1,995 research outputs found
OMCat: Catalogue of Serendipitous Sources Detected with the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor
The Optical Monitor Catalogue of serendipitous sources (OMCat) contains
entries for every source detected in the publicly available XMM-Newton Optical
Monitor (OM) images taken in either the imaging or ``fast'' modes. Since the OM
is coaligned and records data simultaneously with the X-ray telescopes on
XMM-Newton, it typically produces images in one or more near-UV/optical bands
for every pointing of the observatory. As of the beginning of 2006, the public
archive had covered roughly 0.5% of the sky in 2950 fields.
The OMCat is not dominated by sources previously undetected at other
wavelengths; the bulk of objects have optical counterparts. However, the OMCat
can be used to extend optical or X-ray spectral energy distributions for known
objects into the ultraviolet, to study at higher angular resolution objects
detected with GALEX, or to find high-Galactic-latitude objects of interest for
UV spectroscopy.Comment: 25 pages, 22 figures, submitted to PAS
Fragmentation Phase Transition in Atomic Clusters II - Coulomb Explosion of Metal Clusters -
We discuss the role and the treatment of polarization effects in many-body
systems of charged conducting clusters and apply this to the statistical
fragmentation of Na-clusters. We see a first order microcanonical phase
transition in the fragmentation of for Z=0 to 8. We can
distinguish two fragmentation phases, namely evaporation of large particles
from a large residue and a complete decay into small fragments only. Charging
the cluster shifts the transition to lower excitation energies and forces the
transition to disappear for charges higher than Z=8. At very high charges the
fragmentation phase transition no longer occurs because the cluster
Coulomb-explodes into small fragments even at excitation energy .Comment: 19 text pages +18 *.eps figures, my e-mail adress: [email protected]
submitted to Z. Phys.
Characterisation of spatial network-like patterns from junctions' geometry
We propose a new method for quantitative characterization of spatial
network-like patterns with loops, such as surface fracture patterns, leaf vein
networks and patterns of urban streets. Such patterns are not well
characterized by purely topological estimators: also patterns that both look
different and result from different morphogenetic processes can have similar
topology. A local geometric cue -the angles formed by the different branches at
junctions- can complement topological information and allow to quantify the
large scale spatial coherence of the pattern. For patterns that grow over time,
such as fracture lines on the surface of ceramics, the rank assigned by our
method to each individual segment of the pattern approximates the order of
appearance of that segment. We apply the method to various network-like
patterns and we find a continuous but sharp dichotomy between two classes of
spatial networks: hierarchical and homogeneous. The first class results from a
sequential growth process and presents large scale organization, the latter
presents local, but not global organization.Comment: version 2, 14 page
An XMM-Newton Observation of the Local Bubble Using a Shadowing Filament in the Southern Galactic Hemisphere
We present an analysis of the X-ray spectrum of the Local Bubble, obtained by
simultaneously analyzing spectra from two XMM-Newton pointings on and off an
absorbing filament in the Southern galactic hemisphere (b ~ -45 deg). We use
the difference in the Galactic column density in these two directions to deduce
the contributions of the unabsorbed foreground emission due to the Local
Bubble, and the absorbed emission from the Galactic halo and the extragalactic
background. We find the Local Bubble emission is consistent with emission from
a plasma in collisional ionization equilibrium with a temperature and an emission measure of 0.018 cm^{-6} pc. Our
measured temperature is in good agreement with values obtained from ROSAT
All-Sky Survey data, but is lower than that measured by other recent XMM-Newton
observations of the Local Bubble, which find
(although for some of these observations it is possible that the foreground
emission is contaminated by non-Local Bubble emission from Loop I). The higher
temperature observed towards other directions is inconsistent with our data,
when combined with a FUSE measurement of the Galactic halo O VI intensity. This
therefore suggests that the Local Bubble is thermally anisotropic.
