333 research outputs found
Astrophysical signatures of leptonium
More than 10^43 positrons annihilate every second in the centre of our Galaxy
yet, despite four decades of observations, their origin is still unknown. Many
candidates have been proposed, such as supernovae and low mass X-ray binaries.
However, these models are difficult to reconcile with the distribution of
positrons, which are highly concentrated in the Galactic bulge, and therefore
require specific propagation of the positrons through the interstellar medium.
Alternative sources include dark matter decay, or the supermassive black hole,
both of which would have a naturally high bulge-to-disc ratio.
The chief difficulty in reconciling models with the observations is the
intrinsically poor angular resolution of gamma-ray observations, which cannot
resolve point sources. Essentially all of the positrons annihilate via the
formation of positronium. This gives rise to the possibility of observing
recombination lines of positronium emitted before the atom annihilates. These
emission lines would be in the UV and the NIR, giving an increase in angular
resolution of a factor of 10^4 compared to gamma ray observations, and allowing
the discrimination between point sources and truly diffuse emission.
Analogously to the formation of positronium, it is possible to form atoms of
true muonium and true tauonium. Since muons and tauons are intrinsically
unstable, the formation of such leptonium atoms will be localised to their
places of origin. Thus observations of true muonium or true tauonium can
provide another way to distinguish between truly diffuse sources such as dark
matter decay, and an unresolved distribution of point sources.Comment: Accepted for publication in EPJ-D, 9 pages, 4 figure
An upper limit to the dry merger rate at <z> ~ 0.55
We measure the fraction of Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) in dynamically close
pairs (with projected separation less than 20 kpc and velocity
difference less than 500 km s) to estimate the dry merger rate for
galaxies with and
in the 2dF-SDSS LRG and QSO (2SLAQ) redshift survey. For galaxies with a
luminosity ratio of or greater we determine a upper limit to
the merger fraction of 1.0% and a merger rate of
Mpc Gyr (assuming that all pairs merge on the shortest possible
timescale set by dynamical friction). This is significantly smaller than
predicted by theoretical models and suggests that major dry mergers do not
contribute to the formation of the red sequence at .Comment: 8 pages emulateapj style, 3 figures, accepted by AJ (March 2010
Eco-neighborhoods and the question of locational advantage: a socio-spatial analysis of French âĂcoQuartiersâ
In response to the need for ecological transition, a multitude of eco-city and eco-neighborhood initiatives have been instigated around the world. A major challenge has been the charge, captured by terms such as âeco enclavesâ and âenvironmental gentrificationâ, that these initiatives poorly attend to questions of social diversity and spatial equity. In France, too, where since 2008 a major national ĂcoQuartier initiative has been underway with close to 500 projects launched, some have warned against creating âĂŠcoquartiers boboâ â urban development catering for a mainly âbourgeois-bohemianâ clientele. Consequently, this article investigates whether there may be selectivity at work in the placement of ĂcoQuartiers that favours advantageous locations. To this end, a detailed socio-spatial analysis was carried out with a sample of 214 implemented ĂcoQuartiers. Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA), eight factors were extracted from a comprehensive set of 53 socio-economic and geospatial variables. These were used to compare the sampled ĂcoQuartiers with the overall territory (mainland France and Corsica) as well as with a parallel national urban policy initiative, the âQuartiers Prioritaires de la Villeâ (âurban priority neighborhoodsâ) which expressly focuses on areas of social disadvantage. As a result, this study reveals several dimensions of locational selectivity, which are discussed in terms of their policy and practice implications as well as their significance for conceptualizing eco-neighborhoods as socio-spatially inclusive places
Dynamic optimization of the transmission efficiency between the solid state microwave sources and the microwave applicator
[EN] Microwaves are a fast way to dry moist goods through volumetric heating. During the drying process, materials change their electrical properties. As a result, the impedances at the feed port of the applicator will change and the microwave source is not matched anymore. The amount of reflected power increases and the process efficiency reduces. New semiconductor high power sources can perform a dynamic impedance matching. A lab scaled functional model with two sources was designed and realized. For measuring the scattering parameters during the process run, an embedded two-port vector network analyzer was added. Measurement results confirm the feasibility of the concept.Zuber, S.; Joss, M.; Tresch, S.; Kleingries, M. (2018). Dynamic optimization of the transmission efficiency between the solid state microwave sources and the microwave applicator. En IDS 2018. 21st International Drying Symposium Proceedings. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 291-298. https://doi.org/10.4995/IDS2018.2018.7412OCS29129
Smart Cities: Towards a New Citizenship Regime? A Discourse Analysis of the British Smart City Standard
Growing practice interest in smart cities has led to calls for a less technology-oriented and more citizen-centric approach. In response, this articles investigates the citizenship mode promulgated by the smart city standard of the British Standards Institution. The analysis uses the concept of citizenship regime and a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods to discern key discursive frames defining the smart city and the particular citizenship dimensions brought into play. The results confirm an explicit citizenship rationale guiding the smart city (standard), although this displays some substantive shortcomings and contradictions. The article concludes with recommendations for both further theory and practice development
Seeking celestial Positronium with an OH-suppressed diffraction-limited spectrograph
Celestially, Positronium (Ps), has only been observed through gamma-ray
emission produced by its annihilation. However, in its triplet state, a Ps atom
has a mean lifetime long enough for electronic transitions to occur between
quantum states. This produces a recombination spectrum observable in principle
at near IR wavelengths, where angular resolution greatly exceeding that of the
gamma-ray observations is possible. However, the background in the NIR is
dominated by extremely bright atmospheric hydroxyl (OH) emission lines. In this
paper we present the design of a diffraction-limited spectroscopic system using
novel photonic components - a photonic lantern, OH Fiber Bragg Grating filters,
and a photonic TIGER 2-dimensional pseudo-slit - to observe the Ps Balmer alpha
line at 1.3122 microns for the first time.Comment: 6 pages, 9 Figures, 2 Tables. Accepted to Applied Optics feature
issue on Astrophotonic
Sustainability Indicators Past and Present: What Next?
This paper discusses the current state of thought amongst the Sustainability Indicator (SI) community, what has been achieved and where we are succeeding and failing. Recent years have witnessed the rise of âalternative factsâ and âfake newsâ and this paper discusses how SIs fit into this maelstrom, especially as they are themselves designed to encapsulate complexity into condensed signals and it has long been known that SIs can be selectively used to support polarized sides of a debate. This paper draws from chapters in a new edited volume, the âRoutledge Handbook of Sustainability Indicators and Indicesâ, edited by the authors. The book has 34 chapters written by a total of 59 SI experts from a wide range of backgrounds, and attempts to provide a picture of the past and present, strengths and weaknesses of SI development today. This paper is an âanalysis of those analysesââa mindful reflection on reflection, and an assessment of the malign and benign forces at work in 2018 within the SI arena. Finally, we seek to identify where SIs may be going over the coming, unpredictable years
The New Urban Agenda: key opportunities and challenges for policy and practice
The UN-HABITAT III conference held in Quito in late 2016 enshrined the first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) with an exclusively urban focus. SDG 11, as it became known, aims to make cities more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable through a range of metrics, indicators, and evaluation systems. It also became part of a post-Quito âNew Urban Agendaâ that is still taking shape. This paper raises questions around the potential for reductionism in this new agenda, and argues for the reflexive need to be aware of the types of urban space that are potentially sidelined by the new trends in global urban policy
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