4,628 research outputs found
On the origin of \gamma-ray emission in \eta\ Carina
\eta\ Car is the only colliding-wind binary for which high-energy \gamma\
rays are detected. Although the physical conditions in the shock region change
on timescales of hours to days, the variability seen at GeV energies is weak
and on significantly longer timescales. The \gamma-ray spectrum exhibits two
features that can be interpreted as emission from the shocks on either side of
the contact discontinuity. Here we report on the first time-dependent modelling
of the non-thermal emission in \eta\ Car. We find that emission from primary
electrons is likely not responsible for the \gamma-ray emission, but
accelerated protons interacting with the dense wind material can explain the
observations. In our model, efficient acceleration is required at both shocks,
with the primary side acting as a hadron calorimeter, whilst on the companion
side acceleration is limited by the flow time out of the system, resulting in
changing acceleration conditions. The system therefore represents a unique
laboratory for the exploration of hadronic particle acceleration in
non-relativistic shocks.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRAS
Letter
Project Echo: Receiving System
A tracking horn-reflector antenna, a maser preamplifier (and standby parametric preamplifier), and a special FM demodulator were combined to form a low-noise receiving system which made possible the establishment of a high-quality voice circuit via the Echo I passive satellite. This paper describes the 2390-Mc receiving system located at the Bell Telephone Laboratories facility in Holmdel, New Jersey
H.E.S.S. observations of the Large Magellanic Cloud
The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way at a
distance of approximately 48 kpc. Despite its distance it harbours several
interesting targets for TeV gamma-ray observations. The composite supernova
remnant N 157B/PSR J05367-6910 was discovered by H.E.S.S. being an emitter of
very high energy (VHE) gamma-rays. It is the most distant pulsar wind nebula
ever detected in VHE gamma-rays. Another very exciting target is SN 1987A, the
remnant of the most recent supernova explosion that occurred in the
neighbourhood of the Milky Way. Models for Cosmic Ray acceleration in this
remnant predict gamma-ray emission at a level detectable by H.E.S.S. but this
has not been detected so far. Fermi/LAT discovered diffuse high energy (HE)
gamma-ray emission from the general direction of the massive star forming
region 30 Doradus but no clear evidence for emission from either N 157B or SN
1987A has been published. The part of the LMC containing these objects has been
observed regularly with the H.E.S.S. telescopes since 2003. With deep
observations carried out in 2010 a very good exposure of this part of the sky
has been obtained. The current status of the H.E.S.S. LMC observations is
reported along with new results on N 157B and SN 1987A.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, proceedings of the 32nd Internatioal Cosmic Ray
Conference, Beijing 201
Effect of dipolar interactions on the magnetization of a cubic array of nanomagnets
We investigated the effect of intermolecular dipolar interactions on a cubic
3D ensemble of 5X5X4=100 nanomagnets, each with spin . We employed the
Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation to solve for the magnetization curves
for several values of the damping constant , the induction sweep rate,
the lattice constant , the temperature , and the magnetic anisotropy
field . We find that the smaller the , the stronger the maximum
induction required to produce hysteresis. The shape of the hysteresis loops
also depends on the damping constant. We find further that the system
magnetizes and demagnetizes at decreasing magnetic field strengths with
decreasing sweep rates, resulting in smaller hysteresis loops. Variations of
within realistic values (1.5 nm - 2.5 nm) show that the dipolar interaction
plays an important role in the magnetic hysteresis by controlling the
relaxation process. The dependencies of and of are presented
and discussed with regard to recent experimental data on nanomagnets.
