8,460 research outputs found
Noise characterization for resonantly-enhanced polarimetric vacuum magnetic-birefringence experiments
In this work we present data characterizing the sensitivity of the
Bir\'{e}fringence Magnetique du Vide (BMV) instrument. BMV is an experiment
attempting to measure vacuum magnetic birefringence (VMB) via the measurement
of an ellipticity induced in a linearly polarized laser field propagating
through a birefringent region of vacuum in the presence of an external magnetic
field. Correlated measurements of laser noise alongside the measurement in the
main detection channel allow us to separate measured sensing noise from the
inherent birefringence noise of the apparatus. To this end we model different
sources of sensing noise for cavity-enhanced polarimetry experiments, such as
BMV. Our goal is to determine the main sources of noise, clarifying the
limiting factors of such an apparatus. We find our noise models are compatible
with the measured sensitivity of BMV. In this context we compare the phase
sensitivity of separate-arm interferometers to that of a polarimetry apparatus
for the discussion of current and future VMB measurements
Dependence of inner-shell vacancy production upon distance in hard Li-Al collisions
We match the predictions of molecular-dynamics simulations of 1.2 keV and 2.0 keV 7Li+ scattered from Al(100) to observed total Li atom spectra measured by time-of-flight spectroscopy. In doing so we determine the relevant parameters in a simple distance of closest approach model for the probability of production of single and double vacancies in the Li 1s shell during hard Li-Al collisions. In the standard Fano-Lichten model of vacancy production, vacancies are produced with unit probability if the collision is hard enough to force the collision partners past some critical distance of closest approach. We find that such an assumption is insufficient to fit our simulations to experimental observations, and that we must allow for a gradual turning on of the vacancy production probability as the distance of closest approach decreases. The resulting model may be useful in modeling atomic excitation effects in simulations of other ion-impact processes
[TiII] and [NiII] emission from the strontium filament of eta Carinae
We study the nature of the [TiII] and [NiII] emission from the so-called
strontium filament found in the ejecta of eta Carinae. To this purpose we
employ multilevel models of the TiII and NiII systems which are used to
investigate the physical condition of the filament and the excitation
mechanisms of the observed lines. For the TiII ion, for which no atomic data
was previously available, we carry out ab initio calculations of radiative
transition rates and electron impact excitation rate coefficients. It is found
that the observed spectrum is consistent with the lines being excited in a
mostly neutral region with an electron density of the order of cm
and a temperature around 6000 K. In analyzing three observations with different
slit orientations recorded between March~2000 and November~2001 we find line
ratios that change among various observations, in a way consistent with changes
of up to an order of magnitude in the strength of the continuum radiation
field. These changes result from different samplings of the extended filament,
due to the different slit orientations used for each observation, and yield
clues on the spatial extent and optical depth of the filament. The observed
emission indicates a large Ti/Ni abundance ratio relative to solar abundances.
It is suggested that the observed high Ti/Ni ratio in gas is caused by dust-gas
fractionation processes and does not reflect the absolute Ti/Ni ratio in the
ejecta of \etacar. We study the condensation chemistry of Ti, Ni and Fe within
the filament and suggest that the observed gas phase overabundance of TiComment: 14 paginas, 12 figure
On the CFT duals for near-extremal black holes
We consider Kerr-Newman-AdS-dS black holes near extremality and work out the
near-horizon geometry of these near-extremal black holes. We identify the exact
U(1)_L x U(1)_R isometries of the near-horizon geometry and provide boundary
conditions enhancing them to a pair of commuting Virasoro algebras. The
conserved charges of the corresponding asymptotic symmetries are found to be
well defined and non-vanishing and to yield central charges c_L\neq0 and c_R=0.
The Cardy formula subsequently reproduces the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of the
black hole. This suggests that the near-extremal Kerr-Newman-AdS-dS black hole
is holographically dual to a non-chiral two-dimensional conformal field theory.Comment: 11 page
Existence and homogenization of the Rayleigh-B\'enard problem
The Navier-Stokes equation driven by heat conduction is studied. As a
prototype we consider Rayleigh-B\'enard convection, in the Boussinesq
approximation. Under a large aspect ratio assumption, which is the case in
Rayleigh-B\'enard experiments with Prandtl number close to one, we prove the
existence of a global strong solution to the 3D Navier-Stokes equation coupled
with a heat equation, and the existence of a maximal B-attractor. A rigorous
two-scale limit is obtained by homogenization theory. The mean velocity field
is obtained by averaging the two-scale limit over the unit torus in the local
variable
A near-NHEK/CFT correspondence
We consider excitations around the recently introduced near-NHEK metric
describing the near-horizon geometry of the near-extremal four-dimensional Kerr
black hole. This geometry has a U(1)_L x U(1)_R isometry group which can be
enhanced to a pair of commuting Virasoro algebras. We present boundary
conditions for which the conserved charges of the corresponding asymptotic
symmetries are well defined and non-vanishing and find the central charges
c_L=12J/hbar and c_R=0 where J is the angular momentum of the black hole.
Applying the Cardy formula reproduces the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy of the
black hole. This suggests that the near-extremal Kerr black hole is
holographically dual to a non-chiral two-dimensional conformal field theory.Comment: 11 pages, v2: references updated, adde
The planet search programme at the ESO CES and HARPS. IV. The search for Jupiter analogues around solar-like stars
In 1992 we began a precision radial velocity (RV) survey for planets around
solar-like stars with the Coude Echelle Spectrograph and the Long Camera (CES
LC) at the 1.4 m telescope in La Silla (Chile). We have continued the survey
with the upgraded CES Very Long Camera (VLC) and HARPS, both at the 3.6 m
telescope, until 2007. The observations for 31 stars cover a time span of up to
15 years and the RV precision permit a search for Jupiter analogues. We perform
a joint analysis for variability, trends, periodicities, and Keplerian orbits
and compute detection limits. Moreover, the HARPS RVs are analysed for
correlations with activity indicators (CaII H&K and CCF shape). We achieve a
long-term RV precision of 15 m/s (CES+LC, 1992-1998), 9 m/s (CES+VLC,
1999-2006), and 2.8 m/s (HARPS, 2003-2009, including archive data), resp. This
enables us to confirm the known planets around Iota Hor, HR 506, and HR 3259. A
steady RV trend for Eps Ind A can be explained by a planetary companion. On the
other hand, we find previously reported trends to be smaller for Beta Hyi and
not present for Alp Men. The candidate planet Eps Eri b was not detected
despite our better precision. Also the planet announced for HR 4523 cannot be
confirmed. Long-term trends in several of our stars are compatible with known
stellar companions. We provide a spectroscopic orbital solution for the binary
HR 2400 and refined solutions for the planets around HR 506 and Iota Hor. For
some other stars the variations could be attributed to stellar activity. The
occurrence of two Jupiter-mass planets in our sample is in line with the
estimate of 10% for the frequency of giant planets with periods smaller than 10
yr around solar-like stars. We have not detected a Jupiter analogue, while the
detections limits for circular orbits indicate at 5 AU a sensitivity for
minimum mass of at least 1 M_Jup (2 M_Jup) for 13% (61%) of the stars.Comment: 63 pages, 24 figures (+33 online figures), 13 Tables, accepted for
publication in A&A (2012-11-13
Simulation of MeV/atom cluster correlations in matter
We present an efficient algorithm able to predict the trajectories of individual cluster constituents as they penetrate relatively thick amorphous targets. Our algorithm properly treats both the intracluster Coulomb repulsion and the collisions between cluster constituents and target atoms. We have compared our simulation predictions to experimental measurements of the distribution of lateral exit velocities, and demonstrated that the in-target Coulomb explosion of 2MeV/atom carbon clusters in carbon foils must be shielded with a screening length of less than 2.5 Å. We also present a simple phenomenological model for the suppression of the exit-side charge of ions in clusters which depends on the enhanced ionization potential that an electron near an ion feels due to the ion’s charged comoving neighbors. By using our simulation algorithm we have predicted the exit correlations of the cluster constituents and verified that the charge suppression model fits the observed charge suppression of ions in clusters to within the experimental uncertainties
Secular spin-down of the AMP XTE J1751-305
Context. Of the 13 known accreting millisecond pulsars, only a few showed
more than one outburst during the RXTE era. XTE J1751-305 showed, after the
main outburst in 2002, other three dim outbursts. We report on the timing
analysis of the latest one, occurred on October 8, 2009 and serendipitously
observed from its very beginning by RXTE. Aims. The detection of the pulsation
during more than one outburst permits to obtain a better constraint of the
orbital parameters and their evolution as well as to track the secular spin
frequency evolution of the source. Methods. Using the RXTE data of the last
outburst of the AMP XTE J1751-305, we performed a timing analysis to improve
the orbital parameters. Because of the low statistics, we used an epoch folding
search technique on the whole data set to improve the local estimate of the
time of ascending node passage. Results. Using this new orbital solution we
epoch folded data obtaining three pulse phase delays on a time span of 1.2
days, that we fitted using a constant spin frequency model. Comparing this
barycentric spin frequency with that of the 2002 outburst, we obtained a
secular spin frequency derivative of -0.55(12) x 10^{-14} Hz s^{-1}. In the
hypothesis that the secular spin-down is due to a rotating magneto-dipole
emission, consistently with what is assumed for radio pulsars, we estimate the
pulsar's magnetic dipole value. We derive an estimate of the magnetic field
strength at the polar cap of B_{PC} = 4.0(4) x 10^8 Gauss, for a neutron star
mass of 1.4M\odot, assuming the Friedman Pandharipande Skyrme equation of
state.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication on A&
A note on Kerr/CFT and free fields
The near-horizon geometry of the extremal four-dimensional Kerr black hole
and certain generalizations thereof has an SL(2,R) x U(1) isometry group.
Excitations around this geometry can be controlled by imposing appropriate
boundary conditions. For certain boundary conditions, the U(1) isometry is
enhanced to a Virasoro algebra. Here, we propose a free-field construction of
this Virasoro algebra.Comment: 10 pages, v2: comments and references adde
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