Experimentally observed evolution between dynamic patterns and intrinsic localized modes in a driven nonlinear electrical cyclic lattice

Locked intrinsic localized modes (ILMs) and large amplitude lattice spatial modes (LSMs) have been experimentally measured for a driven 1-D nonlinear cyclic electric transmission line, where the nonlinear element is a saturable capacitor. Depending on the number of cells and electrical lattice damping a LSM of fixed shape can be tuned across the modal spectrum. Interestingly, by tuning the driver frequency away from this spectrum an LSM can be continuously converted into ILMs and visa versa. The differences in pattern formation between simulations and experimental findings are due to a low concentration of impurities. Through this novel nonlinear excitation and switching channel in cyclic lattices either energy balanced or unbalanced LSMs and ILMs may occur. Because of the general nature of these dynamical results for nonintegrable lattices applications are to be expected. The ultimate stability of driven aero machinery containing nonlinear periodic structures may be one example.Comment: 7 pages 7 figure

The Deuterium Abundance in the z=0.7 absorber towards QSO PG1718+4807

We report a further analysis of the ratio of deuterium to hydrogen (D/H) using HST spectra of the z=0.701 Lyman limit system towards the QSO PG1718+481. Initial analyses of this absorber found it gave a high D/H value, 1.8 - 3.1 \times 10^{-4} (Webb et al. 1998), inconsistent with several higher redshift measurements. It is thus important to critically examine this measurement. By analysing the velocity widths of the DI, HI and metal lines present in this system, Kirkman et al. (2001) report that the additional absorption in the blue wing of the lya line can not be DI, with a confidence level of 98%. Here we present a more detailed analysis, taking into account possible wavelength shifts between the three sets of HST spectra used in the analysis. We find that the constraints on this system are not as strong as those claimed by Kirkman et al. The discrepancy between the parameters of the blue wing absorption and the parameters expected for DI is marginally worse than 1 sigma. Tytler et al.(1999) commented on the first analysis of Webb et al.(1997,1998), reporting the presence of a contaminating lower redshift Lyman limit system, with log[N(HI)] = 16.7 at z=0.602, which biases the N(HI) estimate for the main system. Here we show that this absorber actually has log[N(HI)] < 14.6 and does not impact on the estimate of N(HI) in the system of interest at z = 0.701. The purpose of the present paper is to highlight important aspects of the analysis which were not explored in previous studies, and hence help refine the methods used in future analyses of D/H in quasar spectra.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures. Accepted by MNRA

Modulation of CMB polarization with a warm rapidly-rotating half-wave plate on the Atacama B-Mode Search (ABS) instrument

We evaluate the modulation of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarization using a rapidly-rotating, half-wave plate (HWP) on the Atacama B-Mode Search (ABS). After demodulating the time-ordered-data (TOD), we find a significant reduction of atmospheric fluctuations. The demodulated TOD is stable on time scales of 500-1000 seconds, corresponding to frequencies of 1-2 mHz. This facilitates recovery of cosmological information at large angular scales, which are typically available only from balloon-borne or satellite experiments. This technique also achieves a sensitive measurement of celestial polarization without differencing the TOD of paired detectors sensitive to two orthogonal linear polarizations. This is the first demonstration of the ability to remove atmospheric contamination at these levels from a ground-based platform using a rapidly-rotating HWP.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, Published in RSI under the title "Modulation of cosmic microwave background polarization with a warm rapidly rotating half-wave plate on the Atacama B-Mode Search instrument.

Energy thresholds for discrete breathers in one-, two- and three-dimensional lattices

Discrete breathers are time-periodic, spatially localized solutions of equations of motion for classical degrees of freedom interacting on a lattice. They come in one-parameter families. We report on studies of energy properties of breather families in one-, two- and three-dimensional lattices. We show that breather energies have a positive lower bound if the lattice dimension of a given nonlinear lattice is greater than or equal to a certain critical value. These findings could be important for the experimental detection of discrete breathers.Comment: 10 pages, LaTeX, 4 figures (ps), Physical Review Letters, in prin

Generation of Intrinsic Vibrational Gap Modes in Three-Dimensional Ionic Crystals

The existence of anharmonic localization of lattice vibrations in a perfect 3-D diatomic ionic crystal is established for the rigid-ion model by molecular dynamics simulations. For a realistic set of NaI potential parameters, an intrinsic localized gap mode vibrating in the [111] direction is observed for fcc and zinc blende lattices. An axial elastic distortion is an integral feature of this mode which forms more readily for the zinc blende than for the fcc structure. Molecular dynamics simulations verify that in each structure this localized mode may be stable for at least 200 cycles.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX, using epsf.sty. To be published in Phys. Rev. B. Also available at http://www.msc.cornell.edu/~kiselev

Implications of a High Angular Resolution Image of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect in RXJ1347-1145

The most X-ray luminous cluster known, RXJ1347-1145 (z=0.45), has been the object of extensive study across the electromagnetic spectrum. We have imaged the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect (SZE) at 90 GHz (3.3 mm) in RXJ1347-1145 at 10" resolution with the 64-pixel MUSTANG bolometer array on the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), confirming a previously reported strong, localized enhancement of the SZE 20" to the South-East of the center of X-ray emission. This enhancement of the SZE has been interpreted as shock-heated (> 20 keV) gas caused by an ongoing major (low mass-ratio) merger event. Our data support this interpretation. We also detect a pronounced asymmetry in the projected cluster pressure profile, with the pressure just east of the cluster core ~1.6 times higher than just to the west. This is the highest resolution image of the SZE made to date.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Radio and gamma-ray follow-up of the exceptionally high activity state of PKS 1510-089 in 2011

We investigate the radio and gamma-ray variability of the flat spectrum radio quasar PKS 1510-089 in the time range between 2010 November and 2012 January. In this period the source showed an intense activity, with two major gamma-ray flares detected in 2011 July and October. During the latter episode both the gamma-ray and the radio flux density reached their historical peak. Multiwavelength analysis shows a rotation of about 380 deg of the optical polarization angle close in time with the rapid and strong gamma-ray flare in 2011 July. An enhancement of the optical emission and an increase of the fractional polarization both in the optical and in radio bands is observed about three weeks later, close in time with another gamma-ray outburst. On the other hand, after 2011 September a huge radio outburst has been detected, first in the millimeter regime followed with some time delay at centimeter down to decimeter wavelengths. This radio flare is characterized by a rising and a decaying stage, in agreement with the formation of a shock and its evolution, as a consequence of expansion and radiative cooling. If the gamma-ray flare observed in 2011 October is related to this radio outburst, then this strongly indicates that the region responsible for the gamma-ray variability is not within the broad line, but a few parsecs downstream along the jet.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

On the Existence of Localized Excitations in Nonlinear Hamiltonian Lattices

We consider time-periodic nonlinear localized excitations (NLEs) on one-dimensional translationally invariant Hamiltonian lattices with arbitrary finite interaction range and arbitrary finite number of degrees of freedom per unit cell. We analyse a mapping of the Fourier coefficients of the NLE solution. NLEs correspond to homoclinic points in the phase space of this map. Using dimensionality properties of separatrix manifolds of the mapping we show the persistence of NLE solutions under perturbations of the system, provided NLEs exist for the given system. For a class of nonintegrable Fermi-Pasta-Ulam chains we rigorously prove the existence of NLE solutions.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX, 2 figures will be mailed upon request (Phys. Rev. E, in press