New Direct Observational Evidence for Kicks in SNe

We present an updated list of direct strong evidence in favour of kicks being imparted to newborn neutron stars. In particular we discuss the new cases of evidence resulting from recent observations of the X-ray binary Circinus X-1 and the newly discovered binary radio pulsar PSR J1141-6545. We conclude that the assumption that neutron stars receive a kick velocity at their formation is unavoidable (van den Heuvel & van Paradijs 1997).Comment: 2 pages, to appear in the proceedings of the IAU Colloq. 177 "Pulsar Astronomy - 2000 and beyond

Discovery of Two Relativistic Neutron Star-White Dwarf Binaries

We have discovered two recycled pulsars in relativistic orbits as part of the first high-frequency survey of intermediate Galactic latitudes. PSR J1157-5112 is a 44 ms pulsar and the first recycled pulsar with an ultra-massive (M > 1.14 Mo) white dwarf companion. Millisecond pulsar J1757-5322 is a relativistic circular-orbit system which will coalesce due to the emission of gravitational radiation in less than 9.5 Gyr. Of the ~40 known circular orbit pulsars, J1757-5322 and J1157-5112 have the highest projected orbital velocities. There are now three local neutron-star/white-dwarf binaries that will coalesce in less than a Hubble time, implying a large coalescence rate for these objects in the local Universe. Systems such as J1141-6545 (Kaspi et al. 2000) are potential gamma-ray burst progenitors and dominate the coalescence rate, whilst lighter systems make excellent progenitors of millisecond pulsars with planetary or ultra-low mass companions.Comment: 4 pages, to appear in ApJ Letters. Uses aastex v 5.0, emulateapj5.sty, apjfonts.st

One-loop effective action for SU(2) gauge theory on S^3

We consider the effective theory for the low-energy modes of SU(2) gauge theory on the three-sphere. By explicitely integrating out the high-energy modes, the one-loop correction to the hamiltonian for this problem is obtained. We calculate the influence of this correction on the glueball spectrum.Comment: 12p. latex, 3 PostScript figures included (epsf

An improved method for determining the inversion layer mobility of electrons in trench MOSFETs

For the first time trench sidewall effective electron mobility (/spl mu//sub eff/) values were determined by using the split capacitance-voltage (CV) method for a large range of transversal effective field (E/sub eff/) from 0.1 up to 1.4 MV/cm. The influences of crystal orientation, doping concentration and, for the first time, temperature were investigated. In conclusion, the results show that (1) the split CV method is an accurate method for determining /spl mu//sub eff/(E/sub eff/) data in trench MOSFETs, (2) the {100} /spl mu//sub eff/ data approach published data of planar MOSFETs for high E/sub eff/ and (3) the mobility behavior can be explained with generally accepted scattering models for the entire range of E/sub eff/. The results are important for the optimization of trench power devices

Probing Electron-Capture Supernovae: X-Ray Binaries in Starbursts

Presenting population models of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) formed after bursts of star formation, we investigate the effect of electron-capture supernovae (ECS) of massive ONeMg white dwarfs and the hypothesis that ECS events are associated with typically low supernova kicks imparted to the nascent neutron stars. We identify an interesting ECS bump in the time evolution of HMXB numbers; this bump is caused by significantly increased production of wind-fed HMXBs 20-60 Myr post starburst. The amplitude and age extent of the ECS bump depend on the strength of ECS kicks and the mass range of ECS progenitors. We also find that ECS-HMXBs form through a specific evolutionary channel that is expected to lead to binaries with Be donors in wide orbits. These characteristics, along with their sensitivity to ECS properties, provide us with an intriguing opportunity to probe ECS physics and progenitors through studies of starbursts of different ages. Specifically, the case of the Small Magellanic Cloud, with a significant observed population of Be HMXBs and starburst activity 30-60 Myr ago, arises as a promising laboratory for understanding the role of electron-capture supernovae in neutron star formation.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, Published by ApJ in 07/0

Is the Bursting Radio-source GCRT J1745-3009 a Double Neutron Star Binary ?

GCRT J1745-3009 is a peculiar transient radio-source in the direction of the Galactic Center. It was observed to emit a series of ~ 1 Jy bursts at 0.33 GHz, with typical duration ~ 10 min and at apparently regular intervals of ~ 77 min. If the source is indeed at the distance of the Galactic Center as it seems likely, we show that its observational properties are compatible with those expected from a double neutron star binary, similar to the double pulsar system J0737-3039. In the picture we propose the (coherent) radio emission comes from the shock originating in the interaction of the wind of the more energetic pulsar with the magnetosphere of the companion. The observed modulation of the radio signal is the consequence of an eccentric orbit, along which the separation between the two stars varies. This cyclically drives the shock inside the light cylinder radius of the less energetic pulsar.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, comment on geodetic precession adde

Glueball Spectroscopy on S^3

For SU(2) gauge theory on the three-sphere we implement the influence of the boundary of the fundamental domain, and in particular the $\theta$-dependence, on a subspace of low-energy modes of the gauge field. We construct a basis of functions that respect these boundary conditions and use these in a variational approximation of the spectrum of the lowest order effective hamiltonian.Comment: 8p. latex, 3 uuencoded PostScript figures appende

Comparative Connectomics.

We introduce comparative connectomics, the quantitative study of cross-species commonalities and variations in brain network topology that aims to discover general principles of network architecture of nervous systems and the identification of species-specific features of brain connectivity. By comparing connectomes derived from simple to more advanced species, we identify two conserved themes of wiring: the tendency to organize network topology into communities that serve specialized functionality and the general drive to enable high topological integration by means of investment of neural resources in short communication paths, hubs, and rich clubs. Within the space of wiring possibilities that conform to these common principles, we argue that differences in connectome organization between closely related species support adaptations in cognition and behavior.We thank Lianne Scholtens, Jim Rilling, Tom Schoenemann for discussions and comments. MPvdH was supported by a VENI (# 451-12-001) grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and a Fellowship of MQ.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.03.00

Glueballs on the three-sphere

We study the non-perturbative effects of the global features of the configuration space for SU(2) gauge theory on the three-sphere. The strategy is to reduce the full problem to an effective theory for the dynamics of the low-energy modes. By explicitly integrating out the high-energy modes, the one-loop correction to the effective hamiltonian is obtained. Imposing the $\theta$ dependence through boundary conditions in configuration space incorporates the non-perturbative effects of the non-contractable loops in the full configuration space. After this we obtain the glueball spectrum of the effective theory with a variational method.Comment: 48 p LaTeX, 13 Postscript figures appende

Semantics in the Motor System: Motor-Cortical Beta Oscillations Reflect Semantic Knowledge of End-Postures for Object Use

In the present EEG study we investigated whether semantic knowledge for object use is represented in motor-related brain areas. Subjects were required to perform actions with everyday objects and to maintain either a meaningful or a meaningless end posture with the object. Analysis of the EEG data focused on the beta-frequency band, as previous studies have indicated that the maintenance of a posture is reflected in stronger beta-oscillations. Time frequency analysis indicated that the execution of actions resulting in a meaningless compared to a meaningful end posture was accompanied by a stronger beta-desynchronization towards the end of the movement and a stronger subsequent beta-rebound after posture-onset. The effect in the beta-frequency band was localized to premotor, parietal and medial frontal areas and could not be attributed to differences in timing or movement complexity between meaningful and meaningless actions. Together these findings directly show that the motor system is differentially activated during the execution and maintenance of semantically correct or incorrect end postures. This suggests that semantic object knowledge is indeed represented in motor-related brain areas, organized around specific end postures associated with the use of objects