6,055 research outputs found
Use of derived forcing functions at Centaur main engine cutoff in predicting transient loads on Mariner Mars 1971 and Viking spacecraft
Mathematical models for prediction of acceleration responses and reaction forces and moments at base of Mariner Mars 71 and Viking spacecraft from Centaur main engine cutof
Constraining the metallicities, ages, star formation histories, and ionizing continua of extragalactic massive star populations
We infer the properties of massive star populations using the far-ultraviolet
stellar continua of 61 star-forming galaxies: 42 at low-z observed with HST and
19 at z~2 from the Megasaura sample. We fit each stellar continuum with a
linear combination of up to 50 single age and single metallicity Starburst99
models. From these fits, we derive light-weighted ages and metallicities, which
agree with stellar wind and photospheric spectral features, and infer the
spectral shapes and strengths of the ionizing continua. Inferred light-weighted
stellar metallicities span 0.05-1.5 Z and are similar to the measured
nebular metallicities. We quantify the ionizing continua using the ratio of the
ionizing flux at 900\AA\ to the non-ionizing flux at 1500\AA\ and demonstrate
the evolution of this ratio with stellar age and metallicity using theoretical
single burst models. These single burst models only match the inferred ionizing
continua of half of the sample, while the other half are described by a mixture
of stellar ages. Mixed age populations produce stronger and harder ionizing
spectra than continuous star formation histories, but, contrary to previous
studies that assume constant star formation, have similar stellar and nebular
metallicities. Stellar population age and metallicity affect the far-UV
continua in different and distinguishable ways; assuming a constant star
formation history diminishes the diagnostic power. Finally, we provide simple
prescriptions to determine the ionizing photon production efficiency
() from the stellar population properties. has a range
of log( Hz erg that depends on stellar age,
metallicity, star formation history, and contributions from binary star
evolution. These stellar population properties must be observationally
determined to determine the number of ionizing photons generated by massive
stars.Comment: 31 pages, 23 figures, resubmitted to ApJ after incorporating the
referee's comments. Comments encourage
The critical current of YBa2Cu3O7-d Low Angle Grain Boundaries
Transport critical current measurements have been performed on 5 degree
[001]-tilt thin film YBa2Cu3O7-delta single grain boundaries with magnetic
field rotated in the plane of the film, phi. The variation of the critical
current has been determined as a function of the angle between the magnetic
field and the grain boundary plane. In applied fields above 1 T the critical
current, j_c, is found to be strongly suppressed only when the magnetic field
is within an angle phi_k of the grain boundary. Outside this angular range the
behavior of the artificial grain boundary is dominated by the critical current
of the grains. We show that the phi dependence of j_c in the suppressed region
is well described by a flux cutting model.Comment: To be published in PRL, new version with minor changes following
referees report
On piezophase effects in mechanically loaded atomic scale Josephson junctions
The response of an intrinsic Josephson contact to externally applied stress
is considered within the framework of the dislocation-induced atomic scale
Josephson effect. The predicted quasi-periodic (Fraunhofer-like)stress-strain
and stress-current patterns should manifest themselves for experimentally
accessible values of applied stresses in intrinsically defected (e.g.,twinned)
crystals.Comment: REVTEX (epsf style), 2 EPS figure
Accurately predicting the escape fraction of ionizing photons using restframe ultraviolet absorption lines
The fraction of ionizing photons that escape high-redshift galaxies
sensitively determines whether galaxies reionized the early universe. However,
this escape fraction cannot be measured from high-redshift galaxies because the
opacity of the intergalactic medium is large at high redshifts. Without methods
to indirectly measure the escape fraction of high-redshift galaxies, it is
unlikely that we will know what reionized the universe. Here, we analyze the
far-ultraviolet (UV) H I (Lyman series) and low-ionization metal absorption
lines of nine low-redshift, confirmed Lyman continuum emitting galaxies. We use
the H I covering fractions, column densities, and dust attenuations measured in
a companion paper to predict the escape fraction of ionizing photons. We find
good agreement between the predicted and observed Lyman continuum escape
fractions (within ) using both the H I and ISM absorption lines. The
ionizing photons escape through holes in the H I, but we show that dust
attenuation reduces the fraction of photons that escape galaxies. This means
