183 research outputs found
Self-force on a scalar charge in radial infall from rest using the Hadamard-WKB expansion
We present an analytic method based on the Hadamard-WKB expansion to
calculate the self-force for a particle with scalar charge that undergoes
radial infall in a Schwarzschild spacetime after being held at rest until a
time t = 0. Our result is valid in the case of short duration from the start.
It is possible to use the Hadamard-WKB expansion in this case because the value
of the integral of the retarded Green's function over the particle's entire
past trajectory can be expressed in terms of two integrals over the time period
that the particle has been falling. This analytic result is expected to be
useful as a check for numerical prescriptions including those involving mode
sum regularization and for any other analytical approximations to self-force
calculations.Comment: 22 pages, 2 figures, Physical Review D version along with the
corrections given in the erratu
Noise kernel for a quantum field in Schwarzschild spacetime under the Gaussian approximation
A method is given to compute an approximation to the noise kernel, defined as
the symmetrized connected 2-point function of the stress tensor, for the
conformally invariant scalar field in any spacetime conformal to an
ultra-static spacetime for the case in which the field is in a thermal state at
an arbitrary temperature. The most useful applications of the method are flat
space where the approximation is exact and Schwarzschild spacetime where the
approximation is better than it is in most other spacetimes. The two points are
assumed to be separated in a timelike or spacelike direction. The method
involves the use of a Gaussian approximation which is of the same type as that
used by Page to compute an approximate form of the stress tensor for this field
in Schwarzschild spacetime. All components of the noise kernel have been
computed exactly for hot flat space and one component is explicitly displayed.
Several components have also been computed for Schwarzschild spacetime and
again one component is explicitly displayed.Comment: 34 pages, no figures. Substantial revisions in Secs. I, IV, and V;
minor revisions elsewhere; new results include computation of the exact noise
kernel for hot flat space and an approximate computation of the noise kernel
for a thermal state at an arbitrary temperature in Schwarzschild spacetime
when the points are split in the time directio
Remarks on the Formulation of Quantum Mechanics on Noncommutative Phase Spaces
We consider the probabilistic description of nonrelativistic, spinless
one-particle classical mechanics, and immerse the particle in a deformed
noncommutative phase space in which position coordinates do not commute among
themselves and also with canonically conjugate momenta. With a postulated
normalized distribution function in the quantum domain, the square of the Dirac
delta density distribution in the classical case is properly realised in
noncommutative phase space and it serves as the quantum condition. With only
these inputs, we pull out the entire formalisms of noncommutative quantum
mechanics in phase space and in Hilbert space, and elegantly establish the link
between classical and quantum formalisms and between Hilbert space and phase
space formalisms of noncommutative quantum mechanics. Also, we show that the
distribution function in this case possesses 'twisted' Galilean symmetry.Comment: 25 pages, JHEP3 style; minor changes; Published in JHE
The effect of intrathecal delivery of bone marrow stromal cells on hippocampal neurons in rat model of Alzheimer�s disease
Objective(s): Intracerebral injection of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) is being investigated as a therapeutic tool to prevent Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our aim was to investigate the effects of BMSCs by intrathecal injection in AD rat model. Materials and Methods: BMSCs were obtained from the bone marrow of Wistar rat and transplanted into AD rat model via intrathecal injection. The rat model had received an injection of � amyloid into the hippocampus for histological and immunohistochemical studies. Results: Histological examination of the brains in transplanted rats compared to controls demonstrated the migration of BrdU-labeled BMSCs from the site of delivery, confirmed the differentiation of BMSCs transplanted cells into the cholinergic neurons, and increased number of healthy and decreased number of dark neurons. Conclusion: Our results showed that BMSCs intratechal administration could be a promising method for treatment of Alzheimer�s disease in rat model. © 2015, Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences. All rights reserved
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping Project: Technical Overview
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping project (SDSS-RM) is a
dedicated multi-object RM experiment that has spectroscopically monitored a
sample of 849 broad-line quasars in a single 7 deg field with the SDSS-III
BOSS spectrograph. The RM quasar sample is flux-limited to i_psf=21.7 mag, and
covers a redshift range of 0.1<z<4.5. Optical spectroscopy was performed during
2014 Jan-Jul dark/grey time, with an average cadence of ~4 days, totaling more
than 30 epochs. Supporting photometric monitoring in the g and i bands was
conducted at multiple facilities including the CFHT and the Steward Observatory
Bok telescopes in 2014, with a cadence of ~2 days and covering all lunar
phases. The RM field (RA, DEC=14:14:49.00, +53:05:00.0) lies within the CFHT-LS
W3 field, and coincides with the Pan-STARRS 1 (PS1) Medium Deep Field MD07,
with three prior years of multi-band PS1 light curves. The SDSS-RM 6-month
baseline program aims to detect time lags between the quasar continuum and
broad line region (BLR) variability on timescales of up to several months (in
the observed frame) for ~10% of the sample, and to anchor the time baseline for
continued monitoring in the future to detect lags on longer timescales and at
higher redshift. SDSS-RM is the first major program to systematically explore
the potential of RM for broad-line quasars at z>0.3, and will investigate the
prospects of RM with all major broad lines covered in optical spectroscopy.
