1,033 research outputs found
Introduction to Library Trends 52 (2) 2003: Organizing the Internet
published or submitted for publicatio
Appearance of innermost stable circular orbits of accretion discs around rotating neutron stars
The innermost stable cicular orbit (ISCO) of an accretion disc orbiting a
neutron star (NS) is often assumed a unique prediction of general relativity.
However, it has been argued that ISCO also appears around highly elliptic
bodies described by Newtonian theory. In this sense, the behaviour of an ISCO
around a rotating oblate neutron star is formed by the interplay between
relativistic and Newtonian effects. Here we briefly explore the consequences of
this interplay using a straightforward analytic approach as well as numerical
models that involve modern NS equations of state. We examine the ratio K
between the ISCO radius and the radius of the neutron star. We find that, with
growing NS spin, the ratio K first decreases, but then starts to increase. This
non-monotonic behaviour of K can give rise to a neutron star spin interval in
which ISCO appears for two very different ranges of NS mass. This may strongly
affect the distribution of neutron stars that have an ISCO (ISCO-NS). When
(all) neutron stars are distributed around a high mass M0, the ISCO-NS spin
distribution is roughly the same as the spin distribution corresponding to all
neutron stars. In contrast, if M0 is low, the ISCO-NS distribution can only
have a peak around a high value of spin. Finally, an intermediate value of M0
can imply an ISCO-NS distribution divided into two distinct groups of slow and
fast rotators. Our findings have immediate astrophysical applications. They can
be used for example to distinguish between different models of high-frequency
quasiperiodic oscillations observed in low-mass NS X-ray binaries.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted by A&A Letter
Manipulation of Light with Magneto-optic Stripe Domain Films
Magnetic diffraction grating materials, being developed to provide a simple means of deflecting light in a two dimensional, solid state fashion are discussed. The most promising material, for several applications, appears to be bismuth substituted iron garnet films in epitaxial form. Calculations indicate that deflection efficiency greater than 60% is possible in the near infrared region of the spectrum. Within the field of view of the deflector, measurements predict that 105 resolvable spots can be expected. Applications include: (1) general purpose deflection of free laser light, (2) image processing of extended sources such as transparencies, (3) programmable lensing, and (4) fiber optic matrix switching
Black hole spin inferred from 3:2 epicyclic resonance model of high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations
Estimations of black hole spin in the three Galactic microquasars GRS
1915+105, GRO J1655-40, and XTE J1550-564 have been carried out based on
spectral and timing X-ray measurements and various theoretical concepts. Among
others, a non-linear resonance between axisymmetric epicyclic oscillation modes
of an accretion disc around a Kerr black hole has been considered as a model
for the observed high-frequency quasi-periodic oscillations (HF QPOs).
Estimates of spin predicted by this model have been derived based on the
geodesic approximation of the accreted fluid motion. Here we assume accretion
flow described by the model of a pressure-supported torus and carry out related
corrections to the mass-spin estimates. We find that for dimensionless black
hole spin a<0.9, the resonant eigenfrequencies are very close to those
calculated for the geodesic motion. Their values slightly grow with increasing
torus thickness. These findings agree well with results of a previous study
carried out in the pseudo-Newtonian approximation. The situation becomes
different for a>0.9, in which case the resonant eigenfrequencies rapidly
decrease as the torus thickness increases. We conclude that the assumed
non-geodesic effects shift the lower limit of the spin, implied for the three
microquasars by the epicyclic model and independently measured masses, from
a~0.7 to a~0.6. Their consideration furthermore confirms compatibility of the
model with the rapid spin of GRS 1915+105 and provides highly testable
predictions of the QPO frequencies. Individual sources with a moderate spin
(a<0.9) should exhibit a smaller spread of the measured 3:2 QPO frequencies
than sources with a near-extreme spin (a~1). This should be further examined
using the large amount of high-resolution data expected to become available
with the next generation of X-ray instruments, such as the proposed Large
Observatory for X-ray Timing (LOFT).Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic
Multi-Pion Systems in Lattice QCD and the Three-Pion Interaction
The ground-state energies of 2, 3, 4 and 5 \pi^+'s in a spatial volume V (2.5
fm)^3 are computed with lattice QCD. By eliminating the leading contribution
from three-\pi^+ interactions, particular combinations of these n-\pi^+
ground-state energies provide precise extractions of the \pi^+\pi^+ scattering
length in agreement with that obtained from calculations involving only two
\pi^+'s. The three-\pi^+ interaction can be isolated by forming other
combinations of the n-\pi^+ ground-state energies. We find a result that is
consistent with a repulsive three-\pi^+ interaction for m_\pi < 352 MeV.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Serum antibodies in first-degree relatives of patients with IBD: A marker of disease susceptibility? A follow-up pilot-study after 7 years
Introduction: Various disease-specific serum antibodies were described in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and their yet healthy first-degree relatives. In the latter, serum antibodies are commonly regarded as potential markers of disease susceptibility. The present long-term follow-up study evaluated the fate of antibody-positive first-degree relatives. Patients and Methods: 25 patients with Crohn's disease, 19 patients with ulcerative colitis and 102 first-degree relatives in whom presence of ASCA, pANCA, pancreatic- and goblet-cell antibodies had been assessed were enrolled. The number of incident cases with inflammatory bowel disease was compared between antibody-positive and antibody-negative first-degree relatives 7 years after storage of serum samples. Results: 34 of 102 (33%) first-degree relatives were positive for at least one of the studied serum antibodies. In the group of first-degree relatives, one case of Crohn's disease and one case of ulcerative colitis were diagnosed during the follow-up period. However, both relatives did not display any of the investigated serum antibodies (p = 1). Discussion: The findings of our pilot study argue against a role of serum antibodies as a marker of disease susceptibility in first-degree relatives of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. However, these data have to await confirmation in larger ideally prospective multicenter studies before definite conclusions can be drawn
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