Investigating the Structure of the Windy Torus in Quasars

Thermal mid-infrared emission of quasars requires an obscuring structure that can be modeled as a magneto-hydrodynamic wind in which radiation pressure on dust shapes the outflow. We have taken the dusty wind models presented by Keating and collaborators that generated quasar mid-infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs), and explored their properties (such as geometry, opening angle, and ionic column densities) as a function of Eddington ratio and X-ray weakness. In addition, we present new models with a range of magnetic field strengths and column densities of the dust-free shielding gas interior to the dusty wind. We find this family of models -- with input parameters tuned to accurately match the observed mid-IR power in quasar SEDs -- provides reasonable values of the Type 1 fraction of quasars and the column densities of warm absorber gas, though it does not explain a purely luminosity-dependent covering fraction for either. Furthermore, we provide predictions of the cumulative distribution of E(B-V) values of quasars from extinction by the wind and the shape of the wind as imaged in the mid-infrared. Within the framework of this model, we predict that the strength of the near-infrared bump from hot dust emission will be correlated primarily with L/L_Edd rather than luminosity alone, with scatter induced by the distribution of magnetic field strengths. The empirical successes and shortcomings of these models warrant further investigations into the composition and behaviour of dust and the nature of magnetic fields in the vicinity of actively accreting supermassive black holes.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Calibration of the spin-scan ozone imager aboard the dynamics Explorer 1 satellite

The calibration technique, which contains the calibrated backscattered radiance values necessary for performing the calibrations, is presented. The calibration constants for September to October 1981 to determine total columnar ozone from the Spin-Scan Ozone Imager (SOI), which is a part of the auroral imaging instrumentation aboard the Dynamics Explorer 1 Satellite, are provided. The precision of the SOI-derived total columnar ozone is estimated to be better than 2.4 percent. Linear regression analysis was used to calculate correlation coefficients between total columnar ozone obtained from Dobson ground stations and SOI which indicate that the SOI total columnar ozone determination is equally accurate for clear or cloudy weather conditions

Attitude determination of the spin-stabilized Project Scanner spacecraft

Attitude determination of spin-stabilized spacecraft using star mapping techniqu

Spectral statistics for unitary transfer matrices of binary graphs

Quantum graphs have recently been introduced as model systems to study the spectral statistics of linear wave problems with chaotic classical limits. It is proposed here to generalise this approach by considering arbitrary, directed graphs with unitary transfer matrices. An exponentially increasing contribution to the form factor is identified when performing a diagonal summation over periodic orbit degeneracy classes. A special class of graphs, so-called binary graphs, is studied in more detail. For these, the conditions for periodic orbit pairs to be correlated (including correlations due to the unitarity of the transfer matrix) can be given explicitly. Using combinatorial techniques it is possible to perform the summation over correlated periodic orbit pair contributions to the form factor for some low--dimensional cases. Gradual convergence towards random matrix results is observed when increasing the number of vertices of the binary graphs.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figure

A new correlator in quantum spin chains

We propose a new correlator in one-dimensional quantum spin chains, the $s-$Emptiness Formation Probability ($s-$EFP). This is a natural generalization of the Emptiness Formation Probability (EFP), which is the probability that the first $n$ spins of the chain are all aligned downwards. In the $s-$EFP we let the spins in question be separated by $s$ sites. The usual EFP corresponds to the special case when $s=1$, and taking $s>1$ allows us to quantify non-local correlations. We express the $s-$EFP for the anisotropic XY model in a transverse magnetic field, a system with both critical and non-critical regimes, in terms of a Toeplitz determinant. For the isotropic XY model we find that the magnetic field induces an interesting length scale.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur

Signatures of homoclinic motion in quantum chaos

Homoclinic motion plays a key role in the organization of classical chaos in Hamiltonian systems. In this Letter, we show that it also imprints a clear signature in the corresponding quantum spectra. By numerically studying the fluctuations of the widths of wavefunctions localized along periodic orbits we reveal the existence of an oscillatory behavior, that is explained solely in terms of the primary homoclinic motion. Furthermore, our results indicate that it survives the semiclassical limit.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

What is the probability that a random integral quadratic form in nn variables has an integral zero?

We show that the density of quadratic forms in $n$ variables over $\mathbb Z_p$ that are isotropic is a rational function of $p$, where the rational function is independent of $p$, and we determine this rational function explicitly. When real quadratic forms in $n$ variables are distributed according to the Gaussian Orthogonal Ensemble (GOE) of random matrix theory, we determine explicitly the probability that a random such real quadratic form is isotropic (i.e., indefinite). As a consequence, for each $n$, we determine an exact expression for the probability that a random integral quadratic form in $n$ variables is isotropic (i.e., has a nontrivial zero over $\mathbb Z$), when these integral quadratic forms are chosen according to the GOE distribution. In particular, we find an exact expression for the probability that a random integral quaternary quadratic form has an integral zero; numerically, this probability is approximately $98.3\%$.Comment: 17 pages. This article supercedes arXiv:1311.554

Negative moments of characteristic polynomials of random GOE matrices and singularity-dominated strong fluctuations

We calculate the negative integer moments of the (regularized) characteristic polynomials of N x N random matrices taken from the Gaussian Orthogonal Ensemble (GOE) in the limit as $N \to \infty$. The results agree nontrivially with a recent conjecture of Berry & Keating motivated by techniques developed in the theory of singularity-dominated strong fluctuations. This is the first example where nontrivial predictions obtained using these techniques have been proved.Comment: 13 page

Europe as a multilevel federation

Peer reviewedPublisher PD