enhances the size of the hysteresis loops for external fields parallel to the
anisotropy axis, but decreases it for perpendicular external fields. Finally,
we reproduce and test an curve for a 2D-system [M. Kayali and W. Saslow,
Phys. Rev. B {\bf 70}, 174404 (2004)]. We show that its hysteretic behavior is
only weakly dependent on the shape anisotropy field and the sweep rate, but
depends sensitively upon the dipolar interactions. Although in 3D systems,
dipole-dipole interactions generally diminish the hysteresis, in 2D systems,
they strongly enhance it. For both square 2D and rectangular 3D lattices with
, dipole-dipole interactions can cause
large jumps in the magnetization.Comment: 15 pages 14 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Suppression of Quantum Phase Interference in Molecular Magnets Fe₈ with Dipolar-Dipolar Interaction
Renormalized tunnel splitting with a finite distribution in the biaxial spin
model for molecular magnets is obtained by taking into account the dipolar
interaction of enviromental spins. Oscillation of the resonant tunnel splitting
with a transverse magnetic field along the hard axis is smeared by the finite
distribution which subsequently affects the quantum steps of hysteresis curve
evaluated in terms of the modified Landau-Zener model of spin flipping induced
by the sweeping field. We conclude that the dipolar-dipolar interaction drives
decoherence of quantum tunnelling in molcular magnets Fe₈, which explains
why the quenching points of tunnel spliting between odd and even resonant
tunnelling predcited theoretically were not observed experimentally.Comment: 5 pages including 3 figure and 1 table. To appear in Physical Review
Genome sequence of the button mushroom Agaricus bisporus reveals mechanisms governing adaptation to a humic-rich ecological niche
Agaricus bisporus is the model fungus for the adaptation, persistence, and growth in the humic-rich leaf-litter environment. Aside from its ecological role, A. bisporus has been an important component of the human diet for over 200 y and worldwide cultivation of the "button mushroom" forms a multibillion dollar industry. We present two A. bisporus genomes, their gene repertoires and transcript profiles on compost andduringmushroomformation.The genomes encode a full repertoire of polysaccharide-degrading enzymes similar to that of wood-decayers. Comparative transcriptomics of mycelium grown on defined medium, casing-soil, and compost revealed genes encoding enzymes involved in xylan, cellulose, pectin, and protein degradation aremore highly expressed in compost. The striking expansion of heme-thiolate peroxidases and β-etherases is distinctive from Agaricomycotina wood-decayers and suggests a broad attack on decaying lignin and related metabolites found in humic acid-rich environment. Similarly, up-regulation of these genes together with a lignolytic manganese peroxidase, multiple copper radical oxidases, and cytochrome P450s is consistent with challenges posed by complex humic-rich substrates. The gene repertoire and expression of hydrolytic enzymes in A. bisporus is substantially different from the taxonomically related ectomycorrhizal symbiont Laccaria bicolor. A common promoter motif was also identified in genes very highly expressed in humic-rich substrates. These observations reveal genetic and enzymatic mechanisms governing adaptation to the humic-rich ecological niche formed during plant degradation, further defining the critical role such fungi contribute to soil structure and carbon sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems. Genome sequence will expedite mushroom breeding for improved agronomic characteristics
Nonlinear Dynamics of the Perceived Pitch of Complex Sounds
We apply results from nonlinear dynamics to an old problem in acoustical
physics: the mechanism of the perception of the pitch of sounds, especially the
sounds known as complex tones that are important for music and speech
intelligibility
Electronic thermal transport in strongly correlated multilayered nanostructures
The formalism for a linear-response many-body treatment of the electronic
contributions to thermal transport is developed for multilayered
nanostructures. By properly determining the local heat-current operator, it is
possible to show that the Jonson-Mahan theorem for the bulk can be extended to
inhomogeneous problems, so the various thermal-transport coefficient integrands
are related by powers of frequency (including all effects of vertex corrections
when appropriate). We illustrate how to use this formalism by showing how it
applies to measurements of the Peltier effect, the Seebeck effect, and the
thermal conductance.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Transposable Element Dynamics among Asymbiotic and Ectomycorrhizal Amanita Fungi
Transposable elements (TEs) are ubiquitous inhabitants of eukaryotic genomes and their proliferation and dispersal shape genome architectures and diversity. Nevertheless, TE dynamics are often explored for one species at a time and are rarely considered in ecological contexts. Recent work with plant pathogens suggests a link between symbiosis and TE abundance. The genomes of pathogenic fungi appear to house an increased abundance of TEs, and TEs are frequently associated with the genes involved in symbiosis. To investigate whether this pattern is general, and relevant to mutualistic plant-fungal symbioses, we sequenced the genomes of related asymbiotic (AS) and ectomycorrhizal (ECM) Amanita fungi. Using methods developed to interrogate both assembled and unassembled sequences, we characterized and quantified TEs across three AS and three ECM species, including the AS outgroup Volvariella volvacea. The ECM genomes are characterized by abundant numbers of TEs, an especially prominent feature of unassembled sequencing libraries. Increased TE activity in ECM species is also supported by phylogenetic analysis of the three most abundant TE superfamilies; phylogenies revealed many radiations within contemporary ECM species. However, the AS species Amanita thiersii also houses extensive amplifications of elements, highlighting the influence of additional evolutionary parameters on TE abundance. Our analyses provide further evidence for a link between symbiotic associations among plants and fungi, and increased TE activity, while highlighting the importance individual species’ natural histories may have in shaping genome architecture
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