787 research outputs found
The ideal gas as an urn model: derivation of the entropy formula
The approach of an ideal gas to equilibrium is simulated through a
generalization of the Ehrenfest ball-and-box model. In the present model, the
interior of each box is discretized, {\it i.e.}, balls/particles live in cells
whose occupation can be either multiple or single. Moreover, particles
occasionally undergo random, but elastic, collisions between each other and
against the container walls. I show, both analitically and numerically, that
the number and energy of particles in a given box eventually evolve to an
equilibrium distribution which, depending on cell occupations, is binomial
or hypergeometric in the particle number and beta-like in the energy.
Furthermore, the long-run probability density of particle velocities is
Maxwellian, whereas the Boltzmann entropy exactly reproduces the
ideal-gas entropy. Besides its own interest, this exercise is also relevant for
pedagogical purposes since it provides, although in a simple case, an explicit
probabilistic foundation for the ergodic hypothesis and for the maximum-entropy
principle of thermodynamics. For this reason, its discussion can profitably be
included in a graduate course on statistical mechanics.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figure
Discovery of new TeV supernova remnant shells in the Galactic plane with H.E.S.S
Supernova remnants (SNRs) are prime candidates for efficient particle
acceleration up to the knee in the cosmic ray particle spectrum. In this work
we present a new method for a systematic search for new TeV-emitting SNR shells
in 2864 hours of H.E.S.S. phase I data used for the H.E.S.S. Galactic Plane
Survey. This new method, which correctly identifies the known shell
morphologies of the TeV SNRs covered by the survey, HESS J1731-347, RX
1713.7-3946, RCW 86, and Vela Junior, reveals also the existence of three new
SNR candidates. All three candidates were extensively studied regarding their
morphological, spectral, and multi-wavelength (MWL) properties. HESS J1534-571
was associated with the radio SNR candidate G323.7-1.0, and thus is classified
as an SNR. HESS J1912+101 and HESS J1614-518, on the other hand, do not have
radio or X-ray counterparts that would permit to identify them firmly as SNRs,
and therefore they remain SNR candidates, discovered first at TeV energies as
such. Further MWL follow up observations are needed to confirm that these newly
discovered SNR candidates are indeed SNRs
Measuring surface-area-to-volume ratios in soft porous materials using laser-polarized xenon interphase exchange NMR
We demonstrate a minimally invasive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
technique that enables determination of the surface-area-to-volume ratio (S/V)
of soft porous materials from measurements of the diffusive exchange of
laser-polarized 129Xe between gas in the pore space and 129Xe dissolved in the
solid phase. We apply this NMR technique to porous polymer samples and find
approximate agreement with destructive stereological measurements of S/V
obtained with optical confocal microscopy. Potential applications of
laser-polarized xenon interphase exchange NMR include measurements of in vivo
lung function in humans and characterization of gas chromatography columns.Comment: 14 pages of text, 4 figure
Chemical ionization quadrupole mass spectrometer with an electrical discharge ion source for atmospheric trace gas measurement
We present a chemical ionization quadrupole mass spectrometer (CI-QMS) with a radio-frequency (RF) discharge ion source through N2âCH3I as a source of primary ions. In addition to the expected detection of PAN, peracetic acid (PAA) and ClNO2 through well-established ionâmolecule reactions with Iâ and its water cluster, the instrument is also sensitive to SO2, HCl and acetic acid (CH3C(O)OH) through additional ion chemistry unique to our ion source. We present ionization schemes for detection of SO2, HCl and acetic acid along with illustrative datasets from three different field campaigns underlining the potential of the CI-QMS with an RF discharge ion source as an alternative to 210Po. The additional sensitivity to SO2 and HCl makes the CI-QMS suitable for investigating the role of sulfur and chlorine chemistry in the polluted marine and coastal boundary layer
A multi-wavelength study of the unidentified TeV gamma-ray source HESS J1626-490
HESS J1626-490, so far only detected with the H.E.S.S. array of imaging
atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes, could not be unambiguously identified with
any source seen at lower energies. Therefore, we analyzed data from an archival
XMM-Newton observation, pointed towards HESS J1626-490, to classify detected
X-ray point-sources according to their spectral properties and their
near-infrared counterparts from the 2MASS catalog. Furthermore, we
characterized in detail the diffuse X-ray emission from a region compatible
with the extended VHE signal. To characterize the Interstellar Medium
surrounding HESS J1626-490 we analyzed CO(J=1-0) molecular line data
from the NANTEN Galactic plane survey, HI data from the Southern Galactic Plane
