6,247 research outputs found
Is there more than one thermal source?
BRAHMS has the ability to study relativistic heavy ion collisions over a wide
range of pT and rapidity. This allows us to test whether thermal models can be
generalized to describe the rapidity dependence of particle ratios. This
appears to work with the baryo-chemical potential changing more rapidly than
the temperature. Using fits to BRAHMS data for the 5% most central Au+Au
collisions we are able to describe Xi and Omega ratios from other experiments.
This paper is dedicated to Julia Thompson who worked to bring South African
teachers into physics.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, proceedings for SQM04 conference, Cape Town South
Afric
Combining real and virtual Higgs boson mass constraints
Within the framework of the standard model we observe that there is a
significant discrepancy between the most precise boson decay asymmetry
measurement and the limit from direct searches for Higgs boson production.
Using methods inspired by the Particle Data Group we explore the possible
effect on fits of the Higgs boson mass. In each case the central value and the
95% confidence level upper limit increase significantly relative to the
conventional fit. The results suggest caution in drawing conclusions about the
Higgs boson mass from the existing data.Comment: 11 pages, Latex. Citations are added and paper is otherwise
reconciled with version to be published in Physical Review Letter
Probing the circulation of ring-shaped Bose-Einstein condensates
This paper reports the results of a theoretical and experimental study of how
the initial circulation of ring-shaped Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) can be
probed by time-of-flight (TOF) images. We have studied theoretically the
dynamics of a BEC after release from a toroidal trap potential by solving the
3D Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation. The trap and condensate characteristics
matched those of a recent experiment. The circulation, experimentally imparted
to the condensate by stirring, was simulated theoretically by imprinting a
linear azimuthal phase on the initial condensate wave function. The theoretical
TOF images were in good agreement with the experimental data. We find that upon
release the dynamics of the ring--shaped condensate proceeds in two distinct
phases. First, the condensate expands rapidly inward, filling in the initial
hole until it reaches a minimum radius that depends on the initial circulation.
In the second phase, the density at the inner radius increases to a maximum
after which the hole radius begins slowly to expand. During this second phase a
series of concentric rings appears due to the interference of ingoing and
outgoing matter waves from the inner radius. The results of the GP equation
predict that the hole area is a quadratic function of the initial circulation
when the condensate is released directly from the trap in which it was stirred
and is a linear function of the circulation if the trap is relaxed before
release. These scalings matched the data. Thus, hole size after TOF can be used
as a reliable probe of initial condensate circulation. This connection between
circulation and hole size after TOF will facilitate future studies of
atomtronic systems that are implemented in ultracold quantum gases.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figure
Is the Compact Source at the Center of Cas A Pulsed?
A 50 ksec observation of the Supernova Remnant Cas A was taken using the
Chandra X-Ray Observatory High Resolution Camera (HRC) to search for periodic
signals from the compact source located near the center. Using the HRC-S in
imaging mode, problems with correctly assigning times to events were overcome,
allowing the period search to be extended to higher frequencies than possible
with previous observations. In an extensive analysis of the HRC data, several
possible candidate signals are found using various algorithms, including
advanced techniques developed by Ransom to search for low significance periodic
signals. Of the candidate periods, none is at a high enough confidence level to
be particularly favored over the rest. When combined with other information,
however (e.g., spectra, total energetics, and the historical age of the
remnant), a 12 ms candidate period seems to be more physically plausible than
the others, and we use it for illustrative purposes in discussing the possible
properties of a putative neutron star in the remnant. We emphasize that this is
not necessarily the true period, and that a follow-up observation, scheduled
for the fall of 2001, is required.
A 50 ksec Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) observation was taken, and
analysis of these data for the central object shows that the spectrum is
consistent with several forms, and that the emitted X-ray luminosity in the 0.1
-10 keV band is 10^{33}-10^{35}erg cm^{-2}sec^{-1} depending on the spectral
model and the interstellar absorption along the line of sight to the source.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures Submitted to ApJ 2001 June 2
Mueller Matrix Parameters for Radio Telescopes and their Observational Determination
Modern digital crosscorrelators permit the simultaneous measurement of all
four Stokes parameters. However, the results must be calibrated to correct for
the polarization transfer function of the receiving system. The transfer
function for any device can be expressed by its Mueller matrix. We express the
matrix elements in terms of fundamental system parameters that describe the
voltage transfer functions (known as the Jones matrix) of the various system
devices in physical terms and thus provide a means for comparing with
engineering calculations and investigating the effects of design changes. We
describe how to determine these parameters with astronomical observations. We
illustrate the method by applying it to some of the receivers at the Arecibo
Observatory.Comment: 23 pages, 2 figures; accepted for PAS
Type I D-branes in an H-flux and twisted KO-theory
Witten has argued that charges of Type I D-branes in the presence of an
H-flux, take values in twisted KO-theory. We begin with the study of real
bundle gerbes and their holonomy. We then introduce the notion of real bundle
gerbe KO-theory which we establish is a geometric realization of twisted
KO-theory. We examine the relation with twisted K-theory, the Chern character
and provide some examples. We conclude with some open problems.Comment: 23 pages, Latex2e, 2 new references adde
A Soft X-ray Transient in the M31 Bulge
We have examined a probable soft X-ray transient source in the M31 bulge at
R.A.=0:42:41.814 +/- 0.08", Dec. = 41:16:35.86 +/- 0.07". On the three
occasions we observed the source, its spectrum was soft (kT_{in} ~1 keV). The
brightest detection of the source was 2004 July 17 with a 0.3-7 keV luminosity
of ~5 X 10^{37} erg/s. The only previous detection of the source was in 1979 by
the Einstein observatory. The multiple detections over 25 years suggest the
duty cycle of the source is in the range 0.02-0.06. Coordinated HST/ACS imaging
before, during, and after the outburst revealed no variable optical source
within the position errors of the X-ray source. The optical data place a firm
upper limit on the brightness of the counterpart of the X-ray outburst of
B>24.7, suggesting the binary has a period <5.2 days. The X-ray spectrum and
lack of bright stars at the source location indicate the source was a soft
transient event occurring in a low-mass X-ray binary, making this source a good
black hole candidate in M31.Comment: 18 pages, 4 tables, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
The Welfare of Animals Transported From Ireland to Italy.
End of Project ReportThe overall objective of the present study was to investigate
the physiological, haematological and immunological responses of
weanling bulls transported to Italy under present EU legislation and
to evaluate the implications in terms of animal welfare
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