18,005 research outputs found
Tar production in coal pyrolysis - the effect of catalysts, pressure and extraction
Imperial Users onl
Superconductivity in Heavy Alkaline-Earths Intercalated Graphites
We report the discovery of superconductivity below 1.65(6) K in
Sr-intercalated graphite SrC6, by susceptibility and specific heat (Cp)
measurements. In comparison with CaC6, we found that the anisotropy of the
upper critical fields for SrC6 is much reduced. The Cp anomaly at Tc is smaller
than the BCS prediction indicating an anisotropic superconducting gap for SrC6
similar to CaC6. The significantly lower Tc of SrC6 as compared to CaC6 can be
understood in terms of "negative" pressure effects, which decreases the
electron-phonon coupling for both in-plane intercalant and the out-of-plane C
phonon modes. We observed no superconductivity for BaC6 down to 0.3 K.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Gamma-Ray Bursts observed by XMM-Newton
Analysis of observations with XMM-Newton have made a significant contribution
to the study of Gamma-ray Burst (GRB) X-ray afterglows. The effective area,
bandpass and resolution of the EPIC instrument permit the study of a wide
variety of spectral features. In particular, strong, time-dependent, soft X-ray
emission lines have been discovered in some bursts. The emission mechanism and
energy source for these lines pose major problems for the current generation of
GRB models. Other GRBs have intrinsic absorption, possibly related to the
environment around the progenitor, or possible iron emission lines similar to
those seen in GRBs observed with BeppoSAX. Further XMM-Newton observations of
GRBs discovered by the Swift satellite should help unlock the origin of the GRB
phenomenon over the next few years.Comment: To appear in proceedings of the "XMM-Newton EPIC Consortium meeting,
Palermo, 2003 October 14-16", published in Memorie della Societa Astronomica
Italian
Spectral evolution and the onset of the X-ray GRB afterglow
Based on light curves from the Swift Burst Analyser, we investigate whether a
`dip' feature commonly seen in the early-time hardness ratios of Swift-XRT data
could arise from the juxtaposition of the decaying prompt emission and rising
afterglow. We are able to model the dip as such a feature, assuming the
afterglow rises as predicted by Sari & Piran (1999). Using this model we
measure the initial bulk Lorentz factor of the fireball. For a sample of 23
GRBs we find a median value of Gamma_0=225, assuming a constant-density
circumburst medium; or Gamma_0=93 if we assume a wind-like medium.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. To appear in the proceedings of GRB 2010,
Annapolis November 2010. (AIP Conference proceedings
Whole-brain patterns of 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging in Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies
Acknowledgements We thank Craig Lambert for his help in processing the MRS data. The study was funded by the Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust (grant ref: 05/JTA) and was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre and the Biomedical Research Unit in Lewy Body Dementia based at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust and Newcastle University and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre and Biomedical Research Unit in Dementia based at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Structural and electrostatic effects at the surfaces of size- and charge-selected aqueous nanodrops.
The effects of ion charge, polarity and size on the surface morphology of size-selected aqueous nanodrops containing a single ion and up to 550 water molecules are investigated with infrared photodissociation (IRPD) spectroscopy and theory. IRPD spectra of M(H2O) n where M = La3+, Ca2+, Na+, Li+, I-, SO42- and supporting molecular dynamics simulations indicate that strong interactions between multiply charged ions and water molecules can disrupt optimal hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) at the nanodrop surface. The IRPD spectra also reveal that "free" OH stretching frequencies of surface-bound water molecules are highly sensitive to the ion's identity and the OH bond's local H-bond environment. The measured frequency shifts are qualitatively reproduced by a computationally inexpensive point-charge model that shows the frequency shifts are consistent with a Stark shift from the ion's electric field. For multiply charged cations, pronounced Stark shifting is observed for clusters containing ∼100 or fewer water molecules. This is attributed to ion-induced solvent patterning that extends to the nanodrop surface, and serves as a spectroscopic signature for a cation's ability to influence the H-bond network of water located remotely from the ion. The Stark shifts measured for the larger nanodrops are extrapolated to infinite dilution to obtain the free OH stretching frequency of a surface-bound water molecule at the bulk air-water interface (3696.5-3701.0 cm-1), well within the relatively wide range of values obtained from SFG measurements. These cluster measurements also indicate that surface curvature effects can influence the free OH stretching frequency, and that even nanodrops without an ion have a surface potential that depends on cluster size
A universal GRB photon energy-peak luminosity relation
The energetics and emission mechanism of GRBs are not well understood. Here
we demonstrate that the instantaneous peak flux or equivalent isotropic peak
luminosity, L_iso ergs s^-1, rather than the integrated fluence or equivalent
isotropic energy, E_iso ergs, underpins the known high-energy correlations.
Using new spectral/temporal parameters calculated for 101 bursts with redshifts
from BATSE, BeppoSAX, HETE-II and Swift we describe a parameter space which
characterises the apparently diverse properties of the prompt emission. We show
that a source frame characteristic-photon-energy/peak luminosity ratio, K_z,
can be constructed which is constant within a factor of 2 for all bursts
whatever their duration, spectrum, luminosity and the instrumentation used to
detect them. The new parameterization embodies the Amati relation but indicates
that some correlation between E_peak and E_iso follows as a direct mathematical
inference from the Band function and that a simple transformation of E_iso to
L_iso yields a universal high energy correlation for GRBs. The existence of K_z
indicates that the mechanism responsible for the prompt emission from all GRBs
is probably predominantly thermal.Comment: Submitted to Ap
The Distance to Nova V959 Mon from VLA Imaging
Determining reliable distances to classical novae is a challenging but
crucial step in deriving their ejected masses and explosion energetics. Here we
combine radio expansion measurements from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array
with velocities derived from optical spectra to estimate an expansion parallax
for nova V959 Mon, the first nova discovered through its gamma-ray emission. We
spatially resolve the nova at frequencies of 4.5-36.5 GHz in nine different
imaging epochs. The first five epochs cover the expansion of the ejecta from
2012 October to 2013 January, while the final four epochs span 2014 February to
2014 May. These observations correspond to days 126 through 199 and days 615
through 703 after the first detection of the nova. The images clearly show a
non-spherical ejecta geometry. Utilizing ejecta velocities derived from 3D
modelling of optical spectroscopy, the radio expansion implies a distance
between 0.9 +/- 0.2 and 2.2 +/- 0.4 kpc, with a most probable distance of 1.4
+/- 0.4 kpc. This distance implies a gamma-ray luminosity much less than the
prototype gamma-ray-detected nova, V407 Cyg, possibly due to the lack of a red
giant companion in the V959 Mon system. V959 Mon also has a much lower
gamma-ray luminosity than other classical novae detected in gamma-rays to date,
indicating a range of at least a factor of 10 in the gamma-ray luminosities for
these explosions.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, submitted to ApJ 2015-01-21, under
revie
Swift observations of the 2006 outburst of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi: II. 1D hydrodynamical models of wind driven shocks
Following the early Swift X-ray observations of the latest outburst of the
recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi in February 2006 (Paper I), we present new 1D
hydrodynamical models of the system which take into account all three phases of
the remnant evolution. The models suggest a novel way of modelling the system
by treating the outburst as a sudden increase then decrease in wind mass-loss
rate and velocity. The differences between this wind model and previous
Primakoff-type simulations are described. A more complex structure, even in 1D,
is revealed through the presence of both forward and reverse shocks, with a
separating contact discontinuity. The effects of radiative cooling are
investigated and key outburst parameters such as mass-loss rate, ejecta
velocity and mass are varied. The shock velocities as a function of time are
compared to the ones derived in Paper I. We show how the manner in which the
matter is ejected controls the evolution of the shock and that for a
well-cooled remnant, the shock deceleration rate depends on the amount of
energy that is radiated away.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
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