9,793 research outputs found
Single ion heat engine with maximum efficiency at maximum power
We propose an experimental scheme to realize a nano heat engine with a single
ion. An Otto cycle may be implemented by confining the ion in a linear Paul
trap with tapered geometry and coupling it to engineered laser reservoirs. The
quantum efficiency at maximum power is analytically determined in various
regimes. Moreover, Monte Carlo simulations of the engine are performed that
demonstrate its feasibility and its ability to operate at maximum efficiency of
30% under realistic conditions.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
The [CII] 158 um Line Deficit in Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies Revisited
We present a study of the [CII] 157.74 um fine-structure line in a sample of
15 ultraluminous infrared (IR) galaxies (L_IR>10^12 Lsun; ULIRGs) using the
Long Wavelength Spectrometer (LWS) on the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). We
confirm the observed order of magnitude deficit (compared to normal and
starburst galaxies) in the strength of the [CII] line relative to the far-IR
dust continuum emission found in our initial report (Luhman et al. 1998), but
here with a sample that is twice as large. This result suggests that the
deficit is a general phenomenon affecting 4/5 ULIRGs. We present an analysis
using observations of generally acknowledged photodissociation region (PDR)
tracers ([CII], [OI] 63 and 145 um, and FIR continuum emission), which suggests
that a high UV flux G_o incident on a moderate density n PDR could explain the
deficit. However, comparisons with other ULIRG observations, including CO
(1-0), [CI] (1-0), and 6.2 um polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) emission,
suggest that high G_o/n PDRs alone cannot produce a self-consistent solution
that is compatible with all of the observations. We propose that non-PDR
contributions to the FIR continuum can explain the apparent [CII] deficiency.
Here, unusually high G_o and/or n physical conditions in ULIRGs as compared to
those in normal and starburst galaxies are not required to explain the [CII]
deficit. Dust-bounded photoionization regions, which generate much of the FIR
emission but do not contribute significant [CII] emission, offer one possible
physical origin for this additional non-PDR component. Such environments may
also contribute to the observed suppression of FIR fine-structure emission from
ionized gas and PAHs, as well as the warmer FIR colors found in ULIRGs. The
implications for observations at higher redshifts are also revisited.Comment: to be published in The Astrophysical Journal, 58 page
Latest results from the EU project AVATAR: aerodynamic modelling of 10 MW wind turbines
This paper presents the most recent results from the EU project AVATAR in which aerodynamic models are improved and validated for wind turbines on a scale of 10 MW and more. Measurements on a DU 00-W-212 airfoil are presented which have been taken in the pressurized DNW-HDG wind tunnel up to a Reynolds number of 15 Million. These measurements are compared with measurements in the LM wind tunnel for Reynolds numbers of 3 and 6 Million and with calculational results. In the analysis of results special attention is paid to high Reynolds numbers effects. CFD calculations on airfoil performance showed an unexpected large scatter which eventually was reduced by paying even more attention to grid independency and domain size in relation to grid topology. Moreover calculations are presented on flow devices (leading and trailing edge flaps and vortex generators). Finally results are shown between results from 3D rotor models where a comparison is made between results from vortex wake methods and BEM methods at yawed conditions
First principles study of local electronic and magnetic properties in pure and electron-doped NdCuO
The local electronic structure of Nd2CuO4 is determined from ab-initio
cluster calculations in the framework of density functional theory.
