891 research outputs found
Large X-ray Flares from LMC X-4: Discovery of Milli-hertz Quasi-periodic Oscillations and QPO-modulated Pulsations
We report the discovery of milli-hertz (mHz) quasi-periodic oscillations
(QPOs) and QPO-modulated pulsations during large X-ray flares from the
high-mass X-ray binary pulsar LMC X-4 using data from the Rossi X-Ray Timing
Explorer (RXTE). The lightcurves of flares show that, in addition to ~74 mHz
coherent pulsations, there exist two more time-varying temporal structures at
frequencies of ~0.65-1.35 and ~2-20 mHz. These relatively long-term structures
appear in the power density spectra as mHz QPOs and as well-developed sidebands
around the coherent pulse frequency as well, indicating that the amplitudes of
the coherent pulsation is modulated by those of the mHz QPOs. One interesting
feature is that, while the first flare shows symmetric sidebands around the
coherent pulse frequency, the second flare shows significant excess emission in
the lower-frequency sidebands due to the ~2-20 mHz QPOs. We discuss the origin
of the QPOs using a combination of the beat-frequency model and a modified
version of the Keplerian-frequency model. According to our discussion, it seems
to be possible to attribute the origin of the ~0.65-1.35 and ~2-20 mHz QPOs to
the beating between the rotational frequency of the neutron star and the
Keplerian frequency of large accreting clumps near the corotation radius and to
the orbital motion of clumps at Keplerian radii of 2-10 times 10^9 cm,
respectively.Comment: 12 pages, including 4 figures; accepted by ApJ Letter
Universal Behavior of the Resistance Noise across the Metal-Insulator Transition in Silicon Inversion Layers
Studies of low-frequency resistance noise show that the glassy freezing of
the two-dimensional (2D) electron system in the vicinity of the metal-insulator
transition occurs in all Si inversion layers. The size of the metallic glass
phase, which separates the 2D metal and the (glassy) insulator, depends
strongly on disorder, becoming extremely small in high-mobility samples. The
behavior of the second spectrum, an important fourth-order noise statistic,
indicates the presence of long-range correlations between fluctuators in the
glassy phase, consistent with the hierarchical picture of glassy dynamics.Comment: revtex4; 4+ pages, 5 figure
Spin-independent origin of the strongly enhanced effective mass in a dilute 2D electron system
We have accurately measured the effective mass in a dilute two-dimensional
electron system in silicon by analyzing temperature dependence of the
Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in the low-temperature limit. A sharp increase
of the effective mass with decreasing electron density has been observed. Using
tilted magnetic fields, we have found that the enhanced effective mass is
independent of the degree of spin polarization, which points to a
spin-independent origin of the mass enhancement and is in contradiction with
existing theories
Constraints on the Formation and Evolution of Circumstellar Disks in Rotating Magnetized Cloud Cores
We use magnetic collapse models to place some constraints on the formation
and angular momentum evolution of circumstellar disks which are embedded in
magnetized cloud cores. Previous models have shown that the early evolution of
a magnetized cloud core is governed by ambipolar diffusion and magnetic
braking, and that the core takes the form of a nonequilibrium flattened
envelope which ultimately collapses dynamically to form a protostar. In this
paper, we focus on the inner centrifugally-supported disk, which is formed only
after a central protostar exists, and grows by dynamical accretion from the
flattened envelope. We estimate a centrifugal radius for the collapse of mass
shells within a rotating, magnetized cloud core. The centrifugal radius of the
inner disk is related to its mass through the two important parameters
characterizing the background medium: the background rotation rate \Omb and
the background magnetic field strength \Bref. We also revisit the issue of
how rapidly mass is deposited onto the disk (the mass accretion rate) and use
several recent models to comment upon the likely outcome in magnetized cores.
Our model predicts that a significant centrifugal disk (much larger than a
stellar radius) will be present in the very early (Class 0) stage of
protostellar evolution. Additionally, we derive an upper limit for the disk
radius as it evolves due to internal torques, under the assumption that the
star-disk system conserves its mass and angular momentum even while most of the
mass is transferred to a central star.Comment: 23 pages, 1 figure, aastex, to appear in the Astrophysical Journal
(10 Dec 1998
Proximity at a distance:The relationship between foreign subsidiary co-location and MNC headquarters board interlock formation
Effective Conformal Theory and the Flat-Space Limit of AdS
We develop the idea of an effective conformal theory describing the low-lying
spectrum of the dilatation operator in a CFT. Such an effective theory is
useful when the spectrum contains a hierarchy in the dimension of operators,
and a small parameter whose role is similar to that of 1/N in a large N gauge
theory. These criteria insure that there is a regime where the dilatation
operator is modified perturbatively. Global AdS is the natural framework for
perturbations of the dilatation operator respecting conformal invariance, much
as Minkowski space naturally describes Lorentz invariant perturbations of the
Hamiltonian. Assuming that the lowest-dimension single-trace operator is a
scalar, O, we consider the anomalous dimensions, gamma(n,l), of the
double-trace operators of the form O (del^2)^n (del)^l O. Purely from the CFT
we find that perturbative unitarity places a bound on these dimensions of
|gamma(n,l)|<4. Non-renormalizable AdS interactions lead to violations of the
bound at large values of n. We also consider the case that these interactions
are generated by integrating out a heavy scalar field in AdS. We show that the
presence of the heavy field "unitarizes" the growth in the anomalous
dimensions, and leads to a resonance-like behavior in gamma(n,l) when n is
close to the dimension of the CFT operator dual to the heavy field. Finally, we
demonstrate that bulk flat-space S-matrix elements can be extracted from the
large n behavior of the anomalous dimensions. This leads to a direct connection
between the spectrum of anomalous dimensions in d-dimensional CFTs and
flat-space S-matrix elements in d+1 dimensions. We comment on the emergence of
flat-space locality from the CFT perspective.Comment: 46 pages, 2 figures. v2: JHEP published versio
Stabilizing role of platelet P2Y(12) receptors in shear-dependent thrombus formation on ruptured plaques
Background: In most models of experimental thrombosis, healthy blood vessels are damaged. This results in the formation of a platelet thrombus that is stabilized by ADP signaling via P2Y(12) receptors. However, such models do not predict involvement of P2Y(12) in the clinically relevant situation of thrombosis upon rupture of atherosclerotic plaques. We investigated the role of P2Y(12) in thrombus formation on (collagen-containing) atherosclerotic plaques in vitro and in vivo, by using a novel mouse model of atherothrombosis.
Methodology: Plaques in the carotid arteries from Apoe(-/-) mice were acutely ruptured by ultrasound treatment, and the thrombotic process was monitored via intravital fluorescence microscopy. Thrombus formation in vitro was assessed in mouse and human blood perfused over collagen or plaque material under variable conditions of shear rate and coagulation. Effects of two reversible P2Y(12) blockers, ticagrelor (AZD6140) and cangrelor (AR-C69931MX), were investigated.
Principal Findings: Acute plaque rupture by ultrasound treatment provoked rapid formation of non-occlusive thrombi, which were smaller in size and unstable in the presence of P2Y(12) blockers. In vitro, when mouse or human blood was perfused over collagen or atherosclerotic plaque material, blockage or deficiency of P2Y(12) reduced the thrombi and increased embolization events. These P2Y(12) effects were present at shear rates >500 s(-1), and they persisted in the presence of coagulation. P2Y(12)-dependent thrombus stabilization was accompanied by increased fibrin(ogen) binding.
Conclusions/Significance: Platelet P2Y(12) receptors play a crucial role in the stabilization of thrombi formed on atherosclerotic plaques. This P2Y(12) function is restricted to high shear flow conditions, and is preserved in the presence of coagulation
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