1,657 research outputs found
Possible trace of neutrino nonstandard interactions in the supernova
Neutrino non-standard interactions (NSI), previously introduced for the sun,
are studied in the supernova context. For normal hierarchy the probability for
electron neutrinos and antineutrinos at low energy () is
substantially increased with respect to the non-NSI case and joins its value
for inverse hierarchy which is constant with energy. Also for inverse hierarchy
the NSI and non-NSI probabilities are the same for each neutrino and
antineutrino species. These are the possible visible effects of NSI in the
supernova. The decay into antineutrinos, which has been previously shown to be
implied by dense matter, cannot be seen experimentally, owing to the smallness
of the antineutrino production probability.Comment: 5 pages, 3 eps figures. Acknowledgements include
Non-equilibrium correlations and entanglement in a semiconductor hybrid circuit-QED system
We present a theoretical study of a hybrid circuit-QED system composed of two
semiconducting charge-qubits confined in a microwave resonator. The qubits are
defined in terms of the charge states of two spatially separated double quantum
dots (DQDs) which are coupled to the same photon mode in the microwave
resonator. We analyze a transport setup where each DQD is attached to
electronic reservoirs and biased out-of-equilibrium by a large voltage, and
study how electron transport across each DQD is modified by the coupling to the
common resonator. In particular, we show that the inelastic current through
each DQD reflects an indirect qubit-qubit interaction mediated by off-resonant
photons in the microwave resonator. As a result of this interaction, both
charge qubits stay entangled in the steady (dissipative) state. Finite shot
noise cross-correlations between currents across distant DQDs are another
manifestation of this nontrivial steady-state entanglement.Comment: Final versio
Remaining inconsistencies with solar neutrinos: can spin flavour precession provide a clue?
A few inconsistencies remain after it has been ascertained that LMA is the
dominant solution to the solar neutrino problem: why is the SuperKamiokande
spectrum flat and why is the Chlorine rate prediction over two standard
deviations above the data. There also remains the ananswered and important
question of whether the active neutrino flux is constant or time varying. We
propose a scenario involving spin flavour precession to sterile neutrinos with
three active flavours that predicts a flat SuperK spectrum and a Chlorine rate
prediction more consistent with data. We also argue that running the Borexino
experiment during the next few years may provide a very important clue as to
the possible variability of the solar neutrino flux.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, contribution to TAUP 2009 (Rome
The outburst of the eruptive young star OO Serpentis between 1995 and 2006
OO Serpentis is a deeply embedded pre-main sequence star that went into
outburst in 1995 and gradually faded afterwards. Its eruption resembled the
well-known FU Orionis-type or EX Lupi-type outbursts. Since very few such
events have ever been documented at infrared wavelengths, our aim is to study
the temporal evolution of OO Ser in the infrared. OO Ser was monitored with the
Infrared Space Observatory starting 4 months after peak brightness and covering
20 months. In 2004-2006 we again observed OO Ser from the ground and
complemented this dataset with archival Spitzer obsevations also from 2004. We
analysed these data with special attention to source confusion and constructed
light curves at 10 different wavelengths as well as spectral energy
distributions. The outburst caused brightening in the whole infrared regime.
According to the infrared light curves, OO Ser started a wavelength-independent
fading after peak brightness. Later the flux decay became slower but stayed
wavelength-independent. The fading is still ongoing, and current fading rates
indicate that OO Ser will not return to quiescent state before 2011. The
outburst timescale of OO Ser seems to be shorter than that of FUors, but longer
than that of EXors. The outburst timescale and the moderate luminosity suggest
that OO Ser is different from both FUors and EXors, and shows similarities to
the recently erupted young star V1647 Ori. Based on its spectral energy
distribution and bolometric temperature, OO Ser seems to be an early class I
object, with an age of < 10^5 yr. The object is probably surrounded by an
accretion disc and a dense envelope. Due to the shorter outburst timescales,
the viscosity in the circumstellar disc of OO Ser is probably an order of
magnitude higher than usual for FUors.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Multi-wavelength study of the low-luminosity outbursting young star HBC 722
HBC 722 (V2493 Cyg) is a young eruptive star in outburst since 2010. It is an
FU Orionis-type object with an atypically low outburst luminosity. Because it
was well characterized in the pre-outburst phase, HBC 722 is one of the few
FUors where we can learn about the physical changes and processes associated
with the eruption. We monitored the source in the BVRIJHKs bands from the
ground, and at 3.6 and 4.5 m from space with the Spitzer Space Telescope.
