1,574 research outputs found
Secular theory of the orbital evolution of the young stellar disc in the Galactic Centre
We investigate the orbital evolution of a system of N mutually interacting
stars on initially circular orbits around the dominating central mass. We
include perturbative influence of a distant axisymmetric source and an extended
spherical potential. In particular, we focus on the case when the secular
evolution of orbital eccentricities is suppressed by the spherical
perturbation. By means of standard perturbation methods, we derive
semi-analytic formulae for the evolution of normal vectors of the individual
orbits. We find its two qualitatively different modes. Either the orbits
interact strongly and, under such circumstances, they become dynamically
coupled, precessing synchronously in the potential of the axisymmetric
perturbation. Or, if their mutual interaction is weaker, the orbits precess
independently, interchanging periodically their angular momentum, which leads
to oscillations of inclinations. We argue that these processes may have been
fundamental for the evolution of the disc of young stars orbiting the
supermassive black hole in the centre of the Milky Way.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS; 11 pages, 6 figure
Magnetic control of heterogeneous ice nucleation with nanophase magnetite: Biophysical and agricultural implications
In supercooled water, ice nucleation is a stochastic process that requires ∼250–300 molecules to transiently achieve structural ordering before an embryonic seed crystal can nucleate. This happens most easily on crystalline surfaces, in a process termed heterogeneous nucleation; without such surfaces, water droplets will supercool to below −30 °C before eventually freezing homogeneously. A variety of fundamental processes depends on heterogeneous ice nucleation, ranging from desert-blown dust inducing precipitation in clouds to frost resistance in plants. Recent experiments have shown that crystals of nanophase magnetite (Fe_3O_4) are powerful nucleation sites for this heterogeneous crystallization of ice, comparable to other materials like silver iodide and some cryobacterial peptides. In natural materials containing magnetite, its ferromagnetism offers the possibility that magneto-mechanical motion induced by external oscillating magnetic fields could act to disrupt the water–crystal interface, inhibiting the heterogeneous nucleation process in subfreezing water and promoting supercooling. For this to act, the magneto-mechanical rotation of the particles should be higher than the magnitude of Brownian motions. We report here that 10-Hz precessing magnetic fields, at strengths of 1 mT and above, on ∼50-nm magnetite crystals dispersed in ultrapure water, meet these criteria and do indeed produce highly significant supercooling. Using these rotating magnetic fields, we were able to elicit supercooling in two representative plant and animal tissues (celery and bovine muscle), both of which have detectable, natural levels of ferromagnetic material. Tailoring magnetic oscillations for the magnetite particle size distribution in different tissues could maximize this supercooling effect
Heterozygous mis-sense mutations in Prkcb as a critical determinant of anti-polysaccharide antibody formation
To identify rate-limiting steps in T cell-independent type 2 (TI-2) antibody production against polysaccharide antigens, we performed a genome-wide screen by immunizing several hundred pedigrees of C57BL/6 mice segregating ENU-induced mis-sense mutations. Two independent mutations, Tilcara and Untied, were isolated that semi-dominantly diminished antibody against polysaccharide but not protein antigens. Both mutations resulted from single amino acid substitutions within the kinase domain of Protein Kinase C Beta (PKCβ). In Tilcara, a Ser552>Pro mutation occurred in helix G, in close proximity to a docking site for the inhibitory N-terminal pseudosubstrate domain of the enzyme, resulting in almost complete loss of active, autophosphorylated PKCβI whereas the amount of alternatively spliced PKCβII protein was not markedly reduced. Circulating B cell subsets were normal and acute responses to BCR-stimulation such as CD25 induction and initiation of DNA synthesis were only measurably diminished in Tilcara homozygotes, whereas the fraction of cells that had divided multiple times was decreased to an intermediate degree in heterozygotes. These results, coupled with evidence of numerous mis-sense PRKCB mutations in the human genome, identify Prkcb as a genetically sensitive step likely to contribute substantially to population variability in anti-polysaccharide antibody levels
Instability of dilute granular flow on rough slope
We study numerically the stability of granular flow on a rough slope in
collisional flow regime in the two-dimension. We examine the density dependence
of the flowing behavior in low density region, and demonstrate that the
particle collisions stabilize the flow above a certain density in the parameter
