103 research outputs found
Quasi-Normal Modes of Stars and Black Holes
Perturbations of stars and black holes have been one of the main topics of
relativistic astrophysics for the last few decades. They are of particular
importance today, because of their relevance to gravitational wave astronomy.
In this review we present the theory of quasi-normal modes of compact objects
from both the mathematical and astrophysical points of view. The discussion
includes perturbations of black holes (Schwarzschild, Reissner-Nordstr\"om,
Kerr and Kerr-Newman) and relativistic stars (non-rotating and
slowly-rotating). The properties of the various families of quasi-normal modes
are described, and numerical techniques for calculating quasi-normal modes
reviewed. The successes, as well as the limits, of perturbation theory are
presented, and its role in the emerging era of numerical relativity and
supercomputers is discussed.Comment: 74 pages, 7 figures, Review article for "Living Reviews in
Relativity
Semi-analytic results for quasi-normal frequencies
The last decade has seen considerable interest in the quasi-normal
frequencies [QNFs] of black holes (and even wormholes), both asymptotically
flat and with cosmological horizons. There is wide agreement that the QNFs are
often of the form omega_n = (offset) + i n (gap), though some authors have
encountered situations where this behaviour seems to fail. To get a better
understanding of the general situation we consider a semi-analytic model based
on a piecewise Eckart (Poeschl-Teller) potential, allowing for different
heights and different rates of exponential falloff in the two asymptotic
directions. This model is sufficiently general to capture and display key
features of the black hole QNFs while simultaneously being analytically
tractable, at least for asymptotically large imaginary parts of the QNFs. We
shall derive an appropriate "quantization condition" for the asymptotic QNFs,
and extract as much analytic information as possible. In particular, we shall
explicitly verify that the (offset)+ i n (gap) behaviour is common but not
universal, with this behaviour failing unless the ratio of rates of exponential
falloff on the two sides of the potential is a rational number. (This is
"common but not universal" in the sense that the rational numbers are dense in
the reals.) We argue that this behaviour is likely to persist for black holes
with cosmological horizons.Comment: V1: 28 pages, no figures. V2: 3 references added, no physics changes.
V3: 29 pages, 9 references added, no physics changes; V4: reformatted, now 27
pages. Some clarifications, comparison with results obtained by monodromy
techniques. This version accepted for publication in JHEP. V5: Minor typos
fixed. Compatible with published versio
Low dimensional nanostructures of fast ion conducting lithium nitride
As the only stable binary compound formed between an alkali metal and nitrogen, lithium nitride possesses remarkable properties and is a model material for energy applications involving the transport of lithium ions. Following a materials design principle drawn from broad structural analogies to hexagonal graphene and boron nitride, we demonstrate that such low dimensional structures can also be formed from an s-block element and nitrogen. Both one- and two-dimensional nanostructures of lithium nitride, Li3N, can be grown despite the absence of an equivalent van der Waals gap. Lithium-ion diffusion is enhanced compared to the bulk compound, yielding materials with exceptional ionic mobility. Li3N demonstrates the conceptual assembly of ionic inorganic nanostructures from monolayers without the requirement of a van der Waals gap. Computational studies reveal an electronic structure mediated by the number of Li-N layers, with a transition from a bulk narrow-bandgap semiconductor to a metal at the nanoscale
Composition change-driven texturing and doping in solution-processed SnSe thermoelectric thin films
The discovery of SnSe single crystals with record high thermoelectric efficiency along the b-axis has led to the search for ways to synthesize polycrystalline SnSe with similar efficiencies. However, due to weak texturing and difficulties in doping, such high thermoelectric efficiencies have not been realized in polycrystals or thin films. Here, we show that highly textured and hole doped SnSe thin films with thermoelectric power factors at the single crystal level can be prepared by solution process. Purification step in the synthetic process produced a SnSe-based chalcogenidometallate precursor, which decomposes to form the SnSe2 phase. We show that the strong textures of the thin films in the b???c plane originate from the transition of two dimensional SnSe2 to SnSe. This composition change-driven transition offers wide control over composition and doping of the thin films. Our optimum SnSe thin films exhibit a thermoelectric power factor of 4.27 ??W cm???1 K???2
Secondary crystalline phases identification in Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin films: contributions from Raman scattering and photoluminescence
In this work, we present the Raman peak
