4,137 research outputs found
Confinement in partially broken abelian Chern-Simons theories
Planar Chern-Simons (CS) theories in which a compact abelian gauge group U(1)
x U(1) is spontaneously broken to U(1) x Z_N are investigated. Among other
things, it is noted that the theories just featuring the mixed CS term coupling
the broken to the unbroken U(1) gauge fields in general exhibits an interesting
form of confinement: only particles carrying certain multiples of the
fundamental vortex flux unit and certain multiples of the fundamental charge of
the unbroken U(1) gauge field can appear as free particles. Adding the usual CS
term for the broken U(1) gauge fields does not change much. It merely leads to
additional Aharonov-Bohm interactions among these particles. Upon introducing
the CS term for the unbroken U(1) gauge fields, in contrast, the confinement
phenomenon completely disappears.Comment: 8+2 pages, latex, no figures. References added, to appear in Phys.
Lett.
Two-dimensional electron crystals in single and double layers
We present results of Monte-Carlo simulations for finite 2D single and
bilayer systems. Strong Coulomb correlations lead to arrangement of particles
in configurations resembling a crystal lattice. For binary layers, there exists
a particularly rich variety of lattice symmetries which depend on the
interlayer separation . We demonstrate that in these mesoscopic lattices
there exist two fundamental types of ordering: radial and orientational. The
dependence of the melting temperature on is analyzed, and a stabilization
of the crystal compared to a single layer is found.Comment: To be published in Contrib. Plasma Phys., 6 pages, 3 figures, uses
cpp2e.cls (included
Optimizing Stimulation and Analysis Protocols for Neonatal fMRI
The development of brain function in young infants is poorly understood. The core challenge is that infants have a limited behavioral repertoire through which brain function can be expressed. Neuroimaging with fMRI has great potential as a way of characterizing typical development, and detecting abnormal development early. But, a number of methodological challenges must first be tackled to improve the robustness and sensitivity of neonatal fMRI. A critical one of these, addressed here, is that the hemodynamic response function (HRF) in pre-term and term neonates differs from that in adults, which has a number of implications for fMRI. We created a realistic model of noise in fMRI data, using resting-state fMRI data from infants and adults, and then conducted simulations to assess the effect of HRF of the power of different stimulation protocols and analysis assumptions (HRF modeling). We found that neonatal fMRI is most powerful if block-durations are kept at the lower range of those typically used in adults (full on/off cycle duration 25-30s). Furthermore, we show that it is important to use the age-appropriate HRF during analysis, as mismatches can lead to reduced power or even inverted signal. Where the appropriate HRF is not known (for example due to potential developmental delay), a flexible basis set performs well, and allows accurate post-hoc estimation of the HRF
A complete census of AGN and their hosts from optical surveys?
Large optical surveys provide an unprecedented census of galaxies in the
local Universe, forming an invaluable framework into which more detailed
studies of objects can be placed. But how useful are optical surveys for
understanding the co-evolution of black holes and galaxies, given their limited
wavelength coverage, selection criteria, and depth? In this conference paper I
present work-in-progress comparing optical and mid-IR diagnostics of three
"unusual" low redshift populations (luminous Seyferts, dusty Balmer-strong AGN,
ULIRGs) with a set of ordinary star-forming galaxies from the SDSS. I address
the questions: How well do the mid-infrared and optical diagnostics of star
formation and AGN strength agree? To what extent do optical surveys allow us to
include extreme, dusty, morphologically disturbed galaxies in our "complete"
census of black hole-galaxy co-evolution?Comment: Proceedings of contributed talk at "Co-Evolution of Central Black
Holes and Galaxies" (eds. B.M. Peterson, R.S. Somerville, and T.
Storchi-Bergmann), IAU symposium 267, August 2009. 6 pages, 5 figure
A Bragg Wavelength-Insensitive Fiber Bragg Grating Ultrasound Sensing System that Uses a Broadband Light and No Optical Filter
An optical filter is incorporated in a conventional ultrasound detection system that uses a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and broadband light source, to demodulate the FBG sensor signal. A novel ultrasound sensing system that does not require an optical filter is presented herein. Ultrasound could be detected via the application of signal processing techniques, such as signal averaging and frequency filters, to the photodetector output that corresponds to the intensity of the reflected light from a broadband light-illuminated FBG. Ultrasonic sensitivity was observed to be enhanced when an FBG was installed as a resonant sensor. This FBG ultrasound detection system is small and cheap to fabricate because it does not use a demodulating optical filter. The experimental results demonstrate that this system could be applied to ultrasonic damage inspection and acoustic emission measurements. Furthermore, this system was able to detect ultrasound despite the amount of strain or temperature that was applied to the FBG sensor because the ultrasound detection was not sensitive to the Bragg wavelength of the FBG sensor
Discovering transcriptional modules by Bayesian data integration
Motivation: We present a method for directly inferring transcriptional modules (TMs) by integrating gene expression and transcription factor binding (ChIP-chip) data. Our model extends a hierarchical Dirichlet process mixture model to allow data fusion on a gene-by-gene basis. This encodes the intuition that co-expression and co-regulation are not necessarily equivalent and hence we do not expect all genes to group similarly in both datasets. In particular, it allows us to identify the subset of genes that share the same structure of transcriptional modules in both datasets.
