3,004 research outputs found
Discovery of a planetary-sized object in the scattered Kuiper belt
We present the discovery and initial physical and dynamical characterization
of the object 2003 UB313. The object is sufficiently bright that for all
reasonable values of the albedo it is certain to be larger than Pluto.
Pre-discovery observations back to 1989 are used to obtain an orbit with
extremely small errors. The object is currently at aphelion in what appears to
be a typical orbit for a scattered Kuiper belt object except that it is
inclined by about 44 degrees from the ecliptic. The presence of such a large
object at this extreme inclination suggests that high inclination Kuiper belt
objects formed preferentially closer to the sun. Observations from Gemini
Observatory show that the infrared spectrum is, like that of Pluto, dominated
by the presence of frozen methane, though visible photometry shows that the
object is almost neutral in color compared to Pluto's extremely red color. 2003
UB313 is likely to undergo substantial seasonal change over the large range of
heliocentric distances that it travels; Pluto at its current distance is likely
to prove a useful analog for better understanding the range of seasonal changes
on this body.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figur
Black Hole Radiation and Volume Statistical Entropy
The simplest possible equation for Hawking radiation, and other black hole
radiated power is derived in terms of black hole density. Black hole density
also leads to the simplest possible model of a gas of elementary constituents
confined inside a gravitational bottle of Schwarzchild radius at tremendous
pressure, which yields identically the same functional dependence as the
traditional black hole entropy. Variations of Sbh can be obtained which depend
on the occupancy of phase space cells. A relation is derived between the
constituent momenta and the black hole radius which is similar to the Compton
wavelength relation.Comment: 11 pages, no figures. Key Words: Black Hole Entropy, Hawking
Radiation, Black Hole density. This is a better pdf versio
An approach to the problem of reconstructing polyhedra from two or more of their perspective projections
Reconstructing polyhedrons from perspective projection
Basic Connection between Superconductivity and Superfluidity
A basic and inherently simple connection is shown to exist between
superconductivity and superfluidity. It is shown here that the author's
previously derived general equation which agrees well with the superconducting
transition temperatures for the heavy-electron superconductors, metallic
superconductors, oxide supercon- ductors, metallic hydrogen, and neutron stars,
also works well for the superfluid transition temperature of 2.6 mK for liquid
3He. Reasonable estimates are made from 10^-3 K to 10^9K -- a range of 12
orders of magnitude. The same paradigm applies to the superfluid transition
temperature of liquid 4He, but results in a slightly different equation. The
superfluid transition temperature for dilute solutions of 3He in superfluid 4He
is estimated to be ~ 1 to 10mK. This paradigm works well in detail for
metallic, cuprate, and organic superconductors.Comment: 16 pages, 2 figure
Metabolite concentrations, fluxes and free energies imply efficient enzyme usage.
In metabolism, available free energy is limited and must be divided across pathway steps to maintain a negative ΔG throughout. For each reaction, ΔG is log proportional both to a concentration ratio (reaction quotient to equilibrium constant) and to a flux ratio (backward to forward flux). Here we use isotope labeling to measure absolute metabolite concentrations and fluxes in Escherichia coli, yeast and a mammalian cell line. We then integrate this information to obtain a unified set of concentrations and ΔG for each organism. In glycolysis, we find that free energy is partitioned so as to mitigate unproductive backward fluxes associated with ΔG near zero. Across metabolism, we observe that absolute metabolite concentrations and ΔG are substantially conserved and that most substrate (but not inhibitor) concentrations exceed the associated enzyme binding site dissociation constant (Km or Ki). The observed conservation of metabolite concentrations is consistent with an evolutionary drive to utilize enzymes efficiently given thermodynamic and osmotic constraints
Direct measurement of the size of 2003 UB313 from the Hubble Space Telescope
We have used the Hubble Space Telescope to directly measure the angular size
of the large Kuiper belt object 2003 UB313. By carefully calibrating the point
spread function of a nearby field star, we measure the size of 2003 UB313 to be
34.31.4 milliarcseconds, corresponding to a diameter of 2400100 km or
a size % larger than Pluto. The V band geometric albedo of 2003 UB313 is
%. The extremely high albedo is consistent with the frosty methane
spectrum, the lack of red coloring, and the lack of observed photometric
variation on the surface of 2003 UB313. Methane photolysis should quickly
darken the surface of 2003 UB313, but continuous evaporation and redeposition
of surface ices appears capable of maintaining the extreme alebdo of this body
Quantum and Classical Disparity and Accord
Discrepancies and accords between quantum (QM) and classical mechanics (CM)
related to expectation values and periods are found for both the simple
harmonic oscillator (SHO) and a free particle in a box (FPB), which may apply
generally. These indicate non-locality is expected throughout QM. The FPB
energy states violate the Correspondence Principle. Previously unexpected
accords are found and proven that the classical and quantum expectation values
are the same for the expectation value of the second moment and the beat period
(i.e. beats between the phases for adjoining energy states) for the SHO for all
quantum numbers, n. However, for the FPB the beat periods differ significantly
at small n. It is shown that a particle's velocity in an infinite square well
varies, no matter how wide the box, nor how far the particle is from the walls.
The quantum free particle variances share an indirect commonality with the
Aharonov-Bohm and Aharonov-Casher effects in that there is a quantum action in
the absence of a force. The concept of an "Expectation Value over a Partial
Well Width" is introduced. This paper raises the question as to whether these
inconsistencies are undetectable, or can be empirically ascertained. These
inherent variances may need to be fixed, or nature is manifestly more
non-classical than expected.Comment: To be Published in International Journal of Theoretical Physics.
Published on line by IJTP 23 Sept.2008: Original at
http://www.springerlink.co
The Rising Light Curves of Type Ia Supernovae
We present an analysis of the early, rising light curves of 18 Type Ia
supernovae (SNe Ia) discovered by the Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) and the
La Silla-QUEST variability survey (LSQ). We fit these early data flux using a
simple power-law to determine the time of first
light , and hence the rise-time from first light to
peak luminosity, and the exponent of the power-law rise (). We find a mean
uncorrected rise time of days, with individual SN rise-times
ranging from to days. The exponent n shows significant
departures from the simple 'fireball model' of (or ) usually assumed in the literature. With a mean value of , our data also show significant diversity from event to event. This
deviation has implications for the distribution of 56Ni throughout the SN
ejecta, with a higher index suggesting a lesser degree of 56Ni mixing. The
range of n found also confirms that the 56Ni distribution is not standard
throughout the population of SNe Ia, in agreement with earlier work measuring
such abundances through spectral modelling. We also show that the duration of
the very early light curve, before the luminosity has reached half of its
maximal value, does not correlate with the light curve shape or stretch used to
standardise SNe Ia in cosmological applications. This has implications for the
cosmological fitting of SN Ia light curves.Comment: 19 pages, 19 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
- …