40,495 research outputs found
KIC 9821622: An interesting lithium-rich giant in the Kepler field
We report the discovery of a new exceptional young lithium-rich giant, KIC
9821622, in the \textit{Kepler} field that exhibits an unusually large
enhancement of , Fe-peak, and \textit{r}-process elements. From
high-resolution spectra obtained with GRACES at Gemini North, we derived
fundamental parameters and detailed chemical abundances of 23 elements from
equivalent widths and synthesis analysis. By combining atmospheric stellar
parameters with available asteroseismic data, we obtained the stellar mass,
radius, and age. The data analysis reveals that KIC 9821622 is a Li-rich
(A(Li) = 1.80 0.2) intermediate-mass giant star ( = 1.64
) located at the red giant branch near the luminosity bump. We find
unexpectedly elevated abundances of Fe-peak and \textit{r}-process elements. In
addition, as previously reported, we find that this is a young star (2.37 Gyr)
with unusually high abundances of -elements ([/Fe] = 0.31). The
evolutionary status of KIC 9821622 suggests that its Li-rich nature is the
result of internal fresh Li that is synthesized through the Cameron-Fowler
mechanism near the luminosity bump. However, its peculiar enhancement of
, Fe-peak, and \textit{r}-process elements opens the possibility of
external contamination by material enriched by a supernova explosion. Although
it is less likely, planet accretion cannot be ruled out.Comment: Letter, 6 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in A&A. - Some
language editing include
Solid flow drives surface nanopatterning by ion-beam irradiation
Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS) is known to produce surface nanopatterns over
macroscopic areas on a wide range of materials. However, in spite of the
technological potential of this route to nanostructuring, the physical process
by which these surfaces self-organize remains poorly under- stood. We have
performed detailed experiments of IBS on Si substrates that validate dynamical
and morphological predictions from a hydrodynamic description of the
phenomenon. Our results elucidate flow of a nanoscopically thin and highly
viscous surface layer, driven by the stress created by the ion-beam, as a
description of the system. This type of slow relaxation is akin to flow of
macroscopic solids like glaciers or lead pipes, that is driven by defect
dynamics.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
The Simple Non-degenerate Relativistic Gas: Statistical Properties and Brownian Motion
This paper shows a novel calculation of the mean square displacement of a
classical Brownian particle in a relativistic thermal bath. The result is
compared with the expressions obtained by other authors. Also, the
thermodynamic properties of a non-degenerate simple relativistic gas are
reviewed in terms of a treatment performed in velocity space.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure
Pair Creation of Dilaton Black Holes in Extended Inflation
Dilatonic Charged Nariai instantons mediate the nucleation of black hole
pairs during extended chaotic inflation. Depending on the dilaton and inflaton
fields, the black holes are described by one of two approximations in the
Lorentzian regime. For each case we find Euclidean solutions that satisfy the
no boundary proposal. The complex initial values of the dilaton and inflaton
are determined, and the pair creation rate is calculated from the Euclidean
action. Similar to standard inflation, black holes are abundantly produced near
the Planck boundary, but highly suppressed later on. An unusual feature we find
is that the earlier in inflation that the dilatonic black holes are created,
the more highly charged they can be.Comment: 23 pages, LaTeX, 6 figures; submitted to Phys. Rev.
Odd Parity Light Baryon Resonances
We use a consistent SU(6) extension of the meson-baryon chiral Lagrangian
within a coupled channel unitary approach in order to calculate the T-matrix
for meson-baryon scattering in s-wave. The building blocks of the scheme are
the pion and nucleon octets, the rho nonet and the Delta decuplet. We identify
poles in this unitary T-matrix and interpret them as resonances. We study here
the non exotic sectors with strangeness S=0,-1,-2,-3 and spin J=1/2, 3/2 and
5/2. Many of the poles generated can be associated with known N, Delta, Sigma,
Lambda and Xi resonances with negative parity. We show that most of the
low-lying three and four star odd parity baryon resonances with spin 1/2 and
3/2 can be related to multiplets of the spin-flavor symmetry group SU(6). This
study allows us to predict the spin-parity of the Xi(1620), Xi(1690), Xi(1950),
Xi(2250), Omega(2250) and Omega(2380) resonances, which have not been
determined experimentally yet.Comment: New appendix and references adde
Heisenberg-limited eavesdropping on the continuous-variable quantum cryptographic protocol with no basis switching is impossible
The Gaussian quantum key distribution protocol based on coherent states and
heterodyne detection [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 170504 (2004)] has the advantage
that no active random basis switching is needed on the receiver's side. Its
security is, however, not very satisfyingly understood today because the bounds
on the secret key rate that have been derived from Heisenberg relations are not
attained by any known scheme. Here, we address the problem of the optimal
Gaussian individual attack against this protocol, and derive tight upper bounds
on the information accessible to an eavesdropper. The optical scheme achieving
this bound is also exhibited, which concludes the security analysis of this
