1,806 research outputs found
Detection of FeO towards SgrB2
We have observed the J=5-4 ground state transition of FeO at a frequency of
153 GHz towards a selection of galactic sources.
Towards the galactic center source SgrB2, we see weak absorption at
approximately the velocity of other features towards this source (62 km
s LSR).
Towards other sources, the results were negative as they were also for
MgOH(3-2) and FeC(6-5). We tentatively conclude that the absorption seen toward
SgrB2 is due to FeO in the hot ( 500 K) relatively low density absorbing
gas known to be present in this line of sight.
This is the first (albeit tentative) detection of FeO or any iron--containing
molecule in the interstellar gas. Assuming the observed absorption to be due to
FeO, we estimate [FeO]/[SiO] to be of order or less than 0.002 and
[FeO]/[H] of order . This is compatible with our negative
results in other sources.
Our results suggest that the iron liberated from grains in the shocks
associated with SgrB2 remains atomic and is not processed into molecular form.Comment: 1 postscrit figure,10 page
Encoding a qubit into multilevel subspaces
We present a formalism for encoding the logical basis of a qubit into
subspaces of multiple physical levels. The need for this multilevel encoding
arises naturally in situations where the speed of quantum operations exceeds
the limits imposed by the addressability of individual energy levels of the
qubit physical system. A basic feature of the multilevel encoding formalism is
the logical equivalence of different physical states and correspondingly, of
different physical transformations. This logical equivalence is a source of a
significant flexibility in designing logical operations, while the multilevel
structure inherently accommodates fast and intense broadband controls thereby
facilitating faster quantum operations. Another important practical advantage
of multilevel encoding is the ability to maintain full quantum-computational
fidelity in the presence of mixing and decoherence within encoding subspaces.
The formalism is developed in detail for single-qubit operations and
generalized for multiple qubits. As an illustrative example, we perform a
simulation of closed-loop optimal control of single-qubit operations for a
model multilevel system, and subsequently apply these operations at finite
temperatures to investigate the effect of decoherence on operational fidelity.Comment: IOPart LaTeX, 2 figures, 31 pages; addition of a numerical simulatio
The Nature of the Molecular Environment within 5 pc of the Galactic Center
We present a detailed study of molecular gas in the central 10pc of the
Galaxy through spectral line observations of four rotation inversion
transitions of NH3 made with the VLA. Updated line widths and NH3(1,1)
opacities are presented, and temperatures, column densities, and masses are
derived. We examine the impact of Sgr A East on molecular material at the
Galactic center and find that there is no evidence that the expansion of this
shell has moved a significant amount of the 50 km/s GMC. The western streamer,
however, shows strong indications that it is composed of material swept-up by
the expansion of Sgr A East. Using the mass and kinematics of the western
streamer, we calculate an energy of E=(2-9)x10^{51} ergs for the progenitor
explosion and conclude that Sgr A East was most likely produced by a single
supernova. The temperature structure of molecular gas in the central ~20pc is
also analyzed in detail. We find that molecular gas has a ``two-temperature''
structure similar to that measured by Huttemeister et al. (2003a) on larger
scales. The largest observed line ratios, however, cannot be understood in
terms of a two-temperature model, and most likely result from absorption of
NH3(3,3) emission by cool surface layers of clouds. By comparing the observed
NH3 (6,6)-to-(3,3) line ratios, we disentangle three distinct molecular
features within a projected distance of 2pc from Sgr A*. Gas associated with
the highest line ratios shows kinematic signatures of both rotation and
expansion. The southern streamer shows no significant velocity gradients and
does not appear to be directly associated with either the circumnuclear disk or
the nucleus. The paper concludes with a discussion of the line-of-sight
arrangement of the main features in the central 10pc.Comment: 51 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ. Due to size
limitations, some of the images have been cut from this version. A complete,
color PS or PDF version can be downloaded from
http://www.astro.columbia.edu/~herrnstein/NH3/paper
The abundances of nitrogen-containing molecules during pre-protostellar collapse
We have studied the chemistry of nitrogen--bearing species during the initial stages of protostellar collapse, with a view to explaining the observed longevity of N2H+ and NH3 and the high levels of deuteration of these species. We followed the chemical evolution of a medium comprising gas and dust as it underwent free--fall gravitational collapse. Chemical processes which determine the relative populations of the nuclear spin states of molecules and molecular ions were included explicitly, as were reactions which lead ultimately to the deuteration of the nitrogen--containing species N2H+ and NH3. The freeze-out of `heavy' molecules onto grains was taken into account. We found that the timescale required for the nitrogen--containing species to attain their steady--state values was much larger than the free--fall time and even comparable with the probable lifetime of the precursor molecular cloud. However, it transpires that the chemical evolution of the gas during gravitational collapse is insensitive to its initial composition. If we suppose that the grain--sticking probabilities of atomic nitrogen and oxygen are both less than unity (S less than 0.3), we find that the observed differential freeze--out of nitrogen- and carbon--bearing species can be reproduced by the model of free--fall collapse when a sufficiently large grain radius (a_{g}= 0.5 micron) is adopted. Furthermore, the results of our collapse model are consistent with the high levels of deuteration of N2H+ and NH3 which have been observed in L1544 providing that 0.5<a_{g}<1 micron. We note that the o/p H2D+ ratio and fractional abundance of ortho-H2D+ should be largest when ND3 is most abundant
A ferrofluid based neural network: design of an analogue associative memory
We analyse an associative memory based on a ferrofluid, consisting of a
system of magnetic nano-particles suspended in a carrier fluid of variable
viscosity subject to patterns of magnetic fields from an array of input and
output magnetic pads. The association relies on forming patterns in the
ferrofluid during a trainingdphase, in which the magnetic dipoles are free to
move and rotate to minimize the total energy of the system. Once equilibrated
in energy for a given input-output magnetic field pattern-pair the particles
are fully or partially immobilized by cooling the carrier liquid. Thus produced
particle distributions control the memory states, which are read out
magnetically using spin-valve sensors incorporated in the output pads. The
actual memory consists of spin distributions that is dynamic in nature,
realized only in response to the input patterns that the system has been
trained for. Two training algorithms for storing multiple patterns are
investigated. Using Monte Carlo simulations of the physical system we
demonstrate that the device is capable of storing and recalling two sets of
images, each with an accuracy approaching 100%.Comment: submitted to Neural Network
The changing of the guard: groupwork with people who have intellectual disabilities
This paper considers the impact of service systems on group activities. It describes an inter-professional groupwork project facilitated by a social worker and a community nurse. The project provided an emancipatory experience for a group of adults who had intellectual disabilities. The group was charged with the task of reviewing and updating the recruitment and interview processes used by a 'Learning Disability Partnership Board', when employing new support workers.
The paper begins with a brief history of intellectual disability and provides a context to the underpinning philosophical belief that people should be encouraged and supported to inhabit valued social roles no matter what disability they may have. It then identifies the ways in which the sponsoring health, education and social care services impacted on the creation and development of a groupwork project. It might have been expected that the nature of the intellectual disability would have been the major influence on group process. However the paper reveals that organisational constraints had a significant impact on group functioning. Issues including, staffing budgets and transport contracts impacted on group process and function.
The results of the project show how, with adequate support, people with intellectual disability can make important decisions that have long-reaching impacts on the services
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