946 research outputs found
Correlated emission and spin-down variability in radio pulsars
The recent revelation that there are correlated period derivative and pulse
shape changes in pulsars has dramatically changed our understanding of timing
noise as well as the relationship between the radio emission and the properties
of the magnetosphere as a whole. Using Gaussian processes we are able to model
timing and emission variability using a regression technique that imposes no
functional form on the data. We revisit the pulsars first studied by Lyne et
al. (2010). We not only confirm the emission and rotational transitions
revealed therein, but reveal further transitions and periodicities in 8 years
of extended monitoring. We also show that in many of these objects the pulse
profile transitions between two well-defined shapes, coincident with changes to
the period derivative. With a view to the SKA and other telescopes capable of
higher cadence we also study the detection limitations of period derivative
changes.Comment: 4 pages, 2 Figures, Proceedings of IAU Symposium 337 "Pulsar
Astrophysics - The Next 50 Years" held at Jodrell Bank Observatory, UK Sept.
4-8 201
Acute Blood Pressure Responses in Healthy Adults During Controlled Air Pollution Exposures
Exposure to air pollution has been shown to cause arterial vasoconstriction and alter autonomic balance. Because these biologic responses may influence systemic hemodynamics, we investigated the effect of air pollution on blood pressure (BP). Responses during 2-hr exposures to concentrated ambient fine particles (particulate matter < 2.5 ÎŒm in aerodynamic diameter; PM(2.5)) plus ozone (CAP+O(3)) were compared with those of particle-free air (PFA) in 23 normotensive, non-smoking healthy adults. Mean concentrations of PM(2.5) were 147 ± 27 versus 2 ± 2 ÎŒg/m(3), respectively, and those of O(3) were 121 ± 3 versus 8 ± 5 ppb, respectively (p < 0.0001 for both). A significant increase in diastolic BP (DBP) was observed at 2 hr of CAP+O(3) [median change, 6 mm Hg (9.3%); binomial 95% confidence interval (CI), 0 to 11; p = 0.013, Wilcoxon signed rank test] above the 0-hr value. This increase was significantly different (p = 0.017, unadjusted for basal BP) from the small 2-hr change during PFA (median change, 1 mm Hg; 95% CI, â2 to 4; p = 0.24). This prompted further investigation of the CAP+O(3) response, which showed a strong association between the 2-hr change in DBP (and mean arterial pressure) and the concentration of the organic carbon fraction of PM(2.5) (r = 0.53, p < 0.01; r = 0.56, p < 0.01, respectively) but not with total PM(2.5) mass (r †0.25, p â„ 0.27). These findings suggest that exposure to environmentally relevant concentrations of PM(2.5) and O(3) rapidly increases DBP. The magnitude of BP change is associated with the PM(2.5) carbon content. Exposure to vehicular traffic may provide a common link between our observations and previous studies in which traffic exposure was identified as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease
The NANOGrav 15 yr Data Set: Constraints on Supermassive Black Hole Binaries from the Gravitational-wave Background
El conjunto de datos de 15 años de NANOGrav muestra evidencias de la presencia de un fondo de ondas gravitacionales (GWB) de baja frecuencia. Aunque muchos procesos fĂsicos pueden originar estas ondas gravitacionales de baja frecuencia, aquĂ analizamos la señal como procedente de una poblaciĂłn de agujeros negros binarios supermasivos (SMBH) distribuidos por todo el Universo. Demostramos que los modelos astrofĂsicos de poblaciones binarias SMBH son capaces de reproducir tanto la amplitud como la forma del espectro de ondas gravitacionales de baja frecuencia observado. Aunque mĂșltiples variaciones del modelo son capaces de reproducir el espectro GWB con nuestra precisiĂłn de medida actual, nuestros resultados subrayan la importancia de modelar con precisiĂłn la evoluciĂłn binaria para producir espectros GWB realistas. AdemĂĄs, aunque unos parĂĄmetros razonables son capaces de reproducir las observaciones de 15 años, la amplitud implĂcita del GWB requiere que un gran nĂșmero de parĂĄmetros se sitĂșen en los lĂmites de los valores esperados o que un pequeño nĂșmero de parĂĄmetros difieran notablemente de las expectativas estĂĄndar. Aunque todavĂa no somos capaces de establecer definitivamente el origen de la señal GWB inferida, la consistencia de la señal con las expectativas astrofĂsicas ofrece una perspectiva tentadora para confirmar que las binarias SMBH son capaces de formarse, alcanzar separaciones de sub-segundos y finalmente unirse. A medida que la importancia aumente con el tiempo, las caracterĂsticas de orden superior del espectro del GWB determinarĂĄn definitivamente la naturaleza del GWB y permitirĂĄn nuevas restricciones sobre las poblaciones de SMBH. © 2023The NANOGrav 15 yr data set shows evidence for the presence of a low-frequency gravitational-wave background (GWB). While many physical processes can source such low-frequency gravitational waves, here we analyze the signal as coming from a population of supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries distributed throughout the Universe. We show that astrophysically motivated models of SMBH binary populations are able to reproduce both the amplitude and shape of the observed low-frequency gravitational-wave spectrum. While multiple model variations are able to reproduce the GWB spectrum at our current measurement precision, our results highlight the importance of accurately modeling binary evolution for producing realistic GWB spectra. Additionally, while reasonable parameters are able to reproduce the 15 yr observations, the implied GWB amplitude necessitates either a large number of parameters to be at the edges of expected values or a small number of parameters to be notably different from standard expectations. While we are not yet able to definitively establish the origin of the inferred GWB signal, the consistency of the signal with astrophysical expectations offers a tantalizing prospect for confirming that SMBH binaries are able to form, reach subparsec separations, and eventually coalesce. As the significance grows over time, higher-order features of the GWB spectrum will definitively determine the nature of the GWB and allow for novel constraints on SMBH populations. © 2023. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society
Multi-Messenger Gravitational Wave Searches with Pulsar Timing Arrays: Application to 3C66B Using the NANOGrav 11-year Data Set
When galaxies merge, the supermassive black holes in their centers may form
binaries and, during the process of merger, emit low-frequency gravitational
radiation in the process. In this paper we consider the galaxy 3C66B, which was
used as the target of the first multi-messenger search for gravitational waves.
Due to the observed periodicities present in the photometric and astrometric
data of the source of the source, it has been theorized to contain a
supermassive black hole binary. Its apparent 1.05-year orbital period would
place the gravitational wave emission directly in the pulsar timing band. Since
the first pulsar timing array study of 3C66B, revised models of the source have
been published, and timing array sensitivities and techniques have improved
dramatically. With these advances, we further constrain the chirp mass of the
potential supermassive black hole binary in 3C66B to less than using data from the NANOGrav 11-year data set. This
upper limit provides a factor of 1.6 improvement over previous limits, and a
factor of 4.3 over the first search done. Nevertheless, the most recent orbital
model for the source is still consistent with our limit from pulsar timing
array data. In addition, we are able to quantify the improvement made by the
inclusion of source properties gleaned from electromagnetic data to `blind'
pulsar timing array searches. With these methods, it is apparent that it is not
necessary to obtain exact a priori knowledge of the period of a binary to gain
meaningful astrophysical inferences.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures. Accepted by Ap
Recommended from our members
Ambient PMâ.â , Oâ, and NOâ Exposures and Associations with Mortality over 16 Years of Follow-Up in the Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC)
Background: Few studies examining the associations between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and mortality have considered multiple pollutants when assessing changes in exposure due to residential mobility during follow-up.
Objective: We investigated associations between cause-specific mortality and ambient concentrations of fine particulate matter (†2.5 ÎŒm; PMâ.â
), ozone (Oâ), and nitrogen dioxide (NOâ) in a national cohort of about 2.5 million Canadians.
Methods: We assigned estimates of annual concentrations of these pollutants to the residential postal codes of subjects for each year during 16 years of follow-up. Historical tax data allowed us to track subjectsâ residential postal code annually. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) for each pollutant separately and adjusted for the other pollutants. We also estimated the product of the three HRs as a measure of the cumulative association with mortality for several causes of death for an increment of the mean minus the 5th percentile of each pollutant: 5.0 ÎŒg/mÂł for PMâ.â
, 9.5 ppb for Oâ, and 8.1 ppb for NOâ.