protocol.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure
Revisiting the luminosity function of single halo white dwarfs
White dwarfs are the fossils left by the evolution of low-and
intermediate-mass stars, and have very long evolutionary timescales. This
allows us to use them to explore the properties of old populations, like the
Galactic halo. We present a population synthesis study of the luminosity
function of halo white dwarfs, aimed at investigating which information can be
derived from the currently available observed data. We employ an up-to-date
population synthesis code based on Monte Carlo techniques, that incorporates
the most recent and reliable cooling sequences for metal poor progenitors as
well as an accurate modeling of the observational biases. We find that because
the observed sample of halo white dwarfs is restricted to the brightest stars
only the hot branch of the white dwarf luminosity function can be used for such
purposes, and that its shape function is almost insensitive to the most
relevant inputs, like the adopted cooling sequences, the initial mass function,
the density profile of the stellar spheroid, or the adopted fraction of
unresolved binaries. Moreover, since the cut-off of the observed luminosity has
not been yet determined only lower limits to the age of the halo population can
be placed. We conclude that the current observed sample of the halo white dwarf
population is still too small to obtain definite conclusions about the
properties of the stellar halo, and the recently computed white dwarf cooling
sequences which incorporate residual hydrogen burning should be assessed using
metal-poor globular clusters.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Terahertz surface plasmon polariton propagation and focusing on periodically corrugated metal wires
In this letter we show how the dispersion relation of surface plasmon
polaritons (SPPs) propagating along a perfectly conducting wire can be tailored
by corrugating its surface with a periodic array of radial grooves. In this
way, highly localized SPPs can be sustained in the terahertz region of the
electromagnetic spectrum. Importantly, the propagation characteristics of these
spoof SPPs can be controlled by the surface geometry, opening the way to
important applications such as energy concentration on cylindrical wires and
superfocusing using conical structures.Comment: accepted at PRL, submitted 29th May 200
Predicción de la frescura del aceite de oliva virgen extra durante el almacenamiento mediante espectroscopía de fluorescencia
Virgin olive oil quality relates to flavor and unique health benefits. Some of these properties are
at the most desirable level when the oil is just extracted, since it is not a product that improves with age. On the
contrary, the concentrations of many compounds change during its shelf-life. These changes reveal the aging of
the oil but do not necessarily mean decay in sensory properties, so in some cases an aged oil from healthy olives
may be better qualified than a fresh one from olives affected by fermentation. The aim of this work is to analyze
different methodologies proposed for assessing the quality of virgin olive oil with implications in freshness and
aging of the oil, and to highlight the possibilities of rapid spectrofluorimetric techniques for assessing oil freshness by checking the evolution of pigments during storage. The observed change in the selected spectral features
and mathematical modelling over time was compared with the accepted model for predicting the amount of
pyropheophytin a, which is based on isokinetic studies. The best regression was obtained for 655 nm (adjustedR2
= 0.91) wavelength, which matches the distinctive band of pigments. The two mathematical models described
in this study highlight the usefulness of pigments in the prediction of the shelf-life of extra virgin olive oil.La calidad del aceite de oliva virgen está relacionada con su flavor y sus beneficios
únicos para la salud. Algunas de estas propiedades se encuentran en el nivel más deseable cuando el aceite está
recién extraído, ya que no es un producto que mejore con el tiempo. Por el contrario, las concentraciones de
muchos compuestos cambian a lo largo de la vida útil. Estos cambios revelan el envejecimiento del aceite, pero
no implican necesariamente la alteración de las propiedades sensoriales, por lo que en algunos casos un aceite
envejecido procedente de aceitunas sanas puede presentar mejor calidad que uno fresco procedente de aceitunas
afectadas por procesos de fermentación. El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar diferentes metodologías propuestas para evaluar la calidad del aceite de oliva virgen con implicaciones en la frescura y el envejecimiento del
aceite, destacando las posibilidades de las rápidas técnicas espectrofluorométricas para evaluar la frescura del
aceite verificando la evolución de los pigmentos durante el almacenamiento. El cambio observado en las características espectrales seleccionadas y su modelado matemático a lo largo del tiempo se comparó con el modelo
aceptado para predecir la cantidad de pirofeofitina a, que se basa en estudios isocinéticos. Los dos modelos
matemáticos descritos en este estudio pusieron de manifiesto la utilidad de los pigmentos en la predicción de la
vida útil del aceite de oliva virgen extra. La mejor regresión se obtuvo para 655 nm (R2
-ajustado = 0,91), longitud de onda que coincide con la banda distintiva de pigmentos.Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación de España-AGL2015-69320-
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