18,670 research outputs found
Anomalous Rashba spin splitting in two-dimensional hole systems
It has long been assumed that the inversion asymmetry-induced Rashba spin
splitting in two-dimensional (2D) systems at zero magnetic field is
proportional to the electric field that characterizes the inversion asymmetry
of the confining potential. Here we demonstrate, both theoretically and
experimentally, that 2D heavy hole systems in accumulation layer-like single
heterostructures show the opposite behavior, i.e., a decreasing, but nonzero
electric field results in an increasing Rashba coefficient.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
NICMOS Imaging of the Dusty Microjansky Radio Source VLA J123642+621331 at z = 4.424
We present the discovery of a radio galaxy at a likely redshift of z = 4.424
in one of the flanking fields of the Hubble Deep Field. Radio observations with
the VLA and MERLIN centered on the HDF yielded a complete sample of microjansky
radio sources, of which about 20% have no optical counterpart to I < 25 mag. In
this Letter, we address the possible nature of one of these sources, through
deep HST NICMOS images in the F110W (J) and F160W (H) filters. VLA
J123642+621331 has a single emission line at 6595-A, which we identify with
Lyman-alpha at z = 4.424. We argue that this faint (H = 23.9 mag), compact (r =
0.2 arcsec), red (I - K = 2.0) object is most likely a dusty, star-forming
galaxy with an embedded active nucleus.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letters. 11 pages,
4 figures, uses aastex v5.0 and psfi
The WISE AGN Catalog
We present two large catalogs of AGN candidates identified across ~75% of the
sky from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer's AllWISE Data Release. Both
catalogs, some of the largest such catalogs published to date, are selected
purely on the basis of mid-IR photometry in the WISE W1 and W2 bands. The
catalogs are designed to be appropriate for a broad range of scientific
investigations, with one catalog emphasizing reliability while the other
emphasizes completeness. Specifically, the R90 catalog consists of 4,543,530
AGN candidates with 90% reliability, while the C75 catalog consists of
20,907,127 AGN candidates with 75% completeness. We provide a detailed
discussion of potential artifacts, and excise portions of the sky close to the
Galactic Center, Galactic Plane, nearby galaxies, and other expected
contaminating sources. Our final catalogs cover 30,093 deg^2 of extragalactic
sky. These catalogs are expected to enable a broad range of science, and we
present a few simple illustrative cases. From the R90 sample we identify 45
highly variable AGN lacking radio counterparts in the FIRST survey, implying
they are unlikely to be blazars. One of these sources, WISEA
J142846.71+172353.1, is a mid-IR-identified changing-look quasar at z=0.104. We
characterize our catalogs by comparing them to large, wide-area AGN catalogs in
the literature, specifically UV-to-near-IR quasar selections from SDSS and
XDQSOz, mid-IR selection from Secrest et al. (2015) and X-ray selection from
ROSAT. From the latter work, we identify four ROSAT X-ray sources that each are
matched to three WISE-selected AGN in the R90 sample within 30". Palomar
spectroscopy reveals one of these systems, 2RXS J150158.6+691029, to consist of
a triplet of quasars at z=1.133 +/- 0.004, suggestive of a rich group or
forming galaxy cluster.(Abridged)Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Supplements.