SDSS-RM will provide guidance on future multi-object RM campaigns on larger
scales, and is aiming to deliver more than tens of BLR lag detections for a
homogeneous sample of quasars. We describe the motivation, design and
implementation of this program, and outline the science impact expected from
the resulting data for RM and general quasar science.Comment: 25 pages, submitted to ApJS; project website at http://www.sdssrm.or
Side chain to main chain hydrogen bonds stabilize a polyglutamine helix in a transcription factor
Polyglutamine (polyQ) tracts are low-complexity regions and their expansion is linked to certain neurodegenerative diseases. Here the authors combine experimental and computational approaches to find that the length of the androgen receptor polyQ tract correlates with its helicity and show that the polyQ helical structure is stabilized by hydrogen bonds between the Gln side chains and main chain carbonyl groups
The Circumgalactic Medium in Massive Halos
This chapter presents a review of the current state of knowledge on the cool
(T ~ 1e4 K) halo gas content around massive galaxies at z ~ 0.2-2. Over the
last decade, significant progress has been made in characterizing the cool
circumgalactic gas in massive halos of Mh ~ 1e12-1e14 Msun at intermediate
redshifts using absorption spectroscopy. Systematic studies of halo gas around
massive galaxies beyond the nearby universe are made possible by large
spectroscopic samples of galaxies and quasars in public archives. In addition
to accurate and precise constraints for the incidence of cool gas in massive
halos, detailed characterizations of gas kinematics and chemical compositions
around massive quiescent galaxies at z ~ 0.5 have also been obtained. Combining
all available measurements shows that infalling clouds from external sources
are likely the primary source of cool gas detected at d >~ 100 kpc from massive
quiescent galaxies. The origin of the gas closer in is currently less certain,
but SNe Ia driven winds appear to contribute significantly to cool gas found at
d < 100 kpc. In contrast, cool gas observed at d <~ 200 kpc from luminous
quasars appears to be intimately connected to quasar activities on parsec
scales. The observed strong correlation between cool gas covering fraction in
quasar host halos and quasar bolometric luminosity remains a puzzle. Combining
absorption-line studies with spatially-resolved emission measurements of both
gas and galaxies is the necessary next step to address remaining questions.Comment: 29 pages, 7 figures, invited review to appear in "Gas Accretion onto
Galaxies", Astrophysics and Space Science Library, eds. A. Fox & R. Dave, to
be published by Springe
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping Project: Initial C IV lag results from four years of data
K.H. acknowledges support from STFC grant ST/M001296/1.We present reverberation-mapping (RM) lags and black hole mass measurements using the C iv λ1549 broad emission line from a sample of 348 quasars monitored as a part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey RM Project. Our data span four years of spectroscopic and photometric monitoring for a total baseline of 1300 days, allowing us to measure lags up to ~750 days in the observed frame (this corresponds to a rest-frame lag of ~300 days in a quasar at z = 1.5 and ~190 days at z = 3). We report significant time delays between the continuum and the C iv λ1549 emission line in 48 quasars, with an estimated false-positive detection rate of 10%. Our analysis of marginal lag measurements indicates that there are on the order of ~100 additional lags that should be recoverable by adding more years of data from the program. We use our measurements to calculate black hole masses and fit an updated C iv radius–luminosity relationship. Our results significantly increase the sample of quasars with C iv RM results, with the quasars spanning two orders of magnitude in luminosity toward the high-luminosity end of the C iv radius–luminosity relation. In addition, these quasars are located at some of the highest redshifts (z ≈ 1.4–2.8) of quasars with black hole masses measured with RM. This work constitutes the first large sample of C iv RM measurements in more than a dozen quasars, demonstrating the utility of multiobject RM campaigns.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Reverberation Mapping of Optical Emission Lines in Five Active Galaxies
We present the first results from an optical reverberation mapping campaign executed in 2014 targeting the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) MCG+08-11-011, NGC 2617, NGC 4051, 3C 382, and Mrk 374. Our targets have diverse and interesting observational properties, including a changing look AGN and a broad-line radio galaxy. Based on continuum-Hβ lags, we measure black hole masses for all five targets. We also obtain Hγ and He ii λ4686 lags for all objects except 3C 382. The He ii λ4686 lags indicate radial stratification of the BLR, and the masses derived from different emission lines are in general agreement. The relative responsivities of these lines are also in qualitative agreement with photoionization models. These spectra have extremely high signal-to-noise ratios (100-300 per pixel) and there are excellent prospects for obtaining velocity-resolved reverberation signatures
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