21,602 research outputs found
Effects of arcing due to spacecraft charging on spacecraft survival
A quantitative assessment of the hazard associated with spacecraft charging and arcing on spacecraft systems is presented. A literature survey on arc discharge thresholds and characteristics was done and gaps in the data and requirements for additional experiments were identified. Calculations of coupling of arc discharges into typical spacecraft systems were made and the susceptibility of typical spacecraft to disruption by arc discharges was investigated. Design guidelines and recommended practices to reduce or eliminate the threat of malfunction and failures due to spacecraft charging/arcing were summarized
Is dark matter an extra-dimensional effect?
We investigate the possibility that the observed behavior of test particles
outside galaxies, which is usually explained by assuming the presence of dark
matter, is the result of the dynamical evolution of particles in higher
dimensional space-times. Hence, dark matter may be a direct consequence of the
presence of an extra force, generated by the presence of extra-dimensions,
which modifies the dynamic law of motion, but does not change the intrinsic
properties of the particles, like, for example, the mass (inertia). We discuss
in some detail several possible particular forms for the extra force, and the
acceleration law of the particles is derived. Therefore, the constancy of the
galactic rotation curves may be considered as an empirical evidence for the
existence of the extra dimensions.Comment: 11 pages, no figures, accepted for publication in MPLA; references
adde
An Effective Approach to Improving Day-Case Rates following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
Background. Day-case laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is a safe and cost-effective treatment for gallstones. In 2006, our institution recorded an 86% laparoscopic, 10% day-case, and 5% readmission rate. A gallbladder pathway was therefore introduced in 2007 with the aim of increasing daycase rates. Methods. Patients with symptomatic gallstones, proven on ultrasound, were referred to a specialist-led clinic. Those suitable for surgery were consented, preassessed, and provided with a choice of dates. All defaulted to day case unless deemed unsuitable due to comorbidity or social factors. Results. The number of cholecystectomies increased from 464 in 2006 to 578 in 2008. Day-case rates in 2006, 2007, 2008, and June 2009 were 10%, 20%, 30%, and 61%, respectively. Laparoscopic and readmission rates remained unchanged. Conversion rates for elective cholecystectomy fell from 6% in 2006 to 3% in 2009. Conclusions. Development of a gallbladder pathway increased day-case rates sixfold without an associated increase in conversion or readmission rates
Outflows in Infrared-Luminous Starbursts at z < 0.5. I. Sample, NaI D Spectra, and Profile Fitting
We have conducted a spectroscopic survey of 78 starbursting infrared-luminous
galaxies at redshifts up to z = 0.5. We use moderate-resolution spectroscopy of
the NaI D interstellar absorption feature to directly probe the neutral phase
of outflowing gas in these galaxies. Over half of our sample are ultraluminous
infrared galaxies that are classified as starbursts; the rest have infrared
luminosities in the range log(L_IR/L_sun) = 10.2 - 12.0. The sample selection,
observations, and data reduction are described here. The absorption-line
spectra of each galaxy are presented. We also discuss the theory behind
absorption-line fitting in the case of a partially-covered, blended absorption
doublet observed at moderate-to-high resolution, a topic neglected in the
literature. A detailed analysis of these data is presented in a companion
paper.Comment: 59 pages, 18 figures in AASTeX preprint style; to appear in September
issue of ApJ
Forming Galaxies with MOND
Beginning with a simple model for the growth of structure, I consider the
dissipationless evolution of a MOND-dominated region in an expanding Universe
by means of a spherically symmetric N-body code. I demonstrate that the final
virialized objects resemble elliptical galaxies with well-defined relationships
between the mass, radius, and velocity dispersion. These calculations suggest
that, in the context of MOND, massive elliptical galaxies may be formed early
(z > 10) as a result of monolithic dissipationless collapse. Then I reconsider
the classic argument that a galaxy of stars results from cooling and
fragmentation of a gas cloud on a time scale shorter than that of dynamical
collapse. Qualitatively, the results are similar to that of the traditional
picture; moreover, the existence, in MOND, of a density-temperature relation
for virialized, near isothermal objects as well as a mass-temperature relation
implies that there is a definite limit to the mass of a gas cloud where this
condition can be met-- an upper limit corresponding to that of presently
observed massive galaxies.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, revised in response to comments of referee. Table
added, extended discussion, accepted MNRA
Can dark matter be a Bose-Einstein condensate?
