7,671 research outputs found
Trigger strategies for SUSY searches at the LHC
Supersymmetry will be searched for in a variety of final states at the LHC.
It is crucial that a robust, efficient and unbiased trigger selection for SUSY
is implemented from the very early days of data taking. After a brief
description of the ATLAS and the CMS trigger systems, and a more in-depth
discussion of the ATLAS High-Level Trigger, a triggering strategy is outlined
for early SUSY searches at the LHC.Comment: Submitted for the SUSY07 Proceedings, 4 pages, 3 eps figures, LaTe
The puzzling symbiotic X-ray system 4U1700+24
Symbiotic X-ray binaries form a subclass of low-mass X-ray binary systems
consisting of a neutron star accreting material from a red giant donor star via
stellar wind or Roche lobe overflow. Only a few confirmed members are currently
known; 4U 1700+24 is a good candidate as it is a relatively bright X-ray
object, possibly associated with the late-type star V934 Her. We analysed the
archive {\it XMM}-Newton and Swift/XRT observations of 4U 1700+24 in order to
have a uniform high-energy ( keV) view of the source. We confirmed the
existence of a red-shifted O VIII Ly- transition (already observed in
the 2002 {\it XMM}-Newton data) in the high-resolution spectra collected via
the RGS instruments. The red-shift of the line is found in all the analysed
observations and, on average, it was estimated to be . We also
observed a modulation of the centroid energy of the line on short time scales
(a few days) and discuss the observations in the framework of different
scenarios. If the modulation is due to the gravitational red-shift of the
neutron star, it might arise from a sudden re-organization of the emitting
-ray matter on the scale of a few hundreds of km. Alternatively, we are
witnessing a uni-polar jet of matter (with typical velocity of km
s) possibly emitted by the neutron star in an almost face-on system. The
second possibility seems to be required by the apparent lack of any modulation
in the observed -ray light curve. We also note also that the low-resolution
spectra (both {\it XMM}-Newton and Swift/XRT in the keV band) show the
existence of a black body radiation emitted by a region (possibly associated
with the neutron star polar cap) with typical size from a few tens to hundreds
of meters. The size of this spot-like region reduces as the overall luminosity
of 4U 1700+24 decreases.Comment: In press on A&
Productivity and modifications of ecosystem processes in gaps of a low Macchia in southern Italy
Disturbance in Mediterranean shrub lands creates gaps that break up the shrub cover and potentially restrict productivity and other ecosystem processes. Gaps make up to about 20% of the low Macchia area at the Castel Volturno nature reserve (southern Italy). The plant community consists mainly of small annual species (legumes, grasses and forbs) that germinate in November and die out before the onset of summer drought. The inter-annual variability in productivity and the relative abundance of legumes, grasses and forbs were assessed over 4 yr (2004&ndash;2007) to evaluate main potential modifications of ecosystem processes determined by the occurrence of gaps in the shrub cover. <br><br> In the study years, at the peak production, plant mass varied from about 250 to 700 g m<sup>&minus;2</sup>; biomass belowground allocation varied from 23% in the wettest to 44% in the driest year. Belowground/aboveground biomass ratios were negatively related to rainfall and positively related to the length of the dry period, showing that water availability controls biomass allocation patterns. Legumes were the most abundant fraction (about 60%) of the aboveground mass in the wettest year. In the drier years legumes exhibited a shorter life cycle and senesced by mid-spring. Among the three functional groups monitored, legumes were the most sensitive to water shortage and their biomass was positively related to the amount of rainfall and negatively related to the length of the dry period. The higher fraction of legume mass was associated with higher nitrogen content in plant tissues and in the soil. Senesced annual species decomposed more than senescent <i>Phillyrea</i> sp. leaves. The stability of organic carbon pool, evaluated through the endogenous mineralization coefficient (CEM), was lower in gaps than in understorey soils
Productivity and modifications of ecosystem processes in gaps of a low Macchia in southern Italy
