2,073 research outputs found
PC1643+4631A,B: The Lyman-Alpha Forest at the Edge of Coherence
This is the first measurement and detection of coherence in the intergalactic
medium (IGM) at substantially high redshift (z~3.8) and on large physical
scales (~2.5 h^-1 Mpc). We perform the measurement by presenting new
observations from Keck LRIS of the high redshift quasar pair PC 1643+4631A, B
and their Ly-alpha absorber coincidences. This experiment extends multiple
sightline quasar absorber studies to higher redshift, higher opacity, larger
transverse separation, and into a regime where coherence across the IGM becomes
weak and difficult to detect. We fit 222 discrete Ly-alpha absorbers to
sightline A and 211 to sightline B. Relative to a Monte Carlo pairing test
(using symmetric, nearest neighbor matching) the data exhibit a 4sigma excess
of pairs at low velocity splitting (<150 km/s), thus detecting coherence on
transverse scales of ~2.5 h^-1 Mpc. We use spectra extracted from an SPH
simulation to analyze symmetric pair matching, transmission distributions as a
function of redshift and compute zero-lag cross-correlations to compare with
the quasar pair data. The simulations agree with the data with the same
strength (~4sigma) at similarly low velocity splitting above random chance
pairings. In cross-correlation tests, the simulations agree when the mean flux
(as a function of redshift) is assumed to follow the prescription given by
Kirkman et al. (2005). While the detection of flux correlation (measured
through coincident absorbers and cross-correlation amplitude) is only
marginally significant, the agreement between data and simulations is
encouraging for future work in which even better quality data will provide the
best insight into the overarching structure of the IGM and its understanding as
shown by SPH simulations.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures; accepted for publication in Astronomical
Journa
COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION AFFECTS PERFORMANCE
The research outlined in this work is founded on the notion that every individual is affected by a degree of Communication Apprehension (CA), and the level of apprehension individuals experience has the potential to either positively or negatively influence their ability to perform in the workplace. Specifically, this research examines the relationships between the constructs of communication apprehension, performance anxiety, organizational role, and employee performance. The results found that individuals in sales-related professional roles have a significantly lower level of overall CA than the general population; individuals in customer-facing roles displayed no difference in CA level based on sex, organizational level, or region of the country; and there is no correlation between overall CA level and sales performance. The findings offer practical implications for those who recruit and manage sales professionals
Helicity amplitudes and electromagnetic decays of strange baryon resonances
We present results for the helicity amplitudes of the lowest-lying hyperon
resonances Y*, computed within the framework of the Bonn constituent-quark
model, which is based on the Bethe-Salpeter approach. The seven parameters
entering the model are fitted against the best known baryon masses.
Accordingly, the results for the helicity amplitudes are genuine predictions.
Some hyperon resonances are seen to couple more strongly to a virtual photon
with finite Q^2 than to a real photon. Other Y*'s, such as the S_{01}(1670)
Lambda resonance or the S_{11}(1620) Sigma resonance, have large
electromagnetic decay widths and couple very strongly to real photons. The
negatively-charged and neutral members of a Sigma* triplet may couple only
moderately to the Sigma(1193), while the positively-charged member of the same
Sigma* triplet displays a relatively large coupling to the Sigma^+(1193) state.
This illustrates the necessity of investigating all isospin channels in order
to obtain a complete picture of the hyperon spectrum.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, 1 table, Proceedings of the Conference
"International Workshop on the Physics of Excited Baryons NSTAR 05",
Tallahassee, Florida (USA), Oct. 2005, contributed tal
Comparing Simulations and Observations of the Lyman-Alpha Forest I. Methodology
We describe techniques for comparing spectra extracted from cosmological
simulations and observational data, using the same methodology to link
Lyman-alpha properties derived from the simulations with properties derived
from observational data. The eventual goal is to measure the coherence or
clustering properties of Lyman-alpha absorbers using observations of quasar
pairs and groups. We quantify the systematic underestimate in opacity that is
inherent in the continuum fitting process of observed spectra over a range of
resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. We present an automated process for
detecting and selecting absorption features over the range of resolution and
signal-to-noise of typical observational data on the Lyman-alpha "forest".
Using these techniques, we detect coherence over transverse scales out to 500
h^{-1}_{50} kpc in spectra extracted from a cosmological simulation at z = 2.Comment: 52 pages, includes 14 figures, to appear in ApJ v566 Feb 200
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