Discovery of the Pigtail Molecular Cloud in the Galactic Center

This paper reports the discovery of a helical molecular cloud in the central molecular zone (CMZ) of our Galaxy. This "pigtail" molecular cloud appears at (l, b, V_LSR) ~ (-0.7deg, +0.0deg, -70 to -30 km/s), with a spatial size of ~ (20 pc)^2 and a mass of (2-6) 10^5 solar masses. This is the third helical gaseous nebula found in the Galactic center region to date. Line intensity ratios indicate that the pigtail molecular cloud has slightly higher temperature and/or density than the other normal clouds in the CMZ. We also found a high-velocity wing emission near the footpoint of this cloud. We propose a formation model of the pigtail molecular cloud. It might be associated with a magnetic tube that is twisted and coiled because of the interaction between clouds in the innermost x_1 orbit and ones in the outermost x_2 orbit.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journa

Proper construction of the continuum in light-cone QCD sum rules

A proper way of subtracting the continuum contributions in light-cone QCD sum rules (LCQSR) is demonstrated. Specifically, we calculate the continuum corresponding to a typical OPE appearing in LCQSR by properly combining the double dispersion relation with QCD duality. We demonstrate how the subtraction terms can spuriously contribute to the sum rules. In the limit of zero external momentum, taking out the spurious continuum is found to yield the sum rules using the single-variable dispersion relation. The continuum factor constructed in this way differs from the one appearing in usual LCQSR. The difference substantially affects the extraction of hadronic parameters from the correlation function involving baryon currents.Comment: 12 pages including 3 figures, substantially revised, version to be published in Progress of Theoretical Physic

High Atomic Carbon Abundance in Molecular Clouds in the Galactic Center Region

This letter presents a Nyquist-sampled, high-resolution [CI] 3P1-3P0 map of the -0.2 deg < l < 1.2 deg x -0.1 deg < b < 0 deg region in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) taken with the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE) 10 m telescope. We have found that molecular clouds in the CMZ can be classified into two groups according to their [CI]/13CO intensity ratios: a bulk component consisting with clouds with a low, uniform [CI]/13CO ratio (0.45) and another component consisting of clouds with high [CI]/13CO ratios (> 0.8). The [CI]-enhanced regions appear in M-0.02-0.07, the circumnuclear disk, the 180-pc ring and the high velocity compact cloud CO+0.02-0.02. We have carried out a large velocity gradient (LVG) analysis and have derived the C^0/CO column density ratio for M-0.02-0.07 as 0.47, which is approximately twice that of the bulk component of the CMZ (0.26). We propose several hypotheses on the origin of high C^0 abundance in M-0.02-0.07, including cosmic-ray/X-ray dissociation and mechanical dissociation of CO in the pre-existing molecular clouds. We also suggest the possibility that M-0.02-0.07 is a cloud at an early stage of chemical evolution from diffuse gas, which was possibly formed by the bar-induced mass inflow in the Galactic Center region.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letter

Laser spectroscopic studies of the pure rotational U_0(0) and W_0(0) transitions of solid parahydrogen

High resolution spectrum of multipole-induced transitions of solid parahydrogen was recorded using diode and difference frequency laser spectroscopy. The J=4<--0 pure rotational U_0(0) transition observed in the diode spectrum agrees well in frequency with the value reported by Balasubramanian et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 47, 1277 (1981)] but we observed a spectral width smaller by about a factor of 4. The J=6<--0 W_0(0) transition was observed to be exceedingly sharp, with a width of ~70 MHz, using a difference frequency spectrometer with tone-burst modulation. This transition is composed of three components with varying relative intensity depending upon the direction of polarization of laser radiation. These components were interpreted as the splitting of the M levels in the J=6 state due to crystal field interactions. In addition, a new broad feature was found at 2452.4 cm^(−1) in the low resolution Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum of solid hydrogen and was assigned to be the phonon branch W_R(0) transition of the W_0(0) line. The selection rules, crystal field splitting of J=4 and J=6 rotons, and the measured linewidth based on these observations are discussed

Neural Control and Modulation of Thirst, Sodium Appetite, and Hunger

The function of central appetite neurons is instructing animals to ingest specific nutrient factors that the body needs. Emerging evidence suggests that individual appetite circuits for major nutrients—water, sodium, and food—operate on unique driving and quenching mechanisms. This review focuses on two aspects of appetite regulation. First, we describe the temporal relationship between appetite neuron activity and consumption behaviors. Second, we summarize ingestion-related satiation signals that differentially quench individual appetite circuits. We further discuss how distinct appetite and satiation systems for each factor may contribute to nutrient homeostasis from the functional and evolutional perspectives

Weak Decay of Λ\Lambda in Nuclei : Quarks vs Mesons

Decays of $\Lambda$ in nuclei, nonmesonic mode, are studied by using the $\Lambda N \to NN$ weak transition potential derived from the meson exchange mechanism and the direct quark mechanism. The decay rates are calculated both for the $\Lambda$ in symmetric nuclear matter and light hypernuclei. We consider the exchange of six mesons ($\pi, K, \eta, \rho, \omega, K^\ast$). The form factor in the meson exchange mechanism and short range correlation are carefully studied.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figure

QCD sum rules with two-point correlation function

We construct three different sum rules from the two-point correlation function with pion, $i\int d^4x e^{iq\cdot x} <0| T J_N(x) {\bar J}_N(0)|\pi(p)>$, beyond the soft-pion limit. The PS and PV coupling schemes in the construction of the phenomenological side are carefully considered in each sum rule. We discuss the dependence of the result on the specific Dirac structure and identify the source of the dependence by making specific models for higher resonances.Comment: 4 pages, LaTex, Talk presented at the KEK-Tanashi International Symposium on ``Physics of Hadrons and Nuclei'', Dec. 14-17, 1998 Tokyo, Japan, Submitted to Nuclear Physics

TEM study of the effect of high-temperature thermal cycles on the stability of the Y-Al-O oxides in MA956 ODS steel

MA956, a commercial ferritic grade of Oxide Dispersion-Strengthened (ODS) steel, was investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to evaluate the influence of high-temperature thermal cycles on the nanometric dispersed oxides. Analyses of the oxide size distribution were carried out on foils from the as-received MA956 and following treatment at 1285ºC for one hour, and show that growth of the oxides has occurred under the thermal cycle. Implications for the oxide stability in the steel matrix are discussed, in the light of the oxide chemical composition

Chiral Symmetry of Nucleon Resonances in QCD sum rules

The QCD sum rule approach is employed in order to study chiral properties of positive- and negative-parity nucleon resonances. It is pointed out that nucleons with an ``exotic'' chiral property, which can be represented by local five-quark operators, can be paired with a standard nucleon forming a single chiral multiplet. The sum rules of the five-quark operators, however, are shown not to couple strongly to chirally-``exotic'' nucleon resonances at the mass region of less than 2 GeV.Comment: 11 page