Non-Abelian Chern-Simons-Higgs vortices with a quartic potential

We have constructed numerically non-Abelian vortices in an SU(2) Chern-Simons-Higgs theory with a quartic Higgs potential. We have analyzed these solutions in detail by means of improved numerical codes and found some unexpected features we did not find when a sixth-order Higgs potential was used. The generic non-Abelian solutions have been generated by using their corresponding Abelian counterparts as initial guess. Typically, the energy of the non-Abelian solutions is lower than that of the corresponding Abelian one (except in certain regions of the parameter space). Regarding the angular momentum, the Abelian solutions possess the maximal value, although there exist non-Abelian solutions which reach that maximal value too. In order to classify the solutions it is useful to consider the non-Abelian solutions with asymptotically vanishing $A_t$ component of the gauge potential, which may be labelled by an integer number $m$. For vortex number $n=3$ and above, we have found uniqueness violation: two different non-Abelian solutions with all the global charges equal. Finally, we have investigated the limit of infinity Higgs self-coupling parameter and found a piecewise Regge-like relation between the energy and the angular momentum.Comment: 9 pages, 13 figure

IDCS J1426.5+3508: Cosmological implications of a massive, strong lensing cluster at Z = 1.75

The galaxy cluster IDCS J1426.5+3508 at z = 1.75 is the most massive galaxy cluster yet discovered at z > 1.4 and the first cluster at this epoch for which the Sunyaev-Zel'Dovich effect has been observed. In this paper we report on the discovery with HST imaging of a giant arc associated with this cluster. The curvature of the arc suggests that the lensing mass is nearly coincident with the brightest cluster galaxy, and the color is consistent with the arc being a star-forming galaxy. We compare the constraint on M200 based upon strong lensing with Sunyaev-Zel'Dovich results, finding that the two are consistent if the redshift of the arc is z > 3. Finally, we explore the cosmological implications of this system, considering the likelihood of the existence of a strongly lensing galaxy cluster at this epoch in an LCDM universe. While the existence of the cluster itself can potentially be accomodated if one considers the entire volume covered at this redshift by all current high-redshift cluster surveys, the existence of this strongly lensed galaxy greatly exacerbates the long-standing giant arc problem. For standard LCDM structure formation and observed background field galaxy counts this lens system should not exist. Specifically, there should be no giant arcs in the entire sky as bright in F814W as the observed arc for clusters at z \geq 1.75, and only \sim 0.3 as bright in F160W as the observed arc. If we relax the redshift constraint to consider all clusters at z \geq 1.5, the expected number of giant arcs rises to \sim15 in F160W, but the number of giant arcs of this brightness in F814W remains zero. These arc statistic results are independent of the mass of IDCS J1426.5+3508. We consider possible explanations for this discrepancy.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, Accepted to The Astrophysical Journa

The Stellar Mass Components of Galaxies: Comparing Semi-Analytical Models with Observation

We compare the stellar masses of central and satellite galaxies predicted by three independent semianalytical models with observational results obtained from a large galaxy group catalogue constructed from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. In particular, we compare the stellar mass functions of centrals and satellites, the relation between total stellar mass and halo mass, and the conditional stellar mass functions, which specify the average number of galaxies of stellar mass M_* that reside in a halo of mass M_h. The semi-analytical models only predict the correct stellar masses of central galaxies within a limited mass range and all models fail to reproduce the sharp decline of stellar mass with decreasing halo mass observed at the low mass end. In addition, all models over-predict the number of satellite galaxies by roughly a factor of two. The predicted stellar mass in satellite galaxies can be made to match the data by assuming that a significant fraction of satellite galaxies are tidally stripped and disrupted, giving rise to a population of intra-cluster stars in their host halos. However, the amount of intra-cluster stars thus predicted is too large compared to observation. This suggests that current galaxy formation models still have serious problems in modeling star formation in low-mass halos.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Aqueous Processes and Microbial Habitability of Gale Crater Sediments from the Blunts Point to the Glenn Torridon Clay Unit

