A Systematic Search for High Surface Brightness Giant Arcs in a Sloan Digital Sky Survey Cluster Sample

We present the results of a search for gravitationally-lensed giant arcs conducted on a sample of 825 SDSS galaxy clusters. Both a visual inspection of the images and an automated search were performed and no arcs were found. This result is used to set an upper limit on the arc probability per cluster. We present selection functions for our survey, in the form of arc detection efficiency curves plotted as functions of arc parameters, both for the visual inspection and the automated search. The selection function is such that we are sensitive only to long, high surface brightness arcs with g-band surface brightness mu_g 10. Our upper limits on the arc probability are compatible with previous arc searches. Lastly, we report on a serendipitous discovery of a giant arc in the SDSS data, known inside the SDSS Collaboration as Hall's arc.Comment: 34 pages,8 Fig. Accepted ApJ:Jan-200

Tuning a Resonance in the Fock Space: Optimization of Phonon Emission in a Resonant Tunneling Device

Phonon-assisted tunneling in a double barrier resonant tunneling device can be seen as a resonance in the electron-phonon Fock space which is tuned by the applied voltage. We show that the geometrical parameters can induce a symmetry condition in this space that can strongly enhance the emission of longitudinal optical phonons. For devices with thin emitter barriers this is achieved by a wider collector's barrier.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Figure 1 changed, typos correcte

On Local Approximations to the Nonlinear Evolution of Large-Scale Structure

We present a comparative analysis of several methods, known as local Lagrangian approximations, which are aimed to the description of the nonlinear evolution of large-scale structure. We have investigated various aspects of these approximations, such as the evolution of a homogeneous ellipsoid, collapse time as a function of initial conditions, and asymptotic behavior. As one of the common features of the local approximations, we found that the calculated collapse time decreases asymptotically with the inverse of the initial shear. Using these approximations, we have computed the cosmological mass function, finding reasonable agreement with N-body simulations and the Press-Schechter formula.Comment: revised version with color figures, minor changes, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, 30 pages, 13 figure

Chaplygin inspired Inflation

We discuss chaotic inflation in the context of a phenomenological modification of gravity inspired by the Chaplygin gas equation of state. We find that all observationalconstraints can be satisfied provided the Chaplygin scale is smaller than $6.9 \times 10^{-3} M$ and the inflaton mass is smaller than $4.7 \times 10^{-6} M$, respectively, where $M^2\equiv(8 \pi G)^{-1} is the reduced Planck mass.Comment: Revtex4, 5 pages. Version to match the one published in Physics Letters

Bayesian Statistics and Parameter Constraints on the Generalized Chaplygin Gas Model using SNe Ia Data

The type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) observational data are used to estimate the parameters of a cosmological model with cold dark matter and the generalized Chaplygin gas model (GCGM). The GCGM depends essentially on five parameters: the Hubble constant, the parameter $\bar{A}$ related to the velocity of the sound, the equation of state parameter $\alpha$, the curvature of the Universe and the fraction density of the generalized Chaplygin gas (or the cold dark matter). The parameter $\alpha$ is allowed to take negative values and to be greater than 1. The Bayesian parameter estimation yields $\alpha = - 0.86^{+6.01}_{-0.15}$, $H_0 = 62.0^{+1.32}_{-1.42} km/Mpc.s$, $\Omega _{k0}=-1.26_{-1.42}^{+1.32}$, $\Omega_{m0} = 0.00^{+0.86}_{-0.00}$, $\Omega_{c0} = 1.39^{+1.21}_{-1.25}$, $\bar A =1.00^{+0.00}_{-0.39}$, $t_0 = 15.3^{+4.2}_{-3.2}$ and $q_0 = -0.80^{+0.86}_{-0.62}$, where $t_0$ is the age of the Universe and $q_0$ is the value of the deceleration parameter today. Our results indicate that a Universe completely dominated by the generalized Chaplygin gas is favoured, what reinforces the idea that the this gas may unify the description for dark matter and dark energy, at least as the SNe Ia data is concerned. A closed and accelerating Universe is also favoured. The traditional Chaplygin gas model (CGM), $\alpha = 1$ is not ruled out, even if it does not give the best-fitting. Particular cases with four or three independent free parameters are also analysed.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX 2e, 2 tables, 20 EPS figures, uses graphic

