3,345 research outputs found
Elementary excitations in homogeneous superfluid neutron star matter: Role of the proton component
The thermal evolution of neuron stars depends on the elementary excitations
affecting the stellar matter. In particular, the low-energy excitations, whose
energy is proportional to the transfered momentum, can play a major role in the
emission and propagation of neutrinos. In this paper, we focus on the density
modes associated with the proton component in the homogeneous matter of the
outer core of neutron stars (at density between one and three times the nuclear
saturation density, where the baryonic constituants are expected to be neutrons
and protons). In this region, it is predicted that the protons are
superconductor. We study the respective roles of the proton pairing and Coulomb
interaction in determining the properties of the modes associated with the
proton component. This study is performed in the framework of the Random Phase
Approximation, generalized in order to describe the response of a superfluid
system.The formalism we use ensures that the Generalized Ward's Identities are
satisfied. An important conclusion of this work is the presence of a
pseudo-Goldstone mode associated with the proton superconductor in neutron-star
matter. Indeed, the Goldstone mode, which characterizes a pure superfluid, is
suppressed in usual superconductors due to the long-range Coulomb interaction,
which only allows a plasmon mode. However, for the proton component of stellar
matter, the Coulomb field is screened by the electrons and a pseudo-Goldstone
mode occurs, with a velocity increased by the Coulomb interaction.Comment: Submitted for publicatio
Numerical Simulations of Thermal Detection of Disbonds in Lap Joints
The detection of disbonds in riveted lap joints is of increasing interest to the aerospace community. For some cases a disbonded lapjoint gives rise to cracks at the rivets due to stress concentrations in the aluminum skin when the lapjoints are loaded. When a number of these cracks exist they have been known to suddenly link up and cause sudden failure of the part. Thermographic detection of these disbonds has advantages over other methods in that it is a noncontacting, quantitative method which can inspect large areas in a short period of time. By even application of heat to the outer surface of the lap joint, details of the inner structure become thermographically detectable. A disbond between layers of a laminated structure will prevent heat from penetrating from the surface layer to the subsurface layers and will result in an increase in surface temperature over the disbond.</p
On the Distribution of Salient Objects in Web Images and its Influence on Salient Object Detection
It has become apparent that a Gaussian center bias can serve as an important
prior for visual saliency detection, which has been demonstrated for predicting
human eye fixations and salient object detection. Tseng et al. have shown that
the photographer's tendency to place interesting objects in the center is a
likely cause for the center bias of eye fixations. We investigate the influence
of the photographer's center bias on salient object detection, extending our
previous work. We show that the centroid locations of salient objects in
photographs of Achanta and Liu's data set in fact correlate strongly with a
Gaussian model. This is an important insight, because it provides an empirical
motivation and justification for the integration of such a center bias in
salient object detection algorithms and helps to understand why Gaussian models
are so effective. To assess the influence of the center bias on salient object
detection, we integrate an explicit Gaussian center bias model into two
state-of-the-art salient object detection algorithms. This way, first, we
quantify the influence of the Gaussian center bias on pixel- and segment-based
salient object detection. Second, we improve the performance in terms of F1
score, Fb score, area under the recall-precision curve, area under the receiver
operating characteristic curve, and hit-rate on the well-known data set by
Achanta and Liu. Third, by debiasing Cheng et al.'s region contrast model, we
exemplarily demonstrate that implicit center biases are partially responsible
for the outstanding performance of state-of-the-art algorithms. Last but not
least, as a result of debiasing Cheng et al.'s algorithm, we introduce a
non-biased salient object detection method, which is of interest for
applications in which the image data is not likely to have a photographer's
center bias (e.g., image data of surveillance cameras or autonomous robots)
Perturbation Theory for the Rosenzweig-Porter Matrix Model
We study an ensemble of random matrices (the Rosenzweig-Porter model) which,
in contrast to the standard Gaussian ensemble, is not invariant under changes
of basis. We show that a rather complete understanding of its level
correlations can be obtained within the standard framework of diagrammatic
perturbation theory. The structure of the perturbation expansion allows for an
interpretation of the level structure on simple physical grounds, an aspect
that is missing in the exact analysis (T. Guhr, Phys. Rev. Lett. 76, 2258
(1996), T. Guhr and A. M\"uller-Groeling, cond-mat/9702113).Comment: to appear in PRE, 5 pages, REVTeX, 2 figures, postscrip
Statistical mechanics of violent relaxation in stellar systems
