15,331 research outputs found
The gaseous extent of galaxies and the origin of Lyman alpha absorption systems. IV: Lyman alpha absorbers arising in a galaxy group
We present new GHRS observations of Lyman alpha absorption lines associated
with a group of galaxies towards the QSO 1545+2101. We have identified eight
distinct Lyman alpha absorption features in the spectrum of QSO 1545+2101 at a
mean redshift of z=0.2648 with a velocity dispersion of 163 km/s. A group of
galaxies is detected in the vicinity of this QSO at a mean redshift of z=0.2645
and velocity dispersion 239 km/s.
The identification of discrete absorption systems indicates that they arise
in clouds of neutral hydrogen rather than in a diffuse intragroup medium. Our
analysis suggests that the Lyman alpha absorption lines are associated with
individual galaxies in the group, although a one-to-one relationship between
absorbers and galaxies is difficult to establish in such a dense environment.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Binarity in Cool Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars: A Galex Search for Ultraviolet Excesse
The search for binarity in AGB stars is of critical importance for our
understanding of how planetary nebulae acquire the dazzling variety of
aspherical shapes which characterises this class. However, detecting binary
companions in such stars has been severely hampered due to their extreme
luminosities and pulsations. We have carried out a small imaging survey of AGB
stars in ultraviolet light (using GALEX) where these cool objects are very
faint, in order to search for hotter companions. We report the discovery of
significant far-ultraviolet excesses towards nine of these stars. The
far-ultraviolet excess most likely results either directly from the presence of
a hot binary companion, or indirectly from a hot accretion disk around the
companion.Comment: revised for Astrophysical Journa
Transverse Meissner Physics of Planar Superconductors with Columnar Pins
The statistical mechanics of thermally excited vortex lines with columnar
defects can be mapped onto the physics of interacting quantum particles with
quenched random disorder in one less dimension. The destruction of the Bose
glass phase in Type II superconductors, when the external magnetic field is
tilted sufficiently far from the column direction, is described by a poorly
understood non-Hermitian quantum phase transition. We present here exact
results for this transition in (1+1)-dimensions, obtained by mapping the
problem in the hard core limit onto one-dimensional fermions described by a
non-Hermitian tight binding model. Both site randomness and the relatively
unexplored case of bond randomness are considered. Analysis near the mobility
edge and near the band center in the latter case is facilitated by a real space
renormalization group procedure used previously for Hermitian quantum problems
with quenched randomness in one dimension.Comment: 23 pages, 22 figure
A Gravitational Wave Background from Reheating after Hybrid Inflation
The reheating of the universe after hybrid inflation proceeds through the
nucleation and subsequent collision of large concentrations of energy density
in the form of bubble-like structures moving at relativistic speeds. This
generates a significant fraction of energy in the form of a stochastic
background of gravitational waves, whose time evolution is determined by the
successive stages of reheating: First, tachyonic preheating makes the amplitude
of gravity waves grow exponentially fast. Second, bubble collisions add a new
burst of gravitational radiation. Third, turbulent motions finally sets the end
of gravitational waves production. From then on, these waves propagate
unimpeded to us. We find that the fraction of energy density today in these
primordial gravitational waves could be significant for GUT-scale models of
inflation, although well beyond the frequency range sensitivity of
gravitational wave observatories like LIGO, LISA or BBO. However, low-scale
models could still produce a detectable signal at frequencies accessible to BBO
or DECIGO. For comparison, we have also computed the analogous gravitational
wave background from some chaotic inflation models and obtained results similar
to those found by other groups. The discovery of such a background would open a
new observational window into the very early universe, where the details of the
process of reheating, i.e. the Big Bang, could be explored. Moreover, it could
also serve in the future as a new experimental tool for testing the
Inflationary Paradigm.Comment: 22 pages, 18 figures, uses revtex
How to generate pentagonal symmetry using Turing systems
We explore numerically the formation of Turing patterns in a confined circular domain with small aspect ratio. Our results show that stable fivefold patterns are formed over a well defined range of disk sizes, offering a possible mechanism for inducing the fivefold symmetry observed in early development of regular echinoids. Using this pattern as a seed, more complex biological structures can be mimicked, such as the pigmentation pattern of sea urchins and the plate arrangements of the calyxes of primitive camerate crinoids
Reflection and transmission of waves in surface-disordered waveguides
The reflection and transmission amplitudes of waves in disordered multimode
waveguides are studied by means of numerical simulations based on the invariant
embedding equations. In particular, we analyze the influence of surface-type
disorder on the behavior of the ensemble average and fluctuations of the
reflection and transmission coefficients, reflectance, transmittance, and
conductance. Our results show anomalous effects stemming from the combination
of mode dispersion and rough surface scattering: For a given waveguide length,
the larger the mode transverse momentum is, the more strongly is the mode
scattered. These effects manifest themselves in the mode selectivity of the
transmission coefficients, anomalous backscattering enhancement, and speckle
pattern both in reflection and transmission, reflectance and transmittance, and
also in the conductance and its universal fluctuations. It is shown that, in
contrast to volume impurities, surface scattering in quasi-one-dimensional
structures (waveguides) gives rise to the coexistence of the ballistic,
diffusive, and localized regimes within the same sample.Comment: LaTeX (REVTeX), 12 pages with 14 EPS figures (epsf macro), minor
change
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