A mathematical analysis of the evolution of perturbations in a modified Chaplygin gas model

One approach in modern cosmology consists in supposing that dark matter and dark energy are different manifestations of a single `quartessential' fluid. Following such idea, this work presents a study of the evolution of perturbations of density in a flat cosmological model with a modified Chaplygin gas acting as a single component. Our goal is to obtain properties of the model which can be used to distinguish it from another cosmological models which have the same solutions for the general evolution of the scale factor of the universe, without the construction of the power spectrum. Our analytical results, which alone can be used to uniquely characterize the specific model studied in our work, show that the evolution of the density contrast can be seen, at least in one particular case, as composed by a spheroidal wave function. We also present a numerical analysis which clearly indicates as one interesting feature of the model the appearence of peaks in the evolution of the density constrast.Comment: 21 pages, accepted for publication in General Relativity and Gravitatio

Observational Constraints on Chaplygin Quartessence: Background Results

We derive the constraints set by several experiments on the quartessence Chaplygin model (QCM). In this scenario, a single fluid component drives the Universe from a nonrelativistic matter-dominated phase to an accelerated expansion phase behaving, first, like dark matter and in a more recent epoch like dark energy. We consider current data from SNIa experiments, statistics of gravitational lensing, FR IIb radio galaxies, and x-ray gas mass fraction in galaxy clusters. We investigate the constraints from this data set on flat Chaplygin quartessence cosmologies. The observables considered here are dependent essentially on the background geometry, and not on the specific form of the QCM fluctuations. We obtain the confidence region on the two parameters of the model from a combined analysis of all the above tests. We find that the best-fit occurs close to the $\Lambda$CDM limit ($\alpha=0$). The standard Chaplygin quartessence ($\alpha=1$) is also allowed by the data, but only at the $\sim2\sigma$ level.Comment: Replaced to match the published version, references update

Revisiting Generalized Chaplygin Gas as a Unified Dark Matter and Dark Energy Model

In this paper, we revisit generalized Chaplygin gas (GCG) model as a unified dark matter and dark energy model. The energy density of GCG model is given as $\rho_{GCG}/\rho_{GCG0}=[B_{s}+(1-B_{s})a^{-3(1+\alpha)}]^{1/(1+\alpha)}$, where $\alpha$ and $B_s$ are two model parameters which will be constrained by type Ia supernova as standard candles, baryon acoustic oscillation as standard rulers and the seventh year full WMAP data points. In this paper, we will not separate GCG into dark matter and dark energy parts any more as adopted in the literatures. By using Markov Chain Monte Carlo method, we find the result: $\alpha=0.00126_{- 0.00126- 0.00126}^{+ 0.000970+ 0.00268}$ and $B_s= 0.775_{- 0.0161- 0.0338}^{+ 0.0161+ 0.0307}$.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Electron-phonon interaction effects in semiconductor quantum dots: a non-perturbative approach

Multiphonon processes in a model quantum dot (QD) containing two electronic states and several optical phonon modes are considered by taking into account both intra- and nterlevel terms. The Hamiltonian is exactly diagonalized, including a finite number of multiphonon processes large enough to guarantee that the result can be considered exact in the physically important energy region. The physical properties are studied by calculating the electronic Green’s function and the QD dielectric function. When both the intra- and interlevel interactions are included, the calculated spectra allow several previously published experimental results obtained for spherical and self-assembled QD’s, such as enhanced two-LO-phonon replica in absorption spectra and up-converted photoluminescence to be explained. An explicit calculation of the spectral line shape due to intralevel interaction with a continuum of acoustic phonons is presented, where the multiphonon processes also are shown to be important. It is pointed out that such an interaction, under certain conditions, can lead to relaxation in the otherwise stationary polaron system.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT