7,915 research outputs found
Rotons and Quantum Evaporation from Superfluid 4He
The probability of evaporation induced by and rotons at the
surface of superfluid helium is calculated using time dependent density
functional theory. We consider excitation energies and incident angles such
that phonons do not take part in the scattering process. We predict sizable
evaporation rates, which originate entirely from quantum effects. Results for
the atomic reflectivity and for the probability of the roton change-mode
reflection are also presented.Comment: 11 pages, REVTEX, 3 figures available upon request or at
http://anubis.science.unitn.it/~dalfovo/papers/papers.htm
Multi-Epoch Observations of HD69830: High Resolution Spectroscopy and Limits to Variability
The main-sequence solar-type star HD69830 has an unusually large amount of
dusty debris orbiting close to three planets found via the radial velocity
technique. In order to explore the dynamical interaction between the dust and
planets, we have performed multi-epoch photometry and spectroscopy of the
system over several orbits of the outer dust. We find no evidence for changes
in either the dust amount or its composition, with upper limits of 5-7% (1
per spectral element) on the variability of the {\it dust spectrum}
over 1 year, 3.3% (1 ) on the broad-band disk emission over 4 years,
and 33% (1 ) on the broad-band disk emission over 24 years. Detailed
modeling of the spectrum of the emitting dust indicates that the dust is
located outside of the orbits of the three planets and has a composition
similar to main-belt, C-type asteroids asteroids in our solar system.
Additionally, we find no evidence for a wide variety of gas species associated
with the dust. Our new higher SNR spectra do not confirm our previously claimed
detection of HO ice leading to a firm conclusion that the debris can be
associated with the break-up of one or more C-type asteroids formed in the dry,
inner regions of the protoplanetary disk of the HD69830 system. The modeling of
the spectral energy distribution and high spatial resolution observations in
the mid-infrared are consistent with a 1 AU location for the emitting
material
Evolution from protoplanetary to debris discs: The transition disc around HD 166191
HD 166191 has been identified by several studies as hosting a rare and
extremely bright warm debris disc with an additional outer cool disc component.
However, an alternative interpretation is that the star hosts a disc that is
currently in transition between a full gas disc and a largely gas-free debris
disc. With the help of new optical to mid-IR spectra and Herschel imaging, we
argue that the latter interpretation is supported in several ways: i) we show
that HD 166191 is co-moving with the ~4 Myr-old Herbig Ae star HD 163296,
suggesting that the two have the same age, ii) the disc spectrum of HD 166191
is well matched by a standard radiative transfer model of a gaseous
protoplanetary disc with an inner hole, and iii) the HD 166191 mid-IR silicate
feature is more consistent with similarly primordial objects. We note some
potential issues with the debris disc interpretation that should be considered
for such extreme objects, whose lifetime at the current brightness is mush
shorter than the stellar age, or in the case of the outer component requires a
mass comparable to the solid component of the Solar nebula. These aspects
individually and collectively argue that HD 166191 is a 4-5 Myr old star that
hosts a gaseous transition disc. Though it does not argue in favour of either
scenario, we find strong evidence for 3-5 um disc variability. We place HD
166191 in context with discs at different evolutionary stages, showing that it
is a potentially important object for understanding the protoplanetary to
debris disc transition.Comment: accepted to MNRAS, fixed typos in abstract and axis labe
Bose-Einstein Condensation at a Helium Surface
Path Integral Monte Carlo was used to calculate the Bose-Einstein condensate
fraction at the surface of a helium film at , as a function of
density. Moving from the center of the slab to the surface, the condensate
fraction was found to initially increase with decreasing density to a maximum
value of 0.9 before decreasing. Long wavelength density correlations were
observed in the static structure factor at the surface of the slab. Finally, a
surface dispersion relation was calculated from imaginary-time density-density
correlations.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
The Evaluation and Followup of Children Referred to Pediatric Endocrinologists for Short Stature
Objective. To characterize the pediatric endocrinologists' evaluation and followup of short-statured patients.
