20,299 research outputs found
Ionized Gas in the Galactic Center: New Observations and Interpretation
We present new observations of the [Ne II] emission from the ionized gas in
Sgr A West with improved resolution and sensitivity. About half of the emission
comes from gas with kinematics indicating it is orbiting in a plane tipped
about 25\degree\ from the Galactic plane. This plane is consistent with that
derived previously for the circumnuclear molecular disk and the northern arm
and western arc ionized features. However, unlike most previous studies, we
conclude that the ionized gas is not moving along the ionized features, but on
more nearly circular paths. The observed speeds are close to, but probably
somewhat less than expected for orbital motions in the potential of the central
black hole and stars and have a small inward component. The spatial
distribution of the emission is well fitted by a spiral pattern. We discuss
possible physical explanations for the spatial distribution and kinematics of
the ionized gas, and conclude that both may be best explained by a one-armed
spiral density wave, which also accounts for both the observed low velocities
and the inward velocity component. We suggest that a density wave may result
from the precession of elliptical orbits in the potential of the black hole and
stellar mass distribution.Comment: 28 pages, 13 figures, ApJ in pres
Anderson Localization in a String of Microwave Cavities
The field distributions and eigenfrequencies of a microwave resonator which
is composed of 20 identical cells have been measured. With external screws the
periodicity of the cavity can be perturbed arbitrarily. If the perturbation is
increased a transition from extended to localized field distributions is
observed. For very large perturbations the field distributions show signatures
of Anderson localization, while for smaller perturbations the field
distribution is extended or weakly localized. The localization length of a
strongly localized field distribution can be varied by adjusting the
penetration depth of the screws. Shifts in the frequency spectrum of the
resonator provide further evidence for Anderson localization.Comment: 7 pages RevTex, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Hdo And SO2 Thermal Mapping On Venus: Evidence For Strong SO2 Variability
We have been using the TEXES high-resolution imaging spectrometer at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility to map sulfur dioxide and deuterated water over the disk of Venus. Observations took place on January 10-12, 2012. The diameter of Venus was 13 arcsec, with an illumination factor of 80%. Data were recorded in the 1344-1370 cm(-1) range (around 7.35 mu m) with a spectral resolving power of 80 000 and a spatial resolution of about 1.5 arcsec. In this spectral range, the emission of Venus comes from above the cloud top (z = 60-80 km). Four HDO lines and tens of SO2 lines have been identified in our spectra. Mixing ratios have been estimated from HDO/CO2 and SO2/CO2 line depth ratios, using weak neighboring transitions of comparable depths. The HDO maps, recorded on Jan. 10 and Jan. 12, are globally uniform with no significant variation between the two dates. A slight enhancement of the HDO mixing ratio toward the limb might be interpreted as a possible increase of the D/H ratio with height above the cloud level. The mean H2O mixing ratio is found to be 1.5 +/-0.75 ppm, assuming a D/H ratio of 0.0312 (i.e. 200 times the terrestrial value) over the cloud deck. The SO2 maps, recorded each night from Jan. 10 to Jan. 12, show strong variations over the disk of Venus, by a factor as high as 5 to 10. In addition, the position of the maximum SO2 mixing ratio strongly varies on a timescale of 24 h. The maximum SO2 mixing ratio ranges between 75 +/-25 ppb and 125 +/-50 ppb between Jan. 10 and Jan. 12. The high variability of sulfur dioxide is probably a consequence of its very short photochemical lifetime.NASA NNX-08AE38A, NNX08AW33G S03NSF AST-0607312, AST-0708074Astronom
First Experimental Observation of Superscars in a Pseudointegrable Barrier Billiard
With a perturbation body technique intensity distributions of the electric
field strength in a flat microwave billiard with a barrier inside up to mode
numbers as large as about 700 were measured. A method for the reconstruction of
the amplitudes and phases of the electric field strength from those intensity
distributions has been developed. Recently predicted superscars have been
identified experimentally and - using the well known analogy between the
electric field strength and the quantum mechanical wave function in a
two-dimensional microwave billiard - their properties determined.Comment: 4 pages, 5 .eps figure
The spin 1/2 Heisenberg star with frustration II: The influence of the embedding medium
We investigate the spin 1/2 Heisenberg star introduced in J. Richter and A.
Voigt, J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. {\bf 27}, 1139 (1994). The model is defined by
; , . In extension to the Ref. we consider a more general
describing the properties of the spins surrounding the
central spin . The Heisenberg star may be considered as an essential
structure element of a lattice with frustration (namely a spin embedded in a
magnetic matrix ) or, alternatively, as a magnetic system with a
perturbation by an extra spin. We present some general features of the
eigenvalues, the eigenfunctions as well as the spin correlation of the model. For being a linear chain, a square
lattice or a Lieb-Mattis type system we present the ground state properties of
the model in dependence on the frustration parameter .
Furthermore the thermodynamic properties are calculated for being a
Lieb--Mattis antiferromagnet.Comment: 16 pages, uuencoded compressed postscript file, accepted to J. Phys.
A: Math. Ge
Induced Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking Observed in Microwave Billiards
Using reciprocity, we investigate the breaking of time-reversal (T) symmetry
due to a ferrite embedded in a flat microwave billiard. Transmission spectra of
isolated single resonances are not sensitive to T-violation whereas those of
pairs of nearly degenerate resonances do depend on the direction of time. For
their theoretical description a scattering matrix model from nuclear physics is
used. The T-violating matrix elements of the effective Hamiltonian for the
microwave billiard with the embedded ferrite are determined experimentally as
functions of the magnetization of the ferrite.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Wave Dynamical Chaos in a Superconducting Three-Dimensional Sinai Billiard
Based on very accurate measurements performed on a superconducting microwave
resonator shaped like a desymmetrized three-dimensional (3D) Sinai billiard, we
investigate for the first time spectral properties of the vectorial Helmholtz,
i.e. non-quantum wave equation for a classically totally chaotic and
theoretically precisely studied system. We are thereby able to generalize some
aspects of quantum chaos and present some results which are consequences of the
polarization features of the electromagnetic waves.Comment: 4 pages RevTex; 4 postscript figures; to be published in Phys. Rev.
Lett.; Info: [email protected]
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