1,612 research outputs found
Chemically modified electrodes: Recommended terminology and definitions (IUPAC Recommendations 1997)
Chemically modified electrodes (CMEs) comprise a relatively modern approach to electrode systems that finds utility in (1) a wide spectrum of basic electrochemical investigations, including the relationship of heterogeneous electron transfer and chemical reactivity to electrode surface chemistry, electrostatic phenomena at electrode surfaces, and electron and ionic transport phenomena in polymers, and (2) the design of electrochemical devices and systems for applications in chemical sensing, energy conversion and storage, molecular electronics, electrochromic displays, corrosion protection, and electro-organic syntheses. Compared with other electrode concepts in electrochemistry, the distinguishing feature of a CME is that a generally thin film of a selected chemical is bonded or coated onto the electrode surface to endow the electrode with the chemical, electrochemical, optical, electrical, transport, and other desirable properties of the film in a rational, chemically designed manner. In this report, we have attempted to identify and define the most widely used terminology in the growing field of CMEs and to recommend a particular term in cases where a multiplicity of terms has arisen over the past several years or where previously defined terms have taken on broadened meanings for the special cases of CMEs. It is expected that additional terms will be added to this lexicon in the future as new research directions evolve
The fading of two transient ultraluminous x-ray sources to below the stellar mass Eddington limit
We report new detections of the two transient ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) in NGC 5128 from an ongoing series of Chandra observations. Both sources have previously been observed L (2-3) Ă âŒ10 erg s, at the lower end of the ULX luminosity range. The new observations allow us to study these sources in the luminosity regime frequented by the Galactic black hole X-ray binaries (BH XBs). We present the recent lightcurves of both ULXs. 1RXH J132519.8-430312 (ULX1) was observed at L 1 Ă 10 erg s, while CXOU J132518.2-430304 (ULX2) declined to L 2 Ă 10 erg s and then lingered at this luminosity for hundreds of days. We show that a reasonable upper limit for both duty cycles is 0.2, with a lower limit of 0.12 for ULX2. This duty cycle is larger than anticipated for transient ULXs in old stellar populations. By fitting simple spectral models in an observation with âŒ50 counts we recover properties consistent with Galactic BH XBs, but inconclusive as to the spectral state. We utilize quantile analyses to demonstrate that the spectra are generally soft, and that in one observation the spectrum of ULX2 is inconsistent with a canonical hard state at >95% confidence. This is contrary to what would be expected of an accreting intermediate mass black hole primary, which we would expect to be in the hard state at these luminosities. We discuss the paucity of transient ULXs discovered in early-type galaxies and excogitate explanations. We suggest that the number of transient ULXs scales with the giant and sub-giant populations, rather than the total number of XBs.Peer reviewe
The 1:1 resonance in Extrasolar Systems: Migration from planetary to satellite orbits
We present families of symmetric and asymmetric periodic orbits at the 1/1
resonance, for a planetary system consisting of a star and two small bodies, in
comparison to the star, moving in the same plane under their mutual
gravitational attraction. The stable 1/1 resonant periodic orbits belong to a
family which has a planetary branch, with the two planets moving in nearly
Keplerian orbits with non zero eccentricities and a satellite branch, where the
gravitational interaction between the two planets dominates the attraction from
the star and the two planets form a close binary which revolves around the
star. The stability regions around periodic orbits along the family are
studied. Next, we study the dynamical evolution in time of a planetary system
with two planets which is initially trapped in a stable 1/1 resonant periodic
motion, when a drag force is included in the system. We prove that if we start
with a 1/1 resonant planetary system with large eccentricities, the system
migrates, due to the drag force, {\it along the family of periodic orbits} and
is finally trapped in a satellite orbit. This, in principle, provides a
mechanism for the generation of a satellite system: we start with a planetary
system and the final stage is a system where the two small bodies form a close
binary whose center of mass revolves around the star.Comment: to appear in Cel.Mech.Dyn.Ast
Microscopic theory of single-electron tunneling through molecular-assembled metallic nanoparticles
We present a microscopic theory of single-electron tunneling through metallic
nanoparticles connected to the electrodes through molecular bridges. It
combines the theory of electron transport through molecular junctions with the
description of the charging dynamics on the nanoparticles. We apply the theory
to study single-electron tunneling through a gold nanoparticle connected to the
gold electrodes through two representative benzene-based molecules. We
calculate the background charge on the nanoparticle induced by the charge
transfer between the nanoparticle and linker molecules, the capacitance and
resistance of molecular junction using a first-principles based Non-Equilibrium
Green's Function theory. We demonstrate the variety of transport
characteristics that can be achieved through ``engineering'' of the
metal-molecule interaction.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev.
