Detailed Topography of the Fermi Surface of Sr2RuO4

We apply a novel analysis of the field and angle dependence of the quantum-oscillatory amplitudes in the unconventional superconductor Sr2RuO4 to map its Fermi surface in unprecedented detail, and to obtain previously inaccessible information on the band dispersion. The three quasi-2D Fermi surface sheets not only exhibit very diverse magnitudes of warping, but also entirely different dominant warping symmetries. We use the data to reassess recent results on c-axis transport phenomena.Comment: REVTeX, 4 page

Rigid-Band Shift of the Fermi Level in a Strongly Correlated Metal: Sr(2-y)La(y)RuO(4)

We report a systematic study of electron doping of Sr2RuO4 by non-isovalent substitution of La^(3+) for Sr^(2+). Using a combination of de Haas-van Alphen oscillations, specific heat, and resistivity measurements, we show that electron doping leads to a rigid-band shift of the Fermi level corresponding to one doped electron per La ion, with constant many-body quasiparticle mass enhancement over the band mass. The susceptibility spectrum is substantially altered and enhanced by the doping but this has surprisingly little effect on the strength of the unconventional superconducting pairing.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Properties of the Nearly Free Electron Superconductor Ag5Pb2O6 Inferred from Fermi Surface Measurements

We measured the Fermi surface of the recently discovered superconductor Ag5Pb2O6 via a de Haas-van Alphen rotation study. Two frequency branches were observed and identified with the neck and belly orbits of a very simple, nearly free electron Fermi surface. We use the observed Fermi surface geometry to quantitatively deduce superconducting properties such as the in-plane and out-of-plane penetration depths, the coherence length in the clean limit, and the critical field; as well as normal state properties such as the specific heat and the resistivity anisotropy.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Physica C (M2S Proceedings

Disk Heating, Galactoseismology, and the Formation of Stellar Halos

Deep photometric surveys of the Milky Way have revealed diffuse structures encircling our Galaxy far beyond the "classical" limits of the stellar disk. This paper reviews results from our own and other observational programs, which together suggest that, despite their extreme positions, the stars in these structures were formed in our Galactic disk. Mounting evidence from recent observations and simulations implies kinematic connections between several of these distinct structures. This suggests the existence of collective disk oscillations that can plausibly be traced all the way to asymmetries seen in the stellar velocity distribution around the Sun. There are multiple interesting implications of these findings: they promise new perspectives on the process of disk heating, they provide direct evidence for a stellar halo formation mechanism in addition to the accretion and disruption of satellite galaxies, and, they motivate searches of current and near-future surveys to trace these oscillations across the Galaxy. Such maps could be used as dynamical diagnostics in the emerging field of "Galactoseismology", which promises to model the history of interactions between the Milky Way and its entourage of satellites, as well examine the density of our dark matter halo. As sensitivity to very low surface brightness features around external galaxies increases, many more examples of such disk oscillations will likely be identified. Statistical samples of such features not only encode detailed information about interaction rates and mergers, but also about long sought-after dark matter halo densities and shapes. Models for the Milky Way's own Galactoseismic history will therefore serve as a critical foundation for studying the weak dynamical interactions of galaxies across the universe.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures, accepted in for publication in a special edition of the journal "Galaxies", reporting the proceedings of the conference "On the Origin (and Evolution) of Baryonic Galaxy Halos", Puerto Ayora, Ecuador, March 13-17 2017, Eds. Duncan A. Forbes and Ericson D. Lope

Galactic Archeology with 4MOST

4MOST is a new wide-field, high-multiplex spectroscopic survey facility for the VISTA telescope of ESO. Starting in 2022, 4MOST will deploy more than 2400 fibres in a 4.1 square degree field-of-view using a positioner based on the tilting spine principle. In this ontribution we give an outline of the major science goals we wish to achieve with 4MOST in the area of Galactic Archeology. The 4MOST Galactic Archeology surveys have been designed to address long-standing and far-reaching problems in Galactic science. They are focused on our major themes: 1) Near-field cosmology tests, 2) Chemo-dynamical characterisation of the major Milky Way stellar components, 3) The Galactic Halo and beyond, and 4) Discovery and characterisation of extremely metal-poor stars. In addition to a top-level description of the Galactic surveys we provide information about how the community will be able to join 4MOST via a call for Public Spectroscopic Surveys that ESO will launch.Comment: To be published in "Rediscovering our Galaxy", IAU Symposium 334, Eds. C. Chiappini, I. Minchev, E. Starkenburg, M. Valentin

