8,948 research outputs found
Incommensurate, helical spin ground states on the Hollandite lattice
We present a model of classical Heisenberg spins on a Hollandite lattice,
which has been developed to describe the magnetic properties of
-MnO and similar compounds. The model has nearest neighbor
interacting spins, however the strength and the sign of spin-spin interactions
is anisotropic and depends on the nature of the bonds. Our analysis shows that
the Hollandite lattice supports four different incommensurate and helical
magnetic ground states depending on the relative strengths and signs of
spin-spin interactions. We show that the incommensurate helical ground states
appear due to the geometrical frustration present in the model. We demonstrate
that each of the four helical incommensurate magnetic phases are continuously
connected to four different collinear antiferromagnetic ground states as the
strength of spin-spin interaction along some bonds is increased. The present
results give support to the presence of helical states that have been
previously suggested experimentally for Hollandite compounds. We provide an
in-depth analysis of the magnetic form factors for each helical phase and
describe how it could be used to identify each of these phases in neutron
diffraction experiments.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure
A 100 pc Elliptical and Twisted Ring of Cold and Dense Molecular Clouds Revealed by Herschel Around the Galactic Center
Thermal images of cold dust in the Central Molecular Zone of the Milky Way, obtained with the far-infrared cameras on board the Herschel satellite, reveal a ~3 × 10^7 M_☉ ring of dense and cold clouds orbiting the Galactic center. Using a simple toy model, an elliptical shape having semi-major axes of 100 and 60 pc is deduced. The major axis of this 100 pc ring is inclined by about 40° with respect to the plane of the sky and is oriented perpendicular to the major axes of the Galactic Bar. The 100 pc ring appears to trace the system of stable x_2 orbits predicted for the barred Galactic potential. Sgr A⋆ is displaced with respect to the geometrical center of symmetry of the ring. The ring is twisted and its morphology suggests a flattening ratio of 2 for the Galactic potential, which is in good agreement with the bulge flattening ratio derived from the 2MASS data
Spitzer/IRS investigation of MIPSGAL 24 microns compact bubbles
The MIPSGAL 24 m Galactic Plane Survey has revealed more than 400
compact-extended objects. Less than 15% of these MIPSGAL bubbles (MBs) are
known and identified as evolved stars. We present Spitzer observations of 4 MBs
obtained with the InfraRed Spectrograph to determine the origin of the mid-IR
emission. We model the mid-IR gas lines and the dust emission to infer physical
conditions within the MBs and consequently their nature. Two MBs show a
dust-poor spectrum dominated by highly ionized gas lines of [\ion{O}{4}],
[\ion{Ne}{3}], [\ion{Ne}{5}], [\ion{S}{3}] and [\ion{S}{4}]. We identify them
as planetary nebulae with a density of a few 10 and a central
white dwarf of K. The mid-IR emission of the two other MBs is
dominated by a dust continuum and lower-excitation lines. Both of them show a
central source in the near-IR (2MASS and IRAC) broadband images. The first
dust-rich MB matches a Wolf-Rayet star of K at 7.5 kpc with dust
components of and K. Its mass is about $10^{-3}\
\rm{M_\odot}10^{-6}\ \rm{M_\odot/yr}. The second
dust-rich MB has recently been suggested as a Be/B[e]/LBV candidate. The gas
lines of [\ion{Fe}{2}] as well as hot continuum components (\sim300\sim1250\sim7510^{-3}\ \rm{M_\odot}10^{-5}\ \rm{M_\odot/yr}$.Comment: accepted for publication in Ap
Topological superconductivity in lead nanowires
Superconductors with an odd number of bands crossing the Fermi energy have
topologically protected Andreev states at interfaces, including Majorana states
in one dimensional geometries. Superconductivity, a low number of 1D channels,
large spin orbit coupling, and a sizeable Zeeman energy, are present in lead
nanowires produced by nanoindentation of a Pb tip on a Pb substrate, in
magnetic fields higher than the Pb bulk critical field. A number of such
devices have been analyzed. In some of them, the dependence of the critical
current on magnetic field, and the Multiple Andreev Reflections observed at
finite voltages, are compatible with the existence of topological
superconductivity
The infrared and molecular environment surrounding the Wolf-Rayet star WR130
We present a study of the molecular CO gas and mid/far infrared radiation
arising from the environment surrounding the Wolf-Rayet (W-R) star 130. We use
the multi-wavelength data to analyze the properties of the dense gas and dust,
and its possible spatial correlation with that of Young Stellar Objects (YSOs).
We use CO J=1-0 data from the FCRAO survey as tracer of the molecular gas, and
mid/far infrared data from the recent WISE and Herschel space surveys to study
the dust continuum radiation and to identify a population of associated
candidate YSOs. The spatial distribution of the molecular gas shows a ring-like
structure very similar to that observed in the HI gas, and over the same
velocity interval. The relative spatial distribution of the HI and CO
components is consistent with a photo-dissociation region. We have identified
and characterized four main and distinct molecular clouds that create this
structure. Cold dust is coincident with the dense gas shown in the CO
measurements. We have found several cYSOs that lie along the regions with the
highest gas column density, and suggest that they are spatially correlated with
the shell. These are indicative of regions of star formation induced by the
strong wind and ionization of the WR star.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, 6 Tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Local superconducting density of states of ErNi2B2C
We present local tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy measurements at low
temperatures in single crystalline samples of the magnetic superconductor
ErNi2B2C. The electronic local density of states shows a striking departure
from s-wave BCS theory with a finite value at the Fermi level, which amounts to
half of the normal phase density of states.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
Proper Motions of Young Stellar Outflows in the Mid-Infrared with Spitzer. II. HH 377/Cep E
We have used multiple mid-infrared observations at 4.5 micron obtained with
the Infrared Array Camera, of the compact (~1.4 arcmin) young stellar bipolar
outflow Cep E to measure the proper motion of its brightest condensations. The
images span a period of ~6 yr and have been reprocessed to achieve a higher
angular resolution (~0.8 arcsec) than their normal beam (2 arcsec).
We found that for a distance of 730 pc, the tangential velocities of the
North and South outflow lobes are 62+/-29 and 94+/-6 km/s respectively, and
moving away from the central source roughly along the major axis of the flow. A
simple 3D hydrodynamical simulation of the H2 gas in a precessing outflow
supports this idea. Observations and model confirm that the molecular Hydrogen
gas, traced by the pure rotational transitions, moves at highly supersonic
velocities without being dissociated. This suggests either a very efficient
mechanism to reform H2 molecules along these shocks or the presence of some
other mechanism (e.g. strong magnetic field) that shields the H2 gas.Comment: Accepted for publication in New Journal of Physics (Special Issue
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