5,479 research outputs found
Preparation, analysis and release of simulated interplanetary grains into low Earth orbit
Astronomical observations which reflect the optical and dynamical properties of interstellar and interplanetary grains are the primary means of identifying the shape, size, and the chemistry of extraterrestrial grain materials. Except for recent samplings of extraterrestrial particles in near-Earth orbit and in the stratosphere observations were the only method of deducing the properties of extraterrestrial particles. In order to elucidate the detailed characteristics of observed dust, the observations must be compared with theoretical studies, some of which are discussed in this volume, or compared with terrestrial laboratory experiments. The formation and optical characterization of simulated interstellar and interplanetary dust with particular emphasis on studying the properties on irregularly shaped particles were discussed. Efforts to develop the techniques to allow dust experiments to be carried out in low-Earth orbit were discussed, thus extending the conditions under which dust experiments may be performed
Balloon-borne radiometer measurement of Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude stratospheric HNO3 profiles spanning 12 years
Low-resolution atmospheric thermal emission spectra collected by balloon-borne radiometers over the time span of 1990–2002 are used to retrieve vertical profiles of HNO3, CFC-11 and CFC-12 volume mixing ratios between approximately 10 and 35 km altitude. All of the data analyzed have been collected from launches from a Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude site, during late summer, when stratospheric dynamic variability is at a minimum. The retrieval technique incorporates detailed forward modeling of the instrument and the radiative properties of the atmosphere, and obtains a best fit between modeled and measured spectra through a combination of onion-peeling and global optimization steps. The retrieved HNO3 profiles are consistent over the 12-year period, and are consistent with recent measurements by the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment-Fourier transform spectrometer satellite instrument. This suggests that, to within the errors of the 1990 measurements, there has been no significant change in the HNO3 summer mid-latitude profile
Three-leg Antiferromagnetic Heisenberg Ladder with Frustrated Boundary Condition; Ground State Properties
The antiferromagnetic Heisenberg spin systems on the three-leg ladder are
investigated. Periodic boundary condition is imposed in the rung direction. The
system has an excitation gap for all antiferromagnetic inter-chain coupling
(). The estimated gap for the strong coupling limit
() is 0.28. Although the interaction is
homogeneous and only nearest-neighbor, the ground states of the system are
dimerized and break the translational symmetry in the thermodynamic limit.
Introducing the next-nearest neighbor coupling (), we can see that the
system is solved exactly. The ground state wave function is completely
dimer-ordered. Using density matrix renomalization group algorithm, we show
numerically that the original model () has the same nature with the
exactly solvable model. The ground state properties of the ladder with a higher
odd number of legs are also discussed.Comment: 15 pages, LaTeX, to be published in J.Phys.Soc.Jpn. Vol. 66 No. 1
Astrophysical constraints on primordial black holes in Brans-Dicke theory
We consider cosmological evolution in Brans-Dicke theory with a population of
primordial black holes. Hawking radiation from the primordial black holes
impacts various astrophysical processes during the evolution of the Universe.
The accretion of radiation by the black holes in the radiation dominated era
may be effective in imparting them a longer lifetime. We present a detailed
study of how this affects various standard astrophysical constraints coming
from the evaporation of primordial black holes. We analyze constraints from the
present density of the Universe, the present photon spectrum, the distortion of
the cosmic microwave background spectrum and also from processes affecting
light element abundances after nucleosynthesis. We find that the constraints on
the initial primordial black hole mass fractions are tightened with increased
accretion efficiency.Comment: 15 page
Thermal noise limitations to force measurements with torsion pendulums: Applications to the measurement of the Casimir force and its thermal correction
A general analysis of thermal noise in torsion pendulums is presented. The
specific case where the torsion angle is kept fixed by electronic feedback is
analyzed. This analysis is applied to a recent experiment that employed a
torsion pendulum to measure the Casimir force. The ultimate limit to the
distance at which the Casimir force can be measured to high accuracy is
discussed, and in particular the prospects for measuring the thermal correction
are elaborated upon.Comment: one figure, five pages, to be submitted to Phys Rev
The Mass Function of Super Giant Molecular Complexes and Implications for Forming Young Massive Star Clusters in the Antennae (NGC 4038/39)
We have used previously published observations of the CO emission from the
Antennae (NGC 4038/39) to study the detailed properties of the super giant
molecular complexes with the goal of understanding the formation of young
massive star clusters. Over a mass range from 5E6 to 9E8 solar masses, the
molecular complexes follow a power-law mass function with a slope of -1.4 +/-
0.1, which is very similar to the slope seen at lower masses in molecular
clouds and cloud cores in the Galaxy. Compared to the spiral galaxy M51, which
