One dimensional chain of quantum molecule motors as a mathematical physics model for muscle fibre

A quantum chain model of many molecule motors is proposed as a mathematical physics theory on the microscopic modeling of classical force-velocity relation and tension transients of muscle fibre. We proposed quantum many-particle Hamiltonian to predict the force-velocity relation for the slow release of muscle fibre which has no empirical relation yet, it is much more complicate than hyperbolic relation. Using the same Hamiltonian, we predicted the mathematical force-velocity relation when the muscle is stimulated by alternative electric current. The discrepancy between input electric frequency and the muscle oscillation frequency has a physical understanding by Doppler effect in this quantum chain model. Further more, we apply quantum physics phenomena to explore the tension time course of cardiac muscle and insect flight muscle. Most of the experimental tension transients curves found their correspondence in the theoretical output of quantum two-level and three-level model. Mathematically modeling electric stimulus as photons exciting a quantum three-level particle reproduced most tension transient curves of water bug Lethocerus Maximus.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, Arguments are adde

Simultaneous UV and X-ray Spectroscopy of the Seyfert 1 Galaxy NGC 5548. I. Physical Conditions in the UV Absorbers

We present new UV spectra of the nucleus of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548, which we obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph at high spectral resolution, in conjunction with simultaneous Chandra X-ray Observatory spectra. Taking advantage of the low UV continuum and broad emission-line fluxes, we have determined that the deepest UV absorption component covers at least a portion of the inner, high-ionization narrow-line region (NLR). We find nonunity covering factors in the cores of several kinematic components, which increase the column density measurements of N V and C IV by factors of 1.2 to 1.9 over the full-covering case; however, the revised columns have only a minor effect on the parameters derived from our photoionization models. For the first time, we have simultaneous N V and C IV columns for component 1 (at -1040 km/s), and find that this component cannot be an X-ray warm absorber, contrary to our previous claim based on nonsimultaneous observations. We find that models of the absorbers based on solar abundances severely overpredict the O VI columns previously obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectrograph, and present arguments that this is not likely due to variability. However, models that include either enhanced nitrogen (twice solar) or dust, with strong depletion of carbon in either case, are successful in matching all of the observed ionic columns. These models result in substantially lower ionization parameters and total column densities compared to dust-free solar-abundance models, and produce little O VII or O VIII, indicating that none of the UV absorbers are X-ray warm absorbers.Comment: 33 pages, 5 figures (Figures 3 and 4 are in color), Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Simultaneous Ultraviolet and X-ray Observations of the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 4151. I. Physical Conditions in the X-ray Absorbers

We present a detailed analysis of the intrinsic X-ray absorption in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151 using Chandra/HETGS data obtained 2002 May, as part of a program which included simultaneous UV spectra using HST/STIS and FUSE. NGC 4151 was in a relatively low flux state during the observations reported here, although roughly 2.5 times as bright in the 2 --10 keV band as during a Chandra observation in 2000. The soft X-ray band was dominated by emission lines, which show no discernible variation in flux between the two observations. The 2002 data show the presence of a very highly ionized absorber, in the form of H-like and He-like Mg, Si, and S lines, as well as lower ionization gas via the presence of inner-shell absorption lines from lower-ionization species of these elements. The former is too highly ionized to be radiatively accelerated in a sub-Eddington source such as NGC 4151. We find that the lower ionization gas had a column density a factor of ~ 3 higher during the 2000 observation. If due to bulk motion, we estimate that this component must have a velocity of more than 1250 km/sec transverse to our line-of-sight. We suggest that these results are consistent with a magneto-hydrodynamic flow.Comment: 42 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

