3,410 research outputs found
Evaluating the stability of atmospheric lines with HARPS
Context: In the search for extrasolar systems by radial velocity technique, a
precise wavelength calibration is necessary for high-precision measurements.
The choice of the calibrator is a particularly important question in the
infra-red domain, where the precision and exploits still fall behind the
achievements of the optical.
Aims: We investigate the long-term stability of atmospheric lines as a
precise wavelength reference and analyze their sensitivity to different
atmospheric and observing conditions.
Methods: We use HARPS archive data on three bright stars, Tau Ceti, Mu Arae
and Epsilon Eri, spanning 6 years and containing high-cadence measurements over
several nights. We cross-correlate this data with an O2 mask and evaluate both
radial velocity and bisector variations down to a photon noise of 1 m/s.
Results: We find that the telluric lines in the three data-sets are stable
down to 10 m/s (r.m.s.) over the 6 years. We also show that the radial velocity
variations can be accounted for by simple atmospheric models, yielding a final
precision of 1-2 m/s.
Conclusions: The long-term stability of atmospheric lines was measured as
being of 10 m/s over six years, in spite of atmospheric phenomena. Atmospheric
lines can be used as a wavelength reference for short-time-scales programs,
yielding a precision of 5 m/s "out-of-the box". A higher precision, down to 2
m/s can be reached if the atmospheric phenomena are corrected for by the simple
atmospheric model described, making it a very competitive method even on long
time-scales.Comment: 7 pages, accepted for publication in A&
The dynamical structure factor in disordered systems
We study the spectral width as a function of the external momentum for the
dynamical structure factor of a disordered harmonic solid, considered as a toy
model for supercooled liquids and glasses. Both in the context of single-link
coherent potential approximation and of a single-defect approximation, two
different regimes are clearly identified: if the density of states at zero
energy is zero, the Rayleigh law is recovered for small momentum. On the
contrary, if the disorder induces a non vanishing density of states at zero
energy, a linear behaviour is obtained. The dynamical structure factor is
numerically calculated in lattices as large as , and satisfactorily
agrees with the analytical computations.Comment: 7 pages plus 4 postscript figure
Optimized Monte Carlo Method for glasses
A new Monte Carlo algorithm is introduced for the simulation of supercooled
liquids and glass formers, and tested in two model glasses. The algorithm is
shown to thermalize well below the Mode Coupling temperature and to outperform
other optimized Monte Carlo methods. Using the algorithm, we obtain finite size
effects in the specific heat. This effect points to the existence of a large
correlation length measurable in equal time correlation functions.Comment: Proceedings of "X International workshop on Disordered Systems" held
in Molveno (Italy), March 200
Finite size effects in the specific heat of glass-formers
We report clear finite size effects in the specific heat and in the
relaxation times of a model glass former at temperatures considerably smaller
than the Mode Coupling transition. A crucial ingredient to reach this result is
a new Monte Carlo algorithm which allows us to reduce the relaxation time by
two order of magnitudes. These effects signal the existence of a large
correlation length in static quantities.Comment: Proceeding of "3rd International Workshop on Complex Systems". Sendai
(Japan). To appear on AIP Conference serie
On the critical behavior of the specific heat in glass-formers
We show numeric evidence that, at low enough temperatures, the potential
energy density of a glass-forming liquid fluctuates over length scales much
larger than the interaction range. We focus on the behavior of translationally
invariant quantities. The growing correlation length is unveiled by studying
the Finite Size effects. In the thermodynamic limit, the specific heat and the
relaxation time diverge as a power law. Both features point towards the
existence of a critical point in the metastable supercooled liquid phase.Comment: Version to be published in Phys. Rev.
Vibrations in glasses and Euclidean Random Matrix theory
We study numerically and analytically a simple off-lattice model of scalar
harmonic vibrations by means of Euclidean random matrix theory. Since the
spectrum of this model shares the most puzzling spectral features with the
high-frequency domain of glasses (non-Rayleigh broadening of the Brillouin
peak, boson peak and secondary peak), the Euclidean random matrix theory
provide a single and fairly simple theoretical framework to their explanation.Comment: 11 pages, 7 postscript figures, Proceedings of Statphys 2
Vibrational spectra in glasses
The findings of X-ray and neutron scattering experiments on amorphous systems
are interpreted within the framework of the theory of Euclidean random
matrices. This allows to take into account the topological nature of the
disorder, a key ingredient which strongly affects the vibrational spectra of
those systems. We present a resummation scheme for a perturbative expansion in
the inverse particle density, allowing an accurate analytical computation of
the dynamical structure factor within the range of densities encountered in
real systems.Comment: Talk given at the '8th International Workshop on Disordered Systems'
Andalo, Trento, 12-15 March 200
The Boson peak and the phonons in glasses
Despite the presence of topological disorder, phonons seem to exist also in
glasses at very high frequencies (THz) and they remarkably persist into the
supercooled liquid. A universal feature of such a systems is the Boson peak, an
excess of states over the standard Debye contribution at the vibrational
density of states. Exploiting the euclidean random matrix theory of vibrations
in amorphous systems we show that this peak is the signature of a phase
transition in the space of the stationary points of the energy, from a
minima-dominated phase (with phonons) at low energy to a saddle-point dominated
phase (without phonons). The theoretical predictions are checked by means of
numeric simulations.Comment: to appear in the proceedings of the conference "Slow dynamics in
complex sistems", Sendai (Japan) 200
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