7,290 research outputs found
Sub-millimeter images of a dusty Kuiper belt around eta Corvi
We present sub-millimeter and mid-infrared images of the circumstellar disk
around the nearby F2V star eta Corvi. The disk is resolved at 850um with a size
of ~100AU. At 450um the emission is found to be extended at all position
angles, with significant elongation along a position angle of 130+-10deg; at
the highest resolution (9.3") this emission is resolved into two peaks which
are to within the uncertainties offset symmetrically from the star at 100AU
projected separation. Modeling the appearance of emission from a narrow ring in
the sub-mm images shows the observed structure cannot be caused by an edge-on
or face-on axisymmetric ring; the observations are consistent with a ring of
radius 150+-20AU seen at 45+-25deg inclination. More face-on orientations are
possible if the dust distribution includes two clumps similar to Vega; we show
how such a clumpy structure could arise from the migration over 25Myr of a
Neptune mass planet from 80-105AU. The inner 100AU of the system appears
relatively empty of sub-mm emitting dust, indicating that this region may have
been cleared by the formation of planets, but the disk emission spectrum shows
that IRAS detected an additional hot component with a characteristic
temperature of 370+-60K (implying a distance of 1-2AU). At 11.9um we found the
emission to be unresolved with no background sources which could be
contaminating the fluxes measured by IRAS. The age of this star is estimated to
be ~1Gyr. It is very unusual for such an old main sequence star to exhibit
significant mid-IR emission. The proximity of this source makes it a perfect
candidate for further study from optical to mm wavelengths to determine the
distribution of its dust.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures. Scheduled for publication in ApJ 10 February
2005 issu
Pressure of thermal excitations in superfluid helium
We find the pressure, due to the thermal excitations of superfluid helium, at
the interface with a solid. The separate contributions of phonons, rotons
and rotons are derived. The pressure due to rotons is shown to be
negative and partially compensates the positive contribution of rotons,
so the total roton pressure is positive but several times less than the
separate and roton contributions. The pressure of the quasiparticle
gas is shown to account for the fountain effect in . An experiment is
proposed to observe the negative pressure due to rotons.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Time-dependent quantum Monte Carlo: preparation of the ground state
We study one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) Helium atoms using a
new time-dependent quantum Monte Carlo (TDQMC) method. The TDQMC method employs
random walkers, with a separate guiding wave attached to each walker. The
ground state is calculated by a self-consistent solution of complex-time
Schroedinger equations for the guiding waves and of equations for the velocity
fields of the walkers. Our results show that the many-body wavefunction and the
ground state energy of the model atoms are very close to those predicted by the
standard diffusion quantum Monte Carlo method. The obtained ground state can
further be used to examine correlated time-dependent processes which include,
for example, interaction of atoms and molecules with external electromagnetic
fields.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure
Debris disk size distributions: steady state collisional evolution with P-R drag and other loss processes
We present a new scheme for determining the shape of the size distribution,
and its evolution, for collisional cascades of planetesimals undergoing
destructive collisions and loss processes like Poynting-Robertson drag. The
scheme treats the steady state portion of the cascade by equating mass loss and
gain in each size bin; the smallest particles are expected to reach steady
state on their collision timescale, while larger particles retain their
primordial distribution. For collision-dominated disks, steady state means that
mass loss rates in logarithmic size bins are independent of size. This
prescription reproduces the expected two phase size distribution, with ripples
above the blow-out size, and above the transition to gravity-dominated
planetesimal strength. The scheme also reproduces the expected evolution of
disk mass, and of dust mass, but is computationally much faster than evolving
distributions forward in time. For low-mass disks, P-R drag causes a turnover
at small sizes to a size distribution that is set by the redistribution
function (the mass distribution of fragments produced in collisions). Thus
information about the redistribution function may be recovered by measuring the
size distribution of particles undergoing loss by P-R drag, such as that traced
by particles accreted onto Earth. Although cross-sectional area drops with
1/age^2 in the PR-dominated regime, dust mass falls as 1/age^2.8, underlining
the importance of understanding which particle sizes contribute to an
observation when considering how disk detectability evolves. Other loss
processes are readily incorporated; we also discuss generalised power law loss
rates, dynamical depletion, realistic radiation forces and stellar wind drag.Comment: Accepted for publication by Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical
Astronomy (special issue on EXOPLANETS
Evolution of a pulse of noninteracting quasiparticles with dispersion and initial angular width
The evolution of a pulse of noninteracting quasiparticles, caused by their different velocities
and angular distribution of momenta, is studied theoretically. Equations are found that describe
the shape of the pulse surface at any time. The time of the beginning, end and duration of the density
of the quasiparticle energy flux is determined at a general spatial point. The quasiparticle energy
density is considered at all times and positions, and it is shown that the region of high energy
density, in the middle of the pulse, is equal to the initial energy density under certain conditions.
These theoretical results are discussed in relation to experimental data on the evolution of a pulse
of noninteracting phonons in superfluid helium
Are inner disc misalignments common? ALMA reveals an isotropic outer disc inclination distribution for young dipper stars
Dippers are a common class of young variable star exhibiting day-long dimmings with depths of up to several tens of per cent. A standard explanation is that dippers host nearly edge-on (id ≈ 70°) protoplanetary discs that allow close-in (10 au) disc resolved by ALMA and that inner disc misalignments may be common during the protoplanetary phase. More than one mechanism may contribute to the dipper phenomenon, including accretion-driven warps and ‘broken’ discs caused by inclined (sub-)stellar or planetary companions
Kondo effect in real quantum dots
Exchange interaction within a quantum dot strongly affects the transport
through it in the Kondo regime. In a striking difference with the results of
the conventional model, where this interaction is neglected, here the
temperature and magnetic field dependence of the conductance may become
non-monotonic: its initial increase follows by a drop when temperature and
magnetic field are lowered
Setting up tunneling conditions by means of Bohmian mechanics
Usually tunneling is established after imposing some matching conditions on
the (time-independent) wave function and its first derivative at the boundaries
of a barrier. Here an alternative scheme is proposed to determine tunneling and
estimate transmission probabilities in time-dependent problems, which takes
advantage of the trajectory picture provided by Bohmian mechanics. From this
theory a general functional expression for the transmission probability in
terms of the system initial state can be reached. This expression is used here
to analyze tunneling properties and estimate transmissions in the case of
initial Gaussian wave packets colliding with ramp-like barriers.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figure
Quantum dots with even number of electrons: Kondo effect in a finite magnetic field
We study a small spin-degenerate quantum dot with even number of electrons,
weakly connected by point contacts to the metallic electrodes, and subject to
an external magnetic field. If the Zeeman energy B is equal to the
single-particle level spacing in the dot, the ground state of the dot
becomes doubly degenerate, and the system exhibits Kondo effect, despite the
fact that B exceeds by far the Kondo temperature . A possible
realization of this in tunneling experiments is discussed
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