The Narrow-Line Regions of LINERs as Resolved with the Hubble Space Telescope

LINERs exist in the nuclei of a large fraction of luminous galaxies, but their connection with the AGN phenomenon has remained elusive. We present Hubble Space Telescope narrowband [O III]5007 and H-alpha+[N II] emission-line images of the central regions of 14 galaxies with LINER nuclei. The compact, ~1 arcsec-scale, unresolved emission that dominates the line flux in ground-based observations is mostly resolved by HST. The bulk of this emission comes from regions with sizes of tens to hundreds of parsecs that are resolved into knots, filaments, and diffuse gas whose morphology differs from galaxy to galaxy. Most of the galaxies do not show clear linear structures or ionization cones analogous to those often seen in Seyfert galaxies. An exception is NGC 1052, the prototypical LINER, in which we find a 3 arcsec-long (~ 250 pc) biconical structure that is oriented on the sky along the galaxy's radio jet axis. Seven of the galaxies have been shown in previously published HST images to have a bright compact ultraviolet nuclear source, while the other seven do not have a central UV source. Our images find evidence of dust in the nuclear regions of all 14 galaxies, with clear indications of nuclear obscuration in most of the "UV-dark" cases. The data suggest that the line-emitting gas in most LINERs is photoionized by a central source (which may be stellar, nonstellar, or a combination thereof) but that this source is often hidden from direct view. We find no obvious morphological differences between LINERs with detected weak broad H-alpha wings in their spectra and those with only narrow lines. Likewise, there is no clear morphological distinction between objects whose UV spectra are dominated by hot stars (e.g., NGC 4569) and those that are AGN-like (e.g., NGC 4579).Comment: Accepted for publication in the ApJ. 25 pages, 3 tables, 9 JPEG Figure

The Host Galaxies of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1s: Evidence for Bar-Driven Fueling

We present a study of the host-galaxy morphologies of narrow- and broad-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s and BLS1s) based on broad-band optical images from the Hubble Space Telescope archives. We find that large-scale stellar bars, starting at ~1 kpc from the nucleus, are much more common in NLS1s than BLS1s. Furthermore, the fraction of NLS1 spirals that have bars increases with decreasing full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the broad component of H-beta. These results suggest a link between the large-scale bars, which can support high fueling rates to the inner kpc, and the high mass-accretion rates associated with the supermassive black holes in NLS1s.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figures (1a, 1b, 2, and 3), Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

The problem of shot selection in basketball

In basketball, every time the offense produces a shot opportunity the player with the ball must decide whether the shot is worth taking. In this paper, I explore the question of when a team should shoot and when they should pass up the shot by considering a simple theoretical model of the shot selection process, in which the quality of shot opportunities generated by the offense is assumed to fall randomly within a uniform distribution. I derive an answer to the question "how likely must the shot be to go in before the player should take it?", and show that this "lower cutoff" for shot quality $f$ depends crucially on the number $n$ of shot opportunities remaining (say, before the shot clock expires), with larger $n$ demanding that only higher-quality shots should be taken. The function $f(n)$ is also derived in the presence of a finite turnover rate and used to predict the shooting rate of an optimal-shooting team as a function of time. This prediction is compared to observed shooting rates from the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the comparison suggests that NBA players tend to wait too long before shooting and undervalue the probability of committing a turnover.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures; comparison to NBA data adde

Simultaneous Ultraviolet and X-ray Observations of the Seyfert Galaxy NGC 4151. II. Physical Conditions in the UV Absorbers

We present a detailed analysis of the intrinsic absorption in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151 using UV spectra from the HST/STIS and FUSE, obtained 2002 May as part of a set of contemporaneous observations that included Chandra/HETGS spectra. In our analysis of the Chandra spectra, we determined that the soft X-ray absorber was the source of the saturated UV lines of O VI, C IV, and N V associated with the absorption feature at a radial velocity of ~ -500 km/sec, which we referred to as component D+E. In the present work, we have derived tighter constrains on the the line-of-sight covering factors, densities, and radial distances of the absorbers. We find that the Equivalent Widths (EWs) of the low-ionization lines associated with D+E varied over the period from 1999 July to 2002 May. The drop in the EWs of these lines between 2001 April and 2002 May are suggestive of bulk motion of gas out of our line-of-sight. If these lines from these two epochs arose in the same sub-component, the transverse velocity of the gas is ~ 2100 km/sec. Transverse velocities of this order are consistent with an origin in a rotating disk, at the roughly radial distance we derived for D+E.Comment: 51 pages, including 12 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Supplement

