Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy of Starburst and Post-Starburst Galaxies in The Rich z~0.55 Cluster CL0016+16

We have used the Low Resolution Imaging Spectrograph (LRIS) on the W.M. Keck I telescope to obtain spatially resolved spectroscopy of a small sample of six post-starburst and three dusty-starburst galaxies in the rich cluster CL0016+16 at z=0.55. We use this to measure radial profiles of the Hdelta and OII3727 lines which are diagnostic probes of the mechanisms that give rise to the abrupt changes in star-formation rates in these galaxies. In the post-starburst sample we are unable to detect any radial gradients in the Hdelta line equivalent width - although one galaxy exhibits a gradient from one side of the galaxy to the other. The absence of Hdelta gradients in these galaxies is consistent with their production via interaction with the intra-cluster medium, however, our limited spatial sampling prevents us from drawing robust conclusions. All members of the sample have early type morphologies, typical of post-starburst galaxies in general, but lack the high incidence of tidal tails and disturbances seen in local field samples. This argues against a merger origin and adds weight to a scenario where truncation by the intra-cluster medium is at work. The post-starburst spectral signature is consistent over the radial extent probed with no evidence of OII3727 emission and strong Hdelta absorption at all radii i.e. the post-starburst classification is not an aperture effect. In contrast the dusty-starburst sample shows a tendency for a central concentration of OII3727 emission. This is most straightforwardly interpreted as the consequence of a central starburst. However, other possibilities exist such as a non-uniform dust distribution (which is expected in such galaxies) and/or a non-uniform starburst age distribution. The sample exhibit late type and irregular morphologies.Comment: accepted for publication in PAS

Instantaneous conventions : the emergence of flexible communicative signals

Humans can communicate even with few existing conventions in common (e.g., when they lack a shared language). We explored what makes this phenomenon possible with a nonlinguistic experimental task requiring participants to coordinate towards a common goal. We observed participants creating new communicative conventions using the most minimal possible signals. These conventions, furthermore, changed trial-by-trial in response to shared environmental and task constraints. Strikingly, as a result, signals of the same form were able to successfully convey contradictory messages from trial to trial. Such behavior implicates what we term "joint inference," in which social interactants are inferring, in the moment, the most sensible communicative convention in light of their common ground. Joint inference may help to elucidate how communicative conventions emerge “instantaneously,” and how they are modified and reshaped into the elaborate systems of conventions involved in human communication, including natural languages

Collapse of a semiflexible polymer in poor solvent

We investigate the dynamics and the pathways of the collapse of a single, semiflexible polymer in a poor solvent via 3-D Brownian Dynamics simulations. Earlier work indicates that the condensation of semiflexible polymers generically proceeds via a cascade through metastable racquet-shaped, long-lived intermediates towards the stable torus state. We investigate the rate of decay of uncollapsed states, analyze the preferential pathways of condensation, and describe likelihood and lifespan of the different metastable states. The simulation are performed with a bead-stiff spring model with excluded volume interaction and exponentially decaying attractive potential. The semiflexible chain collapse is studied as functions of the three relevant length scales of the phenomenon, i.e., the total chain length $L$, the persistence length $L_p$ and the condensation length $L_0 = \sqrt{k_B T L_p/u_0}$, where $u_0$ is a measure of the attractive potential per unit length. Two dimensionless ratios, $L/L_p$ and $L_0/L_p$, suffice to describe the decay rate of uncollapsed states, which appears to scale as $(L/L_p)^{1/3} (L_0/L_p)$. The condensation sequence is described in terms of the time series of the well separated energy levels associated with each metastable collapsed state. The collapsed states are described quantitatively through the spatial correlation of tangent vectors along the chain. We also compare the results obtained with a locally inextensible bead-rod chain and with a phantom bead-spring model. Finally, we show preliminary results on the effects of steady shear flow on the kinetics of collapse.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Transport coefficients of off-lattice mesoscale-hydrodynamics simulation techniques

The viscosity and self-diffusion constant of particle-based mesoscale hydrodynamic methods, multi-particle collision dynamics (MPC) and dissipative particle dynamics (DPD), are investigated, both with and without angular-momentum conservation. Analytical results are derived for fluids with an ideal-gas equation of state and a finite-time-step dynamics, and compared with simulation data. In particular, the viscosity is derived in a general form for all variants of the MPC method. In general, very good agreement between theory and simulations is obtained.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figure

