X-rays from the radio-quiet quasar PG 1407+265: relativistic jet or accretion disc emission?

We present two XMM-Newton observations of the luminous (L_x > 10^46 erg/s), radio-quiet quasar, PG 1407+265, separated by eleven months. The data indicate two distinct states: a highly variable, bright state (first epoch); and a quiescent, low-flux one (second epoch). During the low-flux state the spectrum is consistent with a single, unabsorbed power law. However, during the brighter state a highly variable, steep component is statistically required. Contemporaneous UV data from the Optical Monitor allow an estimate of the optical-to-X-ray spectral index (alpha_ox), which appears typical of radio-quiet quasars during the low-flux state, but extremely flat during the high-flux state. The XMM-Newton data can be described as originating from a combination of jet and accretion disc processes, in which the (relativistic) X-ray jet only works intermittently. The scenario could help describe some of the complexities seen in the broadband spectral energy distribution of PG 1407+265, such as weak high-ionisation emission lines, strong Fe II, unbeamed continuum, and the weak radio emission relative to the optical.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Correction made to reported aox value. No changes in conclusion

Dynamics in the Ising field theory after a quantum quench

We study the real-time dynamics of the order parameter $$in the Ising field theory after a quench in the fermion mass, which corresponds to a quench in the transverse field of the corresponding transverse field Ising chain. We focus on quenches within the ordered phase. The long-time behaviour is obtained analytically by a resummation of the leading divergent terms in a form-factor expansion for$$. Our main result is the development of a method for treating divergences associated with working directly in the field theory limit. We recover the scaling limit of the corresponding result by Calabrese et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{106}, 227203 (2011)], which was obtained for the lattice model. Our formalism generalizes to integrable quantum quenches in other integrable models

The origin of blue-shifted absorption features in the X-ray spectrum of PG 1211+143: Outflow or disc?

In some radio-quiet active galaxies (AGN), high-energy absorption features in the x-ray spectra have been interpreted as Ultrafast Outflows (UFOs) -- highly ionised material (e.g. Fe XXV and Fe XXVI) ejected at mildly relativistic velocities. In some cases, these outflows can carry energy in excess of the binding energy of the host galaxy. Needless to say, these features demand our attention as they are strong signatures of AGN feedback and will influence galaxy evolution. For the same reason, alternative models need to be discussed and refuted or confirmed. Gallo & Fabian proposed that some of these features could arise from resonance absorption of the reflected spectrum in a layer of ionised material located above and corotating with the accretion disc. Therefore, the absorbing medium would be subjected to similar blurring effects as seen in the disc. A priori, the existence of such plasma above the disc is as plausible as a fast wind. In this work, we highlight the ambiguity by demonstrating that the absorption model can describe the ~7.6 keV absorption feature (and possibly other features) in the quasar PG 1211+143, an AGN that is often described as a classic example of an UFO. In this model, the 2-10 keV spectrum would be largely reflection dominated (as opposed to power law dominated in the wind models) and the resonance absorption would be originating in a layer between about 6 and 60 gravitational radii. The studies of such features constitutes a cornerstone for future X-ray observatories like Astro-H and Athena+. Should our model prove correct, or at least important in some cases, then absorption will provide another diagnostic tool with which to probe the inner accretion flow with future missions.Comment: 4 pages. Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letter

Spectrum of Low-Lying Excitations in a Supersymmetric Extended Hubbard Model

We continue the study of the $u(2|2)$-supersymmetric extension of the Hubbard model in one dimension. We determine the excitation spectrum at zero temperature even in the sectors where the ground states are $u(2|2)$-descendants of Bethe states. The excitations include spinons, holons, electrons, localons (local electrons pairs, moving coherently through the lattice) and their bound states. The spectra are found to be very different for repulsive and attractive on-site interaction. We also study the thermodynamics of the model.Comment: 37 pages, uuencoded compressed postscript fil

Applications of Massive Integrable Quantum Field Theories to Problems in Condensed Matter Physics

We review applications of the sine-Gordon model, the O(3) non-linear sigma model, the U(1) Thirring model, and the O(N) Gross--Neveu model to quasi one-dimensional quantum magnets, Mott insulators, and carbon nanotubes. We focus upon the determination of dynamical response functions for these problems. These quantities are computed by means of form factor expansions of quantum correlation functions in integrable quantum field theories. This approach is reviewed here in some detail.Comment: 150 pages, 35 figures, published in the I. Kogan Memorial Volume by World Scientifi

Unlocking the Potential of Flexible Energy Resources to Help Balance the Power Grid

Flexible energy resources can help balance the power grid by providing different types of ancillary services. However, the balancing potential of most types of resources is restricted by physical constraints such as the size of their energy buffer, limits on power-ramp rates, or control delays. Using the example of Secondary Frequency Regulation, this paper shows how the flexibility of various resources can be exploited more efficiently by considering multiple resources with complementary physical properties and controlling them in a coordinated way. To this end, optimal adjustable control policies are computed based on robust optimization. Our problem formulation takes into account power ramp-rate constraints explicitly, and accurately models the different timescales and lead times of the energy and reserve markets. Simulations demonstrate that aggregations of select resources can offer significantly more regulation capacity than the resources could provide individually.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1804.0389

The profile of an emission line from relativistic outflows around a black hole

Recent observations show strong evidence for the presence of Doppler-shifted emission lines in the spectrum of both black hole candidates and active galactic nuclei. These lines are likely to originate from relativistic outflows (or jets) in the vicinity of the central black hole. Consequently, the profile of such a line should be distorted by strong gravitational effects near the black hole, as well as special relativistic effects. In this paper, we present results from a detailed study on how each process affects the observed line profile. We found that the profile is sensitive to the intrinsic properties of the jets (Lorentz factor, velocity profile, and emissivity law), as well as to the spin of the black hole and the viewing angle (with respect to the axis of the jets). More specifically, in the case of approaching jets, an intrisically narrow line (blue-shifted) is seen as simply broadened at small viewing angles, but it shows a doubly peaked profile at large viewing angles for extreme Kerr black holes (due to the combination of gravitational focusing and Doppler effects); the profile is always singly peaked for Schwarzschild black holes. For receding jets, however, the line profile becomes quite complicated owing to complicated photon trajectories. To facilitate comparison with observations, we searched a large parameter space to derive representative line profiles. We show the results and discuss how to use emission lines as a potential tool for probing the inner region of a black hole jet system.Comment: 16 pages in emulateapj style, 11 figure