positions of the quaternary pure selenide compound
Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) and related secondary phases that
were grown and studied under the same conditions. A vast
discussion about the position of the X-ray diffraction
(XRD) reflections of these compounds is presented. It is
known that by using XRD only, CZTSe can be identified
but nothing can be said about the presence of some secondary
phases. Thin films of CZTSe, Cu2SnSe3, ZnSe,
SnSe, SnSe2, MoSe2 and a-Se were grown, which allowed
their investigation by Raman spectroscopy (RS). Here we
present all the Raman spectra of these phases and discuss
the similarities with the spectra of CZTSe. The effective
analysis depth for the common back-scattering geometry
commonly used in RS measurements, as well as the laser penetration depth for photoluminescence (PL) were estimated
for different wavelength values. The observed
asymmetric PL band on a CZTSe film is compatible with
the presence of CZTSe single-phase and is discussed in the
scope of the fluctuating potentials’ model. The estimated
bandgap energy is close to the values obtained from
absorption measurements. In general, the phase identification
of CZTSe benefits from the contributions of RS and
PL along with the XRD discussion.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Space Division Multiplexing in Optical Fibres
Optical communications technology has made enormous and steady progress for
several decades, providing the key resource in our increasingly
information-driven society and economy. Much of this progress has been in
finding innovative ways to increase the data carrying capacity of a single
optical fibre. In this search, researchers have explored (and close to
maximally exploited) every available degree of freedom, and even commercial
systems now utilize multiplexing in time, wavelength, polarization, and phase
to speed more information through the fibre infrastructure. Conspicuously, one
potentially enormous source of improvement has however been left untapped in
these systems: fibres can easily support hundreds of spatial modes, but today's
commercial systems (single-mode or multi-mode) make no attempt to use these as
parallel channels for independent signals.Comment: to appear in Nature Photonic
Exploring new physics frontiers through numerical relativity
The demand to obtain answers to highly complex problems within strong-field gravity has been met with significant progress in the numerical solution of Einstein's equations - along with some spectacular results - in various setups. We review techniques for solving Einstein's equations in generic spacetimes, focusing on fully nonlinear evolutions but also on how to benchmark those results with perturbative approaches. The results address problems in high-energy physics, holography, mathematical physics, fundamental physics, astrophysics and cosmology
Did smokefree legislation in England reduce exposure to secondhand smoke among nonsmoking adults? Cotinine analysis from the Health Survey for England.
Background: On 1 July 2007, smokefree legislation was implemented in England, which made virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces smokefree.
Objectives: We examined trends in and predictors of secondhand smoke exposure among nonsmoking adults to determine whether exposure changed after the introduction of smokefree legislation and whether these changes varied by socioeconomic status (SES) and by household smoking status.
Methods: We analyzed salivary cotinine data from the Health Survey for England that were collected in 7 of 11 annual surveys undertaken between 1998 and 2008. We conducted multivariate regression analyses to examine secondhand smoke exposure as measured by the proportion of nonsmokers with undetectable levels of cotinine and by geometric mean cotinine.
Results: Secondhand smoke exposure was higher among those exposed at home and among lower-SES groups. Exposure declined markedly from 1998 to 2008 (the proportion of participants with undetectable cotinine was 2.9 times higher in the last 6 months of 2008 compared with the first 6 months of 1998 and geometric mean cotinine declined by 80%). We observed a significant fall in exposure after legislation was introduced—the odds of having undetectable cotinine were 1.5 times higher [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3, 1.8] and geometric mean cotinine fell by 27% (95% CI: 17%, 36%) after adjusting for the prelegislative trend and potential confounders. Significant reductions were not, however, seen in those living in lower-social class households or homes where smoking occurs inside on most days.
Conclusions: We found that the impact of England’s smokefree legislation on secondhand smoke exposure was above and beyond the underlying long-term decline in secondhand smoke exposure and demonstrates the positive effect of the legislation. Nevertheless, some population subgroups appear not to have benefitted significantly from the legislation. This finding suggests that these groups should receive more support to reduce their exposure
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