Our data are unable to rule out a non-equilibrium model in which the plasma
is underionized. However, an overionized recombining plasma model, while
observationally acceptable for certain densities and temperatures, generally
gives an implausibly young age for the Local Bubble (\la 6 \times 10^5 yr).Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. 16 pages, 9
figure
Interactive effects of low molecular weight carbon compounds on N2O emissions
Low molecular weight carbon (C) compounds in hotspots such as the rhizosphere can greatly affect nitrate reduction processes. Towards a better prediction of N2O emission from denitrification, we are still lacking understanding of responses to the supply of complex C compound mixtures such as rhizodeposits versus the often examined response to individually amended C compounds. In a laboratory study, we applied three C compounds, glucose, citric acid and glutamic acid, individually or as a three-compound mixture to 14NH415NO3 amended soil at 80% water-filled pore space. For the individual C compound treatments, the substrateswere enriched in 13C-C. The mixture was enriched in 13C-C either in all constituent compounds or in one of the compounds only, resulting in four different treatments. This set-up enabled quantification of the utilization of each compound for heterotrophic respiration when applied individually and in combination, and for this to be related to the dynamics of 15N-NO3- reduction to 15N-N2O. The total 15N-N2O emission from the compound mixture over 10 days was similar to the total emission predicted from the average of the individual compound treatments This could suggest potential predictability of denitrification responses to complex mixtures of C based on knowledge of its constituents. However, immediate and simultaneous peaks of 15N-N2O and 13C-CO2 fluxes from the compound mixture contrasted with observed delays in 15N-N2O and 13C-CO2 fluxes when the compounds had been applied individually. Moreover, relative contributions of the C compounds to 13C-CO2 respiration from the compound mixture were different from the predicted contributions based on their individual application. While contributions of glutamic acid-C and citric acid-C to respiration in mixture during peak 15N-N2O emission were increased, glucose utilization in the mixture treatment was significantly lower. These findings give a glimpse of the challenges we are facing when trying to predict nitrate reduction occurring in the rhizosphere where interactions between C compounds and the soil matrix, as well as within the wider heterotrophic community, determine process rates. Given that most of our understanding of the role of C in regulating nitrate reduction, is informed from single compound studies, we require more evidence on the effects and innate interactions of compound mixtures to be able to predict responses to C sources
Destabilizing effects of visual environment motions simulating eye movements or head movements
In the present paper, we explore effects on the human of exposure to a visual virtual environment which has been enslaved to simulate the human user's head movements or eye movements. Specifically, we have studied the capacity of our experimental subjects to maintain stable spatial orientation in the context of moving their entire visible surroundings by using the parameters of the subjects' natural movements. Our index of the subjects' spatial orientation was the extent of involuntary sways of the body while attempting to stand still, as measured by translations and rotations of the head. We also observed, informally, their symptoms of motion sickness
Universal Pulse Shape Scaling Function and Exponents: A Critical Test for Avalanche Models applied to Barkhausen Noise
In order to test if the universal aspects of Barkhausen noise in magnetic
materials can be predicted from recent variants of the non-equilibrium zero
temperature Random Field Ising Model (RFIM), we perform a quantitative study of
the universal scaling function derived from the
Barkhausen pulse shape in simulations and experiment. Through data collapses
and scaling relations we determine the critical exponents and
in both simulation and experiment. Although we find agreement
in the critical exponents, we find differences between theoretical and
experimental pulse shape scaling functions as well as between different
experiments.Comment: 19 pages (in preprint format), 5 figures, 1 tabl
The X-ray Structure and Spectrum of the Pulsar Wind Nebula Surrounding PSR B1853+01 in W44
We present the result of a Chandra ACIS observation of the pulsar PSR
B1853+01 and its associated pulsar wind nebula (PWN), embedded within the
supernova remnant W44. A hard band ACIS map cleanly distinguishes the PWN from
the thermal emission of W44. The nebula is extended in the north-south
direction, with an extent about half that of the radio emission. Morphological
differences between the X-ray and radio images are apparent. Spectral fitting
reveals a clear difference in spectral index between the hard emission from PSR
B1853+01 (Gamma ~ 1.4) and the extended nebula (Gamma ~ 2.2). The more accurate
values for the X-ray flux and spectral index are used refine estimates for PWN
parameters, including magnetic field strength, the average Lorentz factor,
gamma, of the particles in the wind, the magnetization parameter, sigma, and
the ratio k of electrons to other particles.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, accepted by Ap
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