36,040 research outputs found
Sizes of Confirmed Globular Clusters in NGC 5128: A Wide-Field High-Resolution Study
Using Magellan/IMACS images covering a 1.2 x 1.2 sq. degree FOV with seeing
of 0.4"-0.6", we have applied convolution techniques to analyse the light
distribution of 364 confirmed globular cluster in the field of NGC 5128 and to
obtain their structural parameters. Combining these parameters with existing
Washington photometry from Harris et al. (2004), we are able to examine the
size difference between metal-poor (blue) and metal-rich (red) globular
clusters. For the first time, this can be addressed on a sample of confirmed
clusters that extends to galactocentric distances about 8 times the effective
radius, R, of the galaxy. Within 1 R, red clusters are about
30% smaller on average than blue clusters, in agreement with the vast majority
of extragalactic globular cluster systems studied. As the galactocentric
distance increases, however, this difference becomes negligible. Thus, our
results indicate that the difference in the clusters' effective radii, r,
could be explained purely by projection effects, with red clusters being more
centrally concentrated than blue ones and an intrinsic r--R
dependence, like the one observed for the Galaxy.Comment: 4 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
Soft masses in superstring models with anomalous U(1) symmetries
We analyze the general structure of soft scalar masses emerging in
superstring models involving anomalous U(1) symmetries, with the aim of
characterizing more systematically the circumstances under which they can
happen to be flavor universal. We consider both heterotic orbifold and
intersecting brane models, possibly with several anomalous and non-anomalous
spontaneously broken U(1) symmetries. The hidden sector is assumed to consist
of the universal dilaton, Kahler class and complex structure moduli, which are
supposed to break supersymmetry, and a minimal set of Higgs fields which
compensate the Fayet-Iliopoulos terms. We leave the superpotential that is
supposed to stabilize the hidden sector fields unspecified, but we carefully
take into account the relations implied by gauge invariance and the constraints
required for the existence of a metastable vacuum with vanishing cosmological
constant. The results are parametrized in terms of a constrained Goldstino
direction, suitably defined effective modular weights, and the U(1) charges and
shifts. We show that the effect induced by vector multiplets strongly depends
on the functional form of the Kahler potential for the Higgs fields. We find in
particular that whenever these are charged matter fields, like in heterotic
models, the effect is non-trivial, whereas when they are shifting moduli
fields, like in certain intersecting brane models, the effect may vanish.Comment: 35 pages, LaTe
Controlling Urban Air Pollution Caused by Households: Uncertainty, Prices, and Income
We examine the control of air pollution caused by households burning wood for heating and cooking in the developing world. Since the problem is one of controlling emissions from nonpoint sources, regulations are likely to be directed at household choices of wood consumption and combustion technologies. Moreover, these choices are subtractions from, or contributions to, the pure public good of air quality. Consequently, the efficient policy design is not independent of the distribution of household income. Since it is unrealistic to assume that environmental authorities can make lump sum income transfers part of control policies, efficient control of air pollution caused by wood consumption entails a higher tax on wood consumption and a higher subsidy for more efficient combustion technologies for higher income households. Among other difficulties, implementing a policy to promote the adoption of cleaner combustion technologies must overcome the seemingly paradoxical result that efficient control calls for higher technology subsidies for higher income households.efficiency, urban air pollution, nonpoint pollution, environmental policy, uncertainty
Collective resonances in plasmonic crystals: Size matters
Periodic arrays of metallic nanoparticles may sustain Surface Lattice
Resonances (SLRs), which are collective resonances associated with the
diffractive coupling of Localized Surface Plasmon Resonances (LSPRs). By
investigating a series of arrays with varying number of particles, we traced
the evolution of SLRs to its origins. Polarization resolved extinction spectra
of arrays formed by a few nanoparticles were measured, and found to be in very
good agreement with calculations based on a coupled dipole model. Finite size
effects on the optical properties of the arrays are observed, and our results
provide insight into the characteristic length scales for collective plasmonic
effects: for arrays smaller than 5 x 5 particles, the Q-factors of SLRs are
lower than those of LSPRs; for arrays larger than 20 x 20 particles, the
Q-factors of SLRs saturate at a much larger value than those of LSPRs; in
between, the Q-factors of SLRs are an increasing function of the number of
particles in the array.Comment: 4 figure
Self-sustained spatiotemporal oscillations induced by membrane-bulk coupling
We propose a novel mechanism leading to spatiotemporal oscillations in
extended systems that does not rely on local bulk instabilities. Instead,
oscillations arise from the interaction of two subsystems of different spatial
dimensionality. Specifically, we show that coupling a passive diffusive bulk of
dimension d with an excitable membrane of dimension d-1 produces a
self-sustained oscillatory behavior. An analytical explanation of the
phenomenon is provided for d=1. Moreover, in-phase and anti-phase
synchronization of oscillations are found numerically in one and two
dimensions. This novel dynamic instability could be used by biological systems
such as cells, where the dynamics on the cellular membrane is necessarily
different from that of the cytoplasmic bulk.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter
Brans-Dicke DGP Brane Cosmology
We consider a five dimensional DGP-brane scenario endowed with a
non-minimally coupled scalar field within the context of Brans-Dicke theory.
This theory predicts that the mass appearing in the gravitational potential is
modified by the addition of the mass of the effective intrinsic curvature on
the brane. We also derive the effective four dimensional field equations on a
3+1 dimensional brane where the fifth dimension is assumed to have an orbifold
symmetry. Finally, we discuss the cosmological implications of this setup,
predicting an accelerated expanding universe with a value of the Brans-Dicke
parameter consistent with values resulting from the solar system
observations.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, to appear in JCA
Learning and Noisy Equilibrium Behavior in an Experimental Study of Imperfect Price Competition
This paper considers a duopoly price-choice game in which the unique Nash equilibrium is the Bertrand outcome. Price competition, however, is imperfect in the sense that the market share of the high-price firm is not zero. Economic intuition suggests that price levels should be positively related to the market share of the high-price firm. Although this relationship is not predicted by standard game theory, it is implied by a generalization of the Nash equilibrium that results when players make noisy (logit) best responses to expected payoff differences. This logit equilibrium model was used to design a laboratory experiment with treatments that correspond to changing the market share of the high-price firm. The model predicts the final-period price averages for both treatments with remarkable accuracy. Moreover computer simulations of a naive learning model were used, ex ante, to predict the observed differences in the time paths of average prices.laboratory experiments, simulation, decision error, learning, logit equilibrium.
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