2,874 research outputs found
Fourth-order gravity as the inflationary model revisited
We revisit the old (fourth-order or quadratically generated) gravity model of
Starobinsky in four space-time dimensions, and derive the (inflaton) scalar
potential in the equivalent scalar-tensor gravity model via a Legendre-Weyl
transform. The inflaton scalar potential is used to compute the (CMB)
observables of inflation associated with curvature perturbations (namely, the
scalar and tensor spectral indices, and the tensor-to-scalar ratio), including
the new next-to-leading-order terms with respect to the inverse number of
e-foldings. The results are compared to the recent (WMAP5) experimental bounds.
We confirm both mathematical and physical equivalence between f(R) gravity
theories and the corresponding scalar-tensor gravity theories.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, 1 table, LaTeX; few comments added, style
improved, references added and update
Slow-roll inflation in (R+R*4) gravity
We reconsider the toy-model of topological inflation, based on the
R*4-modified gravity. By using its equivalence to the certain scalar-tensor
gravity model in four space-time dimensions, we compute the inflaton scalar
potential and investigate a possibility of inflation. We confirm the existence
of the slow-roll inflation with an exit. However, the model suffers from the
eta-problem that gives rise to the unacceptable value of the spectral index n_s
of scalar perturbations.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, LaTeX, misprints corrected and references
update
Dynamics aspect of subbarrier fusion reaction in light heavy ion systems
Subbarrier fusion of the 7Li + 12C reaction is studied using an
antisymmetrized molecular dynamics model (AMD) with an after burner, GEMINI. In
AMD, 7Li shows an \alpha + t structure at its ground state and it is
significantly deformed. Simulations are made near the Coulomb barrier energies,
i.e., E_{cm} = 3 - 8 MeV. The total fusion cross section of the AMD + GEMINI
calculations as a function of incident energy is compared to the experimental
results and both are in good agreement at E_{cm} > 3 MeV. The cross section for
the different residue channels of the AMD + GEMINI at E_{cm} = 5 MeV is also
compared to the experimental results.Comment: Talk given by Meirong Huang at the 11th International Conference on
Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions (NN2012), San Antonio, Texas, USA, May 27-June 1,
2012. To appear in the NN2012 Proceedings in Journal of Physics: Conference
Series (JPCS
Effects of high-energy ionizing particles on the Si:As mid-infrared detector array on board the AKARI satellite
We evaluate the effects of high-energy ionizing particles on the Si:As
impurity band conduction (IBC) mid-infrared detector on board AKARI, the
Japanese infrared astronomical satellite. IBC-type detectors are known to be
little influenced by ionizing radiation. However we find that the detector is
significantly affected by in-orbit ionizing radiation even after spikes induced
by ionizing particles are removed. The effects are described as changes mostly
in the offset of detector output, but not in the gain. We conclude that the
changes in the offset are caused mainly by increase in dark current. We
establish a method to correct these ionizing radiation effects. The method is
essential to improve the quality and to increase the sky coverage of the AKARI
mid-infrared all-sky-survey map.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in PAS
Winterberg's conjectured breaking of the superluminal quantum correlations over large distances
We elaborate further on a hypothesis by Winterberg that turbulent
fluctuations of the zero point field may lead to a breakdown of the
superluminal quantum correlations over very large distances. A phenomenological
model that was proposed by Winterberg to estimate the transition scale of the
conjectured breakdown, does not lead to a distance that is large enough to be
agreeable with recent experiments. We consider, but rule out, the possibility
of a steeper slope in the energy spectrum of the turbulent fluctuations, due to
compressibility, as a possible mechanism that may lead to an increased
lower-bound for the transition scale. Instead, we argue that Winterberg
overestimated the intensity of the ZPF turbulent fluctuations. We calculate a
very generous corrected lower bound for the transition distance which is
consistent with current experiments.Comment: 7 pages, submitted to Int. J. Theor. Phy
Unbiased large spectroscopic surveys of galaxies selected by SPICA using dust bands
The mid-infrared (IR) range contains many spectral features associated with
large molecules and dust grains such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
and silicates. These are usually very strong compared to fine-structure gas
lines, and thus valuable in studying the spectral properties of faint distant
galaxies. In this paper, we evaluate the capability of low-resolution mid-IR
spectroscopic surveys of galaxies that could be performed by SPICA. The surveys
are designed to address the question how star formation and black hole
accretion activities evolved over cosmic time through spectral diagnostics of
the physical conditions of the interstellar/circumnuclear media in galaxies. On
the basis of results obtained with Herschel far-IR photometric surveys of
distant galaxies and Spitzer and AKARI near- to mid-IR spectroscopic
observations of nearby galaxies, we estimate the numbers of the galaxies at
redshift z > 0.5, which are expected to be detected in the PAH features or dust
continuum by a wide (10 deg^2) or deep (1 deg^2) blind survey, both for a given
observation time of 600 hours. As by-products of the wide blind survey, we also
expect to detect debris disks, through the mid-IR excess above the photospheric
emission of nearby main-sequence stars, and we estimate their number. We
demonstrate that the SPICA mid-IR surveys will efficiently provide us with
unprecedentedly large spectral samples, which can be studied further in the
far-IR with SPICA.Comment: Paper accepted for publication on PASA on 18th October 2017, as part
of the SPICA Special Issu
Chandra Discovery of an X-ray Jet and Lobes in 3C 15
We report the Chandra detection of an X-ray jet in 3C 15. The peak of the
X-ray emission in the jet is 4.1'' (a projected distance of 5.1 kpc) from the
nucleus, and coincident with a component previously identified in the radio and
optical jets. We examine four models for the X-ray jet emission: (I) weak
synchrotron cooling in equip., (II) moderate synchrotron cooling in equip.,
(III) weak synchrotron plus SSC cooling, and (IV) moderate synchrotron plus SSC
cooling. We argue that case (II) can most reasonably explain the overall
emission from knot C. Case (III) is also possible, but requires a large
departure from equipartition and for the jet power to be comparable to that of
the brightest quasars. Diffuse X-ray emission has also been detected,
distributed widely over the full extent (63kpc x 25kpc) of the radio lobes. We
compare the total energy contained in the lobes with the jet power estimated
from knot C, and discuss the energetic link between the jet and the lobes. We
argue that the fueling time (t_fuel) and the source age (t_src) are comparable
for case (II), whereas t_fuel << t_src is likely for case (III). The latter may
imply that the jet has a very small filling factor, ~10^{-3}. We consider the
pressure balance between the thermal galaxy halo and non-thermal relativistic
electrons in the radio lobes. Finally, we show that the X-ray emission from the
nucleus is not adequately fitted by a simple absorbed power-law model, but
needs an additional power-law with heavy absorption intrinsic to the source.
Such a high column density is consistent with the presence of a dense, dusty
torus which obscures the quasar nucleus.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Nearby early-type galaxies with ionized gas VI. The Spitzer-IRS view
We present low resolution Spitzer-IRS spectra of 40 ETGs, selected from a
sample of 65 ETGs showing emission lines in their optical spectra. We
homogeneously extract the mid-infrared (MIR) spectra, and after the proper
subtraction of a "passive" ETG template, we derive the intensity of the ionic
and molecular lines and of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission
features. We use MIR diagnostic diagrams to investigate the powering mechanisms
of the ionized gas. The mid-infrared spectra of early-type galaxies show a
variety of spectral characteristics. We empirically sub-divide the sample into
five classes of spectra with common characteristics. Class-0, accounting for
20% of the sample, are purely passive ETGs with neither emission lines nor PAH
features. Class-1 show emission lines but no PAH features, and account for
17.5% of the sample. Class-2, in which 50% of the ETGs are found, as well as
having emission lines, show PAH features with unusual ratios, e.g. 7.7
{\mu}m/11.3 {\mu}m \leq 2.3. Class-3 objects have emission lines and PAH
features with ratios typical of star-forming galaxies. 7.5% of objects fall in
this class, likely to be objects in a starburst/post-starburst regime. Class-4,
containing only 5% of the ETGs, is dominated by a hot dust continuum. The
diagnostic diagram [Ne III]15.55{\mu}m/[Ne II]12.8{\mu}m vs. [S
III]33.48{\mu}m/[Si II]34.82{\mu}m, is used to investigate the different
mechanisms ionizing the gas. If we exclude NGC 3258 where a starburst seems
present, most of our ETGs contain gas ionized via either AGN-like or shock
phenomena, or both. Most of the spectra in the present sample are classified as
LINERs in the optical window. The proposed MIR spectral classes show
unambiguously the manifold of the physical processes and ionization mechanisms,
from star formation, low level AGN activity, to shocks, present in LINER
nuclei.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
1/f Noise and Extreme Value Statistics
We study the finite-size scaling of the roughness of signals in systems
displaying Gaussian 1/f power spectra. It is found that one of the extreme
value distributions (Gumbel distribution) emerges as the scaling function when
the boundary conditions are periodic. We provide a realistic example of
periodic 1/f noise, and demonstrate by simulations that the Gumbel distribution
is a good approximation for the case of nonperiodic boundary conditions as
well. Experiments on voltage fluctuations in GaAs films are analyzed and
excellent agreement is found with the theory.Comment: 4 pages, 4 postscript figures, RevTe
Solid-state laser system for laser cooling of Sodium
We demonstrate a frequency-stabilized, all-solid laser source at 589 nm with
up to 800 mW output power. The laser relies on sum-frequency generation from
two laser sources at 1064 nm and 1319 nm through a PPKTP crystal in a
doubly-resonant cavity. We obtain conversion efficiency as high as 2 W/W^2
after optimization of the cavity parameters. The output wavelength is tunable
over 60 GHz, which is sufficient to lock on the Sodium D2 line. The robustness,
beam quality, spectral narrowness and tunability of our source make it an
alternative to dye lasers for atomic physics experiments with Sodium atoms
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