Spin-polarized calculations with different multiplicities enable a detailed
study of the charge and spin density distributions, using clusters that
comprise up to 13 copper atoms in the CuO2plane. Electron doping is simulated
by two different approaches and the resulting changes in the local charge
distribution are studied in detail and compared to the corresponding changes in
hole doped La2CuO4. The electric field gradient (EFG) at the copper nucleus is
investigated in detail and good agreement is found with experimental values. In
particular the drastic reduction of the main component of the EFG in the
electron-doped material with respect to LaCuO4 is explained by a reduction of
the occupancy of the 3d3z^2-r^2 atomic orbital. Furthermore, the chemical
shieldings at the copper nucleus are determined and are compared to results
obtained from NMR measurements. The magnetic hyperfine coupling constants are
determined from the spin density distribution
High resolution mid-infrared spectroscopy of ultraluminous infrared galaxies
(Abridged) We present R~600, 10-37um spectra of 53 ULIRGs at z<0.32, taken
using the IRS on board Spitzer. All of the spectra show fine structure emission
lines of Ne, O, S, Si and Ar, as well as molecular Hydrogen lines. Some ULIRGs
also show emission lines of Cl, Fe, P, and atomic Hydrogen, and/or absorption
features from C_2H_2, HCN, and OH. We employ diagnostics based on the
fine-structure lines, as well as the EWs and luminosities of PAH features and
the strength of the 9.7um silicate absorption feature (S_sil), to explore the
power source behind the infrared emission in ULIRGs. We show that the IR
emission from the majority of ULIRGs is powered mostly by star formation, with
only ~20% of ULIRGs hosting an AGN with a comparable or greater IR luminosity
than the starburst. The detection of the 14.32um [NeV] line in just under half
the sample however implies that an AGN contributes significantly to the mid-IR
flux in ~42% of ULIRGs. The emission line ratios, luminosities and PAH EWs are
consistent with the starbursts and AGN in ULIRGs being more extincted, and for
the starbursts more compact, versions of those in lower luminosity systems. The
excitations and electron densities in the NLRs of ULIRGs appear comparable to
those of lower luminosity starbursts, though there is evidence that the NLR gas
in ULIRGs is more dense. We show that the combined luminosity of the 12.81um
[NeII] and 15.56um [NeIII] lines correlates with both IR luminosity and the
luminosity of the 6.2 micron and 11.2 micron PAH features in ULIRGs, and use
this to derive a calibration between PAH luminosity and star formation rate.
Finally, we show that ULIRGs with 0.8 < S_sil < 2.4 are likely to be powered
mainly by star formation, but that ULIRGs with S_sil < 0.8, and possibly those
with S_sil > 2.4, contain an IR-luminous AGN.Comment: 62 pages in preprint format, 4 tables, 23 figures. ApJ accepte
Quantum measurements without macroscopic superpositions
We study a class of quantum measurement models. A microscopic object is
entangled with a macroscopic pointer such that each eigenvalue of the measured
object observable is tied up with a specific pointer deflection. Different
pointer positions mutually decohere under the influence of a bath.
Object-pointer entanglement and decoherence of distinct pointer readouts
proceed simultaneously. Mixtures of macroscopically distinct object-pointer
states may then arise without intervening macroscopic superpositions.
Initially, object and apparatus are statistically independent while the latter
has pointer and bath correlated according to a metastable local thermal
equilibrium. We obtain explicit results for the object-pointer dynamics with
temporal coherence decay in general neither exponential nor Gaussian. The
decoherence time does not depend on details of the pointer-bath coupling if it
is smaller than the bath correlation time, whereas in the opposite Markov
regime the decay depends strongly on whether that coupling is Ohmic or
super-Ohmic.Comment: 50 pages, 5 figures, changed conten
Decomposing Dusty Galaxies. I. Multi-Component Spectral Energy Distribution Fitting
We present a new multi-component spectral energy distribution (SED)
decomposition method and use it to analyze the ultraviolet to millimeter
wavelength SEDs of a sample of dusty infrared-luminous galaxies. SEDs are
constructed from spectroscopic and photometric data obtained with the Spitzer
Space Telescope, in conjunction with photometry from the literature. Each SED
is decomposed into emission from populations of stars, an AGN accretion disk,
PAHs, atomic and molecular lines, and distributions of graphite and silicate
grains. Decompositions of the SEDs of the template starburst galaxies NGC7714
and NGC2623 and the template AGNs PG0804+761 and Mrk463 provide baseline
properties to aid in quantifying the strength of star-formation and accretion
in the composite systems NGC6240 and Mrk1014. We find that obscured radiation
from stars is capable of powering the total dust emission from NGC6240,
although we cannot rule out a contribution from a deeply embedded AGN visible
only in X-rays. The decomposition of Mrk1014 is consistent with ~65% of its
power emerging from an AGN and ~35% from star-formation. We suggest that many
of the variations in our template starburst SEDs may be explained in terms of
the different mean optical depths through the clouds of dust surrounding the
young stars within each galaxy. Prompted by the divergent far-IR properties of
our template AGNs, we suggest that variations in the relative orientation of
their AGN accretion disks with respect to the disks of the galaxies hosting
them may result in different amounts of AGN-heated cold dust emission emerging
from their host galaxies. We estimate that 30-50% of the far-IR and PAH
emission from Mrk1014 may originate from such AGN-heated material in its host
galaxy disk.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in the Ap
Ice features in the mid-IR spectra of galactic nuclei
Mid infrared spectra provide a powerful probe of the conditions in dusty
galactic nuclei. They variously contain emission features associated with star
forming regions and absorptions by circumnuclear silicate dust plus ices in
cold molecular cloud material. Here we report the detection of 6-8um water ice
absorption in 18 galaxies observed by ISO. While the mid-IR spectra of some of
these galaxies show a strong resemblance to the heavily absorbed spectrum of
NGC 4418, other galaxies in this sample also show weak to strong PAH emission.
The 18 ice galaxies are part of a sample of 103 galaxies with good S/N mid-IR
ISO spectra. Based on our sample we find that ice is present in most of the
ULIRGs, whereas it is weak or absent in the large majority of Seyferts and
starburst galaxies. This result is consistent with the presence of larger
quantities of molecular material in ULIRGs as opposed to other galaxy types.
Like NGC 4418, several of our ice galaxy spectra show a maximum near 8um that
is not or only partly due to PAH emission. While this affects only a small part
of the galaxy population studied by ISO, it stresses the need for high S/N data
and refined diagnostic methods, to properly discriminate spectra dominated by
PAH emission and spectra dominated by heavy obscuration. The spectral variation
from PAH emission to absorbed continuum emission near 8um shows strong
similarities with Galactic star forming clouds. This leads us to believe that
our classification of ice galaxy spectra might reflect an evolutionary sequence
from strongly obscured beginnings of star formation (and AGN activity) to a
less enshrouded stage of advanced star formation (and AGN activity), as the
PAHs get stronger and the broad 8um feature weakens.Comment: 22 pages, 15 figures, Astronomy & Astrophysics, accepte
The antikaon nuclear potential in hot and dense matter
The antikaon optical potential in hot and dense nuclear matter is studied
within the framework of a coupled-channel self-consistent calculation taking,
as bare meson-baryon interaction, the meson-exchange potential of the J\"ulich
group. Typical conditions found in heavy-ion collisions at GSI are explored. As
in the case of zero temperature, the angular momentum components larger than
L=0 contribute significantly to the finite temperature antikaon optical
potential at finite momentum. It is found that the particular treatment of the
medium effects has a strong influence on the behavior of the antikaon potential
with temperature. Our self-consistent model, in which antikaons and pions are
dressed in the medium, gives a moderately temperature dependent antikaon
potential which remains attractive at GSI temperatures, contrary to what one
finds if only nuclear Pauli blocking effects are included.Comment: 30 pages, 8 figures, references added. Accepted for publication in
PR
Measuring the Lyapunov exponent using quantum mechanics
We study the time evolution of two wave packets prepared at the same initial
state, but evolving under slightly different Hamiltonians. For chaotic systems,
we determine the circumstances that lead to an exponential decay with time of
the wave packet overlap function. We show that for sufficiently weak
perturbations, the exponential decay follows a Fermi golden rule, while by
making the difference between the two Hamiltonians larger, the characteristic
exponential decay time becomes the Lyapunov exponent of the classical system.
We illustrate our theoretical findings by investigating numerically the overlap
decay function of a two-dimensional dynamical system.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
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