724 research outputs found
Probing the dark matter profile of hot clusters and the M-T relation with XMM-Newton
We present results based on XMM-Newton observations of a small sample of hot
galaxy clusters. Making a full use of XMM-Newton's spectro-imaging
capabilities, we have extracted the radial temperature profile and gas density
profile, and with this information, calculated the total mass profile of each
cluster (under the assumption of hydrostatic equilibrium and spherical
symmetry). Comparing the individual scaled total mass profiles, we have probed
the Universality of rich cluster mass profiles over a wide range of radii (from
0.01 to 0.7 the virial radius). We have also tested the shape of cluster mass
profiles by comparing with the predicted profiles from numerical simulations of
hierarchical structure formation. We also derived the local mass-temperature
(M-T) scaling relation over a range of temperature going from 4 to 9 keV, that
we compare with theoretical predictions.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, Advances in Space Research in press (proceedings
of the COSPAR 2004 Assembly, Paris
Previewing distracters reduces their effective contrast
In a visual search task, when half the distracters are presented earlier than the remainder (âpreviewedâ), observers find the target item more efficiently than when all the items are presented togetherâthe preview benefit. We measured psychometric functions for contrast increments on Gabors that were presented as a valid preview for subsequent search, and when they were a non-predictive (dummy) preview. Sensitivity to contrast increments was lower (rightwards shift of the psychometric function) on valid, compared to dummy previews. This is consistent with an account of the preview benefit in terms of active inhibition, equivalent to lowering the contrast of previewed items that are being actively ignored
Light spin-1/2 or spin-0 Dark Matter particles
We recall and precise how light spin-0 particles could be acceptable Dark
Matter candidates, and extend this analysis to spin-1/2 particles. We evaluate
the (rather large) annihilation cross sections required, and show how they may
be induced by a new light neutral spin-1 boson U. If this one is vectorially
coupled to matter particles, the (spin-1/2 or spin-0) Dark Matter annihilation
cross section into e+e- automatically includes a v_dm^2 suppression factor at
threshold, as desirable to avoid an excessive production of gamma rays from
residual Dark Matter annihilations. We also relate Dark Matter annihilations
with production cross sections in e+e- scatterings. Annihilation cross sections
of spin-1/2 and spin-0 Dark Matter particles are given by exactly the same
expressions. Just as for spin-0, light spin-1/2 Dark Matter particles
annihilating into e+e- could be responsible for the bright 511 keV gamma ray
line observed by INTEGRAL from the galactic bulge.Comment: 10 page
Bosonization and Duality in Arbitrary Dimensions: New Results
A generic massive Thirring Model in three space-time dimensions exhibits a
correspondence with a topologically massive bosonized gauge action associated
to a self-duality constraint, and we write down a general expression for this
relationship.
We also generalize this structure to dimensions, by adopting the
so-called doublet approach, recently introduced. In particular, a non-
conventional formulation of the bosonization technique in higher dimensions (in
the spirit of ), is proposed and, as an application, we show how fermionic
(Thirring-like) representations for bosonic topologically massive models in
four dimensions may be built up.Comment: Revised version, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Rolling Tachyon in Brane World Cosmology from Superstring Field Theory
The pressureless tachyonic matter recently found in superstring field theory
has an over-abundance problem in cosmology. We argue that this problem is
naturally solved in the brane inflationary scenario if almost all of the
tachyon energy is drained (via its coupling to the inflaton and matter fields)
to heating the universe, while the rest of the tachyon energy goes to a network
of cosmic strings (lower-dimensional BPS D-branes) produced during the tachyon
rolling at the end of inflation.Comment: 4 pages, one figure. This version quantifies constraints on various
phenomenological models for tachyon deca
Model based analysis of fMRI-data: Applying the sSoTS framework to the neural basic of preview search.
The current work aims to unveil the neural circuits under- lying visual search over time and space by using a model-based analysis of behavioural and fMRI data. It has been suggested by Watson and Humphreys [31] that the prioritization of new stimuli presented in our visual field can be helped by the active ignoring of old items, a process they termed visual marking. Studies using fMRI link the marking pro- cess with activation in superior parietal areas and the precuneus [4, 18, 27, 26]. Marking has been simulated previously using a neural-level ac- count of search, the spiking Search over Time and Space (sSoTS) model, which incorporates inhibitory as well as excitatory mechanisms to guide visual selection. Here we used sSoTS to help decompose the fMRI signals found in a preview search procedure, when participants search for a new target whilst ignoring old distractors. The time course of activity linked to inhibitory and excitatory processes in the model was used as a regres- sor for the fMRI data. The results showed that different neural networks were correlated with top-down excitation and top-down inhibition in the model, enabling us to fractionate brain regions previously linked to vi- sual marking. We discuss the contribution of model-based analysis for decomposing fMRI data
On the Relation between Solar Activity and Clear-Sky Terrestrial Irradiance
The Mauna Loa Observatory record of direct-beam solar irradiance measurements
for the years 1958-2010 is analysed to investigate the variation of clear-sky
terrestrial insolation with solar activity over more than four solar cycles.
The raw irradiance data exhibit a marked seasonal cycle, extended periods of
lower irradiance due to emissions of volcanic aerosols, and a long-term
decrease in atmospheric transmission independent of solar activity. After
correcting for these effects, it is found that clear-sky terrestrial irradiance
typically varies by about 0.2 +/- 0.1% over the course of the solar cycle, a
change of the same order of magnitude as the variations of the total solar
irradiance above the atmosphere. An investigation of changes in the clear-sky
atmospheric transmission fails to find a significant trend with sunspot number.
Hence there is no evidence for a yet unknown effect amplifying variations of
clear-sky irradiance with solar activity.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, in press at Solar Physics; minor changes to the
text to match final published versio
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