20,335 research outputs found
Gamma-Ray Burst Spectral Features: Interpretation as X-ray Emission From A Photoionized Plasma
Numerous reports have been made of features, either in emission or
absorption, in the 10 - 1000 keV spectra of some gamma-ray bursts. Originally
interpreted in the context of Galactic neutron star models as cyclotron line
emission and annihilation features, the recent demonstration that
the majority of GRBs lie at cosmological distances make these explanations
unlikely. In this letter, we adopt a relativistic fireball model for
cosmological GRBs in which dense, metal rich blobs or filaments of plasma are
entrained in the relativistic outflow. In the context of this model, we
investigate the conditions under which broadband features, similar to those
detected, can be observed. We find a limited region of parameter space capable
of reproducing the observed GRB spectra. Finally, we discuss possible
constraints further high-energy spectral observations could place on fireball
model parameters.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letters Four pages,
2 figure
Understanding the determinants of stability and folding of small globular proteins from their energetics
The results of minimal model calculations suggest that the stability and the
kinetic accessibility of the native state of small globular proteins are
controlled by few "hot" sites. By mean of molecular dynamics simulations around
the native conformation, which simulate the protein and the surrounding solvent
at full--atom level, we generate an energetic map of the equilibrium state of
the protein and simplify it with an Eigenvalue decomposition. The components of
the Eigenvector associated with the lowest Eigenvalue indicate which are the
"hot" sites responsible for the stability and for the fast folding of the
protein. Comparison of these predictions with the results of mutatgenesis
experiments, performed for five small proteins, provide an excellent agreement
Three-dimensional simulations of laser-plasma interactions at ultrahigh intensities
Three-dimensional (3D) particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations are used to
investigate the interaction of ultrahigh intensity lasers (
W/cm) with matter at overcritical densities. Intense laser pulses are
shown to penetrate up to relativistic critical density levels and to be
strongly self-focused during this process. The heat flux of the accelerated
electrons is observed to have an annular structure when the laser is tightly
focused, showing that a large fraction of fast electrons is accelerated at an
angle. These results shed light into the multi-dimensional effects present in
laser-plasma interactions of relevance to fast ignition of fusion targets and
laser-driven ion acceleration in plasmas.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figur
Microcanonical Analysis of Exactness of the Mean-Field Theory in Long-Range Interacting Systems
Classical spin systems with nonadditive long-range interactions are studied
in the microcanonical ensemble. It is expected that the entropy of such a
system is identical to that of the corresponding mean-field model, which is
called "exactness of the mean-field theory". It is found out that this
expectation is not necessarily true if the microcanonical ensemble is not
equivalent to the canonical ensemble in the mean-field model. Moreover,
necessary and sufficient conditions for exactness of the mean-field theory are
obtained. These conditions are investigated for two concrete models, the
\alpha-Potts model with annealed vacancies and the \alpha-Potts model with
invisible states.Comment: 23 pages, to appear in J. Stat. Phy
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