930 research outputs found
Electron Temperature of Ultracold Plasmas
We study the evolution of ultracold plasmas by measuring the electron
temperature. Shortly after plasma formation, competition between heating and
cooling mechanisms drives the electron temperature to a value within a narrow
range regardless of the initial energy imparted to the electrons. In agreement
with theory predictions, plasmas exhibit values of the Coulomb coupling
parameter less than 1.Comment: 4 pages, plus four figure
Information-theoretic determination of ponderomotive forces
From the equilibrium condition applied to an isolated
thermodynamic system of electrically charged particles and the fundamental
equation of thermodynamics () subject
to a new procedure, it is obtained the Lorentz's force together with
non-inertial terms of mechanical nature. Other well known ponderomotive forces,
like the Stern-Gerlach's force and a force term related to the Einstein-de
Haas's effect are also obtained. In addition, a new force term appears,
possibly related to a change in weight when a system of charged particles is
accelerated.Comment: 10 page
Universal Non-Gaussian Velocity Distribution in Violent Gravitational Processes
We study the velocity distribution in spherical collapses and cluster-pair
collisions by use of N-body simulations. Reflecting the violent gravitational
processes, the velocity distribution of the resultant quasi-stationary state
generally becomes non-Gaussian. Through the strong mixing of the violent
process, there appears a universal non-Gaussian velocity distribution, which is
a democratic (equal-weighted) superposition of many Gaussian distributions (DT
distribution). This is deeply related with the local virial equilibrium and the
linear mass-temperature relation which characterize the system. We show the
robustness of this distribution function against various initial conditions
which leads to the violent gravitational process. The DT distribution has a
positive correlation with the energy fluctuation of the system. On the other
hand, the coherent motion such as the radial motion in the spherical collapse
and the rotation with the angular momentum suppress the appearance of the DT
distribution.Comment: 11 pages, 19 eps figures, RevTex, submitted to PRE, Revised version,
minor change
On the fraction of dark matter in charged massive particles (CHAMPs)
From various cosmological, astrophysical and terrestrial requirements, we
derive conservative upper bounds on the present-day fraction of the mass of the
Galactic dark matter (DM) halo in charged massive particles (CHAMPs). If dark
matter particles are neutral but decay lately into CHAMPs, the lack of
detection of heavy hydrogen in sea water and the vertical pressure equilibrium
in the Galactic disc turn out to put the most stringent bounds. Adopting very
conservative assumptions about the recoiling velocity of CHAMPs in the decay
and on the decay energy deposited in baryonic gas, we find that the lifetime
for decaying neutral DM must be > (0.9-3.4)x 10^3 Gyr. Even assuming the
gyroradii of CHAMPs in the Galactic magnetic field are too small for halo
CHAMPs to reach Earth, the present-day fraction of the mass of the Galactic
halo in CHAMPs should be < (0.4-1.4)x 10^{-2}. We show that redistributing the
DM through the coupling between CHAMPs and the ubiquitous magnetic fields
cannot be a solution to the cuspy halo problem in dwarf galaxies.Comment: 21 pages, 2 figures. To appear in JCA
Self-collimated axial jets seeds from thin accretion disks
We show how an appropriate stationary crystalline structure of the magnetic
field can induce a partial fragmentation of the accretion disk, generating an
axial jet seed composed of hot plasma twisted in a funnel-like structure due to
the rotation of the system. The most important feature we outline is the high
degree of collimation, naturally following from the basic assumptions
underlying the crystalline structure. The presence of non-zero dissipative
effects allows the plasma ejection throughout the axial jet seed and the
predicted values of the accretion rate are in agreement with observations.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure
The Near-Infrared and Optical Spectra of Methane Dwarfs and Brown Dwarfs
We identify the pressure--broadened red wings of the saturated potassium
resonance lines at 7700 \AA as the source of anomalous absorption seen in the
near-infrared spectra of Gliese 229B and, by extension, of methane dwarfs in
general. This conclusion is supported by the recent work of Tsuji {\it et al.}
1999, though unlike them we find that dust need not be invoked to explain the
spectra of methane dwarfs shortward of 1 micron. We find that a combination of
enhanced alkali abundances due to rainout and a more realistic non-Lorentzian
theory of resonant line shapes may be all that is needed to properly account
for these spectra from 0.5 to 1.0 microns. The WFPC2 measurement of Gliese
229B is also consistent with this theory. Furthermore, a combination of the
blue wings of this K I resonance doublet, the red wings of the Na D lines at
5890 \AA, and, perhaps, the Li I line at 6708 \AA can explain in a natural way
the observed WFPC2 band flux of Gliese 229B. Hence, we conclude that the
neutral alkali metals play a central role in the near-infrared and optical
spectra of methane dwarfs and that their lines have the potential to provide
crucial diagnostics of brown dwarfs. We speculate on the systematics of the
near-infrared and optical spectra of methane dwarfs, for a given mass and
composition, that stems from the progressive burial with decreasing \teff of
the alkali metal atoms to larger pressures and depths.Comment: Revised and accepted to Ap.J. volume 531, March 1, 2000, also
available at http://jupiter.as.arizona.edu/~burrows/papers/BMS.p
Mass Segregation in Globular Clusters
We present the results of a new study of mass segregation in two-component
star clusters, based on a large number of numerical N-body simulations using
our recently developed dynamical Monte Carlo code. Specifically, we follow the
dynamical evolution of clusters containing stars with individual masses m_1 as
well as a tracer population of objects with individual masses m_2=\mu m_1,
using N=10^5 total stars. For heavy tracers, which could represent stellar
remnants such as neutron stars or black holes in a globular cluster, we
characterize in a variety of ways the tendency for these objects to concentrate
in or near the cluster core. In agreement with simple theoretical arguments, we
find that the characteristic time for this mass segregation process varies as
1/\mu. For models with very light tracers (\mu <~ 10^-2), which could represent
free-floating planets or brown dwarfs, we find the expected depletion of light
objects in the cluster core, but also sometimes a significant enhancement in
the halo. Using these results we estimate the optical depth to gravitational
microlensing by planetary mass objects or brown dwarfs in typical globular
clusters. For some initial conditions, the optical depth in the halo due to
very low-mass objects could be much greater than that of luminous stars. If we
apply our results to M22, using the recent null detection of Sahu, Anderson, &
King (2001), we find an upper limit of ~25% at the 63% confidence level for the
current mass fraction of M22 in the form of very low-mass objects.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. Minor revisions reflecting the new
results of Sahu et al. on M22. 13 pages in emulateapj style, including 9
figures and 3 table
Evolution of magnetized, differentially rotating neutron stars: Simulations in full general relativity
We study the effects of magnetic fields on the evolution of differentially
rotating neutron stars, which can form in stellar core collapse or binary
neutron star coalescence. Magnetic braking and the magnetorotational
instability (MRI) both redistribute angular momentum; the outcome of the
evolution depends on the star's mass and spin. Simulations are carried out in
axisymmetry using our recently developed codes which integrate the coupled
Einstein-Maxwell-MHD equations. For initial data, we consider three categories
of differentially rotating, equilibrium configurations, which we label normal,
hypermassive and ultraspinning. Hypermassive stars have rest masses exceeding
the mass limit for uniform rotation. Ultraspinning stars are not hypermassive,
but have angular momentum exceeding the maximum for uniform rotation at the
same rest mass. We show that a normal star will evolve to a uniformly rotating
equilibrium configuration. An ultraspinning star evolves to an equilibrium
state consisting of a nearly uniformly rotating central core, surrounded by a
differentially rotating torus with constant angular velocity along magnetic
field lines, so that differential rotation ceases to wind the magnetic field.
In addition, the final state is stable against the MRI, although it has
differential rotation. For a hypermassive neutron star, the MHD-driven angular
momentum transport leads to catastrophic collapse of the core. The resulting
rotating black hole is surrounded by a hot, massive, magnetized torus
undergoing quasistationary accretion, and a magnetic field collimated along the
spin axis--a promising candidate for the central engine of a short gamma-ray
burst. (Abridged)Comment: 27 pages, 30 figure
Taming the Runaway Problem of Inflationary Landscapes
A wide variety of vacua, and their cosmological realization, may provide an
explanation for the apparently anthropic choices of some parameters of particle
physics and cosmology. If the probability on various parameters is weighted by
volume, a flat potential for slow-roll inflation is also naturally understood,
since the flatter the potential the larger the volume of the sub-universe.
However, such inflationary landscapes have a serious problem, predicting an
environment that makes it exponentially hard for observers to exist and giving
an exponentially small probability for a moderate universe like ours. A general
solution to this problem is proposed, and is illustrated in the context of
inflaton decay and leptogenesis, leading to an upper bound on the reheating
temperature in our sub-universe. In a particular scenario of chaotic inflation
and non-thermal leptogenesis, predictions can be made for the size of CP
violating phases, the rate of neutrinoless double beta decay and, in the case
of theories with gauge-mediated weak scale supersymmetry, for the fundamental
scale of supersymmetry breaking.Comment: 31 pages, including 3 figure
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