584 research outputs found
Inelastic Diffraction and Spectroscopy of Very Weakly Bound Clusters
We study the coherent inelastic diffraction of very weakly bound two body
clusters from a material transmission grating. We show that internal
transitions of the clusters can lead to new separate peaks in the diffraction
pattern whose angular positions determine the excitation energies. Using a
quantum mechanical approach to few body scattering theory we determine the
relative peak intensities for the diffraction of the van der Waals dimers
(D_2)_2 and H_2-D_2. Based on the results for these realistic examples we
discuss the possible applications and experimental challenges of this coherent
inelastic diffraction technique.Comment: 15 pages + 5 figures. J. Phys. B (in press
Gamma-ray emission from dark matter wakes of recoiled black holes
A new scenario for the emission of high-energy gamma-rays from dark matter
annihilation around massive black holes is presented. A black hole can leave
its parent halo, by means of gravitational radiation recoil, in a merger event
or in the asymmetric collapse of its progenitor star. A recoiled black hole
which moves on an almost-radial orbit outside the virial radius of its central
halo, in the cold dark matter background, reaches its apapsis in a finite time.
Near or at the apapsis passage, a high-density wake extending over a large
radius of influence, forms around the black hole. It is shown that significant
gamma-ray emission can result from the enhancement of neutralino annihilation
in these wakes. At its apapsis passage, a black hole is shown to produce a
flash of high-energy gamma-rays whose duration is determined by the mass of the
black hole and the redshift at which it is ejected. The ensemble of such black
holes in the Hubble volume is shown to produce a diffuse high-energy gamma-ray
background whose magnitude is compared to the diffuse emission from dark matter
haloes alone.Comment: version to appear in Astrophysical Journal letters (labels on Fig. 3
corrected
Good rotations
Numerical integrations in celestial mechanics often involve the repeated
computation of a rotation with a constant angle. A direct evaluation of these
rotations yields a linear drift of the distance to the origin. This is due to
roundoff in the representation of the sine s and cosine c of the angle theta.
In a computer, one generally gets c^2 + s^2 1, resulting in a mapping that
is slightly contracting or expanding. In the present paper we present a method
to find pairs of representable real numbers s and c such that c^2 + s^2 is as
close to 1 as possible. We show that this results in a drastic decrease of the
systematic error, making it negligible compared to the random error of other
operations. We also verify that this approach gives good results in a realistic
celestial mechanics integration.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure
Gravitational wave forms for a three-body system in Lagrange's orbit: parameter determinations and a binary source test
Continuing work initiated in an earlier publication [Torigoe et al. Phys.
Rev. Lett. {\bf 102}, 251101 (2009)], gravitational wave forms for a three-body
system in Lagrange's orbit are considered especially in an analytic method.
First, we derive an expression of the three-body wave forms at the mass
quadrupole, octupole and current quadrupole orders. By using the expressions,
we solve a gravitational-wave {\it inverse} problem of determining the source
parameters to this particular configuration (three masses, a distance of the
source to an observer, and the orbital inclination angle to the line of sight)
through observations of the gravitational wave forms alone. For this purpose,
the chirp mass to a three-body system in the particular configuration is
expressed in terms of only the mass ratios by deleting initial angle positions.
We discuss also whether and how a binary source can be distinguished from a
three-body system in Lagrange's orbit or others.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, 1 table; text improved, typos corrected;
accepted for publication in PR
A Pre-Protostellar Core in L1551
Large field surveys of NH3, C2S, 13CO and C18O in the L1551 dark cloud have
revealed a prolate, pre-protostellar molecular core (L1551-MC) in a relatively
quiescent region to the northwest of the well-known IRS 5 source. The kinetic
temperature is measured to be 9K, the total mass is ~2Msun, and the average
particle density is 10^4-10^5 cm^(-3). L1551-MC is 2.25' x 1.11' in projection
oriented at a position angle of 133deg. The turbulent motions are on the order
of the sound speed in the medium and contain 4% of the gravitational energy,
E_{grav}, of the core. The angular momentum vector is projected along the major
axis of L1551-MC corresponding to a rotational energy of 2.5E-3(sin
i)^(-2)|E_{grav}|. The thermal energy constitutes about a third of |E_{grav}|
and the virial mass is approximately equal to the total mass. L1551-MC is
gravitationally bound and in the absence of strong, ~160 microgauss, magnetic
fields will likely contract on a ~0.3 Myr time scale. The line profiles of many
molecular species suggest that the cold quiescent interior is surrounded by a
dynamic, perhaps infalling envelope which is embedded within the ambient
molecular gas of L1551.Comment: 27 pages, 7 figures, ApJ accepte
The nature of the dense core population in the Pipe Nebula: A survey of NH3, CCS, and HC5N molecular line emission
Recent extinction studies of the Pipe Nebula (d=130 pc) reveal many cores
spanning a range in mass from 0.2 to 20.4 Msun. These dense cores were
identified via their high extinction and comprise a starless population in a
very early stage of development. Here we present a survey of NH3 (1,1), NH3
(2,2), CCS (2_1,1_0), and HC5N (9,8) emission toward 46 of these cores. An
atlas of the 2MASS extinction maps is also presented. In total, we detect 63%
of the cores in NH3 (1,1) 22% in NH3 (2,2), 28% in CCS, and 9% in HC5N
emission. We find the cores are associated with dense gas (~10^4 cm-3) with 9.5
< T_k < 17 K. Compared to C18O, we find the NH3 linewidths are systematically
narrower, implying that the NH3 is tracing the dense component of the gas and
that these cores are relatively quiescent. We find no correlation between core
