26,326 research outputs found
Self-shadowing Effects of Slim Accretion Disks in Active Galactic Nuclei: Diverse Appearance of the Broad-line Region
Supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) undergo a wide
range of accretion rates, which lead to diversity of appearance. We consider
the effects of anisotropic radiation from accretion disks on the broad-line
region (BLR), from the Shakura-Sunyaev regime to slim disks with
super-Eddington accretion rates. The geometrically thick funnel of the inner
region of slim disks produces strong self-shadowing effects that lead to very
strong anisotropy of the radiation field. We demonstrate that the degree of
anisotropy of the radiation fields grows with increasing accretion rate. As a
result of this anisotropy, BLR clouds receive different spectral energy
distributions depending on their location relative to the disk, resulting in
diverse observational appearance of the BLR. We show that the self-shadowing of
the inner parts of the disk naturally produces two dynamically distinct regions
of the BLR, depending on accretion rate. These two regions manifest themselves
as kinematically distinct components of the broad H line profile with
different line widths and fluxes, which jointly account for the Lorentzian
profile generally observed in narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies. In the time
domain, these two components are expected reverberate with different time lags
with respect to the varying ionizing continuum, depending on the accretion rate
and the viewing angle of the observer. The diverse appearance of the BLR due to
the anisotropic ionizing energy source can be tested by reverberation mapping
of H and other broad emission lines (e.g., \feii), providing a new tool
to diagnose the structure and dynamics of the BLR. Other observational
consequences of our model are also explored.Comment: emulatapj style, 15 pages, 6 figures, in pres
Modular Equations and Distortion Functions
Modular equations occur in number theory, but it is less known that such
equations also occur in the study of deformation properties of quasiconformal
mappings. The authors study two important plane quasiconformal distortion
functions, obtaining monotonicity and convexity properties, and finding sharp
bounds for them. Applications are provided that relate to the quasiconformal
Schwarz Lemma and to Schottky's Theorem. These results also yield new bounds
for singular values of complete elliptic integrals.Comment: 23 page
Single transverse-spin asymmetry in Drell-Yan lepton angular distribution
We calculate a single transverse-spin asymmetry for the Drell-Yan
lepton-pair's angular distribution in perturbative QCD. At leading order in the
strong coupling constant, the asymmetry is expressed in terms of a twist-3
quark-gluon correlation function T_F^{(V)}(x_1,x_2). In our calculation, the
same result was obtained in both light-cone and covariant gauge in QCD, while
keeping explicit electromagnetic current conservation for the virtual photon
that decays into the lepton pair. We also present a numerical estimate of the
asymmetry and compare the result to an existing other prediction.Comment: 15 pages, Revtex, 5 Postscript figures, uses aps.sty, epsfig.st
Small atom diffusion and breakdown of the Stokes–Einstein relation in the supercooled liquid state of the Zr46.7Ti8.3Cu7.5Ni10Be27.5 alloy
Be diffusivity data in the bulk metallic glass forming alloy Zr46.7Ti8.3Cu7.5Ni10Be27.5 are reported for temperatures between 530 and 710 K, extending 85 K into the supercooled liquid state of the alloy. At the glass transition temperature Tg, a change in temperature dependence of the data is observed, and above Tg the diffusivity increases more quickly with temperature than below. The data in the supercooled liquid can be described by a modified Arrhenius expression based on a diffusion mechanism suggested earlier. The comparison with viscosity data in the supercooled liquid state of Zr46.7Ti8.3Cu7.5Ni10Be27.5 reveals a breakdown of the Stokes–Einstein relation, indicating a cooperative diffusion mechanism in the supercooled liquid state of Zr46.7Ti8.3Cu7.5Ni10Be27.5
Origin of intrinsic dark count in superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors
The origin of the decoherence in superconducting nanowire single-photon
detectors, the so-called dark count, was investigated. We measured the
direct-current characteristics and bias-current dependencies of the dark count
rate in a wide range of temperatures from 0.5 K to 4 K, and analyzed the
results by theoretical models of thermal fluctuations of vortices. Our results
indicate that the current-assisted unbinding of vortex-antivortex pairs is the
dominant origin of the dark count.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure
Odd Chern-Simons Theory, Lie Algebra Cohomology and Characteristic Classes
We investigate the generic 3D topological field theory within AKSZ-BV
framework. We use the Batalin-Vilkovisky (BV) formalism to construct explicitly
cocycles of the Lie algebra of formal Hamiltonian vector fields and we argue
that the perturbative partition function gives rise to secondary characteristic
classes. We investigate a toy model which is an odd analogue of Chern-Simons
theory, and we give some explicit computation of two point functions and show
that its perturbation theory is identical to the Chern-Simons theory. We give
concrete example of the homomorphism taking Lie algebra cocycles to
Q-characteristic classes, and we reinterpreted the Rozansky-Witten model in
this light.Comment: 52 page
Phenomenology of single spin asymmetries in p(transv. polarized)-p -> pion + X
A phenomenological description of single transverse spin effects in
hadron-hadron inclusive processes is proposed, assuming a generalized
factorization scheme and pQCD hard interactions. The transverse momentum, k_T,
of the quarks inside the hadrons and of the hadrons relatively to the
fragmenting quark, is taken into account in distribution and fragmentation
functions, and leads to possible non zero single spin asymmetries. The role of
k_T and spin dependent quark fragmentations -- the so-called Collins effect --
is investigated in details in p(transv. polarized)-p -> pion + X processes: it
is shown how the experimental data could be described, obtaining an explicit
expression for the spin asymmetry of a polarized fragmenting quark, on which
some comments are made. Predictions for other processes, possible further
applications and experimental tests are discussed.Comment: 20+1 pages, LaTeX, 6 eps figures, uses epsfig.sty. Version v2: Some
sentences rephrased and comments added throughout the paper; one reference
added; no changes in results and figures. Final version to be published in
Phys. Rev.
- …