region where a single particle shows an accelerated behavior. Within this
parameter regime, however, the uniform flow is only metastable and is shown to
be unstable against clustering when the particle density is not high enough.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jpn.; Fig. 2 replaced;
references added; comments added; misprints correcte
Earthquake detection capacity of Dense Oceanfloor Network system for Earthquakes and Tsunamis (DONET)
We adopted the Probability-based Magnitude of Completeness (PMC) method and
performed a case analysis of the Nankai Trough, a target region monitored for
future megathrust earthquakes. JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science
and Technology) has created a seismicity catalog that includes events in this
region observed by DONET. Using seismicity data for 2015-2019, we found
spatiotemporal variability of completeness magnitude Mp. Mp was lower than 1 in
one of the areas where stations are densely deployed, whereas Mp was larger
than 2 at the periphery and outside of the DONET area. We then evaluated the
temporal evolution of Mp, highlighting how the failure of sets of observing
stations influenced Mp if not repaired. Stations are aggregated around the 12
science nodes (hubs that connect the stations) and connected through the two
oceanfloor backbone cables to JAMSTEC. We explored the possible use of PMC as a
tool with simulation computation of node malfunction. A simulation showed that
completeness estimates in the area near failure nodes were about 1 magnitude
larger. If such failure occurred for nodes near the region which straddles the
rupture zones of the previous Tonankai and Nankai earthquakes in 1940's, it
would most pronouncedly affect earthquake monitoring among nodes' failures. It
is desirable to repair these nodes or replace with new ones when their
malfunction occurs. We then demonstrated an example of how to use Mp
information as prior knowledge to seismicity-related studies. We used the b
value of the Gutenberg-Richter distribution, and computed it taking Mp into
consideration. We found that the spatial and temporal changes in b were
strongly correlated to the magnitude-6 class slow slip that grew over two years
on the Nankai Trough plate boundary, indicating the b value as a proxy that can
help to image stress heterogeneity when there is a slow slip event.Comment: 6 figure
Fluctuation of the Top Location and Avalanches in the Formation Process of a Sandpile
We investigate the formation processes of a sandpile using numerical
simulation. We find a new relation between the fluctuation of the motion of the
top and the surface state of a sandpile. The top moves frequently as particles
are fed one by one every time interval T. The time series of the top location
has the power spectrum which obeys a power law, S(f)~f^{\alpha}, and its
exponent \alpha depends on T and the system size w. The surface state is
characterized by two time scales; the lifetime of an avalanche, T_{a}, and the
time required to cause an avalanche, T_{s}. The surface state is fluid-like
when T_{a}~T_{s}, and it is solid-like when T_{a}<<T_{s}. Our numerical results
show that \alpha is a function of T_{s}/T_{a}.Comment: 15 pages, 13 figure
Polarised target for Drell-Yan experiment in COMPASS at CERN, part I
In the polarised Drell-Yan experiment at the COMPASS facility in CERN pion
beam with momentum of 190 GeV/c and intensity about pions/s interacted
with transversely polarised NH target. Muon pairs produced in Drel-Yan
process were detected. The measurement was done in 2015 as the 1st ever
polarised Drell-Yan fixed target experiment. The hydrogen nuclei in the
solid-state NH were polarised by dynamic nuclear polarisation in 2.5 T
field of large-acceptance superconducting magnet. Large helium dilution
cryostat was used to cool the target down below 100 mK. Polarisation of
hydrogen nuclei reached during the data taking was about 80 %. Two oppositely
polarised target cells, each 55 cm long and 4 cm in diameter were used.
Overview of COMPASS facility and the polarised target with emphasis on the
dilution cryostat and magnet is given. Results of the polarisation measurement
in the Drell-Yan run and overviews of the target material, cell and dynamic
nuclear polarisation system are given in the part II.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Proceedings of the 22nd International Spin
Symposium, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA, 25-30 September 201
Cooperative damping mechanism of the resonance in the nuclear photoabsorption
We propose a resonance damping mechanism to explain the disappearance of the
peaks around the position of the resonances higher than the resonance
in the nuclear photoabsorption. This phenomenon is understood by taking into
account the cooperative effect of the collision broadening of and
, the pion distortion and the interference in the two-pion
photoproduction processes in the nuclear medium.Comment: 11 pages, uses revtex.sty. To appear in Phys. Rev. Let
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