We consider the possibility that the dark matter, which is required to
explain the dynamics of the neutral hydrogen clouds at large distances from the
galactic center, could be in the form of a Bose-Einstein condensate. To study
the condensate we use the non-relativistic Gross-Pitaevskii equation. By
introducing the Madelung representation of the wave function, we formulate the
dynamics of the system in terms of the continuity equation and of the
hydrodynamic Euler equations. Hence dark matter can be described as a
non-relativistic, Newtonian Bose-Einstein gravitational condensate gas, whose
density and pressure are related by a barotropic equation of state. In the case
of a condensate with quartic non-linearity, the equation of state is polytropic
with index . To test the validity of the model we fit the Newtonian
tangential velocity equation of the model with a sample of rotation curves of
low surface brightness and dwarf galaxies, respectively. We find a very good
agreement between the theoretical rotation curves and the observational data
for the low surface brightness galaxies. The deflection of photons passing
through the dark matter halos is also analyzed, and the bending angle of light
is computed. The bending angle obtained for the Bose-Einstein condensate is
larger than that predicted by standard general relativistic and dark matter
models. Therefore the study of the light deflection by galaxies and the
gravitational lensing could discriminate between the Bose-Einstein condensate
dark matter model and other dark matter models.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in JCAP, references
adde
Small doubling in groups
Let A be a subset of a group G = (G,.). We will survey the theory of sets A
with the property that |A.A| <= K|A|, where A.A = {a_1 a_2 : a_1, a_2 in A}.
The case G = (Z,+) is the famous Freiman--Ruzsa theorem.Comment: 23 pages, survey article submitted to Proceedings of the Erdos
Centenary conferenc
Optical/Near-Infrared Imaging of Infrared-Excess Palomar-Green QSOs
Ground-based high spatial-resolution (FWHM < 0.3-0.8") optical and
near-infrared imaging (0.4-2.2um) is presented for a complete sample of
optically selected Palomar-Green QSOs with far-infrared excesses at least as
great as those of "warm" AGN-like ultraluminous infrared galaxies
(L_ir/L_big-blue-bump > 0.46). In all cases, the host galaxies of the QSOs were
detected and most have discernable two-dimensional structure. The QSO host
galaxies and the QSO nuclei are similar in magnitude at H-band. H-band
luminosities of the hosts range from 0.5-7.5 L* with a mean of 2.3 L*, and are
consistent with those found in ULIGs. Both the QSO nuclei and the host galaxies
have near-infrared excesses, which may be the result of dust associated with
the nucleus and of recent dusty star formation in the host. These results
suggest that some, but not all, optically-selected QSOs may have evolved from
an infrared-active state triggered by the merger of two similarly-sized L*
galaxies, in a manner similar to that of the ultraluminous infrared galaxies.Comment: Aastex format, 38 pages, 4 tables, 10 figures. Higher quality figures
are available in JPG forma
Injection and mobility of potassium ions in liquid helium
Potassium ions from a hot tungsten wire are injected into He II; their mobility is found to be two to three percent lower than that of `normal' positive ions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/32758/1/0000127.pd
The W51 Giant Molecular Cloud
We present 45"-47" angular resolution maps at 50" sampling of the 12CO and
13CO J=1-0 emission toward a 1.39 deg x 1.33 deg region in the W51 HII region
complex. These data permit the spatial and kinematic separation of several
spectral features observed along the line of sight to W51, and establish the
presence of a massive (1.2 x 10^6 Mo), large (83 pc x 114 pc) giant molecular
cloud (GMC), defined as the W51 GMC, centered at (l,b,V) = (49.5 deg, -0.2 deg,
61 km/s). A second massive (1.9 x 10^5 Mo), elongated (136 pc x 22 pc)
molecular cloud is found at velocities of about 68 km/s along the southern edge
of the W51 GMC. Of the five radio continuum sources that classically define the
W51 region, the brightest source at lambda 6cm (G49.5-0.4) is spatially and
kinematically coincident with the W51 GMC and three (G48.9-0.3, G49.1-0.4, and
G49.2-0.4) are associated with the 68 km/s cloud. Published absorption line
spectra indicate that the fifth prominent continuum source (G49.4-0.3) is
located behind the W51 molecular cloud. The W51 GMC is among the upper 1% of
clouds in the Galactic disk by size and the upper 5-10% by mass. While the W51
GMC is larger and more massive than any nearby molecular cloud, the average H2
column density is not unusual given its size and the mean H2 volume density is
comparable to that in nearby clouds. The W51 GMC is also similar to other
clouds in that most of the molecular mass is contained in a diffuse envelope
that is not currently forming massive stars. We speculate that much of the
massive star formation activity in this region has resulted from a collision
between the 68 km/s cloud and the W51 GMC.Comment: Accepted for publication by the Astronomical Journal. 21 pages, plus
7 figures and 1 tabl
- âŠ