The density matrix renormalization group method. Application to the PPP model of a cyclic polyene chain

The density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method introduced by White for the study of strongly interacting electron systems is reviewed; the method is variational and considers a system of localized electrons as the union of two adjacent fragments A, B. A density matrix rho is introduced, whose eigenvectors corresponding to the largest eigenvalues are the most significant, the most probable states of A in the presence of B; these states are retained, while states corresponding to small eigenvalues of rho are neglected. It is conjectured that the decreasing behaviour of the eigenvalues is gaussian. The DMRG method is tested on the Pariser-Parr-Pople Hamiltonian of a cyclic polyene (CH)_N up to N=34. A Hilbert space of dimension 5 x 10^+18 is explored. The ground state energy is 10^-3 eV within the full CI value in the case N=18. The DMRG method compares favourably also with coupled cluster approximations. The unrestricted Hartree-Fock solution (which presents spin density waves) is briefly reviewed, and a comparison is made with the DMRG energy values. Finally, the spin-spin and density-density correlation functions are computed; the results suggest that the antiferromagnetic order of the exact solution does not extend up to large distances but exists locally. No charge density waves are present.Comment: 8 pages, RevTex, 2 figures, to be published in the Journal of Chemical Physic

El Roque de Los Muchachos Site Characteristics. III. Analysis of Atmospheric Dust and Aerosol Extinction

Canary Islands are normally interested by dominant North-East winds that, in some meteorological conditions, can transport sand at high altitude from the Sahara desert. The dust may affect the efficiency of the telescopes and decreases the transparency of the sky. In order to maximize the scientific return of the telescopes located at the ORM, we present an analysis of the atmospheric dust content and its effects on astronomical observations. B, V and I dust aerosol astronomical extinction are derived. Using a 5 years series database of data taken from the four channel TNG dust monitor, we compute a mean hourly and daily values of the dust content. We have detected particles having size 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 and 5.0 um. Using a power law we have derived the content of 10.0 um particles. We found a typical local dust concentration ranging from 3x10^6 particles per cubic meter at 0.3 um, to 10^3 at 5.0 um and 10 at 10.0 um, increasing up to 3 order of magnitudes during the dust storms, with a relative higher increase of 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0 um particles. The number of local dust storm events is the same in winter- and summertime, but, the average background and storm-related increases in the dust concentration in summer are significantly higher than in winter. In a uniform approximation, during the dust storms, an average height of the dust layer of 2.5 km above the telescope is inferred. During the sand storms La Palma Island is affected by an almost uniform layer extending up to 5 km above the sea level, down, at least the height of the telescope. The visible extinction is dominated by particles at 1.0, 5.0 and 10.0 um. In agreement with the results from Carlsberg Automatic Meridian Circle (CAMC) we find a typical extinction during dust storms of about 0.2 mag/airmass.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 9 pages, 11 figures. This work is the continuation of a series of papers concerning a detailed study of the Astroclimatology at ORM. The two previous papers (both Lombardi et al.) have reference PASP.2006.118.1198-1204 and PASP.2007.119.292-30

El Roque de Los Muchachos Site Characteristics. II. Analysis of Wind, Relative Humidity and Air Pressure

In this paper we present an analysis of wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity and air pressure taken at TNG, CAMC and NOT at Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos, in the Canary Islands. Data are compared in order to check local variations and both long term and short term trends of the microclimate. Furthermore, influence of wind speed on the astronomical seeing is estimated to the aim to better understand the influence of wide scale parameters on local meteorological data. The three telescopes show different prevailing wind direction, wind speed, relative humidity and air pressure confirming differences in local microclimate. We found that seeing deteriorates when wind speed is lower than 3.3 m/s. Comparison in terms of wind speed and high relative humidity (> 90%) shows that TNG seems to have optimal observational conditions with respect to CAMC and NOT. Air pressure analysis shows that ORM is dominated by high pressure. Short time variations of pressure anticipate temperature variations tipically by 2-3 hours, this property vanishes in time scales higher than some hours and disappear in longer time scales.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in PAS

V, J, H and K Imaging of the Metal Rich Globular Cluster NGC 6528

New near-infrared observations of NGC6528 are presented. The JHK observations complement a previous HST/NICMOS data set by Ortolani et al. (2001), in that they sample a larger area, contain a more numerous sample of red giant stars, and include the K band. Also, archival HST data sets (separated by 6.093 years) were used to proper-motion decontaminate the near-infrared sample and extract a clean VJHK catalogue. Using the present wide colour baseline, we compared the cleaned colour-magnitude diagrams of NGC6528 with those of NGC 6553 and NGC104 and derived new estimates of reddening and distance, E(B-V)=0.55 and (m-M)o=14.44 (7.7 kpc). Moreover, the morphology and location of the cleaned red giant branch were used to derive a photometric estimate of the cluster metallicity. The average of 10 metallicity indicators yields a mean value of [M/H] ~ 0.0, and [Fe/H] ~-0.20 and +0.08 on the Zinn & West (1984) and Carretta & Gratton (1997) revised metallicity scale, respectively. The best isochrone fit to the cleaned K,V-K diagram is obtained for a 12.6 Gyr and Z=0.02 isochrone, i.e. the derived metallicity of NGC6528 turns out to be very close to the mean of stars in the Baade's Window. Five AGB variable star candidates, whose membership has to be confirmed spectroscopically, are bolometrically as bright as the known long period variable stars in NGC6553. As discussed in Guarnieri et al. (1997) for NGC6553, this may indicate that an `intermediate age' population is not needed to account for the brightest stars in external galaxies such as M32.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, A&A accepte

