13,369 research outputs found
Electrodynamic Structure of an Outer Gap Accelerator: Location of the Gap and the Gamma-ray Emission from the Crab Pulsar
We investigate a stationary pair production cascade in the outer
magnetosphere of a spinning neutron star. The charge depletion due to global
flows of charged particles, causes a large electric field along the magnetic
field lines. Migratory electrons and/or positrons are accelerated by this field
to radiate curvature gamma-rays, some of which collide with the X-rays to
materialize as pairs in the gap. The replenished charges partially screen the
electric field, which is self-consistently solved together with the
distribution functions of particles and gamma-rays. If no current is injected
at neither of the boundaries of the accelerator, the gap is located around the
conventional null surface, where the local Goldreich-Julian charge density
vanishes. However, we first find that the gap position shifts outwards (or
inwards) when particles are injected at the inner (or outer) boundary. Applying
the theory to the Crab pulsar, we demonstrate that the pulsed TeV flux does not
exceed the observational upper limit for moderate infrared photon density and
that the gap should be located near to or outside of the conventional null
surface so that the observed spectrum of pulsed GeV fluxes may be emitted via a
curvature process. Some implications of the existence of a solution for a super
Goldreich-Julian current are discussed.Comment: 17 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Ap
The effects of parasitism and body length on positioning within wild fish shoals
The influence of body length and parasitism on the positioning behaviour of individuals in wild fish shoals was investigated by a novel means of capturing entire shoals of the banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanus, Lesueur) using a grid-net that maintained the two-dimensional positions of individuals within shoals.
Fish in the front section of a shoal were larger than those in the rear.
Individuals parasitized by the digenean trematode (Crassiphiala bulboglossa, Haitsma) showed a tendency to occupy the front of shoals. Parasitized fish were also found more in peripheral positions than central ones in a significant number of shoals.
Shoal geometry was affected by the overall parasite prevalence of shoal members; shoals with high parasite prevalence displayed increasingly phallanx-like shoal formations, whereas shoals with low prevalence were more elliptical.
There was no relationship between body length and parasite abundance or prevalence in the fish population which suggests body length and parasite status are independent predictors of positioning behaviour.
Solitary individuals found outside shoals were both more likely to be parasitized and had higher parasite abundance than individuals engaged in shoaling.
Differences in the shoaling behaviour of parasitized and unparasitized fish are discussed in the context of the adaptive manipulation hypothesis
Functional specialization of the yeast Rho1 GTP exchange factors
Rho GTPases are regulated in complex spatiotemporal patterns that may be dependent, in part at least, on the multiplicity of their GTP exchange factors (GEFs). Here, we examine the extent of and basis for functional specialization of the Rom2 and Tus1 GEFs that activate the yeast Rho1 GTPase, the ortholog of mammalian RhoA. First, we find that these GEFs selectively activate different Rho1-effector branches. Second, the synthetic genetic networks around ROM2 and TUS1 confirm very different global in vivo roles for these GEFs. Third, the GEFs are not functionally interchangeable: Tus1 cannot replace the essential role of Rom2, even when overexpressed. Fourth, we find that Rom2 and Tus1 localize differently: Rom2 to the growing bud surface and to the bud neck at cytokinesis; Tus1 only to the bud neck but in a distinct pattern. Finally, we find that these GEFs are dependent on different protein co-factors: Rom2 function and localization is largely dependent on Ack1, a SEL1 domain containing protein; Tus1 function and localization is largely dependent on the Tus1-interacting protein Ypl066w (which we name Rgl1). We have revealed a surprising level of diversity among the Rho1 GEFs that contributes another level of complexity to the spatiotemporal control of Rho1
Substrate effects on surface magetetism of Fe/W(110) from first principles
Surface magnetic properties of the pseudomorphic Fe(110) monolayer on a
W(110) substrate are investigated from first principles as a function of the
substrate thickness (up to eight layers). Analyzing the magnetocrystalline
anisotropy energies, we find stable (with respect to the number of substrate
layers) in-plane easy and hard axes of magnetization along the [1[overline 1]0]
and [001] directions, respectively, reaching a value in good agreement with
experiment for thick substrates. Additionally, the changes to the magnetic spin
moments and the density of the Fe d states are analyzed with respect to the
number of substrate layers as well as with respect to the direction of
magnetization. With respect to the number of W(110) substrate layers beneath
the Fe(110) surface, we find that the first four substrate layers have a large
influence on the electronic and magnetic properties of the surface. Beyond the
fourth layer, the substrate has only marginal influence on the surface
properties.Comment: 8 Pages, 3 Figures, 3 Table
