35,013 research outputs found
The Sloan Lens ACS Survey. I. A Large Spectroscopically Selected Sample of Massive Early-Type Lens Galaxies
The Sloan Lens ACS (SLACS) Survey is an efficient Hubble Space Telescope
Snapshot imaging survey for new galaxy-scale strong gravitational lenses. The
targeted lens candidates are selected spectroscopically from within the Sloan
Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) database of galaxy spectra for having multiple
nebular emission lines at a redshift significantly higher than that of the SDSS
target galaxy. In this paper, we present a catalog of 19 newly discovered
gravitational lenses, along with 9 other observed candidate systems that are
either possible lenses, non-lenses, or non-detections. The survey efficiency is
thus >=68%. We also present Gemini and Magellan IFU data for 9 of the SLACS
targets, which further support the lensing interpretation. A new method for the
effective subtraction of foreground galaxy images to reveal faint background
features is presented. We show that the SLACS lens galaxies have colors and
ellipticities typical of the spectroscopic parent sample from which they are
drawn (SDSS luminous red galaxies and quiescent main-sample galaxies), but are
somewhat brighter and more centrally concentrated. Several explanations for the
latter bias are suggested. The SLACS survey provides the first statistically
significant and homogeneously selected sample of bright early-type lens
galaxies, furnishing a powerful probe of the structure of early-type galaxies
within the half-light radius. The high confirmation rate of lenses in the SLACS
survey suggests consideration of spectroscopic lens discovery as an explicit
science goal of future spectroscopic galaxy surveys (abridged).Comment: ApJ, in press. 20 pages, numerous figures, uses emulateapj. Replaced
to include full-resolution spectro figures. Version with full-resolution
imaging figures available at
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~abolton/slacs1_hires.pdf (PDF) or at
http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~abolton/slacs1_hires.ps.gz (PS). Additional SLACS
survey info at http://www.slacs.or
Kinetic equation for a dense soliton gas
We propose a general method to derive kinetic equations for dense soliton
gases in physical systems described by integrable nonlinear wave equations. The
kinetic equation describes evolution of the spectral distribution function of
solitons due to soliton-soliton collisions. Owing to complete integrability of
the soliton equations, only pairwise soliton interactions contribute to the
solution and the evolution reduces to a transport of the eigenvalues of the
associated spectral problem with the corresponding soliton velocities modified
by the collisions. The proposed general procedure of the derivation of the
kinetic equation is illustrated by the examples of the Korteweg -- de Vries
(KdV) and nonlinear Schr\"odinger (NLS) equations. As a simple physical example
we construct an explicit solution for the case of interaction of two cold NLS
soliton gases.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, final version published in Phys. Rev. Let
Solitary waves in clouds of Bose-Einstein condensed atoms
We consider the conditions under which solitary waves can exist in elongated
clouds of Bose-Einstein condensed atoms. General expressions are derived for
the velocity, characteristic size, and spatial profile of solitary waves, and
the low- and high-density limits are examined.Comment: 6 pages, revtex, 1 ps figur
Giant Flexoelectric Effect in Ferroelectric Epitaxial Thin Films
We report on nanoscale strain gradients in ferroelectric HoMnO3 epitaxial
thin films, resulting in a giant flexoelectric effect. Using grazing-incidence
in-plane X-ray diffraction, we measured strain gradients in the films, which
were 6 or 7 orders of magnitude larger than typical values reported for bulk
oxides. The combination of transmission electron microscopy, electrical
measurements, and electrostatic calculations showed that flexoelectricity
provides a means of tuning the physical properties of ferroelectric epitaxial
thin films, such as domain configurations and hysteresis curves.Comment: Accepted by Phys. Rev. Let
Domain enhanced interlayer coupling in ferroelectric/paraelectric superlattices
We investigate the ferroelectric phase transition and domain formation in a
periodic superlattice consisting of alternate ferroelectric (FE) and
paraelectric (PE) layers of nanometric thickness. We find that the polarization
domains formed in the different FE layers can interact with each other via the
PE layers. By coupling the electrostatic equations with those obtained by
minimizing the Ginzburg-Landau functional we calculate the critical temperature
of transition Tc as a function of the FE/PE superlattice wavelength and
quantitatively explain the recent experimental observation of a thickness
dependence of the ferroelectric transition temperature in KTaO3/KNbO3
strained-layer superlattices.Comment: Latest version as was published in PR
Comment on ``Conduction states in oxide perovskites: Three manifestations of Ti Jahn-Teller polarons in barium titanate''
In this comment to [S. Lenjer, O. F. Schirmer, H. Hesse, and Th. W. Kool,
Phys. Rev. B {\bf 66}, 165106 (2002)] we discuss the electronic structure of
oxygen vacancies in perovskites. First principles computations are in favour of
rather deep levels in these vacancies, and Lenjer et al suggest that the
electrons' interaction energy is negative, but data on electroconductivity are
against.Comment: 2 pages, no figure
AC induced damping of a fluxon in long Josephson junction
We present a theoretical and experimental study of Josephson vortex (fluxon)
moving in the presence of spatially homogeneous dc and ac bias currents. By
mapping this problem to the problem of calculating the current-voltage
characteristic of a small Josephson junction, we derive the dependence of the
average fluxon velocity on the dc bias current. In particular we find that the
low frequency ac bias current results in an additional nonlinear damping of
fluxon motion. Such ac induced damping crucially depends on the intrinsic
damping parameter and increases drastically as this parameter is reduced. We
find a good agreement of the analysis with both the direct numerical
simulations and the experimentally measured current-voltage characteristics of
a long annular Josephson junction with one trapped fluxon.Comment: Physical Review B, in pres
Cosmological Signatures of Interacting Neutrinos
We investigate signatures of neutrino scattering in the Cosmic Microwave
Background (CMB) and matter power spectra, and the extent to which present
cosmological data can distinguish between a free streaming or tightly coupled
fluid of neutrinos. If neutrinos have strong non-standard interactions, for
example, through the coupling of neutrinos to a light boson, they may be kept
in equilibrium until late times. We show how the power spectra for these models
differ from more conventional neutrino scenarios, and use CMB and large scale
structure data to constrain these models. CMB polarization data improves the
constraints on the number of massless neutrinos, while the Lyman--
power spectrum improves the limits on the neutrino mass. Neutrino mass limits
depend strongly on whether some or all of the neutrino species interact and
annihilate. The present data can accommodate a number of tightly-coupled
relativistic degrees of freedom, and none of the interacting-neutrino scenarios
considered are ruled out by current data -- although considerations regarding
the age of the Universe disfavor a model with three annihilating neutrinos with
very large neutrino masses.Comment: 17 pages, 14 figures, minor changes and references added, published
in Phys. Rev.
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