21,887 research outputs found
Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamics of Pre-Core Collapse: Oxygen Shell Burning
By direct hydrodynamic simulation, using the Piecewise Parabolic Method (PPM)
code PROMETHEUS, we study the properties of a convective oxygen burning shell
in a SN 1987A progenitor star prior to collapse. The convection is too
heterogeneous and dynamic to be well approximated by one-dimensional
diffusion-like algorithms which have previously been used for this epoch.
Qualitatively new phenomena are seen.
The simulations are two-dimensional, with good resolution in radius and
angle, and use a large (90-degree) slice centered at the equator. The
microphysics and the initial model were carefully treated. Many of the
qualitative features of previous multi-dimensional simulations of convection
are seen, including large kinetic and acoustic energy fluxes, which are not
accounted for by mixing length theory. Small but significant amounts of
carbon-12 are mixed non-uniformly into the oxygen burning convection zone,
resulting in hot spots of nuclear energy production which are more than an
order of magnitude more energetic than the oxygen flame itself. Density
perturbations (up to 8%) occur at the `edges' of the convective zone and are
the result of gravity waves generated by interaction of penetrating flows into
the stable region. Perturbations of temperature and electron fraction at the
base of the convective zone are of sufficient magnitude to create angular
inhomogeneities in explosive nucleosynthesis products, and need to be included
in quantitative estimates of yields. Combined with the plume-like velocity
structure arising from convection, the perturbations will contribute to the
mixing of nickel-56 throughout supernovae envelopes. Runs of different
resolution, and angular extent, were performed to test the robustness of theseComment: For mpeg movies of these simulations, see
http://www.astrophysics.arizona.edu/movies.html Submitted to the
Astrophysical Journa
Cyclotron resonance of the quasi-two-dimensional electron gas at Hg1-xCdxTe grain boundaries
The magnetotransmission of a p-type Hg0.766Cd0.234Te bicrystal containing a single grain boundary with an inversion layer has been investigated in the submillimetre wavelength range. For the first time the cyclotron resonance lines belonging to the various electric subbands of a quasi-two-dimensional carrier system at a grain boundary could be detected. The measured cyclotron masses and the subband densities determined from Shubnikov-de Haas experiments are compared with theoretical predictions and it is found that the data can be explained very well within the framework of a triangular well approximation model which allows for non-parabolic effects
Preservation of information in a prebiotic package model
The coexistence between different informational molecules has been the
preferred mode to circumvent the limitation posed by imperfect replication on
the amount of information stored by each of these molecules. Here we reexamine
a classic package model in which distinct information carriers or templates are
forced to coexist within vesicles, which in turn can proliferate freely through
binary division. The combined dynamics of vesicles and templates is described
by a multitype branching process which allows us to write equations for the
average number of the different types of vesicles as well as for their
extinction probabilities. The threshold phenomenon associated to the extinction
of the vesicle population is studied quantitatively using finite-size scaling
techniques. We conclude that the resultant coexistence is too frail in the
presence of parasites and so confinement of templates in vesicles without an
explicit mechanism of cooperation does not resolve the information crisis of
prebiotic evolution.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, accepted version, to be published in PR
Bulk and Brane Decay of a (4+n)-Dimensional Schwarzschild-De-Sitter Black Hole: Scalar Radiation
In this paper, we extend the idea that the spectrum of Hawking radiation can
reveal valuable information on a number of parameters that characterize a
particular black hole background - such as the dimensionality of spacetime and
the value of coupling constants - to gain information on another important
aspect: the curvature of spacetime. We investigate the emission of Hawking
radiation from a D-dimensional Schwarzschild-de-Sitter black hole emitted in
the form of scalar fields, and employ both analytical and numerical techniques
to calculate greybody factors and differential energy emission rates on the
brane and in the bulk. The energy emission rate of the black hole is
significantly enhanced in the high-energy regime with the number of spacelike
dimensions. On the other hand, in the low-energy part of the spectrum, it is
the cosmological constant that leaves a clear footprint, through a
characteristic, constant emission rate of ultrasoft quanta determined by the
values of black hole and cosmological horizons. Our results are applicable to
"small" black holes arising in theories with an arbitrary number and size of
extra dimensions, as well as to pure 4-dimensional primordial black holes,
embedded in a de Sitter spacetime.Comment: 31 pages, latex file, data files available at
http://lpsc.in2p3.fr/ams/greybody/ some clarifying comments and references
added, typos corrected, version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Analysis of aggregated tick returns: evidence for anomalous diffusion
In order to investigate the origin of large price fluctuations, we analyze
stock price changes of ten frequently traded NASDAQ stocks in the year 2002.
Though the influence of the trading frequency on the aggregate return in a
certain time interval is important, it cannot alone explain the heavy tailed
distribution of stock price changes. For this reason, we analyze intervals with
a fixed number of trades in order to eliminate the influence of the trading
frequency and investigate the relevance of other factors for the aggregate
return. We show that in tick time the price follows a discrete diffusion
process with a variable step width while the difference between the number of
steps in positive and negative direction in an interval is Gaussian
distributed. The step width is given by the return due to a single trade and is
long-term correlated in tick time. Hence, its mean value can well characterize
an interval of many trades and turns out to be an important determinant for
large aggregate returns. We also present a statistical model reproducing the
cumulative distribution of aggregate returns. For an accurate agreement with
the empirical distribution, we also take into account asymmetries of the step
widths in different directions together with crosscorrelations between these
asymmetries and the mean step width as well as the signs of the steps.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, typos correcte
Metallicity and Physical Conditions in the Magellanic Bridge
We present a new analysis of the diffuse gas in the Magellanic Bridge (RA>3h)
based on HST/STIS E140M and FUSE spectra of 2 early-type stars lying within the
Bridge and a QSO behind it. We derive the column densities of HI (from
Ly\alpha), NI, OI, ArI, SiII, SII, and FeII of the gas in the Bridge. Using the
atomic species, we determine the first gas-phase metallicity of the Magellanic
Bridge, [Z/H]=-1.02+/-0.07 toward one sightline, and -1.7<[Z/H]<-0.9 toward the
other one, a factor 2 or more smaller than the present-day SMC metallicity.
Using the metallicity and N(HI), we show that the Bridge gas along our three
lines of sight is ~70-90% ionized, despite high HI columns, logN(HI)=19.6-20.1.
Possible sources for the ongoing ionization are certainly the hot stars within
the Bridge, hot gas (revealed by OVI absorption), and leaking photons from the
SMC and LMC. From the analysis of CII*, we deduce that the overall density of
the Bridge must be low (<0.03-0.1 cm^-3). We argue that our findings combined
with other recent observational results should motivate new models of the
evolution of the SMC-LMC-Galaxy system.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Ap
D-Dimensional Radiative Plasma: A Kinetic Approach
The covariant kinetic approach for the radiative plasma, a mixture of a
relativistic moving gas plus radiation quanta (photons, neutrinos, or
gravitons) is generalized to D spatial dimensions. The operational and physical
meaning of Eckart's temperature is reexamined and the D-dimensional expressions
for the transport coefficients (heat conduction, bulk and shear viscosity) are
explicitly evaluated to first order in the mean free time of the radiation
quanta. Weinberg's conclusion that the mixture behaves like a relativistic
imperfect simple fluid (in Eckart's formulation) depends neither on the number
of spatial dimensions nor on the details of the collisional term. The case of
Thomson scaterring is studied in detail, and some consequences for higher
dimensional cosmologies are also discussed.Comment: 28 pages, 1 figure, uses REVTE
Constitutional patriotism
Constitutional patriotism is a political theory that seeks to provide an explanation for the sense of ownership that most individuals have towards their national constitutional system. Specifically, constitutional patriotism assumes that free-thinking individuals involved in a discussion over the common good will reach an agreement that is perceived, at least by those involved in the debate, as having normative value. The awareness that such a deliberative process has historically been a part of the constitutional system also induces a sense of ownership of past historical accommodations of constitutional principles. The shared perception of being part of historically grounded institutions within a deliberative democracy is sometimes called the ‘normative surplus effect’ or ‘normative spill-over effect’ of the deliberative process. The theory, in its current form, was proposed by Jürgen Habermas and Jean-Werner Müller.
Debates over the common good might take place informally or within the state’s institutions. Pell-mell informal debates, with few exceptions, have a limited effect on amending constitutional norms. Yet, the prerogative to openly discuss laws and policies legitimised by constitutional norms is normally sufficient to develop an inner sense of belonging to a constitutional system. Deliberative debates within public institutions (e.g. parliaments and courts) are more likely to change the functioning of a constitutional system, but they are, by way of comparison to informal political discussions, normally constrained by the system of rules that regulate representative democracy and the administration of justice. Thus, the theory of constitutional patriotism provides an explanatory model for the historical development of a democratic constitutional system.
As one of the most persuasive explanatory theories of modern pluralist democracy, constitutional patriotism has attracted a series of well-articulated critiques. It has been suggested, for instance, that constitutional patriotism might not provide a plausible model of social integration for international organisations such as the European Union (EU). In this essay, I will provide an overview of the theory and a selection of its critiques
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