Trapping of giant-planet cores - I. Vortex aided trapping at the outer dead zone edge

In this paper the migration of a 10 Earth-mass planetary core is investigated at the outer boundary of the dead zone of a protoplanetary disc by means of 2D hydrodynamic simulations done with the graphics processor unit version of the FARGO code. In the dead zone, the effective viscosity is greatly reduced due to the disc self-shielding against stellar UV radiation, X-rays from the stellar magnetosphere and interstellar cosmic rays. As a consequence, mass accumulation occurs near the outer dead zone edge, which is assumed to trap planetary cores enhancing the efficiency of the core-accretion scenario to form giant planets. Contrary to the perfect trapping of planetary cores in 1D models, our 2D numerical simulations show that the trapping effect is greatly dependent on the width of the region where viscosity reduction is taking place. Planet trapping happens exclusively if the viscosity reduction is sharp enough to allow the development of large-scale vortices due to the Rossby wave instability. The trapping is only temporarily, and its duration is inversely proportional to the width of the viscosity transition. However, if the Rossby wave instability is not excited, a ring-like axisymmetric density jump forms, which cannot trap the 10 Earth-mass planetary cores. We revealed that the stellar torque exerted on the planet plays an important role in the migration history as the barycentre of the system significantly shifts away from the star due to highly non-axisymmetric density distribution of the disc. Our results still support the idea of planet formation at density/pressure maximum, since the migration of cores is considerably slowed down enabling them further growth and runaway gas accretion in the vicinity of an overdense region.Comment: 23 pages, 31 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Influence of the isospin and hypercharge chemical potentials on the location of the CEP in the mu_B-T phase diagram of the SU(3)_L x SU(3)_R chiral quark model

We investigate the influence of the asymmetric quark matter (rho_u\ne rho_d\ne rho_s) on the mass of the quasiparticles and the phase diagram of the chiral quark model parametrized at one-loop level of the renormalized theory, using the optimized perturbation theory for the resummation of the perturbative series. The effect of various chemical potentials introduced in the grand canonical ensemble is investigated with the method of relativistic many-body theory. The temperature dependence of the topological susceptibility is estimated with the help of the Witten-Veneziano mass formula.Comment: RevTeX4, 13 pages, 6 figures, version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Coupled Gap Equations for the Screening Masses in Hot SU(N) Gauge Theory

Coupled 1-loop gap equations are studied numerically for non-Abelian electric and magnetic screening in various versions of the three-dimensional effective gauge models. Corrections due to higher dimensional and non-local operators are assessed quantitatively. Comparison with numerical Monte-Carlo investigations suggests that quantitative understanding beyond the qualitative features can be achieved only by going beyond the present treatment.Comment: 15 pages, Latex, 4 eps figures included, uses epsf.sty, added references, corrected typo

Chiral phase transition in an extended linear sigma model: initial results

We investigate the scalar meson mass dependence on the chiral phase transition in the framework of an SU(3), (axial)vector meson extended linear sigma model with additional constituent quarks and Polyakov loops. We determine the parameters of the Lagrangian at zero temperature in a hybrid approach, where we treat the mesons at tree-level, while the constituent quarks at 1-loop level. We assume two nonzero scalar condensates and together with the Polyakov-loop variables we determine their temperature dependence according to the 1-loop level field equations.Comment: Presented at the Workshop on Unquenched Hadron Spectroscopy: Non-Perturbative Models and Methods of QCD vs. Experiment, At the occasion of Eef van Beveren's 70th birthda

Finite temperature spectral function of the σ\sigma meson from large N expansion

The spectral function of the scalar-isoscalar channel of the O(N) symmetric linear $\sigma$ model is studied in the broken symmetry phase. The investigation is based on the leading order evaluation of the self-energy in the limit of large number of Goldstone bosons. We describe its temperature dependent variation in the whole low temperature phase. This variation closely reflects the trajectory of the scalar-isoscalar quasiparticle pole. In the model with no explicit chiral symmetry breaking we have studied near the critical point also the corresponding dynamical exponent.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. To be published in Proc. of Budapest'02 Workshop on Quark and Hadron Dynamics, Budapest, Hungary, March 3--7, 200

The scalar-isoscalar spectral function of strong matter in a large N approximation

The enhancement of the scalar-isoscalar spectral function near the two-pion threshold is studied in the framework of an effective linear $\sigma$ model, using a large N approximation in the number of the Goldstone bosons. The effect is rather insensitive to the detailed T=0 characteristics of the $\sigma$ pole, it is accounted by a pole moving with increasing $T$ along the real axis of the second Riemann sheet towards the threshold location from below.Comment: 5 pages, poster presented at SEWM2002, Heidelberg, October 200

Improving Link Reliability through Network Coding in Cooperative Cellular Networks

The paper proposes a XOR-based network coded cooperation protocol for the uplink transmission of relay assisted cellular networks and an algorithm for selection and assignment of the relay nodes. The performances of the cooperation protocol are expressed in terms of network decoder outage probability and Block Error Rate of the cooperating users. These performance indicators are analyzed theoretically and by computer simulations. The relay nodes assignment is based on the optimization, according to several criteria, of the graph that describes the cooperation cluster formed after an initial selection of the relay nodes. The graph optimization is performed using Genetic Algorithms adapted to the topology of the cooperation cluster and the optimization criteria considered

Coupled gap equations for the screening masses in the SU(2) Higgs model

The complete set of static screening masses is determined for the SU(2) Higgs model from one-loop coupled gap equations. Results from the version, containing scalar fields both in the fundamental and adjoint representations are compared with the model arising when the integration over the adjoint scalar field is performed. A non-perturbative and non-linear mapping between the couplings of the two models is proposed, which exhibits perfect decoupling of the heavy adjoint scalar field. Also the alternative of a gauge invariant mass resummation is investigated in the high temperature phase.Comment: 15 pages, Latex, 7 eps figures included, uses epsf.sty, minor corrections, conclusions unchange

Analytic determination of the T-\mu phase diagram of the chiral quark model

Using a gap equation for the pion mass a nonperturbative method is given for solving the chiral quark-meson model in the chiral limit at the lowest order in the fermion contributions encountered in a large N_f approximation. The location of the tricritical point is analytically determined. A mean field potential is constructed from which critical exponents can be obtained.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures. To be published in Proc.of Budapest'04 Workshop on Hot and Dense Matter in Relativistic Heavy Ion Physics, Budapest, Hungary, March 24-27, 200

Hunting for binary Cepheids using lucky imaging technique

Detecting companions to Cepheids is difficult. In most cases the bright pulsator overshines the fainter secondary. Since Cepheids play a key role in determining the cosmic distance scale it is crucial to find binaries among the calibrating stars of the period-luminosity relation. Here we present an ongoing observing project of searching for faint and close companions of Galactic Cepheids using lucky imaging technique.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, published in AN. Proceedings for the 6th Workshop of Young Researchers in Astronomy and Astrophysic