An Abundance Analysis for Five Red Horizontal Branch Stars in the Extremely Metal Rich Globular Cluster NGC 6553

We provide a high dispersion line-by-line abundance analysis of five red HB stars in the extremely metal rich galactic globular cluster NGC 6553. These red HB stars are significantly hotter than the very cool stars near the tip of the giant branch in such a metal rich globular cluster and hence their spectra are much more amenable to an abundance analysis than would be the case for red giants. We find that the mean [Fe/H] for NGC 6553 is -0.16 dex, comparable to the mean abundance in the galactic bulge found by McWilliam & Rich (1994) and considerably higher than that obtained from an analysis of two red giants in this cluster by Barbuy etal (1999). The relative abundance for the best determined alpha process element (Ca) indicates an excess of alpha process elements of about a factor of two. The metallicity of NGC 6553 reaches the average of the Galactic bulge and of the solar neighborhood.Comment: 29 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in the Ap

Ghosts of Milky Way's past: the globular cluster ESO 37-1 (E 3)

Context. In the Milky Way, most globular clusters are highly conspicuous objects that were found centuries ago. However, a few dozen of them are faint, sparsely populated systems that were identified largely during the second half of the past century. One of the faintest is ESO 37-1 (E 3) and as such it remains poorly studied, with no spectroscopic observations published so far, although it was discovered in 1976. Aims. We investigate the globular cluster E 3 in an attempt to better constrain its fundamental parameters. Spectroscopy of stars in the field of E 3 is shown here for the first time. Methods. Deep, precise VI CCD photometry of E 3 down to V=26 mag is presented and analysed. Low-resolution, medium signal-to-noise ratio spectra of nine candidate members are studied to derive radial velocity and metallicity. Proper motions from the UCAC4 catalogue are used to explore the kinematics of the bright members of E 3. Results. Isochrone fitting indicates that E 3 is probably very old, with an age of about 13 Gyr; its distance from the Sun is nearly 10 kpc. It is also somewhat metal rich with [Fe/H]=-0.7. Regarding its kinematics, our tentative estimate for the proper motions is (-7.0+/-0.8, 3.5+/-0.3) mas/yr (or a tangential velocity of 382+/-79 km/s) and for the radial velocity is 45+/-5 km/s, in the solar rest frame. Conclusions. E 3 is one of the most intriguing globular clusters in the Galaxy. Having an old age and being metal rich is clearly a peculiar combination, only seen in a handful of objects like the far more conspicuous NGC 104 (47 Tucanae). In addition, its low luminosity and sparse population make it a unique template for the study of the final evolutionary phases in the life of a star cluster. Unfortunately, E 3 is among the most elusive and challenging known globular clusters because field contamination severely hampers spectroscopic studies.Comment: 7 pages, 6+1 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Minor change

Kinematics of the Galactic Globular Cluster System: New Radial Velocities for Clusters in the Direction of the Inner Galaxy

HIRES on the Keck I telescope has been used to measure the first radial velocities for stars belonging to eleven, heavily-reddened globular clusters in the direction of the inner Galaxy. The question of kinematic substructuring among the Galactic globular cluster system is investigated using an updated catalog of globular cluster distances, metallicities and velocities. It is found that the population of metal-rich globular clusters shows significant rotation at all Galactocentric radii. For the metal-rich clusters within 4 kpc of the Galactic center, the measured rotation velocity and line-of-sight velocity dispersion are similar to those of bulge field stars. We investigate claims that the metal-rich clusters are associated with the central Galactic bar by comparing the kinematics of the innermost clusters to that of the atomic hydrogen in the inner Galaxy. The longitude-velocity diagram of both metal-rich and metal-poor clusters bears a remarkable similarity to that of the gas, including the same non-circular motions which have traditionally been interpreted as evidence for a Galactic bar, or, alternatively, a non-axisymmetric bulge. However, uncertainties in the existing three-dimensional Galactocentric positions for most of the clusters do not yet allow an unambiguous discrimination between the competing scenarios of membership in a rigidly rotating bar, or in a bulge which is an oblate isotropic rotator. We conclude that the majority of metal-rich clusters within the central 4 kpc of the Galaxy are probably associated with the bulge/bar, and not the thick disk. (ABRIDGED)Comment: 18 pages, including 7 of 13 postscript figures. Figures 1-6 available at http://astro.caltech.edu/~pc. Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

El Roque de Los Muchachos site characteristics, I.Temperature analysis

In this paper we present an analysis of temperature taken at two telescopes located at the Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos in the Canary Islands. More than 20 years of measurements at CAMC are included. The analysis of the data from TNG and CAMC are compared in order to check local variations and long term trends. Furthermore, the temperatures at different heights are correlated to the quality of astronomical seeing. We considered the correlation of NAO Index and annual downtime with mean annual temperatures. The final aim of this work is to better understand the influence of wide scale parameters on local meteorological data. The analysis is done using a statistical approach. From each long series of data we compute the hourly averages and than the monthly averages in order to reduce the short time fluctuations due to the day/night cycle. A particular care is used to minimize any effect due to biases in case of lacking of data. Finally, we compute the annual average from the monthly ones. The two telescopes show similar trends. There is an increase of temperatures of about 1.0 deg/10yrs from the annual means and a more rapid increase of the annual minimums then the maximums. We found that positive NAO Index reduces the increase of temperatures, and accelerates the decrease. Moreover, there is no evidence that positive NAO Index corresponds to a lower number of non-observable nights. Finally, seeing deteriorates when the gradient of temperatures between 2 and 10 m above the ground is greater than -0.6 deg.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, accepted by PAS