2,471 research outputs found
Gravitational Couplings of Higher Spins from String Theory
We calculate the interaction 3-vertex of two massless spin 3 particles with a
graviton using vertex operators for spin 3 fields in open string theory,
constructed in our previous work. The massless spin 3 fields are shown to
interact with the graviton through the linearized Weyl tensor, reproducing the
result by Boulanger, Leclercq and Sundell. This is consistent with the general
structure of the non-Abelian couplings, implying that the minimal
number of space-time derivatives in the interaction vertices of two spin s and
one spin 2 particle is equal to .Comment: 19 page
Mixed aliphatic and aromatic composition of evaporating very small grains in NGC 7023 revealed by the 3.4/3.3 m ratio
In photon-dominated regions (PDRs), UV photons from nearby stars lead to the
evaporation of very small grains (VSGs) and the production of gas-phase
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Our goal is to achieve better insight
into the composition and evolution of evaporating very small grains (eVSGs) and
PAHs through analyzing the infrared (IR) aliphatic and aromatic emission bands.
We combined spectro-imagery in the near- and mid-IR to study the spatial
evolution of the emission bands in the prototypical PDR NGC 7023. We used
near-IR spectra obtained with AKARI to trace the evolution of the 3.3m and
3.4m bands, which are associated with aromatic and aliphatic C-H bonds on
PAHs. The spectral fitting involves an additional broad feature centred at
3.45m. Mid-IR observations obtained with Spitzer are used to discriminate
the signatures of eVSGs, neutral and cationic PAHs. We correlated the spatial
evolution of all these bands with the intensity of the UV field to explore the
processing of their carriers. The intensity of the 3.45m plateau shows an
excellent correlation with that of the 3.3m aromatic band (correlation
coefficient R = 0.95), indicating that the plateau is dominated by the emission
from aromatic bonds. The ratio of the 3.4m and 3.3m band intensity
() decreases by a factor of 4 at the PDR interface from the
more UV-shielded to the more exposed layers. The transition region between the
aliphatic and aromatic material is found to correspond spatially with the
transition zone between neutral PAHs and eVSGs. We conclude that the
photo-processing of eVSGs leads to the production of PAHs with attached
aliphatic sidegroups that are revealed by the 3.4m emission band. Our
analysis provides evidence for the presence of very small grains of mixed
aromatic and aliphatic composition in PDRs.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. Abstract abridged, language editing
applied in v
The Mid-Infrared Spectrum of the Zodiacal and Exozodiacal Light
The zodiacal light is the dominant source of the mid-infrared sky brightness
seen from Earth, and exozodiacal light is the dominant emission from planetary
and debris systems around other stars. We observed the zodiacal light spectrum
with ISOCAM over 5-16 over a wide range of orientations relative to the Sun and
the ecliptic. We present theoretical models for a wide range of particle size
distributions and compositions. The observed temperature is as expected for
large (>10 um radius), low-albedo (< 0.08), rapidly-rotating, grey particles 1
AU from the Sun. In addition to the continuum, we detect a weak excess in the
9-11 um range, with an amplitude of 6% of the continuum. The shape of the
feature can be matched by a mixture of silicates: amorphous forsterite/olivine,
dirty crystalline olivine, and a hydrous silicate (montmorillonite). The
presence of hydrous silicate suggests the parent bodies of those particles were
formed in the inner solar nebula. Large particles dominate the size
distribution, but at least some small particles (radii ~1 um) are required to
produce the silicate emission feature. To compare the properties of zodiacal
dust to dust around other main sequence stars, we reanalyzed the exozodiacal
light spectrum for Beta Pic. The exozodiacal spectra are dominated by cold
dust, with emission peaking in the far-infrared, while the zodiacal spectrum
peaks around 20 um. The shape of the silicate feature from Beta Pic is nearly
identical to that derived from the ISO spectrum of 51 Oph; both exozodiacal
features are very different from that of the zodiacal light. The exozodiacal
features are roughly triangular, peaking at 10.3 um while the zodiacal feature
is more boxy.Comment: accepted to Icaru
Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph Detection of Molecular Hydrogen Rotational Emission towards Translucent Clouds
Using the Infrared Spectrograph on board the Spitzer Space Telescope, we have detected emission in the S(0), S(1), and S(2) pure-rotational (v = 0-0) transitions of molecular hydrogen (H_2) toward six positions in two translucent high Galactic latitude clouds, DCld 300.2–16.9 and LDN 1780. The detection of these lines raises important questions regarding the physical conditions inside low-extinction clouds that are far from ultraviolet radiation sources. The ratio between the S(2) flux and the flux from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at 7.9 μm averages 0.007 for these six positions. This is a factor of about four higher than the same ratio measured toward the central regions of non-active Galaxies in the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxies Survey. Thus, the environment of these translucent clouds is more efficient at producing rotationally excited H_2 per PAH-exciting photon than the disks of entire galaxies. Excitation analysis finds that the S(1) and S(2) emitting regions are warm (T ≳ 300 K), but comprise no more than 2% of the gas mass. We find that UV photons cannot be the sole source of excitation in these regions and suggest mechanical heating via shocks or turbulent dissipation as the dominant cause of the emission. The clouds are located on the outskirts of the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association and may be dissipating recent bursts of mechanical energy input from supernova explosions. We suggest that pockets of warm gas in diffuse or translucent clouds, integrated over the disks of galaxies, may represent a major source of all non-active galaxy H_2 emission
Exploring approximations to the GW self-energy ionic gradients
The accuracy of the many-body perturbation theory GW formalism to calculate
electron-phonon coupling matrix elements has been recently demonstrated in the
case of a few important systems. However, the related computational costs are
high and thus represent strong limitations to its widespread application. In
the present study, we explore two less demanding alternatives for the
calculation of electron-phonon coupling matrix elements on the many-body
perturbation theory level. Namely, we test the accuracy of the static
Coulomb-hole plus screened-exchange (COHSEX) approximation and further of the
constant screening approach, where variations of the screened Coulomb potential
W upon small changes of the atomic positions along the vibrational eigenmodes
are neglected. We find this latter approximation to be the most reliable,
whereas the static COHSEX ansatz leads to substantial errors. Our conclusions
are validated in a few paradigmatic cases: diamond, graphene and the C60
fullerene. These findings open the way for combining the present many-body
perturbation approach with efficient linear-response theories
Compactifications of conformal gravity
We study conformal theories of gravity, i.e. those whose action is invariant
under the local transformation g_{\mu\nu} -> \omega^2 (x) g_{\mu\nu}. As is
well known, in order to obtain Einstein gravity in 4D it is necessary to
introduce a scalar compensator with a VEV that spontaneously breaks the
conformal invariance and generates the Planck mass. We show that the
compactification of extra dimensions in a higher dimensional conformal theory
of gravity also yields Einstein gravity in lower dimensions, without the need
to introduce the scalar compensator. It is the field associated with the size
of the extra dimensions (the radion) who takes the role of the scalar
compensator in 4D. The radion has in this case no physical excitations since
they are gauged away in the Einstein frame for the metric. In these models the
stabilization of the size of the extra dimensions is therefore automatic.Comment: 13 page
Gauge fields and infinite chains of dualities
We show that the particle states of Maxwell's theory, in dimensions, can
be represented in an infinite number of ways by using different gauge fields.
Using this result we formulate the dynamics in terms of an infinite set of
duality relations which are first order in space-time derivatives. We derive a
similar result for the three form in eleven dimensions where such a possibility
was first observed in the context of E11. We also give an action formulation
for some of the gauge fields. In this paper we give a pedagogical account of
the Lorentz and gauge covariant formulation of the irreducible representations
of the Poincar\'e group, used previously in higher spin theories, as this plays
a key role in our constructions. It is clear that our results can be
generalised to any particle.Comment: 37 page
Line-of-Sight Reddening Predictions: Zero Points, Accuracies, the Interstellar Medium, and the Stellar Populations of Elliptical Galaxies
Revised (B-V)_0-Mg_2 data for 402 elliptical galaxies are given to test
reddening predictions which can also tell us both what the intrinsic errors are
in this relationship among gE galaxy stellar populations, as well as details of
nearby structure in the interstellar medium (ISM) of our Galaxy and of the
intrinsic errors in reddening predictions. Using least-squares fits, the
explicit 1-sigma errors in the Burstein-Heiles (BH) and the Schlegel et al.
(IR) predicted reddenings are calculated, as well as the 1-sigma observational
error in the (B-V)_0-Mg_2 for gE galaxies. It is found that, in directions with
E(B-V)<0.100 mag (where most of these galaxies lie), 1-sigma errors in the IR
reddening predictions are 0.006 to 0.009 in E(B-V) mag, those for BH reddening
prediction are 0.011 mag, and the 1-sigma agreement between the two reddening
predictions is 0.007 mag. IR predictions have an accuracy of 0.010-0.011 mag in
directions with E(B-V)>= 0.100 mag, significantly better than those of the BH
predictions (0.024-0.025). Gas-to-dust variations that vary by a factor of 3,
both high and low, exist along many lines-of-sight in our Galaxy. The approx
0.02 higher reddening zero point in E(B-V) previously determined by Schlegel et
al. is confirmed, primarily at the Galactic poles. Despite this, both methods
also predict many directions with E(B-V)<0.015 mag. Independent evidence of
reddening at the North Galactic pole is reviewed, with the conclusion that
there still exists directions at the NGP that have E(B-V)<<0.01. Two lines of
evidence suggest that IR reddenings are overpredicted in directions with high
gas-to-dust ratios. As high gas-to-dust directions in the ISM also include the
Galactic poles, this overprediction is the likely cause of the E(B-V) = 0.02
mag larger IR reddening zero point.Comment: 5 figure
The Energetics of Molecular Gas in NGC 891 from H_2 and Far-infrared Spectroscopy
We have studied the molecular hydrogen energetics of the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891, using a 34 position map in the lowest three pure rotational H_2 lines observed with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph. The S(0), S(1), and S(2) lines are bright with an extinction-corrected total luminosity of ~2.8 × 10^7 L_☉, or 0.09% of the total-infrared luminosity of NGC 891. The H_2 line ratios are nearly constant along the plane of the galaxy—we do not observe the previously reported strong drop-off in the S(1)/S(0) line intensity ratio in the outer regions of the galaxy, so we find no evidence for the very massive cold CO-free molecular clouds invoked to explain the past observations. The H_2 level excitation temperatures increase monotonically indicating that there is more than one component to the emitting gas. More than 99% of the mass is in the lowest excitation (T_(ex) ~ 125 K) "warm" component. In the inner galaxy, the warm H_2 emitting gas is ~16% of the CO(1-0)-traced cool molecular gas, while in the outer regions the fraction is twice as high. This large mass of warm gas is heated by a combination of the far-UV photons from stars in photodissociation regions (PDRs) and the dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy. Including the observed far-infrared [O I] and [C II] fine-structure line emission and far-infrared continuum emission in a self-consistent manner to constrain the PDR models, we find essentially all of the S(0) and most (70%) of the S(1) line arise from low excitation PDRs, while most (80%) of the S(2) and the remainder of the S(1) line emission arise from low-velocity microturbulent dissipation
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