906 research outputs found
Flares in Open Clusters with K2. I. M45 (Pleiades), M44 (Praesepe) and M67
The presence and strength of a stellar magnetic field and activity is rooted
in a star's fundamental parameters such as mass and age. Can flares serve as an
accurate stellar "clock"?
To explore if we can quantify an activity-age relation in the form of a
flaring-age relation, we measured trends in the flaring rates and energies for
stars with different masses and ages.
We investigated the time-domain photometry provided by Kepler's follow-up
mission K2 and searched for flares in three solar metallicity open clusters
with well-known ages, M45 (0.125 Gyr), M44 (0.63 Gyr), and M67 (4.3 Gyr). We
updated and employed the automated flare finding and analysis pipeline
Appaloosa, originally designed for Kepler. We introduced a synthetic flare
injection and recovery subroutine to ascribe detection and energy recovery
rates for flares in a broad energy range for each light curve. We collected a
sample of 1 761 stars, mostly late-K to mid-M dwarfs and found 751 flare
candidates with energies ranging from erg to
erg, of which 596 belong to M45, 155 to M44, and none to M67.
We find that flaring activity depends both on , and age. But
all flare frequency distributions have similar slopes with , supporting a universal flare generation process. We discuss
implications for the physical conditions under which flares occur, and how the
sample's metallicity and multiplicity affect our results.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, appendix. Accepted to A&
Dual models for p-form mimetic gravity and their connection to perfect fluids consisting of (p+1)-branes
We propose an approach that allows one to reformulate -dimensional
-form mimetic gravity (including usual mimetic gravity as particular case ) as nonlinear -form electrodynamics via electric-magnetic
duality. The resulting dual Lagrangian density is just the square root of the
ordinary quadratic Lagrangian density of -form electrodynamics. By
applying field transformation in the action, we show that for the arbitrary
this dual theory transforms into the -brane fluid: the model of the
stack of the parallel -branes foliating physical spacetime. As the
structure of the field transformations depends on , the sets of solutions in
these models are related differently. We prove, that for and
dual mimetic models describe usual particle fluid with the potential flow and
to the -brane fluid respectively. For other values of not all
mimetic solutions behave like that, in general, so we restrict ourselves only
to the case , . In this case, we show, that mimetic formulation
is dual to the well-known Nielsen-Olesen theory of "dual strings" and discuss
the criterion indicating whether its solutions behave like string fluid.Comment: 12 page
Neurally and Mathematically Motivated Architecture for Language and Thought
Neural structures of interaction between thinking and language are unknown. This paper suggests a possible architecture motivated by neural and mathematical considerations. A mathematical requirement of computability imposes significant constraints on possible architectures consistent with brain neural structure and with a wealth of psychological knowledge. How language interacts with cognition. Do we think with words, or is thinking independent from language with words being just labels for decisions? Why is language learned by the age of 5 or 7, but acquisition of knowledge represented by learning to use this language knowledge takes a lifetime? This paper discusses hierarchical aspects of language and thought and argues that high level abstract thinking is impossible without language. We discuss a mathematical technique that can model the joint language-thought architecture, while overcoming previously encountered difficulties of computability. This architecture explains a contradiction between human ability for rational thoughtful decisions and irrationality of human thinking revealed by Tversky and Kahneman; a crucial role in this contradiction might be played by language. The proposed model resolves long-standing issues: how the brain learns correct words-object associations; why animals do not talk and think like people. We propose the role played by language emotionality in its interaction with thought. We relate the mathematical model to Humboldt’s “firmness” of languages; and discuss possible influence of language grammar on its emotionality. Psychological and brain imaging experiments related to the proposed model are discussed. Future theoretical and experimental research is outlined
Suppression of dissipation in Nb thin films with triangular antidot arrays by random removal of pinning sites
The depinning current Ic versus applied magnetic field B close to the
transition temperature Tc of Nb thin films with randomly diluted triangular
arrays of antidots is investigated. % Our experiments confirm essential
features in Ic(B) as predicted by Reichhardt and Olson Reichhardt [Phys.Rev. B
76, 094512 (2007)]. % We show that, by introducing disorder into periodic
pinning arrays, Ic can be enhanced. % In particular, for arrays with fixed
density n_p of antidots, an increase in dilution Pd induces an increase in Ic
and decrease of the flux-flow voltage for B>Bp=n_p Phi_0.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Direct current superconducting quantum interferometers with asymmetric shunt resistors
We have investigated asymmetrically shunted Nb/Al-AlO/Nb direct current
(dc) superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). While keeping the
total resistance identical to a comparable symmetric SQUID with , we shunted only one of the two Josephson junctions with
. Simulations predict that the optimum energy resolution
and thus also the noise performance of such an asymmetric SQUID can
be 3--4 times better than that of its symmetric counterpart. Experiments at a
temperature of 4.2\,K yielded for an asymmetric
SQUID with an inductance of . For a comparable symmetric device
was achieved, confirming our simulation results.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Spectroscopy of a fractional Josephson vortex molecule
In long Josephson junctions with multiple discontinuities of the Josephson
phase, fractional vortex molecules are spontaneously formed. At each
discontinuity point a fractional Josephson vortex carrying a magnetic flux
, Wb being the magnetic flux
quantum, is pinned. Each vortex has an oscillatory eigenmode with a frequency
that depends on and lies inside the plasma gap.
We experimentally investigate the dependence of the eigenfrequencies of a
two-vortex molecule on the distance between the vortices, on their topological
charge and on the bias current applied to the
Josephson junction. We find that with decreasing distance between vortices, a
splitting of the eigenfrequencies occurs, that corresponds to the emergence of
collective oscillatory modes of both vortices. We use a resonant microwave
spectroscopy technique and find good agreement between experimental results and
theoretical predictions.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.
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