17,633 research outputs found
The Bull's-Eye Effect as a Probe of
We compare the statistical properties of structures normal and transverse to
the line of sight which appear in theoretical N-body simulations of structure
formation, and seem also to be present in observational data from redshift
surveys. We present a statistic which can quantify this effect in a
conceptually different way from standard analyses of distortions of the
power-spectrum or correlation function. From tests with --body experiments,
we argue that this statistic represents a new and potentially powerful
diagnostic of the cosmological density parameter, .Comment: Minor revisions; final version accepted for publication in ApJ
Letters. Latex, 16 pages, including 3 figures. Higher resolution versions of
figures, including supplementary figures not included in the manuscript, are
available at: ftp://kusmos.phsx.ukans.edu/preprints/melott/omeg
Optimal Moments for the Analysis of Peculiar Velocity Surveys II: Testing
Analyses of peculiar velocity surveys face several challenges, including low
signal--to--noise in individual velocity measurements and the presence of
small--scale, nonlinear flows. This is the second in a series of papers in
which we describe a new method of overcoming these problems by using data
compression as a filter with which to separate large--scale, linear flows from
small--scale noise that can bias results. We demonstrate the effectiveness of
our method using realistic catalogs of galaxy velocities drawn from N--body
simulations. Our tests show that a likelihood analysis of simulated catalogs
that uses all of the information contained in the peculiar velocities results
in a bias in the estimation of the power spectrum shape parameter and
amplitude , and that our method of analysis effectively removes this
bias. We expect that this new method will cause peculiar velocity surveys to
re--emerge as a useful tool to determine cosmological parameters.Comment: 28 pages, 9 figure
Quantifying the Bull's Eye Effect
We have used N-body simulations to develop two independent methods to
quantify redshift distortions known as the Bull's Eye effect (large scale
infall plus small scale virial motion). This effect depends upon the mass
density, , so measuring it can in principle give an estimate of this
important cosmological parameter. We are able to measure the effect and
distinguish between its strength for high and low values of . Unlike
other techniques which utilize redshift distortions, one of our methods is
relatively insensitive to bias. In one approach, we use path lengths between
contour crossings of the density field. The other is based upon percolation. We
have found both methods to be successful in quantifying the effect and
distinguishing between values of . However, only the path lengths
method exhibits low sensitivity to bias.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables; Replaced version - minor corrections,
replaced figure 2; To appear in ApJ, Jan. 20, 200
Quasi-long range order in glass states of impure liquid crystals, magnets, and superconductors
In this review we consider glass states of several disordered systems:
vortices in impure superconductors, amorphous magnets, and nematic liquid
crystals in random porous media. All these systems can be described by the
random-field or random-anisotropy O(N) model. Even arbitrarily weak disorder
destroys long range order in the O(N) model. We demonstrate that at weak
disorder and low temperatures quasi-long range order emerges. In
quasi-long-range-ordered phases the correlation length is infinite and
correlation functions obey power dependencies on the distance. In pure systems
quasi-long range order is possible only in the lower critical dimension and
only in the case of Abelian symmetry. In the presence of disorder this type of
ordering turns out to be more common. It exists in a range of dimensions and is
not prohibited by non-Abelian symmetries.Comment: 32 page
The Fourth Positive System of Carbon Monoxide in the Hubble Space Telescope Spectra of Comets
The rich structure of the Fourth Positive System (A-X) of carbon monoxide
accounts for many of the spectral features seen in long slit HST-STIS
observations of comets 153P/Ikeya-Zhang, C/2001 Q4 (NEAT), and C/2000 WM1
(LINEAR), as well as in the HST-GHRS spectrum of comet C/1996 B2 Hyakutake. A
detailed CO fluorescence model is developed to derive the CO abundances in
these comets by simultaneously fitting all of the observed A-X bands. The model
includes the latest values for the oscillator strengths and state parameters,
and accounts for optical depth effects due to line overlap and self-absorption.
The model fits yield radial profiles of CO column density that are consistent
with a predominantly native source for all the comets observed by STIS. The
derived CO abundances relative to water in these comets span a wide range, from
0.44% for C/2000 WM1 (LINEAR), 7.2% for 153P/Ikeya-Zhang, 8.8% for C/2001 Q4
(NEAT) to 20.9% for C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake). The subtraction of the CO spectral
features using this model leads to the first identification of a molecular
hydrogen line pumped by solar HI Lyman-beta longward of 1200A in the spectrum
of comet 153P/Ikeya-Zhang. (Abridged)Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, ApJ accepte
The peculiar velocity field: constraining the tilt of the Universe
A large bulk flow, which is in tension with the Lambda Cold Dark Matter
(CDM) cosmological model, has been observed. In this paper, we provide
a physically plausible explanation of this bulk flow, based on the assumption
that some fraction of the observed dipole in the cosmic microwave background is
due to an intrinsic fluctuation, so that the subtraction of the observed dipole
leads to a mismatch between the cosmic microwave background (CMB) defined rest
frame and the matter rest frame. We investigate a model that takes into account
the relative velocity (hereafter the tilted velocity) between the two frames,
and develop a Bayesian statistic to explore the likelihood of this tilted
velocity.
By studying various independent peculiar velocity catalogs, we find that: (1)
the magnitude of the tilted velocity is around 400 km/s, and its direction
is close to what is found from previous bulk flow analyses; for most catalogs
analysed, u=0 is excluded at about the level;(2) constraints on
the magnitude of the tilted velocity can result in constraints on the duration
of inflation, due to the fact that inflation can neither be too long (no dipole
effect) nor too short (very large dipole effect); (3) Under the assumption of a
super-horizon isocurvature fluctuation, the constraints on the tilted velocity
require that inflation lasts at least 6 e-folds longer (at the 95% confidence
interval) than that required to solve the horizon problem. This opens a new
window for testing inflation and models of the early Universe from observations
of large scale structure.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, match the published version in Phys.Rev.
Manned Venus Flyby
This study is one of several being conducted at Bellcomm and in Manned Space Flight whose purpose is to give guidance to the Apollo Applications Program's technical objectives by focusing on a longer range goal. The assumed mission in this case is a three-man flyby of Venus launched in November, 1973 on a single standard Saturn V. The selected flight configuration includes a Command and Service Module similar in some respects to Apollo, an Environmental Support Module which occupies the adapter area and a spent S-IVB stage which is utilized for habitable volume and structural support of a solar cell electrical power system. The total injected weight, 106,775 lbs., is within the capability of a single Saturn V of the early 1970's. The study is focused on the selection of subsystem technologies appropriate to long duration flight. The conclusions are reported in terms of the technical characteristics to be achieved as part of the Apollo Applications Program's long duration objectives
Searches on star graphs and equivalent oracle problems
We examine a search on a graph among a number of different kinds of objects
(vertices), one of which we want to find. In a standard graph search, all of
the vertices are the same, except for one, the marked vertex, and that is the
one we wish to find. We examine the case in which the unmarked vertices can be
of different types, so the background against which the search is done is not
uniform. We find that the search can still be successful, but the probability
of success is lower than in the uniform background case, and that probability
decreases with the number of types of unmarked vertices. We also show how the
graph searches can be rephrased as equivalent oracle problems
Spectral Function of 2D Fermi Liquids
We show that the spectral function for single-particle excitations in a
two-dimensional Fermi liquid has Lorentzian shape in the low energy limit.
Landau quasi-particles have a uniquely defined spectral weight and a decay rate
which is much smaller than the quasi-particle energy. By contrast, perturbation
theory and the T-matrix approximation yield spurious deviations from Fermi
liquid behavior, which are particularly pronounced for a linearized dispersion
relation.Comment: 6 pages, LaTeX2e, 5 EPS figure
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