1,552 research outputs found
Short-range oscillators in power-series picture
A class of short-range potentials on the line is considered as an
asymptotically vanishing phenomenological alternative to the popular confining
polynomials. We propose a method which parallels the analytic Hill-Taylor
description of anharmonic oscillators and represents all our Jost solutions
non-numerically, in terms of certain infinite hypergeometric-like series. In
this way the well known solvable Rosen-Morse and scarf models are generalized.Comment: 23 pages, latex, submitted to J. Phys. A: Math. Ge
Operacionalização de uma planta de pirólise rápida de biomassa com reator de leito fluidizado.
Neste trabalho são discutidos os principais problemas encontrados durante a operação da planta piloto de pirólise rápida de biomassa, pertencente à Universidade Estadual de Campinas- Unicamp, Brasil. Essa planta foi ajustada para a produção de bio-óleo, a partir de resíduos de biomassa de pequeno tamanho. Durante os testes, os principais problemas identificados foram: escoamento de vapores da pirólise pelo sistema de alimentação de biomassa; travamento da rosca de alimentação de biomassa; segregação da biomassa no leito; sinterização do material inerte; acúmulo de biomassa e de carvão vegetal dentro do reator; dificuldade para o aquecimento do inerte e baixa eficiência de recuperação de bio-óleo. Os resultados dos testes exploratórios permitiram definir condições operacionais para possibilitar o trabalho estável do reator, aumentar o conhecimento sobre os fenômenos que ocorrem durante a pirólise rápida em leito fluidizado, além do estabelecimento de faixas operacionais para vários fatores independentes, visando a futuros trabalhos de otimização experimental
Bi2Fe4O9 thin films as novel visible-light-active photoanodes for solar water splitting
We report the chemical solution deposition (CSD) of a phase-pure Bi2Fe4O9 thin film for use as a photoanode in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. The energy levels of Bi2Fe4O9 films have been measured and n-type characteristics have been confirmed. With band gaps determined as 2.05 eV (indirect) and 2.80 eV (direct) and valence and conduction bands straddling the water oxidation and reduction potentials, this material is highly promising as a photocatalyst for solar water splitting. The photocurrent of a planar photoanode reached 0.1 mA cm−2 at 1.23 VNHE under AM1.5G illumination. The addition of H2O2 as a hole scavenger increased the photocurrent to 0.25 mA cm−2, indicating hole injection is one limiting factor to the performance. The performance was enhanced by nearly 5-fold when the Bi2Fe4O9 photoanode is coupled to a Co–Pi surface co-catalyst. The photoanode also shows excellent stability with no change in photocurrent over three hours of continuous illumination. These results indicate that this material represents a promising addition to the growing selection of low-cost, stable photocatalysts for use in solar water splitting
The SPHERE data center: a reference for high contrast imaging processing
The objective of the SPHERE Data Center is to optimize the scientific return
of SPHERE at the VLT, by providing optimized reduction procedures, services to
users and publicly available reduced data. This paper describes our motivation,
the implementation of the service (partners, infrastructure and developments),
services, description of the on-line data, and future developments. The SPHERE
Data Center is operational and has already provided reduced data with a good
reactivity to many observers. The first public reduced data have been made
available in 2017. The SPHERE Data Center is gathering a strong expertise on
SPHERE data and is in a very good position to propose new reduced data in the
future, as well as improved reduction procedures.Comment: SF2A proceeding
The gravitational mass of Proxima Centauri measured with SPHERE from a microlensing event
Proxima Centauri, our closest stellar neighbour, is a low-mass M5 dwarf
orbiting in a triple system. An Earth-mass planet with an 11 day period has
been discovered around this star. The star's mass has been estimated only
indirectly using a mass-luminosity relation, meaning that large uncertainties
affect our knowledge of its properties. To refine the mass estimate, an
independent method has been proposed: gravitational microlensing. By taking
advantage of the close passage of Proxima Cen in front of two background stars,
it is possible to measure the astrometric shift caused by the microlensing
effect due to these close encounters and estimate the gravitational mass of the
lens (Proxima Cen). Microlensing events occurred in 2014 and 2016 with impact
parameters, the closest approach of Proxima Cen to the background star, of
1\farcs6 0\farcs1 and 0\farcs5 0\farcs1, respectively. Accurate
measurements of the positions of the background stars during the last two years
have been obtained with HST/WFC3, and with VLT/SPHERE from the ground. The
SPHERE campaign started on March 2015, and continued for more than two years,
covering 9 epochs. The parameters of Proxima Centauri's motion on the sky,
along with the pixel scale, true North, and centering of the instrument
detector were readjusted for each epoch using the background stars visible in
the IRDIS field of view. The experiment has been successful and the astrometric
shift caused by the microlensing effect has been measured for the second event
in 2016. We used this measurement to derive a mass of
0.150 (an error of 40\%) \MSun for Proxima
Centauri acting as a lens. This is the first and the only currently possible
measurement of the gravitational mass of Proxima Centauri.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted by MNRA
A narrow, edge-on disk resolved around HD 106906 with SPHERE
HD~106906AB is so far the only young binary system around which a planet has
been imaged and a debris disk evidenced thanks to a strong IR excess. As such,
it represents a unique opportunity to study the dynamics of young planetary
systems. We aim at further investigating the close (tens of au scales)
environment of the HD~106906AB system. We used the extreme AO fed, high
contrast imager SPHERE recently installed on the VLT to observe HD~106906. Both
the IRDIS imager and the Integral Field Spectrometer were used. We discovered a
very inclined, ring-like disk at a distance of 65~au from the star. The disk
shows a strong brightness asymmetry with respect to its semi-major axis. It
shows a smooth outer edge, compatible with ejection of small grains by the
stellar radiation pressure. We show furthermore that the planet's projected
position is significantly above the disk's PA. Given the determined disk
inclination, it is not excluded though that the planet could still orbit within
the disk plane if at a large separation (2000--3000 au). We identified several
additional point sources in the SPHERE/IRDIS field-of-view, that appear to be
background objects. We compare this system with other debris disks sharing
similarities, and we briefly discuss the present results in the framework of
dynamical evolution.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic
Generalized Morse Potential: Symmetry and Satellite Potentials
We study in detail the bound state spectrum of the generalized Morse
potential~(GMP), which was proposed by Deng and Fan as a potential function for
diatomic molecules. By connecting the corresponding Schr\"odinger equation with
the Laplace equation on the hyperboloid and the Schr\"odinger equation for the
P\"oschl-Teller potential, we explain the exact solvability of the problem by
an symmetry algebra, and obtain an explicit realization of the latter
as . We prove that some of the generators
connect among themselves wave functions belonging to different GMP's (called
satellite potentials). The conserved quantity is some combination of the
potential parameters instead of the level energy, as for potential algebras.
