9,535 research outputs found
A Rich Population of X-ray Emitting Wolf-Rayet Stars in the Galactic Starburst Cluster Westerlund 1
Recent optical and IR studies have revealed that the heavily-reddened
starburst cluster Westerlund 1 (Wd 1) contains at least 22 Wolf-Rayet (WR)
stars, comprising the richest WR population of any galactic cluster. We present
results of a senstive Chandra X-ray observation of Wd 1 which detected 12 of
the 22 known WR stars and the mysterious emission line star W9. The fraction of
detected WN stars is nearly identical to that of WC stars. The WN stars WR-A
and WR-B as well as W9 are exceptionally luminous in X-rays and have similar
hard heavily-absorbed spectra with strong Si XIII and S XV emission lines. The
luminous high-temperature X-ray emission of these three stars is characteristic
of colliding wind binary systems but their binary status remains to be
determined. Spectral fits of the X-ray bright sources WR-A and W9 with
isothermal plane-parallel shock models require high absorption column densities
log N = 22.56 (cm) and yield characteristic shock temperatures
kT_shock ~ 3 keV (T ~ 35 MK).Comment: ApJL, 2006, in press (3 figures, 1 table
A simple variational method for calculating energy and quantum capacitance of an electron gas with screened interactions
We describe a variational procedure for calculating the energy of an electron
gas in which the long-range Coulomb interaction is truncated by the screening
effect of a nearby metallic gate. We use this procedure to compute the quantum
capacitance of the system as a function of electron density and spin
polarization. The accuracy of the method is verified against published
Monte-Carlo data. The results compare favorably with a recent experiment.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
On the high coherence of kilo-Hz Quasi-Periodic Oscillations
We have carried out a systematic study of the properties of the kilo-Hertz
quasi-periodic oscillations (QPO) observed in the X-ray emission of the neutron
star low-mass X-ray binary 4U1608-52, using archival data obtained with the
Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer. We have investigated the quality factor, Q, of the
oscillations (defined as the ratio of the frequency of the QPO peak to its full
width at half maximum). In order to minimise the effect of long-term frequency
drifts, power spectra were computed over the shortest times permitted by the
data statistics. We show that the high Q of ~200 reported by Berger et al.
(1996) for the lower frequency kilo-Hz QPO in one of their observations is by
no means exceptional, as we observe a mean Q value in excess of 150 in 14 out
of the 21 observations analysed and Q can remain above 200 for thousands of
seconds. The frequency of the QPO varies over the wide range 560--890 Hz and we
find a systematic trend for the coherence time of the QPO, estimated as tau=Q
/(pi nu), to increase with the frequency, up to a maximum level at ~ 800 Hz,
beyond which it appears to decrease, at frequencies where the QPO weakens.
There is a more complex relationship between tau and the QPO root mean squared
amplitude (RMS), in which positive and negative correlations can be found. A
higher-frequency QPO, revealed by correcting for the frequency drift of the
560-890 Hz one, has a much lower Q (~10) which does not follow the same
pattern. We discuss these results in the framework of competing QPO models and
show that those involving clumps orbiting within or above the accretion disk
are ruled out.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 8 pages, 6 figures, 3 Table
Investigation of Graded La2NiO4+ Cathodes to Improve SOFC Electrochemical Performance
Mixed ionic and electronic conducting MIEC oxides are promising materials for use as cathodes in solid oxide fuel cells SOFCs due to their enhanced electrocatalytic activity compared with electronic conducting oxides. In this paper, the MIEC oxide La2NiO4+ was prepared by the sol-gel route. Graded cathodes were deposited onto yttria-stabilized zirconia YSZ pellets by dip-coating, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies were performed to characterize the symmetrical cell performance. By adapting the slurries, cathode layers with different porosities and thicknesses were obtained. A ceria gadolinium oxide CGO barrier layer was introduced, avoiding insulating La2Zr2O7 phase formation and thus reducing resistance polarization of the cathode. A systematic correlation between microstructure, composition, and electrochemical performance of these cathodes has been performed. An improvement of the electrochemical performance has been demonstrated, and a reduction in the area specific resistance ASR by a factor of 4.5 has been achieved with a compact interlayer of La2NiO4+ between the dense electrolyte and the porous La2NiO4+ cathode layer. The lowest observed ASR of 0.11 cm2 at 800Ă°C was obtained from a symmetrical cell composed of a YSZ electrolyte, a CGO interlayer, an intermediate compact La2NiO4+ layer, a porous La2NiO4+ electrode layer, and a current collection layer of platinum paste
