1,010 research outputs found
Distortions of Experimental Muon Arrival Time Distributions of Extensive Air Showers by the Observation Conditions
Event-by-event measured arrival time distributions of Extensive Air Shower
(EAS) muons are affected and distorted by various interrelated effects which
originate from the time resolution of the timing detectors, from fluctuations
of the reference time and the number (multiplicity) of detected muons spanning
the arrival time distribution of the individual EAS events. The origin of these
effects is discussed, and different correction procedures, which involve
detailed simulations, are proposed and illustrated. The discussed distortions
are relevant for relatively small observation distances (R < 200 m) from the
EAS core. Their significance decreases with increasing observation distance and
increasing primary energies. Local arrival time distributions which refer to
the observed arrival time of the first local muon prove to be less sensitive to
the mass of the primary. This feature points to the necessity of arrival time
measurements with additional information on the curvature of the EAS disk.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Astroparticle
Physic
Searching for star-planet magnetic interaction in CoRoT observations
Close-in massive planets interact with their host stars through tidal and
magnetic mechanisms. In this paper, we review circumstantial evidence for
star-planet interaction as revealed by the photospheric magnetic activity in
some of the CoRoT planet-hosting stars, notably CoRoT-2, CoRoT-4, and CoRoT-6.
The phenomena are discussed in the general framework of activity-induced
features in stars accompanied by hot Jupiters. The theoretical mechanisms
proposed to explain the activity enhancements possibly related with hot Jupiter
are also briefly reviewed with an emphasis on the possible effects at
photospheric level. The unique advantages of CoRoT and Kepler observations to
test these models are pointed out.Comment: Invited review paper accepted by Astrophysics and Space Science, 13
pages, 5 figure
Phase-Sensitive Tetracrystal Pairing-Symmetry Measurements and Broken Time-Reversal Symmetry States of High Tc Superconductors
A detailed analysis of the symmetric tetracrystal geometry used in
phase-sensitive pairing symmetry experiments on high Tc superconductors is
carried out for both bulk and surface time-reversal symmetry-breaking states,
such as the d+id' and d+is states. The results depend critically on the
substrate geometry. In the general case, for the bulk d+id' (or d+is) state,
the measured flux quantization should in general not be too different from that
obtained in the pure d-wave case, provided |d'| << |d| (or |s| << |d|).
However, in one particular high symmetry geometry, the d+id' state gives
results that allow it to be distinguished from the pure d and the d + is
states. Results are also given for the cases where surface d+is or d+id' states
occur at a [110] surface of a bulk d-wave superconductor. Remarkably, in the
highest symmetry geometry, a number of the broken time-reversal symmetry states
discussed above give flux quantization conditions usually associated with
states not having broken time- reversal symmetry.Comment: 6 page
Attitudes to a male contraceptive pill in a group of contraceptive users in the UK
BACKGROUND. Small scale trials of male hormonal contraception have produced encouraging results. Attitudes to and beliefs about a proposed male pill may affect uptake. METHODS. This paper examines attitudes towards a proposed âmale contraceptive pillâ among a self selected sample of 54 men and 134 women, living in a non-metropolitan centre in the East of England, United Kingdom who were already users of contraception. Thirty four respondents were also interviewed and their views on the male pill were qualitatively analysed.
RESULTS. The acceptability of a male pill was high with just under half (49.5%) of respondents indicating that they would use it. Gender, length of relationship, age and educational achievement did not affect the reported acceptability. 42% of respondents expressed concerns that men would forget to take a male pill. Women were significantly more likely to express this concern than men. 26% of respondents expressed health concerns. Willingness to take a male pill was associated with expressing the view that increased protection against pregnancy would be an advantage of such a method. Those unwilling or undecided were more likely to express concerns about the effect of a pill on future fertility.
