10,279 research outputs found
A repulsive atomic gas in a harmonic trap on the border of itinerant ferromagnetism
Alongside superfluidity, itinerant (Stoner) ferromagnetism remains one of the
most well-characterized phases of correlated Fermi systems. A recent experiment
has reported the first evidence for novel phase behavior on the repulsive side
of the Feshbach resonance in a two-component ultracold Fermi gas. By adapting
recent theoretical studies to the atomic trap geometry, we show that an
adiabatic ferromagnetic transition would take place at a weaker interaction
strength than is observed in experiment. This discrepancy motivates a simple
non-equilibrium theory that takes account of the dynamics of magnetic defects
and three-body losses. The formalism developed displays good quantitative
agreement with experiment.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
A VLT/FLAMES survey for massive binaries in Westerlund 1 IV. Wd1-5 – binary product and a pre-supernova companion for the magnetar CXOU J1647-45?
Context. The first soft gamma-ray repeater was discovered over three decades ago, and was subsequently identified as a magnetar, a class of highly magnetised neutron star. It has been hypothesised that these stars power some of the brightest supernovae known, and that they may form the central engines of some long duration gamma-ray bursts. However there is currently no consenus on the formation channel(s) of these objects.Aims. The presence of a magnetar in the starburst cluster Westerlund 1 implies a progenitor with a mass ≥40 M⊙, which favours its formation in a binary that was disrupted at supernova. To test this hypothesis we conducted a search for the putative pre-SN companion.Methods. This was accomplished via a radial velocity survey to identify high-velocity runaways, with subsequent non-LTE model atmosphere analysis of the resultant candidate, Wd1-5.Results. Wd1-5 closely resembles the primaries in the short-period binaries, Wd1-13 and 44, suggesting a similar evolutionary history, although it currently appears single. It is overluminous for its spectroscopic mass and we find evidence of He- and N-enrichement, O-depletion, and critically C-enrichment, a combination of properties that is difficult to explain under single star evolutionary paradigms. We infer a pre-SN history for Wd1-5 which supposes an initial close binary comprising two stars of comparable (~ 41 M⊙ + 35 M⊙) masses. Efficient mass transfer from the initially more massive component leads to the mass-gainer evolving more rapidly, initiating luminous blue variable/common envelope evolution. Reverse, wind-driven mass transfer during its subsequent WC Wolf-Rayet phase leads to the carbon pollution of Wd1-5, before a type Ibc supernova disrupts the binary system. Under the assumption of a physical association between Wd1-5 and J1647-45, the secondary is identified as the magnetar progenitor; its common envelope evolutionary phase prevents spin-down of its core prior to SN and the seed magnetic field for the magnetar forms either in this phase or during the earlier episode of mass transfer in which it was spun-up.Conclusions. Our results suggest that binarity is a key ingredient in the formation of at least a subset of magnetars by preventing spin-down via core-coupling and potentially generating a seed magnetic field. The apparent formation of a magnetar in a Type Ibc supernova is consistent with recent suggestions that superluminous Type Ibc supernovae are powered by the rapid spin-down of these objects
COSWIN Logiciel de Maintenance des Equipements de Levage
La section 'Maintenance d'équipements de levage' assure l'entretien préventif et correctif d'un parc de 2800 appareils de levage et de manutention. Cette tâche est effectuée en collaboration avec une entreprise, spécialisée dans la maintenance industrielle. Pour faciliter la gestion des interventions, la section ST-HM-PR dispose depuis 1985 d'un système de gestion de maintenance assistée par ordinateur (GMAO). En 1996, cet ancien système a été remplacé par le logiciel 'COSWIN'. Celui-ci correspond aux besoins de la maintenance des appareils de levage. Sa disponibilité sous la plate-forme 'WINDOWS' rend l'utilisation de la GMAO facile et conviviale. 'COSWIN' travaillant en réseau, la base de données est commune pour tous les utilisateurs et mise à jour en temps réel. Depuis leurs locaux, situés au Technoparc de St. Genis, les opérateurs de l'entreprise contractante ont accès au logiciel par une ligne téléphonique. Le contrôle et le suivi des performances de l'entreprise se fait par l'analyse des différents ratios
Système de contrôle des chargeurs de batteries des chariots électriques de l'anneau SPS
La Section Maintenance d'équipements de levage assure le suivi de 2746 appareils de levage et de manutention répartis en 22 familles. La Section gère également l'achat, l'installation et la mise en service des nouveaux équipements. En Novembre 1996, un système de contrôle des chargeurs de batteries pour les chariots circulant dans l'anneau du SPS a été installé. Ce système nous permet, depuis un ordinateur installé dans nos bureaux, de visualiser les statuts des 47 chargeurs répartis sur les différents points du SPS, de vérifier la courbe de charge de chaque batterie, de déclencher le remplissage en eau distillée, et de démarrer le brassage pneumatique de l'électrolyte. Nous pouvons également programmer les périodes de non-enclenchement de nos chargeurs. Le système enregistre le temps d'utilisation d'un chariot et nous indique sa localisation et son numéro
Multiply-connected Bose-Einstein condensed alkali gases: Current-carrying states and their decay
The ability to support metastable current-carrying states in
multiply-connected settings is one of the prime signatures of superfluidity.
Such states are investigated theoretically for the case of trapped Bose
condensed alkali gases, particularly with regard to the rate at which they
decay via thermal fluctuations. The lifetimes of metastable currents can be
either longer or shorter than experimental time-scales. A scheme for the
experimental detection of metastable states is sketched.Comment: 4 pages, including 1 figure (REVTEX
Competitive nucleation in reversible Probabilistic Cellular Automata
The problem of competitive nucleation in the framework of Probabilistic
Cellular Automata is studied from the dynamical point of view. The dependence
of the metastability scenario on the self--interaction is discussed. An
intermediate metastable phase, made of two flip--flopping chessboard
configurations, shows up depending on the ratio between the magnetic field and
the self--interaction. A behavior similar to the one of the stochastic
Blume--Capel model with Glauber dynamics is found
Quantum information processing with trapped ions
Experiments directed towards the development of a quantum computer based on
trapped atomic ions are described briefly. We discuss the implementation of
single qubit operations and gates between qubits. A geometric phase gate
between two ion qubits is described. Limitations of the trapped-ion method such
as those caused by Stark shifts and spontaneous emission are addressed.
Finally, we describe a strategy to realize a large-scale device.Comment: Article submitted by D. J. Wineland ([email protected])
for proceeding of the Discussion Meeting on Practical Realisations of Quantum
Information Processing, held at the Royal Society, Nov. 13,14, 200
Langevin Equation for the Density of a System of Interacting Langevin Processes
We present a simple derivation of the stochastic equation obeyed by the
density function for a system of Langevin processes interacting via a pairwise
potential. The resulting equation is considerably different from the
phenomenological equations usually used to describe the dynamics of non
conserved (Model A) and conserved (Model B) particle systems. The major feature
is that the spatial white noise for this system appears not additively but
multiplicatively. This simply expresses the fact that the density cannot
fluctuate in regions devoid of particles. The steady state for the density
function may however still be recovered formally as a functional integral over
the coursed grained free energy of the system as in Models A and B.Comment: 6 pages, latex, no figure
Elastic forces that do no work and the dynamics of fast cracks
Elastic singularities such as crack tips, when in motion through a medium
that is itself vibrating, are subject to forces orthogonal to the direction of
motion and thus impossible to determine by energy considerations alone. This
fact is used to propose a universal scenario, in which three dimensionality is
essential, for the dynamic instability of fast cracks in thin brittle
materials.Comment: 8 pages Latex, 1 Postscript figur
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