15,699 research outputs found
Arcfinder: An algorithm for the automatic detection of gravitational arcs
We present an efficient algorithm designed for and capable of detecting
elongated, thin features such as lines and curves in astronomical images, and
its application to the automatic detection of gravitational arcs. The algorithm
is sufficiently robust to detect such features even if their surface brightness
is near the pixel noise in the image, yet the amount of spurious detections is
low. The algorithm subdivides the image into a grid of overlapping cells which
are iteratively shifted towards a local centre of brightness in their immediate
neighbourhood. It then computes the ellipticity for each cell, and combines
cells with correlated ellipticities into objects. These are combined to graphs
in a next step, which are then further processed to determine properties of the
detected objects. We demonstrate the operation and the efficiency of the
algorithm applying it to HST images of galaxy clusters known to contain
gravitational arcs. The algorithm completes the analysis of an image with
3000x3000 pixels in about 4 seconds on an ordinary desktop PC. We discuss
further applications, the method's remaining problems and possible approaches
to their solution.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure
A beginner's introduction to Fukaya categories
The goal of these notes is to give a short introduction to Fukaya categories
and some of their applications. The first half of the text is devoted to a
brief review of Lagrangian Floer (co)homology and product structures. Then we
introduce the Fukaya category (informally and without a lot of the necessary
technical detail), and briefly discuss algebraic concepts such as exact
triangles and generators. Finally, we mention wrapped Fukaya categories and
outline a few applications to symplectic topology, mirror symmetry and
low-dimensional topology. This text is based on a series of lectures given at a
Summer School on Contact and Symplectic Topology at Universit\'e de Nantes in
June 2011.Comment: 42 pages, 13 figure
Stabilizing Superconductivity in Nanowires by Coupling to Dissipative Environments
We present a theory for a finite-length superconducting nanowire coupled to
an environment. We show that in the absence of dissipation quantum phase slips
always destroy superconductivity, even at zero temperature. Dissipation
stabilizes the superconducting phase. We apply this theory to explain the
"anti-proximity effect" recently seen by Tian et. al. in Zinc nanowires.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Detection of grapevine fenleaf virus (GFLV) in infected grapevines by non-radioactive nucleic acid hybridisation
The nucleic acid hybridisation technique was adopted for the detection of grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) in grapevine tissues using a nonradioactive labeled cDNA. In crude plant sap a certain detection was not successful. Thus, a method was developed for the extraction of total RNA from a large number of samples in a microscale. By Northern blot hybridisation and by the more convenient slot blot technique GFLV infections could be detected. Comparing ELISA and slot blot hybridisation assay using identical plant material different results were obtained with some samples. This indicates different detection spectra for both techniques. The hybridisation assay has been found to be a suitable method by which a large number of samples from different grapevine tissues could be efficiently indexed for GFLV
Universality of modulation length (and time) exponents
We study systems with a crossover parameter lambda, such as the temperature
T, which has a threshold value lambda* across which the correlation function
changes from exhibiting fixed wavelength (or time period) modulations to
continuously varying modulation lengths (or times). We report on a new
exponent, nuL, characterizing the universal nature of this crossover. These
exponents, similar to standard correlation length exponents, are obtained from
motion of the poles of the momentum (or frequency) space correlation functions
in the complex k-plane (or omega-plane) as the parameter lambda is varied. Near
the crossover, the characteristic modulation wave-vector KR on the variable
modulation length "phase" is related to that on the fixed modulation length
side, q via |KR-q|\propto|T-T*|^{nuL}. We find, in general, that nuL=1/2. In
some special instances, nuL may attain other rational values. We extend this
result to general problems in which the eigenvalue of an operator or a pole
characterizing general response functions may attain a constant real (or
imaginary) part beyond a particular threshold value, lambda*. We discuss
extensions of this result to multiple other arenas. These include the ANNNI
model. By extending our considerations, we comment on relations pertaining not
only to the modulation lengths (or times) but also to the standard correlation
lengths (or times). We introduce the notion of a Josephson timescale. We
comment on the presence of "chaotic" modulations in "soft-spin" and other
systems. These relate to glass type features. We discuss applications to Fermi
systems - with particular application to metal to band insulator transitions,
change of Fermi surface topology, divergent effective masses, Dirac systems,
and topological insulators. Both regular periodic and glassy (and spatially
chaotic behavior) may be found in strongly correlated electronic systems.Comment: 22 pages, 15 figure
Evolution of 3D Boson Stars with Waveform Extraction
Numerical results from a study of boson stars under nonspherical
perturbations using a fully general relativistic 3D code are presented together
with the analysis of emitted gravitational radiation. We have constructed a
simulation code suitable for the study of scalar fields in space-times of
general symmetry by bringing together components for addressing the initial
value problem, the full evolution system and the detection and analysis of
gravitational waves. Within a series of numerical simulations, we explicitly
extract the Zerilli and Newman-Penrose scalar gravitational waveforms
when the stars are subjected to different types of perturbations. Boson star
systems have rapidly decaying nonradial quasinormal modes and thus the complete
gravitational waveform could be extracted for all configurations studied. The
gravitational waves emitted from stable, critical, and unstable boson star
configurations are analyzed and the numerically observed quasinormal mode
frequencies are compared with known linear perturbation results. The
superposition of the high frequency nonspherical modes on the lower frequency
spherical modes was observed in the metric oscillations when perturbations with
radial and nonradial components were applied. The collapse of unstable boson
stars to black holes was simulated. The apparent horizons were observed to be
slightly nonspherical when initially detected and became spherical as the
system evolved. The application of nonradial perturbations proportional to
spherical harmonics is observed not to affect the collapse time. An unstable
star subjected to a large perturbation was observed to migrate to a stable
configuration.Comment: 26 pages, 12 figure
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