5,321 research outputs found
Thermodynamics of viscous dark energy in an RSII braneworld
We show that for an RSII braneworld filled with interacting viscous dark
energy and dark matter, one can always rewrite the Friedmann equation in the
form of the first law of thermodynamics, , at apparent horizon.
In addition, the generalized second law of thermodynamics can fulfilled in a
region enclosed by the apparent horizon on the brane for both constant and time
variable 5-dynamical Newton's constant . These results hold regardless of
the specific form of the dark energy. Our study further support that in an
accelerating universe with spatial curvature, the apparent horizon is a
physical boundary from the thermodynamical point of view.Comment: 11 page
X-ray Properties of Low-Mass Pre-Main Sequence Stars in the Orion Trapezium Cluster
The Chandra High Energy Transmission Gratings (HETG) Orion Legacy Project
(HOLP) is the first comprehensive set of observations of a very young massive
stellar cluster which provides high resolution X-ray spectra of very young
stars over a wide mass range (0.7 - 2.3 Msun). In this paper, we focus on the
six brightest X-ray sources with T Tauri stellar counterparts which are
well-characterized at optical and infra-red wavelengths. All stars show column
densities which are substantially smaller than expected from optical extinction
indicating that the sources are located on the near side of the cluster with
respect to the observer as well as that these stars are embedded in more dusty
environments. Stellar X-ray luminosities are well above erg/s, in
some cases exceeding erg/s for a substantial amount of time. The
stars during these observations show no flares but are persistently bright. The
spectra can be well fit with two temperature plasma components of 10 MK and 40
MK, of which the latter dominates the flux by a ratio 6:1 on average. The total
EMs range between 3 - 8 cm and are comparable to active
coronal sources. Limits on the forbidden to inter-combination line ratios in
the He-Like K-shell lines show that we observe a predominantely optically thin
plasma with electron densities below cm. Observed abundances
compare well with active coronal sources underlying the coronal nature of these
sources. The surface flux in this sample of 0.6 to 2.3 Msun classical T Tauri
stars shows that coronal activity and possibly coronal loop size increase
significantly between ages 0.1 to 10 Myrs.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, submitted to the Astrophysical Journa
The QCD equation of state at finite density from analytical continuation
We determine the equation of state of QCD at finite chemical potential, to
order , for a system of 2+1 quark flavors. The simulations are
performed at the physical mass for the light and strange quarks on several
lattice spacings; the results are continuum extrapolated using lattices of up
to temporal resolution. The QCD pressure and interaction measure are
calculated along the isentropic trajectories in the plane
corresponding to the RHIC Beam Energy Scan collision energies. Their behavior
is determined through analytic continuation from imaginary chemical potentials
of the baryonic density. We also determine the Taylor expansion coefficients
around from the simulations at imaginary chemical potentials.
Strangeness neutrality and charge conservation are imposed, to match the
experimental conditions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Generalized Paraxial Ray Trace Procedure Derived from Geodesic Deviation
Paraxial ray tracing procedures have become widely accepted techniques for
acoustic models in seismology and underwater acoustics. To date a generic form
of these procedures including fluid motion and time dependence has not appeared
in the literature. A detailed investigation of the characteristic curves of the
equations of hydrodynamics allows for an immediate generalization of the
procedure to be extracted from the equation form geodesic deviation. The
general paraxial ray trace equations serve as an ideal supplement to ordinary
ray tracing in predicting the deformation of acoustic beams in random
environments. The general procedure is derived in terms of affine
parameterization and in a coordinate time parameterization ideal for
application to physical acoustic ray propagation. The formalism is applied to
layered media, where the deviation equation reduces to a second order
differential equation for a single field with a general solution in terms of a
depth integral along the ray path. Some features are illustrated through
special cases which lead to exact solutions in terms of either ordinary or
special functions.Comment: Original; 40 pages (double spaced), 1 figure Replaced version; 36
pages single spaced, 7 figures. Expanded content; Complete derivation of the
equations from the equations of hydrodynamics, introduction of an auxiliary
basis for three dimensional wave-front modeling. Typos in text and equations
correcte
Emissions of BVOC from lodgepole pine in response to mountain pine beetle attack in high and low mortality forest stands
In this screening study, biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions from intact branches of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) trees were measured from trees at two forested sites that have been impacted differently by the mountain pine beetle (MPB), with one having higher mortality and the other with lower mortality. Differences in the amounts and chemical diversity of BVOC between the two sites and from apparently healthy trees versus trees in different stages of MPB attack are presented, as well as (for one site) observed seasonal variability in emissions. A brief comparison is made of geological and climatic characteristics as well as prior disturbances (both natural and man-made) at each site. Trees sampled at the site experiencing high MPB-related tree mortality had lower chemodiversity in terms of monoterpene (MT) emission profiles, while profiles were more diverse at the lower-mortality site. Also at the higher-mortality site, MPB-infested trees in various stages of decline had lower emissions of sesquiterpenes (SQTs) compared to healthy trees, while at the site with lower mortality, MPB-survivors had significantly higher SQT emissions during part of the growing season when compared to both uninfested and newly infested trees. SQT profiles differed between the two sites and, like monoterpene and oxygenated VOC profiles, varied through the season. For the low-mortality site in which repeated measurements were made over the course of the early summer–late fall, higher chemical diversity was observed in early- compared to late-season measurements for all compound classes investigated (MT, oxygenated VOC, and SQT), with the amount of change appearing to correlate to the MPB status of the trees studied. Emissions of 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO) had a distinct seasonal signal but were not much different between healthy or infested trees, except in trees with dead needles, from which emissions of this compound were negligible, and in late-season MPB survivors, in which they were higher than in newly infested or uninfested trees. Emissions of SQT were significantly higher in the MPB survivors during both mid- and late-season sampling at the low-mortality site. The changes in emissions could have implications for regional air quality and climate through changes in ozone and aerosol distributions, although this study was designed as a preliminary screening effort and not enough individuals were sampled for all of the observed differences to be statistically demonstrated. Despite this, the compelling differences in emissions observed between the sites and individual trees with differing MPB-infestation statuses and the potential impacts these have on regional atmospheric chemistry argue for further research in this topic
MOST photometry of the enigmatic PMS pulsator HD 142666
We present precise photometry of the pulsating Herbig Ae star HD 142666
obtained in two consecutive years with the MOST (Microvariability & Oscilations
of STars) satellite.
