1,679 research outputs found
A Deep Multicolor Survey V: The M Dwarf Luminosity Function
We present a study of M dwarfs discovered in a large area, multicolor survey.
We employ a combination of morphological and color criteria to select M dwarfs
to a limiting magnitude in V of 22, the deepest such ground-based survey for M
dwarfs to date. We solve for the vertical disk stellar density law and use the
resulting parameters to derive the M dwarf luminosity and mass functions from
this sample. We find the stellar luminosity function peaks at M_V = 12 and
declines thereafter. Our derived mass function for stars with M < 0.6 M_sun is
inconsistent with a Salpeter function at the 3 sigma level; instead, we find
the mass function is relatively flat for 0.6 M_sun > M > 0.1 M_sun.Comment: Accepted for publication in AJ. 19 pages including 4 embedded
postscript figures (AASTEX
Defect-Mediated Emulsification in Two Dimensions
We consider two dimensional dispersions of droplets of isotropic phase in a
liquid with an XY-like order parameter, tilt, nematic, and hexatic symmetries
being included. Strong anchoring boundary conditions are assumed. Textures for
a single droplet and a pair of droplets are calculated and a universal
droplet-droplet pair potential is obtained. The interaction of dispersed
droplets via the ordered phase is attractive at large distances and repulsive
at short distances, which results in a well defined preferred separation for
two droplets and topological stabilization of the emulsion. This interaction
also drives self-assembly into chains. Preferred separations and energy
barriers to coalescence are calculated, and effects of thermal fluctuations and
film thickness are discussed.Comment: revtex4, 13 pages, 12 figure
Interatomic potentials for mixed oxide (MOX) nuclear fuels
We extend our recently developed interatomic potentials for UO_{2} to the
mixed oxide fuel system (U,Pu,Np)O_{2}. We do so by fitting against an
extensive database of ab initio results as well as to experimental
measurements. The applicability of these interactions to a variety of mixed
environments beyond the fitting domain is also assessed. The employed formalism
makes these potentials applicable across all interatomic distances without the
need for any ambiguous splining to the well-established short-range
Ziegler-Biersack-Littmark universal pair potential. We therefore expect these
to be reliable potentials for carrying out damage simulations (and Molecular
Dynamics simulations in general) in nuclear fuels of varying compositions for
all relevant atomic collision energies
Improved Stack-Slide Searches for Gravitational-Wave Pulsars
We formulate and optimize a computational search strategy for detecting
gravitational waves from isolated, previously-unknown neutron stars (that is,
neutron stars with unknown sky positions, spin frequencies, and spin-down
parameters). It is well known that fully coherent searches over the relevant
parameter-space volumes are not computationally feasible, and so more
computationally efficient methods are called for. The first step in this
direction was taken by Brady & Creighton (2000), who proposed and optimized a
two-stage, stack-slide search algorithm. We generalize and otherwise improve
upon the Brady-Creighton scheme in several ways. Like Brady & Creighton, we
consider a stack-slide scheme, but here with an arbitrary number of
semi-coherent stages and with a coherent follow-up stage at the end. We find
that searches with three semi-coherent stages are significantly more efficient
than two-stage searches (requiring about 2-5 times less computational power for
the same sensitivity) and are only slightly less efficient than searches with
four or more stages. We calculate the signal-to-noise ratio required for
detection, as a function of computing power and neutron star spin-down-age,
using our optimized searches.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, RevTeX
Phase-resolved far-ultraviolet HST spectroscopy of the peculiar magnetic white dwarf RE J0317-853
We present phase resolved FUV HST FOS spectra of the rapidly rotating, highly
magnetic white dwarf RE J0317-853. Using these data, we construct a new model
for the magnetic field morphology across the stellar surface. From an expansion
into spherical harmonics, we find the range of magnetic field strengths present
is 180-800MG. For the first time we could identify an absorption feature
present at certain phases at 1160A as a ``forbidden'' 1s_0 -> 2s_0 component,
due to the combined presence of an electric and magnetic field.Comment: 15 pages including 4 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Efficient statistical inference for stochastic reaction processes
We address the problem of estimating unknown model parameters and state
variables in stochastic reaction processes when only sparse and noisy
measurements are available. Using an asymptotic system size expansion for the
backward equation we derive an efficient approximation for this problem. We
demonstrate the validity of our approach on model systems and generalize our
method to the case when some state variables are not observed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables; typos corrected, remark about Kalman
smoother adde
Topology and shape optimization of induced-charge electro-osmotic micropumps
For a dielectric solid surrounded by an electrolyte and positioned inside an
externally biased parallel-plate capacitor, we study numerically how the
resulting induced-charge electro-osmotic (ICEO) flow depends on the topology
and shape of the dielectric solid. In particular, we extend existing
conventional electrokinetic models with an artificial design field to describe
the transition from the liquid electrolyte to the solid dielectric. Using this
design field, we have succeeded in applying the method of topology optimization
to find system geometries with non-trivial topologies that maximize the net
induced electro-osmotic flow rate through the electrolytic capacitor in the
direction parallel to the capacitor plates. Once found, the performance of the
topology optimized geometries has been validated by transferring them to
conventional electrokinetic models not relying on the artificial design field.
