285,799 research outputs found
Figure of Merit for Dark Energy Constraints from Current Observational Data
Choosing the appropriate figure of merit (FoM) for dark energy (DE)
constraints is key in comparing different DE experiments. Here we show that for
a set of DE parameters {f_i}, it is most intuitive to define FoM =
1/\sqrt{Cov(f1,f2,f3,...)}, where Cov(f1,f2,f3,...) is the covariance matrix of
{f_i}. The {f_i} should be minimally correlated. We demonstrate two useful
choices of {f_i} using 182 SNe Ia (compiled by Riess et al. 2007), [R(z_*),
l_a(z_*), \Omega_b h^2] from the five year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe
(WMAP) observations, and SDSS measurement of the baryon acoustic oscillation
(BAO) scale, assuming the HST prior of H_0=72+/-8 km/s Mpc^{-1} and without
assuming spatial flatness. We find that the correlation of (w_0,w_{0.5})
[w_0=w_X(z=0), w_{0.5}=w_X(z=0.5), w_X(a) = 3w_{0.5}-2w_0+3(w_0-w_{0.5})a] is
significantly smaller than that of (w_0,w_a) [w_X(a)=w_0+(1-a)w_a]. In order to
obtain model-independent constraints on DE, we parametrize the DE density
function X(z)=\rho_X(z)/\rho_X(0) as a free function with X_{0.5}, X_{1.0}, and
X_{1.5} [values of X(z) at z=0.5, 1.0, and 1.5] as free parameters estimated
from data. If one assumes a linear DE equation of state, current data are
consistent with a cosmological constant at 68% C.L. If one assumes X(z) to be a
free function parametrized by (X_{0.5}, X_{1.0}, X_{1.5}), current data deviate
from a cosmological constant at z=1 at 68% C.L., but are consistent with a
cosmological constant at 95% C.L.. Future DE experiments will allow us to
dramatically increase the FoM of constraints on (w_0,w_{0.5}) and of (X_{0.5},
X_{1.0}, X_{1.5}). This will significantly shrink the DE parameter space to
enable the discovery of DE evolution, or the conclusive evidence for a
cosmological constant.Comment: 7 pages, 3 color figures. Submitte
Spin and Orbital Splitting in Ferromagnetic Contacted Single Wall Carbon Nanotube Devices
We observed the coulomb blockade phenomena in ferromagnetic contacting single
wall semiconducting carbon nanotube devices. No obvious Coulomb peaks shift was
observed with existing only the Zeeman splitting at 4K. Combining with other
effects, the ferromagnetic leads prevent the orbital spin states splitting with
magnetic field up to 2 Tesla at 4K. With increasing magnetic field further,
both positive or negative coulomb peaks shift slopes are observed associating
with clockwise and anticlockwise orbital state splitting. The strongly
suppressed/enhanced of the conductance has been observed associating with the
magnetic field induced orbital states splitting/converging
Multiscale simulations in simple metals: a density-functional based methodology
We present a formalism for coupling a density functional theory-based quantum
simulation to a classical simulation for the treatment of simple metallic
systems. The formalism is applicable to multiscale simulations in which the
part of the system requiring quantum-mechanical treatment is spatially confined
to a small region. Such situations often arise in physical systems where
chemical interactions in a small region can affect the macroscopic mechanical
properties of a metal. We describe how this coupled treatment can be
accomplished efficiently, and we present a coupled simulation for a bulk
aluminum system.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure
Origin of superconductivity in nominally "undoped" T'-LaYCuO films
We have systematically studied the transport properties of the
LaYCuO(LYCO) films of T'-phase (). In
this nominally "undoped" system, superconductivity was acquired in certain Y
doping range (). Measurements of resistivity, Hall
coefficients in normal states and resistive critical field ()in
superconducting states of the T'-LYCO films show the similar behavior as the
known Ce-doped n-type cuprate superconductors, indicating the intrinsic
electron-doping nature. The charge carriers are induced by oxygen deficiency.
Non-superconducting Y-doped Pr- or Nd-based T'-phase cuprate films were also
investigated for comparison, suggesting the crucial role of the radii of A-site
cations in the origin of superconductivity in the nominally "undoped" cuptates.
Based on a reasonable scenario in the microscopic reduction process, we put
forward a self-consistent interpretation of these experimental observations.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure
Inclusive Decays of Bottom Hadrons in New Formulation of Heavy Quark Effective Field Theory
We apply the new formulation of heavy quark effective field theory (HQEFT) to
the inclusive decays of bottom hadrons. The long-term ambiguity of using heavy
quark mass or heavy hadron mass for inclusive decays is clarified within the
framework of the new formulation of HQEFT. The order corrections are
absent and contributions from terms are calculated in detail. This
enables us to reliably extract the important CKM matrix element from
the inclusive semileptonic decay rates. The resulting lifetime ratios
and are found to well agree
with the experimental data. We also calculate in detail the inclusive
semileptonic branching ratios and the ratios of the and decay
rates as well as the charm countings in the , and
systems. For decays, all the observables are found to be consistent with
the experimental data. More precise data for the decays and further
experimental measurements for the and systems will be very
useful for testing the framework of new formulation of HQEFT at the level of
higher order corrections.Comment: 20 pages, RevTex, 8 figures, 3 tables, revised version with `dressed
heavy quark' being addressed, to be published in Int. J. Mod. Phys.
A homogeneous analysis of disks around brown dwarfs
We re-analyzed the Herschel/PACS data of a sample of 55 brown dwarfs (BDs)
and very low mass stars with spectral types ranging from M5.5 to L0. We
investigated the dependence of disk structure on the mass of the central object
in the substellar regime based on a homogeneous analysis of Herschel data from
flux density measurements to spectral energy distribution (SED) modeling. A
systematic comparison between the derived disk properties and those of sun-like
stars shows that the disk flaring of BDs and very low mass stars is generally
smaller than that of their higher mass counterparts, the disk mass is orders of
magnitude lower than the typical value found in T Tauri stars, and the disk
scale heights are comparable in both sun-like stars and BDs. We further divided
our sample into an early-type brown dwarf (ETBD) group and a late-type brown
dwarf (LTBD) group by using spectral type (=M8) as the border criterion. We
systematically compared the modeling results from Bayesian analysis between
these two groups, and found the trends of flaring index as a function of
spectral type also present in the substellar regime. The spectral type
independence of the scale height is also seen between high-mass and very
low-mass BDs. However, both the ETBD and LTBD groups feature a similar median
disk mass of 10^{-5}Msun and no clear trend is visible in the distribution,
probably due to the uncertainty in translating the far-IR photometry into disk
mass, the detection bias and the age difference among the sample. Unlike
previous studies, our analysis is completely homogeneous in Herschel/PACS data
reduction and modeling with a statistically significant sample. Therefore, we
present evidence of stellar-mass-dependent disk structure down to the
substellar mass regime, which is important for planet formation models.
(Abridged Version)Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
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