We discuss the statistical mechanics of violent relaxation in stellar systems following the pioneering work of Lynden-Bell (1967). The solutions of the gravitational Vlasov-Poisson system develop finer and finer filaments so that a statistical description is appropriate to smooth out the small-scales and describe the ``coarse-grained'' dynamics. In a coarse-grained sense, the system is expected to reach an equilibrium state of a Fermi-Dirac type within a few dynamical times. We describe in detail the equilibrium phase diagram and the nature of phase transitions which occur in self-gravitating systems. Then, we introduce a small-scale parametrization of the Vlasov equation and propose a set of relaxation equations for the coarse-grained dynamics. These relaxation equations, of a generalized Fokker-Planck type, are derived from a Maximum Entropy Production Principle (MEPP). We make a link with the quasilinear theory of the Vlasov-Poisson system and derive a truncated model appropriate to collisionless systems subject to tidal forces. With the aid of this kinetic theory, we qualitatively discuss the concept of ``incomplete relaxation'' and the limitations of Lynden-Bell's theory
Phase-dependent spectra in a driven two-level atom
We propose a method to observe phase-dependent spectra in resonance
fluorescence, employing a two-level atom driven by a strong coherent field and
a weak, amplitude-fluctuating field. The spectra are similar to those which
occur in a squeezed vacuum, but avoid the problem of achieving squeezing over a
solid angle. The system shows other interesting features, such as
pronounced gain without population inversion.Comment: 4 pages and 4 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Single photon quantum non-demolition in the presence of inhomogeneous broadening
Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) has been often proposed for
generating nonlinear optical effects at the single photon level; in particular,
as a means to effect a quantum non-demolition measurement of a single photon
field. Previous treatments have usually considered homogeneously broadened
samples, but realisations in any medium will have to contend with inhomogeneous
broadening. Here we reappraise an earlier scheme [Munro \textit{et al.} Phys.
Rev. A \textbf{71}, 033819 (2005)] with respect to inhomogeneities and show an
alternative mode of operation that is preferred in an inhomogeneous
environment. We further show the implications of these results on a potential
implementation in diamond containing nitrogen-vacancy colour centres. Our
modelling shows that single mode waveguide structures of length in single-crystal diamond containing a dilute ensemble of NV
of only 200 centres are sufficient for quantum non-demolition measurements
using EIT-based weak nonlinear interactions.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures (some in colour) at low resolution for arXiv
purpose
On the Possibility of Observing the Shapiro Effect for Pulsars in Globular Clusters
For pulsars in globular clusters, we suggest using observations of the
relativistic time delay of their radiation in the gravitational eld of a
massive body (the Shapiro effect) located close to the line of sight to detect
and identify invisible compact objects and to study the distribution of both
visible and dark matter in globular clusters and various components of the
Galaxy. We have derived the dependences of the event probability on the
Galactic latitude and longitude of sources for two models of the mass
distribution in the Galaxy: the classical Bahcall-Soneira model and the more
recent Dehnen-Binney model. Using three globular clusters (M15, 47 Tuc, Terzan
5) as an example, we show that the ratios of the probability of the events due
to the passages of massive Galactic objects close to the line of sight to the
parameter f2 for pulsars in the globular clusters 47 Tuc and M15 are comparable
to those for close passages of massive objects in the clusters themselves and
are considerably higher than those for the cluster Terzan 5. We have estimated
the rates of such events. We have determined the number of objects near the
line of sight toward the pulsar that can produce a modulation of its pulse
arrival times characteristic of the effect under consideration; the population
of brown dwarfs in the Galactic disk, whose concentration is comparable to that
of the disk stars, has been taken into account for the first time.Comment: 26 pages, 9 figure
Long duration gamma-ray bursts: hydrodynamic instabilities in collapsar disks
We present 3D numerical simulations of the early evolution of long-duration
gamma-ray bursts in the collapsar scenario. Starting from the core-collapse of
a realistic progenitor model, we follow the formation and evolution of a
central black hole and centrifugally balanced disk. The dense, hot accretion
disk produces freely-escaping neutrinos and is hydrodynamically unstable to
clumping and to forming non-axisymmetric (m=1, 2) modes. We show that these
spiral structures, which form on dynamical timescales, can efficiently transfer
angular momentum outward and can drive the high required accretion rates
(>=0.1-1 M_sun) for producing a jet. We utilise the smoothed particle
hydrodynamics code, Gadget-2, modified to implement relevant microphysics, such
as cooling by neutrinos, a plausible treatment approximating the central object
and relativistic effects. Finally, we discuss implications of this scenario as
a source of energy to produce relativistically beamed gamma-ray jets.Comment: accepted by MNRAS; 32 pages, 46 figure
New insights into measurement variability in glaucomatous visual fields from computer modelling.
To develop a model to simulate visual fields (VFs) in glaucoma patients, and to characterize variability of the Mean Deviation (MD) VF summary measurement using real VFs and simulations
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