21,048 research outputs found
Tracing the magnetic field morphology of the Lupus I molecular cloud
Deep R-band CCD linear polarimetry collected for fields with lines-of-sight
toward the Lupus I molecular cloud is used to investigate the properties of the
magnetic field within this molecular cloud. The observed sample contains about
7000 stars, almost 2000 of them with polarization signal-to-noise ratio larger
than 5. These data cover almost the entire main molecular cloud and also sample
two diffuse infrared patches in the neighborhood of Lupus I. The large scale
pattern of the plane-of-sky projection of the magnetic field is perpendicular
to the main axis of Lupus I, but parallel to the two diffuse infrared patches.
A detailed analysis of our polarization data combined with the Herschel/SPIRE
350 um dust emission map shows that the principal filament of Lupus I is
constituted by three main clumps acted by magnetic fields having different
large-scale structure properties. These differences may be the reason for the
observed distribution of pre- and protostellar objects along the molecular
cloud and its apparent evolutive stage. On the other hand, assuming that the
magnetic field is composed by a large-scale and a turbulent components, we find
that the latter is rather similar in all three clumps. The estimated
plane-of-sky component of the large-scale magnetic field ranges from about 70
uG to 200 uG in these clumps. The intensity increases towards the Galactic
plane. The mass-to-magnetic flux ratio is much smaller than unity, implying
that Lupus I is magnetically supported on large scales.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Performance of a 12-GHz fiber-optic system for beam-waveguide antenna stability testing
A 12-GHz fiber-optic system is a critical part of a test configuration that was proposed for measuring the fractional frequency stability of the Deep Space Station (DSS)-13 beam-waveguide (BWG) antenna. This fiber-optic system is used to carry Ku-band (12-GHz) signals from a reference antenna to the DSS-13 BWG pedestal room. Tests performed only on the fiber-optic system portion of the overall test configuration showed that the 12-GHz fiber-optic system (installed at DSS-13) has a frequency stability of about 1.1 x 10(exp -16) for sampling time tau = 1000 sec for a nighttime run. This preliminary result establishes the lowest noise floor that can probably be achieved for the test configuration that will be used to measure the frequency stability of the DSS-13 BWG antenna
Exploring cloudy gas accretion as a source of interstellar turbulence in the outskirts of disks
High--resolution 2D--MHD numerical simulations have been carried out to
investigate the effects of continuing infall of clumpy gas in extended HI
galactic disks. Given a certain accretion rate, the response of the disk
depends on its surface gas density and temperature. For Galactic conditions at
a galactocentric distance of ~20 kpc, and for mass accretion rates consistent
with current empirical and theoretical determinations in the Milky Way, the
rain of compact high velocity clouds onto the disk can maintain transonic
turbulent motions in the warm phase (~2500 K) of HI. Hence, the HI line width
is expected to be ~6.5 km/s for a gas layer at 2500 K, if infall were the only
mechanism of driving turbulence. Some statistical properties of the resulting
forcing flow are shown in this Letter. The radial dependence of the gas
velocity dispersion is also discussed.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Fractal Fidelity as a signature of Quantum Chaos
We analyze the fidelity of a quantum simulation and we show that it displays
fractal fluctuations iff the simulated dynamics is chaotic. This analysis
allows us to investigate a given simulated dynamics without any prior
knowledge. In the case of integrable dynamics, the appearance of fidelity
fractal fluctuations is a signal of a highly corrupted simulation. We
conjecture that fidelity fractal fluctuations are a signature of the appearance
of quantum chaos. Our analysis can be realized already by a few qubit quantum
processor.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
2000 CKM-Triangle Analysis A Critical Review with Updated Experimental Inputs and Theoretical Parameters
Within the Standard Model, a review of the current determination of the sides
and angles of the CKM unitarity triangle is presented, using experimental
constraints from the measurements of |\epsilon_K|, |V_{ub}/V_{cb}|, \Delta m_d
and from the limit on \Delta m_s, available in September 2000. Results from the
experimental search for {B}^0_s-\bar{B}^0_s oscillations are introduced in the
present analysis using the likelihood. Special attention is devoted to the
determination of the theoretical uncertainties. The purpose of the analysis is
to infer regions where the parameters of interest lie with given probabilities.
