5,857 research outputs found
Local order and magnetic field effects on the electronic properties of disordered binary alloys in the Quantum Site Percolation limit
Electronic properties of disordered binary alloys are studied via the
calculation of the average Density of States (DOS) in two and three dimensions.
We propose a new approximate scheme that allows for the inclusion of local
order effects in finite geometries and extrapolates the behavior of infinite
systems following `finite-size scaling' ideas. We particularly investigate the
limit of the Quantum Site Percolation regime described by a tight-binding
Hamiltonian. This limit was chosen to probe the role of short range order (SRO)
properties under extreme conditions. The method is numerically highly efficient
and asymptotically exact in important limits, predicting the correct DOS
structure as a function of the SRO parameters. Magnetic field effects can also
be included in our model to study the interplay of local order and the shifted
quantum interference driven by the field. The average DOS is highly sensitive
to changes in the SRO properties, and striking effects are observed when a
magnetic field is applied near the segregated regime. The new effects observed
are twofold: there is a reduction of the band width and the formation of a gap
in the middle of the band, both as a consequence of destructive interference of
electronic paths and the loss of coherence for particular values of the
magnetic field. The above phenomena are periodic in the magnetic flux. For
other limits that imply strong localization, the magnetic field produces minor
changes in the structure of the average DOS.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, 31 references, RevTex preprint, submitted to
Phys. Rev.
Ongoing Mass Transfer in the Interacting Galaxy Pair NGC 1409/10
I present two-band HST STIS imaging, and WIYN spectral mapping, of ongoing
mass transfer in the interacting galaxy pair NGC 1409/10 (where NGC 1410 is the
Seyfert galaxy also catalogued as III Zw 55). Archival snapshot WFPC2 imaging
from the survey by Malkan et al. showed a dust feature stretching between the
galaxies, apparently being captured by NGC 1409. The new images allow estimates
of the mass being transferred and rate of transfer. An absorption lane
typically 0.25" (100 pc) wide with a representative optical depth tau_B = 0.2
cuts across the spiral structure of NGC 1410, crosses the 7-kpc projected space
between the nuclei, wraps in front of and, at the limits of detection, behind
NGC 1409, and becomes a denser (tau_B = 0.4) polar feature around the core of
NGC 1409. Combination of extinction data in two passbands allows a crude
three-dimensional recovery of the dust structure, supporting the front/back
geometry derived from colors and extinction estimates. The whole feature
contains of order solar masses in dust, implying about 2x10^7 solar
masses of gas, requiring a mass transfer rate averaging ~1 solar mass per year
unless we are particularly unlucky in viewing angle. Curiously, this
demonstrable case of mass transfer seems to be independent of the occurrence of
a Seyfert nucleus, since the Seyfert galaxy in this pair is the donor of the
material. Likewise, the recipient shows no signs of recent star formation from
incoming gas, although NGC 1410 has numerous luminous young star clusters and
widespread H-alpha emission.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for the Astronomical Journal, March
200
Assessing the galaxy population out to z ~ 2 using the Hubble Deep Field South
In this work we use the Hubble Deep Field South (HDF-S) version 2 images to
assess the galaxy population out to z ~ 2. We have used two methods of
templates fitting of the spectral energy distributions to obtain photometric
redshifts and classify the objects. The Bayesian photometric redshifts gave
better results when compared with 54 spectroscopic redshifts available in the
literature. Analysis of the rest-frame colour distribution shows a bimodality
out to z ~ 1.4. We separated our sample in a blue and a red population at B-V =
0.29. At low redshifts (0.2 0.29
whereas at higher redshifts ~ 60% of the galaxies are bluer than B-V < 0.29.
Although in low numbers, a population of early-type galaxies (or heavily
obscured low redshift galaxies) is seen out to z ~ 2.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, online material (the gallery) available at
http://www.oso.chalmers.se/~theresaw/Deep/gallery.htm
Essence and Cause: Making Something Be What It Is
Aristotle frequently describes essence as a “cause” or “explanation”, thus ascribing to essence some sort of causal or explanatory role. This explanatory role is often explicated by scholars in terms of essence “making the thing be what it is” or “making it the very thing that it is”. I argue that this is problematic, at least on the assumption that “making” expresses an explanatory relation, since it violates certain formal features of explanation. I then consider whether Aristotle is vulnerable to this problem by examining the explanatory role of essence in Posterior Analytics and Metaphysics Z 17
Copper and Barium Abundances in the Ursa Major Moving Group
We present Cu and Ba abundances for 7 G-K dwarf stars, members of the
solar-metallicity, 0.3 Gyr old Ursa Major Moving Group. All analyzed member
stars show [Ba/Fe] excesses of +0.3-plus, associated with [Cu/Fe] deficiencies
of up to -0.23 dex. The present results suggest that there is an
anti-correlation between the abundances of Cu and the heavy elements produced
by the main component of the neutron capture s-process. Other possible
anomalies are Na and C deficiencies with respect to normal solar-metallicity
stars. The new data do not confirm the recent claim that the group member
HR6094 is a Ba dwarf star.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted to MNRA
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