HST Observations and Photoionization Modeling of the LINER Galaxy NGC 1052

We present a study of available Hubble Space Telescope (HST) spectroscopic and imaging observations of the low ionization nuclear emission line region (LINER) galaxy NGC 1052. The WFPC2 imagery clearly differentiates extended nebular Halpha emission from that of the compact core. Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS) observations provide a full set of optical and UV data (1200-6800 Angstroms). These spectral data sample the innermost region (0."86 x 0."86 ~ 82pc x 82pc) and exclude the extended Halpha emission seen in the WFPC2 image. The derived emission line fluxes allow a detailed analysis of the physical conditions within the nucleus. The measured flux ratio for Halpha/Hbeta, F{Halpha}/F{Hbeta}=4.53, indicates substantial intrinsic reddening, E(B-V)=0.42, for the nuclear nebular emission. This is the first finding of a large extinction of the nuclear emission line fluxes in NGC 1052. If the central ionizing continuum is assumed to be attenuated by a comparable amount, then the emission line fluxes can be reproduced well by a simple photoionization model using a central power law continuum source with a spectral index of alpha = -1.2 as deduced from the observed flux distribution. A multi-density, dusty gas gives the best fit to the observed emission line spectrum. Our calculations show that the small contribution from a highly ionized gas observed in NGC 1052 can also be reproduced solely by photoionization modeling. The high gas covering factor determined from our model is consistent with the assumption that our line of sight to the central engine is obscured.Comment: 23 pages, 7 Postscript figures, 1 jpeg figure ; uses aaspp4.sty, 11pt to appear in The Astrophysical Journa

Variable UV Absorption in the Seyfert 1.5 Galaxy NGC 3516: The Case for Associated UV and X-ray Absorption

We present observations of the UV absorption lines in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3516, obtained at a resolution of $\lambda$/$\Delta\lambda$ $\approx$ 40,000 with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on 2000 October 1. The UV continuum was $\sim$4 times lower than that observed during 1995 with the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS), and the X-ray flux from a contemporaneous {\it Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO)} observation was a factor of $\sim$8 below that observed with {\it ASCA}. The STIS spectra show kinematic components of absorption in Ly$\alpha$, C IV, and N V at radial velocities of -376, -183, and -36 km s$^{-1}$ (components 1, 2, and 3+4, respectively), which were detected in the earlier GHRS spectra; the last of these is a blend of two GHRS components that have increased greatly in column density. Four additional absorption components have appeared in the STIS spectra at radial velocities of -692, -837, -994, and -1372 km s$^{-1}$ (components 5 through 8); these may also have been present in earlier low-flux states observed by the {\it International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE)}. Based on photoionization models, we suggest that the components are arranged in increasing radial distance in the order, 3+4, 2, 1, followed by components 5 -- 8. We have achieved an acceptable fit to the X-ray data using the combined X-ray opacity of the UV components 1, 2 and 3+4. By increasing the UV and X-ray fluxes of these models to match the previous high states, we are able to match the GHRS C IV column densities, absence of detectable C IV absorption in components 5 through 8, and the 1994 {\it ASCA} spectrum. We conclude that variability of the UV and X-ray absorption in NGC 3516 is primarily due to changes in the ionizing flux.Comment: 7 figures (note that Fig6 is not referenced in the .Tex file and must be printed separately). There are 6 tables in the .tex file and an additional 8 tables included as separate .ps files. Accepted for Publication in the Astrophysical Journa