20,107 research outputs found
Detecting the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect with stacked voids
The stacking of cosmic microwave background (CMB) patches has been recently
used to detect the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect (iSW). When focusing on the
locations of superstructures identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS),
Granett et al. (2008a, Gr08) found a signal with strong significance and an
amplitude reportedly higher than expected within the LambdaCDM paradigm. We
revisit the analysis using our own robust protocol, and extend the study to the
two most recent and largest catalogues of voids publicly available. We quantify
and subtract the level of foreground contamination in the stacked images and
determine the contribution on the largest angular scales from the first
multipoles of the CMB. We obtain the radial temperature and photometry profiles
from the stacked images. Using a Monte Carlo approach, we computed the
statistical significance of the profiles for each catalogue and identified the
angular scale at which the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) is maximum. We
essentially confirm the signal detection reported by Gr08, but for the other
two catalogues, a rescaling of the voids to the same size on the stacked image
is needed to find any significant signal (with a maximum at ~2.4 sigmas). This
procedure reveals that the photometry peaks at unexpectedly large angles in the
case of the Gr08 voids, in contrast to voids from other catalogues. Conversely,
the photometry profiles derived from the stacked voids of these other
catalogues contain small central hot spots of uncertain origin. We also stress
the importance of a posteriori selection effects that might arise when
intending to increase the S/N, and we discuss the possible impact of void
overlap and alignment effects. We argue that the interpretation in terms of an
iSW effect of any detected signal via the stacking method is far from obvious.Comment: 14 pages, 18 figures, 2 tables. Submitted, accepted and published in
A&A ; Minor changes to match the published version of the pape
Representations of molecules and materials for interpolation of quantum-mechanical simulations via machine learning
Computational study of molecules and materials from first principles is a cornerstone of physics, chemistry and materials science, but limited by the cost of accurate and precise simulations. In settings involving many simulations, machine learning can reduce these costs, sometimes by orders of magnitude, by interpolating between reference simulations. This requires representations that describe any molecule or material and support interpolation. We review, discuss and benchmark state-of-the-art representations and relations between them, including smooth overlap of atomic positions, many-body tensor representation, and symmetry functions. For this, we use a unified mathematical framework based on many-body functions, group averaging and tensor products, and compare energy predictions for organic molecules, binary alloys and Al-Ga-In sesquioxides in numerical experiments controlled for data distribution, regression method and hyper-parameter optimization
Recycling Pulsars: spins, masses and ages
Although the first millisecond pulsars (MSPs) were discovered 30 years ago we
still do not understand all details of their formation process. Here, we
present new results from Tauris, Langer & Kramer (2012) on the recycling
scenario leading to radio MSPs with helium or carbon-oxygen white dwarf
companions via evolution of low- and intermediate mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs,
IMXBs). We discuss the location of the spin-up line in the (P,Pdot)-diagram and
estimate the amount of accreted mass needed to obtain a given spin period and
compare with observations. Finally, we constrain the true ages of observed
recycled pulsars via calculated isochrones in the (P,Pdot)-diagram.Comment: Contributed talk, Proceedings of IAUS 291 "Neutron Stars and Pulsars:
Challenges and Opportunities after 80 years", J. van Leeuwen (ed.); 4 pages,
2 figure
A microscopic model for solidification
We present a novel picture of a non isothermal solidification process
starting from a molecular level, where the microscopic origin of the basic
mechanisms and of the instabilities characterizing the approach to equilibrium
is rendered more apparent than in existing approaches based on coarse grained
free energy functionals \`a la Landau.
The system is composed by a lattice of Potts spins, which change their state
according to the stochastic dynamics proposed some time ago by Creutz. Such a
method is extended to include the presence of latent heat and thermal
conduction.
Not only the model agrees with previous continuum treatments, but it allows
to introduce in a consistent fashion the microscopic stochastic fluctuations.
These play an important role in nucleating the growing solid phase in the melt.
The approach is also very satisfactory from the quantitative point of view
since the relevant growth regimes are fully characterized in terms of scaling
exponents.Comment: 7 pages Latex +3 figures.p
Steady-state, effective-temperature dynamics in a glassy material
We present an STZ-based analysis of numerical simulations by Haxton and Liu
(HL). The extensive HL data sharply test the basic assumptions of the STZ
theory, especially the central role played by the effective disorder
temperature as a dynamical state variable. We find that the theory survives
these tests, and that the HL data provide important and interesting constraints
on some of its specific ingredients. Our most surprising conclusion is that,
when driven at various constant shear rates in the low-temperature glassy
state, the HL system exhibits a classic glass transition, including
super-Arrhenius behavior, as a function of the effective temperature.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
Evolution, Explosion and Nucleosynthesis of Core Collapse Supernovae
We present a new set of presupernova evolutions and explosive yields of
massive stars of initial solar composition (Y=0.285, Z=0.02) in the mass range
13-35 Msun. All the models have been computed with the latest version (4.97) of
the FRANEC code that now includes a nuclear network extending from neutrons to
Mo98. The explosive nucleosynthesis has been computed twice: a first one with
an hydro code and a second one following the simpler radiation dominated shock
approximation (RDA).Comment: 20 pages, 10 figures, 12 tables. Accepted for publication on Ap
Molecular characterisation of grapevine yellows associated phytoplasmas of the stolbur-group based on RFLP-analysis of non-ribosomal DNA
Grapevines, alternative host plants, and vectors from different viticultural areas of Germany were surveyed for the presence of stolbur-group phytoplasmas that are associated with grapevine yellows. Isolates from these field samples and periwinkle isolates of stolbur were characterised by RFLP-analysis of non-ribosomal DNA fragments using a combination of 6 polymorphic primer-enzyme combinations. Three of the 5 different restriction profiles that could be distinguished were found in grapevine and other field samples of plants and insects. A previously unknown isolate was detected in grapevine, vectors and the newly identified herbaceous host Calystegia sepium. The further analysis of the phylogenetic relationship between the 5 RFLP groups revealed a close relationship between two of the isolates associated with grapevine yellows which were also found in the two Convolvulaceae Convolvulus arvensis and Calystegia sepium. The third isolate which was detected in grapevine and stinging nettle Urtica dioica is more closely related to a periwinkle isolate obtained from Lavandula officinalis than to the other two grapevine yellows isolates. Based on the data of the field survey a specific association of the three isolates to different alternative host plants is discussed.
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