2,913 research outputs found
Constraining the mass density of free-floating black holes using razor-thin lensing arcs
Strong lensing of active galactic nuclei in the radio can result in
razor-thin arcs, with a thickness of less than a milli-arcsecond, if observed
at the resolution achievable with very long baseline interferometry (VLBI).
Such razor-thin arcs provide a unique window on the coarseness of the matter
distribution between source and observer. In this paper, we investigate to what
extent such razor-thin arcs can constrain the number density and mass function
of `free-floating' black holes, defined as black holes that do not, or no
longer, reside at the centre of a galaxy. These can be either primordial in
origin or arise as by-products of the evolution of super-massive black holes in
galactic nuclei. When sufficiently close to the line of sight, free-floating
black holes cause kink-like distortions in the arcs, which are detectable by
eye in the VLBI images as long as the black hole mass exceeds Solar
masses. Using a crude estimate for the detectability of such distortions, we
analytically compute constraints on the matter density of free-floating black
holes resulting from null-detections of distortions along a realistic, fiducial
arc, and find them to be comparable to those from quasar milli-lensing. We also
use predictions from a large hydrodynamical simulation for the demographics of
free-floating black holes that are not primordial in origin, and show that
their predicted mass density is roughly four orders of magnitude below the
constraints achievable with a single razor-thin arc.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures, 1 table, comments welcom
Detection of the Gravitational Lens Magnifying a Type Ia Supernova
Objects of known brightness, like Type Ia supernovae (SNIa), can be used to
measure distances. If a massive object warps spacetime to form multiple images
of a background SNIa, a direct test of cosmic expansion is also possible.
However, these lensing events must first be distinguished from other rare
phenomena. Recently, a supernova was found to shine much brighter than normal
for its distance, which resulted in a debate: was it a new type of
superluminous supernova or a normal SNIa magnified by a hidden gravitational
lens? Here we report that a spectrum obtained after the supernova faded away
shows the presence of a foreground galaxy--the first found to strongly magnify
a SNIa. We discuss how more lensed SNIa may be found than previously predicted.Comment: 32 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in Scienc
Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study.
INTRODUCTION: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. METHODS: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. FINDINGS: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2-6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23-11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. INTERPRETATION: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification. FUNDING: UK Research and Innovation and National Institute for Health Research
Texas’s New Habeas Corpus Procedure For Death-Row Inmates: Kafkaesque-And Probably Unconstitutional
Texas courts should embrace their duty to protect the constitution and forbid the legislature from pursuing a politically popular agenda at the expense of the fundamental rights of certain citizens. Article 11.071 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure runs afoul of the language, intent, and purpose of Texas constitutional guarantees, and eliminates procedural protections designed to guard against the execution of innocent persons.
The Texas Legislature should not be allowed to shorten the time period for seeking habeas relief. Article 11.071 violates the due course of law provisions of the Texas Constitution and violates the Texas equal rights provision. The principal purpose of the writ of habeas corpus is to provide prisoners with the means to challenge the legality of his or her confinement outside of the ordinary appellate process. By limiting access to the Great Writ, the Texas Legislature has engaged in the very governmental abuses that the framers and ratifiers of the Texas Bill of Rights sought to prevent
Risk factors influencing the bone health in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women
Background: Bone loss is being increasingly identified in premenopausal and early postmenopausal women. The significance of low bone mineral density (BMD) in females needs to be addressed. Female reproductive system plays a major role in regulating the bone loss from menarche to senescence. The purpose of our study is to identify the menstrual and reproductive factors that may lead to decreased bone mass during the premenopausal period so that early intervention could lead to improved bone health.Methods: The study was conducted on 100 women aged 40 - 60 years attending the outpatient department in Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, Haryana, India. Their age, parity, body mass index, age at menarche, age at first pregnancy, duration of breast feeding, use of combined oral contraceptive, interpregnancy interval and BMD values were recorded. BMD was measured by dual- energy x-ray absorptiometry. Pearson test was used for correlation analysis. Comparison between the groups was conducted using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s test.Results: A significant negative correlation was established between parity, age at menarche, duration of breast feeding and BMD values. On the other hand, BMI and duration of oral contraceptive use showed a significant positive correlation with BMD values.Conclusions: Identification of risk factors for low BMD will provide the opportunity for early intervention to preventosteoporosis and will reduce the burden of unnecessary BMD testing in elderly age group for screening of osteoporosis
A spectral function tour of electron-phonon coupling outside the Migdal limit
We simulate spectral functions for electron-phonon coupling in a filled band
system - far from the asymptotic limit often assumed where the phonon energy is
very small compared to the Fermi energy in a parabolic band and the Migdal
theorem predicting 1+lambda quasiparticle renormalizations is valid. These
spectral functions are examined over a wide range of parameter space through
techniques often used in angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES).
Analyzing over 1200 simulations we consider variations of the microscopic
coupling strength, phonon energy and dimensionality for two models: a
momentum-independent Holstein model, and momentum-dependent coupling to a
breathing mode phonon. In this limit we find that any `effective coupling',
lambda_eff, inferred from the quasiparticle renormalizations differs from the
microscopic dimensionless coupling characterizing these Hamiltonians, lambda,
and could drastically either over- or under-estimate it depending on the
particular parameters and model. In contrast, we show that perturbation theory
retains good predictive power for low coupling and small momenta, and that the
momentum-dependence of the self-energy can be revealed via the relationship
between velocity renormalization and quasiparticle strength. Additionally we
find that (although not strictly valid) it is often possible to infer the
self-energy and bare electronic structure through a self-consistent
Kramers-Kronig bare-band fitting; and also that through lineshape alone, when
Lorentzian, it is possible to reliably extract the shape of the imaginary part
of a momentum-dependent self-energy without reference to the bare-band.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures. High resolution available here:
http://www.physics.ubc.ca/~quantmat/ARPES/PUBLICATIONS/Articles/sf_tour.pd
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