8,312 research outputs found
Common Patterns in the Evolution between the Luminous Neutron Star Low-Mass X-ray Binary Subclasses
The X-ray transient XTE J1701-462 was the first source observed to evolve
through all known subclasses of low-magnetic-field neutron star low-mass X-ray
binaries (NS-LMXBs), as a result of large changes in its mass accretion rate.
To investigate to what extent similar evolution is seen in other NS-LMXBs we
have performed a detailed study of the color-color and hardness-intensity
diagrams (CDs and HIDs) of Cyg X-2, Cir X-1, and GX 13+1 -- three luminous
X-ray binaries, containing weakly magnetized neutron stars, known to exhibit
strong secular changes in their CD/HID tracks. Using the full set of Rossi
X-ray Timing Explorer Proportional Counter Array data collected for the sources
over the 16 year duration of the mission, we show that Cyg X-2 and Cir X-1
display CD/HID evolution with close similarities to XTE J1701-462. Although GX
13+1 shows behavior that is in some ways unique, it also exhibits similarities
to XTE J1701-462, and we conclude that its overall CD/HID properties strongly
indicate that it should be classified as a Z source, rather than as an atoll
source. We conjecture that the secular evolution of Cyg X-2, Cir X-1, and GX
13+1 -- illustrated by sequences of CD/HID tracks we construct -- arises from
changes in the mass accretion rate. Our results strengthen previous suggestions
that within single sources Cyg-like Z source behavior takes place at higher
luminosities and mass accretion rates than Sco-like Z behavior, and lend
support to the notion that the mass accretion rate is the primary physical
parameter distinguishing the various NS-LMXB subclasses.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figures, 5 tables -- matches published version in Ap
On the geometric nature of low-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in neutron-star low-mass X-ray binaries
We report on a detailed analysis of the so-called ~1 Hz quasi-periodic
oscillation (QPO) in the eclipsing and dipping neutron-star low-mass X-ray
binary EXO 0748-676. This type of QPO has previously been shown to have a
geometric origin. Our study focuses on the evolution of the QPO as the source
moves through the color-color diagram, in which it traces out an
atoll-source-like track. The QPO frequency increases from ~0.4 Hz in the hard
state to ~25 Hz as the source approaches the soft state. Combining power
spectra based on QPO frequency reveals additional features that strongly
resemble those seen in non-dipping/eclipsing atoll sources. We show that the
low-frequency QPOs in atoll sources and the ~1 Hz QPO in EXO 0748-676 follow
similar relations with respect to the noise components in their power spectra.
We conclude that the frequencies of both types of QPOs are likely set by (the
same) precession of a misaligned inner accretion disk. For high-inclination
systems, like EXO 0748-676, this results in modulations of the neutron-star
emission due to obscuration or scattering, while for lower-inclination systems
the modulations likely arise from relativistic Doppler boosting and
light-bending effects.Comment: Updated to published version (ApJ, 812, 80
Sparse Approximation Via Iterative Thresholding
The well-known shrinkage technique is still relevant for contemporary signal processing problems over redundant dictionaries. We present theoretical and empirical analyses for two iterative algorithms for sparse approximation that use shrinkage. The GENERAL IT algorithm amounts to a Landweber iteration with nonlinear shrinkage at each iteration step. The BLOCK IT algorithm arises in morphological components analysis. A sufficient condition for which General IT exactly recovers a sparse signal is presented, in which the cumulative coherence function naturally arises. This analysis extends previous results concerning the Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) and Basis Pursuit (BP) algorithms to IT algorithms
Quasinormal modes and Stability Analysis for 4-dimensional Lifshitz Black Hole
We study the Lifshitz black hole in 4-dimensions with dynamical exponent z=2
and we calculate analytically the quasinormal modes of scalar perturbations.
These quasinormal modes allows to study the stability of the Lifshitz black
hole and we have obtained that Lifshitz black hole is stable.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with
arXiv:1205.058
Electrothermal feedback in superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors
We investigate the role of electrothermal feedback in the operation of
superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs). It is found that the
desired mode of operation for SNSPDs is only achieved if this feedback is
unstable, which happens naturally through the slow electrical response
associated with their relatively large kinetic inductance. If this response is
sped up in an effort to increase the device count rate, the electrothermal
feedback becomes stable and results in an effect known as latching, where the
device is locked in a resistive state and can no longer detect photons. We
present a set of experiments which elucidate this effect, and a simple model
which quantitatively explains the results
Kinetic-inductance-limited reset time of superconducting nanowire photon counters
We investigate the recovery of superconducting NbN-nanowire photon counters
after detection of an optical pulse at a wavelength of 1550 nm, and present a
model that quantitatively accounts for our observations. The reset time is
found to be limited by the large kinetic inductance of these nanowires, which
forces a tradeoff between counting rate and either detection efficiency or
active area. Devices of usable size and high detection efficiency are found to
have reset times orders of magnitude longer than their intrinsic photoresponse
time.Comment: Submitted to Applied Physics Letter
Brandeis: The Legacy of a Justice
One hundred years after his appointment, Justice Louis D. Brandeis remains a distinctive and unusually influential figure in the history of the Supreme Court. Unlike many other great justices, Brandeis is not remembered for his majority opinions. Rather, what is distinctive about him is the extent to which so many of his dissents and concurring opinions continue to influence justices more than 75 years after he retired and a century after he joined the Court. Whereas justices cite majority opinions for their value as legal precedents, they invoke the dissents and concurrences of a retired justice due to the power of his or her ideas or the credibility of his or her reputation. Significantly, Brandeis\u27s successors continue to turn to his classic dissents and concurrences more often than to the discretionary opinions of other justices. Their continuing reliance on Brandeis confirms the insight of Paul Freund, one of the Justiceâs most distinguished law clerks that Brandeis remains the most powerful moral teacher to have served on the Court
Plexcitons: Dirac points and topological modes
Plexcitons are polaritonic modes that result from the strong coupling between
excitons and plasmons. We consider plexcitons emerging from the interaction of
excitons in an organic molecular layer with surface plasmons in a metallic
film. We predict the emergence of Dirac cones in the two-dimensional
bandstructure of plexcitons due to the inherent alignment of the excitonic
transitions in the organic layer. These Dirac cones may open up in energy by
simultaneously interfacing the metal with a magneto-optical layer and
subjecting the whole system to a perpendicular magnetic field. The resulting
energy gap becomes populated with topologically protected one-way modes which
travel at the interface of this plexcitonic system. Our theoretical proposal
suggests that plexcitons are a convenient and simple platform for the
exploration of exotic phases of matter as well as of novel ways to direct
energy flow at the nanoscale
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