24,396 research outputs found
Polar features in the flagellar propulsion of E. coli bacteria
E. coli bacteria swim following a run and tumble pattern. In the run state
all flagella join in a single helical bundle that propels the cell body along
approximately straight paths. When one or more flagellar motors reverse
direction the bundle unwinds and the cell randomizes its orientation. This
basic picture represents an idealization of a much more complex dynamical
problem. Although it has been shown that bundle formation can occur at either
pole of the cell, it is still unclear whether this two run states correspond to
asymmetric propulsion features. Using holographic microscopy we record the 3D
motions of individual bacteria swimming in optical traps. We find that most
cells possess two run states characterised by different propulsion forces,
total torque and bundle conformations. We analyse the statistical properties of
bundle reversal and compare the hydrodynamic features of forward and backward
running states. Our method is naturally multi-particle and opens up the way
towards controlled hydrodynamic studies of interacting swimming cells
The metal and dust yields of the first massive stars
We quantify the role of Population (Pop) III core-collapse supernovae (SNe)
as the first cosmic dust polluters. Starting from a homogeneous set of stellar
progenitors with masses in the range [13 - 80] Msun, we find that the mass and
composition of newly formed dust depend on the mixing efficiency of the ejecta
and the degree of fallback experienced during the explosion. For standard Pop
III SNe, whose explosions are calibrated to reproduce the average elemental
abundances of Galactic halo stars with [Fe/H] < -2.5, between 0.18 and 3.1 Msun
(0.39 - 1.76 Msun) of dust can form in uniformly mixed (unmixed) ejecta, and
the dominant grain species are silicates. We also investigate dust formation in
the ejecta of faint Pop III SN, where the ejecta experience a strong fallback.
By examining a set of models, tailored to minimize the scatter with the
abundances of carbon-enhanced Galactic halo stars with [Fe/H ] < -4, we find
that amorphous carbon is the only grain species that forms, with masses in the
range 2.7 10^{-3} - 0.27 Msun (7.5 10^{-4} - 0.11 Msun) for uniformly mixed
(unmixed) ejecta models. Finally, for all the models we estimate the amount and
composition of dust that survives the passage of the reverse shock, and find
that, depending on circumstellar medium densities, between 3 and 50% (10 - 80%)
of dust produced by standard (faint) Pop III SNe can contribute to early dust
enrichment.Comment: Accepted by MNRAS, 22 pages, 12 figures, 12 table
Massive higher spins and holography
We review recent progress towards the understanding of higher spin gauge
symmetry breaking in AdS space from a holographic vantage point. According to
the AdS/CFT correspondence, N=4 SYM theory at vanishing coupling constant
should be dual to a theory in AdS which exhibits higher spin gauge symmetry
enhancement. When the SYM coupling is non-zero, all but a handful of HS
currents are violated by anomalies, and correspondingly local higher spin
symmetry in the bulk gets spontaneously broken. In agreement with previous
results and holographic expectations, we find that, barring one notable
exception (spin 1 eating spin 0), the Goldstone modes responsible for HS
symmetry breaking in AdS have non-vanishing mass even in the limit in which the
gauge symmetry is restored. We show that spontaneous breaking a' la
Stueckelberg implies that the mass of the relevant spin s'=s-1 Goldstone field
is exactly the one predicted by the correspondence.Comment: 8 pages, talk presented by M.B. at the "Fourth Meeting on Constrained
Dynamics and Quantum gravity" held in Cala Gonone (Sardinia, Italy),
September 12-16, 200
Holographic tracking and sizing of optically trapped microprobes in diamond anvil cells
We demonstrate that Digital Holographic Microscopy can be used for accurate 3D tracking and sizing of a colloidal probe trapped in a diamond anvil cell (DAC). Polystyrene beads were optically trapped in water up to Gigapascal pressures while simultaneously recording in-line holograms at 1 KHz frame rate. Using Lorenz-Mie scattering theory to fit interference patterns, we detected a 10% shrinking in the bead’s radius due to the high applied pressure. Accurate bead sizing is crucial for obtaining reliable viscosity measurements and provides a convenient optical tool for the determination of the bulk modulus of probe material. Our technique may provide a new method for pressure measurements inside a DAC
On the reconstruction of planar lattice-convex sets from the covariogram
A finite subset of is said to be lattice-convex if is
the intersection of with a convex set. The covariogram of
is the function associating to each u \in
\integer^d the cardinality of . Daurat, G\'erard, and Nivat and
independently Gardner, Gronchi, and Zong raised the problem on the
reconstruction of lattice-convex sets from . We provide a partial
positive answer to this problem by showing that for and under mild extra
assumptions, determines up to translations and reflections. As a
complement to the theorem on reconstruction we also extend the known
counterexamples (i.e., planar lattice-convex sets which are not
reconstructible, up to translations and reflections) to an infinite family of
counterexamples.Comment: accepted in Discrete and Computational Geometr
New HErschel Multi-wavelength Extragalactic Survey of Edge-on Spirals (NHEMESES)
Edge-on spiral galaxies offer a unique perspective on the vertical structure
of spiral disks, both stars and the iconic dark dustlanes. The thickness of
these dustlanes can now be resolved for the first time with Herschel in
far-infrared and sub-mm emission. We present NHEMESES, an ongoing project that
targets 12 edge-on spiral galaxies with the PACS and SPIRE instruments on
Herschel. These vertically resolved observations of edge-on spirals will impact
on several current topics.
