879 research outputs found
Dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates with dipole-dependent scattering length
We consider a Bose-Einstein condensate of polar molecules in a harmonic trap,
where the effective dipole may be tuned by an external field. We demonstrate
that taking into account the dependence of the scattering length on the dipole
moment is essential to reproducing the correct energies and for predicting the
stability of the condensate. We do this by comparing Gross-Pitaevskii
calculations with diffusion Monte Carlo calculations. We find very good
agreement between the results obtained by these two approaches once the dipole
dependence of the scattering length is taken into account. We also examine the
behavior of the condensate in non-isotropic traps
Bogoliubov modes of a dipolar condensate in a cylindrical trap
The calculation of properties of Bose-Einstein condensates with dipolar
interactions has proven a computationally intensive problem due to the long
range nature of the interactions, limiting the scope of applications. In
particular, the lowest lying Bogoliubov excitations in three dimensional
harmonic trap with cylindrical symmetry were so far computed in an indirect
way, by Fourier analysis of time dependent perturbations, or by approximate
variational methods. We have developed a very fast and accurate numerical
algorithm based on the Hankel transform for calculating properties of dipolar
Bose-Einstein condensates in cylindrically symmetric traps. As an application,
we are able to compute many excitation modes by directly solving the
Bogoliubov-De Gennes equations. We explore the behavior of the excited modes in
different trap geometries. We use these results to calculate the quantum
depletion of the condensate by a combination of a computation of the exact
modes and the use of a local density approximation
Hierarchical spin-orbital polarisation of a giant Rashba system
The Rashba effect is one of the most striking manifestations of spin-orbit
coupling in solids, and provides a cornerstone for the burgeoning field of
semiconductor spintronics. It is typically assumed to manifest as a
momentum-dependent splitting of a single initially spin-degenerate band into
two branches with opposite spin polarisation. Here, combining
polarisation-dependent and resonant angle-resolved photoemission measurements
with density-functional theory calculations, we show that the two "spin-split"
branches of the model giant Rashba system BiTeI additionally develop disparate
orbital textures, each of which is coupled to a distinct spin configuration.
This necessitates a re-interpretation of spin splitting in Rashba-like systems,
and opens new possibilities for controlling spin polarisation through the
orbital sector.Comment: 11 pages including supplemental figures, accepted for publication at
Science Advance
A Cluster Method for the Ashkin--Teller Model
A cluster Monte Carlo algorithm for the Ashkin-Teller (AT) model is
constructed according to the guidelines of a general scheme for such
algorithms. Its dynamical behaviour is tested for the square lattice AT model.
We perform simulations on the line of critical points along which the exponents
vary continuously, and find that critical slowing down is significantly
reduced. We find continuous variation of the dynamical exponent along the
line, following the variation of the ratio , in a manner which
satisfies the Li-Sokal bound , that was so far
proved only for Potts models.Comment: 18 pages, Revtex, figures include
The Ionized Gas and Nuclear Environment in NGC 3783 V. Variability and Modeling of the Intrinsic Ultraviolet Absorption
We present results on the location, physical conditions, and geometry of the
outflow in the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3783 from a study of the variable intrinsic
UV absorption. Based on 18 observations with HST/STIS and 6 observations with
FUSE, we find: 1) The absorption from the lowest-ionization species in each of
the three strong kinematic components varied inversely with the continuum flux,
indicating the ionization structure responded to changes in the photoionizing
flux over the weekly timescales sampled by our observations. 2) A multi-
component model with an unocculted NLR and separate BLR and continuum
line-of-sight covering factors predicts saturation in several lines, consistent
with the lack of observed variability. 3) Column densities for the individual
metastable levels are measured from the resolved C III *1175 absorption complex
observed in one component. Based on our computed metastable level populations,
the electron density of this absorber is ~3x10^4 cm^-3. Photoionization
modeling results place it at ~25 pc from the central source. 4) Using
time-dependent calculations, we are able to reproduce the detailed variability
observed in this absorber, and derive upper limits on the distances for the
other components of 25-50 pc. 5) The ionization parameters derived for the
higher ionization UV absorbers are consistent with the modeling results for the
lowest-ionization X-ray component, but with smaller total column density. They
have similar pressures as the three X-ray ionization components. These results
are consistent with an inhomogeneous wind model for the outflow in NGC 3783. 6)
Based on the predicted emission-line luminosities, global covering factor
constraints, and distances derived for the UV absorbers, they may be identified
with emission- line gas observed in the inner NLR of AGNs. (abridged)Comment: 30 pages, 18 figures (7 color), emulateapj, accepted for publication
in The Astrophysical Journa
Supernova PTF12glz: a possible shock breakout driven through an aspherical wind
We present visible-light and ultraviolet (UV) observations of the supernova
PTF12glz. The SN was discovered and monitored in near-UV and R bands as part of
a joint GALEX and Palomar Transient Factory campaign. It is among the most
energetic Type IIn supernovae observed to date (~10^51erg). If the radiated
energy mainly came from the thermalization of the shock kinetic energy, we show
that PTF12glz was surrounded by ~1 solar mass of circumstellar material (CSM)
prior to its explosive death. PTF12glz shows a puzzling peculiarity: at early
times, while the freely expanding ejecta are presumably masked by the optically
thick CSM, the radius of the blackbody that best fits the observations grows at
~8000km/s. Such a velocity is characteristic of fast moving ejecta rather than
optically thick CSM. This phase of radial expansion takes place before any
spectroscopic signature of expanding ejecta appears in the spectrum and while
both the spectroscopic data and the bolometric luminosity seem to indicate that
the CSM is optically thick. We propose a geometrical solution to this puzzle,
involving an aspherical structure of the CSM around PTF12glz. By modeling
radiative diffusion through a slab of CSM, we show that an aspherical geometry
of the CSM can result in a growing effective radius. This simple model also
allows us to recover the decreasing blackbody temperature of PTF12glz.