Updated with comments from the referee. 20 pages, 15 figures, 8 tables. The
WISE AGN Catalogs can be made available upon request by writing to
[email protected]
Decoherence and Recoherence in Model Quantum Systems
We discuss the various manifestations of quantum decoherence in the forms of
dephasing, entanglement with the environment, and revelation of "which-path"
information. As a specific example, we consider an electron interference
experiment. The coupling of the coherent electrons to the quantized
electromagnetic field illustrates all of these versions of decoherence. This
decoherence has two equivalent interpretations, in terms of photon emission or
in terms of Aharonov-Bohm phase fluctuations. We consider the case when the
coherent electrons are coupled to photons in a squeezed vacuum state. The
time-averaged result is increased decoherence. However, if only electrons which
are emitted during selected periods are counted, the decoherence can be
suppressed below the level for the photon vacuum. This is the phenomenon of
recoherence. This effect is closely related to the quantum violations of the
weak energy condition, and is restricted by similar inequalities. We give some
estimates of the magnitude of the recoherence effect and discuss prospects for
observing it in an electron interferometry experiment.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, talk presented at the 7th Friedmann Seminar, Joao
Pessoa, Brazil, July 200
Composite Fermions in Modulated Structures: Transport and Surface Acoustic Waves
Motivated by a recent experiment of Willett et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 4478
(1997)], we employ semiclassical composite-fermion theory to study the effect
of a periodic density modulation on a quantum Hall system near Landau level
filling factor nu=1/2. We show that even a weak density modulation leads to
dramatic changes in surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) propagation, and propose an
explanation for several key features of the experimental observations. We
predict that properly arranged dc transport measurements would show a structure
similar to that seen in SAW measurements.Comment: Version published in Phys. Rev. Lett. Figures changed to show SAW
velocity shift. LaTeX, 5 pages, two included postscript figure
Space station integrated wall design and penetration damage control
A methodology was developed to allow a designer to optimize the pressure wall, insulation, and meteoroid/debris shield system of a manned spacecraft for a given spacecraft configuration and threat environment. The threat environment consists of meteoroids and orbital debris, as specified for an arbitrary orbit and expected lifetime. An overall probability of no penetration is calculated, as well as contours of equal threat that take into account spacecraft geometry and orientation. Techniques, tools, and procedures for repairing an impacted and penetrated pressure wall were developed and tested. These techniques are applied from the spacecraft interior and account for the possibility of performing the repair in a vacuum. Hypervelocity impact testing was conducted to: (1) develop and refine appropriate penetration functions, and (2) determine the internal effects of a penetration on personnel and equipment
Space station integrated wall design and penetration damage control
The analysis code BUMPER executes a numerical solution to the problem of calculating the probability of no penetration (PNP) of a spacecraft subject to man-made orbital debris or meteoroid impact. The codes were developed on a DEC VAX 11/780 computer that uses the Virtual Memory System (VMS) operating system, which is written in FORTRAN 77 with no VAX extensions. To help illustrate the steps involved, a single sample analysis is performed. The example used is the space station reference configuration. The finite element model (FEM) of this configuration is relatively complex but demonstrates many BUMPER features. The computer tools and guidelines are described for constructing a FEM for the space station under consideration. The methods used to analyze the sensitivity of PNP to variations in design, are described. Ways are suggested for developing contour plots of the sensitivity study data. Additional BUMPER analysis examples are provided, including FEMs, command inputs, and data outputs. The mathematical theory used as the basis for the code is described, and illustrates the data flow within the analysis
IDCS J1426.5+3508: The Most Massive Galaxy Cluster at
We present a deep (100 ks) Chandra observation of IDCS J1426.5+3508, a
spectroscopically confirmed, infrared-selected galaxy cluster at .
This cluster is the most massive galaxy cluster currently known at ,
based on existing Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) and gravitational lensing detections.
We confirm this high mass via a variety of X-ray scaling relations, including
-M, -M, -M and -M, finding a tight distribution of masses
from these different methods, spanning M = 2.3-3.3
M, with the low-scatter -based mass M. IDCS J1426.5+3508 is currently the
only cluster at for which X-ray, SZ and gravitational lensing mass
estimates exist, and these are in remarkably good agreement. We find a
relatively tight distribution of the gas-to-total mass ratio, employing total
masses from all of the aforementioned indicators, with values ranging from
= 0.087-0.12. We do not detect metals in the intracluster medium
(ICM) of this system, placing a 2 upper limit of . This upper limit on the metallicity suggests that this system may
still be in the process of enriching its ICM. The cluster has a dense,
low-entropy core, offset by 30 kpc from the X-ray centroid, which makes
it one of the few "cool core" clusters discovered at , and the first
known cool core cluster at . The offset of this core from the
large-scale centroid suggests that this cluster has had a relatively recent
(500 Myr) merger/interaction with another massive system.Comment: Minor changes to match accepted version, results unchanged; ApJ in
pres
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