3,145 research outputs found
Biomolecular imaging and electronic damage using X-ray free-electron lasers
Proposals to determine biomolecular structures from diffraction experiments
using femtosecond X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) pulses involve a conflict
between the incident brightness required to achieve diffraction-limited atomic
resolution and the electronic and structural damage induced by the
illumination. Here we show that previous estimates of the conditions under
which biomolecular structures may be obtained in this manner are unduly
restrictive, because they are based on a coherent diffraction model that is not
appropriate to the proposed interaction conditions. A more detailed imaging
model derived from optical coherence theory and quantum electrodynamics is
shown to be far more tolerant of electronic damage. The nuclear density is
employed as the principal descriptor of molecular structure. The foundations of
the approach may also be used to characterize electrodynamical processes by
performing scattering experiments on complex molecules of known structure.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figure
Local influence of boundary conditions on a confined supercooled colloidal liquid
We study confined colloidal suspensions as a model system which approximates
the behavior of confined small molecule glass-formers. Dense colloidal
suspensions become glassier when confined between parallel glass plates. We use
confocal microscopy to study the motion of confined colloidal particles. In
particular, we examine the influence particles stuck to the glass plates have
on nearby free particles. Confinement appears to be the primary influence
slowing free particle motion, and proximity to stuck particles causes a
secondary reduction in the mobility of free particles. Overall, particle
mobility is fairly constant across the width of the sample chamber, but a
strong asymmetry in boundary conditions results in a slight gradient of
particle mobility.Comment: For conference proceedings, "Dynamics in Confinement", Grenoble,
March 201
SDWFS-MT-1: A Self-Obscured Luminous Supernova at z~0.2
We report the discovery of a six-month-long mid-infrared transient,
SDWFS-MT-1 (aka SN 2007va), in the Spitzer Deep, Wide-Field Survey of the NOAO
Deep Wide-Field Survey Bootes field. The transient, located in a z=0.19 low
luminosity (M_[4.5]~-18.6 mag, L/L_MilkyWay~0.01) metal-poor (12+log(O/H)~7.8)
irregular galaxy, peaked at a mid-infrared absolute magnitude of M_[4.5]~-24.2
in the 4.5 micron Spitzer/IRAC band and emitted a total energy of at least
10^51 ergs. The optical emission was likely fainter than the mid-infrared,
although our constraints on the optical emission are poor because the transient
peaked when the source was "behind" the Sun. The Spitzer data are consistent
with emission by a modified black body with a temperature of ~1350 K. We rule
out a number of scenarios for the origin of the transient such as a Galactic
star, AGN activity, GRB, tidal disruption of a star by a black hole and
gravitational lensing. The most plausible scenario is a supernova exploding
inside a massive, optically thick circumstellar medium, composed of multiple
shells of previously ejected material. If the proposed scenario is correct,
then a significant fraction (~10%) of the most luminous supernova may be
self-enshrouded by dust not only before but also after the supernova occurs.
The spectral energy distribution of the progenitor of such a supernova would be
a slightly cooler version of eta Carina, peaking at 20-30 microns.Comment: 26 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in Ap
SN 2008jb: A "Lost" Core-Collapse Supernova in a Star-Forming Dwarf Galaxy at ~10 Mpc
We present the discovery and follow-up observations of SN 2008jb, a
core-collapse supernova in the dwarf irregular galaxy ESO 302-14 at 9.6 Mpc.
This transient was missed by galaxy-targeted surveys and was only found in
archival optical images obtained by CRTS and ASAS. It was detected shortly
after explosion and reached a bright optical maximum, Vmax = 13.6 mag (M_Vmax ~
-16.5). The shape of the light curve shows a plateau of 100 days, followed by a
drop of 1.4 mag in V-band to a decline with the approximate Co 56 decay slope,
consistent with 0.04 Msun of Ni 56 synthesized in the explosion. A spectrum
obtained 2 years after explosion shows a broad, boxy Halpha emission line,
which is unusual for type IIP supernovae. We detect the supernova in archival
Spitzer and WISE images obtained 8-14 months after explosion, which show clear
signs of warm dust emission. The dwarf irregular host galaxy has a low
gas-phase oxygen abundance, 12 + log(O/H) = 8.2 (~1/5 Solar), similar to those
of the SMC and the hosts of long gamma-ray bursts and luminous core-collapse
supernovae. We study the host environment using GALEX FUV, R-band, and Halpha
images and find that the supernova occurred in a large star-formation complex.
The morphology of the Halpha emission appears as a large shell (R = 350 pc)
surrounding the FUV and optical emission. We estimate an age of ~9 Myr and a
total mass of ~2 x 10^5 Msun for the star-formation complex. These properties
are consistent with the expanding Halpha supershells observed in well-studied
nearby dwarf galaxies, which are tell-tale signs of feedback from the
cumulative effect of massive star winds and supernovae. The age estimated for
the star-forming region suggests a relatively high-mass progenitor star with
initial mass of ~20 Msun. We discuss the implications of these findings in the
study of core-collapse supernova progenitors. (Abridged)Comment: 41 pages, 10 figures, accepted in ApJ; small changes, conclusions
unchange
ASCR/HEP Exascale Requirements Review Report
This draft report summarizes and details the findings, results, and
recommendations derived from the ASCR/HEP Exascale Requirements Review meeting
held in June, 2015. The main conclusions are as follows. 1) Larger, more
capable computing and data facilities are needed to support HEP science goals
in all three frontiers: Energy, Intensity, and Cosmic. The expected scale of
the demand at the 2025 timescale is at least two orders of magnitude -- and in
some cases greater -- than that available currently. 2) The growth rate of data
produced by simulations is overwhelming the current ability, of both facilities
and researchers, to store and analyze it. Additional resources and new
techniques for data analysis are urgently needed. 3) Data rates and volumes
from HEP experimental facilities are also straining the ability to store and
analyze large and complex data volumes. Appropriately configured
leadership-class facilities can play a transformational role in enabling
scientific discovery from these datasets. 4) A close integration of HPC
simulation and data analysis will aid greatly in interpreting results from HEP
experiments. Such an integration will minimize data movement and facilitate
interdependent workflows. 5) Long-range planning between HEP and ASCR will be
required to meet HEP's research needs. To best use ASCR HPC resources the
experimental HEP program needs a) an established long-term plan for access to
ASCR computational and data resources, b) an ability to map workflows onto HPC
resources, c) the ability for ASCR facilities to accommodate workflows run by
collaborations that can have thousands of individual members, d) to transition
codes to the next-generation HPC platforms that will be available at ASCR
facilities, e) to build up and train a workforce capable of developing and
using simulations and analysis to support HEP scientific research on
next-generation systems.Comment: 77 pages, 13 Figures; draft report, subject to further revisio
Supernova 2007bi as a pair-instability explosion
Stars with initial masses 10 M_{solar} < M_{initial} < 100 M_{solar} fuse
progressively heavier elements in their centres, up to inert iron. The core
then gravitationally collapses to a neutron star or a black hole, leading to an
explosion -- an iron-core-collapse supernova (SN). In contrast, extremely
massive stars (M_{initial} > 140 M_{solar}), if such exist, have oxygen cores
which exceed M_{core} = 50 M_{solar}. There, high temperatures are reached at
relatively low densities. Conversion of energetic, pressure-supporting photons
into electron-positron pairs occurs prior to oxygen ignition, and leads to a
violent contraction that triggers a catastrophic nuclear explosion. Tremendous
energies (>~ 10^{52} erg) are released, completely unbinding the star in a
pair-instability SN (PISN), with no compact remnant. Transitional objects with
100 M_{solar} < M_{initial} < 140 M_{solar}, which end up as iron-core-collapse
supernovae following violent mass ejections, perhaps due to short instances of
the pair instability, may have been identified. However, genuine PISNe, perhaps
common in the early Universe, have not been observed to date. Here, we present
our discovery of SN 2007bi, a luminous, slowly evolving supernova located
within a dwarf galaxy (~1% the size of the Milky Way). We measure the exploding
core mass to be likely ~100 M_{solar}, in which case theory unambiguously
predicts a PISN outcome. We show that >3 M_{solar} of radioactive 56Ni were
synthesized, and that our observations are well fit by PISN models. A PISN
explosion in the local Universe indicates that nearby dwarf galaxies probably
host extremely massive stars, above the apparent Galactic limit, perhaps
resulting from star formation processes similar to those that created the first
stars in the Universe.Comment: Accepted version of the paper appearing in Nature, 462, 624 (2009),
including all supplementary informatio
Study of CP violation in Dalitz-plot analyses of B0 --> K+K-KS, B+ --> K+K-K+, and B+ --> KSKSK+
We perform amplitude analyses of the decays , , and , and measure CP-violating
parameters and partial branching fractions. The results are based on a data
sample of approximately decays, collected with the
BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy factory at the SLAC National
Accelerator Laboratory. For , we find a direct CP asymmetry
in of , which differs
from zero by . For , we measure the
CP-violating phase .
For , we measure an overall direct CP asymmetry of
. We also perform an angular-moment analysis of
the three channels, and determine that the state can be described
well by the sum of the resonances , , and
.Comment: 35 pages, 68 postscript figures. v3 - minor modifications to agree
with published versio
First Observation of CP Violation in B0->D(*)CP h0 Decays by a Combined Time-Dependent Analysis of BaBar and Belle Data
We report a measurement of the time-dependent CP asymmetry of B0->D(*)CP h0
decays, where the light neutral hadron h0 is a pi0, eta or omega meson, and the
neutral D meson is reconstructed in the CP eigenstates K+ K-, K0S pi0 or K0S
omega. The measurement is performed combining the final data samples collected
at the Y(4S) resonance by the BaBar and Belle experiments at the
asymmetric-energy B factories PEP-II at SLAC and KEKB at KEK, respectively. The
data samples contain ( 471 +/- 3 ) x 10^6 BB pairs recorded by the BaBar
detector and ( 772 +/- 11 ) x 10^6, BB pairs recorded by the Belle detector. We
measure the CP asymmetry parameters -eta_f S = +0.66 +/- 0.10 (stat.) +/- 0.06
(syst.) and C = -0.02 +/- 0.07 (stat.) +/- 0.03 (syst.). These results
correspond to the first observation of CP violation in B0->D(*)CP h0 decays.
The hypothesis of no mixing-induced CP violation is excluded in these decays at
the level of 5.4 standard deviations.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter
Improved Limits on decays to invisible final states
We establish improved upper limits on branching fractions for B0 decays to
final States 10 where the decay products are purely invisible (i.e., no
observable final state particles) and for final states where the only visible
product is a photon. Within the Standard Model, these decays have branching
fractions that are below the current experimental sensitivity, but various
models of physics beyond the Standard Model predict significant contributions
for these channels. Using 471 million BB pairs collected at the Y(4S) resonance
by the BABAR experiment at the PEP-II e+e- storage ring at the SLAC National
Accelerator Laboratory, we establish upper limits at the 90% confidence level
of 2.4x10^-5 for the branching fraction of B0-->Invisible and 1.7x10^-5 for the
branching fraction of B0-->Invisible+gammaComment: 8 pages, 3 postscript figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. D (Rapid
Communications
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