Mass-losing accretion discs around supermassive black holes
We study the effects of outflow/wind on the gravitational stability of
accretion discs around supermassive black holes using a set of analytical
steady-state solutions. Mass-loss rate by the outflow from the disc is assumed
to be a power-law of the radial distance and the amount of the energy and the
angular momentum which are carried away by the wind are parameterized
phenomenologically. We show that the mass of the first clumps at the
self-gravitating radius linearly decreases with the total mass-loss rate of the
outflow. Except for the case of small viscosity and high accretion rate,
generally, the self-gravitating radius increases as the amount of mass-loss by
the outflow increases. Our solutions show that as more angular momentum is lost
by the outflow, then reduction to the mass of the first clumps is more
significant.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc
Long-term perturbations due to a disturbing body in elliptic inclined orbit
In the current study, a double-averaged analytical model including the action
of the perturbing body's inclination is developed to study third-body
perturbations. The disturbing function is expanded in the form of Legendre
polynomials truncated up to the second-order term, and then is averaged over
the periods of the spacecraft and the perturbing body. The efficiency of the
double-averaged algorithm is verified with the full elliptic restricted
three-body model. Comparisons with the previous study for a lunar satellite
perturbed by Earth are presented to measure the effect of the perturbing body's
inclination, and illustrate that the lunar obliquity with the value 6.68\degree
is important for the mean motion of a lunar satellite. The application to the
Mars-Sun system is shown to prove the validity of the double-averaged model. It
can be seen that the algorithm is effective to predict the long-term behavior
of a high-altitude Martian spacecraft perturbed by Sun. The double-averaged
model presented in this paper is also applicable to other celestial systems.Comment: 28 pages, 6 figure
Recent developments in planet migration theory
Planetary migration is the process by which a forming planet undergoes a
drift of its semi-major axis caused by the tidal interaction with its parent
protoplanetary disc. One of the key quantities to assess the migration of
embedded planets is the tidal torque between the disc and planet, which has two
components: the Lindblad torque and the corotation torque. We review the latest
results on both torque components for planets on circular orbits, with a
special emphasis on the various processes that give rise to additional, large
components of the corotation torque, and those contributing to the saturation
of this torque. These additional components of the corotation torque could help
address the shortcomings that have recently been exposed by models of planet
population syntheses. We also review recent results concerning the migration of
giant planets that carve gaps in the disc (type II migration) and the migration
of sub-giant planets that open partial gaps in massive discs (type III
migration).Comment: 52 pages, 18 figures. Review article to be published in "Tidal
effects in Astronomy and Astrophysics", Lecture Notes in Physic
'Disc-jet' coupling in black hole X-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei
In this chapter I will review the status of our phenomenological
understanding of the relation between accretion and outflows in accreting black
hole systems. This understanding arises primarily from observing the relation
between X-ray and longer wavelength (infrared, radio) emission. The view is
necessarily a biased one, beginning with observations of X-ray binary systems,
and attempting to see if they match with the general observational properties
of active galactic nuclei.Comment: 28 pages, 15 figures, To appear in Belloni, T. (ed.): The Jet
Paradigm - From Microquasars to Quasars, Lect. Notes Phys. 794 (2009
A Bayesian Nonparametric Regression Model With Normalized Weights - A Study of Hippocampal Atrophy in Alzheimerâs Disease
Hippocampal volume is one of the best established biomarkers for Alzheimerâs disease. However, for appropriate use in clinical trials research, the evolution of hippocampal volume needs to be well understood. Recent theoretical models propose a sigmoidal pattern for its evolution. To support this theory, the use of Bayesian nonparametric regression mixture models seems particularly suitable due to the flexibility that models of this type can achieve and the unsatisfactory predictive properties of semiparametric methods. In this article, our aim is to develop an interpretable Bayesian nonparametric regression model which allows inference with combinations of both continuous and discrete covariates, as required for a full analysis of the dataset. Simple arguments regarding the interpretation of Bayesian nonparametric regression mixtures lead naturally to regression weights based on normalized sums. Difficulty in working with the intractable normalizing constant is overcome thanks to recent advances in MCMC methods and the development of a novel auxiliary variable scheme. We apply the new model and MCMC method to study the dynamics of hippocampal volume, and our results provide statistical evidence in support of the theoretical hypothesis
The PHENIX Experiment at RHIC
The physics emphases of the PHENIX collaboration and the design and current
status of the PHENIX detector are discussed. The plan of the collaboration for
making the most effective use of the available luminosity in the first years of
RHIC operation is also presented.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Further details of the PHENIX physics program
available at http://www.rhic.bnl.gov/phenix
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