Previously, only a single pulsation period was known for HD 142666. The MOST
photometry reveals that HD 142666 is multi-periodic. However, the unique
identification of pulsation frequencies is complicated by the presence of
irregular variability caused by the star's circumstellar dust disk. The two
light curves obtained with MOST in 2006 and 2007 provided data of unprecedented
quality to study the pulsations in HD 142666 and also to monitor the
circumstellar variability.
We attribute 12 frequencies to pulsation. Model fits to the three frequencies
with the highest amplitudes lie well outside the uncertainty box for the star's
position in the HR diagram based on published values.
The models suggest that either (1) the published estimate of the luminosity
of HD 142666, based on a relation between circumstellar disk radius and stellar
luminosity, is too high and/or (2) additional physics such as mass accretion
may be needed in our models to accurately fit both the observed frequencies and
HD 142666's position in the HR diagram.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication by Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Occurrence of Blarina brevicauda in Arkansas and Notes on the Distribution of Blarina carolinensis and Cryptotis parva
We provide an update on the species and distribution of shrews occurring in Arkansas. Shrews were collected within Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Wildlife Management Areas and along the Buffalo National River. We also searched mammal collections at several institutional museums to provide additional locality records for Cryptotis parva. Specimens of Blarina were identified to species by DNA sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Previously, Blarina hylophaga was believed to occur in the northwest corner of Arkansas and B. carolinensis throughout the rest of the state. However, our genetic analysis revealed that it is B. brevicauda that occupies the northwestern portion of the state. We also document several new county records for B. carolinensis and C. parva in Arkansas
Evolutionary influences on the structure of red-giant acoustic oscillation spectra from 600d of Kepler observations
Context: The Kepler space mission is reaching continuous observing times long
enough to start studying the fine structure of the observed p-mode spectra.
Aims: In this paper, we aim to study the signature of stellar evolution on the
radial and p-dominated l=2 modes in an ensemble of red giants that show
solar-type oscillations. Results: We find that the phase shift of the central
radial mode (eps_c) is significantly different for red giants at a given large
frequency separation (Dnu_c) but which burn only H in a shell (RGB) than those
that have already ignited core He burning. Even though not directly probing the
stellar core the pair of local seismic observables (Dnu_c, eps_c) can be used
as an evolutionary stage discriminator that turned out to be as reliable as the
period spacing of the mixed dipole modes. We find a tight correlation between
eps_c and Dnu_c for RGB stars and no indication that eps_c depends on other
properties of these stars. It appears that the difference in eps_c between the
two populations becomes if we use an average of several radial orders, instead
of a local, i.e. only around the central radial mode, Dnu to determine the
phase shift. This indicates that the information on the evolutionary stage is
encoded locally, in the shape of the radial mode sequence. This shape turns out
to be approximately symmetric around the central radial mode for RGB stars but
asymmetric for core He burning stars. We computed radial modes for a sequence
of RG models and find them to qualitatively confirm our findings. We also find
that, at least in our models, the local Dnu is an at least as good and mostly
better proxy for both the asymptotic spacing and the large separation scaled
from the model density than the average Dnu. Finally, we investigate the
signature of the evolutionary stage on the small frequency separation and
quantify the mass dependency of this seismic parameter.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Phosphorus donors in highly strained silicon
The hyperfine interaction of phosphorus donors in fully strained Si thin
films grown on virtual SiGe substrates with is
determined via electrically detected magnetic resonance. For highly strained
epilayers, hyperfine interactions as low as 0.8 mT are observed, significantly
below the limit predicted by valley repopulation. Within a Green's function
approach, density functional theory (DFT) shows that the additional reduction
is caused by the volume increase of the unit cell and a local relaxation of the
Si ligands of the P donor.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure
YREC: The Yale Rotating Stellar Evolution Code
The stellar evolution code YREC is outlined with emphasis on its applications
to helio- and asteroseismology. The procedure for calculating calibrated solar
and stellar models is described. Other features of the code such as a non-local
treatment of convective core overshoot, and the implementation of a
parametrized description of turbulence in stellar models, are considered in
some detail. The code has been extensively used for other astrophysical
applications, some of which are briefly mentioned at the end of the paper.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, ApSS accepte
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