93 research outputs found
Search for solar axions using Li-7
We describe a novel approach to the search for solar, near-monochromatic
hadronic axions, the latter being suggested to be created in the solar core
during M1 transitions between the first excited level of Li-7, at 478 keV, and
the ground state. As a result of Doppler broadening, in principle these axions
can be detected via resonant absorption by the same nuclide on the Earth.
Excited nuclei of Li-7 are produced in the solar interior by Be-7 electron
capture and thus the axions are accompanied by emission of Be-7 solar neutrinos
of energy 384 keV. An experiment was made which has yielded an upper limit on
hadronic axion mass of 32 keV at the 95% confidence level.Comment: revtex, 4 pages with 2 figures, title revised, minor changes, matches
version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Prospects for the CERN Axion Solar Telescope Sensitivity to 14.4 keV Axions
The CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) is searching for solar axions using the
9.0 T strong and 9.26 m long transverse magnetic field of a twin aperture LHC
test magnet, where axions could be converted into X-rays via reverse Primakoff
process. Here we explore the potential of CAST to search for 14.4 keV axions
that could be emitted from the Sun in M1 nuclear transition between the first,
thermally excited state, and the ground state of 57Fe nuclide. Calculations of
the expected signals, with respect to the axion-photon coupling, axion-nucleon
coupling and axion mass, are presented in comparison with the experimental
sensitivity.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Submitted to Nucl. Instr. and Meth.
An Evaluation of Image Velocimetry Techniques under Low Flow Conditions and High Seeding Densities Using Unmanned Aerial Systems
Image velocimetry has proven to be a promising technique for monitoring river flows using remotely operated platforms such as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). However, the application of various image velocimetry algorithms has not been extensively assessed. Therefore, a sensitivity analysis has been conducted on five different image velocimetry algorithms including Large Scale Particle Image Velocimetry (LSPIV), Large-Scale Particle Tracking Velocimetry (LSPTV), Kanade−Lucas Tomasi Image Velocimetry (KLT-IV or KLT), Optical Tracking Velocimetry (OTV) and Surface Structure Image Velocimetry (SSIV), during low river flow conditions (average surface velocities of 0.12−0.14 m s - 1 , Q60) on the River Kolubara, Central Serbia. A DJI Phantom 4 Pro UAS was used to collect two 30-second videos of the surface flow. Artificial seeding material was distributed homogeneously across the rivers surface, to enhance the conditions for image velocimetry techniques. The sensitivity analysis was performed on comparable parameters between the different algorithms, including the particle identification area parameters (such as Interrogation Area (LSPIV, LSPTV and SSIV), Block Size (KLT-IV) and Trajectory Length (OTV)) and the feature extraction rate. Results highlighted that KLT and SSIV were sensitive to changing the feature extraction rate; however, changing the particle identification area did not affect the surface velocity results significantly. OTV and LSPTV, on the other hand, highlighted that changing the particle identification area presented higher variability in the results, while changing the feature extraction rate did not affect the surface velocity outputs. LSPIV proved to be sensitive to changing both the feature extraction rate and the particle identification area. This analysis has led to the conclusions that for surface velocities of approximately 0.12 m s - 1 image velocimetry techniques can provide results comparable to traditional techniques such as ADCPs. However, LSPIV, LSPTV and OTV require additional effort for calibration and selecting the appropriate parameters when compared to KLT-IV and SSIV. Despite the varying levels of sensitivity of each algorithm to changing parameters, all configuration image velocimetry algorithms provided results that were within 0.05 m s - 1 of the ADCP measurements, on average
Laser-induced nonresonant nuclear excitation in muonic atoms
Coherent nuclear excitation in strongly laser-driven muonic atoms is
calculated. The nuclear transition is caused by the time-dependent Coulomb
field of the oscillating charge density of the bound muon. A closed-form
analytical expression for electric multipole transitions is derived and applied
to various isotopes; the excitation probabilities are in general very small. We
compare the process with other nuclear excitation mechanisms through coupling
with atomic shells and discuss the prospects to observe it in experiment.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Hunting up low-mass bosons from the Sun using HPGe detector
In this experiment we aim to look for keV-mass bosons emitted from the Sun,
by looking at a process analogous to the photoelectric/Compton effect inside
the HPGe detector. Their coupling to both electrons and nucleons is assumed.
For masses above 25 keV, the mass dependence of our limit on the
scalar-electron coupling reveals a constraint which proves stronger than that
obtained recently and based on the very good agreement between the measured and
predicted solar neutrino flux from the ^{8}B reaction. On the other hand, the
mass dependence of our limit on the scalar-proton/electron coupling together
entails a limit on a possible Yukawa addition to the gravitational inverse
square low. Such a constraint on the Yukawa interactions proves much stronger
than that derived from the latest AFM Casimir force measurement.Comment: elsarticle style, 4 eps figures, 4 pages, minor corrections, some
clarifications added, to appear in Phys. Lett.
Statistical learning in songbirds:From self-tutoring to song culture
At the onset of vocal development, both songbirds and humans produce variable vocal babbling with broadly distributed acoustic features. Over development, these vocalizations differentiate into the well-defined, categorical signals that characterize adult vocal behaviour. A broadly distributed signal is ideal for vocal exploration, that is, for matching vocal production to the statistics of the sensory input. The developmental transition to categorical signals is a gradual process during which the vocal output becomes differentiated and stable. But does it require categorical input? We trained juvenile zebra finches with playbacks of their own developing song, produced just a few moments earlier, updated continuously over development. Although the vocalizations of these self-tutored (ST) birds were initially broadly distributed, birds quickly developed categorical signals, as fast as birds that were trained with a categorical, adult song template. By contrast, siblings of those birds that received no training (isolates) developed phonological categories much more slowly and never reached the same level of category differentiation as their ST brothers. Therefore, instead of simply mirroring the statistical properties of their sensory input, songbirds actively transform it into distinct categories. We suggest that the early self-generation of phonological categories facilitates the establishment of vocal culture by making the song easier to transmit at the micro level, while promoting stability of shared vocabulary at the group level over generations
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