5,440 research outputs found
Analysis of Superoscillatory Wave Functions
Surprisingly, differentiable functions are able to oscillate arbitrarily
faster than their highest Fourier component would suggest. The phenomenon is
called superoscillation. Recently, a practical method for calculating
superoscillatory functions was presented and it was shown that superoscillatory
quantum mechanical wave functions should exhibit a number of counter-intuitive
physical effects. Following up on this work, we here present more general
methods which allow the calculation of superoscillatory wave functions with
custom-designed physical properties. We give concrete examples and we prove
results about the limits to superoscillatory behavior. We also give a simple
and intuitive new explanation for the exponential computational cost of
superoscillations.Comment: 20 pages, several figure
Many-Body Rate Limit on Photoassociation of a Bose-Einstein Condensate
We briefly report on zero-temperature photoassociation of a Bose-Einstein
condensate, focusing on the many-body rate limit for atom-molecule conversion.
An upgraded model that explicitly includes spontaneous radiative decay leads to
an unanticipated shift in the position of the photoassociation resonance, which
affects whether the rate (constant) maximizes or saturates, as well as the
limiting value itself. A simple analytical model agrees with numerical
experiments, but only for high density. Finally, an explicit comparison with
the two-body unitary limit, set by the size of the condensate, finds that the
many-body rate limit is generally more strict.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 59 references. v2: discussion added; to appear in
PR
Coronal structure of the cTTS V2129 Oph
The nature of the magnetic coupling between T Tauri stars and their disks
determines not only the mass accretion process but possibly the spin evolution
of the central star. We have taken a recently-published surface magnetogram of
one moderately-accreting T Tauri star (V2129 Oph) and used it to extrapolate
the geometry of its large-scale field. We determine the structure of the open
(wind-bearing) field lines, the closed (X-ray bright) field lines and those
potentially accreting field lines that pass through the equatorial plane inside
the Keplerian co-rotation radius. We consider a series of models in which the
stellar magnetic field is opened up by the outward pressure of the hot coronal
gas at a range of radii. As this radius is increased, accretion takes place
along simpler field structures and impacts on fewer sites at the stellar
surface. This is consistent with the observed variation in the Ca II IRT and
HeI lines which suggests that accretion in the visible hemisphere is confined
to a single high-latitude spot. By determining the density and velocity of the
accretion flows, we find that in order to have most of the total mass accretion
rate impacting on a single high-latitude region we need disk material to
accrete from approximately 7R*, close to the Keplerian co-rotation radius at
6.8R*. We also calculate the coronal density and X-ray emission measure. We
find that both the magnitude and rotational modulation of the emission measure
increase as the source surface is increased. For the field structure of V2129
Oph which is dominantly octupolar, the emission forms a bright, high-latitude
ring that is always in view as the star rotates. Since the accretion funnels
are not dense enough to cause significant scattering of coronal X-ray photons,
they provide only a low rotational modulation of around 10% at most.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
Revealing the fastest component of the DG Tau outflow through X-rays
Some T Tauri stars show a peculiar X-ray spectrum that can be modelled by two
components with different absorbing column densities. We seek to explain the
soft X-ray component in DG Tau, the best studied of these sources, with an
outflow model, taking observations at other wavelengths into consideration. We
constrain the outflow properties through spectral fitting and employ simple
semi-analytical formulae to describe properties of a shock wave that heats up
the X-ray emitting region. The X-ray emission is consistent with its arising
from the fastest and innermost component of the optically detected outflow.
