HST and Spitzer point source detection and optical extinction in powerful narrow-line radio galaxies

We present the analysis of infrared HST and Spitzer data for a sample of 13 FRII radio galaxies at 0.03<z<0.11 that are classified as narrow-line radio galaxies (NLRG). In the context of the unified schemes for active galactic nuclei (AGN), our direct view of the AGN in NLRG is impeded by a parsec-scale dusty torus structure. Our high resolution infrared observations provide new information about the degree of extinction induced by the torus, and the incidence of obscured AGN in NLRG. We find that the point-like nucleus detection rate increases from 25 per cent at 1.025$\mu$m, to 80 per cent at 2.05$\mu$m, and to 100 per cent at 8.0$\mu$m. This supports the idea that most NLRG host an obscured AGN in their centre. We estimate the extinction from the obscuring structures using X-ray, near-IR and mid-IR data. We find that the optical extinction derived from the 9.7$\mu$m silicate absorption feature is consistently lower than the extinction derived using other techniques. This discrepancy challenges the assumption that all the mid-infrared emission of NLRG is extinguished by a simple screen of dust at larger radii. This disagreement can be explained in terms of either weakening of the silicate absorption feature by (i) thermal mid-IR emission from the narrow-line region, (ii) non-thermal emission from the base of the radio jets, or (iii) by direct warm dust emission that leaks through a clumpy torus without suffering major attenuation.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures, 8 tables, accepted for publication in MNRA

Hints on the quadrupole deformation of the Δ\Delta(1232)

The E2/M1 ratio (EMR) of the $\Delta$(1232) is extracted from the world data in pion photoproduction by means of an Effective Lagrangian Approach (ELA).This quantity has been derived within a crossing symmetric, gauge invariant, and chiral symmetric Lagrangian model which also contains a consistent modern treatment of the $\Delta$(1232) resonance. The \textit{bare} s-channel $\Delta$(1232) contribution is well isolated and Final State Interactions (FSI) are effectively taken into account fulfilling Watson's theorem. The obtained EMR value, EMR$=(-1.30\pm0.52)$%, is in good agreement with the latest lattice QCD calculations [Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 021601 (2005)] and disagrees with results of current quark model calculations.Comment: Enlarged conclusions and explanations on the E2/M1 ratio. Figure 3 improved. References updated. 5 pages. 3 figures. 2 tables. Accepted for publication in Physical Review

Searching for galactic sources in the Swift GRB catalog

Since the early 1990s Gamma Ray Bursts have been accepted to be of extra-galactic origin due to the isotropic distribution observed by BATSE and the redshifts observed via absorption line spectroscopy. Nevertheless, upon further examination at least one case turned out to be of galactic origin. This particular event presented a Fast Rise, Exponential Decay (FRED) structure which leads us to believe that other FRED sources might also be Galactic. This study was set out to estimate the most probable degree of contamination by galactic sources that certain samples of FREDs have. In order to quantify the degree of anisotropy the average dipolar and quadripolar moments of each sample of GRBs with respect to the galactic plane were calculated. This was then compared to the probability distribution of simulated samples comprised of a combination of isotropically generated sources and galactic sources. We observe that the dipolar and quadripolar moments of the selected subsamples of FREDs are found more than two standard deviations outside those of random isotropically generated samples.The most probable degree of contamination by galactic sources for the FRED GRBs of the Swift catalog detected until February 2011 that do not have a known redshift is about 21 out of 77 sources which is roughly equal to 27%. Furthermore we observe, that by removing from this sample those bursts that may have any type of indirect redshift indicator and multiple peaks gives the most probable contamination increases up to 34% (17 out of 49 sources). It is probable that a high degree of contamination by galactic sources occurs among the single peak FREDs observed by Swift.Comment: Published to A&A, 4 pages, 5 figures, this arXiv version includes appended table with all the bursts considered in this stud

Kinetic energy of protons in ice Ih and water: a path integral study

The kinetic energy of H and O nuclei has been studied by path integral molecular dynamics simulations of ice Ih and water at ambient pressure. The simulations were performed by using the q-TIP4P/F model, a point charge empirical potential that includes molecular flexibility and anharmonicity in the OH stretch of the water molecule. Ice Ih was studied in a temperature range between 210-290 K, and water between 230-320 K. Simulations of an isolated water molecule were performed in the range 210-320 K to estimate the contribution of the intramolecular vibrational modes to the kinetic energy. Our results for the proton kinetic energy, K_H, in water and ice Ih show both agreement and discrepancies with different published data based on deep inelastic neutron scattering experiments. Agreement is found for water at the experimental melting point and in the range 290-300 K. Discrepancies arise because data derived from the scattering experiments predict in water two maxima of K_H around 270 K and 277 K, and that K_H is lower in ice than in water at 269 K. As a check of the validity of the employed water potential, we show that our simulations are consistent with other experimental thermodynamic properties related to K_H, as the temperature dependence of the liquid density, the heat capacity of water and ice at constant pressure, and the isotopic shift in the melting temperature of ice upon isotopic substitution of either H or O atoms. Moreover, the temperature dependence of K_H predicted by the q-TIP4P/F model for ice Ih is found to be in good agreement to results of path integral simulations using ab initio density functional theory.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, 2 table