Hence, belongs to a new class of symmetry algebras. We also stress
the usefulness of our algebraic results for simplifying the calculation of
Frank-Condon factors for electromagnetic transitions between rovibrational
levels based on different electronic states.Comment: 23 pages, LaTeX, 2 figures (on request). one LaTeX problem settle
First light of the VLT planet finder SPHERE. I. Detection and characterization of the sub-stellar companion GJ 758 B
GJ758 B is a brown dwarf companion to a nearby (15.76 pc) solar-type,
metal-rich (M/H = +0.2 dex) main-sequence star (G9V) that was discovered with
Subaru/HiCIAO in 2009. From previous studies, it has drawn attention as being
the coldest (~600K) companion ever directly imaged around a neighboring star.
We present new high-contrast data obtained during the commissioning of the
SPHERE instrument at the VLT. The data was obtained in Y-, J-, H-, and Ks-bands
with the dual-band imaging (DBI) mode of IRDIS, providing a broad coverage of
the full near-infrared (near-IR) range at higher contrast and better spectral
sampling than previously reported. In this new set of high-quality data, we
report the re-detection of the companion, as well as the first detection of a
new candidate closer-in to the star. We use the new 8 photometric points for an
extended comparison of GJ758 B with empirical objects and 4 families of
atmospheric models. From comparison to empirical object, we estimate a T8
spectral type, but none of the comparison object can accurately represent the
observed near-IR fluxes of GJ758 B. From comparison to atmospheric models, we
attribute a Teff = 600K 100K, but we find that no atmospheric model can
adequately fit all the fluxes of GJ758 B. The photometry of the new candidate
companion is broadly consistent with L-type objects, but a second epoch with
improved photometry is necessary to clarify its status. The new astrometry of
GJ758 B shows a significant proper motion since the last epoch. We use this
result to improve the determination of the orbital characteristics using two
fitting approaches, Least-Square Monte Carlo and Markov Chain Monte Carlo.
Finally, we analyze the sensitivity of our data to additional closer-in
companions and reject the possibility of other massive brown dwarf companions
down to 4-5 AU. [abridged]Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in A&
Shadows and spirals in the protoplanetary disk HD 100453
Understanding the diversity of planets requires to study the morphology and
the physical conditions in the protoplanetary disks in which they form. We
observed and spatially resolved the disk around the ~10 Myr old protoplanetary
disk HD 100453 in polarized scattered light with SPHERE/VLT at optical and
near-infrared wavelengths, reaching an angular resolution of ~0.02", and an
inner working angle of ~0.09". We detect polarized scattered light up to ~0.42"
(~48 au) and detect a cavity, a rim with azimuthal brightness variations at an
inclination of 38 degrees, two shadows and two symmetric spiral arms. The
spiral arms originate near the location of the shadows, close to the semi major
axis. We detect a faint spiral-like feature in the SW that can be interpreted
as the scattering surface of the bottom side of the disk, if the disk is
tidally truncated by the M-dwarf companion currently seen at a projected
distance of ~119 au. We construct a radiative transfer model that accounts for
the main characteristics of the features with an inner and outer disk
misaligned by ~72 degrees. The azimuthal brightness variations along the rim
are well reproduced with the scattering phase function of the model. While
spirals can be triggered by the tidal interaction with the companion, the close
proximity of the spirals to the shadows suggests that the shadows could also
play a role. The change in stellar illumination along the rim, induces an
azimuthal variation of the scale height that can contribute to the brightness
variations. Dark regions in polarized images of transition disks are now
detected in a handful of disks and often interpreted as shadows due to a
misaligned inner disk. The origin of such a misalignment in HD 100453, and of
the spirals, is unclear, and might be due to a yet-undetected massive companion
inside the cavity, and on an inclined orbit.Comment: A&A, accepte
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