Molecular gas and stars in the translucent cloud MBM 18 (LDN 1569)

Seven of ten candidate H-alpha emission-line stars found in an objective grism survey of a 1 square degree region in MBM 18, were observed spectroscopically. Four of these have weak H-alpha emission, and 6 out of 7 have spectral types M1-M4V. One star is of type F7-G1V, and has H-alpha in absorption. The spectra of three of the M-stars may show an absorption line of LiI, although none of these is an unambiguous detection. For the six M-stars a good fit is obtained with pre-main-sequence isochrones indicating ages between 7.5 and 15Myr. The molecular cloud mass, derived from the integrated 12CO(1-0) emission, is 160Mo (for a distance of 120pc), much smaller than the virial mass (10^3Mo), and the cloud is not gravitationally bound. Nor are the individual clumps we identified through a clump-finding routine. Considering the relative weakness or absence of the H-alpha emission, the absence of other emission lines, and the lack of clear LiI absorption, the targets are not T Tauri stars. With ages between 7.5 and 15Myr they are old enough to explain the lack of lithium in their spectra. Based on the derived distances (60-250pc), some of the stars may lie inside the molecular cloud (120-150pc). From the fact that the cloud as a whole, as well as the individual clumps, are not gravitationally bound, in combination with the ages of the stars we conclude that it is not likely that (these) stars were formed in MBM 18.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics (20 pages

Approximated integrability of the Dicke model

A very approximate second integral of motion of the Dicke model is identified within a broad region above the ground state, and for a wide range of values of the external parameters. This second integral, obtained from a Born Oppenheimer approximation, classifies the whole regular part of the spectrum in bands labelled by its corresponding eigenvalues. Results obtained from this approximation are compared with exact numerical diagonalization for finite systems in the superradiant phase, obtaining a remarkable accord. The region of validity of our approach in the parameter space, which includes the resonant case, is unveiled. The energy range of validity goes from the ground state up to a certain upper energy where chaos sets in, and extends far beyond the range of applicability of a simple harmonic approximation around the minimal energy configuration. The upper energy validity limit increases for larger values of the coupling constant and the ratio between the level splitting and the frequency of the field. These results show that the Dicke model behaves like a two-degree of freedom integrable model for a wide range of energies and values of the external parameters.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Second version with added text, references and some new figure

Unexpected phase locking of magnetic fluctuations in the multi-k magnet USb

The spin waves in the multi-k antiferromagnet USb soften and become quasielastic well below the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature TN. This occurs without a magnetic or structural transition. It has been suggested that this change is in fact due to dephasing of the different multi-k components: a switch from 3-k to 1-k behavior. In this work, we use inelastic neutron scattering with tridirectional polarization analysis to probe the quasielastic magnetic excitations and reveal that the 3-k structure does not dephase. More surprisingly, the paramagnetic correlations also maintain the same clear phase correlations well above TN (up to at least 1.4TN)

Glutathione increase by the n-butanoyl glutathione derivative (GSH-C4) inhibits viral replication and induces a predominant Th1 immune profile in old mice infected with influenza virus

During aging, glutathione (GSH) content declines and the immune system undergoes a deficiency in the induction of Th1 response. Reduced secretion of Th1 cytokines, which is associated with GSH depletion, could weaken the host defenses against viral infections. We first evaluated the concentration of GSH and cysteine in organs of old mice; then, the effect of the administration of the N-butanoyl GSH derivative (GSH-C4) on the response of aged mice infected with influenza A PR8/H1N1 virus was studied through the determination of GSH concentration in organs, lung viral titer, IgA and IgG1/IgG2a production and Th1/Th2 cytokine profile. Old mice had lower GSH than young mice in organs. Also the gene expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress markers involved in GSH metabolism and folding of proteins, i.e. Nrf2 and PDI, was reduced. Following infection, GSH content remained low and neither infection nor GSH-C4 treatment affected Nrf2 expression. In contrast, PDI expression was upregulated during infection and appeared counterbalanced by GSH-C4. Moreover, the treatment with GSH-C4 increased GSH content in organs, reduced viral replication and induced a predominant Th1 response. In conclusion, GSH-C4 treatment could be used in the elderly to contrast influenza virus infection by inducing immune response, in particular the Th1 profile