25,287 research outputs found
The X-ray light curve of Gamma-ray bursts: clues to the central engine
We present the analysis of a large sample of gamma-ray burst (GRB) X-ray
light curves in the rest frame to characterise their intrinsic properties in
the context of different theoretical scenarios. We determine the morphology,
time scales, and energetics of 64 long GRBs observed by \emph{Swift}/XRT
\emph{without} flaring activity. We furthermore provide a one-to-one comparison
to the properties of GRBs \emph{with} X-ray flares. We find that the steep
decay morphology and its connection with X-ray flares favour a scenario in
which a central engine origin. We show that this scenario can also account for
the shallow decay phase, provided that the GRB progenitor star has a
self-similar structure with a constant envelope-to-core mass ratio . However, difficulties arise for very long duration
( s) shallow phases. Alternatively, a spinning-down magnetar
whose emitted power refreshes the forward shock can quantitatively account for
the shallow decay properties. In particular we demonstrate that this model can
account for the plateau luminosity vs. end time anticorrelation.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Solvable senescence model with positive mutations
We build upon our previous analytical results for the Penna model of
senescence to include positive mutations. We investigate whether a small but
non-zero positive mutation rate gives qualitatively different results to the
traditional Penna model in which no positive mutations are considered. We find
that the high-lifespan tail of the distribution is radically changed in
structure, but that there is not much effect on the bulk of the population. Th
e mortality plateau that we found previously for a stochastic generalization of
the Penna model is stable to a small positive mutation rate.Comment: 3 figure
Electronic structure and Magnetism in BaMnAs and BaMnSb
We study the properties of ThCrSi structure BaMnAs and
BaMnSb using density functional calculations of the electronic and
magnetic as well experimental measurements on single crystal samples of
BaMnAs. These materials are local moment magnets with moderate band gap
antiferromagnetic semiconducting ground states. The electronic structures show
substantial Mn - pnictogen hybridization, which stabilizes an intermediate spin
configuration for the nominally Mn. The results are discussed in the
context of possible thermoelectric applications and the relationship with the
corresponding iron / cobalt / nickel compounds Ba(Fe,Co,Ni)As
Magnetization-controlled spin transport in DyAs/GaAs layers
Electrical transport properties of DyAs epitaxial layers grown on GaAs have
been investigated at various temperatures and magnetic fields up to 12T. The
measured longitudinal resistances show two distinct peaks at fields around 0.2
and 2.5T which are believed to be related to the strong spin-disorder
scattering occurring at the phase transition boundaries induced by external
magnetic field. An empirical magnetic phase diagram is deduced from the
temperature dependent experiment, and the anisotropic transport properties are
also presented for various magnetic field directions with respect to the
current flow.Comment: 3 pages with 3 figure
Discrete Razumikhin-type technique and stability of the Euler-Maruyama method to stochastic functional differential equations
A discrete stochastic Razumikhin-type theorem is established to investigate whether the Euler--Maruyama (EM) scheme can reproduce the moment exponential stability of exact solutions of stochastic functional differential equations (SFDEs). In addition, the Chebyshev inequality and the Borel-Cantelli lemma are applied to show the almost sure stability of the EM approximate solutions of SFDEs. To show our idea clearly, these results are used to discuss stability of numerical solutions of two classes of special SFDEs, including stochastic delay differential equations (SDDEs) with variable delay and stochastically perturbed equations
Enhanced superconductivity at the interface of W/SrRuO point contact
Differential resistance measurements are conducted for point contacts (PCs)
between tungsten tip approaching along the axis direction and the
plane of SrRuO single crystal. Three key features are found.
Firstly, within 0.2 mV there is a dome like conductance enhancement due to
Andreev reflection at the normal-superconducting interface. By pushing the W
tip further, the conductance enhancement increases from 3\% to more than 20\%,
much larger than that was previously reported, probably due to the pressure
exerted by the tip. Secondly, there are also superconducting like features at
bias higher than 0.2 mV which persists up to 6.2 K, resembling the enhanced
superconductivity under uniaxial pressure for bulk SrRuO crystals
but more pronounced here. Third, the logarithmic background can be fitted with
the Altshuler-Aronov theory of tunneling into quasi two dimensional electron
system, consistent with the highly anisotropic electronic system in
SrRuO.Comment: prb style, 9 pages, 8 fig
The Luminosity Function of high-redshift QSOs - A combined analysis of GOODS and SDSS
Aims: In this work the luminosity function of QSOs is measured in the
redshift range 3.5<z<5.2 for the absolute magnitude interval -21<M_{145}<-28.
The determination of the faint end of the luminosity function at these
redshifts provides important constraints on models of joint evolution of
galaxies and AGNs. Methods: We have defined suitable criteria to select faint
QSOs in the GOODS fields, checking in detail their effectiveness and
completeness. Spectroscopic follow-up of the resulting QSO candidates has been
carried out. The confirmed sample of faint QSOs is compared with a brighter one
derived from the SDSS. We have used a Monte-Carlo technique to estimate the
properties of the luminosity function, checking various parameterizations for
its shape and evolution. Results: Models based on Pure Density Evolution show
better agreement with observation than models based on Pure Luminosity
Evolution. However a different break magnitude with respect to z~2.1 is
required at 3.5<z<5.2. Models with a steeper faint end score a higher
probability. We do not find any evidence for a flattening of the bright end at
redshift z>3.5. Conclusions: The estimated space density evolution of QSOs
indicates a suppression of the formation and/or feeding of Supermassive Black
Holes at these redshifts. The QSO contribution to the UV background is
insufficient to ionize the IGM at 3.5<z<5.2.Comment: 17 pages, 13 ps figures, A&A accepted. Updated to journal versio
Global and regional effects of the photochemistry of CH_3O_2NO_2: evidence from ARCTAS
Using measurements from the NASA Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites (ARCTAS) experiment, we show that methyl peroxy nitrate (CH_3O_2NO_2) is present in concentrations of ~5–15 pptv in the springtime arctic upper troposphere. We investigate the regional and global effects of CH_3O_2NO_2 by including its chemistry in the GEOS-Chem 3-D global chemical transport model. We find that at temperatures below 240 K inclusion of CH_3O_2NO_2 chemistry results in decreases of up to ~20 % in NO_x, ~20 % in N_2O_5, ~5 % in HNO3, ~2 % in ozone, and increases in methyl hydrogen peroxide of up to ~14 %. Larger changes are observed in biomass burning plumes lofted to high altitude. Additionally, by sequestering NO_x at low temperatures, CH_3O_2NO_2 decreases the cycling of HO_2 to OH, resulting in a larger upper tropospheric HO_2 to OH ratio. These results may impact some estimates of lightning NO_x sources as well as help explain differences between models and measurements of upper tropospheric composition
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