209,277 research outputs found
An infrared proper motion study of the Orion bullets
We report the first IR proper motion measurements of the Herbig-Haro objects
in the Orion Molecular Cloud--One using a four-year time baseline. The [Fe II]
emitting bullets are moving of order 0.08 arcsec per year, or at about 170
\kms. The direction of motion is similar to that inferred from their
morphology. The proper motions of \h2 emitting wakes behind the [Fe II]
bullets, and of newly found \h2 bullets, are also measured. \h2 bullets have
smaller proper motion than [Fe II] bullets, while \h2 wakes with leading [Fe
II] bullets appear to move at similar speeds to their associated bullets. A few
instances of variability in the emission can be attributed to dense, stationary
clumps in the ambient cloud being overrun, setting up a reverse--oriented
bullet. Differential motion between [Fe II] bullets and their trailing \h2
wakes is not observed, suggesting that these are not separating, and also that
they have reached a steady--state configuration over at least 100 years. The
most distant bullets have, on average, larger proper motions, but are not
consistent with free expansion. Nevertheless an impulsive, or short--lived
( 1,000 years) duration for their origin seems likely.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure
Computation of topside ionograms from N/h/ profiles
Computation of topside ionograms from electron concentration profile
Standardized field testing of assistant robots in a Mars-like environment
Controlled testing on standard tasks and within standard environments can provide meaningful performance comparisons between robots of heterogeneous design. But because they must perform practical tasks in unstructured, and therefore non-standard, environments, the benefits of this approach have barely begun to accrue for field robots. This work describes a desert trial of six student prototypes of astronaut-support robots using a set of standardized engineering tests developed by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), along with three operational tests in natural Mars-like terrain. The results suggest that standards developed for emergency response robots are also applicable to the astronaut support domain, yielding useful insights into the differences in capabilities between robots and real design improvements. The exercise shows the value of combining repeatable engineering tests with task-specific application-testing in the field
Quantum-limited mass flow of liquid He
We consider theoretically the possibility of observing unusual quantum fluid
behavior in liquid He and solutions of He in He systems
confined to nano-channels. In the case of pure ballistic flow at very low
temperature conductance will be quantized in units of . We show that
these steps should be sensitive to increases in temperature. We also use of a
random scattering matrix simulation to study flow with diffusive wall
scattering. Universal conductance fluctuations analogous to those seen in
electron systems should then be observable. Finally we consider the possibility
of the cross-over to a one-dimensional system at sufficiently low temperature
where the system could form a Luttinger liquid
Optical studies of carrier and phonon dynamics in Ga_{1-x}Mn_{x}As
We present a time-resolved optical study of the dynamics of carriers and
phonons in Ga_{1-x}Mn_{x}As layers for a series of Mn and hole concentrations.
While band filling is the dominant effect in transient optical absorption in
low-temperature-grown (LT) GaAs, band gap renormalization effects become
important with increasing Mn concentration in Ga_{1-x}Mn_{x}As, as inferred
from the sign of the absorption change. We also report direct observation on
lattice vibrations in Ga1-xMnxAs layers via reflective electro-optic sampling
technique. The data show increasingly fast dephasing of LO phonon oscillations
for samples with increasing Mn and hole concentration, which can be understood
in term of phonon scattering by the holes.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures replaced Fig.1 after finding a mistake in
previous versio
A Theory of Gamma-Ray Bursts
We present a specific scenario for the link between GRB and hypernovae, based
on Blandford-Znajek extraction of black-hole spin energy. Such a mechanism
requires a high angular momentum in the progenitor object. The observed
association of gamma-ray bursts with type Ibc supernovae leads us to consider
massive helium stars that form black holes at the end of their lives as
progenitors. We combine the numerical work of MacFadyen & Woosley with analytic
calculations, to show that about 1E53 erg each are available to drive the fast
GRB ejecta and the supernova. The GRB ejecta are driven by the power output
through the open field lines, whereas the supernova is powered by closed filed
lines and jet shocks. We also present a much simplified approximate derivation
of these energetics.
Helium stars that leave massive black-hole remnants in special ways, namely
via soft X-ray transients or very massive WNL stars. Since binaries naturally
have high angular momentum, we propose a link between black-hole transients and
gamma-ray bursts. Recent observations of one such transient, GRO J1655-40/Nova
Scorpii 1994, explicitly support this connection: its high space velocity
indicates that substantial mass was ejected in the formation of the black hole,
and the overabundance of alpha-nuclei, especially sulphur, indicates that the
explosion energy was extreme, as in SN 1998bw/GRB 980425. (abstract shortened)Comment: 32 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in New Astronom
Self-DUal SU(3) Chern-Simons Higgs Systems
We explore self-dual Chern-Simons Higgs systems with the local and
global symmetries where the matter field lies in the adjoint
representation. We show that there are three degenerate vacua of different
symmetries and study the unbroken symmetry and particle spectrum in each
vacuum. We classify the self-dual configurations into three types and study
their properties.Comment: Columbia Preprint CU-TP-635, 19 page
Momentum-space electronic structures and charge orders of high-temperature superconductors Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2 and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta
We study the electronic structure of Ca2-xNaxCuO2Cl2 and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d
samples in a wide range of doping, using angle-resolved photoemission
spectroscopy, with emphasis on on the Fermi surface (FS) in the near anti-nodal
region. The "nesting wave vector", i.e., the wave vector that connects two
nearly flat pieces of the Fermi surface in the anti-nodal region, reveals a
universal monotonic decrease in magnitude as a function of doping. Comparing
our results to the charge order recently observed by scanning tunneling
spectroscopy (STS), we conclude that the FS nesting and the charge order
pattern seen in STS do not have a direct relationship. Therefore,the charge
order likely arises due to strong correlation physics rather than FS nesting
physics.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
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