6,634 research outputs found
Readout and Control of a Power-recycled Interferometric Gravitational-wave Antenna
Interferometric gravitational wave antennas are based on Michelson
interferometers whose sensitivity to small differential length changes has been
enhanced by adding multiple coupled optical resonators. The use of optical
cavities is essential for reaching the required sensitivity, but sets
challenges for the control system which must maintain the cavities near
resonance. The goal for the strain sensitivity of the Laser Interferometer
Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) is 10^-21 rms, integrated over a 100 Hz
bandwidth centered at 150 Hz. We present the major design features of the LIGO
length and frequency sensing and control system which will hold the
differential length to within 5 10^-14 m of the operating point. We also
highlight the restrictions imposed by couplings of noise into the gravitational
wave readout signal and the required immunity against them.Comment: Presentation at ICALEPCS 2001, San Jose, November 2001, (WECT003), 3
page
Sex differences in variability across timescales in BALB/c mice.
BackgroundFemales are markedly underinvestigated in the biological and behavioral sciences due to the presumption that cyclic hormonal changes across the ovulatory cycle introduce excess variability to measures of interest in comparison to males. However, recent analyses indicate that male and female mice and rats exhibit comparable variability across numerous physiological and behavioral measures, even when the stage of the estrous cycle is not considered. Hormonal changes across the ovulatory cycle likely contribute cyclic, intra-individual variability in females, but the source(s) of male variability has, to our knowledge, not been investigated. It is unclear whether male variability, like that of females, is temporally structured and, therefore, quantifiable and predictable. Finally, whether males and females exhibit variability on similar time scales has not been explored.MethodsThese questions were addressed by collecting chronic, high temporal resolution locomotor activity (LA) and core body temperature (CBT) data from male and female BALB/c mice.ResultsContrary to expectation, males are more variable than females over the course of the day (diel variability) and exhibit higher intra-individual daily range than females in both LA and CBT. Between mice of a given sex, variability is comparable for LA but the inter-individual daily range in CBT is greater for males. To identify potential rhythmic processes contributing to these sex differences, we employed wavelet transformations across a range of periodicities (1-39 h).ConclusionsAlthough variability in circadian power is comparable between the sexes for both LA and CBT, infradian variability is greater in females and ultradian variability is greater in males. Thus, exclusion of female mice from studies because of estrous cycle variability may increase variance in investigations where only male measures are collected over a span of several hours and limit generalization of findings from males to females
A Search for Planetary Nebulae With the SDSS: the outer regions of M31
We have developed a method to identify planetary nebula (PN) candidates in
imaging data of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). This method exploits the
SDSS' five-band sampling of emission lines in PN spectra, which results in a
color signature distinct from that of other sources. Selection criteria based
on this signature can be applied to nearby galaxies in which PNe appear as
point sources. We applied these criteria to the whole area of M31 as scanned by
the SDSS, selecting 167 PN candidates that are located in the outer regions of
M31. The spectra of 80 selected candidates were then observed with the 2.2m
telescope at Calar Alto Observatory. These observations and cross-checks with
literature data show that our method has a selection rate efficiency of about
90%, but the efficiency is different for the different groups of PNe
candidates.
In the outer regions of M31, PNe trace different well-known morphological
features like the Northern Spur, the NGC205 Loop, the G1 Clump, etc. In
general, the distribution of PNe in the outer region 8<R<20 kpc along the minor
axis shows the "extended disk" - a rotationally supported low surface
brightness structure with an exponential scale length of 3.21+/-0.14 kpc and a
total mass of ~10^10 M_{\sun}, which is equivalent to the mass of M33. We
report the discovery of three PN candidates with projected locations in the
center of Andromeda NE, a very low surface brightness giant stellar structure
in the outer halo of M31. Two of the PNe were spectroscopically confirmed as
genuine PNe. These two PNe are located at projected distances along the major
axis of ~48 Kpc and ~41 Kpc from the center of M31 and are the most distant PNe
in M31 found up to now.Comment: 58 pages, 17 figures, 2 tables, Accepted to Astronomical Journa
Quantitative chemical tagging, stellar ages and the chemo-dynamical evolution of the Galactic disc
The early science results from the new generation of high-resolution stellar
spectroscopic surveys, such as GALAH and the Gaia-ESO survey, will represent
major milestones in the quest to chemically tag the Galaxy. Yet this technique
to reconstruct dispersed coeval stellar groups has remained largely untested
until recently. We build on previous work that developed an empirical chemical
tagging probability function, which describes the likelihood that two field
stars are conatal, that is, they were formed in the same cluster environment.
In this work we perform the first ever blind chemical tagging experiment, i.e.,
tagging stars with no known or otherwise discernable associations, on a sample
of 714 disc field stars with a number of high quality high resolution
homogeneous metal abundance measurements. We present evidence that chemical
tagging of field stars does identify coeval groups of stars, yet these groups
may not represent distinct formation sites, e.g. as in dissolved open clusters,
as previously thought. Our results point to several important conclusions,
among them that group finding will be limited strictly to chemical abundance
space, e.g. stellar ages, kinematics, colors, temperature and surface gravity
do not enhance the detectability of groups. We also demonstrate that in
addition to its role in probing the chemical enrichment and kinematic history
of the Galactic disc, chemical tagging represents a powerful new stellar age
determination technique.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of
the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS
ESO452-SC11: The lowest mass globular cluster with a potential chemical inhomogeneity
We present the largest spectroscopic investigation of one of the faintest and
least studied stellar clusters of the Milky Way, ESO452-SC11. Using the
Anglo-Australian Telescope AAOmega and Keck HIRES spectrographs we have
identified 11 members of the cluster and found indications of star-to-star
light element abundance variation, primarily using the blue cyanogen (CN)
absorption features. From a stellar density profile, we estimate a total
cluster mass of solar masses. This would make
ESO452-SC11 the lowest mass cluster with evidence for multiple populations.
These data were also used to measure the radial velocity of the cluster
( km s) and confirm that ESO452-SC11 is relatively
metal-rich for a globular cluster ([Fe/H]). All known massive
clusters studied in detail show multiple populations of stars each with a
different chemical composition, but many low-mass globular clusters appear to
be chemically homogeneous. ESO452-SC11 sets a lower mass limit for the multiple
stellar population phenomenon.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Leo V: A Companion of a Companion of the Milky Way Galaxy
We report the discovery of a new Milky Way dwarf spheroidal galaxy in the
constellation of Leo identified in data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Leo
V lies at a distance of about 180 kpc, and is separated by about 3 degrees from
another recent discovery, Leo IV. We present follow-up imaging from the Isaac
Newton Telescope and spectroscopy from the Hectochelle fiber spectrograph at
the Multiple Mirror Telescope. Leo V's heliocentric velocity is 173.4 km/s,
which is offset by about 40 km/s from that of Leo IV. A simple interpretation
of the kinematic data is that both objects may lie on the same stream, though
the implied orbit is only modestly eccentric (e = 0.2)Comment: Submitted to ApJ (Letters
Stability of the Higgs mass in theories with extra dimensions
We analyze the ultraviolet stability of the Higgs mass in recently proposed
Kaluza-Klein models compactified on S_1/Z_2 or S_1/(Z_2\times Z_2'), both at
the field theory and string theory level. Fayet-Iliopoulos terms of U(1)
hypercharge are shown to be of vital importance for this discussion. Models
with a single Higgs doublet seem to be generically affected by quadratic
divergences.Comment: Contribution to the Proceedings of Durham IPPP meeting May 2001.(12
pages, LaTeX
- âŠ