48,104 research outputs found
Carbon in soils
Carbon is the fourth most common element in the galaxy(by mass) but does not even rank in the twelve most abundant elements on Earth. By far the most abundant source of carbon on Earth is in the crust as inorganic rocks such as calcite and limestone in marine and sedimentary deposits. These rocks have taken many millions of years to form. Other major inorganic sources are in the oceans and atmosphere
Nitrogen, soils and environment
The article discusses the risk of damaging the environment brought by nitrogen fertilisers which are used for increasing agricultural productivity. The oxidation of ammonium allows for the formation of nitrate. Troposphere ozone and aerosols are produced through the increase of reactive nitrogen in the atmosphere
A Surprising Lack of LGRB Metallicity Evolution with Redshift
Recent additions to the population of Long-duration Gamma Ray Burst (LGRB)
host galaxies with measured metallicities and host masses allow us to
investigate how the distributions of both these properties change with
redshift. We form a sample out to z of 2.5 which we show does not have strong
redshift dependent populations biases in mass and metallicity measurements.
Using this sample, we find a surprising lack of evolution in the LGRB
metallicity distribution across different redshifts and in particular the
fraction of LGRB hosts with relatively high-metallicity, that is those with
12+log(O/H) > 8.4, remains essentially constant out to z = 2.5. This result is
at odds with the evolution in the mass metallicity relation of typical
galaxies, which become progressively more metal poor with increasing redshift.
By converting the measured LGRB host masses and redshifts to expected
metallicities using redshift appropriate mass-metallicity relations, we further
find that the increase in LGRB host galaxy mass distribution with redshift seen
in the Perley et al. (2016) SHOALS sample is consistent with that needed to
preserve a non-evolving LGRB metallicity distribution. However, the estimated
LGRB host metallicity distribution is at least a quarter dex higher at all
redshifts than the measured metallicity distribution. This corresponds to about
a factor of two in raw metallicity and resolves much of the difference between
the LGRB host metallicity cutoffs determined by Graham & Fruchter (2017) and
Perley et al. (2016). As LGRB hosts do not follow the general mass metallicity
relations, there is no substitute for actually measuring their metallicities.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, 10 table
Transition from Poissonian to GOE level statistics in a modified Artin's billiard
One wall of Artin's billiard on the Poincar\'e half plane is replaced by a
one-parameter () family of nongeodetic walls. A brief description of the
classical phase space of this system is given. In the quantum domain, the
continuousand gradual transition from the Poisson like to GOE level statistics
due to the small perturbations breaking the symmetry responsible for the
'arithmetic chaos' at is studied. Another GOE \rightrrow Poisson
transition due to the mixed phase space for large perturbations is also
investigated. A satisfactory description of the intermediate level statistics
by the Brody distribution was found in boh cases. The study supports the
existence of a scaling region around . A finite size scaling relation
for the Brody-parameter as a function of and the number of levels
considered can be established
Dark Matter Searches with Astroparticle Data
The existence of dark matter (DM) was first noticed by Zwicky in the 1930s,
but its nature remains one of the great unsolved problems of physics. A variety
of observations indicate that it is non-baryonic and non-relativistic. One of
the preferred candidates for non-baryonic DM is a weakly interacting massive
particle (WIMP) that in most models is stable. WIMP self-annihilation can
produce cosmic rays, gamma rays, and other particles with signatures that may
be detectable. Hints of anomalous cosmic-ray spectra found by recent
experiments, such as PAMELA, have motivated interesting interpretations in
terms of DM annihilation and/or decay. However, these signatures also have
standard astrophysical interpretations, so additional evidence is needed in
order to make a case for detection of DM annihilation or decay. Searches by the
Fermi Large Area Telescope for gamma-ray signals from clumps, nearby dwarf
spheroidal galaxies, and galaxy clusters have also been performed, along with
measurements of the diffuse Galactic and extragalactic gamma-ray emission. In
addition, imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes like HESS, MAGIC, and
VERITAS have reported on searches for gamma-ray emission from dwarf galaxies.
In this review, we examine the status of searches for particle DM by these
instruments and discuss the interpretations and resulting DM limits.Comment: Solicited review article to appear in Annual Reviews of Astronomy and
Astrophysics. 52 pages, 10 figures (higher resolution figures will appear in
the journal article
Results of recent NASA research on low-speed aerodynamic characteristics of supersonic cruise aircraft
The relatively low values of lift-curve slope produced by highly swept arrow wings, coupled with the low scrape angle of the fuselage, resulted in relatively low values of take-off and approach lift coefficients. Through the use of more efficient high-lift systems and the application of propulsive-lift concepts, it is possible to optimize the engine-airframe design for maximum range potential and also to provide good low-speed performance. Nose strakes provide significant improvements in directional stability characteristics and the use of a propulsive lateral control system provides a solution to problems associated with inherently low levels of lateral control
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