1,938 research outputs found
Detection of OH absorption against PSR B1849+00
We have searched for OH absorption against seven pulsars using the Arecibo
telescope. In both OH mainlines (at 1665 and 1667 MHz), deep and narrow
absorption features were detected toward PSR B1849+00. In addition, we have
detected several absorption and emission features against B33.6+0.1, a nearby
supernova remnant (SNR). The most interesting result of this study is that a
pencil-sharp absorption sample against the PSR differs greatly from the
large-angle absorption sample observed against the SNR. If both the PSR and the
SNR probe the same molecular cloud then this finding has important implications
for absorption studies of the molecular medium, as it shows that the statistics
of absorbing OH depends on the size of the background source. We also show that
the OH absorption against the PSR most likely originates from a small (<30
arcsec) and dense (>10^5 cm^-3) molecular clump.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
The Emission of Electromagnetic Radiation from Charges Accelerated by Gravitational Waves and its Astrophysical Implications
We provide calculations and theoretical arguments supporting the emission of
electromagnetic radiation from charged particles accelerated by gravitational
waves (GWs). These waves have significant indirect evidence to support their
existence, yet they interact weakly with ordinary matter. We show that the
induced oscillations of charged particles interacting with a GW, which lead to
the emission of electromagnetic radiation, will also result in wave
attenuation. These ideas are supported by a small body of literature, as well
as additional arguments for particle acceleration based on GW memory effects.
We derive order of magnitude power calculations for various initial charge
distributions accelerated by GWs. The resulting power emission is extremely
small for all but very strong GWs interacting with large quantities of charge.
If the results here are confirmed and supplemented, significant consequences
such as attenuation of early universe GWs could result. Additionally, this
effect could extend GW detection techniques into the electromagnetic regime.
These explorations are worthy of study to determine the presence of such
radiation, as it is extremely important to refine our theoretical framework in
an era of active GW astrophysics.Comment: Appears in Gravitational Wave Astrophysics, Editor C.F. Sopuerta,
Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, Volume 40. ISBN
978-3-319-10487-4. Springer International Publishing Switzerland, 2015, p.
30
The Madison plasma dynamo experiment: a facility for studying laboratory plasma astrophysics
The Madison plasma dynamo experiment (MPDX) is a novel, versatile, basic
plasma research device designed to investigate flow driven magnetohydrodynamic
(MHD) instabilities and other high- phenomena with astrophysically
relevant parameters. A 3 m diameter vacuum vessel is lined with 36 rings of
alternately oriented 4000 G samarium cobalt magnets which create an
axisymmetric multicusp that contains 14 m of nearly magnetic field
free plasma that is well confined and highly ionized . At present, 8
lanthanum hexaboride (LaB) cathodes and 10 molybdenum anodes are inserted
into the vessel and biased up to 500 V, drawing 40 A each cathode, ionizing a
low pressure Ar or He fill gas and heating it. Up to 100 kW of electron
cyclotron heating (ECH) power is planned for additional electron heating. The
LaB cathodes are positioned in the magnetized edge to drive toroidal
rotation through torques that propagate into the
unmagnetized core plasma. Dynamo studies on MPDX require a high magnetic
Reynolds number , and an adjustable fluid Reynolds number , in the regime where the kinetic energy of the flow exceeds the magnetic
energy (vv). Initial results from MPDX are presented
along with a 0-dimensional power and particle balance model to predict the
viscosity and resistivity to achieve dynamo action.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figure
The Relationship Between Belief and Credence
Sometimes epistemologists theorize about belief, a tripartite attitude on which one can believe, withhold belief, or disbelieve a proposition. In other cases, epistemologists theorize about credence, a fine-grained attitude that represents one’s subjective probability or confidence level toward a proposition. How do these two attitudes relate to each other? This article explores the relationship between belief and credence in two categories: descriptive and normative. It then explains the broader significance of the belief-credence connection and concludes with general lessons from the debate thus far
Neutron star properties in a chiral SU(3) model
We investigate various properties of neutron star matter within an effective
chiral model. The predictions of this model are
compared with a Walecka-type model. It is demonstrated that the importance of
hyperon degrees are strongly depending on the interaction used, even if the
equation of state near saturation density is nearly the same in both models.
While the Walecka-type model predicts a strange star core with strangeness
fraction , the chiral model allows only for
and predicts that , and will not exist in star, in
contrast to the Walecka-type model.Comment: 13 pages, Revtex, 5 figs include
Belief, Credence and Statistical Evidence
According to the Rational Threshold View, a rational agent believes p if and only if her credence in p is equal to or greater than a certain threshold. One of the most serious challenges for this view is the problem of statistical evidence: statistical evidence is often not sufficient to make an outright belief rational, no matter how probable the target proposition is given such evidence. This indicates that rational belief is not as sensitive to statistical evidence as rational credence. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, we argue that, in addition to playing a decisive role in rationalizing outright belief, non-statistical evidence also plays a preponderant role in rationalizing credence. More precisely, when both types of evidence are present in a context, non-statistical evidence should receive a heavier weight than statistical evidence in determining rational credence. Second, based on this result, we argue that a modified version of the Rational Threshold View can avoid the problem of statistical evidence. We conclude by suggesting a possible explanation of the varying sensitivity to different types of evidence for belief and credence based on the respective aims of these attitudes
The Evolution of PSR J0737-3039B and a Model for Relativistic Spin Precession
We present the evolution of the radio emission from the 2.8-s pulsar of the
double pulsar system PSR J0737-3039A/B. We provide an update on the Burgay et
al. (2005) analysis by describing the changes in the pulse profile and flux
density over five years of observations, culminating in the B pulsar's radio
disappearance in 2008 March. Over this time, the flux density decreases by
0.177 mJy/yr at the brightest orbital phases and the pulse profile evolves from
a single to a double peak, with a separation rate of 2.6 deg/yr. The pulse
profile changes are most likely caused by relativistic spin precession, but can
not be easily explained with a circular hollow-cone beam as in the model of
Clifton & Weisberg (2008). Relativistic spin precession, coupled with an
elliptical beam, can model the pulse profile evolution well. This particular
beam shape predicts geometrical parameters for the two bright orbital phases
which are consistent and similar to those derived by Breton et al. (2008).
However, the observed decrease in flux over time and B's eventual disappearance
cannot be easily explained by the model and may be due to the changing
influence of A on B.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures, Accepted by ApJ on 2 August 201
The Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory
The Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory (WiPAL) is a flexible user
facility designed to study a range of astrophysically relevant plasma processes
as well as novel geometries that mimic astrophysical systems. A multi-cusp
magnetic bucket constructed from strong samarium cobalt permanent magnets now
confines a 10 m, fully ionized, magnetic-field free plasma in a spherical
geometry. Plasma parameters of to eV and
to cm provide an ideal testbed
for a range of astrophysical experiments including self-exciting dynamos,
collisionless magnetic reconnection, jet stability, stellar winds, and more.
This article describes the capabilities of WiPAL along with several
experiments, in both operating and planning stages, that illustrate the range
of possibilities for future users.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures, 2 table
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