Noncommutative 6D Gauge Higgs Unification Models

The influence of higher dimensions in noncommutative field theories is considered. For this purpose, we analyze the bosonic sector of a recently proposed 6 dimensional SU(3) orbifold model for the electroweak interactions. The corresponding noncommutative theory is constructed by means of the Seiberg-Witten map in 6D. We find in the reduced bosonic interactions in 4D theory, couplings which are new with respect to other known 4D noncommutative formulations of the Standard Model using the Seiberg-Witten map. Phenomenological implications due to the noncommutativity of extra dimensions are explored. In particular, assuming that the commutative model leads to the standard model values, a bound -5.63 10^{-8} GeV^{-2}< theta <1.06 10^{-7}GeV^{-2} on the corresponding noncommutativity scale is derived from current experimental constraints on the S and T oblique parameters. This bound is used to predict a possibly significant impact of noncommutativity effects of extra dimensions on the rare Higgs boson decay H-> gamma gamma.Comment: Latex file, 11 pages, 1 figur

Cooling Curve Analysis Method using a Simplified Energy Balance

In this work is described a new cooling curve analysis method focused on the experimental determination of the latent heat of phase changes and phase transformation kinetics.The method analyses the cooling process of a metallic sample, initially liquid that is contained into a cylindrical metallic mold, both of known weight, thermally isolated at its top and bottom. The method is based on a simplified energy balance associated with the experimental measurement of the temperature change of the sample during its cooling process. The method was applied experimentally to zinc and tin of commercial purity, initially liquids and contained into stainless steel molds in order to determine its ability to determine the latent heat of solidification. In order to validate the method, the obtained values of latent heat were compared with the values reported in thermochemical databases. The obtained results suggest that this method can be used to characterize the solidification of metals..Keywords: Solidification, Kinetics; Cooling curve analysis

On the Equivalence of Three-Particle Scattering Formalisms

In recent years, different on-shell $\mathbf{3}\to\mathbf{3}$ scattering formalisms have been proposed to be applied to both lattice QCD and infinite volume scattering processes. We prove that the formulation in the infinite volume presented by Hansen and Sharpe in Phys.~Rev.~D92, 114509 (2015) and subsequently Brice\~no, Hansen, and Sharpe in Phys.~Rev.~D95, 074510 (2017) can be recovered from the $B$-matrix representation, derived on the basis of $S$-matrix unitarity, presented by Mai {\em et al.} in Eur.~Phys.~J.~A53, 177 (2017) and Jackura {\em et al.} in Eur.~Phys.~J.~C79, 56 (2019). Therefore, both formalisms in the infinite volume are equivalent and the physical content is identical. Additionally, the Faddeev equations are recovered in the non-relativistic limit of both representations.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure

A not so massive cluster hosting a very massive star

We present the first physical characterization of the young open cluster VVV CL041. We spectroscopically observed the cluster main-sequence stellar population and a very-massive star candidate: WR62-2. CMFGEN modeling to our near-infrared spectra indicates that WR62-2 is a very luminous (10$^{6.4\pm0.2} L_{\odot}$) and massive ($\sim80 M_{\odot}$) star.Comment: 1 page, 1 figure, to be published in the "International Workshop on Wolf-Rayet Stars conference proceedings" by Universit\"atsverlag Potsdam (editors: W.-R. Hamann, A. Sander, and H. Todt

On the η\eta and η′\eta' Photoproduction Beam Asymmetry at High Energies

We show that, in the Regge limit, beam asymmetries in $\eta$ and $\eta'$ photoproduction are sensitive to hidden strangeness components. Under reasonable assumptions about the couplings we estimate the contribution of the $\phi$ Regge pole, which is expected to be the dominant hidden strangeness contribution. The ratio of the asymmetries in $\eta'$ and $\eta$ production is estimated to be close to unity in the forward region $0 < -t/\text{GeV}^2 \leq 1$ at the photon energy $E_\text{lab} = 9$~GeV, relevant for the upcoming measurements at Jefferson Lab.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure