34,509 research outputs found
Fundamental Plane Distances to Early-type Field Galaxies in the South Equatorial Strip. I. The Spectroscopic Data
Radial velocities and central velocity dispersions are derived for 238 E/S0
galaxies from medium-resolution spectroscopy. New spectroscopic data have been
obtained as part of a study of the Fundamental Plane distances and peculiar
motions of early-type galaxies in three selected directions of the South
Equatorial Strip, undertaken in order to investigate the reality of large-scale
streaming motion; results of this study have been reported in M\"uller
(1998). The new APM South Equatorial Strip Catalog () was used to select the sample of field galaxies in
three directions: (1) 15h10 - 16h10; (2) 20h30 - 21h50; (3) 00h10 - 01h30. The
spectra obtained have a median S/N per of 23, an instrumental
resolution (FWHM) of 4 , and the spectrograph resolution
(dispersion) is 100 km~s. The Fourier cross-correlation method
was used to derive the radial velocities and velocity dispersions. The velocity
dispersions have been corrected for the size of the aperture and for the galaxy
effective radius. Comparisons of the derived radial velocities with data from
the literature show that our values are accurate to 40 km~s. A
comparison with results from J\orgensen et al. (1995) shows that the derived
central velocity dispersion have an rms scatter of 0.036 in .
There is no offset relative to the velocity dispersions of Davies et al.
(1987).Comment: accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics Supplement
Serie
Testing Lorentz invariance by use of vacuum and matter filled cavity resonators
We consider tests of Lorentz invariance for the photon and fermion sector
that use vacuum and matter-filled cavities. Assumptions on the wave-function of
the electrons in crystals are eliminated from the underlying theory and
accurate sensitivity coefficients (including some exceptionally large ones) are
calculated for various materials. We derive the Lorentz-violating shift in the
index of refraction n, which leads to additional sensitivity for matter-filled
cavities ; and to birefringence in initially isotropic media. Using published
experimental data, we obtain improved bounds on Lorentz violation for photons
and electrons at levels of 10^-15 and below. We discuss implications for future
experiments and propose a new Michelson-Morley type experiment based on
birefringence in matter.Comment: 15 pages, 8 table
Comment on 'Stability of the semiclassical Einstein equation'
Some mathematical errors of the paper commented upon [W.-M. Suen, Phys. Rev.
D 40, (1989) 315] are corrected.Comment: 3 pages, LaTeX, reprinted from Phys. Rev. D 50 (1994) 545
Improving LLR Tests of Gravitational Theory
Accurate analysis of precision ranges to the Moon has provided several tests
of gravitational theory including the Equivalence Principle, geodetic
precession, parameterized post-Newtonian (PPN) parameters and ,
and the constancy of the gravitational constant {\it G}. Since the beginning of
the experiment in 1969, the uncertainties of these tests have decreased
considerably as data accuracies have improved and data time span has
lengthened. We are exploring the modeling improvements necessary to proceed
from cm to mm range accuracies enabled by the new Apache Point Observatory
Lunar Laser-ranging Operation (APOLLO) currently under development in New
Mexico. This facility will be able to make a significant contribution to the
solar system tests of fundamental and gravitational physics. In particular, the
Weak and Strong Equivalence Principle tests would have a sensitivity
approaching 10, yielding sensitivity for the SEP violation parameter
of , general relativistic effects would
be tested to better than 0.1%, and measurements of the relative change in the
gravitational constant, , would be % the inverse age of the
universe. Having this expected accuracy in mind, we discusses the current
techniques, methods and existing physical models used to process the LLR data.
We also identify the challenges for modeling and data analysis that the LLR
community faces today in order to take full advantage of the new APOLLO ranging
station.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, talk presented at 2003 NASA/JPL Workshop on
Fundamental Physics in Space, April 14-16, 2003, Oxnard, C
Faraday waves on a viscoelastic liquid
We investigate Faraday waves on a viscoelastic liquid. Onset measurements and
a nonlinear phase diagram for the selected patterns are presented. By virtue of
the elasticity of the material a surface resonance synchronous to the external
drive competes with the usual subharmonic Faraday instability. Close to the
bicriticality the nonlinear wave interaction gives rise to a variety of novel
surface states: Localised patches of hexagons, hexagonal superlattices,
coexistence of hexagons and lines. Theoretical stability calculations and
qualitative resonance arguments support the experimental observations.Comment: 4 pages, 4figure
Interaction between atrial natriuretic peptide (a-hANP) and hypothalamic-pituitary function in normal man
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