Spiral Waves in Chaotic Systems
Spiral waves are investigated in chemical systems whose underlying
spatially-homogeneous dynamics is governed by a deterministic chaotic
attractor. We show how the local periodic behavior in the vicinity of a spiral
defect is transformed to chaotic dynamics far from the defect. The
transformation occurs by a type of period doubling as the distance from the
defect increases. The change in character of the dynamics is described in terms
of the phase space flow on closed curves surrounding the defect.Comment: latex file with three postscript figures to appear in Physical review
Letter
Game On? Smoking Cessation Through the Gamification of mHealth: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study
BACKGROUND: Finding ways to increase and sustain engagement with mHealth interventions has become a challenge during application development. While gamification shows promise and has proven effective in many fields, critical questions remain concerning how to use gamification to modify health behavior. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to investigate how the gamification of mHealth interventions leads to a change in health behavior, specifically with respect to smoking cessation. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative longitudinal study using a sample of 16 smokers divided into 2 cohorts (one used a gamified intervention and the other used a nongamified intervention). Each participant underwent 4 semistructured interviews over a period of 5 weeks. Semistructured interviews were also conducted with 4 experts in gamification, mHealth, and smoking cessation. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis undertaken. RESULTS: Results indicated perceived behavioral control and intrinsic motivation acted as positive drivers to game engagement and consequently positive health behavior. Importantly, external social influences exerted a negative effect. We identified 3 critical factors, whose presence was necessary for game engagement: purpose (explicit purpose known by the user), user alignment (congruency of game and user objectives), and functional utility (a well-designed game). We summarize these findings in a framework to guide the future development of gamified mHealth interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Gamification holds the potential for a low-cost, highly effective mHealth solution that may replace or supplement the behavioral support component found in current smoking cessation programs. The framework reported here has been built on evidence specific to smoking cessation, however it can be adapted to health interventions in other disease categories. Future research is required to evaluate the generalizability and effectiveness of the framework, directly against current behavioral support therapy interventions in smoking cessation and beyond
Chandra X-ray Observations of the Young Stellar Cluster NGC 6193 in the Ara OB1 Association
A 90 ks Chandra HETG observation of the young stellar cluster NGC 6193 in the
southern Ara OB1 association detected 43 X-ray sources in a 2' x 2' core region
centered on the young O stars HD 150135 (O6.5V) and HD 150136 (O3+O6V). The
cluster is dominated by exceptionally bright X-ray emission from the two O
stars, which are separated by only 10 arcsecs. The X-ray luminosity of HD
150136 is log Lx = 33.39 (ergs/s), making it one of the most luminous O-star
X-ray sources known. All of the fainter X-ray sources in the core region have
near-IR counterparts, but JHK photometry provides little evidence for near-IR
excesses. These core sources have typical mean photon energies of 2 keV and
about one-third are variable. It is likely that some are young low-mass stars
in the cluster, but cluster membership remains to be determined. Grating
spectra show that the X-ray properties of HD 150135 and HD 150136 are similar,
but not identical. Both have moderately broadened unshifted emission lines and
their emission is dominated by cool plasma, pointing to a wind shock origin.
However, the emission of HD 150136 is slightly hotter and 4 times more luminous
than its optical twin HD 150135. We discuss the possibility that a radiative
colliding wind shock contributes to the prodigious X-ray output of the
short-period (2.66 d) binary HD 150136. A surprising result is that the X-ray
emission of HD 150136 is slowly variable on a timescale of less than one day.
The origin of the variability is not yet known, but the observed behavior
suggests that it is an occultation effect.Comment: To appear in MNRAS; 5 tables, 13 figure
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