15,027 research outputs found
A three-dimensional hydrodynamical line profile analysis of iron lines and barium isotopes in HD140283
Heavy-elements, i.e. those beyond the iron peak, mostly form via two neutron
capture processes: the s- and r-process. Metal-poor stars should contain fewer
isotopes that form via the s-process, according to currently accepted theory.
It has been shown in several investigations that theory and observation do not
agree well, raising questions on the validity of either the methodology or the
theory. We analyse the metal-poor star HD140283, for which we have a high
quality spectrum. We test whether a 3D LTE stellar atmosphere and spectrum
synthesis code permits a more reliable analysis of the iron abundance and
barium isotope ratio than a 1D LTE analysis. Using 3D model atmospheres, we
examine 91 iron lines of varying strength and formation depth. This provides us
with the star's rotational speed. With this, we model the barium isotope ratio
by exploiting the hyperfine structure of the singly ionised 4554 resonance
line, and study the impact of the uncertainties in the stellar parameters.
HD140283's vsini = 1.65 +/- 0.05 km/s. Barium isotopes under the 3D paradigm
show a dominant r-process signature as 77 +/- 6 +/- 17% of barium isotopes form
via the r-process, where errors represent the assigned random and systematic
errors, respectively. We find that 3D LTE fits reproduce iron line profiles
better than those in 1D, but do not provide a unique abundance (within the
uncertainties). However, we demonstrate that the isotopic ratio is robust
against this shortcoming. Our barium isotope result agrees well with currently
accepted theory regarding the formation of the heavy-elements during the early
Galaxy. The improved fit to the asymmetric iron line profiles suggests that the
current state of 3D LTE modelling provides excellent simulations of fluid
flows. However, the abundances they provide are not yet self-consistent. This
may improve with NLTE considerations and higher resolution models.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables. Accepted for publication in A&
The Three-Nucleon System Near the N-d Threshold
The three-nucleon system is studied at energies a few hundred keV above the
N-d threshold. Measurements of the tensor analyzing powers and
for p-d elastic scattering at keV are presented
together with the corresponding theoretical predictions. The calculations are
extended to very low energies since they are useful for extracting the p-d
scattering lengths from the experimental data. The interaction considered here
is the Argonne V18 potential plus the Urbana three-nucleon potential. The
calculation of the asymptotic D- to S-state ratio for H and He, for
which recent experimental results are available, is also presented.Comment: Latex, 11 pages, 2 figures, to be published in Phy.Lett.
Lissajous curves and semiclassical theory: The two-dimensional harmonic oscillator
The semiclassical treatment of the two-dimensional harmonic oscillator
provides an instructive example of the relation between classical motion and
the quantum mechanical energy spectrum. We extend previous work on the
anisotropic oscillator with incommensurate frequencies and the isotropic
oscillator to the case with commensurate frequencies for which the Lissajous
curves appear as classical periodic orbits. Because of the three different
scenarios depending on the ratio of its frequencies, the two-dimensional
harmonic oscillator offers a unique way to explicitly analyze the role of
symmetries in classical and quantum mechanics.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures; to appear in Am. J. Phy
A double-dot quantum ratchet driven by an independently biased quantum point contact
We study a double quantum dot (DQD) coupled to a strongly biased quantum
point contact (QPC), each embedded in independent electric circuits. For weak
interdot tunnelling we observe a finite current flowing through the unbiased
Coulomb blockaded DQD in response to a strong bias on the QPC. The direction of
the current through the DQD is determined by the relative detuning of the
energy levels of the two quantum dots. The results are interpreted in terms of
a quantum ratchet phenomenon in a DQD energized by a nearby QPC.Comment: revised versio
OGO-E cosmic radiation - Nuclear abundance experiment
OGO-E cosmic radiation detector
Enhanced quantum nonlinearities in a two mode optomechanical system
In cavity optomechanics, nanomechanical motion couples to a localized optical
mode. The regime of single-photon strong coupling is reached when the optical
shift induced by a single phonon becomes comparable to the cavity linewidth. We
consider a setup in this regime comprising two optical modes and one mechanical
mode. For mechanical frequencies nearly resonant to the optical level
splitting, we find the photon-phonon and the photon-photon interactions to be
significantly enhanced. In addition to dispersive phonon detection in a novel
regime, this offers the prospect of optomechanical photon measurement. We study
these QND detection processes using both analytical and numerical approaches
Activated escape of periodically modulated systems
The rate of noise-induced escape from a metastable state of a periodically
modulated overdamped system is found for an arbitrary modulation amplitude .
The instantaneous escape rate displays peaks that vary with the modulation from
Gaussian to strongly asymmetric. The prefactor in the period-averaged
escape rate depends on nonmonotonically. Near the bifurcation amplitude
it scales as . We identify three scaling
regimes, with , and 1/2
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