1,724 research outputs found
Simple and effective method to lock buoy position to ocean currents
Window-shade drogue, used with drifting buoys to keep them moving with current at speed as close to that of current as possible, has drag coefficient of 1.93 compared to maximum of 1.52 for previous drogues. It is remarkably simple to construct, use, and store
Selection of high-z supernovae candidates
Deep, ground based, optical wide-field supernova searches are capable of
detecting a large number of supernovae over a broad redshift range up to z~1.5.
While it is practically unfeasible to obtain spectroscopic redshifts of all the
supernova candidates right after the discovery, we show that the magnitudes and
colors of the host galaxies, as well as the supernovae, can be used to select
high-z supernova candidates, for subsequent spectroscopic and photometric
follow-up.
Using Monte-Carlo simulations we construct criteria for selecting galaxies in
well-defined redshift bands. For example, with a selection criteria using B-R
and R-I colors we are able to pick out potential host galaxies for which z>0.85
with 80% confidence level and with a selection efficiency of 64-86%. The method
was successfully tested using real observations from the HDF.
Similarly, we show that that the magnitude and colors of the supernova
discovery data can be used to constrain the redshift. With a set of cuts based
on V-R and R-I in a search to m_I~25, supernovae at z~1 can be selected in a
redshift interval sigma_z <0.15.Comment: 33 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in PASP (March 2002
issue
Cost analysis of the CTLB Study, a multitherapy antenatal education programme to reduce routine interventions in labour
Objective: To assess whether the multitherapy antenatal education âCTLBâ (Complementary Therapies for Labour and Birth) Study programme leads to net cost savings.
Design: Cost analysis of the CTLB Study, using analysis of outcomes and hospital funding data.
Methods: We take a payer perspective and use Australian Refined Diagnosis-Related Group (AR-DRG) cost data to estimate the potential savings per woman to the payer (government or private insurer). We consider scenarios in which the intervention cost is either borne by the woman or by the payer. Savings are computed as the difference in total cost between the control group and the study group.
Results: If the cost of the intervention is not borne by the payer, the average saving to the payer was calculated to be A659 since the average cost of delivering the programme was A659 to $A808 per woman. Compared with the average cost of birth in the control group, we conclude that the programme could lead to a reduction in birth-related healthcare costs of approximately 9%.
Trial registration number: ACTRN12611001126909
The evolution of the AGN content in groups up to z~1
Determining the AGN content in structures of different mass/velocity
dispersion and comparing them to higher mass/lower redshift analogs is
important to understand how the AGN formation process is related to
environmental properties. We use our well-tested cluster finding algorithm to
identify structures in the GOODS North and South fields, exploiting the
available spectroscopic redshifts and accurate photometric redshifts. We
identify 9 structures in GOODS-south (presented in a previous paper) and 8 new
structures in GOODS-north. We only consider structures where at least 2/3 of
the members brighter than M_R=-20 have a spectroscopic redshift. For those
group members that coincide with X-ray sources in the 4 and 2 Msec Chandra
source catalogs respectively, we determine if the X-ray emission originates
from AGN activity or it is related to the galaxies' star-formation activity. We
find that the fraction of AGN with Log L_H > 42 erg/s in galaxies with M_R <
-20 is on average 6.3+-1.3%, much higher than in lower redshift groups of
similar mass and more than double the fraction found in massive clusters at a
similarly high redshift. We then explore the spatial distribution of AGN in the
structures and find that they preferentially populate the outer regions. The
colors of AGN host galaxies in structures tend to be confined to the green
valley, thus avoiding the blue cloud and, partially, also the red-sequence,
contrary to what happens in the field. We finally compare our results to the
predictions of two sets of semi analytic models to investigate the evolution of
AGN and evaluate potential triggering and fueling mechanisms. The outcome of
this comparison attests the importance of galaxy encounters, not necessarily
leading to mergers, as an efficient AGN triggering mechanism. (abridged)Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, Accepted accepted for publication in A&
Detecting z > 2 Type IIn Supernovae
Type IIn supernovae (SNe IIn) dominate the brightest supernova events in
observed FUV flux (~1200-2000A). We show that multi-band, multi-epoch optical
surveys complete to m_r = 27 can detect the FUV emission of ~25 z > 2 SNe IIn
deg^-2 yr^-1 rest-frame (~10 SNe IIn deg^-2 yr^-1 observed-frame) to 4 sigma
using a technique monitoring color-selected galaxies. Moreover, the strength
and evolution of the bright emission lines observed in low redshift SNe IIn
imply that the Ly-a emission features in ~70% of z > 2 SNe IIn are above
8m-class telescope spectroscopic thresholds for ~2 yr rest-frame. As a result,
existing facilities have the capability to both photometrically detect and
spectroscopically confirm z > 2 SNe IIn and pave the way for efficient searches
by future 8m-class survey and 30m-class telescopes. The method presented here
uses the sensitivities and wide-field capabilities of current optical
instruments and exploits (1) the efficiency of z > 2 galaxy color-selection
techniques, (2) the intrinsic brightness distribution ( = -19.0 +/-0.9)
and blue profile of SNe IIn continua, (3) the presence of extremely bright,
long-lived emission features, and (4) the potential to detect blueshifted SNe
Ly-a emission shortward of host galaxy Ly-a features.Comment: 26 pages (pre-print), 6 figures, accepted Ap
Near-IR Search for Lensed Supernovae Behind Galaxy Clusters - II. First Detection and Future Prospects
Powerful gravitational telescopes in the form of massive galaxy clusters can
be used to enhance the light collecting power over a limited field of view by
about an order of magnitude in flux. This effect is exploited here to increase
the depth of a survey for lensed supernovae at near-IR wavelengths. A pilot SN
search program conducted with the ISAAC camera at VLT is presented. Lensed
galaxies behind the massive clusters A1689, A1835 and AC114 were observed for a
total of 20 hours split into 2, 3 and 4 epochs respectively, separated by
approximately one month to a limiting magnitude J<24 (Vega). Image subtractions
including another 20 hours worth of archival ISAAC/VLT data were used to search
for transients with lightcurve properties consistent with redshifted
supernovae, both in the new and reference data. The feasibility of finding
lensed supernovae in our survey was investigated using synthetic lightcurves of
supernovae and several models of the volumetric Type Ia and core-collapse
supernova rates as a function of redshift. We also estimate the number of
supernova discoveries expected from the inferred star formation rate in the
observed galaxies. The methods consistently predict a Poisson mean value for
the expected number of SNe in the survey between N_SN=0.8 and 1.6 for all
supernova types, evenly distributed between core collapse and Type Ia SN. One
transient object was found behind A1689, 0.5" from a galaxy with photometric
redshift z_gal=0.6 +- 0.15. The lightcurve and colors of the transient are
consistent with being a reddened Type IIP SN at z_SN=0.59. The lensing model
predicts 1.4 magnitudes of magnification at the location of the transient,
without which this object would not have been detected in the near-IR ground
based search described in this paper (unlensed magnitude J~25). (abridged)Comment: Accepted by AA, matches journal versio
Finite elements and the discrete variable representation in nonequilibrium Green's function calculations. Atomic and molecular models
In this contribution, we discuss the finite-element discrete variable
representation (FE-DVR) of the nonequilibrium Green's function and its
implications on the description of strongly inhomogeneous quantum systems. In
detail, we show that the complementary features of FEs and the DVR allows for a
notably more efficient solution of the two-time Schwinger/Keldysh/Kadanoff-Baym
equations compared to a general basis approach. Particularly, the use of the
FE-DVR leads to an essential speedup in computing the self-energies.
As atomic and molecular examples we consider the He atom and the linear
version of H in one spatial dimension. For these closed-shell models we,
in Hartree-Fock and second Born approximation, compute the ground-state
properties and compare with the exact findings obtained from the solution of
the few-particle time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, submitted as proceedings of conference "PNGF IV
High Redshift Supernova Rates
We use a sample of 42 supernovae detected with the Advanced Camera for
Surveys on-board the Hubble Space Telescope as part of the Great Observatories
Origins Deep Survey to measure the rate of core collapse supernovae to z~0.7
and type Ia supernovae to z~1.6. This significantly increases the redshift
range where supernova rates have been estimated from observations.
The rate of core collapse supernovae can be used as an independent probe of
the cosmic star formation rate. Based on the observations of 17 core collapse
supernovae, we measure an increase in the core collapse supernova rate by a
factor of 1.6 in the range 0.3<z<0.7, and an overall increase by a factor of 7
to z~0.7 in comparison to the local core collapse supernova rate. The increase
in the rate in this redshift range in consistent with recent measurements of
the star formation rate derived from UV-luminosity densities and IR datasets.
Based on 25 type Ia supernovae, we find a SN Ia rate that is a factor 3-5
higher at z~1 compared to earlier estimates at lower redshifts (z<0.5),
implying that the type Ia supernova rate traces a higher star formation rate at
redshifts z>1 compared to low redshift. At higher redshift (z>1), we find a
suggested decrease in the type Ia rate with redshift. This evolution of the Ia
rate with redshift is consistent with a type Ia progenitor model where there is
a substantial delay between the formation of the progenitor star and the
explosion of the supernova. Assuming that the type Ia progenitor stars have
initial main sequence masses 3-8 M_Sun, we find that 5-7% of the available
progenitors explode as type Ia supernovae.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
GRB 070714B - Discovery of the Highest Spectroscopically Confirmed Short Burst Redshift
Gemini Nod & Shuffle spectroscopy on the host of the short GRB 070714B shows
a single emission line at 7167 angstroms which, based on a grizJHK photometric
redshift, we conclude is the 3727 angstrom [O II] line. This places the host at
a redshift of z=.923 exceeding the previous record for the highest
spectroscopically confirmed short burst redshift of z=.546 held by GRB 051221.
This dramatically moves back the time at which we know short bursts were being
formed, and suggests that the present evidence for an old progenitor population
may be observationally biased.Comment: Conference procedings for Gamma Ray Bursts 2007 November 5-9, 2007
Santa Fe, New Mexico (4 pages, 2 figures
Observation of Periodic Orbits on Curved Two - dimensional Geometries
We measure elastomechanical spectra for a family of thin shells. We show that
these spectra can be described by a "semiclassical" trace formula comprising
periodic orbits on geodesics, with the periods of these orbits consistent with
those extracted from experiment. The influence of periodic orbits on spectra in
the case of two-dimensional curved geometries is thereby demonstrated, where
the parameter corresponding to Planck's constant in quantum systems involves
the wave number and the curvature radius. We use these findings to explain the
marked clustering of levels when the shell is hemispherical
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