1,418 research outputs found
Radiative transitions of the helium atom in highly magnetized neutron star atmospheres
Recent observations of thermally emitting isolated neutron stars revealed
spectral features that could be interpreted as radiative transitions of He in a
magnetized neutron star atmosphere. We present Hartree-Fock calculations of the
polarization-dependent photoionization cross sections of the He atom in strong
magnetic fields ranging from 10^12 G to 10^14 G. Convenient fitting formulae
for the cross sections are given as well as related oscillator strengths for
various bound-bound transitions. The effects of finite nucleus mass on the
radiative absorption cross sections are examined using perturbation theory.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures. Minor changes. MNRAS in pres
Coronal X-ray emission from an intermediate-age brown dwarf
We report the X-ray detection of the brown dwarf (BD) companion TWA 5B in a
Myr old pre-main sequence binary system. We clearly resolve the
faint companion (35 photons) separated from the X-ray luminous primary by 2
arcsec in a {\it Chandra} ACIS image. TWA 5B shows a soft X-ray spectrum with a
low plasma temperature of only 0.3 keV and a constant flux during the 3 hour
observation, of which the characteristics are commonly seen in the solar
corona. The X-ray luminosity is 4 erg s (0.1--10 keV
band) or .
Comparing these properties to both younger and older BDs, we discuss the
evolution of the X-ray emission in BDs. During their first few Myr, they
exhibit high levels of X-ray activity as seen in higher mass pre-main sequence
stars. The level in TWA 5B is still high at Myr in while has already substantially cooled
First optical images of circumstellar dust surrounding the debris disk candidate HD 32297
Near-infrared imaging with the Hubble Space Telescope recently revealed a
circumstellar dust disk around the A star HD 32297. Dust scattered light is
detected as far as 400 AU radius and the linear morphology is consistent with a
disk ~10 degrees away from an edge-on orientation. Here we present the first
optical images that show the dust scattered light morphology from 560 to 1680
AU radius. The position angle of the putative disk midplane diverges by 31
degrees and the color of dust scattering is most likely blue. We associate HD
32297 with a wall of interstellar gas and the enigmatic region south of the
Taurus molecular cloud. We propose that the extreme asymmetries and blue disk
color originate from a collision with a clump of interstellar material as HD
32297 moves southward, and discuss evidence consistent with an age of 30 Myr or
younger.Comment: 5 pages; Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Are certain dividend increases predictable? The effect of repeated dividend increases on market returns
Positive abnormal returns around dividend increase announcements are well documented. The conventional explanation for these abnormal returns is that a dividend increase conveys favorable information about a firms prospects causing the stock price to increase in response to the announcement. This study offers a new perspective by studying a special group of firms that consistently increase their dividends each year. Abnormal returns around each dividend increase announcement are investigated based on the number of consecutive annual increases. In light of survey results that indicate firms endeavor to maintain steady dividend payments, one hypothesis is that after a certain number of dividend increases, a firm may develop a reputation as a dividend-increasing firm and consequently the market will learn to anticipate future dividend increases. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that abnormal returns are significantly positive for the first and second dividend increase. Returns are not significant for all other increases, with the exception of the ninth consecutive increase. Our results suggest that, by the third consecutive increase, the market has learned to expect further increases. Our findings are robust and provide further evidence that, consistent with other types of corporate announcements, the stock market reacts differently depending on the frequency of an action
A Simplified Approach to Optimally Controlled Quantum Dynamics
A new formalism for the optimal control of quantum mechanical physical
observables is presented. This approach is based on an analogous classical
control technique reported previously[J. Botina, H. Rabitz and N. Rahman, J.
chem. Phys. Vol. 102, pag. 226 (1995)]. Quantum Lagrange multiplier functions
are used to preserve a chosen subset of the observable dynamics of interest. As
a result, a corresponding small set of Lagrange multipliers needs to be
calculated and they are only a function of time. This is a considerable
simplification over traditional quantum optimal control theory[S. shi and H.
Rabitz, comp. Phys. Comm. Vol. 63, pag. 71 (1991)]. The success of the new
approach is based on taking advantage of the multiplicity of solutions to
virtually any problem of quantum control to meet a physical objective. A family
of such simplified formulations is introduced and numerically tested. Results
are presented for these algorithms and compared with previous reported work on
a model problem for selective unimolecular reaction induced by an external
optical electric field.Comment: Revtex, 29 pages (incl. figures
Raman cooling and heating of two trapped Ba+ ions
We study cooling of the collective vibrational motion of two 138Ba+ ions
confined in an electrodynamic trap and irradiated with laser light close to the
resonances S_1/2-P_1/2 (493 nm) and P_1/2-D_3/2 (650 nm). The motional state of
the ions is monitored by a spatially resolving photo multiplier. Depending on
detuning and intensity of the cooling lasers, macroscopically different
motional states corresponding to different ion temperatures are observed. We
also derive the ions' temperature from detailed analytical calculations of
laser cooling taking into account the Zeeman structure of the energy levels
involved. The observed motional states perfectly match the calculated
temperatures. Significant heating is observed in the vicinity of the dark
resonances of the Zeeman-split S_1/2-D_3/2 Raman transitions. Here two-photon
processes dominate the interaction between lasers and ions. Parameter regimes
of laser light are identified that imply most efficient laser cooling.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Structure of matter in strong magnetic fields
We give a detailed presentation of Hartree-Fock calculations of atoms and molecular chains in 10^12 G magnetic fields, as are supposed to exist on the surface of neutron stars. These calculations are the first self-consistent ones treating exchange properly for atoms heavier than helium in high fields. We find that the isolated atom is energetically favored over molecular chains for Z>2 at fields greater than 1×10^12G and for Z>4 at fields greater than 5×10^12 G. These results indicate that matter on the surface of neutron stars is bound very weakly, if at all
Composite absorbing potentials
The multiple scattering interferences due to the addition of several
contiguous potential units are used to construct composite absorbing potentials
that absorb at an arbitrary set of incident momenta or for a broad momentum
interval.Comment: 9 pages, Revtex, 2 postscript figures. Accepted in Phys. Rev. Let
- …