Results: We find that by working on a gene-by-gene basis, our model is able to extract clusters with greater functional coherence than existing methods. By combining gene expression and transcription factor binding (ChIP-chip) data in this way, we are better able to determine the groups of genes that are most likely to represent underlying TMs
The Great Space Weather Event during February 1872 Recorded in East Asia
The study of historical great geomagnetic storms is crucial for assessing the
possible risks to the technological infrastructure of a modern society, caused
by extreme space-weather events. The normal benchmark has been the great
geomagnetic storm of September 1859, the so-called "Carrington Event". However,
there are numerous records of another great geomagnetic storm in February 1872.
This storm, about 12 years after the Carrington Event, resulted in comparable
magnetic disturbances and auroral displays over large areas of the Earth. We
have revisited this great geomagnetic storm in terms of the auroral and sunspot
records in the historical documents from East Asia. In particular, we have
surveyed the auroral records from East Asia and estimated the equatorward
boundary of the auroral oval to be near 24.3 deg invariant latitude (ILAT), on
the basis that the aurora was seen near the zenith at Shanghai (20 deg magnetic
latitude, MLAT). These results confirm that this geomagnetic storm of February
1872 was as extreme as the Carrington Event, at least in terms of the
equatorward motion of the auroral oval. Indeed, our results support the
interpretation of the simultaneous auroral observations made at Bombay (10 deg
MLAT). The East Asian auroral records have indicated extreme brightness,
suggesting unusual precipitation of high-intensity, low-energy electrons during
this geomagnetic storm. We have compared the duration of the East Asian auroral
displays with magnetic observations in Bombay and found that the auroral
displays occurred in the initial phase, main phase, and early recovery phase of
the magnetic storm.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journal on 31 May 201
Ultrasonic Sensitivity of Strain-Insensitive Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors and Evaluation of Ultrasound-Induced Strain
In conventional ultrasound detection in structures, a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is glued on or embedded in the structure. However, application of strain to the structure can influence the sensitivity of the FBG toward ultrasound and can prevent its effective detection. An FBG can work as a strain-insensitive ultrasound sensor when it is not directly glued to the monitored structure, but is instead applied to a small thin plate to form a mobile sensor. Another possible configuration is to affix an FBG-inscribed optical fiber without the grating section attached to the monitored structure. In the present study, sensitivity to ultrasound propagated through an aluminum plate was compared for a strain-insensitive FBG sensor and an FBG sensor installed in a conventional manner. Strains induced by ultrasound from a piezoelectric transducer and by quasi-acoustic emission of a pencil lead break were also quantitatively evaluated from the response amplitude of the FBG sensor. Experimental results showed that the reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio for ultrasound detection with strain-insensitive FBG sensors, relative to traditionally-installed FBG sensors, was only 6 dB, and the ultrasound-induced strain varied within a range of sub-micron strains
Length-weight relationship, movement rates, and in situ spawning observations of Holothuria scabra (sandfish) in Fiji
This study investigated the length-weight relationship and movement rates of the sea cucumber Holothuria scabra, and reports on two in situ H. scabra spawning events at a site with relatively healthy stocks in Vanua Levu, Fiji. A length-weight equation was established − weight = 0.1878 × length2.5807 − which explained 90% of the variance for H. scabra of length 5−24 cm. H. scabra moved at a rate of 40 cm h-1 ± 3.40 SE and appeared active for 10 h day-1, displayed a home-ranging behaviour, and therefore are considered mobile within a limited range. Spawning occurred during October and December, coincided with spring tides, and was only observed around enclosures that were stocked with high densities (ca. 350 g m-2) of H. scabra. The animals aggregated around high-density enclosures prior to spawning, suggesting that spawning is density dependent. Observations during spawning indicate the length at first maturity is ca. 15 cm
Optical vs. infrared studies of dusty galaxies and AGN: (I) Nebular emission lines
Optical nebular emission lines are commonly used to estimate the star
formation rate of galaxies and the black hole accretion rate of their central
active nucleus. The accuracy of the conversion from line strengths to physical
properties depends upon the accuracy to which the lines can be corrected for
dust attenuation. For studies of single galaxies with normal amounts of dust,
most dust corrections result in the same derived properties within the errors.
However, for statistical studies of populations of galaxies, or for studies of
galaxies with higher dust contents such as might be found in some classes of
"transition" galaxies, significant uncertainty arises from the dust attenuation
correction. We compare the strength of the predominantly unobscured mid-IR
[NeII]15.5um + [NeIII]12.8um emission lines to the optical H alpha emission
lines in four samples of galaxies: (i) ordinary star forming galaxies, (ii)
optically selected dusty galaxies, (iii) ULIRGs, (iv) Seyfert 2 galaxies. We
show that a single dust attenuation curve applied to all samples can correct H
alpha emission for dust attenuation to a factor better than 2. Similarly, we
compare mid-IR [OIV] and optical [OIII] luminosities to find that [OIII] can be
corrected to a factor better than 3. This shows that the total dust attenuation
suffered by the AGN narrow line region is not significantly different to that
suffered by the starforming HII regions in the galaxy. We provide explicit dust
attenuation corrections, together with errors, for [OII], [OIII] and H alpha.
The best-fit average attenuation curve is slightly greyer than the Milky-Way
extinction law, indicating either that external galaxies have slightly
different typical dust properties to the Milky Way, or that there is a
significant contribution from scattering. Finally, we uncover an intriguing
correlation between Silicate absorption and Balmer decrement.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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