SLAB-Diffusion, the code we wrote to model the radiative diffusion of photons
through a slab of CSM and evaluate the observed radius and temperature, is made
available on-line.Comment: Sumbitted to ApJ. Comments are welcom
The Centurion 18 telescope of the Wise Observatory
We describe the second telescope of the Wise Observatory, a 0.46-m Centurion
18 (C18) installed in 2005, which enhances significantly the observing
possibilities. The telescope operates from a small dome and is equipped with a
large-format CCD camera. In the last two years this telescope was intensively
used in a variety of monitoring projects.
The operation of the C18 is now automatic, requiring only start-up at the
beginning of a night and close-down at dawn. The observations are mostly
performed remotely from the Tel Aviv campus or even from the observer's home.
The entire facility was erected for a component cost of about 70k$ and a labor
investment of a total of one man-year.
We describe three types of projects undertaken with this new facility: the
measurement of asteroid light variability with the purpose of determining
physical parameters and binarity, the following-up of transiting extrasolar
planets, and the study of AGN variability. The successful implementation of the
C18 demonstrates the viability of small telescopes in an age of huge
light-collectors, provided the operation of such facilities is very efficient.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, some figures quality was degraded, accepted for
publication in Astrophysics and Space Scienc
Crossover interference and sex-specific genetic maps shape identical by descent sharing in close relatives
Simulations of close relatives and identical by descent (IBD) segments are common in genetic studies, yet most past efforts have utilized sex averaged genetic maps and ignored crossover interference, thus omitting features known to affect the breakpoints of IBD segments. We developed Ped-sim, a method for simulating relatives that can utilize either sex-specific or sex averaged genetic maps and also either a model of crossover interference or the traditional Poisson model for inter-crossover distances. To characterize the impact of previously ignored mechanisms, we simulated data for all four combinations of these factors. We found that modeling crossover interference decreases the standard deviation of pairwise IBD proportions by 10.4% on average in full siblings through second cousins. By contrast, sex-specific maps increase this standard deviation by 4.2% on average, and also impact the number of segments relatives share. Most notably, using sex-specific maps, the number of segments half-siblings share is bimodal; and when combined with interference modeling, the probability that sixth cousins have non-zero IBD sharing ranges from 9.0 to 13.1%, depending on the sexes of the individuals through which they are related. We present new analytical results for the distributions of IBD segments under these models and show they match results from simulations. Finally, we compared IBD sharing rates between simulated and real relatives and find that the combination of sex-specific maps and interference modeling most accurately captures IBD rates in real data. Ped-sim is open source and available from https://github.com/williamslab/ped-sim
Measurement of the Broad Line Region Size in Two Bright Quasars
We present 4 years of spectrophotometric monitoring data for two radio-quiet
quasars, PG 0804+762 and PG 0953+414, with typical sampling intervals of
several months. Both sources show continuum and emission line variations. The
variations of the H line follow those of the continuum with a time lag,
as derived from a cross-correlation analysis, of 9330 days for PG 0804+762
and 11155 days for PG 0953+414. This is the first reliable measurement of
such a lag in active galactic nuclei with luminosity erg s.
The broad line region (BLR) size that is implied is almost an order of
magnitude larger than that measured in several Seyfert 1 galaxies and is
consistent with the hypothesis that the BLR size grows as .Comment: 5 pages, LaTeX (including aas2pp4 and epsf), including 4 EPS figures.
Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letter
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