Atomic and Molecular Data for Optical Stellar Spectroscopy

High-precision spectroscopy of large stellar samples plays a crucial role for several topical issues in astrophysics. Examples include studying the chemical structure and evolution of the Milky Way galaxy, tracing the origin of chemical elements, and characterizing planetary host stars. Data are accumulating from instruments that obtain high-quality spectra of stars in the ultraviolet, optical and infrared wavelength regions on a routine basis. These instruments are located at ground-based 2- to 10-m class telescopes around the world, in addition to the spectrographs with unique capabilities available at the Hubble Space Telescope. The interpretation of these spectra requires high-quality transition data for numerous species, in particular neutral and singly ionized atoms, and di- or triatomic molecules. We rely heavily on the continuous efforts of laboratory astrophysics groups that produce and improve the relevant experimental and theoretical atomic and molecular data. The compilation of the best available data is facilitated by databases and electronic infrastructures such as the NIST Atomic Spectra Database, the VALD database, or the Virtual Atomic and Molecular Data Centre (VAMDC). We illustrate the current status of atomic data for optical stellar spectra with the example of the Gaia-ESO Public Spectroscopic Survey. Data sources for 35 chemical elements were reviewed in an effort to construct a line list for a homogeneous abundance analysis of up to 100000 stars.Comment: Published 30 April 2015 in Physica Script

Relative costs of new water supply options for Front Range cities: phase 2 report

June 2011.Prepared for the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the Colorado Water Institute.Published as part of the Western Water Policy Program at the University of Colorado's Natural Resources Law Center.Includes bibliographical references.The following report is the second (and final) installment of a project examining the costs associated with meeting future M&I (municipal and industrial) water supplies along Colorado's Front Range. As summarized in the recently updated Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI 2010) reports, M&I water demand in Colorado is expected to climb by 600,000 to one million AF (AF) by 2050 (CWCB, 2010). Some mixture of three strategies will likely be necessary to meet this target: new water projects, water transfers (i.e., agricultural to urban reallocation), and conservation. Determining which option(s) is "best" is a complex matter that requires weighing highly case-specific opportunities, constraints, trade-offs, risks, uncertainties, and values. Presumably, among the most important considerations is economic cost. In this Phase 2 report, we continue our consideration of what is known and unknown about the economic costs of meeting these future water demands

Damping of the de Haas-van Alphen oscillations in the superconducting state of MgB_2

The de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) signal arising from orbits on the $\pi$ Fermi surface sheet of the two-gap superconductor MgB$_2$ has been observed in the vortex state below $H_{c2}$. An extra attenuation of the dHvA signal, beyond those effects described in the conventional Lifshitz-Kosevich expression, is seen due to the opening of the superconducting gap. Our data show that the $\pi$ band gap is still present up to $H_{c2}$. The data are compared to current theories of dHvA oscillations in the superconducting state which allow us to extract estimates for the evolution of the $\pi$ band gap with magnetic field. Contrary to results for other materials, we find that the most recent theories dramatically underestimate the damping in MgB$_2$.Comment: 10 pages with figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. B. PDF version with higher quality figures can be found at http://www.phy.bris.ac.uk/research/cond_matt/PdfPubs/mgb2RSdhva.pd

NLTE analysis of the methylidyne radical (CH) molecular lines in metal-poor stellar atmospheres

An analysis of the CH molecule in non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) is performed for the physical conditions of cool stellar atmospheres typical of red giants (log g = 2.0, Teff = 4500 K) and the Sun. The aim of the present work is to explore whether the G-band of the CH molecule, which is commonly used in abundance diagnostics of Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor (CEMP) stars, is sensitive to NLTE effects. LTE and NLTE theoretical spectra are computed with the MULTI code. We use one-dimensional (1D) LTE hydrostatic MARCS model atmospheres with parameters representing eleven red giant stars with metallicities ranging from [Fe/H] = -4.0 to [Fe/H] = 0.0 and carbon-to-iron ratios [C/Fe] = 0.0, +0.7, +1.5, and +3.0. The CH molecule model is represented by 1981 energy levels, 18377 radiative bound-bound transitions, and 932 photo-dissociation reactions. The rates due to transitions caused by collisions with free electrons and hydrogen atoms are computed using classical recipes. Our calculations suggest that NLTE effects in the statistical equilibrium of the CH molecule are significant and cannot be neglected for precision spectroscopic analysis of C abundances. The NLTE effects in the G-band increase with decreasing metallicity. We show that the C abundances are always under-estimated if LTE is assumed. The NLTE corrections to C abundance inferred from the CH feature range from +0.04 dex for the Sun to +0.21 dex for a red giant with metallicity [Fe/H] = -4.0. Departures from the LTE assumption in the CH molecule are non-negligible and NLTE effects have to be taken into account in the diagnostic spectroscopy based on the CH lines. We show here that the NLTE effects in the optical CH lines are non-negligible for the Sun and red giant stars, but further calculations are warranted to investigate the effects in other regimes of stellar parameters.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic