19,103 research outputs found
Tracing the magnetic field morphology of the Lupus I molecular cloud
Deep R-band CCD linear polarimetry collected for fields with lines-of-sight
toward the Lupus I molecular cloud is used to investigate the properties of the
magnetic field within this molecular cloud. The observed sample contains about
7000 stars, almost 2000 of them with polarization signal-to-noise ratio larger
than 5. These data cover almost the entire main molecular cloud and also sample
two diffuse infrared patches in the neighborhood of Lupus I. The large scale
pattern of the plane-of-sky projection of the magnetic field is perpendicular
to the main axis of Lupus I, but parallel to the two diffuse infrared patches.
A detailed analysis of our polarization data combined with the Herschel/SPIRE
350 um dust emission map shows that the principal filament of Lupus I is
constituted by three main clumps acted by magnetic fields having different
large-scale structure properties. These differences may be the reason for the
observed distribution of pre- and protostellar objects along the molecular
cloud and its apparent evolutive stage. On the other hand, assuming that the
magnetic field is composed by a large-scale and a turbulent components, we find
that the latter is rather similar in all three clumps. The estimated
plane-of-sky component of the large-scale magnetic field ranges from about 70
uG to 200 uG in these clumps. The intensity increases towards the Galactic
plane. The mass-to-magnetic flux ratio is much smaller than unity, implying
that Lupus I is magnetically supported on large scales.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Local Interstellar Medium Kinematics towards the Southern Coalsack and Chamaeleon-Musca dark clouds
The results of a spectroscopic programme aiming to investigate the kinematics
of the local interstellar medium components towards the Southern Coalsack and
Chamaeleon-Musca dark clouds are presented. The analysis is based upon
high-resolution (R ~ 60,000) spectra of the insterstellar NaI D absorption
lines towards 63 B-type stars (d < 500 pc) selected to cover these clouds and
the connecting area defined by the Galactic coordinates: 308 > l > 294 and -22
< b < 5. The radial velocities, column densities, velocity dispersions, colour
excess and photometric distances to the stars are used to understand the
kinematics and distribution of the interstellar cloud components. The analysis
indicates that the interstellar gas is distributed in two extended sheet-like
structures permeating the whole area, one at d < 60 pc and another around
120-150 pc from the Sun. The dust and gas feature around 120-150 pc seem to be
part of an extended large scale feature of similar kinematic properties,
supposedly identified with the interaction zone of the Local and Loop I
bubbles.Comment: 19 pages, accepted for MNRA
Dispersal of larval and juvenile seabream: Implications for Mediterranean marine protected areas
In the marine context, information about dispersal is essential for the design of networks of marine protected areas (MPAs). Generally, most of the dispersal of demersal fishes is thought to be driven by the transport of eggs and larvae in currents, with the potential contribution of dispersal in later life stages relatively minimal.Using otolith chemistry analyses, we estimate dispersal patterns across a spatial scale of approximately 180. km at both propagule (i.e. eggs and larvae) and juvenile (i.e. between settlement and recruitment) stages of a Mediterranean coastal fishery species, the two-banded seabream Diplodus vulgaris. We detected three major natal sources of propagules replenishing local populations in the entire study area, suggesting that propagule dispersal distance extends to at least 90. km. For the juvenile stage, we detected dispersal of up to 165. km. Our work highlights the surprising and significant role of dispersal during the juvenile life stages as an important mechanism connecting populations. Such new insights are crucial for creating effective management strategies (e.g. MPAs and MPA networks) and to gain support from policymakers and stakeholders, highlighting that MPA benefits can extend well beyond MPA borders, and not only via dispersal of eggs and larvae, but also through movement by juveniles
Majorana fermions in pinned vortices
Exploiting the peculiar properties of proximity-induced superconductivity on
the surface of a topological insulator, we propose a device which allows the
creation of a Majorana fermion inside the core of a pinned Abrikosov vortex.
The relevant Bogolyubov-de Gennes equations are studied analytically. We
demonstrate that in this system the zero-energy Majorana fermion state is
separated by a large energy gap, of the order of the zero-temperature
superconducting gap , from a band of single-particle non-topological
excitations. In other words, the Majorana fermion remains robust against
thermal fluctuations, as long as the temperature remains substantially lower
than the critical superconducting temperature. Experimentally, the Majorana
state may be detected by measuring the tunneling differential conductance at
the center of the Abrikosov vortex. In such an experiment, the Majorana state
manifests itself as a zero-bias anomaly separated by a gap, of the order of
, from the contributions of the nontopological excitations.Comment: 9 pages, 2 eps figures, new references are added, several typos are
correcte
2000 CKM-Triangle Analysis A Critical Review with Updated Experimental Inputs and Theoretical Parameters
Within the Standard Model, a review of the current determination of the sides
and angles of the CKM unitarity triangle is presented, using experimental
constraints from the measurements of |\epsilon_K|, |V_{ub}/V_{cb}|, \Delta m_d
and from the limit on \Delta m_s, available in September 2000. Results from the
experimental search for {B}^0_s-\bar{B}^0_s oscillations are introduced in the
present analysis using the likelihood. Special attention is devoted to the
determination of the theoretical uncertainties. The purpose of the analysis is
to infer regions where the parameters of interest lie with given probabilities.
The BaBar "95 %, C.L. scanning" method is also commented.Comment: 44 pages (revised version
Magnetic field morphology in nearby molecular clouds as revealed by starlight and submillimetre polarization
Within four nearby (d < 160 pc) molecular clouds, we statistically evaluate
the structure of the interstellar magnetic field, projected on the plane of the
sky and integrated along the line of sight, as inferred from the polarized
thermal emission of Galactic dust observed by Planck at 353 GHz and from the
optical and NIR polarization of background starlight. We compare the dispersion
of the field orientation directly in vicinities with an area equivalent to that
subtended by the Planck effective beam at 353 GHz (10') and using the
second-order structure functions of the field orientation angles. We find that
the average dispersion of the starlight-inferred field orientations within
10'-diameter vicinities is less than 20 deg, and that at these scales the mean
field orientation is on average within 5 deg of that inferred from the
submillimetre polarization observations in the considered regions. We also find
that the dispersion of starlight polarization orientations and the polarization
fractions within these vicinities are well reproduced by a Gaussian model of
the turbulent structure of the magnetic field, in agreement with the findings
reported by the Planck collaboration at scales greater than 10' and for
comparable column densities. At scales greater than 10', we find differences of
up to 14.7 deg between the second-order structure functions obtained from
starlight and submillimetre polarization observations in the same positions in
the plane of the sky, but comparison with a Gaussian model of the turbulent
structure of the magnetic field indicates that these differences are small and
are consistent with the difference in angular resolution between both
techniques.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, submitted to A&
A globally stable convergent algorithm for the integration of constrained mechanical systems
In this paper the problem of simulation of con- strained mechanical systems is addressed. In modeling multi- body mechanical systems, the Lagrange formulation produces a redundant set of differential-algebraic equations, the integra- tion of which can lead to several difficulties, for example the drift of the “constraint violation”. One of the most popular approaches to alleviate this issue is the so-called Baumgarte’s method that relies on a linear feedback mechanism. This method can however lead to numerical instabilities when applied to nonlinear (mechanical) systems. The objective of this study is to propose a new method that ensures existence of solutions and makes the constraint manifold asymptotically attractive. The proposed technique is illustrated by means of a simple example
A globally stable algorithm for the integration of high-index differential-algebraic systems
The problem of constraint stabilization and numerical integration for differential-algebraic systems is addressed using Lyapunov theory. It is observed that the application of stabilization methods which rely on a linear feedback mechanism to nonlinear systems may result in trajectories with finite escape time. To overcome this problem we propose a method based on a nonlinear stabilization mechanism which guarantees the global existence and convergence of the solutions. Discretization schemes, which preserve the properties of the method, are also presented. The results are illustrated by means of the numerical integration of a slider-crank mechanism
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