30,718 research outputs found
A statistical approach to identify superluminous supernovae and probe their diversity
We investigate the identification of hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae
(SLSNe I) using a photometric analysis, without including an arbitrary
magnitude threshold. We assemble a homogeneous sample of previously classified
SLSNe I from the literature, and fit their light curves using Gaussian
processes. From the fits, we identify four photometric parameters that have a
high statistical significance when correlated, and combine them in a parameter
space that conveys information on their luminosity and color evolution. This
parameter space presents a new definition for SLSNe I, which can be used to
analyse existing and future transient datasets. We find that 90% of previously
classified SLSNe I meet our new definition. We also examine the evidence for
two subclasses of SLSNe I, combining their photometric evolution with
spectroscopic information, namely the photospheric velocity and its gradient. A
cluster analysis reveals the presence of two distinct groups. `Fast' SLSNe show
fast light curves and color evolution, large velocities, and a large velocity
gradient. `Slow' SLSNe show slow light curve and color evolution, small
expansion velocities, and an almost non-existent velocity gradient. Finally, we
discuss the impact of our analyses in the understanding of the powering engine
of SLSNe, and their implementation as cosmological probes in current and future
surveys.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, accepted by ApJ on 23/01/201
NMR Investigation of the Low Temperature Dynamics of solid 4He doped with 3He impurities
The lattice dynamics of solid 4He has been explored using pulsed NMR methods
to study the motion of 3He impurities in the temperature range where
experiments have revealed anomalies attributed to superflow or unexpected
viscoelastic properties of the solid 4He lattice. We report the results of
measurements of the nuclear spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times that
measure the fluctuation spectrum at high and low frequencies, respectively, of
the 3He motion that results from quantum tunneling in the 4He matrix. The
measurements were made for 3He concentrations 16<x_3<2000 ppm. For 3He
concentrations x_3 = 16 ppm and 24 ppm, large changes are observed for both the
spin-lattice relaxation time T_1 and the spin-spin relaxation time T_2 at
temperatures close to those for which the anomalies are observed in
measurements of torsional oscillator responses and the shear modulus. These
changes in the NMR relaxation rates were not observed for higher 3He
concentrations.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figure
A thin rivulet or ridge subject to a uniform transverse shear stress at its free surface due to an external airflow
We use the lubrication approximation to analyse three closely related problems involving a thin rivulet or ridge (i.e. a two-dimensional droplet) of fluid subject to a prescribed uniform transverse shear stress at its free surface due to an external airflow, namely a rivulet draining under gravity down a vertical substrate, a rivulet driven by a longitudinal shear stress at its free surface, and a ridge on a horizontal substrate, and find qualitatively similar behaviour for all three problems. We show that, in agreement with previous numerical studies, the free surface profile of an equilibrium rivulet/ridge with pinned contact lines is skewed as the shear stress is increased from zero, and that there is a maximum value of the shear stress beyond which no solution with prescribed semi-width is possible. In practice, one or both of the contact lines will de-pin before this maximum value of the shear stress is reached, and so we consider situations in which the rivulet/ridge de-pins at one or both contact lines. In the case of de-pinning only at the advancing contact line, the rivulet/ridge is flattened and widened as the shear stress is increased from its critical value, and there is a second maximum value of the shear stress beyond which no solution with a prescribed advancing contact angle is possible. In contrast, in the case of de-pinning only at the receding contact line, the rivulet/ridge is thickened and narrowed as the shear stress is increased from its critical value, and there is a solution with a prescribed receding contact angle for all values of the shear stress. In general, in the case of de-pinning at both contact lines there is a critical “yield” value of the shear stress beyond which no equilibrium solution is possible and the rivulet/ridge will evolve unsteadily. In an Appendix we show that an equilibrium rivulet/ridge with prescribed flux/area is quasi-statically stable to two-dimensional perturbations
A thin rivulet or ridge subject to a uniform transverse\ud shear stress at its free surface due to an external airflow
We use the lubrication approximation to analyse three closely related problems involving a thin rivulet or ridge (i.e. a two-dimensional droplet) of fluid subject to a prescribed uniform transverse shear stress at its free surface due to an external airflow, namely a rivulet draining under gravity down a vertical substrate, a rivulet driven by a longitudinal shear stress at its free surface, and a ridge on a horizontal substrate, and find qualitatively similar behaviour for all three problems. We show that, in agreement with previous numerical studies, the free surface profile of an equilibrium rivulet/ridge with pinned contact lines is skewed as the shear stress is increased from zero, and that there is a maximum value of the shear stress beyond which no solution with prescribed semi-width is possible. In practice, one or both of the contact lines will de-pin before this maximum value of the shear stress is reached, and so we consider situations in which the rivulet/ridge de-pins at one or both contact lines. In the case of de-pinning only at the advancing contact line, the rivulet/ridge is flattened and widened as the shear stress is increased from its critical value, and there is a second maximum value of the shear stress beyond which no solution with a prescribed advancing contact angle is possible. In contrast, in the case of de-pinning only at the receding contact line, the rivulet/ridge is thickened and narrowed as the shear stress is increased from its critical value, and there is a solution with a prescribed receding contact angle for all values of the shear stress. In general, in the case of de-pinning at both contact lines there is a critical “yield” value of the shear stress beyond which no equilibrium solution is possible and the rivulet/ridge will evolve unsteadily. In an Appendix we show that an equilibrium rivulet/ridge with prescribed flux/area is quasi-statically stable to two-dimensional perturbations
Understanding single-top-quark production and jets at hadron colliders
I present an analysis of fully differential single-top-quark production plus
jets at next-to-leading order. I describe the effects of jet definitions,
top-quark mass, and higher orders on the shapes and normalizations of the
kinematic distributions, and quantify all theoretical uncertainties. I explain
how to interpret next-to-leading-order jet calculations, and compare them to
showering event generators. Using the program ZTOP, I show that HERWIG and
PYTHIA significantly underestimate both s-channel and t-channel
single-top-quark production, and propose a scheme to match the relevant samples
to the next-to-leading-order predictions.Comment: 40 pgs., revtex4, 35 ps figs; added Fig. 4, 1 Ref., minor
clarifications, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Quantifying the Dynamics of Bacterial Secondary Metabolites by Spectral Multiphoton Microscopy
Phenazines, a group of fluorescent small molecules produced by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, play a role in maintaining cellular redox homeostasis. Phenazines have been challenging to study in vivo due to their redox activity, presence both intra- and extracellularly, and their diverse chemical properties. Here, we describe a noninvasive in vivo optical technique to monitor phenazine concentrations within bacterial cells using time-lapsed spectral multiphoton fluorescence microscopy. This technique enables simultaneous monitoring of multiple weakly fluorescent molecules (phenazines, siderophores, NAD(P)H) expressed by bacteria in culture. This work provides the first in vivo measurements of reduced phenazine concentration as well as the first description of the temporal dynamics of the phenazine-NAD(P)H redox system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, illuminating an unanticipated role for 1-hydroxyphenazine. Similar approaches could be used to study the abundance and redox dynamics of a wide range of small molecules within bacteria, both as single cells and in communities
Aerothermal modeling program, phase 2
The main objectives of the Aerothermal Modeling Program, Phase 2 are: to develop an improved numerical scheme for incorporation in a 3-D combustor flow model; to conduct a benchmark quality experiment to study the interaction of a primary jet with a confined swirling crossflow and to assess current and advanced turbulence and scalar transport models; and to conduct experimental evaluation of the air swirler interaction with fuel injectors, assessments of current two-phase models, and verification the improved spray evaporation/dispersion models
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