Only a small fraction of the total mass loss is required for this X-ray
emitting component. Our favoured model requires shock velocities between 400
and 500 km/s. For a density >10^5 /cm^3 all dimensions of the shock cooling
zone are only a few AU, so even in optical observations this cannot be
resolved. This X-ray emission mechanism in outflows may also operate in other,
less absorbed T Tauri stars, in addition to corona and accretion spots.Comment: 7, pages, 4 figures, accepted by A&
Theory of Combined Photoassociation and Feshbach Resonances in a Bose-Einstein Condensate
We model combined photoassociation and Feshbach resonances in a Bose-Einstein
condensate, where the shared dissociation continuum allows for quantum
interference in losses from the condensate, as well as a dispersive-like shift
of resonance. A simple analytical model, based on the limit of weakly bound
molecules, agrees well with numerical experiments that explicitly include
dissociation to noncondensate modes. For a resonant laser and an off-resonant
magnetic field, constructive interference enables saturation of the
photoassociation rate at user-friendly intensities, at a value set by the
interparticle distance. This rate limit is larger for smaller condensate
densities and, near the Feshbach resonance, approaches the rate limit for
magnetoassociation alone. Also, we find agreement with the unitary limit--set
by the condensate size--only for a limited range of near-resonant magnetic
fields. Finally, for a resonant magnetic field and an off-resonant laser,
magnetoassociation displays similar quantum interference and a dispersive-like
shift. Unlike photoassociation, interference and the fieldshift in resonant
magnetoassociation is tunable with both laser intensity and detuning. Also, the
dispersive-like shift of the Feshbach resonance depends on the size of the
Feshbach molecule, and is a signature of non-universal physics in a strongly
interacting system.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 82 reference
Cosmography: Cosmology without the Einstein equations
How much of modern cosmology is really cosmography? How much of modern
cosmology is independent of the Einstein equations? (Independent of the
Friedmann equations?) These questions are becoming increasingly germane -- as
the models cosmologists use for the stress-energy content of the universe
become increasingly baroque, it behoves us to step back a little and carefully
disentangle cosmological kinematics from cosmological dynamics. The use of
basic symmetry principles (such as the cosmological principle) permits us to do
a considerable amount, without ever having to address the vexatious issues of
just how much "dark energy", "dark matter", "quintessence", and/or "phantom
matter" is needed in order to satisfy the Einstein equations. This is the
sub-sector of cosmology that Weinberg refers to as "cosmography", and in this
article I will explore the extent to which cosmography is sufficient for
analyzing the Hubble law and so describing many of the features of the universe
around us.Comment: 7 pages; uses iopart.cls setstack.sty. Based on a talk presented at
ACRGR4, the 4th Australasian Conference on General Relativity and
Gravitation, Monash University, Melbourne, January 2004. To appear in the
proceedings, in General Relativity and Gravitatio
X-ray reprocessing in Seyfert Galaxies: simultaneous XMM-Newton/BeppoSAX observations
We selected a sample of eight bright unobscured (at least at the iron line
energy) Seyfert Galaxies observed simultaneously by XMM-Newton and BeppoSAX,
taking advantage of the complementary characteristics of the two missions. The
main results of our analysis can be summarized as follows: narrow neutral iron
lines are confirmed to be an ubiquitous component in Seyfert spectra; none of
the analyzed sources shows unambiguously a broad relativistic iron line; all
the sources of our sample (with a single exception) show the presence of a
Compton reflection component; emission lines from ionized iron are observed in
some sources; peculiar weak features around 5-6 keV (possibly arising from
rotating spots on the accretion disk) are detected in two sources. The scenario
emerging from these results strongly requires some corrections for the
classical model of reprocessing from the accretion disk. As for materials
farther away from the Black Hole, our results represent a positive test for the
Unification Model, suggesting the presence of the torus in (almost) all
sources, even if unobscured.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
The Suzaku X-ray spectrum of NGC 3147. Further insights on the best "true" Seyfert 2 galaxy candidate
NGC 3147 is so far the most convincing case of a "true" Seyfert 2 galaxy,
i.e. a source genuinely lacking the Broad Line Regions. We obtained a Suzaku
observation with the double aim to study in more detail the iron line complex,
and to check the Compton-thick hypothesis for the lack of observed optical
broad lines.
The Suzaku XIS and HXD/PIN spectra of the source were analysed in detail. The
line complex is composed of at least two unresolved lines, one at about 6.45
keV and the other one at about 7 keV, most likely identified with Fe XVII/XIX,
the former, and Fe XXVI, the latter. The high-ionization line can originate
either in a photoionized matter or in an optically thin thermal plasma. In the
latter case, an unusually high temperature is implied. In the photoionized
model case, the large equivalent width can be explained either by an extreme
iron overabundance or by assuming that the source is Compton-thick. In the
Compton-thick hypothesis, however, the emission above 2 keV is mostly due to a
highly ionized reflector, contrary to what is usually found in Compton-thick
Seyfert 2s, where reflection from low ionized matter dominates. Moreover, the
source flux varied between the XMM-Newton and the Suzaku observations, taken
3.5 years apart, confirming previous findings and indicating that the size of
the emitting region must be smaller than a parsec.
The hard X-ray spectrum is also inconclusive on the Compton-thick hypothesis.
Weighting the various arguments, a "true" Seyfert 2 nature of NGC 3147 seems to
be still the most likely explanation, even if the "highly ionized reflector"
Compton-thick hypothesis cannot at present be formally rejected.Comment: 6 pages, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
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