932 research outputs found
The role of binaries in the enrichment of the early Galactic halo. II. Carbon-Enhanced Metal-Poor Stars - CEMP-no stars
The detailed composition of most metal-poor halo stars has been found to be
very uniform. However, a fraction of 20-70% (increasing with decreasing
metallicity) exhibit dramatic enhancements in their abundances of carbon - the
so-called carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars. A key question for Galactic
chemical evolution models is whether this non-standard composition reflects
that of the stellar natal clouds, or is due to local, post-birth mass transfer
of chemically processed material from a binary companion; CEMP stars should
then all be members of binary systems. Our aim is to determine the frequency
and orbital parameters of binaries among CEMP stars with and without
over-abundances of neutron-capture elements - CEMP-s and CEMP-no stars,
respectively - as a test of this local mass-transfer scenario. This paper
discusses a sample of 24 CEMP-no stars, while a subsequent paper will consider
a similar sample of CEMP-s stars. Most programme stars exhibit no statistically
significant radial-velocit variation over this period and appear to be single,
while four are found to be binaries with orbital periods of 300-2,000 days and
normal eccentricity; the binary frequency for the sample is 17+-9%. The single
stars mostly belong to the recently-identified ``low-C band'', while the
binaries have higher absolute carbon abundances. We conclude that the
nucleosynthetic process responsible for the strong carbon excess in these
ancient stars is unrelated to their binary status; the carbon was imprinted on
their natal molecular clouds in the early Galactic ISM by an even earlier,
external source, strongly indicating that the CEMP-no stars are likely bona
fide second-generation stars. We discuss potential production sites for carbon
and its transfer across interstellar distances in the early ISM, and
implications for the composition of high-redshift DLA systems. Abridged.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Particle Physics Probes Of Extra Spacetime Dimensions
The possibility that spacetime is extended beyond the familiar 3+1-dimensions
has intrigued physicists for a century. Indeed, the consequences of a
dimensionally richer spacetime would be profound. Recently, new theories with
higher dimensional spacetimes have been developed to resolve the hierarchy
problem in particle physics. These scenarios make distinct predictions which
allow for experiment to probe the existence of extra dimensions in new ways. We
review the conceptual framework of these scenarios, their implications in
collider and short-range gravity experiments, their astrophysical and
cosmological effects, as well as the constraints placed on these models from
present data.Comment: Submitted to Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science, 29 page
Target detection in insects: optical, neural and behavioral optimizations.
This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Elsevier via https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2016.09.001Motion vision provides important cues for many tasks. Flying insects, for example, may pursue small, fast moving targets for mating or feeding purposes, even when these are detected against self-generated optic flow. Since insects are small, with size-constrained eyes and brains, they have evolved to optimize their optical, neural and behavioral target visualization solutions. Indeed, even if evolutionarily distant insects display different pursuit strategies, target neuron physiology is strikingly similar. Furthermore, the coarse spatial resolution of the insect compound eye might actually be beneficial when it comes to detection of moving targets. In conclusion, tiny insects show higher than expected performance in target visualization tasks.Air Force Office of Scientific Research (Grant ID: FA9550-15-1-0188
Electrically charged fluids with pressure in Newtonian gravitation and general relativity in d spacetime dimensions: theorems and results for Weyl type systems
Previous theorems concerning Weyl type systems, including Majumdar-Papapetrou
systems, are generalized in two ways, namely, we take these theorems into d
spacetime dimensions (), and we also consider the very
interesting Weyl-Guilfoyle systems, i.e., general relativistic charged fluids
with nonzero pressure. In particular within Newton-Coulomb theory of charged
gravitating fluids, a theorem by Bonnor (1980) in three-dimensional space is
generalized to arbitrary space dimensions. Then, we prove a new
theorem for charged gravitating fluid systems in which we find the condition
that the charge density and the matter density should obey. Within general
relativity coupled to charged dust fluids, a theorem by De and Raychaudhuri
(1968) in four-dimensional spacetimes in rendered into arbitrary
dimensions. Then a theorem, new in and dimensions, for
Weyl-Guilfoyle systems, is stated and proved, in which we find the condition
that the charge density, the matter density, the pressure, and the
electromagnetic energy density should obey. This theorem comprises, as
particular cases, a theorem by Gautreau and Hoffman (1973) and results in four
dimensions by Guilfoyle (1999). Upon connection of an interior charged solution
to an exterior Tangherlini solution (i.e., a Reissner-Nordstr\"om solution in
d-dimensions), one is able to give a general definition for gravitational mass
for this kind of relativistic systems and find a mass relation with the several
quantities of the interior solution. It is also shown that for sources of
