The Nuclear Stellar Cluster in the Seyfert~1 Galaxy NGC 3227: High Angular Resolution NIR Imaging and Spectroscopy

NIR high angular resolution speckle imaging and imaging spectroscopy of the nuclear region (10'' ~ 840pc) of the Seyfert1 galaxy NGC3227 are presented. A nuclear stellar cluster is slightly resolved in the J and H band with increasing contribution to the NIR continuum from the K to the J band. The stellar absorption lines are extended compared to the neighboring continuum suggesting a cluster size of ~ 70pc FWHM. Analysis of those lines suggests that the stars are contributing about 65% (40%) of the total continuum emission in the H (K) band in a 3.6'' aperture. Population synthesis in conjunction with NIR spectral synthesis indicates an age of 25 to 50 Myr when red supergiants contribute most to the NIR light. This is supported by published optical data on the MgIb line and the CaII triplet. Although a higher age of ~ 0.5 Gyr where AGB stars dominate the NIR light can not be excluded, the observed parameters are at the limit of those expected for a cluster dominated by AGB stars. However, in either case the resolved stellar cluster contributes only about ~ 15 % of the total dynamical mass in the inner 300pc implying another much older stellar population. Pure constant star formation over the last 10 Gyr can be excluded. Therefore, at least two star formation/starburst events took place in the nucleus of NGC3227. Since such sequences in the nuclear star formation history are also observed in the nuclei of other galaxies a link between the activity of the star formation and the AGN itself seems likely.Comment: accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, 46 pages, 15 figure

Sub-bandgap spectral photo-response analysis of Ti supersaturated Si

We have analyzed the increase of the sheet conductance (ΔG□) under spectral illumination in high dose Ti implanted Si samples subsequently processed by pulsed-laser melting. Samples with Ti concentration clearly above the insulator-metal transition limit show a remarkably high ΔG□, even higher than that measured in a silicon reference sample. This increase in the ΔG□ magnitude is contrary to the classic understanding of recombination centers action and supports the lifetime recovery predicted for concentrations of deep levels above the insulator-metal transition

Counterterms and dual holographic anomalies in CS gravity

The holographic Weyl anomaly associated to Chern-Simons gravity in 2n+1 dimensions is proportional to the Euler term in 2n dimensions, with no contributions from the Weyl tensor. We compute the holographic energy-momentum tensor associated to Chern-Simons gravity directly from the action, in an arbitrary odd-dimensional spacetime. We show, in particular, that the counterterms rendering the action finite contain only terms of the Lovelock type.Comment: 10 pages, no figure

Influence of the AlN interlayer thickness on the photovoltaic properties of In-rich AlInN on Si heterojunctions deposited by RF sputtering

We report the influence of the AlN interlayer thickness (0-15 nm) on the photovoltaic properties of Al0.37In0.63N on Si heterojunction solar cells deposited by radio frequency sputtering. The poor junction band alignment and the presence of a 2-3 nm thick amorphous layer at the interface mitigates the response in devices fabricated by direct deposition of n-AlInN on p-Si(111). Adding a 4-nm-thick AlN buffer layer improves the AlInN crystalline quality and the interface alignment leading to devices with a conversion efficiency of 1.5% under 1-sun AM1.5G illumination. For thicker buffers the performance lessens due to inefficient tunnel transport through the AlN. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using In-rich AlInN alloys deposited by radio frequency sputtering as novel electron-selective contacts to Si-heterojunction solar cells

Thermodynamics of Black Holes in Two (and Higher) Dimensions

A comprehensive treatment of black hole thermodynamics in two-dimensional dilaton gravity is presented. We derive an improved action for these theories and construct the Euclidean path integral. An essentially unique boundary counterterm renders the improved action finite on-shell, and its variational properties guarantee that the path integral has a well-defined semi-classical limit. We give a detailed discussion of the canonical ensemble described by the Euclidean partition function, and examine various issues related to stability. Numerous examples are provided, including black hole backgrounds that appear in two dimensional solutions of string theory. We show that the Exact String Black Hole is one of the rare cases that admits a consistent thermodynamics without the need for an external thermal reservoir. Our approach can also be applied to certain higher-dimensional black holes, such as Schwarzschild-AdS, Reissner-Nordstrom, and BTZ.Comment: 63 pages, 3 pdf figures, v2: added reference

Thermoplastic elastomer with advanced hydrophilization and bonding performances for rapid (30 s) and easy molding of microfluidic devices

One of the most important area of research in microfluidic technologies focuses on the identification and characterisation of novel materials with enhanced properties and versatility. Here we present a fast, easy and inexpensive microstructuration method for the fabrication of novel, flexible, transparent and biocompatible microfluidic devices. Using a simple hot-press, we demonstrate the rapid (30s) production of various microfluidic prototypes embossed in a commercially-available soft thermoplastic elastomer (sTPE). This styrenic block copolymer (BCP) material is as flexible as PDMS and as thermoformable as classical thermoplastics. It exhibits high fidelity in replication using SU–8 and epoxy master molds in a highly convenient low-isobar (0.4 bar) and iso-thermal process. Microfluidic devices can then be easily sealed using either a simple hot plate or even room-temperature assembly, allowing them so sustain liquid pressure of 2 and 0.6 bars respectively. The excellent sorption and biocompatibility properties of the microchips were validated via a standard rhodamine dye assay as well as a sensitive yeast cell-based assay. The morphology and composition of the surface area after plasma treatment for hydrophilization purposes are stable and show constant and homogenous distribution of the block nanodomains (∼ 22° after 4 days). These domains, which are evenly distributed at the nanoscale, therefore account for a uniform and convenient surface at a “microfluidic scale device”. To our knowledge, this is the first thermoplastic elastomer material that can be used for fast and reliable fabrication and assembly of microdevices while maintaining a high and stable hydrophilicity

Holographic renormalization and supersymmetry

Holographic renormalization is a systematic procedure for regulating divergences in observables in asymptotically locally AdS spacetimes. For dual boundary field theories which are supersymmetric it is natural to ask whether this defines a supersymmetric renormalization scheme. Recent results in localization have brought this question into sharp focus: rigid supersymmetry on a curved boundary requires specific geometric structures, and general arguments imply that BPS observables, such as the partition function, are invariant under certain deformations of these structures. One can then ask if the dual holographic observables are similarly invariant. We study this question in minimal N = 2 gauged supergravity in four and five dimensions. In four dimensions we show that holographic renormalization precisely reproduces the expected field theory results. In five dimensions we find that no choice of standard holographic counterterms is compatible with supersymmetry, which leads us to introduce novel finite boundary terms. For a class of solutions satisfying certain topological assumptions we provide some independent tests of these new boundary terms, in particular showing that they reproduce the expected VEVs of conserved charges.Comment: 70 pages; corrected typo