has a similar surface density and total mass of molecular gas, the Antennae
contain clouds that are an order of magnitude more massive. Many of the
youngest star clusters lie in the gas-rich overlap region, where extinctions as
high as Av~100 imply that the clusters must lie in front of the gas. Combining
data on the young clusters, thermal and nonthermal radio sources, and the
molecular gas suggests that young massive clusters could have formed at a
constant rate in the Antennae over the last 160 Myr and that sufficient gas
exists to sustain this cluster formation rate well into the future. However,
this conclusion requires that a very high fraction of the massive clusters that
form initially in the Antennae do not survive as long as 100 Myr. Finally, we
compare our data with two models for massive star cluster formation and
conclude that the model where young massive star clusters form from dense cores
within the observed super giant molecular complexes is most consistent with our
current understanding of this merging system. (abbreviated)Comment: 40 pages, four figures; accepted for publication in Ap
Towards understanding the variability in biospheric CO2 fluxes:Using FTIR spectrometry and a chemical transport model to investigate the sources and sinks of carbonyl sulfide and its link to CO2
Understanding carbon dioxide (CO2) biospheric processes is of great importance because the terrestrial exchange drives the seasonal and interannual variability of CO2 in the atmosphere. Atmospheric inversions based on CO2 concentration measurements alone can only determine net biosphere fluxes, but not differentiate between photosynthesis (uptake) and respiration (production). Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) could provide an important additional constraint: it is also taken up by plants during photosynthesis but not emitted during respiration, and therefore is a potential means to differentiate between these processes. Solar absorption Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) spectrometry allows for the retrievals of the atmospheric concentrations of both CO2 and OCS from measured solar absorption spectra. Here, we investigate co-located and quasi-simultaneous FTIR measurements of OCS and CO2 performed at five selected sites located in the Northern Hemisphere. These measurements are compared to simulations of OCS and CO2 using a chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem). The coupled biospheric fluxes of OCS and CO2 from the simple biosphere model (SiB) are used in the study. The CO2 simulation with SiB fluxes agrees with the measurements well, while the OCS simulation reproduced a weaker drawdown than FTIR measurements at selected sites, and a smaller latitudinal gradient in the Northern Hemisphere during growing season when comparing with HIPPO (HIAPER Pole-to-Pole Observations) data spanning both hemispheres. An offset in the timing of the seasonal cycle minimum between SiB simulation and measurements is also seen. Using OCS as a photosynthesis proxy can help to understand how the biospheric processes are reproduced in models and to further understand the carbon cycle in the real world
On the structure of the burst and afterglow of Gamma-Ray Bursts I: the radial approximation
We have proposed three paradigms for the theoretical interpretation of
gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). (1) The relative space-time transformation (RSTT)
paradigm emphasizes how the knowledge of the entire world-line of the source
from the moment of gravitational collapse is a necessary condition to interpret
GRB data. (2) The interpretation of the burst structure (IBS) paradigm
differentiates in all GRBs between an injector phase and a beam-target phase.
(3) The GRB-supernova time sequence (GSTS) paradigm introduces the concept of
induced supernova explosion in the supernovae-GRB association. These three
paradigms are illustrated using our theory based on the vacuum polarization
process occurring around an electromagnetic black hole (EMBH theory) and using
GRB 991216 as a prototype. We illustrate the five fundamental eras of the EMBH
theory: the self acceleration of the pair-electromagnetic plasma (PEM
pulse), its interaction with the baryonic remnant of the progenitor star (PEMB
pulse). We then study the approach of the PEMB pulse to transparency, the
emission of the proper GRB (P-GRB) and its relation to the ``short GRBs''.
Finally the three different regimes of the afterglow are described within the
fully radiative and radial approximations. The best fit of the theory leads to
an unequivocal identification of the ``long GRBs'' as extended emission
occurring at the afterglow peak (E-APE). The relative intensities, the time
separation and the hardness ratio of the P-GRB and the E-APE are used as
distinctive observational test of the EMBH theory and the excellent agreement
between our theoretical predictions and the observations are documented. The
afterglow power-law indexes in the EMBH theory are compared and contrasted with
the ones in the literature, and no beaming process is found for GRB 991216.Comment: 96 pages, 40 figures, to appear on Int. Journ. Mod. Phys.
Story in health and social care
This paper offers a brief consideration of how narrative, in the form of people‟s own stories, potentially figures in health and social care provision as part of the impulse towards patient-centred care. The rise of the epistemological legitimacy of patients‟ stories is sketched here. The paper draws upon relevant literature and original writing to consider the ways in which stories can mislead as well as illuminate the process of making individual treatment care plans
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