48,187 research outputs found
Constraining the Warm Dark Matter Particle Mass through Ultra-Deep UV Luminosity Functions at z=2
We compute the mass function of galactic dark matter halos for different
values of the Warm Dark Matter (WDM) particle mass m_X and compare it with the
abundance of ultra-faint galaxies derived from the deepest UV luminosity
function available so far at redshift z~2. The magnitude limit M_UV=-13 reached
by such observations allows us to probe the WDM mass functions down to scales
close to or smaller than the half-mass mode mass scale ~10^9 M_sun. This
allowed for an efficient discrimination among predictions for different m_X
which turn out to be independent of the star formation efficiency adopted to
associate the observed UV luminosities of galaxies to the corresponding dark
matter masses. Adopting a conservative approach to take into account the
existing theoretical uncertainties in the galaxy halo mass function, we derive
a robust limit m_X>1.8 keV for the mass of thermal relic WDM particles when
comparing with the measured abundance of the faintest galaxies, while m_X>1.5
keV is obtained when we compare with the Schechter fit to the observed
luminosity function. The corresponding lower limit for sterile neutrinos
depends on the modeling of the production mechanism; for instance m_sterile > 4
keV holds for the Shi-Fuller mechanism. We discuss the impact of observational
uncertainties on the above bound on m_X. As a baseline for comparison with
forthcoming observations from the HST Frontier Field, we provide predictions
for the abundance of faint galaxies with M_UV=-13 for different values of m_X
and of the star formation efficiency, valid up to z~4.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
Behaviour of compacted silt used to construct flood embankment
This paper investigates the unsaturated mechanical behaviour of a fill material sampled from flood embankments located along the Bengawan Solo River in Indonesia. In order to gain a better understanding of this fill material, in situ tests were carried out alongside an extensive laboratory programme. Two different phenomena related to changes in moisture content of the embankment fill material are experimentally studied herein: (a) volumetric collapse and (b) variation in shear strength with suction. At low densities, similar to those found in situ, the material exhibited significant volumetric collapse behaviour. Triaxial tests carried out under saturated, suction-controlled and constant water content conditions indicate that the shear strength of the material increased with suction; in particular the effective angle of friction increased from 24.9 degrees under saturated conditions to 35.8 degrees under air-dried conditions
Semiclassical (Quantum Field Theory) and Quantum (String) de Sitter Regimes: New Results
We compute the quantum string entropy S_s(m, H) from the microscopic string
density of states rho_s (m,H) of mass m in de Sitter space-time. We find for
high m, a {\bf new} phase transition at the critical string temperature T_s=
(1/2 pi k_B)L c^2/alpha', higher than the flat space (Hagedorn) temperature
t_s. (L = c/H, the Hubble constant H acts at the transition as producing a
smaller string constant alpha' and thus, a higher tension). T_s is the precise
quantum dual of the semiclassical (QFT Hawking-Gibbons) de Sitter temperature
T_sem = hbar c /(2\pi k_B L). We find a new formula for the full de Sitter
entropy S_sem (H), as a function of the usual Bekenstein-Hawking entropy
S_sem^(0)(H). For L << l_{Planck}, ie. for low H << c/l_Planck,
S_{sem}^{(0)}(H) is the leading term, but for high H near c/l_Planck, a new
phase transition operates and the whole entropy S_sem (H) is drastically
different from the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy S_sem^(0)(H). We compute the
string quantum emission cross section by a black hole in de Sitter (or
asymptotically de Sitter) space-time (bhdS). For T_sem ~ bhdS << T_s, (early
evaporation stage), it shows the QFT Hawking emission with temperature T_sem ~
bhdS, (semiclassical regime). For T_sem ~ bhdS near T_{s}, it exhibits a phase
transition into a string de Sitter state of size L_s = l_s^2/L}, l_s=
\sqrt{\hbar alpha'/c), and string de Sitter temperature T_s. Instead of
featuring a single pole singularity in the temperature (Carlitz transition), it
features a square root branch point (de Vega-Sanchez transition). New bounds on
the black hole radius r_g emerge in the bhdS string regime: it can become r_g =
L_s/2, or it can reach a more quantum value, r_g = 0.365 l_s.Comment: New original materia
Phase-control of directed diffusion in a symmetric optical lattice
We demonstrate the phenomenon of directed diffusion in a symmetric periodic
potential. This has been realized with cold atoms in a one-dimensional
dissipative optical lattice. The stochastic process of optical pumping leads to
a diffusive dynamics of the atoms through the periodic structure, while a
zero-mean force which breaks the temporal symmetry of the system is applied by
phase-modulating one of the lattice beams. The atoms are set into directed
motion as a result of the breaking of the temporal symmetry of the system
Interplay between the magnetic anisotropy contributions of Cobalt nanowires
We report on the magnetic properties and the crystallographic structure of
the cobalt nanowire arrays as a function of their nanoscale dimensions. X-ray
diffraction measurements show the appearance of an in-plane HCP-Co phase for
nanowires with 50 nm diameter, suggesting a partial reorientation of the
magnetocrystalline anisotropy axis along the membrane plane with increasing
pore diameter. No significant changes in the magnetic behavior of the nanowire
system are observed with decreasing temperature, indicating that the effective
magnetoelastic anisotropy does not play a dominant role in the remagnetization
processes of individual nanowires. An enhancement of the total magnetic
anisotropy is found at room temperature with a decreasing nanowire
diameter-to-length ratio (d/L), a result that is quantitatively analyzed on the
basis of a simplified shape anisotropy model.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
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