15,319 research outputs found
Room temperature GW bar detector with opto-mechanical readout
We present the full implementation of a room-temperature gravitational wave
bar detector equipped with an opto-mechanical readout. The mechanical
vibrations are read by a Fabry--Perot interferometer whose length changes are
compared with a stable reference optical cavity by means of a resonant laser.
The detector performance is completely characterized in terms of spectral
sensitivity and statistical properties of the fluctuations in the system output
signal. The new kind of readout technique allows for wide-band detection
sensitivity and we can accurately test the model of the coupled oscillators for
thermal noise. Our results are very promising in view of cryogenic operation
and represent an important step towards significant improvements in the
performance of massive gravitational wave detectors.Comment: 7 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Galaxy evolution across the optical emission-line diagnostic diagrams?
The discovery of the M-sigma relation, the local galaxy bimodality, and the
link between black-hole and host-galaxy properties, have raised the question
whether AGN play a role in galaxy evolution. Several theoretical models
implement AGN feedback to explain the observed galaxy luminosity function, and
possibly the color and morphological transformation of spiral galaxies into
passive ellipticals. To understand the importance of AGN feedback, a study of
the AGN populations in the radio-optical domain is crucial. A mass sequence
linking star-forming galaxies and AGN has been already noted in previous works,
and it is now investigated as possible evolutionary sequence. We observed a
sample of 119 intermediate-redshift (0.04<z<0.4) SDSS-FIRST radio emitters with
the Effelsberg 100-m telescope at 4.85 and 10.45 GHz and obtained spectral
indices. We find indications of spectral index flattening in high-metallicity
star-forming galaxies, composite galaxies, and Seyferts. This "flattening
sequence" along the [NII]-based emission-line diagnostic diagram is consistent
with the hardening of galaxy ionizing field, due to nuclear activity. After
combining our data with FIRST measurements at 1.4 GHz, we find that the
three-point radio spectra of Seyferts and LINERs show substantial differences,
attributable to small radio core components and larger (arcsecond sized)
jet/lobe components, respectively. A visual inspection of FIRST images seems to
confirm this hypothesis. Galaxies along this sequence are hypothesized to be
transitioning from the active star-forming galaxies (blue cloud) to the passive
elliptical galaxies (red sequence). This supports the suggestion that AGN play
a role in shutting down star-formation, and allow the transition from one
galaxy class to the other.Comment: 20 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Power in the Multinational Corporation in Industry Equilibrium
Recent theories of the multinational corporation introduce the property rights model of the firm and examine whether to integrate our outsource firm activities locally or to a foreign country. This paper focus instead on the internal organization of the multinational corporation by examining the power allocation between headquarters and subsidiaries. We provide a framework to analyse the interaction between the decision to serve the local market by exporting or FDI, market acces and the optimal mode of organization of the multinational corporation. We find that subsidiary managers are given most autonomy in their decision how to run the firm at intermediate levels of local competition. We then provide comparative statics for changes in fixed FDI entry costs and trade costs, information technology, the number of local competitors, and in the size of the local market
Infrared Observations of AGN
We present results from an imaging and spectroscopic study of the dust
properties of Seyfert galaxies in the 1-10um range. The data are compared to
state of the art models of torus emission to constrain geometrical and physical
properties of the obscuring medium.Comment: 2 pages, to appear in the IAU Symp.No.222 proceedings:"The Interplay
among Black Holes, Stars and ISM in Galactic Nuclei", Gramado, Brazil, March
1-5, 200
Minimal Potentials with Very Many Minima
We demonstrate, by construction, that simple renormalizable matrix potentials
with S_N, as opposed to O(N), symmetry can exhibit an exponentially large
number of inequivalent deep local minima.Comment: LaTeX, 9 pages, 2 figures. Additional applications and references
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Enhanced van der Waals interaction at interfaces
Using a recently obtained (general) formula for the interaction energy
between an excited and a ground-state atom (Sherkunov Y 2007 Phys. Rev. A 75
012705), we consider the interaction energy between two such atoms near the
interface between two media. We demonstrate that under the circumstances of the
resonant coupling of the excited atom to the surface polariton mode of a
vacuum-medium system the nonretarded atom*-atom interaction energy can be
enhanced by (several) orders of magnitude in comparison with the van der Waals
interaction energy of the two isolated atoms.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, local-field corrections included and improved
presentatio
Geographic Variation in Informed Consent Law: Two Standards for Disclosure of Treatment Risks
We analyzed 714 jury verdicts in informed consent cases tried in 25 states in 1985–2002 to determine whether the applicable standard of care (“patient” vs. “professional” standard) affected the outcome. Verdicts for plaintiffs were significantly more frequent in states with a patient standard than in states with a professional standard (27 percent vs. 17 percent, P = 0.02). This difference in outcomes did not hold for other types of medical malpractice litigation (36 percent vs. 37 percent, P = 0.8). The multivariate odds of a plaintiff’s verdict were more than twice as high in states with a patient standard than in states with a professional standard (odds ratio = 2.15, 95% confidence interval = 1.32–3.50). The law’s expectations of clinicians with respect to risk disclosure appear to vary geographically
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