Modeling GRB 050904: Autopsy of a Massive Stellar Explosion at z=6.29

GRB 050904 at redshift z=6.29, discovered and observed by Swift and with spectroscopic redshift from the Subaru telescope, is the first gamma-ray burst to be identified from beyond the epoch of reionization. Since the progenitors of long gamma-ray bursts have been identified as massive stars, this event offers a unique opportunity to investigate star formation environments at this epoch. Apart from its record redshift, the burst is remarkable in two respects: first, it exhibits fast-evolving X-ray and optical flares that peak simultaneously at t~470 s in the observer frame, and may thus originate in the same emission region; and second, its afterglow exhibits an accelerated decay in the near-infrared (NIR) from t~10^4 s to t~3 10^4 s after the burst, coincident with repeated and energetic X-ray flaring activity. We make a complete analysis of available X-ray, NIR, and radio observations, utilizing afterglow models that incorporate a range of physical effects not previously considered for this or any other GRB afterglow, and quantifying our model uncertainties in detail via Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis. In the process, we explore the possibility that the early optical and X-ray flare is due to synchrotron and inverse Compton emission from the reverse shock regions of the outflow. We suggest that the period of accelerated decay in the NIR may be due to suppression of synchrotron radiation by inverse Compton interaction of X-ray flare photons with electrons in the forward shock; a subsequent interval of slow decay would then be due to a progressive decline in this suppression. The range of acceptable models demonstrates that the kinetic energy and circumburst density of GRB 050904 are well above the typical values found for low-redshift GRBs.Comment: 45 pages, 7 figures, and ApJ accepted. Revised version, minor modifications and 1 extra figur

Influence of temperature, light and plant growth regulators on germination of black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) seeds

Effects of temperature, light and different concentrations of plant growth regulators on germination of Piper nigrum L. seeds was studied under controlled environmental conditions. Black pepper seeds were placed inPetri dishes with filtration papers and the germination and radical  development followed during eighteen days periods. The seeds generally germinated within six or seven days. There was no difference in percentgermination between dark and light treatments, but the development of radical length was significantly influenced by both light and temperature. Germination was highest at 30°C, but seeds also germinated at 25and 35°C. No germination was observed at low (20°C) and high (40 and 45°C) temperatures. The plant growth regulators enhanced the seeds germination and radical length different degree. The results are consistent with the Piper nigrum L. being recalcitrant species need a certain environment condition to germinate

Transcritical flow of a stratified fluid over topography: analysis of the forced Gardner equation

Transcritical flow of a stratified fluid past a broad localised topographic obstacle is studied analytically in the framework of the forced extended Korteweg--de Vries (eKdV), or Gardner, equation. We consider both possible signs for the cubic nonlinear term in the Gardner equation corresponding to different fluid density stratification profiles. We identify the range of the input parameters: the oncoming flow speed (the Froude number) and the topographic amplitude, for which the obstacle supports a stationary localised hydraulic transition from the subcritical flow upstream to the supercritical flow downstream. Such a localised transcritical flow is resolved back into the equilibrium flow state away from the obstacle with the aid of unsteady coherent nonlinear wave structures propagating upstream and downstream. Along with the regular, cnoidal undular bores occurring in the analogous problem for the single-layer flow modeled by the forced KdV equation, the transcritical internal wave flows support a diverse family of upstream and downstream wave structures, including solibores, rarefaction waves, reversed and trigonometric undular bores, which we describe using the recent development of the nonlinear modulation theory for the (unforced) Gardner equation. The predictions of the developed analytic construction are confirmed by direct numerical simulations of the forced Gardner equation for a broad range of input parameters.Comment: 34 pages, 24 figure

Spontaneous Crystallization of Skyrmions and Fractional Vortices in the Fast-rotating and Rapidly-quenched Spin-1 Bose-Einstein Condensates

We investigate the spontaneous generation of crystallized topological defects via the combining effects of fast rotation and rapid thermal quench on the spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensates. By solving the stochastic projected Gross-Pitaevskii equation, we show that, when the system reaches equilibrium, a hexagonal lattice of skyrmions, and a square lattice of half-quantized vortices can be formed in a ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic spinor BEC, respetively, which can be imaged by using the polarization-dependent phase-contrast method

