2,499 research outputs found
Correlations in Nuclear Masses
It was recently suggested that the error with respect to experimental data in
nuclear mass calculations is due to the presence of chaotic motion. The theory
was tested by analyzing the typical error size. A more sensitive quantity, the
correlations of the mass error between neighboring nuclei, is studied here. The
results provide further support to this physical interpretation.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Mesoscopic Fluctuations of the Pairing Gap
A description of mesoscopic fluctuations of the pairing gap in finite-sized
quantum systems based on periodic orbit theory is presented. The size of the
fluctuations are found to depend on quite general properties. We distinguish
between systems where corresponding classical motion is regular or chaotic, and
describe in detail fluctuations of the BCS gap as a function of the size of the
system. The theory is applied to different mesoscopic systems: atomic nuclei,
metallic grains, and ultracold fermionic gases. We also present a detailed
description of pairing gap variation with particle number for nuclei based on a
deformed cavity potential.Comment: Conference Proceeding of Mesoscopic Workshop WNMP0
Detailed modelling of the circumstellar molecular line emission of the S-type AGB star W Aquilae
S-type AGB stars have a C/O ratio which suggests that they are transition
objects between oxygen-rich M-type stars and carbon-rich C-type stars. As such,
their circumstellar compositions of gas and dust are thought to be sensitive to
their precise C/O ratio, and it is therefore of particular interest to examine
their circumstellar properties.
We present new Herschel HIFI and PACS sub-millimetre and far-infrared line
observations of several molecular species towards the S-type AGB star W Aql. We
use these observations, which probe a wide range of gas temperatures, to
constrain the circumstellar properties of W Aql, including mass-loss rate and
molecular abundances. We used radiative transfer codes to model the
circumstellar dust and molecular line emission to determine circumstellar
properties and molecular abundances. We assumed a spherically symmetric
envelope formed by a constant mass-loss rate driven by an accelerating wind.
Our model includes fully integrated H2O line cooling as part of the solution of
the energy balance. We detect circumstellar molecular lines from CO, H2O, SiO,
HCN, and, for the first time in an S-type AGB star, NH3. The radiative transfer
calculations result in an estimated mass-loss rate for W Aql of 4.0e-6 Msol
yr-1 based on the 12CO lines. The estimated 12CO/13CO ratio is 29, which is in
line with ratios previously derived for S-type AGB stars. We find an H2O
abundance of 1.5e-5, which is intermediate to the abundances expected for M and
C stars, and an ortho/para ratio for H2O that is consistent with formation at
warm temperatures. We find an HCN abundance of 3e-6, and, although no CN lines
are detected using HIFI, we are able to put some constraints on the abundance,
6e-6, and distribution of CN in W Aql's circumstellar envelope using
ground-based data. We find an SiO abundance of 3e-6, and an NH3 abundance of
1.7e-5, confined to a small envelope.Comment: 17 pages, 15 figure
Semiclassical Theory of Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer Pairing-Gap Fluctuations
Superfluidity and superconductivity are genuine many-body manifestations of
quantum coherence. For finite-size systems the associated pairing gap
fluctuates as a function of size or shape. We provide a parameter free
theoretical description of pairing fluctuations in mesoscopic systems
characterized by order/chaos dynamics. The theory accurately describes
experimental observations of nuclear superfluidity (regular system), predicts
universal fluctuations of superconductivity in small chaotic metallic grains,
and provides a global analysis in ultracold Fermi gases.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Characterization of a dense aperture array for radio astronomy
EMBRACE@Nancay is a prototype instrument consisting of an array of 4608
densely packed antenna elements creating a fully sampled, unblocked aperture.
This technology is proposed for the Square Kilometre Array and has the
potential of providing an extremely large field of view making it the ideal
survey instrument. We describe the system,calibration procedures, and results
from the prototype.Comment: 17 pages, accepted for publication in A&
EMBRACE@Nancay: An Ultra Wide Field of View Prototype for the SKA
A revolution in radio receiving technology is underway with the development
of densely packed phased arrays for radio astronomy. This technology can
provide an exceptionally large field of view, while at the same time sampling
the sky with high angular resolution. Such an instrument, with a field of view
of over 100 square degrees, is ideal for performing fast, all-sky, surveys,
such as the "intensity mapping" experiment to measure the signature of Baryonic
Acoustic Oscillations in the HI mass distribution at cosmological redshifts.