Study Design. Observational study of 21,548 short-statured children (April 1996 to December 1999). Baseline demographics, laboratory testing, height standard deviation score (SDS), target height, and height relative to target height were analyzed at initial and return visits with the specialist. Patients were scheduled for at least one return visit and no recombinant human growth hormone therapy was administered. Results. Mean patient age was 8.6 years with a mean height SDS of −2.1. Patients were predominantly male (69%), prepubertal (73%), and white (76%). Few screening tests were obtained during initial evaluation. Nearly 40% of children did not return for their second scheduled visit. The follow-up rate was unrelated to demographics or degree of short stature. Conclusions. Low return rates limit specialists' ability to monitor growth or obtain laboratory testing over time. Further studies are needed to determine which tests should be obtained at the initial clinic visit as well as the basis for the low return rate in this group of children
Dispersion of Ripplons in Superfluid 4he
A detailed study of the dispersion law of surface excitations in liquid \hef
at zero temperature is presented, with special emphasis to the short wave
length region. The hybridization mechanism between surface and bulk modes is
discussed on a general basis, investigating the scattering of slow rotons from
the surface. An accurate density functional, accounting for backflow effects,
is then used to determine the dispersion of both bulk and surface excitations.
The numerical results are close to the experimental data obtained on thick
films and explicitly reveal the occurrence of important hybridization effects
between ripplons and rotons.Comment: 23 pages, REVTEX 3.0, 11 figures upon request, UTF-326/9
Debris Disks: Probing Planet Formation
Debris disks are the dust disks found around ~20% of nearby main sequence
stars in far-IR surveys. They can be considered as descendants of
protoplanetary disks or components of planetary systems, providing valuable
information on circumstellar disk evolution and the outcome of planet
formation. The debris disk population can be explained by the steady
collisional erosion of planetesimal belts; population models constrain where
(10-100au) and in what quantity (>1Mearth) planetesimals (>10km in size)
typically form in protoplanetary disks. Gas is now seen long into the debris
disk phase. Some of this is secondary implying planetesimals have a Solar
System comet-like composition, but some systems may retain primordial gas.
Ongoing planet formation processes are invoked for some debris disks, such as
the continued growth of dwarf planets in an unstirred disk, or the growth of
terrestrial planets through giant impacts. Planets imprint structure on debris
disks in many ways; images of gaps, clumps, warps, eccentricities and other
disk asymmetries, are readily explained by planets at >>5au. Hot dust in the
region planets are commonly found (<5au) is seen for a growing number of stars.
This dust usually originates in an outer belt (e.g., from exocomets), although
an asteroid belt or recent collision is sometimes inferred.Comment: Invited review, accepted for publication in the 'Handbook of
Exoplanets', eds. H.J. Deeg and J.A. Belmonte, Springer (2018
Spatiotemporal Amplitude and Phase Retrieval of Bessel-X pulses using a Hartmann-Shack Sensor
We propose a new experimental technique, which allows for a complete
characterization of ultrashort optical pulses both in space and in time.
Combining the well-known Frequency-Resolved-Optical-Gating technique for the
retrieval of the temporal profile of the pulse with a measurement of the
near-field made with an Hartmann-Shack sensor, we are able to retrieve the
spatiotemporal amplitude and phase profile of a Bessel-X pulse. By following
the pulse evolution along the propagation direction we highlight the
superluminal propagation of the pulse peak
Nodal points and the transition from ordered to chaotic Bohmian trajectories
We explore the transition from order to chaos for the Bohmian trajectories of
a simple quantum system corresponding to the superposition of three stationary
states in a 2D harmonic well with incommensurable frequencies. We study in
particular the role of nodal points in the transition to chaos. Our main
findings are: a) A proof of the existence of bounded domains in configuration
space which are devoid of nodal points, b) An analytical construction of formal
series representing regular orbits in the central domain as well as a numerical
investigation of its limits of applicability. c) A detailed exploration of the
phase-space structure near the nodal point. In this exploration we use an
adiabatic approximation and we draw the flow chart in a moving frame of
reference centered at the nodal point. We demonstrate the existence of a saddle
point (called X-point) in the vicinity of the nodal point which plays a key
role in the manifestation of exponential sensitivity of the orbits. One of the
invariant manifolds of the X-point continues as a spiral terminating at the
nodal point. We find cases of Hopf bifurcation at the nodal point and explore
the associated phase space structure of the nodal point - X-point complex. We
finally demonstrate the mechanism by which this complex generates chaos.
Numerical examples of this mechanism are given for particular chaotic orbits,
and a comparison is made with previous related works in the literature.Comment: 32 pages, 13 figures, Accepted for publication in Journal of Physics
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