Results: PMâ.â
, Oâ, and NOâ were associated with nonaccidental and cause-specific mortality in single-pollutant models. Exposure to PMâ.â
alone was not sufficient to fully characterize the toxicity of the atmospheric mix or to fully explain the risk of mortality associated with exposure to ambient pollution. Assuming additive associations, the estimated HR for nonaccidental mortality corresponding to a change in exposure from the mean to the 5th percentile for all three pollutants together was 1.075 (95% CI: 1.067, 1.084). Accounting for residential mobility had only a limited impact on the association between mortality and PMâ.â
and Oâ, but increased associations with NOâ.
Conclusions: In this large, national-level cohort, we found positive associations between several common causes of death and exposure to PMâ.â
, Oâ, and NOâ
Jet production in charged current deep inelastic eâșp scatteringat HERA
The production rates and substructure of jets have been studied in charged current deep inelastic eâșp scattering for QÂČ > 200 GeVÂČ with the ZEUS detector at HERA using an integrated luminosity of 110.5 pbâ»Âč. Inclusive jet cross sections are presented for jets with transverse energies E_{T}^{jet} > 5 GeV. Measurements of the mean subjet multiplicity, â©n_{sbj}âȘ, of the inclusive jet sample are presented. Predictions based on parton-shower Monte Carlo models and next-to-leading-order QCD calculations are compared to the measurements. The value of α_{s} (M_{z}), determined from â©n_{sbj}âȘ at y_{cut} = 10â»ÂČ for jets with 25 < E_{T}^{jet} < 119 GeV, is α_{s} (M_{z}) = 0.1202 ± 0.0052 (stat.)_{-0.0019}^{+0.0060} (syst.)_{-0.0053}^{+0.0065} (th.). The mean subjet multiplicity as a function of QÂČ is found to be consistent with that measured in NC DIS
Multijet production in neutral current deep inelastic scattering at HERA and determination of α_{s}
Multijet production rates in neutral current deep inelastic scattering have been measured in the range of exchanged boson virtualities 10 5 GeV and â1 < η_{LAB}^{jet} < 2.5. Next-to-leading-order QCD calculations describe the data well. The value of the strong coupling constant α_{s} (M_{z}), determined from the ratio of the trijet to dijet cross sections, is α_{s} (M_{z}) = 0.1179 ± 0.0013 (stat.)_{-0.0046}^{+0.0028}(exp.)_{-0.0046}^{+0.0028}(th.)
Combined QCD and electroweak analysis of HERA data
A simultaneous fit of parton distribution functions (PDFs) and electroweak
parameters to HERA data on deep inelastic scattering is presented. The input
data are the neutral current and charged current inclusive cross sections which
were previously used in the QCD analysis leading to the HERAPDF2.0 PDFs. In
addition, the polarisation of the electron beam was taken into account for the
ZEUS data recorded between 2004 and 2007. Results on the vector and
axial-vector couplings of the Z boson to u- and d-type quarks, on the value of
the electroweak mixing angle and the mass of the W boson are presented. The
values obtained for the electroweak parameters are in agreement with Standard
Model predictions.Comment: 32 pages, 10 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev. D. Small corrections
from proofing process and small change to Fig. 12 and Table
Limits on the effective quark radius from inclusive scattering at HERA
The high-precision HERA data allows searches up to TeV scales for Beyond the
Standard Model contributions to electron-quark scattering. Combined
measurements of the inclusive deep inelastic cross sections in neutral and
charged current scattering corresponding to a luminosity of around 1
fb have been used in this analysis. A new approach to the beyond the
Standard Model analysis of the inclusive data is presented; simultaneous
fits of parton distribution functions together with contributions of "new
physics" processes were performed. Results are presented considering a finite
radius of quarks within the quark form-factor model. The resulting 95% C.L.
upper limit on the effective quark radius is cm.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Phys. Lett.
Search for a narrow baryonic state decaying to and in deep inelastic scattering at HERA
A search for a narrow baryonic state in the and
system has been performed in collisions at HERA with the ZEUS detector
using an integrated luminosity of 358 pb taken in 2003-2007. The search
was performed with deep inelastic scattering events at an centre-of-mass
energy of 318 GeV for exchanged photon virtuality, , between 20 and 100
. Contrary to evidence presented for such a state around 1.52
GeV in a previous ZEUS analysis using a sample of 121 pb taken in
1996-2000, no resonance peak was found in the invariant-mass
distribution in the range 1.45-1.7 GeV. Upper limits on the production cross
section are set.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Phys. Lett. B. Minor changes from
journal reviewing process, including a small correction to figure
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