CONCLUSIONS. A male pill was accepted as a potential aid to increased fertility control by a large proportion of a convenience sample of contraceptive users in the East of England. If a male pill were to be marketed in the UK this study suggests that concerns about effects on future fertility and health risks may need to be addressed
Electromagnetic proton form factors in large QCD
The electromagnetic form factors of the proton are obtained using a
particular realization of QCD in the large limit (),
which sums up the infinite number of zero-width resonances to yield an Euler's
Beta function (Dual-). The form factors and
, as well as agree very well with reanalyzed space-like
data in the whole range of momentum transfer. In addition, the predicted ratio
is in good agreement with recent polarization transfer
measurements at Jefferson Lab.Comment: 10 page
New empirical fits to the proton electromagnetic form factors
Recent measurements of the ratio of the elastic electromagnetic form factors
of the proton, G_Ep/G_Mp, using the polarization transfer technique at
Jefferson Lab show that this ratio decreases dramatically with increasing Q^2,
in contradiction to previous measurements using the Rosenbluth separation
technique. Using this new high quality data as a constraint, we have reanalyzed
most of the world e-p elastic cross section data. In this paper, we present a
new empirical fit to the reanalyzed data for the proton elastic magnetic form
factor in the region 0 < Q^2 < 30 GeV^2. As well, we present an empirical fit
to the proton electromagnetic form factor ratio, G_Ep/G_Mp, which is valid in
the region 0.1 < Q^2 < 6 GeV^2
On the history and future of soil organic phosphorus research:a critique across three generations
Soil organic phosphorus has broad agronomic and ecological significance, but remains a neglected topic of research. This opinion paper reflects a collaborative discussion between three generations of scientists who have collectively studied soil organic phosphorus for almost 50 years. We discuss personal reflections on our involvement in the field, opinions about progress and promising opportunities for future research. We debate an apparent overemphasis on analytical methodology at the expense of broader questions, and whether this has stifled progress in recent decades. We reiterate the urgent need to understand organic phosphorus cycling in the environment to address fundamental questions about phosphate supply, crop nutrition, water quality and ecosystem ecology. We also contend that we must encourage and integrate the study of organic phosphorus across all scales, from molecular chemistry to global cycling. Our discussion among three generations of researchers shows the value of a long-term perspective, emphasizes the changing nature of this field of research, and reinforces the importance of continuing to be curious about the dynamics of organic phosphorus in the environment
Influence of impurity scattering on tunneling conductance in normal metal- d -wave superconductor junctions
Tunneling conductance spectra between a normal metal / d-wave superconductor
junction under the presence of bulk impurities in the superconductor are
studied. The quasiclassical theory has been applied to calculate the spatial
variation of the pair potential and the effect of impurity scattering has been
introduced by t-matrix approximation. The magnitude of a subdominant s-wave
component at the interface is shown to robust against the impurity scattering
while that for a subdominant -wave component is largely suppressed with
the increase of the impurity scattering rate. The zero-bias conductance peak
due to the zero-energy Andreev bound states is significantly broadened for the
case of Born limit impurity compared with that of unitary limit impurity.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figure
Extended Gari-Krumpelmann model fits to nucleon electromagnetic form factors
Nucleon electromagnetic form factor data (including recent data) is fitted
with models that respect the confinement and asymptotic freedom properties of
QCD. Gari-Krumpelmann (GK) type models, which include the major vector meson
pole contributions and at high momentum transfer conform to the predictions of
perturbative QCD, are combined with Hohler-Pietarinen (HP) models, which also
include the width of the rho meson and the addition of higher mass vector meson
exchanges, but do not evolve into the explicit form of PQCD at high momentum
transfer. Different parameterizations of the GK model's hadronic form factors,
the effect of including the width of the rho meson and the addition of the next
(in mass) isospin 1 vector meson are considered. The quality of fit and the
consistency of the parameters select three of the combined HP/GK type models.
Projections are made to the higher momentum transfers which are relevant to
electron-deuteron experiments. The projections vary little for the preferred
models, removing much of the ambiguity in electron-nucleus scattering
predictions.Comment: 18pp, 7 figures, using RevTeX with BoxedEPS macros; 1 new figure,
minor textual changes; email correspondence to [email protected]
Octet-Baryon Form Factors in the Diquark Model
We present an alternative parameterization of the quark-diquark model of
baryons which particularly takes care of the most recent proton electric
form-factor data from the E136 experiment at SLAC. In addition to
electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon, for which good agreement with data
is achieved, we discuss the weak axial vector form factor of the nucleon as
well as electromagnetic form factors of and hyperons.
Technical advance in calculating the pertinent analytic expressions within
perturbative quantum chromodynamics is gained by formulating the wave function
of the quark-diquark system in a covariant way. Finally, we also comment on the
influence of Sudakov corrections within the scope of the diquark model.Comment: 16 pages, WU-B 93-07, latex, uuencoded postscript files of 7 figures
appended at the end of the latex fil
- âŠ