between measured condensation rates and those predicted by recent theories which express condensation as a function of turbulent eddy effects on the liquid surface. In most cases, test data exhibited strong agreement with an analytical model which accounts for tank heat transfer and thermodynamics in a 1 g environment
Development of a high-altitude airborne dial system: The Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE)
The ability of a Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) system to measure vertical profiles of H2O in the lower atmosphere was demonstrated both in ground-based and airborne experiments. In these experiments, tunable lasers were used that required real-time experimenter control to locate and lock onto the atmospheric H2O absorption line for the DIAL measurements. The Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) is the first step in a long-range effort to develop and demonstrate an autonomous DIAL system for airborne and spaceborne flight experiments. The LASE instrument is being developed to measure H2O, aerosol, and cloud profiles from a high-altitude ER-2 (extended range U-2) aircraft. The science of the LASE program, the LASE system design, and the expected measurement capability of the system are discussed
A modified Oster-Murray-Harris mechanical model of morphogenesis
There are two main modeling paradigms for biological pattern formation in developmental biology: chemical prepattern models and cell aggregation models. This paper focuses on an example of a cell aggregation model, the mechanical model developed by Oster, Murray, and Harris [Development, 78 (1983), pp. 83--125]. We revisit the Oster--Murray--Harris model and find that, due to the infinitesimal displacement assumption made in the original version of this model, there is a restriction on the types of boundary conditions that can be prescribed. We derive a modified form of the model which relaxes the infinitesimal displacement assumption. We analyze the dynamics of this model using linear and multiscale nonlinear analysis and show that it has the same linear behavior as the original Oster--Murray--Harris model. Nonlinear analysis, however, predicts that the modified model will allow for a wider range of parameters where the solution evolves to a bounded steady state. The results from both analyses are verified through numerical simulations of the full nonlinear model in one and two dimensions. The increased range of boundary conditions that are well-posed, as well as a wider range of parameters that yield bounded steady states, renders the modified model more applicable to, and more robust for, comparisons with experiments
Thermophysical and chemical characterization of charring ablative materials Final report
Thermophysical and chemical properties of charring ablative material
Radio Observations of the Supernova Remnant Candidate G312.5-3.0
The radio images from the Parkes-MIT-NRAO (PMN) Southern Sky Survey at 4850
MHz have revealed a number of previously unknown radio sources. One such
source, G312.5-3.0 (PMN J1421-6415), has been observed using the
multi-frequency capabilities of the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) at
frequencies of 1380 MHz and 2378 MHz. Further observations of the source were
made using the Molonglo Observatory Synthesis Telescope (MOST) at a frequency
of 843 MHz. The source has an angular size of 18 arcmin and has a distinct
shell structure. We present the reduced multi-frequency observations of this
source and provide a brief argument for its possible identification as a
supernova remnant.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRA
Diffuse Gamma-ray Emission from the Galactic Center - A Multiple Energy Injection Model
We suggest that the energy source of the observed diffuse gamma-ray emission
from the direction of the Galactic center is the Galactic black hole Sgr A*,
which becomes active when a star is captured at a rate of
yr^{-1}. Subsequently the star is tidally disrupted and its matter is accreted
into the black hole. During the active phase relativistic protons with a
characteristic energy erg per capture are ejected. Over
90% of these relativistic protons disappear due to proton-proton collisions on
a timescale years in the small central bulge region with
radius pc within Sgr A*, where the density is cm^{-3}. The
gamma-ray intensity, which results from the decay of neutral pions produced by
proton-proton collisions, decreases according to , where t is
the time after last stellar capture. Less than 5% of relativistic protons
escaped from the central bulge region can survive and maintain their energy for
>10^7 years due to much lower gas density outside, where the gas density can
drop to cm. They can diffuse to a pc region before
disappearing due to proton-proton collisions. The observed diffuse GeV
gamma-rays resulting from the decay of neutral pions produced via collision
between these escaped protons and the gas in this region is expected to be
insensitive to time in the multi-injection model with the characteristic
injection rate of 10^{-5} yr^{-1}. Our model calculated GeV and 511 keV
gamma-ray intensities are consistent with the observed results of EGRET and
INTEGRAL, however, our calculated inflight annihilation rate cannot produce
sufficient intensity to explain the COMPTEL data.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, accepted by A&
From Crop Domestication to Super-domestication
Research related to crop domestication has been transformed by technologies and discoveries in the genome sciences as well as information-related sciences that are providing new tools for bioinformatics and systems' biology. Rapid progress in archaeobotany and ethnobotany are also contributing new knowledge to understanding crop domestication. This sense of rapid progress is encapsulated in this Special Issue, which contains 18 papers by scientists in botanical, crop sciences and related disciplines on the topic of crop domestication. One paper focuses on current themes in the genetics of crop domestication across crops, whereas other papers have a crop or geographic focus. One feature of progress in the sciences related to crop domestication is the availability of well-characterized germplasm resources in the global network of genetic resources centres (genebanks). Germplasm in genebanks is providing research materials for understanding domestication as well as for plant breeding. In this review, we highlight current genetic themes related to crop domestication. Impressive progress in this field in recent years is transforming plant breeding into crop engineering to meet the human need for increased crop yield with the minimum environmental impact – we consider this to be ‘super-domestication’. While the time scale of domestication of 10 000 years or less is a very short evolutionary time span, the details emerging of what has happened and what is happening provide a window to see where domestication might – and can – advance in the future
Nonlinear coherent transport of waves in disordered media
We present a diagrammatic theory for coherent backscattering from disordered
dilute media in the nonlinear regime. The approach is non-perturbative in the
strength of the nonlinearity. We show that the coherent backscattering
enhancement factor is strongly affected by the nonlinearity, and corroborate
these results by numerical simulations. Our theory can be applied to several
physical scenarios like scattering of light in nonlinear Kerr media, or
propagation of matter waves in disordered potentials.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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