VVV Survey Microlensing Events in the Galactic Center Region

Indexación: Scopus.We search for microlensing events in the highly reddened areas surrounding the Galactic center using the near-IR observations with the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea Survey (VVV). We report the discovery of 182 new microlensing events, based on observations acquired between 2010 and 2015. We present the color-magnitude diagrams of the microlensing sources for the VVV tiles b332, b333, and b334, which were independently analyzed, and show good qualitative agreement among themselves. We detect an excess of microlensing events in the central tile b333 in comparison with the other two tiles, suggesting that the microlensing optical depth keeps rising all the way to the Galactic center. We derive the Einstein radius crossing time for all of the observed events. The observed event timescales range from t E = 5 to 200 days. The resulting timescale distribution shows a mean timescale of days for the complete sample (N = 182 events), and days if restricted only for the red clump (RC) giant sources (N = 96 RC events). There are 20 long timescale events ( days) that suggest the presence of massive lenses (black holes) or disk-disk event. This work demonstrates that the VVV Survey is a powerful tool to detect intermediate/long timescale microlensing events in highly reddened areas, and it enables a number of future applications, from analyzing individual events to computing the statistics for the inner Galactic mass and kinematic distributions, in aid of future ground- and space-based experiments.http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aa9b29/met

Delimitation of service areas in reverse logistics networks with multiple depots

WOS:000290258800003 (Nº de Acesso Web of Science)“Prémio Científico ISCTE-IUL 2012”This paper describes a heuristic approach for the definition of service (or influence) areas of multiple depots in a reverse logistics network. This work is based on a case study: the recyclable waste collection system with 5 depots that covers seven municipalities in the Alentejo region, southern Portugal. The system optimization considers two objectives, related with economic and organizational issues: minimizing the variable costs (function of the travelled distances by the collection vehicles), and the pursuit of equity, aiming at minimizing the workload differences among depots. The goal of balancing workloads poses a problem not usually treated in the existing literature. This fact required the development of a new approach with innovative elements adjusted to the existing circumstances

Variable stars in the VVV globular clusters

Indexación: Scopus.The VVV survey observed some of the most crowded and most obscured regions in the inner Milky Way during the last years. A significant sample of the less known globular clusters in our galaxy lie there. Combining the high-resolution, wide-field, near infrared capabilities of the survey camera, the use of 5 different filters, and multi-epoch observations, we are able to overcome many of the previous challenges that prevented a proper study of these objects. Particularly, the identification of the RR Lyrae stars in these globular clusters is proving to be a fundamental tool to establish accurately their distances and reddenings, and to infer information about the Oosterhoff dichotomy that Galactic globular clusters seem to follow. © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2017.https://www.epj-conferences.org/articles/epjconf/pdf/2017/21/epjconf_puls2017_01022.pd

Helium mixtures in nanotube bundles

An analogue to Raoult's law is determined for the case of a 3He-4He mixture adsorbed in the interstitial channels of a bundle of carbon nanotubes. Unlike the case of He mixtures in other environments, the ratio of the partial pressures of the coexisting vapor is found to be a simple function of the ratio of concentrations within the nanotube bundle.Comment: 3 pages, no figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

The Orbit of the New Milky Way Globular Cluster FSR1716 =VVV-GC05

Indexación: Scopus.We use deep, multi-epoch near-IR images of the VISTA Variables in the Via Lictea (VVV) Survey to measure proper motions (PMs) of stars in the Milky Way globular cluster (GC) FSR1716 = VVV-GC05. The colormagnitude diagram of this object, made by using PM-selected members, shows an extended horizontal branch, nine confirmed RR Lyrae (RRL) members in the instability strip, and possibly several hotter stars extending to the blue. Based on the fundamental-mode (ab-type) RRL stars that move coherently with the cluster, we confirmed that FSR1716 is an Oosterhoff I GC with a mean period aPabn = 0.574 days. Intriguingly, we detect tidal extensions to both sides of this cluster in the spatial distribution of PM-selected member stars. Also, one of the confirmed RRabs is located -11 arcmin in projection from the cluster center, suggesting that FSR1716 may be losing stars due to the gravitational interaction with the Galaxy. We also measure radial velocities (RVs) for five cluster red giants selected using the PMs. The combination of RVs and PMs allow us to compute for the first time the orbit of this GC, using an updated Galactic potential. The orbit results to be confined within|Zmax| < 2.0 kpc, and has eccentricity 0.4 < e < 0.6, with perigalactic distance 1.5 < Rperi (kpc) < 2.3, and apogalactic distance 5.3 < Rapo (kpc) < 6.4. We conclude that, in agreement with its relatively low metallicity ([Fe/H] =-1.4 dex), this is an inner-halo GC plunging into the disk of the Galaxy. As such, this is a unique object with which to test the dynamical processes that contribute to the disruption of Galactic GCs. © 2018. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aacd0

Decoherence in a Josephson junction qubit

The zero-voltage state of a Josephson junction biased with constant current consists of a set of metastable quantum energy levels. We probe the spacings of these levels by using microwave spectroscopy to enhance the escape rate to the voltage state. The widths of the resonances give a measurement of the coherence time of the two states involved in the transitions. We observe a decoherence time shorter than that expected from dissipation alone in resonantly isolated 20 um x 5 um Al/AlOx/Al junctions at 60 mK. The data is well fit by a model including dephasing effects of both low-frequency current noise and the escape rate to the continuum voltage states. We discuss implications for quantum computation using current-biased Josephson junction qubits, including the minimum number of levels needed in the well to obtain an acceptable error limit per gate.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure

A simple approach to synthesize g-C3N4 with high visible light photoactivity for hydrogen production

Se-modified g-C3N4 was synthesized from sonicated aqueous suspensions of melamine cyanurate and SeO2. The different thermal condensation temperatures in the 500–650 °C range were found to influence the photophysical properties and hydrogen evolution rates. H2 evolution increased dramatically by two orders of magnitude when Pt co-catalyst (1 wt.%) was incorporated, reaching an HER of 75 µmol H2/h

Experimental and theoretical investigations on a CVD grown thin film of polymeric carbon nitride and its structure

A polymeric carbon nitride thin film has been grown using chemical vapor deposition. The characterization of the material shows that it has the same molecular composition as a formerly synthesized graphitic carbon nitride powder but both substances differ widely in their structural organization. In particular, our analyses reveal a paradoxical character in which the thin film sample exhibits simultaneously a high degree of organization in the stacking of the polymer sheets with strong inter-layer interactions, as expected from the growth technique, and a complete lack of crystallinity. A comprehensive theoretical study based on massive semi-empirical quantum chemistry computations has permitted to explain the properties of the material and to elucidate fundamental issues regarding the structural conformation of graphitic carbon nitride

Ictiofauna Dos Enclaves De Floresta úmida Nos Planaltos Da Ibiapaba E Do Araripe, Nordeste Do Brasil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Humid highland forest enclaves are remnants of Atlantic Forest found in tablelands within the Caatinga biome (Northeastern Brazil), which emerged during interglacial periods in the Pleistocene. These ecosystems have a highly diverse and endemic fish fauna. Most earlier surveys have focused on the tableland of Borborema (Pernambuco and Paraíba States). In this study we surveyed the fish fauna of the humid forest enclaves in the tablelands of Ibiapaba and Araripe, based on samples collected in the rainy season (March and April) between 2009 and 2014. The 45 sampling points covered rivers, streams and reservoirs in five river basins belonging to three ecoregions. The species were listed according to drainage divide, and endemism was determined for each ecoregion and for the Caatinga. Our area was more species-rich (n=59) than Borborema (n=27). The samples included five introduced species and 29 species endemic to the Caatinga (49.1% of the sampled species). The distribution of Parotocinclus haroldoi was expanded to the Mid-Northeastern Caatinga ecoregion (Timonha river basin, Ceará State). Our study intends to make a significant contribution to current knowledge of the ichthyofauna in humid highland forest enclaves of semiarid Northeastern Brazil, identified as a priority in the conservation of the biodiversity in the Caatinga. © 2016, Universidade Estadual de Campinas UNICAMP. All rights reserved.164457463/2012-0, CNPq, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico552009/2011-3, CNPq, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico552086/2011-8, CNPq, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Photocatalytic activity of a new composite material of Fe (III) oxide nanoparticles wrapped by a matrix of polymeric carbon nitride and amorphous carbon

Polymeric carbon nitride was synthesized from urea and doped with Cu and Fe to act as co-catalysts. The material doped with Fe was a new composite material composed of Fe(III) oxides (acting as a co-catalyst) wrapped by the polymer layers and amorphous carbon. Furthermore, the copper doped material was described in a previous report. The photocatalytic degradation of the azo dye direct blue 1 (DB) was studied using as photocatalysts: pure carbon nitride (CN), carbon nitride doped with Cu (CN-Cu) and carbon nitride doped with Fe (CN-Fe). The catalysts were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method (BET), etc. The adsorption phenomenon was studied using the Langmuir and Freundlich models. For the kinetic study, a solution of 500 mg L-1 of DB1 was treated with each catalyst, visible light and H2O2. The dye concentration was measured by spectrophotometry at the wavelength of 565 nm, and the removal of the total organic content (TOC) was quantified. BET analysis yielded surface areas of 60.029, 20.116 and 70.662 m2g-1 for CN, CN-Cu and CN-Fe, respectively. The kinetics of degradation were pseudo-first order, whose constants were 0.093, 0.039 and 0.110 min-1 for CN, CN-Cu and CN-Fe, respectively. The total organic carbon (TOC) removal reached the highest value of 14.46% with CN-Fe