137 research outputs found
Reassessing Vermisporium (Amphisphaeriaceae), a genus of foliar pathogens of eucalypts
The genus Vermisporium presently accommodates 13 species, 11 of which are associated with leaf spots of eucalypts in the Southern Hemisphere. Vermisporium is chiefly distinguished from Seimatosporium (Amphisphaeriaceae) on the basis of a short exogenous basal appendage, and the absence of a recognisable apical appendage. Due to the increasing importance of these species in native forests, and confusion pertaining to their taxonomy, a revision of the genus was undertaken based on fresh collections and dried herbarium specimens. Results from DNA sequence data analyses of the nrDNA-ITS and 28S nrRNA genes for species of Vermisporium indicated the genus to be a synonym of Seimatosporium. New combinations are introduced in Seimatosporium for several species: S. acutum, S. biseptatum, S. brevicentrum, S. obtusum, S. orbiculare, S. verrucisporum and S. walkeri. An updated key to all species occurring on eucalypts is also provided
Further results on non-diagonal Bianchi type III vacuum metrics
We present the derivation, for these vacuum metrics, of the Painlev\'e VI
equation first obtained by Christodoulakis and Terzis, from the field equations
for both minkowskian and euclidean signatures. This allows a complete
discussion and the precise connection with some old results due to Kinnersley.
The hyperk\"ahler metrics are shown to belong to the Multi-Centre class and for
the cases exhibiting an integrable geodesic flow the relevant Killing tensors
are given. We conclude by the proof that for the Bianchi B family, excluding
type III, there are no hyperk\"ahler metrics.Comment: 21 pages, no figure
ISO Spectroscopy of Young Stellar Objects
Observations of gas-phase and solid-state species toward
young stellar objects (YSOs) with the spectrometers
on board the Infrared Space Observatory
are reviewed. The excitation and abundances of
the atoms and molecules are sensitive to the changing
physical conditions during star-formation. In
the cold outer envelopes around YSOs, interstellar
ices contain a significant fraction of the heavy element
abundances, in particular oxygen. Different ice
phases can be distinguished, and evidence is found for
heating and segregation of the ices in more evolved
objects. The inner warm envelopes around YSOs are
probed through absorption and emission of gas-phase
molecules, including CO, CO_2, CH_4 and H_2O. An
overview of the wealth of observations on gas-phase
H_2O in star-forming regions is presented. Gas/solid
ratios are determined, which provide information on
the importance of gas-grain chemistry and high temperature
gas-phase reactions. The line ratios of molecules
such as H_2, CO and H_2O are powerful probes
to constrain the physical parameters of the gas. Together
with atomic and ionic lines such as [0 I]
63 µm, [S I] 25 µm and (Si II] 35 µm, they can also
be used to distinguish between photon- and shock-heated
gas. Finally, spectroscopic data on circumstellar
disks around young stars are mentioned. The
results are discussed in the context of the physical
and chemical evolution of YSOs
The Science of Sungrazers, Sunskirters, and Other Near-Sun Comets
This review addresses our current understanding of comets that venture close to the Sun, and are hence exposed to much more extreme conditions than comets that are typically studied from Earth. The extreme solar heating and plasma environments that these objects encounter change many aspects of their behaviour, thus yielding valuable information on both the comets themselves that complements other data we have on primitive solar system bodies, as well as on the near-solar environment which they traverse. We propose clear definitions for these comets: We use the term near-Sun comets to encompass all objects that pass sunward of the perihelion distance of planet Mercury (0.307 AU). Sunskirters are defined as objects that pass within 33 solar radii of the Sun’s centre, equal to half of Mercury’s perihelion distance, and the commonly-used phrase sungrazers to be objects that reach perihelion within 3.45 solar radii, i.e. the fluid Roche limit. Finally, comets with orbits that intersect the solar photosphere are termed sundivers. We summarize past studies of these objects, as well as the instruments and facilities used to study them, including space-based platforms that have led to a recent revolution in the quantity and quality of relevant observations. Relevant comet populations are described, including the Kreutz, Marsden, Kracht, and Meyer groups, near-Sun asteroids, and a brief discussion of their origins. The importance of light curves and the clues they provide on cometary composition are emphasized, together with what information has been gleaned about nucleus parameters, including the sizes and masses of objects and their families, and their tensile strengths. The physical processes occurring at these objects are considered in some detail, including the disruption of nuclei, sublimation, and ionisation, and we consider the mass, momentum, and energy loss of comets in the corona and those that venture to lower altitudes. The different components of comae and tails are described, including dust, neutral and ionised gases, their chemical reactions, and their contributions to the near-Sun environment. Comet-solar wind interactions are discussed, including the use of comets as probes of solar wind and coronal conditions in their vicinities. We address the relevance of work on comets near the Sun to similar objects orbiting other stars, and conclude with a discussion of future directions for the field and the planned ground- and space-based facilities that will allow us to address those science topics
Azimuthal anisotropy and correlations in p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions at 200 GeV
We present the first measurement of directed flow () at RHIC. is
found to be consistent with zero at pseudorapidities from -1.2 to 1.2,
then rises to the level of a couple of percent over the range . The latter observation is similar to data from NA49 if the SPS rapidities
are shifted by the difference in beam rapidity between RHIC and SPS.
Back-to-back jets emitted out-of-plane are found to be suppressed more if
compared to those emitted in-plane, which is consistent with {\it jet
quenching}. Using the scalar product method, we systematically compared
azimuthal correlations from p+p, d+Au and Au+Au collisions. Flow and non-flow
from these three different collision systems are discussed.Comment: Quark Matter 2004 proceeding, 4 pages, 3 figure
Azimuthal anisotropy: the higher harmonics
We report the first observations of the fourth harmonic (v_4) in the
azimuthal distribution of particles at RHIC. The measurement was done taking
advantage of the large elliptic flow generated at RHIC. The integrated v_4 is
about a factor of 10 smaller than v_2. For the sixth (v_6) and eighth (v_8)
harmonics upper limits on the magnitudes are reported.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, contribution to the Quark Matter 2004 proceeding
All-optical switching and strong coupling using tunable whispering-gallery-mode microresonators
We review our recent work on tunable, ultrahigh quality factor
whispering-gallery-mode bottle microresonators and highlight their applications
in nonlinear optics and in quantum optics experiments. Our resonators combine
ultra-high quality factors of up to Q = 3.6 \times 10^8, a small mode volume,
and near-lossless fiber coupling, with a simple and customizable mode structure
enabling full tunability. We study, theoretically and experimentally, nonlinear
all-optical switching via the Kerr effect when the resonator is operated in an
add-drop configuration. This allows us to optically route a single-wavelength
cw optical signal between two fiber ports with high efficiency. Finally, we
report on progress towards strong coupling of single rubidium atoms to an
ultra-high Q mode of an actively stabilized bottle microresonator.Comment: 20 pages, 24 figures. Accepted for publication in Applied Physics B.
Changes according to referee suggestions: minor corrections to some figures
and captions, clarification of some points in the text, added references,
added new paragraph with results on atom-resonator interactio
Strange Resonance Production in p+p and Au+Au Collisions at RHIC Energies
Resonance yields and spectra from elementary p+p and Au+Au collisions at
200 GeV from the STAR experiment at RHIC are presented
and discussed in terms of chemical and thermal freeze-out conditions. Thermal
models do not adequately describe the yields of the resonance production in
central Au+Au collisions. The approach to include elastic hadronic interactions
between chemical freeze-out and thermal freeze-out suggests a time of 5 fm/c.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figures, proceedings of the Quark Matter 2004, in Oakland,
California, to be published in Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle
Physic
Identified particles at large transverse momenta in STAR in Au+Au collisions @ sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV
We report measurements of the ratios of identified hadrons (pi,K,p,Lambda) in
Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV as a function of both collision
centrality and transverse momentum (p_T). Ratios of anti-baryon to baryon
yields are independent of p_T within 2<p_T <6 GeV/c indicating that, for such a
range, our measurements are inconsistent with theoretical pQCD calculations
predicting a decrease due to a stronger contribution from valence quark
scattering. For both strange and non-strange species, a strong baryon
enhancement relative to meson yields is observed as a function of collision
centrality in this intermediate p_T region, leading to p/pi and Lambda/K ratios
greater than unity. The nuclear modification factor, R_cp (central relative to
peripheral collisions), is used to illustrate the interplay between jet
quenching and hadron production. The physics implications of these measurements
are discussed with reference to different theoretical models.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Proceedings of Quark Matter 2004 Conference, Jan
2004, Oakland, USA. Submitted to Journal of Physics
High- electron distributions in d+Au and p+p collisions at RHIC
We present preliminary measurements of electron and positron spectra in d+Au
and p+p collisions at GeV for GeV/c.
These measurements were carried out using the STAR Time Projection Chamber
(TPC) and the Barrel Electromagnetic calorimeter (EMC). Overall hadron
rejection factors in the range of have been achieved. In this work we
describe the measurement technique used to discriminate electrons from hadrons
and compare the results for single electron spectra with Pythia based pQCD
calculations for electrons from heavy-quark semi-leptonic decays.Comment: Quark Matter 2004 conference proceeding
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