Structure and Dynamics of the Globular Cluster Palomar 13

We present Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy and Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope/MegaCam photometry for the Milky Way globular cluster Palomar 13. We triple the number of spectroscopically confirmed members, including many repeat velocity measurements. Palomar 13 is the only known globular cluster with possible evidence for dark matter, based on a Keck/High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer 21 star velocity dispersion of σ = 2.2 ± 0.4 km s^(–1). We reproduce this measurement, but demonstrate that it is inflated by unresolved binary stars. For our sample of 61 stars, the velocity dispersion is σ = 0.7^(+0.6)_(–0.5) km s^(–1). Combining our DEIMOS data with literature values, our final velocity dispersion is σ = 0.4^(+0.4)_( –0.3) km s^(–1). We determine a spectroscopic metallicity of [Fe/H] = –1.6 ± 0.1 dex, placing a 1σ upper limit of σ_([Fe/H]) ~ 0.2 dex on any internal metallicity spread. We determine Palomar 13's total luminosity to be M_V = –2.8 ± 0.4, making it among the least luminous known globular clusters. The photometric isophotes are regular out to the half-light radius and mildly irregular outside this radius. The outer surface brightness profile slope is shallower than typical globular clusters (Σ α r^η, η = –2.8 ± 0.3). Thus at large radius, tidal debris is likely affecting the appearance of Palomar 13. Combining our luminosity with the intrinsic velocity dispersion, we find a dynamical mass of M_(1/2) = 1.3^(+2:7)_(–1.3) × 10^3 M_☉ and a mass-to-light ratio of M/L_V = 2.4^(+5.0)_(–2.4) M_☉/L_☉. Within our measurement errors, the mass-to-light ratio agrees with the theoretical predictions for a single stellar population. We conclude that, while there is some evidence for tidal stripping at large radius, the dynamical mass of Palomar 13 is consistent with its stellar mass and neither significant dark matter, nor extreme tidal heating, is required to explain the cluster dynamics

Kelpie: A ROS-based multi-robot simulator for water surface and aerial vehicles

Testing and debugging real hardware is a time consuming task, in particular for the case of aquatic robots, for which it is necessary to transport and deploy the robots on the water. Performing waterborne and airborne field experiments with expensive hardware embedded in not yet fully functional prototypes is a highly risky endeavour. In this sense, physics-based 3D simulators are key for a fast paced and affordable development of such robotic systems. This paper contributes with a modular, open-source, and soon to be freely online available, ROS-based multi-robot simulator specially focused for aerial and water surface vehicles. This simulator is being developed as part of the RIVERWATCH experiment in the ECHORD european FP7 project. This experiment aims at demonstrating a multi-robot system for remote monitoring of riverine environments.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Saliency-based cooperative landing of a multirotor aerial vehicle on an autonomous surface vehicle

This paper presents a method for vision-based landing of a multirotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) on an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) equipped with a helipad. The method includes a mechanism for helipad behavioural search when outside the UAV’s field of view, a learning saliency-based mechanism for visual tracking the helipad, and a cooperative strategy for the final vision-based landing phase. Learning how to track the helipad from above occurs during takeoff and cooperation results from having the ASV tracking the UAV for assisting its landing. A set of experimental results with both simulated and physical robots show the feasibility of the presented method.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Phase transition in the massive Gross-Neveu model in toroidal topologies

We use methods of quantum field theory in toroidal topologies to study the $N$-component $D$-dimensional massive Gross-Neveu model, at zero and finite temperature, with compactified spatial coordinates. We discuss the behavior of the large-$N$ coupling constant ($g$), investigating its dependence on the compactification length ($L$) and the temperature ($T$). For all values of the fixed coupling constant ($\lambda$), we find an asymptotic-freedom type of behavior, with $g\to 0$ as $L\to 0$ and/or $T\to \infty$. At T=0, and for $\lambda \geq \lambda_{c}^{(D)}$ (the strong coupling regime), we show that, starting in the region of asymptotic freedom and increasing $L$, a divergence of $g$ appears at a finite value of $L$, signaling the existence of a phase transition with the system getting spatially confined. Such a spatial confinement is destroyed by raising the temperature. The confining length, $L_{c}^{(D)}$, and the deconfining temperature, $T_{d}^{(D)}$, are determined as functions of $\lambda$ and the mass ($m$) of the fermions, in the case of $D=2,3,4$. Taking $m$ as the constituent quark mass ($\approx 350\: MeV$), the results obtained are of the same order of magnitude as the diameter ($\approx 1.7 fm$) and the estimated deconfining temperature ($\approx 200\: MeV$) of hadrons.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, 1 table, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Contaminação de algodão em caroço, e em especial de sementes de algodão por fungos produtores de aflatoxina e como evitá-la.

Origem dos contaminantes (aflatoxinas e outros) na sementes e no caroço do algodão no campo e no armazenamento; Recomendações para se evitar ou controlar a contaminação e a detectação da aflatoxina; Conclusões;Referencias bibliográficas.bitstream/CNPA-2009-09/14608/1/CIRTEC38.pd