that the average high-redshift galaxy likely emits more ionizing photons than
low-redshift galaxies. Two other indirect methods accurately predict the escape
fractions: the Ly escape fraction and the optical [O III]/[O II] flux
ratio. We use these indirect methods to predict the escape fraction of a sample
of 21 galaxies with rest-frame UV spectra but without Lyman continuum
observations. Many of these galaxies have low escape fractions (\%), but 11 have escape fractions \%. The methods presented here will
measure the escape fractions of high-redshift galaxies, enabling future
telescopes to determine whether star-forming galaxies reionized the early
universe.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 12 pages, 5 figure
Suppressed dependence of polarization on epitaxial strain in highly polar ferroelectrics
A combined experimental and computational investigation of coupling between
polarization and epitaxial strain in highly polar ferroelectric
PbZr_0.2Ti_0.8O_3 (PZT) thin films is reported. A comparison of the properties
of relaxed (tetragonality c/a = 1.05) and highly-strained (c/a = 1.09)
epitaxial films shows that polarization, while being amongst the highest
reported for PZT or PbTiO_3 in either film or bulk forms (P_r = 82
microC/cm^2), is almost independent of the epitaxial strain. We attribute this
behavior to a suppressed sensitivity of the A-site cations to epitaxial strain
in these Pb-based perovskites, where the ferroelectric displacements are
already large, contrary to the case of less polar perovskites, such as BaTiO_3.
In the latter case, the A-site cation (Ba) and equatorial oxygen displacements
can lead to substantial polarization increases.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
The Magellan Evolution of Galaxies Spectroscopic and Ultraviolet Reference Atlas (MEGaSaURA) I: The Sample and the Spectra
We introduce Project MEGaSaURA: The Magellan Evolution of Galaxies
Spectroscopic and Ultraviolet Reference Atlas. MEGaSaURA comprises
medium-resolution, rest-frame ultraviolet spectroscopy of N=15 bright
gravitationally lensed galaxies at redshifts of 1.68z3.6, obtained with
the MagE spectrograph on the Magellan telescopes. The spectra cover the
observed-frame wavelength range \AA ; the average
spectral resolving power is R=3300. The median spectrum has a signal-to-noise
ratio of per resolution element at 5000 \AA . As such, the MEGaSaURA
spectra have superior signal-to-noise-ratio and wavelength coverage compared to
what COS/HST provides for starburst galaxies in the local universe. This paper
describes the sample, the observations, and the data reduction. We compare the
measured redshifts for the stars, the ionized gas as traced by nebular lines,
and the neutral gas as traced by absorption lines; we find the expected bulk
outflow of the neutral gas, and no systemic offset between the redshifts
measured from nebular lines and the redshifts measured from the stellar
continuum. We provide the MEGaSaURA spectra to the astronomical community
through a data release.Comment: Resubmitted to AAS Journals. Data release will accompany journal
publication. v2 addresses minor comments from refere
Is attending a mental process?
The nature of attention has been the topic of a lively research programme in psychology for over a century. But there is widespread agreement that none of the theories on offer manage to fully capture the nature of attention. Recently, philosophers have become interested in the debate again after a prolonged period of neglect. This paper contributes to the project of explaining the nature of attention. It starts off by critically examining Christopher Mole’s prominent “adverbial” account of attention, which traces the failure of extant psychological theories to their assumption that attending is a kind of process. It then defends an alternative, process-based view of the metaphysics of attention, on which attention is understood as an activity and not, as psychologists seem to implicitly assume, an accomplishment. The entrenched distinction between accomplishments and activities is shown to shed new light on the metaphysics of attention. It also provides a novel diagnosis of the empirical state of play
The Epistemology of Intentionality: Notional Constituents vs. Direct Grasp
Franz Brentano is well known for highlighting the importance of intentionality, but he said curiously little about the nature of intentionality. According to Mark Textor, there is a deep reason for this: Brentano took intentionality to be a conceptual primitive the nature of which is revealed only in direct grasp. Although there is certainly textual support for this interpretation, it appears in tension with Brentano’s repeated attempts to analyze intentionality in terms of ‘notional constituents’ – aspects of intentionality which cannot come apart in reality but which can be conceptually distinguished. After bringing out this tension, I explore some options for resolving it, ultimately offering my own favored interpretation
- …