5,602 research outputs found
Detecting the Dusty Debris of Terrestrial Planet Formation
We use a multiannulus accretion code to investigate debris disks in the
terrestrial zone, at 0.7-1.3 AU around a 1 solar mass star. Terrestrial planet
formation produces a bright dusty ring of debris with a lifetime of at least 1
Myr. The early phases of terrestrial planet formation are observable with
current facilities; the late stages require more advanced instruments with
adaptive optics.Comment: 11 pages of text, 3 figures, accepted for ApJ Letters, additional
info at http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~kenyon/pf/terra/td
A note on dimer models and McKay quivers
We give one formulation of an algorithm of Hanany and Vegh which takes a
lattice polygon as an input and produces a set of isoradial dimer models. We
study the case of lattice triangles in detail and discuss the relation with
coamoebas following Feng, He, Kennaway and Vafa.Comment: 25 pages, 35 figures. v3:completely rewritte
Tighter Relations Between Sensitivity and Other Complexity Measures
Sensitivity conjecture is a longstanding and fundamental open problem in the
area of complexity measures of Boolean functions and decision tree complexity.
The conjecture postulates that the maximum sensitivity of a Boolean function is
polynomially related to other major complexity measures. Despite much attention
to the problem and major advances in analysis of Boolean functions in the past
decade, the problem remains wide open with no positive result toward the
conjecture since the work of Kenyon and Kutin from 2004.
In this work, we present new upper bounds for various complexity measures in
terms of sensitivity improving the bounds provided by Kenyon and Kutin.
Specifically, we show that deg(f)^{1-o(1)}=O(2^{s(f)}) and C(f) < 2^{s(f)-1}
s(f); these in turn imply various corollaries regarding the relation between
sensitivity and other complexity measures, such as block sensitivity, via known
results. The gap between sensitivity and other complexity measures remains
exponential but these results are the first improvement for this difficult
problem that has been achieved in a decade.Comment: This is the merged form of arXiv submission 1306.4466 with another
work. Appeared in ICALP 2014, 14 page
Discrete complex analysis on planar quad-graphs
We develop a linear theory of discrete complex analysis on general
quad-graphs, continuing and extending previous work of Duffin, Mercat, Kenyon,
Chelkak and Smirnov on discrete complex analysis on rhombic quad-graphs. Our
approach based on the medial graph yields more instructive proofs of discrete
analogs of several classical theorems and even new results. We provide discrete
counterparts of fundamental concepts in complex analysis such as holomorphic
functions, derivatives, the Laplacian, and exterior calculus. Also, we discuss
discrete versions of important basic theorems such as Green's identities and
Cauchy's integral formulae. For the first time, we discretize Green's first
identity and Cauchy's integral formula for the derivative of a holomorphic
function. In this paper, we focus on planar quad-graphs, but we would like to
mention that many notions and theorems can be adapted to discrete Riemann
surfaces in a straightforward way.
In the case of planar parallelogram-graphs with bounded interior angles and
bounded ratio of side lengths, we construct a discrete Green's function and
discrete Cauchy's kernels with asymptotics comparable to the smooth case.
Further restricting to the integer lattice of a two-dimensional skew coordinate
system yields appropriate discrete Cauchy's integral formulae for higher order
derivatives.Comment: 49 pages, 8 figure
Correlated radial velocity and X-ray variations in HD 154791/4U 1700+24
We present evidence for approximately 400-d variations in the radial velocity
of HD 154791 (V934 Her), the suggested optical counterpart of 4U 1700+24. The
variations are correlated with the previously reported approximately 400 d
variations in the X-ray flux of 4U 1700+24, which supports the association of
these two objects, as well as the identification of this system as the second
known X-ray binary in which a neutron star accretes from the wind of a red
giant. The HD 154791 radial velocity variations can be fit with an eccentric
orbit with period 404 +/- 3 d, amplitude K=0.75 +/- 0.12 km/s and eccentricity
e=0.26 +/- 0.15. There are also indications of variations on longer time scales
>~ 2000 d. We have re-examined all available ASM data following an unusually
large X-ray outburst in 1997-98, and confirm that the 1-d averaged 2-10 keV
X-ray flux from 4U 1700+24 is modulated with a period of 400 +/- 20 d. The mean
profile of the persistent X-ray variations was approximately sinusoidal, with
an amplitude of 0.108 +/- 0.012 ASM count/s (corresponding to 31% rms). The
epoch of X-ray maximum was approximately 40 d after the time of periastron
according to the eccentric orbital fit. If the 400 d oscillations from HD
154791/4U 1700+24 are due to orbital motion, then the system parameters are
probably close to those of the only other neutron-star symbiotic-like binary,
GX 1+4. We discuss the similarities and differences between these two systems.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures; accepted by Ap
Collisional Cascades in Planetesimal Disks II. Embedded Planets
We use a multiannulus planetesimal accretion code to investigate the growth
of icy planets in the outer regions of a planetesimal disk. In a quiescent
minimum mass solar nebula, icy planets grow to sizes of 1000--3000 km on a
timescale t = 15-20 Myr (a/30 AU)^3 where a is the distance from the central
star. Planets form faster in more massive nebulae. Newly-formed planets stir up
leftover planetesimals along their orbits and produce a collisional cascade
where icy planetesimals are slowly ground to dust.