Our results show the importance of the topology and shape of the dielectric
solid in ICEO systems and point to new designs of ICEO micropumps with
significantly improved performance.Comment: 18 pages, latex IOP-style, 7 eps figure
Molecular Line Profile Fitting with Analytic Radiative Transfer Models
We present a study of analytic models of starless cores whose line profiles
have ``infall asymmetry,'' or blue-skewed shapes indicative of contracting
motions. We compare the ability of two types of analytical radiative transfer
models to reproduce the line profiles and infall speeds of centrally condensed
starless cores whose infall speeds are spatially constant and range between 0
and 0.2 km s-1. The model line profiles of HCO+ (J=1-0) and HCO+ (J=3-2) are
produced by a self-consistent Monte Carlo radiative transfer code. The analytic
models assume that the excitation temperature in the front of the cloud is
either constant (``two-layer'' model) or increases inward as a linear function
of optical depth (``hill'' model). Each analytic model is matched to the line
profile by rapid least-squares fitting.
The blue-asymmetric line profiles with two peaks, or with a blue shifted peak
and a red shifted shoulder, can be well fit by the ``HILL5'' model (a five
parameter version of the hill model), with an RMS error of 0.02 km s-1. A peak
signal to noise ratio of at least 30 in the molecular line observations is
required for performing these analytic radiative transfer fits to the line
profiles.Comment: 48 pages, 20 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Ultraviolet observations of the X-ray photoionized wind of Cygnus X-1 during X-ray soft/high state
(Shortened) Ultraviolet observations of the black hole X-ray binary Cygnus
X-1 were obtained using the STIS on HSTubble. We detect P Cygni line features
show strong, broad absorption components when the X-ray source is behind the
companion star and noticeably weaker absorption when the X-ray source is
between us and the companion star. We fit the P Cygni profiles using the SEI
method applied to a spherically symmetric stellar wind subject to X-ray
photoionization from the black hole. The Si IV doublet provides the most
reliable estimates of the parameters of the wind and X-ray illumination. The
velocity increases with radius according to
, with and
km s.The microturbulent velocity was
km s. Our fit implies a ratio of X-ray luminosity to wind mass-loss rate
of L, measured at = 4.8. Our
models determine parameters that may be used to estimate the accretion rate
onto the black hole and independently predict the X-ray luminosity. Our
predicted L matches that determined by contemporaneous RXTE ASM remarkably
well, but is a factor of 3 lower than the rate according to
Bondi-Hoyle-Littleton spherical wind accretion. We suggest that some of the
energy of accretion may go into powering a jet.Comment: 34 pages, 21 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in Ap
Embedding the Zee-Wolfenstein neutrino mass matrix in an SO(10) x A4 GUT scenario
We consider renormalizable SO(10) Yukawa interactions and put the three
fermionic 16-plets into the 3-dimensional irreducible A_4 representation.
Scanning the possible A_4 representation assignments to the scalars, we find a
unique case which allows to accommodate the down-quark and charged-lepton
masses. Assuming type II seesaw dominance, we obtain a viable scenario with the
Zee-Wolfenstein neutrino mass matrix, i.e., the Majorana mass matrix with a
vanishing diagonal. Contributions from the charged-lepton mass matrix resolve
the well-known problems with lepton mixing arising from the vanishing diagonal.
In our scenario, fermion masses and mixings are well reproduced for both normal
and inverted neutrino mass spectra, and b-tau Yukawa unification and definite
predictions for the effective mass in neutrinoless double-beta decay are
obtained.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures, v2: final version for Phys. Rev.
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