2,143 research outputs found
Virtual turning points and bifurcation of Stokes curves for higher order ordinary differential equations
For a higher order linear ordinary differential operator P, its Stokes curve
bifurcates in general when it hits another turning point of P. This phenomenon
is most neatly understandable by taking into account Stokes curves emanating
from virtual turning points, together with those from ordinary turning points.
This understanding of the bifurcation of a Stokes curve plays an important role
in resolving a paradox recently found in the Noumi-Yamada system, a system of
linear differential equations associated with the fourth Painleve equation.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure
Topological superconductivity and Majorana fermions in hybrid structures involving cuprate high-T_c superconductors
The possibility of inducing topological superconductivity with cuprate
high-temperature superconductors (HTSC) is studied for various
heterostructures. We first consider a ballistic planar junction between a HTSC
and a metallic ferromagnet. We assume that inversion symmetry breaking at the
tunnel barrier gives rise to Rashba spin-orbit coupling in the barrier and
allows equal-spin triplet superconductivity to exist in the ferromagnet.
Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations are obtained by explicitly modeling the barrier,
and taking account of the transport anisotropy in the HTSC. By making use of
the self-consistent boundary conditions and solutions for the barrier and HTSC
regions, an effective equation of motion for the ferromagnet is obtained where
Andreev scattering at the barrier is incorporated as a boundary condition for
the ferromagnetic region. For a ferromagnet layer deposited on a (100) facet of
the HTSC, triplet p-wave superconductivity is induced. For the layer deposited
on a (110) facet, the induced gap does not have the p-wave orbital character,
but has an even orbital symmetry and an odd dependence on energy. For the layer
on the (001) facet, an exotic f-wave superconductivity is induced. We also
consider the induced triplet gap in a one-dimensional half-metallic nanowire
deposited on a (001) facet of a HTSC. We find that for a wire axis along the
a-axis, a robust triplet p-wave gap is induced. For a wire oriented 45 degrees
away from the a-axis the induced triplet p-wave gap vanishes. For the
appropriately oriented wire, the induced p-wave gap should give rise to
Majorana fermions at the ends of the half-metallic wire. Based on our result,
topological superconductivity in a semi-conductor nanowire may also be possible
given that it is oriented along the a-axis of the HTSC.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Studying the WHIM with Gamma Ray Bursts
We assess the possibility to detect and characterize the physical state of
the missing baryons at low redshift by analyzing the X-ray absorption spectra
of the Gamma Ray Burst [GRB] afterglows, measured by a micro calorimeters-based
detector with 3 eV resolution and 1000 cm2 effective area and capable of fast
re-pointing, similar to that on board of the recently proposed X-ray satellites
EDGE and XENIA. For this purpose we have analyzed mock absorption spectra
extracted from different hydrodynamical simulations used to model the
properties of the Warm Hot Intergalactic Medium [WHIM]. These models predict
the correct abundance of OVI absorption lines observed in UV and satisfy
current X-ray constraints. According to these models space missions like EDGE
and XENIA should be able to detect about 60 WHIM absorbers per year through the
OVII line. About 45 % of these have at least two more detectable lines in
addition to OVII that can be used to determine the density and the temperature
of the gas. Systematic errors in the estimates of the gas density and
temperature can be corrected for in a robust, largely model-independent
fashion. The analysis of the GRB absorption spectra collected in three years
would also allow to measure the cosmic mass density of the WHIM with about 15 %
accuracy, although this estimate depends on the WHIM model. Our results suggest
that GRBs represent a valid, if not preferable, alternative to Active Galactic
Nuclei to study the WHIM in absorption. The analysis of the absorption spectra
nicely complements the study of the WHIM in emission that the spectrometer
proposed for EDGE and XENIA would be able to carry out thanks to its high
sensitivity and large field of view.Comment: 16 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication by Ap
Thermodynamics of the Coma Cluster Outskirts
We present results from a large mosaic of Suzaku observations of the Coma
Cluster, the nearest and X-ray brightest hot, dynamically active, non-cool core
system, focusing on the thermodynamic properties of the ICM on large scales.
For azimuths not aligned with an infalling subcluster towards the southwest,
our measured temperature and X-ray brightness profiles exhibit broadly
consistent radial trends, with the temperature decreasing from about 8.5 keV at
the cluster center to about 2 keV at a radius of 2 Mpc, which is the edge of
our detection limit. The SW merger significantly boosts the surface brightness,
allowing us to detect X-ray emission out to ~2.2 Mpc along this direction.
Apart from the southwestern infalling subcluster, the surface brightness
profiles show multiple edges around radii of 30-40 arcmin. The azimuthally
averaged temperature profile, as well as the deprojected density and pressure
profiles, all show a sharp drop consistent with an outward propagating shock
front located at 40 arcmin, corresponding to the outermost edge of the giant
radio halo observed at 352 MHz with the WSRT. The shock front may be powering
this radio emission. A clear entropy excess inside of r_500 reflects the
violent merging events linked with these morphological features. Beyond r_500,
the entropy profiles of the Coma Cluster along the relatively relaxed
directions are consistent with the power-law behavior expected from simple
models of gravitational large-scale structure formation. The pressure is also
in agreement at these radii with the expected values measured from SZ data from
the Planck satellite. However, due to the large uncertainties associated with
the Coma Cluster measurements, we cannot yet exclude an entropy flattening in
this system consistent with that seen in more relaxed cool core clusters.Comment: submitted to ApJ; revised after first referee repor
Hole burning in a nanomechanical resonator coupled to a Cooper pair box
We propose a scheme to create holes in the statistical distribution of
excitations of a nanomechanical resonator. It employs a controllable coupling
between this system and a Cooper pair box. The success probability and the
fidelity are calculated and compared with those obtained in the atom-field
system via distinct schemes. As an application we show how to use the
hole-burning scheme to prepare (low excited) Fock states.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figure
Large-scale Motions in the Perseus Galaxy Cluster
By combining large-scale mosaics of ROSAT PSPC, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku X-ray
observations, we present evidence for large-scale motions in the intracluster
medium of the nearby, X-ray bright Perseus Cluster. These motions are suggested
by several alternating and interleaved X-ray bright, low-temperature,
low-entropy arcs located along the east-west axis, at radii ranging from ~10
kpc to over a Mpc. Thermodynamic features qualitatively similar to these have
previously been observed in the centers of cool core clusters, and were
successfully modeled as a consequence of the gas sloshing/swirling motions
induced by minor mergers. Our observations indicate that such sloshing/swirling
can extend out to larger radii than previously thought, on scales approaching
the virial radius.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Studying the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium in Emission
We assess the possibility to detect the warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM)
in emission and to characterize its physical conditions and spatial
distribution through spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy, in the framework of
the recently proposed DIOS, EDGE, Xenia, and ORIGIN missions, all of which are
equipped with microcalorimeter-based detectors. For this purpose we analyze a
large set of mock emission spectra, extracted from a cosmological
hydrodynamical simulation. These mock X-ray spectra are searched for emission
features showing both the OVII K alpha triplet and OVIII Ly alpha line, which
constitute a typical signature of the warm hot gas. Our analysis shows that 1
Ms long exposures and energy resolution of 2.5 eV will allow us to detect about
400 such features per deg^2 with a significance >5 sigma and reveals that these
emission systems are typically associated with density ~100 above the mean. The
temperature can be estimated from the line ratio with a precision of ~20%. The
combined effect of contamination from other lines, variation in the level of
the continuum, and degradation of the energy resolution reduces these
estimates. Yet, with an energy resolution of 7 eV and all these effects taken
into account, one still expects about 160 detections per deg^2. These line
systems are sufficient to trace the spatial distribution of the line-emitting
gas, which constitute an additional information, independent from line
statistics, to constrain the poorly known cosmic chemical enrichment history
and the stellar feedback processes.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, ApJ in press; revised version according to
revie
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