111,139 research outputs found
Modelling Intermediate Age and Old Stellar Populations in the Infrared
We have investigated the spectro-photometric properties of the Asymptotic
Giant Branch (AGB) stars and their contribution to the integrated infrared
emission in simple stellar populations (SSP). Adopting analytical relations
describing the evolution of these stars in the HR diagram and empirical
relations for the mass-loss rate and the wind terminal velocity, we were able
to model the effects of the dusty envelope around these stars, with a minimal
number of parameters. We computed isochrones at different age and initial metal
content. We compare our models with existing infrared colors of M giants and
Mira stars and with IRAS PSC data. Contrary to previous models, in the new
isochrones the mass-loss rate, which establishes the duration of the AGB phase,
also determines the spectral properties of the stars. The contribution of these
stars to the integrated light of the population is thus obtained in a
consistent way. We find that the emission in the mid infrared is about one
order of magnitude larger when dust is taken into account in an intermediate
age population, irrespective of the particular mixture adopted. The dependence
of the integrated colors on the metallicity and age is discussed, with
particular emphasis on the problem of age-metallicity degeneracy. We show that,
contrary to the case of optical or near infrared colors, the adoption of a
suitable pass-band in the mid infrared allows a fair separation of the two
effects. We suggest intermediate redshift elliptical galaxies as possible
targets of this method of solving the age-metallicity dilemma. The new SSP
models constitute a first step in a more extended study aimed at modelling the
spectral properties of the galaxies from the ultraviolet to the far infrared.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, to appear in A&
A coordinate-dependent superspace deformation from string theory
Starting from a type II superstring model defined on in
a linear graviphoton background, we derive a coordinate dependent -deformed
, superspace. The chiral fermionic coordinates
satisfy a Clifford algebra, while the other coordinate algebra remains
unchanged. We find a linear relation between the graviphoton field strength and
the deformation parameter. The null coordinate dependence of the graviphoton
background allows to extend the results to all orders in .Comment: 14 pages, reference added, accepted for publication in JHE
Magnetic monopole and string excitations in a two-dimensional spin ice
We study the magnetic excitations of a square lattice spin-ice recently
produced in an artificial form, as an array of nanoscale magnets. Our analysis,
based upon the dipolar interaction between the nanomagnetic islands, correctly
reproduces the ground-state observed experimentally. In addition, we find
magnetic monopole-like excitations effectively interacting by means of the
usual Coulombic plus a linear confining potential, the latter being related to
a string-like excitation binding the monopoles pairs, what indicates that the
fractionalization of magnetic dipoles may not be so easy in two dimensions.
These findings contrast this material with the three-dimensional analogue,
where such monopoles experience only the Coulombic interaction. We discuss,
however, two entropic effects that affect the monopole interactions: firstly,
the string configurational entropy may loose the string tension and then, free
magnetic monopoles should also be found in lower dimensional spin ices;
secondly, in contrast to the string configurational entropy, an entropically
driven Coulomb force, which increases with temperature, has the opposite effect
of confining the magnetic defects.Comment: 8 pages. Accepted by Journal of Applied Physics (2009
Physics of collisionless shocks - theory and simulation
Collisionless shocks occur in various fields of physics. In the context of
space and astrophysics they have been investigated for many decades. However, a
thorough understanding of shock formation and particle acceleration is still
missing. Collisionless shocks can be distinguished into electromagnetic and
electrostatic shocks. Electromagnetic shocks are of importance mainly in
astrophysical environments and they are mediated by the Weibel or filamentation
instability. In such shocks, charged particles gain energy by diffusive shock
acceleration. Electrostatic shocks are characterized by a strong electrostatic
field, which leads to electron trapping. Ions are accelerated by reflection
from the electrostatic potential. Shock formation and particle acceleration
will be discussed in theory and simulations
Soft supersymmetry breaking in the nonlinear sigma model
In this work we discuss the dynamical generation of mass in a deformed supersymmetric nonlinear sigma model in a two-dimensional ()
space-time. We introduce the deformation by imposing a constraint that softly
breaks supersymmetry. Through the tadpole method, we compute the effective
potential at leading order in expansion showing that the model exhibit a
dynamical generation of mass to the matter fields. Supersymmetry is recovered
in the limit of the deformation parameter going to zero.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures. Revised version. arXiv admin note: text overlap
with arXiv:1308.471
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