We analyzed the light curves and the spectral energy distribution by fitting a
series of steady accretion disk models at many epochs. We also analyzed the
spectral properties of the source based on new optical and infrared spectra. We
also mapped HBC 722 and its surroundings at millimeter wavelengths. From the
light curve analysis we concluded that the first peak of the outburst in 2010
September was due to an abrupt increase of the accretion rate in the innermost
part of the system. This was followed by a long term process, when the
brightening was mainly due to a gradual increase of the accretion rate and the
emitting area. Our new observations show that the source is currently in a
constant plateau phase. We found that around the peak the continuum was bluer
and the H profile changed significantly between 2012 and 2013. The
source was not detected in the millimeter continuum, but we discovered a
flattened molecular gas structure with a diameter of 1700 au and mass of 0.3
M centered on HBC 722. While the first brightness peak could be
interpreted as a rapid fall of piled-up material from the inner disk onto the
star, the later monotonic flux rise suggests the outward expansion of a hot
component according to the theory of Bell & Lin (1994). Our study of HBC 722
demonstrated that accretion-related outbursts can occur in young stellar
objects even with very low mass disks, in the late Class II phase.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 3 online tables. Accepted for publication in the
A&
Detecting solar g-modes with ASTROD
We present an up-to-date estimate for the prospect of using the
Astrodynamical Space Test of Relativity using Optical Devices (ASTROD) for an
unambiguous detection of solar g modes (f < 400 micro Hertz) through their
gravitational signature. There are currently two major efforts to detect
low-frequency gravitational effects, ASTROD and the Laser Interferometer Space
Antenna (LISA). Using the most recent g mode surface amplitude estimates, both
observational and theoretical, it is unclear whether LISA will be capable of
successfully detecting these modes. The ASTROD project may be better suited for
detection as its sensitivity curve is shifted towards lower frequencies with
the best sensitivity occurring in the range 100-300 micro Hertz.Comment: HELAS II international conference "Helioseismology, asteroseismology
and MHD connections", 20-24 August 2007, Goettingen, German
Critical range of soil organic carbon in southern Europe lands under desertification risk
Soil quality is fundamental for ecosystem long term functionality, productivity and resilience to current climatic changes. Despite its importance, soil is lost and degraded at dramatic rates worldwide. In Europe, the Mediterranean areas are a hotspot for soil erosion and land degradation due to a combination of climatic conditions, soils, geomorphology and anthropic pressure. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is considered a key indicator of soil quality as it relates to other fundamental soil functions supporting crucial ecosystem services. In the present study, the functional relationships among SOC and other important soil properties were investigated in the topsoil of 38 sites under different land cover and management, distributed over three Mediterranean regions under strong desertification risk, with the final aim to define critical SOC ranges for fast loss of important soil functionalities. The study sites belonged to private and public landowners seeking to adopt sustainable land management practices to support ecosystem sustainability and productivity of their land. Data showed a very clear relationship between SOC concentrations and the other analyzed soil properties: total nitrogen, bulk density, cation exchange capacity, available water capacity, microbial biomass, C fractions associated to particulate organic matter and to the mineral soil component and indirectly with net N mineralization. Below 20 g SOC kg−1, additional changes of SOC concentrations resulted in a steep variation of all the analyzed soil indicators, an order of magnitude higher than the changes occurring between 50 and 100 g SOC kg−1 and 3–4 times the changes observed at 20–50 g SOC kg−1. About half of the study sites showed average SOC concentration of the topsoil centimetres <20 g SOC kg−1. For these areas the level of SOC might hence be considered critical and immediate and effective recovery management plans are needed to avoid complete land degradation in the next future
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