The BaBar "95 %, C.L. scanning" method is also commented.Comment: 44 pages (revised version
Submillimeter H2O masers in water-fountain nebulae
We report the first detection of submillimeter water maser emission toward
water-fountain nebulae, which are post-AGB stars that exhibit high-velocity
water masers. Using APEX we found emission in the ortho-H2O (10_29-9_36)
transition at 321.226 GHz toward three sources: IRAS 15445-5449, IRAS
18043-2116 and IRAS 18286-0959. Similarly to the 22 GHz masers, the
submillimeter water masers are expanding with a velocity larger than that of
the OH masers, suggesting that these masers also originate in fast bipolar
outflows. In IRAS 18043-2116 and IRAS 18286-0959, which figure among the
sources with the fastest water masers, the velocity range of the 321 GHz masers
coincides with that of the 22 GHz masers, indicating that they likely coexist.
Towards IRAS 15445-5449 the submillimeter masers appear in a different velocity
range, indicating that they are tracing different regions. The intensity of the
submillimeter masers is comparable to that of the 22 GHz masers, implying that
the kinetic temperature of the region where the masers originate should be Tk >
1000 K. We propose that the passage of two shocks through the same gas can
create the conditions necessary to explain the presence of strong high-velocity
321 GHz masers coexisting with the 22 GHz masers in the same region.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Accepted for publication in A&A Letter
Passive solar solutions for buildings: Criteria and guidelines for a synergistic design
Passive solar system design is an essential asset in a zero-energy building perspective to reduce heating, cooling, lighting, and ventilation loads. The integration of passive systems in building leads to a reduction of plant operation with considerable environmental benefits. The design can be related to intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influence the final performance in a synergistic way. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive view of the elements that influence passive solar systems by means of an analysis of the theoretical background and the synergistic design of various solutions available. The paper quantifies the potential impact of influencing factors on the final performance and then investigates a case study of an existing public building, analyzing the effects of the integration of different passive systems through energy simulations. General investigation has highlighted that latitude and orientation impact energy saving on average by 3–13 and 6–11 percentage points, respectively. The case study showed that almost 20% of the building energy demand can be saved by means of passive solar systems. A higher contribution is given by mixing direct and indirect solutions, as half of the heating and around 25% of the cooling energy demand can be cut off
Passive solar systems for buildings: Performance indicators analysis and guidelines for the design
Data from the International Energy Agency confirm that in a zero-energy perspective the integration of solar systems in buildings is essential. The development of passive solar strategies has suffered the lack of standard performance indicators and design guidelines. The aim of this paper is to provide a critical analysis of the main passive solar design strategies based on their classification, performance evaluation and selection methods, with a focus on integrability. Climate and latitude affect the amount of incident solar radiation and the heat losses, while integrability mainly depends on the building structure. For existing buildings, shading and direct systems represent the easiest and most effective passive strategies, while building orientation and shape are limited to new constructions: proper design can reduce building energy demand around 40%. Commercial buildings prefer direct use systems while massive ones with integrated heat storage are more suitable for family houses. A proper selection must consider the energy and economic balance of different building services involved: a multi-objective evaluation method represents the most valid tool to determine the overall performance of passive solar strategies
Magnetic field morphology in nearby molecular clouds as revealed by starlight and submillimetre polarization
Within four nearby (d < 160 pc) molecular clouds, we statistically evaluate
the structure of the interstellar magnetic field, projected on the plane of the
sky and integrated along the line of sight, as inferred from the polarized
thermal emission of Galactic dust observed by Planck at 353 GHz and from the
optical and NIR polarization of background starlight. We compare the dispersion
of the field orientation directly in vicinities with an area equivalent to that
subtended by the Planck effective beam at 353 GHz (10') and using the
second-order structure functions of the field orientation angles. We find that
the average dispersion of the starlight-inferred field orientations within
10'-diameter vicinities is less than 20 deg, and that at these scales the mean
field orientation is on average within 5 deg of that inferred from the
submillimetre polarization observations in the considered regions. We also find
that the dispersion of starlight polarization orientations and the polarization
fractions within these vicinities are well reproduced by a Gaussian model of
the turbulent structure of the magnetic field, in agreement with the findings
reported by the Planck collaboration at scales greater than 10' and for
comparable column densities. At scales greater than 10', we find differences of
up to 14.7 deg between the second-order structure functions obtained from
starlight and submillimetre polarization observations in the same positions in
the plane of the sky, but comparison with a Gaussian model of the turbulent
structure of the magnetic field indicates that these differences are small and
are consistent with the difference in angular resolution between both
techniques.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, submitted to A&
Metabolic and nutritional status changes after 10% weight loss in severely obese patients treated with laparoscopic surgery vs integrated medical treatment
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