14,581 research outputs found
Massive vector fields on the Schwarzschild spacetime: quasinormal modes and bound states
We study the propagation of a massive vector or Proca field on the
Schwarzschild spacetime. The field equations are reduced to a one-dimensional
wave equation for the odd-parity part of the field and two coupled equations
for the even-parity part of the field. We use numerical techniques based on
solving (scalar or matrix-valued) three-term recurrence relations to compute
the spectra of both quasi-normal modes and quasi-bound states, which have no
massless analogue, complemented in the latter case by a forward-integration
method. We study the radial equations analytically in both the near-horizon and
far-field regions and use a matching procedure to compute the associated
spectra in the small-mass limit. Finally, we comment on extending our results
to the Kerr geometry and its phenomenological relevance for hidden photons
arising e.g. in string theory compactifications.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures; minor corrections, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Scaling and correlations in the dynamics of forest-fire occurrence
Forest-fire waiting times, defined as the time between successive events
above a certain size in a given region, are calculated for Italy. The
probability densities of the waiting times are found to verify a scaling law,
despite that fact that the distribution of fire sizes is not a power law. The
meaning of such behavior in terms of the possible self-similarity of the
process in a nonstationary system is discussed. We find that the scaling law
arises as a consequence of the stationarity of fire sizes and the existence of
a non-trivial ``instantaneous'' scaling law, sustained by the correlations of
the process.Comment: Not a long paper, but many figures (but no large size in kb
Galactic Extinction from Colors and Counts of Field Galaxies in WFPC2 Frames: An Application to GRB 970228
We develop the ``simulated extinction method'' to measure average foreground
Galactic extinction from field galaxy number-counts and colors. The method
comprises simulating extinction in suitable reference fields by changing the
isophotal detection limit. This procedure takes into account selection effects,
in particular, the change in isophotal detection limit (and hence in isophotal
magnitude completeness limit) with extinction, and the galaxy color--magnitude
relation.
We present a first application of the method to the HST WFPC2 images of the
gamma-ray burster GRB 970228. Four different WFPC2 high-latitude fields,
including the HDF, are used as reference to measure the average extinction
towards the GRB in the F606W passband. From the counts, we derive an average
extinction of A_V = 0.5 mag, but the dispersion of 0.4 mag between the
estimates from the different reference fields is significantly larger than can
be accounted by Poisson plus clustering uncertainties. Although the counts
differ, the average colors of the field galaxies agree well. The extinction
implied by the average color difference between the GRB field and the reference
galaxies is A_V = 0.6 mag, with a dispersion in the estimated extinction from
the four reference fields of only 0.1 mag. All our estimates are in good
agreement with the value of 0.81\pm0.27 mag obtained by Burstein & Heiles, and
with the extinction of 0.78\pm0.12 measured by Schlegel et al. from maps of
dust IR emission. However, the discrepancy between the widely varying counts
and the very stable colors in these high-latitude fields is worth
investigating.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures; submitted to the Astrophysical Journa
Cryopreservation of coffee seeds: a simplified method.
Coffee seeds are sensitive to desiccation and to storage. Advances in the technique of cryopreservation of these seeds have been achieved in recent years, and the aim of this study was to evaluate Coffea arabica seeds cryopreserved through direct immersion in liquid nitrogen after rapid and slow drying. Seeds of the cultivars ?Arara?, ?Catiguá?, ?Catuaí Amarelo? and ?Mundo Novo? underwent rapid and slow drying to 20% moisture content (dry basis); they were then immersed in liquid nitrogen for 24 hours and after that, reheated in a water bath. C. arabica seeds have better physiological quality after slow drying, but rapid drying is better for cryopreservation of these seeds. The seeds of the cultivars investigated have different levels of tolerance, but all can be cryopreserved; ?Catuaí Amarelo? is the most tolerant and ?Arara? the most sensitive to cryopreservation, regardless of the drying speed. The activity of the enzymes catalase, peroxidase and esterase increased after drying and after cryopreservation. Rapid drying in silica gel to 20% moisture content, followed by direct immersion in liquid nitrogen, allows cryopreservation of coffee seeds in a fast, simple and economical manner
Pemantauan Radiasi Gamma Dengan Detektor RadEye PRD-ER Di Fasilitas Cyclotron Medik Selama Produksi Fluor-18
Produksi Fluor-18 (F-18) dengan cyclotron di fasilitas pelayanan PET menghasilkan dampak negatif yaitu dihasilkannya radiasi gamma yang besarnya signifikan. Besar laju dosis radiasi gamma yang sampai ke ruangan kerja di fasilitas cyclotron perlu untuk diketahui agar dapat menjadi bahan kajian dalam upaya optimalisasi tindakan proteksi radiasi. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui besar laju radiasi gamma di ruangan Fasilitas Cyclotron dengan menggunakan dosimeter RadEye PRD-ER. Laju dosis ekuivalen gamma diukur dengan RadEye PRD-ER pada saat produksi F-18 dan radiofarmaka FDG dengan Cyclotron (Cyclone 18/9) pada waktu iradiasi target 25, 50, dan 70 menit. Laju dosis ekuivalen radiasi gamma yang terdeteksi pada saat produksi F-18 berkisar antara 0,03 - 0,05 µSv/jam dan pada saat sintesis, sampling, dan quality control FDG berkisar antara 0,10 – 25,10 µSv/jam
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