Rubidium and lead abundances in giant stars of the globular clusters M 13 and NGC 6752

We present measurements of the neutron-capture elements Rb and Pb in five giant stars of the globular cluster NGC 6752 and Pb measurements in four giants of the globular cluster M 13. The abundances were derived by comparing synthetic spectra with high resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio spectra obtained using HDS on the Subaru telescope and MIKE on the Magellan telescope. The program stars span the range of the O-Al abundance variation. In NGC 6752, the mean abundances are [Rb/Fe] = -0.17 +/- 0.06 (sigma = 0.14), [Rb/Zr] = -0.12 +/- 0.06 (sigma = 0.13), and [Pb/Fe] = -0.17 +/- 0.04 (sigma = 0.08). In M 13 the mean abundance is [Pb/Fe] = -0.28 +/- 0.03 (sigma = 0.06). Within the measurement uncertainties, we find no evidence for a star-to-star variation for either Rb or Pb within these clusters. None of the abundance ratios [Rb/Fe], [Rb/Zr], or [Pb/Fe] are correlated with the Al abundance. NGC 6752 may have slightly lower abundances of [Rb/Fe] and [Rb/Zr] compared to the small sample of field stars at the same metallicity. For M 13 and NGC 6752 the Pb abundances are in accord with predictions from a Galactic chemical evolution model. If metal-poor intermediate-mass asymptotic giant branch stars did produce the globular cluster abundance anomalies, then such stars do not synthesize significant quantities of Rb or Pb. Alternatively, if such stars do synthesize large amounts of Rb or Pb, then they are not responsible for the abundance anomalies seen in globular clusters.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

K band Spectroscopy of Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies: The 2 Jy Sample

We present near-infrared spectroscopy for a complete sample of 33 ultraluminous infrared galaxies at a resolution of R\approx 1000. Most of the wavelength range from 1.80-2.20 microns in the rest frame is covered, including the Pa-alpha and Br-gamma hydrogen recombination lines, and the molecular hydrogen vibration-rotation 1-0 S(1) and S(3) lines. Other species, such as He I, [Fe II], and [Si VI] appear in the spectra as well, in addition to a number of weaker molecular hydrogen lines. Nuclear extractions for each of the individual galaxies are presented here, along with spectra of secondary nuclei, where available. The Pa-alpha emission is seen to be highly concentrated on the nuclei, typically with very little emision extending beyond a radius of 1 kpc. Signatures of active nuclei are rare in the present sample, occurring in only two of the 33 galaxies. It is found that visual extinctions to the nuclei via the Pa-alpha/Br-gamma line ratio in excess of 10 magnitudes are relatively common among ULIRGs, and that visual extinctions greater than 25 mag are necessary to conceal a QSO emitting half the total bolometric luminosity. The vibration-rotation lines of molecular hydrogen appear to be predominantly thermal in origin, with effective temperatures generally around 2200 K. The relative nuclear velocities between double nucleus ULIRGs are investigated, through which it is inferred that the maximum deprojected velocity difference is about 200 km/s. This figure is lower than the velocities predicted by physical models of strong interactions/mergers of large, gas-rich galaxies.Comment: 52 pages (19 with just figures), 9 figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal; Table 3 not formatted properly on astro-ph: get source and print Murphy.tab3.p

ADE-Quiver Theories and Mirror Symmetry

We show that the Higgs branch of a four-dimensional Yang-Mills theory, with gauge and matter content summarised by an ADE quiver diagram, is identical to the generalised Coulomb branch of a four-dimensional superconformal strongly coupled gauge theory with ADE global symmetry. This equivalence suggests the existence of a mirror symmetry between the quiver theories and the strongly coupled theories.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Talk delivered by UL at D.V. Volkov Memorial Conference, July 25-29, 2000, Kharkov, to be published in the proceeding

Entropy Driven Dimerization in a One-Dimensional Spin-Orbital Model

We study a new version of the one-dimensional spin-orbital model with spins S=1 relevant to cubic vanadates. At small Hund's coupling J_H we discover dimerization in a pure electronic system solely due to a dynamical spin-orbital coupling. Above a critical value J_H, a uniform ferromagnetic state is stabilized at zero temperature. More surprisingly, we observe a temperature driven dimerization of the ferrochain, which occurs due to a large entropy released by dimer states. This dynamical dimerization seems to be the mechanism driving the peculiar intermediate phase of YVO_3.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure