306 research outputs found
Modeling Non-Circular Motions in Disk Galaxies: A Bar in NGC 2976
We give a brief description of a new model for non-circular motions in disk
galaxy velocity fields, that does not invoke epicycles. We assume non-circular
motions to stem from a bar-like or oval distortion to the potential, as could
arise from a triaxial halo or a bar in the mass distribution of the baryons. We
apply our model to the high-quality CO and Halpha kinematics of NGC 2976
presented by Simon et al. 2003; it fits the data as well as their model with
unrealistic radial flows, but yields a steeper rotation curve. Our analysis and
other evidence suggests that NGC 2976 hosts a bar, implying a large baryonic
contribution to the potential and thus limiting the allowed dark matter halo
density.Comment: 4 pages, 3 color figures, contribution to "Galaxies in the Local
Volume" conference proceedings, eds. B. Koribalski and H. Jerje
A quantum protocol for cheat-sensitive weak coin flipping
We present a quantum protocol for the task of weak coin flipping. We find
that, for one choice of parameters in the protocol, the maximum probability of
a dishonest party winning the coin flip if the other party is honest is
1/sqrt(2). We also show that if parties restrict themselves to strategies
wherein they cannot be caught cheating, their maximum probability of winning
can be even smaller. As such, the protocol offers additional security in the
form of cheat sensitivity.Comment: 4 pages RevTex. Differs from the journal version only in that the
sentences: "The ordering of the authors on this paper was chosen by a coin
flip implemented by a trusted third party. TR lost." have not been remove
Quantum coin tossing and bit-string generation in the presence of noise
We discuss the security implications of noise for quantum coin tossing
protocols. We find that if quantum error correction can be used, so that noise
levels can be made arbitrarily small, then reasonable security conditions for
coin tossing can be framed so that results from the noiseless case will
continue to hold. If, however, error correction is not available (as is the
case with present day technology), and significant noise is present, then
tossing a single coin becomes problematic. In this case, we are led to consider
random n-bit string generation in the presence of noise, rather than
single-shot coin tossing. We introduce precise security criteria for n-bit
string generation and describe an explicit protocol that could be implemented
with present day technology. In general, a cheater can exploit noise in order
to bias coins to their advantage. We derive explicit upper bounds on the
average bias achievable by a cheater for given noise levels.Comment: REVTeX. 6 pages, no figures. Early versions contained errors in
statements of security conditions, although results were correct. v4: PRA
versio
Tight bounds for classical and quantum coin flipping
Coin flipping is a cryptographic primitive for which strictly better
protocols exist if the players are not only allowed to exchange classical, but
also quantum messages. During the past few years, several results have appeared
which give a tight bound on the range of implementable unconditionally secure
coin flips, both in the classical as well as in the quantum setting and for
both weak as well as strong coin flipping. But the picture is still incomplete:
in the quantum setting, all results consider only protocols with perfect
correctness, and in the classical setting tight bounds for strong coin flipping
are still missing. We give a general definition of coin flipping which unifies
the notion of strong and weak coin flipping (it contains both of them as
special cases) and allows the honest players to abort with a certain
probability. We give tight bounds on the achievable range of parameters both in
the classical and in the quantum setting.Comment: 18 pages, 2 figures; v2: published versio
Deep imaging of Eridanus II and its lone star cluster
We present deep imaging of the most distant dwarf discovered by the Dark
Energy Survey, Eridanus II (Eri II). Our Magellan/Megacam stellar photometry
reaches mag deeper than previous work, and allows us to confirm the
presence of a stellar cluster whose position is consistent with Eri II's
center. This makes Eri II, at , the least luminous galaxy known to
host a (possibly central) cluster. The cluster is partially resolved, and at
it accounts for of Eri II's luminosity. We derive
updated structural parameters for Eri II, which has a half-light radius of
pc and is elongated (), at a measured
distance of kpc. The color-magnitude diagram displays a blue,
extended horizontal branch, as well as a less populated red horizontal branch.
A central concentration of stars brighter than the old main sequence turnoff
hints at a possible intermediate-age ( Gyr) population; alternatively,
these sources could be blue straggler stars. A deep Green Bank Telescope
observation of Eri II reveals no associated atomic gas.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures; ApJL accepte
Antlia B: A faint dwarf galaxy member of the NGC 3109 association
We report the discovery of Antlia B, a faint dwarf galaxy at a projected
distance of 72 kpc from NGC 3109 (15 mag), the primary
galaxy of the NGC 3109 dwarf association at the edge of the Local Group. The
tip of the red giant branch distance to Antlia B is =1.290.10 Mpc,
which is consistent with the distance to NGC 3109. A qualitative analysis
indicates the new dwarf's stellar population has both an old, metal poor red
giant branch (10 Gyr, [Fe/H]2), and a younger blue population
with an age of 200-400 Myr, analogous to the original Antlia dwarf,
another likely satellite of NGC 3109. Antlia B has \ion{H}{1} gas at a velocity
of =376 km s, confirming the association with NGC 3109
(=403 km s). The HI gas mass
(M=2.80.210 M), stellar luminosity
(=9.70.6 mag) and half light radius (=27329 pc) are
all consistent with the properties of dwarf irregular and dwarf spheroidal
galaxies in the Local Volume, and is most similar to the Leo P dwarf galaxy.
The discovery of Antlia B is the initial result from a Dark Energy Camera
survey for halo substructure and faint dwarf companions to NGC 3109 with the
goal of comparing observed substructure with expectations from the
+Cold Dark Matter model in the sub-Milky Way regime.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to ApJ
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