6,850 research outputs found
Disc instability in RS Ophiuchi: a path to Type Ia supernovae?
We study the stability of disc accretion in the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi.
We construct a one-dimensional time-dependent model of the binary-disc system,
which includes viscous heating and radiative cooling and a self-consistent
treatment of the binary potential. We find that the extended accretion disc in
this system is always unstable to the thermal-viscous instability, and
undergoes repeated disc outbursts on ~10-20yr time-scales. This is similar to
the recurrence time-scale of observed outbursts in the RS Oph system, but we
show that the disc's accretion luminosity during outburst is insufficient to
explain the observed outbursts. We explore a range of models, and find that in
most cases the accretion rate during outbursts reaches or exceeds the critical
accretion rate for stable nuclear burning on the white dwarf surface.
Consequently we suggest that a surface nuclear burning triggered by disc
instability may be responsible for the observed outbursts. This allows the
white dwarf mass to grow over time, and we suggest that disc instability in RS
Oph and similar systems may represent a path to Type Ia supernovae.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Direct observation of spin-polarised bulk bands in an inversion-symmetric semiconductor
Methods to generate spin-polarised electronic states in non-magnetic solids
are strongly desired to enable all-electrical manipulation of electron spins
for new quantum devices. This is generally accepted to require breaking global
structural inversion symmetry. In contrast, here we present direct evidence
from spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy for a strong spin
polarisation of bulk states in the centrosymmetric transition-metal
dichalcogenide WSe. We show how this arises due to a lack of inversion
symmetry in constituent structural units of the bulk crystal where the
electronic states are localised, leading to enormous spin splittings up to
eV, with a spin texture that is strongly modulated in both real and
momentum space. As well as providing the first experimental evidence for a
recently-predicted `hidden' spin polarisation in inversion-symmetric materials,
our study sheds new light on a putative spin-valley coupling in
transition-metal dichalcogenides, of key importance for using these compounds
in proposed valleytronic devices.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Emergent quantum confinement at topological insulator surfaces
Bismuth-chalchogenides are model examples of three-dimensional topological
insulators. Their ideal bulk-truncated surface hosts a single spin-helical
surface state, which is the simplest possible surface electronic structure
allowed by their non-trivial topology. They are therefore widely
regarded ideal templates to realize the predicted exotic phenomena and
applications of this topological surface state. However, real surfaces of such
compounds, even if kept in ultra-high vacuum, rapidly develop a much more
complex electronic structure whose origin and properties have proved
controversial. Here, we demonstrate that a conceptually simple model,
implementing a semiconductor-like band bending in a parameter-free
tight-binding supercell calculation, can quantitatively explain the entire
measured hierarchy of electronic states. In combination with circular dichroism
in angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) experiments, we further uncover a rich
three-dimensional spin texture of this surface electronic system, resulting
from the non-trivial topology of the bulk band structure. Moreover, our study
reveals how the full surface-bulk connectivity in topological insulators is
modified by quantum confinement.Comment: 9 pages, including supplementary information, 4+4 figures. A high
resolution version is available at
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~pdk6/pub_files/TI_quant_conf_high_res.pd
Spectroscopic and Mechanistic Studies of Heterodimetallic Forms of Metallo-β-lactamase NDM-1
In an effort to characterize the roles of each metal ion in metallo-β-lactamase NDM-1, heterodimetallic analogues (CoCo-, ZnCo-, and CoCd-) of the enzyme were generated and characterized. UV–vis, 1H NMR, EPR, and EXAFS spectroscopies were used to confirm the fidelity of the metal substitutions, including the presence of a homogeneous, heterodimetallic cluster, with a single-atom bridge. This marks the first preparation of a metallo-β-lactamase selectively substituted with a paramagnetic metal ion, Co(II), either in the Zn1 (CoCd-NDM-1) or in the Zn2 site (ZnCo-NDM-1), as well as both (CoCo-NDM-1). We then used these metal-substituted forms of the enzyme to probe the reaction mechanism, using steady-state and stopped-flow kinetics, stopped-flow fluorescence, and rapid-freeze-quench EPR. Both metal sites show significant effects on the kinetic constants, and both paramagnetic variants (CoCd- and ZnCo-NDM-1) showed significant structural changes on reaction with substrate. These changes are discussed in terms of a minimal kinetic mechanism that incorporates all of the data
Recoil Polarization Measurements of the Proton Electromagnetic Form Factor Ratio to Q^2 = 8.5 GeV^2
Among the most fundamental observables of nucleon structure, electromagnetic
form factors are a crucial benchmark for modern calculations describing the
strong interaction dynamics of the nucleon's quark constituents; indeed, recent
proton data have attracted intense theoretical interest. In this letter, we
report new measurements of the proton electromagnetic form factor ratio using
the recoil polarization method, at momentum transfers Q2=5.2, 6.7, and 8.5
GeV2. By extending the range of Q2 for which GEp is accurately determined by
more than 50%, these measurements will provide significant constraints on
models of nucleon structure in the non-perturbative regime
Colouration in amphibians as a reflection of nutritional status : the case of tree frogs in Costa Rica
Colouration has been considered a cue for mating success in many species; ornaments in males often are related to carotenoid mobilization towards feathers and/or skin and can signal general health and nutrition status. However, there are several factors that can also link with status, such as physiological blood parameters and body condition, but there is not substantial evidence which supports the existence of these relationships and interactions in anurans. This study evaluated how body score and blood values interact with colouration in free-range Agalychnis callidryas and Agalychnis annae males. We found significant associations between body condition and plasmatic proteins and haematocrit, as well as between body condition and colour values from the chromaticity diagram. We also demonstrated that there is a significant relation between the glucose and plasmatic protein values that were reflected in the ventral colours of the animals, and haematocrit inversely affected most of those colour values. Significant differences were found between species as well as between populations of A. callidryas, suggesting that despite colour variation, there are also biochemical differences within animals from the same species located in different regions. These data provide information on underlying factors for colouration of male tree frogs in nature, provide insights about the dynamics of several nutrients in the amphibian model and how this could affect the reproductive output of the animals
Measurement of the Neutron Radius of 208Pb Through Parity-Violation in Electron Scattering
We report the first measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry A_PV in the
elastic scattering of polarized electrons from 208Pb. A_PV is sensitive to the
radius of the neutron distribution (Rn). The result A_PV = 0.656 \pm 0.060
(stat) \pm 0.014 (syst) ppm corresponds to a difference between the radii of
the neutron and proton distributions Rn - Rp = 0.33 +0.16 -0.18 fm and provides
the first electroweak observation of the neutron skin which is expected in a
heavy, neutron-rich nucleus.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur
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