1,736 research outputs found
The Anderson model of localization: a challenge for modern eigenvalue methods
We present a comparative study of the application of modern eigenvalue
algorithms to an eigenvalue problem arising in quantum physics, namely, the
computation of a few interior eigenvalues and their associated eigenvectors for
the large, sparse, real, symmetric, and indefinite matrices of the Anderson
model of localization. We compare the Lanczos algorithm in the 1987
implementation of Cullum and Willoughby with the implicitly restarted Arnoldi
method coupled with polynomial and several shift-and-invert convergence
accelerators as well as with a sparse hybrid tridiagonalization method. We
demonstrate that for our problem the Lanczos implementation is faster and more
memory efficient than the other approaches. This seemingly innocuous problem
presents a major challenge for all modern eigenvalue algorithms.Comment: 16 LaTeX pages with 3 figures include
Measurements with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory's flight contamination monitor
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory includes a Flight Contamination Monitor
(FCM), a system of 16 radioactive calibration sources mounted to the inside of
the Observatory's forward contamination cover. The purpose of the FCM is to
verify the ground-to-orbit transfer of the Chandra flux scale, through
comparison of data acquired during the ground calibration with those obtained
in orbit, immediately prior to opening the Observatory's sun-shade door. Here
we report results of these measurements, which place limits on the change in
mirror--detector system response and, hence, on any accumulation of molecular
contamination on the mirrors' iridium-coated surfaces.Comment: 7pages,8figures,for SPIE 4012, paper 7
Study of HST counterparts to Chandra X-ray sources in the Globular Cluster M71
We report on archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations of the
globular cluster M71 (NGC 6838). These observations, covering the core of the
globular cluster, were performed by the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and
the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). Inside the half-mass radius (r_h =
1.65') of M71, we find 33 candidate optical counterparts to 25 out of 29
Chandra X-ray sources while outside the half-mass radius, 6 possible optical
counterparts to 4 X-ray sources are found. Based on the X-ray and optical
properties of the identifications, we find 1 certain and 7 candidate
cataclysmic variables (CVs). We also classify 2 and 12 X-ray sources as certain
and potential chromospherically active binaries (ABs), respectively. The only
star in the error circle of the known millisecond pulsar (MSP) is inconsistent
with being the optical counterpart. The number of X-ray faint sources with
L_x>4x10^{30} ergs/s (0.5-6.0 keV) found in M71 is higher than extrapolations
from other clusters on the basis of either collision frequency or mass. Since
the core density of M71 is relatively low, we suggest that those CVs and ABs
are primordial in origin.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Measuring X-Ray Polarization in the Presence of Systematic Effects
We describe a mathematical formalism for determining the 1 and 2 parameter errors in the magnitude and position angle of X ]ray polarization. The formalism includes a treatment of systematic effects, such as background and instrumental bias
Is the blue tit falling into an ecological trap in Argentine ant invaded forests?
Because insectivorous birds must evaluate
resources for reproduction before settling into a breed-
ing habitat, they can fall into an ecological trap if
informative cues about habitat suitability become
dissociated from their actual yield. Given their potential
to affect ecological networks, invasive ant species are
potential candidates for triggering such ecological traps.
We combined observational and experimental
approaches to examine whether the variation in food
supply for nestlings resulting from the invasion of the
Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, had any influence
on the breeding ecology of the blue tit, Cyanistes
caeruleus, an insectivorous foliage-gleaner. We inves-
tigated the effects of the ant invasion on breeding
performance (nesting success, clutch size, brood size
and breeding success) and offspring quality (body size
and condition, developmental stability and plumage
colour) in replicated Mediterranean forest areas over a
period of 3 years. There was no evidence that the
reduction in caterpillar availability resulting from the
invasion had a concurrent negative effect on the blue tit’s ability to successfully rear nestlings in optimal conditions, at least as measured here. Although the raw figures suggest an increased level of nutritional stress in
blue tits breeding in invaded forests, the data analyses
showed no significant alterations in terms of productiv-
ity or offspring fitness. The reproductive performance of
the blue tit has been shown to be remarkably resilient to
the Argentine ant-mediated food shortage, either
because the prey reduction following the invasion did
not reach a critical threshold or because of compensa-
tory activity by the progenitors. We cannot conclusively
reject an ecological trap triggered by the ant invasion on
blue tits, since neither fledgling recruitment nor the
prospective survival of parents were assessed. Even
though we could not confirm short-term consequences
of the Argentine ant invasion on blue tit reproductive fitness, the long-term bottom-up effects of the invasion remain unknown and should not be ruled outPeer reviewe
Mathematical Formalism for Designing Wide-Field X-Ray Telescopes: Mirror Nodal Positions and Detector Tilts
We provide a mathematical formalism for optimizing the mirror nodal positions along the optical axis and the tilt of a commonly employed detector configuration at the focus of a x-ray telescope consisting of nested mirror shells with known mirror surface prescriptions. We adopt the spatial resolution averaged over the field-of-view as the figure of merit M. A more complete description appears in our paper in these proceedings
Concerning the Development of the Wide-Field Optics for WFXT Including Methods of Optimizing X-Ray Optical Prescriptions for Wide-Field Applications
We present a progress report on the various endeavors we are undertaking at MSFC in support of the Wide Field X-Ray Telescope development. In particular we discuss assembly and alignment techniques, in-situ polishing corrections, and the results of our efforts to optimize mirror prescriptions including polynomial coefficients, relative shell displacements, detector placements and tilts. This optimization does not require a blind search through the multi-dimensional parameter space. Under the assumption that the parameters are small enough so that second order expansions are valid, we show that the performance at the detector can be expressed as a quadratic function with numerical coefficients derived from a ray trace through the underlying Wolter I optic. The optimal values for the parameters are found by solving the linear system of equations creating by setting derivatives of this function with respect to each parameter to zero
CMB Polarization can constrain cosmology better than CMB temperature
We demonstrate that for a cosmic variance limited experiment, CMB E
polarization alone places stronger constraints on cosmological parameters than
CMB temperature. For example, we show that EE can constrain parameters better
than TT by up to a factor 2.8 when a multipole range of l=30-2500 is
considered. We expose the physical effects at play behind this remarkable
result and study how it depends on the multipole range included in the
analysis. In most relevant cases, TE or EE surpass the TT based cosmological
constraints. This result is important as the small scale astrophysical
foregrounds are expected to have a much reduced impact on polarization, thus
opening the possibility of building cleaner and more stringent constraints of
the LCDM model. This is relevant specially for proposed future CMB satellite
missions, such as CORE or PRISM, that are designed to be cosmic variance
limited in polarization till very large multipoles. We perform the same
analysis for a Planck-like experiment, and conclude that even in this case TE
alone should determine the constraint on better than TT by 15%,
while determining , and with comparable accuracy.
Finally, we explore a few classical extensions of the LCDM model and show again
that CMB polarization alone provides more stringent constraints than CMB
temperature in case of a cosmic variance limited experiment.Comment: 14 pages, 16 figure
Linearly polarized X-ray flares following short gamma-ray bursts
Soft X-ray flares were detected to follow the short-duration gamma-ray burst
GRB 050724. The temporal properties of the flares suggest that they are likely
due to the late time activity of the central engine. We argue that if short
GRBs are generated through compact star mergers, as is supported by the recent
observations, the jet powering the late X-ray flares must be launched via
magnetic processes rather than via neutrino-antineutrino annihilations. As a
result, the X-ray flares following short GRBs are expected to be linearly
polarized. The argument may also apply to the X-ray flares following long GRBs.
Future observations with the upcoming X-ray polarimeters will test this
prediction.Comment: 4 pages (no figure), accepted for publication in ApJL, typos
correcte
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