The SKA, built with this technology, will be able to do a billion galaxy
survey. I will present a very brief introduction to radio interferometry, as
well as an overview of the Square Kilometre Array project. This will be
followed by a description of the EMBRACE prototype and a discussion of results
and future plans.Comment: to appear in proceedings of the INFIERI Summer School INtelligent
Signal Processing for FrontIEr Research and Industry, Paris 201
On the ubiquity of molecular anions in the dense interstellar medium
Results are presented from a survey for molecular anions in seven nearby
Galactic star-forming cores and molecular clouds. The hydrocarbon anion C6H- is
detected in all seven target sources, including four sources where no anions
have been previously detected: L1172, L1389, L1495B and TMC-1C. The C6H-/C6H
column density ratio is greater than about 1.0% in every source, with a mean
value of 3.0% (and standard deviation 0.92%). Combined with previous
detections, our results show that anions are ubiquitous in dense clouds
wherever C6H is present. The C6H-/C6H ratio is found to show a positive
correlation with molecular hydrogen number density, and with the apparent age
of the cloud. We also report the first detection of C4H- in TMC-1 (at 4.8-sigma
confidence), and derive an anion-to-neutral ratio C4H-/C4H = (1.2 +- 0.4) x
10^-5 (= 0.0012 +- 0.0004%). Such a low value compared with C6H- highlights the
need for a revised radiative electron attachment rate for C4H. Chemical model
calculations show that the observed C4H- could be produced as a result of
reactions of oxygen atoms with C5H- and C6H-
Long-term exposure of mouse pancreatic islets to oleate or palmitate results in reduced glucose-induced somatostatin and oversecretion of glucagon
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Long-term exposure to NEFAs leads to inhibition of glucose-induced insulin secretion. We tested whether the release of somatostatin and glucagon, the two other major islet hormones, is also affected. METHODS: Mouse pancreatic islets were cultured for 72 h at 4.5 or 15 mmol/l glucose with or without 0.5 mmol/l oleate or palmitate. The release of glucagon and somatostatin during subsequent 1 h incubations at 1 or 20 mmol/l glucose as well as the islet content of the two hormones were determined. Lipid-induced changes in islet cell ultrastructure were assessed by electron microscopy. RESULTS: Culture at 15 mmol/l glucose increased islet glucagon content by approximately 50% relative to that observed following culture at 4.5 mmol/l glucose. Inclusion of oleate or palmitate reduced islet glucagon content by 25% (at 4.5 mmol/l glucose) to 50% (at 15 mmol/l glucose). Long-term exposure to the NEFA increased glucagon secretion at 1 mmol/l glucose by 50% (when islets had been cultured at 15 mmol/l glucose) to 100% (with 4.5 mmol/l glucose in the culture medium) and abolished the inhibitory effect of 20 mmol/l glucose on glucagon secretion. Somatostatin content was unaffected by glucose and lipids, but glucose-induced somatostatin secretion was reduced by approximately 50% following long-term exposure to either of the NEFA, regardless of whether the culture medium contained 4.5 or 15 mmol/l glucose. Ultrastructural evidence of lipid deposition was seen in <10% of non-beta cells but in >80% of the beta cells. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Long-term exposure to high glucose and/or NEFA affects the release of somatostatin and glucagon. The effects on glucagon secretion are very pronounced and in type 2 diabetes in vivo may aggravate the hyperglycaemic effects due to lack of insulin
ISOCAM observations of the L1551 star formation region
The results of a deep mid-IR ISOCAM survey of the L1551 dark molecular cloud
are presented. The aim of this survey is a search for new YSO (Young Stellar
Object) candidates, using two broad-band filters centred at 6.7 and 14.3
micron. Although two regions close to the centre of L1551 had to be avoided due
to saturation problems, 96 sources were detected in total (76 sources at 6.7
micron and 44 sources at 14.3 micron). Using the 24 sources detected in both
filters, 14 were found to have intrinsic mid-IR excess at 14.3 micron and were
therefore classified as YSO candidates. Using additional observations in B, V,
I, J, H and K obtained from the ground, most candidates detected at these
wavelengths were confirmed to have mid-IR excess at 6.7 micron as well, and
three additional YSO candidates were found. Prior to this survey only three
YSOs were known in the observed region (avoiding L1551 IRS5/NE and HL/XZ Tau).
This survey reveals 15 new YSO candidates, although several of these are
uncertain due to their extended nature either in the mid-IR or in the
optical/near-IR observations. Two of the sources with mid-IR excess are
previously known YSOs, one is a brown dwarf MHO 5 and the other is the well
known T Tauri star HH30, consisting of an outflow and an optically thick disk
seen edge on.Comment: 14 Pages, 8 Figure
Organic molecules in the spectral line survey of Orion KL with the Odin Satellite from 486492 GHz and 541577 GHz
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 2008, v. 4 n. S251, p. 29-30A spectral line survey of Orion KL has been performed over the frequency range of 486492 GHz and 541577 GHz using the Odin satellite. Over 1000 lines have been identified from 40 different molecular species, including several organic compounds such as methyl cyanide (CH3CN), methanol (CH3OH, 13CH3OH), and dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3). © 2008 International Astronomical Union.published_or_final_versio
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