Abstract. Disturbance in Mediterranean shrub lands creates gaps that break up the shrub cover and potentially restrict productivity and other ecosystem processes. Gaps make up to about 20% of the low Macchia area at the Castel Volturno nature reserve (southern Italy). The plant community consists mainly of small annual species (legumes, grasses and forbs) that germinate in November and die out before the onset of summer drought. The inter-annual variability in productivity and the relative abundance of legumes, grasses and forbs were assessed over 4 yr (2004–2007) to evaluate main potential modifications of ecosystem processes determined by the occurrence of gaps in the shrub cover. In the study years, at the peak production, plant mass varied from about 250 to 700 g m−2; biomass belowground allocation varied from 23% in the wettest to 44% in the driest year. Belowground/aboveground biomass ratios were negatively related to rainfall and positively related to the length of the dry period, showing that water availability controls biomass allocation patterns. Legumes were the most abundant fraction (about 60%) of the aboveground mass in the wettest year. In the drier years legumes exhibited a shorter life cycle and senesced by mid-spring. Among the three functional groups monitored, legumes were the most sensitive to water shortage and their biomass was positively related to the amount of rainfall and negatively related to the length of the dry period. The higher fraction of legume mass was associated with higher nitrogen content in plant tissues and in the soil. Senesced annual species decomposed more than senescent Phillyrea sp. leaves. The stability of organic carbon pool, evaluated through the endogenous mineralization coefficient (CEM), was lower in gaps than in understorey soils
The puzzling source IGR J17361-4441 in NGC 6388: a possible planetary tidal disruption event
On 2011 August 11, INTEGRAL discovered the hard X-ray source IGR J17361-4441
near the centre of the globular cluster NGC 6388. Follow up observations with
Chandra showed the position of the transient was inconsistent with the cluster
dynamical centre, and thus not related to its possible intermediate mass black
hole. The source showed a peculiar hard spectrum (Gamma \approx 0.8) and no
evidence of QPOs, pulsations, type-I bursts, or radio emission. Based on its
peak luminosity, IGR J17361-4441 was classified as a very faint X-ray
transient, and most likely a low-mass X-ray binary. We re-analysed 200 days of
Swift/XRT observations, covering the whole outburst of IGR J17361-4441 and find
a t^{-5/3} trend evident in the light curve, and a thermal emission component
that does not evolve significantly with time. We investigate whether this
source could be a tidal disruption event, and for certain assumptions find an
accretion efficiency epsilon \approx 3.5E-04 (M_{Ch}/M) consistent with a
massive white dwarf, and a disrupted minor body mass M_{mb}=1.9E+27(M/M_{Ch}) g
in the terrestrial-icy planet regime. These numbers yield an inner disc
temperature of the order kT_{in} \approx 0.04 keV, consistent with the
blackbody temperature of kT_{in} \approx 0.08 keV estimated by spectral
fitting. Although the density of white dwarfs and the number of free-floating
planets are uncertain, we estimate the rate of planetary tidal disruptions in
NGC 6388 to be in the range 3E-06 to 3E-04 yr^{-1}. Averaged over the Milky Way
globular clusters, the upper limit value corresponds to 0.05 yr^{-1},
consistent with the observation of a single event by INTEGRAL and Swift.Comment: Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical
Society Main Journal on 2014 July 16; 9 pages, 5 figures. Added references;
corrected typo
Decomposizione della lettiera di quattro specie della macchia mediterranea: relazioni con alcune caratteristiche fogliarie con la qualità della lettiera
La velocità di decomposizione della lettiera di quattro specie tipiche della Macchia Mediterranea, Q. ilex, P. angustifolia, P. lentiscus e Cistus sp., è stata misurata dopo circa tre, sei e tredici mesi di incubazione in situ nella Riserva Naturale di Castel Volturno (Caserta). Sono state valutate le relazioni tra velocità di decomposizione e 1) indice di area fogliare specifica (SLA), 2) densità dei tessuti fogliari (LDMC), 3) grado di sclerofillia (GS), 4) contenuto in N, C e lignina e rapporto C/N della lettiera. Queste caratteristiche possono influenzare la colonizzazione e la utilizzazione della lettiera da parte dei microrganismi e, di conseguenza, la sua resistenza alla decomposizione. Dopo poco più di un anno la perdita di peso della lettiera era circa 50% in cisto, 41% in fillirea e 32% in leccio e lentisco. Nei primi tre mesi di incubazione, la velocità di decomposizione della lettiera è tanto maggiore quanto più alto è il valore di SLA e diminuisce con l’aumento del valore di LDMC e GS. La correlazione decomposizione - SLA e decomposizione - GS è statisticamente significativa solo se si esclude la fillirea che, ha caratteristiche fogliari simili a quelle di leccio e lentisco (spiccata sclerofillia) ma contenuto di lignina più basso non solo rispetto alle altre due specie sclerofille, ma anche rispetto al cisto (che ha caratteristiche mesofile). La velocità di decomposizione è correlata negativamente al contenuto di lignina e al rapporto lignina/N quando vengono considerate le quattro specie; se si considerano solo fillirea e cisto la correlazione diventa positiva. I risultati mostrano che la decomposizione della lettiera è la risultante degli effetti congiunti delle caratteristiche fogliari e della composizione chimica della lettiera
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