170 research outputs found
Statistical properties of supersonic turbulence in the Lagrangian and Eulerian frameworks
We present a systematic study of the influence of different forcing types on
the statistical properties of supersonic, isothermal turbulence in both the
Lagrangian and Eulerian frameworks. We analyse a series of high-resolution,
hydrodynamical grid simulations with Lagrangian tracer particles and examine
the effects of solenoidal (divergence-free) and compressive (curl-free) forcing
on structure functions, their scaling exponents, and the probability density
functions of the gas density and velocity increments. Compressively driven
simulations show a significantly larger density contrast, a more intermittent
behaviour, and larger fractal dimension of the most dissipative structures at
the same root mean square Mach number. We show that the absolute values of
Lagrangian and Eulerian structure functions of all orders in the integral range
are only a function of the root mean square Mach number, but independent of the
forcing. With the assumption of a Gaussian distribution for the probability
density function of the velocity increments on large scales, we derive a model
that describes this behaviour.Comment: 24 pages, 13 figures, Journal of Fluid Mechanics in pres
On the evolution of the density pdf in strongly self-gravitating systems
The time evolution of the probability density function (PDF) of the mass
density is formulated and solved for systems in free-fall using a simple
appoximate function for the collapse of a sphere. We demonstrate that a
pressure-free collapse results in a power-law tail on the high-density side of
the PDF. The slope quickly asymptotes to the functional form
for the (volume-weighted) PDF and
for the corresponding mass-weighted
distribution. From the simple approximation of the PDF we derive analytic
descriptions for mass accretion, finding that dynamically quiet systems with
narrow density PDFs lead to retarded star formation and low star formation
rates. Conversely, strong turbulent motions that broaden the PDF accelerate the
collapse causing a bursting mode of star formation. Finally, we compare our
theoretical work with observations. The measured star formation rates are
consistent with our model during the early phases of the collapse. Comparison
of observed column density PDFs with those derived from our model suggests that
observed star-forming cores are roughly in free-fall.Comment: accepted for publication, 13 page
Numerical Approach to Multi Dimensional Phase Transitions
We present an algorithm to analyze numerically the bounce solution of
first-order phase transitions. Our approach is well suited to treat phase
transitions with several fields. The algorithm consists of two parts. In the
first part the bounce solution without damping is determined, in which case
energy is conserved. In the second part the continuation to the physically
relevant case with damping is performed. The presented approach is numerically
stable and easily implemented.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures; some comments, a reference and a table adde
Supersonic Electroweak Baryogenesis: Achieving Baryogenesis for Fast Bubble Walls
Standard electroweak baryogenesis in the context of a first order phase
transition is effective in generating the baryon asymmetry of the universe if
the broken phase bubbles expand at subsonic speed, so that CP asymmetric
currents can diffuse in front of the wall. Here we present a new mechanism for
electroweak baryogenesis which operates for supersonic bubble walls. It relies
on the formation of small bubbles of the symmetric phase behind the bubble
wall, in the broken phase, due to the heating of the plasma as the wall passes
by. We apply the mechanism to a model in which the Higgs field is coupled to
several singlets, and find that enough baryon asymmetry is generated for
reasonable values of the parameter space
Production of Gravitational Waves in the nMSSM
During a strongly first-order phase transition gravitational waves are
produced by bubble collisions and turbulent plasma motion. We analyze the
relevant characteristics of the electroweak phase transition in the nMSSM to
determine the generated gravitational wave signal. Additionally, we comment on
correlations between the production of gravitational waves and baryogenesis. We
conclude that the gravitational wave relic density in this model is generically
too small to be detected in the near future by the LISA experiment. We also
consider the case of a "Standard Model" with dimension-six Higgs potential,
which leads to a slightly stronger signal of gravitational waves.Comment: 29 pages, 7 figures; published version, some comments adde
Indications of a sub-linear and non-universal Kennicutt-Schmidt relationship
We estimate the parameters of the Kennicutt-Schmidt (KS) relationship,
linking the star formation rate (Sigma_SFR) to the molecular gas surface
density (Sigma_mol), in the STING sample of nearby disk galaxies using a
hierarchical Bayesian method. This method rigorously treats measurement
uncertainties, and provides accurate parameter estimates for both individual
galaxies and the entire population. Assuming standard conversion factors to
estimate Sigma_SFR and Sigma_mol from the observations, we find that the KS
parameters vary between galaxies, indicating that no universal relationship
holds for all galaxies. The KS slope of the whole population is 0.76, with the
2sigma range extending from 0.58 to 0.94. These results imply that the
molecular gas depletion time is not constant, but varies from galaxy to galaxy,
and increases with the molecular gas surface density. Therefore, other galactic
properties besides just Sigma_mol affect Sigma_SFR, such as the gas fraction or
stellar mass. The non-universality of the KS relationship indicates that a
comprehensive theory of star formation must take into account additional
physical processes that may vary from galaxy to galaxy.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 1 table. Updated to match MNRAS accepted versio
General Properties of the Gravitational Wave Spectrum from Phase Transitions
In this paper we discuss some general aspects of the gravitational wave
background arising from post-inflationary short-lasting cosmological events
such as phase transitions. We concentrate on the physics which determines the
shape and the peak frequency of the gravitational wave spectrum. We then apply
our general findings to the case of bubble collisions during a first order
phase transition and compare different results in the recent literature.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures; v2: minor clarifications, published versio
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