Radio Continuum Jet in NGC 7479
The barred galaxy NGC 7479 hosts a remarkable jet-like radio continuum
feature: bright, 12-kpc long in projection, and hosting an aligned magnetic
field. The degree of polarization is 6%-8% along the jet, and remarkably
constant, which is consistent with helical field models. The radio brightness
of the jet suggests strong interaction with the ISM and hence a location near
the disk plane. We observed NGC 7479 at four wavelengths with the VLA and
Effelsberg radio telescopes. The equipartition strength is 35-40 micro-G for
the total and >10 micro-G for the ordered magnetic field in the jet. The jet
acts as a bright, polarized background. Faraday rotation between 3.5 and 6 cm
and depolarization between 6 and 22 cm can be explained by magneto-ionic gas in
front of the jet, with thermal electron densities of ~0.06 cm**(-3) in the bar
and ~0.03 cm**(-3) outside the bar. The regular magnetic field along the bar
points toward the nucleus on both sides. The regular field in the disk reveals
multiple reversals, probably consisting of field loops stretched by a shearing
gas flow in the bar. The projection of the jet bending in the sky plane is in
the sense opposite to that of the underlying stellar and gaseous spiral
structure. The bending in 3-D is most easily explained as a precessing jet,
with an age less than 10**6 years. Our observations are consistent with very
recent triggering, possibly by a minor merger. NGC 7479 provides a unique
opportunity to study interaction-triggered 15-kpc scale radio jets within a
spiral galaxy.Comment: 18 pages, 21 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Reliable and Accountable System Design
Few would disagree with the assertion that safe engineering starts from the early stages of system design and should be maintained throughout the lifecycle. Different engineering domains have developed, mostly informal, frameworks with which they hope
to promote this attitude. An interesting question for the KBS community is whether some of our methods for knowledge representation and reasoning can be used to assist in understanding, representing and interpreting such frameworks. This paper concentrates on what is (arguably) the area of greatest concern: relating system requirements to high level design. We highlight what appear to be the major difficulties which face us in this area, using examples from systems which have been built to tackle them.</jats:p
Ghost Cosmology: Exact Solutions, Transitions Between Standard Cosmologies and Ghost Dark Energy/Matter Evolution
The recently proposed infrared modification of gravity through the
introduction of a ghost scalar field results in a number of interesting
cosmological and phenomenological implications. In this paper, we derive the
exact cosmological solutions for a number of scenarios where at late stages,
the ghost behaves like dark matter, or dark energy. The full solutions give
valuable information about the non-linear regime beyond the asymptotic first
order analysis presented in the literature. The generic feature is that these
ghost cosmologies give rise to smooth transitions between radiation dominated
phases (or more general power-law expansions) at early epochs and ghost dark
matter resp. ghost dark energy dominated late epochs. The current age of our
universe places us right at the non-linear transition phase. By studying the
evolution backwards in time, we find that the dominance of the ghost over
ordinary baryonic matter and radiative contributions persists back to the
earliest times such that the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker geometry is dictated to
a good approximation by the ghost alone. We also find that the Jeans
instability occurs in the ghost dark energy scenario at late times, while it is
absent in the ghost dark matter scenario.Comment: 31 pages, 9 figures; added references, clarified a few minor point
Role of the exchange and correlation potential into calculating the x-ray absorption spectra of half-metallic alloys: the case of Mn and Cu K-edge XANES in CuMnM (M = Al, Sn, In) Heusler alloys
This work reports a theoretical study of the x-ray absorption near-edge
structure spectra at both the Cu and the Mn K-edge in several CuMnM (M= Al,
Sn and In) Heusler alloys. Our results show that {\it ab-initio} single-channel
multiple-scattering calculations are able of reproducing the experimental
spectra. Moreover, an extensive discussion is presented concerning the role of
the final state potential needed to reproduce the experimental data of these
half-metallic alloys. In particular, the effects of the cluster-size and of the
exchange and correlation potential needed in reproducing all the experimental
XANES features are discussed.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure
Quantum Monte Carlo study of a positron in an electron gas
Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of the relaxation energy, pair-correlation function, and annihilating-pair momentum density are presented for a positron immersed in a homogeneous electron gas. We find smaller relaxation energies and contact pair-correlation functions in the important low-density regime than predicted by earlier studies. Our annihilating-pair momentum densities have almost zero weight above the Fermi momentum due to the cancellation of electron-electron and electron-positron correlation effects
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