A driving factor for sending the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity rover to Gale Crater was the orbital detection of clay minerals in the Glen Torridon (GT) clay unit. Clay mineral detections in GT suggested a past aqueous environment that was habitable, and could contain organic evidence of past microbiology. The mission of the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument onboard Curiosity was to detect organic evidence of past microbiology and to detect volatile bearing mineralogy that can inform on whether past geochemical conditions would have supported microbiological activity. The objective of this work was to 1) evaluate the depositional/alteration conditions of Blunts Point (BP) to GT sediments 2) search for evidence of organics, and 3) evaluate microbial habitability in the BP, Vera Rubin Ridge (VRR), and GT sedimentary rock

Differences between individuals with schizophrenia or obsessive-compulsive disorder and healthy controls in social cognition and mindfulness skills: A controlled study

The study of social cognition (SC) has emerged as a key domain of mental health, supporting the notion that poorer performance in SC tasks is linked to psychopathology, although most studies have primarily addressed only schizophrenia (SZ). Some recent studies have also shown deficits of SC in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients; however, little is known about how individuals with OCD may differ on SC performance from individuals with SZ. Moreover, initial research in this field suggests that mindfulness skills may be related to SC abilities such as theory of mind (ToM), emotion processing and empathy. Given the potential benefits of mindfulness for treating OCD and SZ, further efforts are needed to understand the association between mindfulness and SC in these populations. The main objective of this study was to compare samples of patients with SZ and OCD to healthy controls (HCs) on several social cognition (SC) domains and mindfulness measures. In total, 30 outpatients diagnosed with SZ, 31 outpatients diagnosed with OCD and 30 healthy controls were assessed in emotion recognition (the Eyes Test), ToM (the Hinting Task), attributional style (the Ambiguous Intentions and Hostility Questionnaire), empathy (the Interpersonal Reactivity Index) and dispositional mindfulness (the MAAS and the FFMQ). Both clinical groups showed poorer performance in emotion recognition and ToM than the HCs. The OCD and SZ patients did not significantly differ in impairment in SC, but the OCD group had higher scores in attributional style (intentionality and anger bias). With regard to mindfulness, the results found lower levels of acting with awareness for the HCs than for either clinical group and higher non-reactivity to inner experience for the HCs than for the individuals with OCD; the results also yielded significant correlations between SC and mindfulness. In conclusion, these findings revealed that SC abilities were impaired in the SZ and OCD groups compared to the HC group, suggesting a similar disrupted pattern in both clinical groups. Aspects of dispositional mindfulness were differentially associated with SC, which may suggest their potential role in novel transdiagnostic interventions

Detection of Evolved Carbon Dioxide in the Rocknest Eolian Bedform by the Sample Analysis at Mars(SAM) Instrument at the Mars Curiosity Landing Site

The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument detected four releases of carbon dioxide (CO2) that ranged from 100 to 700 C from the Rocknest eolian bedform material (Fig. 1). Candidate sources of CO2 include adsorbed CO2, carbonate(s), combusted organics that are either derived from terrestrial contamination and/or of martian origin, occluded or trapped CO2, and other sources that have yet to be determined. The Phoenix Lander s Thermal Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) detected two CO2 releases (400-600, 700-840 C) [1,2]. The low temperature release was attributed to Fe- and/or Mg carbonates [1,2], per-chlorate interactions with carbonates [3], nanophase carbonates [4] and/or combusted organics [1]. The high temperature CO2 release was attributed to a calcium bearing carbonate [1,2]. No evidence of a high temperature CO2 release similar to the Phoenix material was detected in the Rocknest materials by SAM. The objectives of this work are to evaluate the temperature and total contribution of each Rocknest CO2 release and their possible sources. Four CO2 releases from the Rocknest material were detected by SAM. Potential sources of CO2 are adsorbed CO2, (peak 1) and Fe/Mg carbonates (peak 4). Only a fraction of peaks 2 and 3 (0.01 C wt.%) may be partially attributed to combustion of organic contamination. Meteoritic organics mixed in the Rocknest bedform could be present, but the peak 2 and 3 C concentration (approx.0.21 C wt. %) is likely too high to be attributed solely to meteoritic organic C. Other inorganic sources of C such as interactions of perchlorates and carbonates and sources yet to be identified will be evaluated to account for CO2 released from the thermal decomposition of Rocknest material