linewidth and size. The derived properties of the Pipe cores are similar to
cores within other low-mass star-forming regions: the only differences are that
the Pipe cores have weaker NH3 emision and most show no current star formation
as evidenced by the lack of embedded infrared sources. Such weak NH3 emission
could arise due to low column densities and abundances or reduced excitation
due to relatively low core volume densities. Either alternative implies that
the cores are relatively young. Thus, the Pipe cores represent an excellent
sample of dense cores in which to study the initial conditions for star
formation and the earliest stages of core formation and evolution.Comment: 35 pages, 10 figures (excluding the appendix). For the complete
appendix contact [email protected]. Accepted for publication in ApJ
Optimized coupling of cold atoms into a fiber using a blue-detuned hollow-beam funnel
We theoretically investigate the process of coupling cold atoms into the core
of a hollow-core photonic-crystal optical fiber using a blue-detuned
Laguerre-Gaussian beam. In contrast to the use of a red-detuned Gaussian beam
to couple the atoms, the blue-detuned hollow-beam can confine cold atoms to the
darkest regions of the beam thereby minimizing shifts in the internal states
and making the guide highly robust to heating effects. This single optical beam
is used as both a funnel and guide to maximize the number of atoms into the
fiber. In the proposed experiment, Rb atoms are loaded into a magneto-optical
trap (MOT) above a vertically-oriented optical fiber. We observe a
gravito-optical trapping effect for atoms with high orbital momentum around the
trap axis, which prevents atoms from coupling to the fiber: these atoms lack
the kinetic energy to escape the potential and are thus trapped in the laser
funnel indefinitely. We find that by reducing the dipolar force to the point at
which the trapping effect just vanishes, it is possible to optimize the
coupling of atoms into the fiber. Our simulations predict that by using a
low-power (2.5 mW) and far-detuned (300 GHz) Laguerre-Gaussian beam with a
20-{\mu}m radius core hollow-fiber it is possible to couple 11% of the atoms
from a MOT 9 mm away from the fiber. When MOT is positioned further away,
coupling efficiencies over 50% can be achieved with larger core fibers.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures, 1 tabl
Phase-space distribution of unbound dark matter near the Sun
We resolve discrepancies in previous analyses of the flow of collisionless
dark matter particles in the Sun's gravitational field. We determine the
phase-space distribution of the flow both numerically, tracing particle
trajectories back in time, and analytically, providing a simple correct
relation between the velocity of particles at infinity and at the Earth. We use
our results to produce sky maps of the distribution of arrival directions of
dark matter particles on Earth at various times of the year. We assume various
Maxwellian velocity distributions at infinity describing the standard dark halo
and streams of dark matter. We illustrate the formation of a ring, analogous to
the Einstein ring, when the Earth is directly downstream of the Sun.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures (better rendered in ps than pdf
Rotational quenching rate coefficients for H_2 in collisions with H_2 from 2 to 10,000 K
Rate coefficients for rotational transitions in H_2 induced by H_2 impact are
presented. Extensive quantum mechanical coupled-channel calculations based on a
recently published (H_2)_2 potential energy surface were performed. The
potential energy surface used here is presumed to be more reliable than
surfaces used in previous work. Rotational transition cross sections with
initial levels J <= 8 were computed for collision energies ranging between
0.0001 and 2.5 eV, and the corresponding rate coefficients were calculated for
the temperature range 2 < T <10,000 K. In general, agreement with earlier
calculations, which were limited to 100-6000 K, is good though discrepancies
are found at the lowest and highest temperatures. Low-density-limit cooling
functions due to para- and ortho-H_2 collisions are obtained from the
collisional rate coefficients. Implications of the new results for non-thermal
H_2 rotational distributions in molecular regions are also investigated
The effect of an emollient containing urea, ceramide NP, and lactate on skin barrier structure and function in older people with dry skin
Xerosis affects up to 75% of older people and develops as a result of a skin barrier defect. Emollients are widely used to treat xerosis; however, there is limited understanding of the differences between them and their effects on the skin barrier in older people. This study aimed to compare the effect of a commercially available emollient containing 5% urea, ceramide NP and lactate (test emollient) to an alternative emollient without these additives (control emollient) on the properties of the skin barrier in older people. Two cohorts of 21 volunteers aged 60+ years with dry skin were recruited. The first applied the test emollient to one forearm and no treatment to the other for 28-days. The second compared the test emollient to the control emollient observing the same parameters. Effects on the skin barrier were determined by measuring skin barrier function, hydration, skin surface pH and by analyzing FTIR spectra before and after treatment. A third cohort of 6 young adults was recruited to investigate the effect of a single treatment with the test emollient on the molecular structure of the skin barrier at greater depths by employing the tape-stripping technique. The test emollient hydrated the skin to a significantly greater extent and for a longer period of time compared to the control emollient, an effect associated with a significant elevation of carboxylate groups (a marker of NMF content) within the stratum corneum. Furthermore, the test emollient imparted additional benefits to the structure and function of the skin barrier not exhibited by the control emollient. In conclusion the test emollient addressed the pathological features of xerotic aged skin, supporting its use as first-line therapy for xerotic skin conditions in this population
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