941 research outputs found
Content and action: The guidance theory of representation
The current essay introduces the guidance theory of representation, according to which the content and intentionality of representations can be accounted for in terms of the way they provide guidance for action. We offer a brief account of the biological origins of representation, a formal characterization of the guidance theory, some examples of its use, and show how the guidance theory handles some traditional problem cases for representation: the problems of error and of representation of fictional and abstract entities
A brief introduction to the guidance theory of representation
Recent trends in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science can be fruitfully characterized as part of the ongoing attempt to come to grips with the very idea of homo sapiens--an intelligent, evolved, biological agent--and its signature contribution is the emergence of a philosophical anthropology which, contra Descartes and his thinking thing, instead puts doing at the center of human being. Applying this agency-oriented line of thinking to the problem of representation, this paper introduces the Guidance Theory, according to which the content and intentionality of representations can be accounted for in terms of the way they provide guidance for action. We offer a brief account of the motivation for the theory, and a formal characterization
On Modified Dispersion Relations and the Chandrasekhar Mass Limit
Modified dispersion relations from effective field theory are shown to alter
the Chandrasekhar mass limit. At exceptionally high densities, the
modifications affect the pressure of a degenerate electron gas and can increase
or decrease the mass limit, depending on the sign of the modifications. These
changes to the mass limit are unlikely to be relevant for the astrophysics of
white dwarf or neutron stars due to well-known dynamical instabilities that
occur at lower densities. Generalizations to frameworks other than effective
field theory are discussed.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures; v2: version accepted for publication, minor
changes; v3: note added correcting comments on the applicability of the
calculation to the DSR context, references added, results unchange
Effects of vitrectomy and lensectomy on older rhesus macaques: Oxygen distribution, antioxidant status, and aqueous humor dynamics
The Gravitational Lens Candidate FBQ 1633+3134
We present our ground-based optical imaging, spectral analysis, and high
resolution radio mapping of the gravitational lens candidate FBQ 1633+3134.
This z=1.52, B=17.7 quasar appears double on CCD images with an image
separation of 0.66 arcseconds and a flux ratio of ~3:1 across BVRI filters. A
single 0.27 mJy radio source is detected at 8.46 GHz, coincident to within an
arcsecond of both optical components, but no companion at radio wavelengths is
detected down to a flux level of 0.1 mJy (3 sigma). Spectral observations
reveal a rich metal-line absorption system consisting of a strong Mg II doublet
and associated Fe I and Fe II absorption features, all at an intervening
redshift of z=0.684, suggestive of a lensing galaxy. Point spread function
subtraction however shows no obvious signs of a third object between the two
quasar images, and places a detection limit of I > 23.0 if such an object
exists. Although the possibility that FBQ 1633+3134 is a binary quasar cannot
be ruled out, the evidence is consistent with it being a single quasar lensed
by a faint, metal-rich galaxy.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures. Accepted by AJ. A calibration error affecting B
and V band apparent magnitudes has been corrected. The conclusions of the
paper are not change
The FIRST-2MASS Red Quasar Survey
Combining radio observations with optical and infrared color selection --
demonstrated in our pilot study to be an efficient selection algorithm for
finding red quasars -- we have obtained optical and infrared spectroscopy for
120 objects in a complete sample of 156 candidates from a sky area of 2716
square degrees. Consistent with our initial results, we find our selection
criteria -- J-K>1.7, R-K>4.0 -- yield a ~50% success rate for discovering
quasars substantially redder than those found in optical surveys. Comparison
with UVX- and optical color-selected samples shows that >~ 10% of the quasars
are missed in a magnitude-limited survey. Simultaneous two-frequency radio
observations for part of the sample indicate that a synchrotron continuum
component is ruled out as a significant contributor to reddening the quasars'
spectra. We go on to estimate extinctions for our objects assuming their red
colors are caused by dust. Continuum fits and Balmer decrements suggest E(B-V)
values ranging from near zero to 2.5 magnitudes. Correcting the K-band
magnitudes for these extinctions, we find that for K <= 14.0, red quasars make
up between 25% and 60% of the underlying quasar population; owing to the
incompleteness of the 2MASS survey at fainter K-band magnitudes, we can only
set a lower limit to the radio-detected red quasar population of >20-30%.Comment: 80 pages (single-column, preprint format) 20 figures, Accepted for
publicated in Ap
An FeLoBAL Binary Quasar
In an ongoing infrared imaging survey of quasars at Keck Observatory, we have
discovered that the z=1.285 quasar SDSS J233646.2-010732.6 comprises two point
sources with a separation of 1.67". Resolved spectra show that one component is
a standard quasar with a blue continuum and broad emission lines; the other is
a broad absorption line (BAL) quasar, specifically, a BAL QSO with prominent
absorption from MgII and metastable FeII, making it a member of the ``FeLoBAL''
class. The number of known FeLoBALs has recently grown dramatically from a
single example to more than a dozen, including a gravitationally lensed example
and the binary member presented here, suggesting that this formerly rare object
may be fairly common. Additionally, the presence of this BAL quasar in a
relatively small separation binary adds to the growing evidence that the BAL
phenomenon is not due to viewing a normal quasar at a specific orientation, but
rather that it is an evolutionary phase in the life of many, if not all,
quasars, and is particularly associated with conditions found in interacting
systems.Comment: AASTEX 13 pp., 4 figs; accepted by ApJ Letter
Observation of Interaction of Spin and Intrinsic Orbital Angular Momentum of Light
Interaction of spin and intrinsic orbital angular momentum of light is
observed, as evidenced by length-dependent rotations of both spatial patterns
and optical polarization in a cylindrically-symmetric isotropic optical fiber.
Such rotations occur in straight few-mode fiber when superpositions of two
modes with parallel and anti-parallel orientation of spin and intrinsic orbital
angular momentum (IOAM=) are excited, resulting from a degeneracy
splitting of the propagation constants of the modes.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, and a detailed supplement. Version 3 corrects a
typo and adds the journal referenc
Discovery of a Classic FR-II Broad Absorption Line Quasar from the FIRST Survey
We have discovered a remarkable quasar, FIRST J101614.3+520916, whose optical
spectrum shows unambiguous broad absorption features while its double-lobed
radio morphology and luminosity clearly indicate a classic Fanaroff-Riley Type
II radio source. Its radio luminosity places it at the extreme of the recently
established class of radio-loud broad absorption line quasars (Becker et al.
1997, 2000; Brotherton et al. 1998). Because of its hybrid nature, we speculate
that FIRST J101614.3+520916 is a typical FR-II quasar which has been
rejuvenated as a broad absorption line (BAL) quasar with a Compact Steep
Spectrum core. The direction of the jet axis of FIRST J101614.3+520916 can be
estimated from its radio structure and optical brightness, indicating that we
are viewing the system at a viewing angle of > 40 degrees. The position angles
of the radio jet and optical polarization are not well-aligned, differing by 20
to 30 degrees. When combined with the evidence presented by Becker et al.
(2000) for a sample of 29 BAL quasars showing that at least some BAL quasars
are viewed along the jet axis, the implication is that no preferred viewing
orientation is necessary to observe BAL systems in a quasar's spectrum. This,
and the probable young nature of compact steep spectrum sources, leads
naturally to the alternate hypothesis that BALs are an early stage in the lives
of quasars.Comment: 14 pages, 6 postscript figures; accepted for publication in the
Astrophysical Journa
Discovery of a Radio-loud/Radio-quiet Binary Quasar
We report the discovery of a small separation quasar pair (z=0.586, O=18.4,
19.2, sep. = 2.3 arcsec) associated with the radio source FIRST
J164311.3+315618 (S_1400 = 120 mJy). The spectrum of the brighter quasar (A)
has a much stronger narrow emission-line spectrum than the other (B), and also
stronger Balmer lines relative to the continuum. The continuum ratio of the
spectra is flat in the blue at about 2.1, but falls to 1.5 at longer
wavelengths. A K' image shows two unresolved sources with a flux ratio of 1.3.
The different colors appear to result from the contribution of the host galaxy
of B, which is evident from Ca II and high-order Balmer absorption lines
indicative of a substantial young stellar population. New 3.6 cm VLA
observations show that the compact radio source is coincident with quasar A (B
is only marginally detected). We rule out the lensing hypothesis because the
optical flux ratio is A/B = 1.2 to 2, while the radio flux ratio is A/B > 40,
and conclude that this system is a binary. Moreover, the radio-loud quasar is a
compact steep spectrum source. FIRST J164311.3+315618A, B is the lowest
redshift and smallest separation binary quasar yet identified.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Astrophysical Journal Letter
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