The intrinsic dimensionality of spectro-polarimetric data

The amount of information available in spectro-polarimetric data is estimated. To this end, the intrinsic dimensionality of the data is inferred with the aid of a recently derived estimator based on nearest-neighbor considerations and obtained applying the principle of maximum likelihood. We show in detail that the estimator correctly captures the intrinsic dimension of artificial datasets with known dimension. The effect of noise in the estimated dimension is analyzed thoroughly and we conclude that it introduces a positive bias that needs to be accounted for. Real simultaneous spectro-polarimetric observations in the visible 630 nm and the near-infrared 1.5 microns spectral regions are also investigated in detail, showing that the near-infrared dataset provides more information of the physical conditions in the solar atmosphere than the visible dataset. Finally, we demonstrate that the amount of information present in an observed dataset is a monotonically increasing function of the number of available spectral lines.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Molecular mechanisms of atherosclerosis in metabolic syndrome: role of reduced IRS2-dependent signaling

OBJECTIVE: The mechanisms underlying accelerated atherosclerosis in metabolic syndrome (MetS) patients remain poorly defined. In the mouse, complete disruption of insulin receptor substrate-2 (Irs2) causes insulin resistance, MetS-like manifestations, and accelerates atherosclerosis. Here, we performed human, mouse, and cell culture studies to gain insight into the contribution of defective Irs2 signaling to MetS-associated alterations. METHODS AND RESULTS: In circulating leukocytes from insulin-resistant MetS patients, Irs2 and Akt2 mRNA levels inversely correlate with plasma insulin levels and HOMA index and are reduced compared to insulin-sensitive MetS patients. Notably, a moderate reduction in Irs2 expression in fat-fed apolipoprotein E-null mice lacking one allele of Irs2 (apoE(-/-)Irs2(+/-)) accelerates atherosclerosis compared to apoE-null controls, without affecting plaque composition. Partial Irs2 inactivation also increases CD36 and SRA scavenger receptor expression and modified LDL uptake in macrophages, diminishes Akt2 and Ras expression in aorta, and enhances expression of the proatherogenic cytokine MCP1 in aorta and primary vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and macrophages. Inhibition of AKT or ERK1/2, a downstream target of RAS, upregulates Mcp1 in VSMCs. CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced levels of MCP1 resulting from reduced IRS2 expression and accompanying defects in AKT2 and Ras/ERK1/2 signaling pathways may contribute to accelerated atherosclerosis in MetS states

Mineralogical and Geochemical Trends of the Murray Mudstones, Gale Crater: A Combined Sample Analysis at Mars-Evolved Gas Analyzer and Chemistry and Mineralogy Instrument Assessment

The Murray formation is predominantly composed of lacustrine mudstone that forms the basal layer of Aeolis Mons (informally Mt. Sharp) in Gale Crater, Mars. The Murray formation has distinct iron and sulfur mineralogical variation within its stratigraphy detectable by the Chemistry Mineralogy (Che-Min) instrument consisting of magnetite/hematite in the lower Murray and higher hematite, CaSO4, and smectite content in the upper Murray. The objectives of this work were to evaluate the Sample Analysis at Mars Evolved Gas Analyzer (SAM-EGA) data to 1) Determine what SAM-EGA-detectable phases correlate or do not correlate with the Murray mineralogical composition detected by CheMin and 2) Utilize CheMin/SAM results to propose possible formation scenarios for the observed Murray mudstone mineralogy

Clusters of galaxies with modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND)

X-ray emitting clusters of galaxies are considered in the context of modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND). I show that self-gravitating isothermal gas spheres are not good representations of rich clusters with respect to the radial gas density distribution as indicated by the X-ray surface brightness. Pure gas spheres with a density distribution described by a ``beta'' model, as observed, also fail because, with MOND, these objects are far from isothermal. These problems may be resolved by adding an additional dark mass component in the central regions; a constant density sphere contained within two core radii and having a total mass of one to two times that in the gas. With this additional component, the observed luminosity-temperature relation for clusters of galaxies is reproduced. When the observed X-ray surface brightness distribution in actual clusters is modeled by such a two-component structure, the typical mass discrepancy is three to four times smaller than with Newtonian dynamics. Thus while MOND significantly reduces the mass of the dark component in clusters it does not remove it completely. I speculate on the nature of the dark component and argue that this is not a fundamental problem for MOND.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, MNRAS style (submitted MNRAS