Magnetic induction plasma engine Final report

Wall interaction reduction in magnetic induction plasma accelerato

Are All Static Black Hole Solutions Spherically Symmetric?

The static black hole solutions to the Einstein-Maxwell equations are all spherically symmetric, as are many of the recently discovered black hole solutions in theories of gravity coupled to other forms of matter. However, counterexamples demonstrating that static black holes need not be spherically symmetric exist in theories, such as the standard electroweak model, with electrically charged massive vector fields. In such theories, a magnetically charged Reissner-Nordstrom solution with sufficiently small horizon radius is unstable against the development of a nonzero vector field outside the horizon. General arguments show that, for generic values of the magnetic charge, this field cannot be spherically symmetric. Explicit construction of the solution shows that it in fact has no rotational symmetry at all.Comment: 6 pages, plain TeX. Submitted to GRF Essay Competitio

Exploring the meaning in meaningful coincidences: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of synchronicity in therapy

Synchronicity experiences (SEs) are defined as psychologically meaningful connections between inner events (e.g., thought, dream or vision) and one or more external events occurring simultaneously or at a future point in time. There has been limited systematic research that has investigated the phenomenology of SEs in therapy. This study aimed to redress this by exploring the process and nature of such experiences from the perspective of the practitioner. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA; Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009) was used to interview a purposive sample of nine practitioners who reported SEs in their therapeutic sessions. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with three counsellors, three psychologists and three psychotherapists, and focused on how participants make sense of their experiences of synchronicity in therapy. Three superordinate themes were identified: Sense of connectedness, therapeutic process, and professional issues. Findings suggest that SEs can serve to strengthen the therapeutic relationship and are perceived as useful harbingers of information about the therapeutic process, as well as being a means of overcoming communication difficulties, as they are seen to provide insights into the client’s experiencing of themselves and others, regardless of whether or not the SE is acknowledged by the client or disclosed by the therapist

High-Resolution K' Imaging of the z = 1.786 Radio Galaxy 3C 294

We have obtained imaging in the K' band (~I-band rest frame) of the z=1.786 radio galaxy 3C 294 with the 36-element curvature-sensing adaptive optics system Hokupa`a and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. At a resolution of < \~0."15, the galaxy is seen as a group of small but resolved knots distributed over a roughly triangular region ~1."4 across. The interpretation of the structure depends on the location of the nucleus, as indicated by the compact radio core. Its position is uncertain by > ~0."5 (2-sigma) because of uncertainties in the optical astrometry, but our best estimate places it at or near the southern apex of the distribution. If this location is correct, the most likely interpretation is that of a hidden quasar nucleus illuminating dusty infalling dwarf-galaxy-like clumps having characteristic sizes of ~1.5 kpc.Comment: 8 pages. One figure in gif format. Postscript version including fig. (240 kb) available at http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/~canaguby/preprints.html To appear in ApJ. Letter

Spectral energy distributions of quasars selected in the mid-infrared

We present preliminary results on fitting of SEDs to 142 z>1 quasars selected in the mid-infrared. Our quasar selection finds objects ranging in extinction from highly obscured, type-2 quasars, through more lightly reddened type-1 quasars and normal type-1s. We find a weak tendency for the objects with the highest far-infrared emission to be obscured quasars, but no bulk systematic offset between the far-infrared properties of dusty and normal quasars as might be expected in the most naive evolutionary schemes. The hosts of the type-2 quasars have stellar masses comparable to those of radio galaxies at similar redshifts. Many of the type-1s, and possibly one of the type-2s require a very hot dust component in addition to the normal torus emission.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proceedings of The Spectral Energy Distribution of Galaxies, Preston, September 2011, eds R.J. Tuffs & C.C. Popesc

Static Black Hole Solutions without Rotational Symmetry

We construct static black hole solutions that have no rotational symmetry. These arise in theories, including the standard electroweak model, that include charged vector mesons with mass $m\ne 0$. In such theories, a magnetically charged Reissner-Nordstrom black hole with horizon radius less than a critical value of the order of $m^{-1}$ is classically unstable against the development of a nonzero vector meson field just outside the horizon, indicating the existence of static black hole solutions with vector meson hair. For the case of unit magnetic charge, spherically symmetric solutions of this type have previously been studied. For other values of the magnetic charge, general arguments show that any new solution with hair cannot be spherically symmetric. In this paper we develop and apply a perturbative scheme (which may have applicability in other contexts) for constructing such solutions in the case where the Reissner-Nordstrom solution is just barely unstable. For a few low values of the magnetic charge the black holes retain a rotational symmetry about a single axis, but this axial symmetry disappears for higher charges. While the vector meson fields vanish exponentially fast at distances greater than $O(m^{-1})$, the magnetic field and the metric have higher multipole components that decrease only as powers of the distance from the black hole.Comment: 42 pages, phyzzx. 4 figures (PostScript, 1.7 MB when uncompressed) available by email from the Authors on reques

Direct observation of substitutional Ga after ion implantation in Ge by means of extended x-ray absorption fine structure

We present an experimental lattice location study of Ga atoms in Ge after ion implantation at elevated temperature (250°C). Using extended x-rayabsorption fine structure (EXAFS) experiments and a dedicated sample preparation method, we have studied the lattice location of Ga atoms in Ge with a concentration ranging from 0.5 at. % down to 0.005 at. %. At Ga concentrations ≤0.05 at.%, all Ga dopants are substitutional directly after ion implantation, without the need for post-implantation thermal annealing. At higher Ga concentrations, a reduction in the EXAFS amplitude is observed, indicating that a fraction of the Ga atoms is located in a defective environment. The local strain induced by the Ga atoms in the Ge matrix is independent of the Ga concentration and extends only to the first nearest neighbor Ge shell, where a 1% contraction in bond length has been measured, in agreement with density functional theory calculations.We acknowledge the support from the Research Foundation Flanders, the epi-team from imec, the KU Leuven GOA 09/06 project, the IUAP program P6/42 and the Australian Research Council. S.C. acknowledges support from OCAS NV by an OCAS-endowed chair at Ghent University

Resolving asymmetries along the pulsation cycle of the Mira star X Hya

The mass-loss process in Mira stars probably occurs in an asymmetric way where dust can form in inhomogeneous circumstellar molecular clumps. Following asymmetries along the pulsation cycle can give us clues about these mass-loss processes. We imaged the Mira star X Hya and its environnement at different epochs to follow the evolution of the morphology in the continuum and in the molecular bands. We observed X Hya with AMBER in J-H-K at low resolution at two epochs. We modelled squared visibilities with geometrical and physical models. We also present imaging reconstruction results obtained with MiRA and based on the physical a priori images. We report on the angular scale change of X Hya between the two epochs. 1D CODEX profiles allowed us to understand and model the spectral variation of squared visibilities and constrain the stellar parameters. Reconstructed model-dependent images enabled us to reproduce closure phase signals and the azimuthal dependence of squared visibilities. They show evidence for material inhomogeneities located in the immediate environment of the star.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 17 pages, 16 figure

Large amounts of optically-obscured star formation in the host galaxies of some type-2 quasars

We present Hubble Space Telescope images, and spectral energy distributions from optical to infrared wavelengths for a sample of six 0.3<z<0.8 type-2 quasars selected in the mid-infrared using data from the Spitzer Space Telescope. All the host galaxies show some signs of disturbance. Most seem to possess dusty, star-forming disks. The disk inclination, estimated from the axial ratio of the hosts, correlates with the depth of the silicate feature in the mid-infrared spectra, implying that at least some of the reddening towards the AGN arises in the host galaxy. The star formation rates in these objects, as inferred from the strengths of the PAH features and far-infrared continuum, range from 3-90 Msun/yr, but are mostly much larger than those inferred from the [OII]3727 emission line luminosity, due to obscuration. Taken together with studies of type-2 quasar hosts from samples selected in the optical and X-ray, this is consistent with previous suggestions that two types of extinction processes operate within the type-2 quasar population, namely a component due to the dusty torus in the immediate environment of the AGN, and a more extended component due to a dusty, star forming disk.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Accepted by ApJ Letter

Accretion Signatures from Massive Young Stellar Objects

High resolution (lambda / Delta-lambda = 50,000) K-band spectra of massive, embedded, young stellar objects are presented. The present sample consists of four massive young stars located in nascent clusters powering Galactic giant H II regions. Emission in the 2.3 micron 2--0 vibrational--rotational bandhead of CO is observed. A range of velocity broadened profiles seen in three of the objects is consistent with the emission arising from a circumstellar disk seen at various inclination angles. Br gamma spectra of the same spectral and spatial resolution are also presented which support an accretion disk or torus model for massive stars. In the fourth object, Br emission suggesting a rotating torus is observed, but the CO profile is narrow, indicating that there may be different CO emission mechanisms in massive stars and this is consistent with earlier observations of the BN object and MWC 349. To--date, only young massive stars of late O or early B types have been identified with clear accretion disk signatures in such embedded clusters. Often such stars are found in the presence of other more massive stars which are revealed by their photospheric spectra but which exhibit no disk signatures. This suggests the timescale for dissipating their disks is much faster than the less massive OB stars or that the most massive stars do not form with accretion disks.Comment: 28 pages, 10 Figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa