206 research outputs found
Deep rest-frame far-UV spectroscopy of the giant Lyman-alpha emitter 'Himiko'
We present deep 10h VLT/XSHOOTER spectroscopy for an extraordinarily luminous
and extended Lya emitter at z=6.595 referred to as Himiko and first discussed
by Ouchi et al. (2009), with the purpose of constraining the mechanisms
powering its strong emission. Complementary to the spectrum, we discuss NIR
imaging data from the CANDELS survey. We find neither for HeII nor any metal
line a significant excess, with 3 sigma upper limits of 6.8, 3.1, and
5.8x10^{-18} erg/s/cm^2 for CIV 1549, HeII 1640, CIII]
1909, respectively, assuming apertures with 200 km/s widths and offset
by -250 km/s w.r.t to the peak Lya redshift. These limits provide strong
evidence that an AGN is not a major contribution to Himiko's Lya flux. Strong
conclusions about the presence of PopIII star-formation or gravitational
cooling radiation are not possible based on the obtained HeII upper limit. Our
Lya spectrum confirms both spatial extent and flux (8.8+/-0.5x10^{-17}
erg/s/cm^2) of previous measurements. In addition, we can unambiguously exclude
any remaining chance of it being a lower redshift interloper by significantly
detecting a continuum redwards of Lya, while being undetected bluewards
Observation of Three-dimensional Long-range Order in Smaller Ion Coulomb Crystals in an rf Trap
Three-dimensional long-range ordered structures in smaller and
near-spherically symmetric Coulomb crystals of ^{40}Ca^+ ions confined in a
linear rf Paul trap have been observed when the number of ions exceeds ~1000
ions. This result is unexpected from ground state molecular dynamics (MD)
simulations, but found to be in agreement with MD simulations of metastable ion
configurations. Previously, three-dimensional long-range ordered structures
have only been reported in Penning traps in systems of ~50,000 ions or more.Comment: 5 pages; 4 figures; to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett.; changed content
Draft genome sequence of MCPA-degrading <i>Sphingomonas </i>sp. strain ERG5, isolated from a groundwater aquifer in Denmark
Sphingomonas sp. strain ERG5 was isolated from a bacterial community, originating from a groundwater aquifer polluted with low pesticide concentrations. This bacterium degrades 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) in a wide spectrum of concentrations and has been shown to function in bioaugmented sand filters. Genes associated with MCPA degradation are situated on a putative conjugative plasmid
Non-Destructive Probing of Rabi Oscillations on the Cesium Clock Transition near the Standard Quantum Limit
We report on non-destructive observation of Rabi oscillations on the Cs clock
transition. The internal atomic state evolution of a dipole-trapped ensemble of
cold atoms is inferred from the phase shift of a probe laser beam as measured
using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. We describe a single color as well as a
two-color probing scheme. Using the latter, measurements of the collective
pseudo-spin projection of atoms in a superposition of the clock states are
performed and the observed spin fluctuations are shown to be close to the
standard quantum limit.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Letter
The mass and age of the first SONG target: the red giant 46 LMi
Context. The Stellar Observation Network Group (SONG) is an initiative to build a worldwide network of 1m telescopes with high-precision radial-velocity spectrographs. Here we analyse the first radial-velocity time series of a red-giant star measured by the SONG
telescope at Tenerife. The asteroseismic results demonstrate a major increase in the achievable precision of the parameters for red-giant
stars obtainable from ground-based observations. Reliable tests of the validity of these results are needed, however, before the accuracy
of the parameters can be trusted.
Aims. We analyse the first SONG time series for the star 46 LMi, which has a precise parallax and an angular diameter measured from interferometry, and therefore a good determination of the stellar radius. We use asteroseismic scaling relations to obtain an accurate mass, and modelling to determine the age.
Methods. A 55-day time series of high-resolution, high S/N spectra were obtained with the first SONG telescope. We derive the asteroseismic parameters by analysing the power spectrum. To give a best guess on the large separation of modes in the power spectrum, we have applied a new method which uses the scaling of Kepler red-giant stars to 46 LMi.
Results. Several methods have been applied: classical estimates, seismic methods using the observed time series, and model calculations to derive the fundamental parameters of 46 LMi. Parameters determined using the different methods are consistent within the uncertainties. We find the following values for the mass M (scaling), radius R (classical), age (modelling), and surface gravity (combining mass and radius): M = 1.09 ± 0.04 M⊙, R = 7.95 ± 0.11 R⊙ age t = 8.2 ± 1.9 Gy, and log g = 2.674 ± 0.013.
Conclusions. The exciting possibilities for ground-based asteroseismology of solar-like oscillations with a fully robotic network have been illustrated with the results obtained from just a single site of the SONG network. The window function is still a severe problem which will be solved when there are more nodes in the network
Cognitive Dysfunction in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease—Current Knowledge, Mechanisms and Perspectives
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as the hepatic component of the metabolic syndrome and now seemingly affects one-fourth of the world population. Features associated with NAFLD and the metabolic syndrome have frequently been linked to cognitive dysfunction, i.e. systemic inflammation, vascular dysfunction, and sleep apnoea. However, emerging evidence suggests that NAFLD may be a cause of cognitive dysfunction independent of these factors. NAFLD in addition exhibits dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and impaired urea cycle function, favouring systemic ammonia accumulation and further promotes systemic inflammation. Such disruption of the gut–liver–brain axis is essential in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy, the neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with progressive liver disease. Considering the growing burden of NAFLD, the morbidity from cognitive impairment is expected to have huge societal and economic impact. The present paper provides a review of the available evidence for cognitive dysfunction in NAFLD and outlines its possible mechanisms. Moreover, the clinical challenges of characterizing and diagnosing cognitive dysfunction in NAFLD are discussed
All-optical ion generation for ion trap loading
We have investigated the all-optical generation of ions by photo-ionisation
of atoms generated by pulsed laser ablation. A direct comparison between a
resistively heated oven source and pulsed laser ablation is reported. Pulsed
laser ablation with 10 ns Nd:YAG laser pulses is shown to produce large calcium
flux, corresponding to atomic beams produced with oven temperatures greater
than 650 K. For an equivalent atomic flux, pulsed laser ablation is shown to
produce a thermal load more than one order of magnitude smaller than the oven
source. The atomic beam distributions obey Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics with
most probable speeds corresponding to temperatures greater than 2200 K. Below a
threshold pulse fluence between 280 mJ/cm^2 and 330 mJ/cm^2, the atomic beam is
composed exclusively of ground state atoms. For higher fluences ions and
excited atoms are generated.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figure
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