Li isotopes in the middle Yellow River: seasonal variability, sources and fractionation

To evaluate the roles of climate and hydrology in continental-scale silicate weathering, we applied Li isotopes to the Yellow River and systematically investigated seasonal Li flux, Li isotopic compositions and potential sources. We collected samples from the middle reaches of the Yellow River weekly over the full hydrological year of 2013. We find that the dissolved Li is mainly derived from silicates and evaporites in the arid to semi-arid Yellow River basin. Silicate weathering of loess during the monsoonal season dominates the Li flux in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, with a positive relationship between dissolved Li flux and physical erosion rate. Evaporite contribution for riverine Li was relatively constant in the middle reaches of the Yellow River but slightly increased after the storm event, with an average proportion of ∼25%, which might represent the proportion of evaporite contribution to global oceans. Seasonal variations in the riverine Li isotopic compositions are dominantly controlled by temperature with a fractionation gradient as −0.182‰ per °C over the full year with deviations likely driven by re-dissolution of suspended particulate matter, extreme hydrological events, and groundwater contribution. Temperature dependent δ7Li value variation of river water inputted into oceans indicates that Cenozoic climate cooling itself may be able to explain ∼2‰ of the 9‰ rise of Cenozoic seawater δ7Li value (Misra and Froelich, 2012). The seasonal variation in riverine Li isotopes highlights that erosion and weathering of loess may provide valuable clues on secular chemical weathering and seawater δ7Li variation spanning a range of time scales

The early high-energy afterglow emission from Short GRBs

We calculate the high energy afterglow emission from short Gamma-Ray Bursts (SGRBs) in the external shock model. There are two possible components contributing to the high energy afterglow: the electron synchrotron emission and the synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) emission. We find that for typical parameter values of SGRBs, the early high-energy afterglow emission in 10 MeV-10 GeV is dominated by the synchrotron emission. For a burst occurring at redshift z =0.1, the high-energy emission can be detectable by Fermi LAT if the blast wave has an energy E>=10^51 ergs and the fraction of energy in electrons is \epsilon_e>=0.1 . This provides a possible explanation for the high energy tail of SGRB 081024B.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures. This is a slightly expanded version of the paper that will appear in Science in China Series

Rotational Spectroscopy Meets Quantum Chemistry for Analyzing Substituent Effects on Non-Covalent Interactions: The Case of the Trifluoroacetophenone-Water Complex

The most stable isomer of the 1:1 complex formed by 2,2,2-trifluoroacetophenone and water has been characterized by combining rotational spectroscopy in supersonic expansion and state-of-the-art quantum-chemical computations. In the observed isomer, water plays the double role of proton donor and acceptor, thus forming a seven-membered ring with 2,2,2-trifluoroacetophenone. Accurate intermolecular parameters featuring one classical O-H···O hydrogen bond and one weak C-H···O hydrogen bond have been determined by means of a semi-experimental approach for equilibrium structure. Furthermore, insights on the nature of the established non-covalent interactions have been unveiled by means of different bond analyses. The comparison with the analogous complex formed by acetophenone with water points out the remarkable role played by fluorine atoms in tuning non-covalent interactions

On the magnetic and energy characteristics of recurrent homologous jets from an emerging flux

In this paper, we present the detailed analysis of recurrent homologous jets originating from an emerging negative magnetic flux at the edge of an Active Region. The observed jets show multi-thermal features. Their evolution shows high consistence with the characteristic parameters of the emerging flux, suggesting that with more free magnetic energy, the eruptions tend to be more violent, frequent and blowout-like. The average temperature, average electron number density and axial speed are found to be similar for different jets, indicating that they should have been formed by plasmas from similar origins. Statistical analysis of the jets and their footpoint region conditions reveals a strong positive relationship between the footpoint-region total 131 {\AA} intensity enhancement and jets' length/width. Stronger linearly positive relationships also exist between the total intensity enhancement/thermal energy of the footpoint regions and jets' mass/kinetic/thermal energy, with higher cross-correlation coefficients. All the above results, together, confirm the direct relationship between the magnetic reconnection and the jets, and validate the important role of magnetic reconnection in transporting large amount of free magnetic energy into jets. It is also suggested that there should be more free energy released during the magnetic reconnection of blowout than of standard jet events