finite extent the mass is identical to the Tolman mass.Comment: 27 page
Universal properties of Fermi gases in arbitrary dimensions
We consider spin-1/2 Fermi gases in arbitrary, integer or non-integer spatial
dimensions, interacting via a Dirac delta potential. We first generalize the
method of Tan's distributions and implement short-range boundary conditions to
arbitrary dimension and we obtain a set of universal relations for the Fermi
gas. Three-dimensional scattering under very general conditions of transversal
confinement is described by an effectively reduced-dimensional scattering
length, which we show depends on the three-dimensional scattering length in a
universal way. Our formula for non-integer dimensions interpolates between the
known results in integer dimensions 1, 2 and 3. Without any need to solve the
associated multichannel scattering problem, we find that confinement-induced
resonances occur in all dimensions different from D=2, while
reduced-dimensional contacts, related to the tails of the momentum
distributions, are connected to the three-dimensional contact by a correction
factor of purely geometric origin.Comment: 6 pages, 0 figure
Inducing charges and currents from extra dimensions
In a particular variant of Kaluza-Klein theory, the so-called induced-matter
theory (IMT), it is shown that any configuration of matter may be geometrically
induced from a five-dimensional vacuum space. By using a similar approach we
show that any distribution of charges and currents may also be induced from a
five-dimensional vacuum space. Whereas in the case of IMT the geometry is
Riemannian and the fundamental equations are the five-dimensional Einstein
equations in vacuum, here we consider a Minkowskian geometry and the
five-dimensional Maxwell equations in vacuum.Comment: 8 pages. Accepted for publication in Modern Physics Letters
New biocide active substances:needs and challenges in the EU as viewed by industry
Emerging regulatory initiatives in the EU are driving towards more environmentally safe chemicals, used as such or in a wide range of products and applications. The aim of the regulations is also to foster and support the emergence of new or safer alternatives and to drive innovations thereof. Biocides are chemicals, which are used in a vast and steadily growing number of applications in order to preserve product safety and quality, however, the number of the Active Substances (AS) used in biocides is decreasing in the EU concurrent with the implementation of the Biocidal Product Directive (BPD). Accordingly, the present study attempts to elucidate views of representatives of the biocide industry in order to identify some of the present drivers and challenges of new AS development in the different biocide application areas, with emphasis on the economic feasibility of safer biocide development in the future. Notably, the costs of vertebrate testing are a major factor in development of new AS. Therefore, an evaluation of the costs of such tests and their total proportion of total AS development costs is also discussed. Industry expectations for the implementation of the BPD and impacts thereof are presented.<br
Lead abundance in the uranium star CS 31082-001
In a previous paper we were able to measure the abundance of uranium and
thorium in the very-metal poor halo giant BPS CS 31082-001, but only obtained
an upper limit for the abundance of lead (Pb). We have got from ESO 17 hours of
additional exposure on this star in order to secure a detection of the minimum
amount of lead expected to be present in CS 31082-001, the amount arising from
the decay of the original content of Th and U in the star. We report here this
successful detection. We find an LTE abundance log(Pb/H)+12=-0.55 \pm 0.15 dex,
one dex below the upper limits given by other authors for the similar stars CS
22892-052 and BD +17d3248, also enhanced in r-process elements. From the
observed present abundances of Th and U in the star, the expected amount of Pb
produced by the decay of 232Th, and 238U alone, over 12-15 Gyr is -0.73\pm 0.17
dex. The decay of 235U is more difficult to estimate, but is probably slightly
below the contribution of 238U, making the contribution of the 3 actinides only
slightly below, or even equal to, the measured abundance. The contribution from
the decay of 234U has was not included, for lack of published data. In this
sense our determination is a lower limit to the contribution of actinides to
lead production. We comment this result, and we note that if a NLTE analysis,
not yet possible, doubles our observed abundance, the decay of the 3 actinides
will still represent 50 per cent of the total lead, a proportion higher than
the values considered so far in the literature.Comment: 4 pages, LateX, A&A Letters Accepte
Lithiation of InSb and CuSb : A Theoretical Investigation
In this work the mechanism of Li insertion/intercalation in the anode
materials InSb and CuSb is investigated by means of the first principles
total energy calculations. The total charge densities for the lithiated
products of the two compounds are presented. Based on these results the change
in the bonding character on lithiation is discussed. Further, the isomer shift
for InSb and CuSb and there various lithiated products is reported. The
average insertion/intercalation voltage and volume expansion for transitions
from InSb to LiInSb and CuSb to LiCuSb are calculated and found to
be in good agreement with the experimental values. These findings help to
resolve the controversy regarding the lithiation mechanism in InSb.Comment: 5 pages 3 figure
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