Survey and Spitzer data from the GLIMPSE and MIPSGAL surveys. None of the
detected X-ray point sources fulfills the energetic requirements to be
considered as the synchrotron radiation (SR) counterpart to the VHE source
assuming an Inverse Compton (IC) emission scenario. We did not detect any
diffuse X-ray excess emission originating from the region around HESS J1626-490
above the Galactic Background and the derived upper limit for the total X-ray
flux disfavors a purely leptonic emission scenario for HESS J1626-490. We found
a good morphological match between molecular and atomic gas in the -27km/s to
-18km/s line-of-sight velocity range and HESS J1626-490. The cloud has a mass
of 1.8M and is located at a mean kinematic distance of
= 1.8 kpc. Furthermore, we found a density depression in the HI gas at a
similar distance which is spatially consistent with the SNR G335.2+00.1. We
discuss various scenarios for the VHE emission, including the CO molecular
cloud being a passive target for cosmic ray protons accelerated by the nearby
SNR G335.2+00.1.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, A&A in press, updated to the final versio
A Preference for Contralateral Stimuli in Human Object- and Face-Selective Cortex
Visual input from the left and right visual fields is processed predominantly in the contralateral hemisphere. Here we investigated whether this preference for contralateral over ipsilateral stimuli is also found in high-level visual areas that are important for the recognition of objects and faces. Human subjects were scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while they viewed and attended faces, objects, scenes, and scrambled images in the left or right visual field. With our stimulation protocol, primary visual cortex responded only to contralateral stimuli. The contralateral preference was smaller in object- and face-selective regions, and it was smallest in the fusiform gyrus. Nevertheless, each region showed a significant preference for contralateral stimuli. These results indicate that sensitivity to stimulus position is present even in high-level ventral visual cortex
Azi-isoflurane, a Photolabel Analog of the Commonly Used Inhaled General Anesthetic Isoflurane
Volatility and low-affinity hamper an ability to define molecular targets of the inhaled anesthetics. Photolabels have proven to be a useful approach in this regard, although none have closely mimicked contemporary drugs. We report here the synthesis and validation of azi-isoflurane, a compound constructed by adding a diazirinyl moiety to the methyl carbon of the commonly used general anesthetic isoflurane. Azi-isoflurane is slightly more hydrophobic than isoflurane, and more potent in tadpoles. This novel compound inhibits Shaw2 K(+) channel currents similarly to isoflurane and binds to apoferritin with enhanced affinity. Finally, when irradiated at 300 nm, azi-isoflurane adducts to residues known to line isoflurane-binding sites in apoferritin and integrin LFA-1, the only proteins with isoflurane binding sites defined by crystallography. This reagent should allow rapid discovery of isoflurane molecular targets and binding sites within those targets
Detailed spectral and morphological analysis of the shell type SNR RCW 86
Aims: We aim for an understanding of the morphological and spectral
properties of the supernova remnant RCW~86 and for insights into the production
mechanism leading to the RCW~86 very high-energy gamma-ray emission. Methods:
We analyzed High Energy Spectroscopic System data that had increased
sensitivity compared to the observations presented in the RCW~86 H.E.S.S.
discovery publication. Studies of the morphological correlation between the
0.5-1~keV X-ray band, the 2-5~keV X-ray band, radio, and gamma-ray emissions
have been performed as well as broadband modeling of the spectral energy
distribution with two different emission models. Results:We present the first
conclusive evidence that the TeV gamma-ray emission region is shell-like based
on our morphological studies. The comparison with 2-5~keV X-ray data reveals a
correlation with the 0.4-50~TeV gamma-ray emission.The spectrum of RCW~86 is
best described by a power law with an exponential cutoff at TeV and a spectral index of ~. A static
leptonic one-zone model adequately describes the measured spectral energy
distribution of RCW~86, with the resultant total kinetic energy of the
electrons above 1 GeV being equivalent to 0.1\% of the initial kinetic
energy of a Type I a supernova explosion. When using a hadronic model, a
magnetic field of ~100G is needed to represent the measured data.
Although this is comparable to formerly published estimates, a standard
E spectrum for the proton distribution cannot describe the gamma-ray
data. Instead, a spectral index of ~1.7 would be required, which
implies that ~erg has been transferred into
high-energy protons with the effective density cm^-3. This
is about 10\% of the kinetic energy of a typical Type Ia supernova under the
assumption of a density of 1~cm^-3.Comment: accepted for publication by A&
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