6,309 research outputs found
A Color-Magnitude Diagram for a Globular Cluster In the Giant Elliptical Galaxy NGC 5128
The Hubble Space Telescope has been used to obtain WFPC2 (V,I) photometry for
a large sample of stars in the outer halo of the giant elliptical NGC 5128 (d =
4 Mpc). The globular cluster N5128-C44, at the center of the Planetary Camera
field, is well enough resolved to permit the construction of a color-magnitude
diagram (CMD) for it which covers the brightest two magnitudes of the giant
branch. The CMD is consistent with that of a normal old, moderately
low-metallicity ([Fe/H] = -1.30 globular cluster, distinctly more metal-poor
than most of the field halo stars at the same projected location (which average
[Fe/H] ~ -0.5). This is the most distant globular cluster in which direct
color-magnitude photometry has been achieved to date, and the first one
belonging to a giant E galaxy.Comment: 12 pages, LaTeX, including 5 postscript figures; submitted to
Astronomical Journa
Crystal Nucleation in a Supercooled Liquid with Glassy Dynamics
In simulations of supercooled, high-density liquid silica we study a range of
temperature T in which we find both crystal nucleation, as well as the
characteristic dynamics of a glass forming liquid, including a breakdown of the
Stokes-Einstein relation. We find that the liquid cannot be observed below a
homogeneous nucleation limit (HNL) at which the liquid crystallizes faster than
it can equilibrate. We show that the HNL would occur at lower T, and perhaps
not at all, if the Stokes-Einstein relation were obeyed, and hence that glassy
dynamics plays a central role in setting a crystallization limit on the liquid
state in this case. We also explore the relation of the HNL to the Kauzmann
temperature, and test for spinodal-like effects near the HNL.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Lunar Rocks as a Source of Oxygen
A thermodynamic study of the thermal stability of conventional terrestrial minerals in a hypothetical lunar atmosphere has opened some interesting speculation. Much of the Earth's crust is composed of oxides of silicon, aluminum, magnesium, and related compounds. These crust components may be as much a product of the Earth's atmosphere as vegetation and animal life. Though inanimate and long considered imperishable, these materials are stable under conditions of an atmosphere equivalent to 34 ft of water at sea level and persist under adverse conditions of moisture and temperature to altitudes of roughly 29,000 ft above sea level. The oxygen content averages 21% ) and the oxygen partial pressure would be roughly 1/5 atm
Spectral statistics of the quenched normal modes of a network-forming molecular liquid
We evaluate the density of states of the quenched normal modes of ST2 water,
and their statistical fluctuations, for a range of densities spanning three
regimes of behavior of a hydrogen bonded liquid: a lower-density regime of
random tetrahedral network formation; in the vicinity of a liquid-liquid
critical point; and in a higher-density regime of fragile glass-forming
behavior. For all cases we find that the fluctuations around the mean spectral
densities obey the predictions of the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble of random
matrix theory. We also measure the participation ratio of the normal modes
across the entire frequency range, and find behavior consistent with the
majority of modes being of an extended nature, rather than localized.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Journal of Chemical Physic
Matrix bandwidth and profile reduction
This program, REDUCE, reduces the bandwidth and profile of sparse symmetric matrices, using row and corresponding column permutations. It is a realization of the algorithm described by the authors elsewhere. It was extensively tested and compared with several other programs and was found to be considerably faster than the others, superior for bandwidth reduction and as satisfactory as any other for profile reduction
Simulations of a lattice model of two-headed linear amphiphiles: influence of amphiphile asymmetry
Using a 2D lattice model, we conduct Monte Carlo simulations of micellar
aggregation of linear-chain amphiphiles having two solvophilic head groups. In
the context of this simple model, we quantify how the amphiphile architecture
influences the critical micelle concentration (CMC), with a particular focus on
the role of the asymmetry of the amphiphile structure. Accordingly, we study
all possible arrangements of the head groups along amphiphile chains of fixed
length and 16 molecular units. This set of idealized amphiphile
architectures approximates many cases of symmetric and asymmetric gemini
surfactants, double-headed surfactants and boloform surfactants. Consistent
with earlier results, we find that the number of spacer units separating
the heads has a significant influence on the CMC, with the CMC increasing with
for . In comparison, the influence of the asymmetry of the chain
architecture on the CMC is much weaker, as is also found experimentally.Comment: 30 pages, 17 fgure
A general interpolation scheme for thermal fluctuations in superconductors
We present a general interpolation theory for the phenomenological effects of
thermal fluctuations in superconductors. Fluctuations are described by a simple
gauge invariant extension of the gaussian effective potential for the
Ginzburg-Landau static model. The approach is shown to be a genuine variational
method, and to be stationary for infinitesimal gauge variations around the
Landau gauge. Correlation and penetration lengths are shown to depart from the
mean field behaviour in a more or less wide range of temperature below the
critical regime, depending on the class of material considered. The method is
quite general and yields a very good interpolation of the experimental data for
very different materials.Comment: some misprints have been corrected in Eq.(15),(19); more references
and comments have been adde
Axially open nonradiative structures: an example of single-mode resonator based on the sample holder
The concept of nonradiative dielectric resonator is generalized in order to
include axially open configurations having rotational invariance. The resulting
additional nonradiative conditions are established for the different resonance
modes on the basis of their azimuthal modal index. An approximate chart of the
allowed dielectric and geometrical parameters for the TE011 mode is given. A
practical realization of the proposed device based on commercial fused quartz
tubes is demonstrated at millimeter wavelengths, together with simple
excitation and tuning mechanisms. The observed resonances are characterized in
their basic parameters, as well as in the field distribution by means of a
finite element method. The predictions of the theoretical analysis are well
confirmed, both in the general behaviour and in the expected quality factors.
The resulting device, in which the sample holder acts itself as single-mode
resonating element, combines an extreme ease of realization with
state-of-the-art performances. The general benefits of the proposed open
single-mode resonators are finally discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figure
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