The dusty debris of planet formation has physical characteristics similar to
those observed in beta Pic, HR 4796A, and other debris disks. We derive dust
masses for small particles, 1 mm and smaller, and large particles, 1 mm and
larger, as a function of the initial conditions in the planetesimal disk. The
dust luminosities derived from these masses are similar to those observed in
Vega, HR 4796A, and other debris disks. The calculations produce bright rings
and dark gaps. Bright rings occur where 1000 km and larger planets have
recently formed. Dark gaps are regions where planets have cleared out dust or
shadows where planets have yet to form.Comment: to be published in the Astronomical Journal, January 2004; 7 pages of
text; 17 figures at
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~kenyon/pf/emb-planet-figures.pdf; 2 animations at
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~kenyon/pf/emb-planet-movies.htm
A Hybrid N-body--Coagulation Code for Planet Formation
We describe a hybrid algorithm to calculate the formation of planets from an
initial ensemble of planetesimals. The algorithm uses a coagulation code to
treat the growth of planetesimals into oligarchs and explicit N-body
calculations to follow the evolution of oligarchs into planets. To validate the
N-body portion of the algorithm, we use a battery of tests in planetary
dynamics. Several complete calculations of terrestrial planet formation with
the hybrid code yield good agreement with previously published calculations.
These results demonstrate that the hybrid code provides an accurate treatment
of the evolution of planetesimals into planets.Comment: Astronomical Journal, accepted; 33 pages + 11 figure
M.I.T./Canadian Vestibular Experiments on the Spacelab-1 Mission. Part 1: Sensory Adaptation to Weightlessness and Readaptation to One-G: An Overview
Experiments on human spatial orientation were conducted on four crewmembers of Space Shuttle Spacelab Mission 1. The conceptual background of the project, the relationship among the experiments, and their relevance to a 'sensory reinterpretation hypothesis' are presented. Detailed experiment procedures and results are presented in the accompanying papers in this series. The overall findings are discussed as they pertain to the following aspects of hypothesized sensory reinterpretation in weightlessness: (1) utricular otolith afferent signals are reinterpreted as indicating head translation rather than tilt, (2) sensitivity of reflex responses to footward acceleration is reduced, and (3) increased weighting is given to visual and tactile cues in orientation perception and posture control. Results suggest increased weighting of visual cues and reduced weighting of graviceptor signals in weightlessness
The statistics of the photometric accuracy based on MASS data and the evaluation of high-altitude wind
The effect of stellar scintillation on the accuracy of photometric
measurements is analyzed. We obtain a convenient form of estimaton of this
effect in the long exposure regime, when the turbulence shift produced by the
wind is much larger than the aperture of the telescope. A simple method is
proposed to determine index introduced by perture of the Kenyon et al.
(2006), directly from the measurements with the Multi Aperture Scintillation
Sensor (MASS) without information on vertical profile of the wind. The
statistics resulting from our campaign of 2005 -- 2007 at Maidanak
observatory is presented. It is shown that these data can be used to estimate
high-altitude winds at pressure level 70 -- 100 mbar. Comparison with the wind
speed retrieved from the NCEP/NCAR global models shows a good agreement. Some
prospects for retrieval of the wind speed profile from the MASS measurements
are outlined.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy Letter
Static deformation of heavy spring due to gravity and centrifugal force
The static equilibrium deformation of a heavy spring due to its own weight is
calculated for two cases. First for a spring hanging in a constant
gravitational field, then for a spring which is at rest in a rotating system
where it is stretched by the centrifugal force. Two different models are
considered. First a discrete model assuming a finite number of point masses
connected by springs of negligible weight. Then the continuum limit of this
model. In the second case the differential equation for the deformation is
obtained by demanding that the potential energy is minimized. In this way a
simple application of the variational calculus is obtained.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure
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