First and foremost, these Herschel observations will settle whether or not
there is a phase change in the vertical structure of the ISM with disk mass.
Previously, a dramatic change in dustlane morphology was observed as in massive
disks the dust collapses into a thin lane. If this is the case, the vertical
balance between turbulence and gravity dictates the ISM structure and
consequently star-formation and related phenomena (spiral arms, bars etc.). We
specifically target lower mass nearby edge-ons to complement existing Herschel
observations of high-mass edge-on spirals (the HEROES project).
Secondly, the combined data-set, together with existing Spitzer observations,
will drive a new generation of spiral disk Spectral Energy Distribution models.
These model how dust reprocesses starlight to thermal emission but the dust
geometry remains the critical unknown.
And thirdly, the observations will provide an accurate and unbiased census of
the cold dusty structures occasionally seen extending out of the plane of the
disk, when backlit by the stellar disk. To illustrate the NHEMESES project, we
present early results on NGC 4244 and NGC 891, two well studies examples of a
low and high-mass edge-on spiral.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures, to appear in the proceedings of IAU 284, "The
Spectral Energy Distribution of Galaxies", (SED2011), 5-9 September 2011,
Preston, UK, editors, R.J. Tuffs & C.C.Popescu (v2 updated metadata
A changing inner radius in the accretion disc of Q0056-363?
Q0056-363 is the most powerful X-ray quasar known to exhibit a broad, likely
relativistic iron line (Porquet & Reeves 2003). It has been observed twice by
XMM-, three and half years apart (July 2000 and December 2003). In the
second observation, the UV and soft X-ray fluxes were fainter, the hard X-ray
power law flatter, and the iron line equivalent width (EW) smaller than in the
2000 observation. These variations can all be explained, at least
qualitatively, if the disc is truncated in the second observation. We report
also on the possible detection of a transient, redshifted iron absorption line
during the 2003 observation.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
A search for changing-look AGN in the Grossan catalog
We observed with XMM-Newton 4 objects selected from the Grossan catalog, with
the aim to search for new 'changing-look' AGN. The sample includes all the
sources which showed in subsequent observations a flux much lower than the one
measured with HEAO A-1: NGC 7674, NGC 4968, IRAS 13218+0552 and NGC 1667. None
of the sources was caught in a high flux state during the XMM-Newton
observations, whose analysis reveal they are all likely Compton-thick objects.
We suggest that, for all the sources, potential problems with the HEAO A-1
source identification and flux measurement prevent us from being certain that
the HEAO A-1 data represent a putative 'high' state for these objects.
Nonetheless, based on the high flux state and Compton-thin spectrum of its
GINGA observation, NGC 7674 represents probably the sixth known case of a
'changing-look' Seyfert 2 galaxy. From the X-ray variability pattern, we can
estimate a likely lower limit of a few parsec to the distance of the inner
walls of the torus in this object. Remarkably, IRAS 13218+0552 was not detected
by XMM-Newton, despite being currently classified as a Seyfert 1 with a large
[OIII] flux. However, the original classification was likely to be affected by
an extreme velocity outflow component in the emission lines. The object likely
harbors an highly obscured AGN and should be re-classified as a Type 2 source.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Laplace's rule of succession in information geometry
Laplace's "add-one" rule of succession modifies the observed frequencies in a
sequence of heads and tails by adding one to the observed counts. This improves
prediction by avoiding zero probabilities and corresponds to a uniform Bayesian
prior on the parameter. The canonical Jeffreys prior corresponds to the
"add-one-half" rule. We prove that, for exponential families of distributions,
such Bayesian predictors can be approximated by taking the average of the
maximum likelihood predictor and the \emph{sequential normalized maximum
likelihood} predictor from information theory. Thus in this case it is possible
to approximate Bayesian predictors without the cost of integrating or sampling
in parameter space
Integrability of anisotropic and homogeneous Universes in scalar-tensor theory of gravitation
In this paper, we develop a method based on the analysis of the Kovalewski
exponents to study the integrability of anisotropic and homogeneous Universes.
The formalism is developed in scalar-tensor gravity, the general relativistic
case appearing as a special case of this larger framework. Then, depending on
the rationality of the Kovalewski exponents, the different models, both in the
vacuum and in presence of a barotropic matter fluid, are classified, and their
integrability is discussed.Comment: 16 pages, no figure, accepted in CQ
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