14,820 research outputs found
Evidence for deuterium astration in the planetary nebula Sh2-216?
We present FUSE observations of the line of sight to WD0439+466 (LS V +46
21), the central star of the old planetary nebula Sh2-216. The FUSE data shows
absorption by many interstellar and stellar lines, in particular D I, H2 (J = 0
- 9), HD (J = 0 - 1), and CO. Many other stellar and ISM lines are detected in
the STIS E140M HST spectra of this sightline, which we use to determine N(HI).
We derive, for the neutral gas, D/H=(0.76 +0.12 -0.11)E-5, O/H = (0.89 +0.15
-0.11)E-4 and N/H = (3.24 +0.61-0.55)E-5. We argue that most of the gas along
this sightline is associated with the planetary nebula. The low D/H ratio is
likely the result of this gas being processed through the star (astrated) but
not mixed with the ISM. This would be the first time that the D/H ratio has
been measured in predominantly astrated gas. The O/H and N/H ratios derived
here are lower than typical values measured in other planetary nebulae likely
due to unaccounted for ionization corrections.Comment: Accepted for publication is ApJ
A Simplified Approach to Optimally Controlled Quantum Dynamics
A new formalism for the optimal control of quantum mechanical physical
observables is presented. This approach is based on an analogous classical
control technique reported previously[J. Botina, H. Rabitz and N. Rahman, J.
chem. Phys. Vol. 102, pag. 226 (1995)]. Quantum Lagrange multiplier functions
are used to preserve a chosen subset of the observable dynamics of interest. As
a result, a corresponding small set of Lagrange multipliers needs to be
calculated and they are only a function of time. This is a considerable
simplification over traditional quantum optimal control theory[S. shi and H.
Rabitz, comp. Phys. Comm. Vol. 63, pag. 71 (1991)]. The success of the new
approach is based on taking advantage of the multiplicity of solutions to
virtually any problem of quantum control to meet a physical objective. A family
of such simplified formulations is introduced and numerically tested. Results
are presented for these algorithms and compared with previous reported work on
a model problem for selective unimolecular reaction induced by an external
optical electric field.Comment: Revtex, 29 pages (incl. figures
Distances to the high galactic latitude molecular clouds G192-67 and MBM 23-24
We report on distance determinations for two high Galactic latitude cloud
complexes, G192-67 and MBM 23-24. No distance determination exists in the
literature for either cloud. Thirty-four early type stars were observed towards
the two clouds, more than half of which have parallaxes measured by the
Hipparcos satellite. For the remaining stars we have made spectroscopic
distance estimates. The data consist of high resolution echelle spectra
centered on the Na I D lines, and were obtained over six nights at the Coude
Feed telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Interstellar absorption lines
were detected towards some of the stars, enabling estimates of the distances to
the clouds of 109 +/- 14 pc for G192-67, and of 139 +/- 33 pc for MBM 23-24. We
discuss the relationship of these clouds to other ISM features such as the
Local Hot Bubble and the local cavity in neutral hydrogen.Comment: 15 pages, 6 embedded figures, to be published in the ApJ Vol. 516,
No.
Gas-dynamic shock heating of post-flare loops due to retraction following localized, impulsive reconnection
We present a novel model in which shortening of a magnetic flux tube
following localized, three-dimensional reconnection generates strong
gas-dynamic shocks around its apex. The shortening releases magnetic energy by
progressing away from the reconnection site at the Alfven speed. This launches
inward flows along the field lines whose collision creates a pair of
gas-dynamic shocks. The shocks raise both the mass density and temperature
inside the newly shortened flux tube. Reconnecting field lines whose initial
directions differ by more that 100 degrees can produce a concentrated knot of
plasma hotter that 20 MK, consistent with observations. In spite of these high
temperatures, the shocks convert less than 10% of the liberated magnetic energy
into heat - the rest remains as kinetic energy of bulk motion. These
gas-dynamic shocks arise only when the reconnection is impulsive and localized
in all three dimensions; they are distinct from the slow magnetosonic shocks of
the Petschek steady-state reconnection model
Automatic Quantum Error Correction
Criteria are given by which dissipative evolution can transfer populations
and coherences between quantum subspaces, without a loss of coherence. This
results in a form of quantum error correction that is implemented by the joint
evolution of a system and a cold bath. It requires no external intervention
and, in principal, no ancilla. An example of a system that protects a qubit
against spin-flip errors is proposed. It consists of three spin 1/2 magnetic
particles and three modes of a resonator. The qubit is the triple quantum
coherence of the spins, and the photons act as ancilla.Comment: 16 pages 12 fig LaTex uses multicol, graphicx expanded version of
letter submitted to Phys Rev Let
The Boulware State and the Generalised Second Law of Thermodynamics
We show that the appropriate vacuum state for the interior of a box with
reflecting walls being lowered adiabatically into a Schwarzschild black hole is
the Boulware state. This is concordant with the results of Unruh and Wald, who
used a different approach to obtain the stress-energy inside the box. Some
comments about an entropy bound for ordinary matter, as first conjectured by
Bekenstein, are presented.Comment: 12 pages, RevTeX,Alberta-Thy-3-9
Jamming transitions in a schematic model of suspension rheology
We study the steady-state response to applied stress in a simple scalar model
of sheared colloids. Our model is based on a schematic (F2) model of the glass
transition, with a memory term that depends on both stress and shear rate. For
suitable parameters, we find transitions from a fluid to a nonergodic, jammed
state, showing zero flow rate in an interval of applied stress. Although the
jammed state is a glass, we predict that jamming transitions have an analytical
structure distinct from that of the conventional mode coupling glass
transition. The static jamming transition we discuss is also distinct from
hydrodynamic shear thickening.Comment: 7 pages; 3 figures; improved version with added references. Accepted
for publication in Europhysics Letter
Chapter 9: Aquatic Macroinvertebrates, Section A: Aquatic Macroinvertebrates (Exclusive of Mosquitoes)
Final Report. Excerpt (Chapter 9, Section A) from The Des Plaines River Wetlands
Demonstration Project, Volume II, Baseline Survey, edited by Donald L. Hey and Nancy S.
PhilippiReport issued on: October 1985INHS Technical Report prepared for Wetlands Research, Inc
Implementation of NMR quantum computation with para-hydrogen derived high purity quantum states
We demonstrate the first implementation of a quantum algorithm on a liquid
state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) quantum computer using almost pure
states. This was achieved using a two qubit device where the initial state is
an almost pure singlet nuclear spin state of a pair of 1H nuclei arising from a
chemical reaction involving para-hydrogen. We have implemented Deutsch's
algorithm for distinguishing between constant and balanced functions with a
single query.Comment: 7 pages RevTex including 6 figures. Figures 4-6 are low quality to
save space. Submitted to Phys Rev
The use of indigenous knowledge in development: problems and challenges
The use of indigenous knowledge has been seen by many as an alternative way of promoting development in poor rural communities in many parts of the world. By reviewing much of the recent work on indigenous knowledge, the paper suggests that a number of problems and tensions has resulted in indigenous knowledge not being as useful as hoped for or supposed. These include problems emanating from a focus on the (arte)factual; binary tensions between western science and indigenous knowledge systems; the problem of differentiation and power relations; the romanticization of indigenous knowledge; and the all too frequent decontextualization of indigenous knowledge
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