79,066 research outputs found
Are gravitational waves from giant magnetar flares observable?
Are giant flares in magnetars viable sources of gravitational radiation? Few
theoretical studies have been concerned with this problem, with the small
number using either highly idealized models or assuming a magnetic field orders
of magnitude beyond what is supported by observations. We perform nonlinear
general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamics simulations of large-scale
hydromagnetic instabilities in magnetar models. We utilise these models to find
gravitational wave emissions over a wide range of energies, from 10^40 to 10^47
erg. This allows us to derive a systematic relationship between the surface
field strength and the gravitational wave strain, which we find to be highly
nonlinear. In particular, for typical magnetar fields of a few times 10^15 G,
we conclude that a direct observation of f-modes excited by global magnetic
field reconfigurations is unlikely with present or near-future gravitational
wave observatories, though we also discuss the possibility that modes in a
low-frequency band up to 100 Hz could be sufficiently excited to be relevant
for observation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Further information can be found at
http://www.physik.uni-tuebingen.de/institute/astronomie-astrophysik/institut/theoretische-astrophysik/forschung.htm
Dilaton in a soft-wall holographic approach to mesons and baryons
We discuss a holographic soft-wall model developed for the description of
mesons and baryons with adjustable quantum numbers n, J, L, S. This approach is
based on an action which describes hadrons with broken conformal invariance and
which incorporates confinement through the presence of a background dilaton
field. We show that in the case of the bound-state problem (hadronic mass
spectrum) two versions of the model with a positive and negative dilaton
profile are equivalent to each other by a special transformation of the bulk
field. We also comment on recent works which discuss the dilaton sign in the
context of soft-wall approaches.Comment: 21 pages, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Optical parametric oscillation with distributed feedback in cold atoms
There is currently a strong interest in mirrorless lasing systems, in which
the electromagnetic feedback is provided either by disorder (multiple
scattering in the gain medium) or by order (multiple Bragg reflection). These
mechanisms correspond, respectively, to random lasers and photonic crystal
lasers. The crossover regime between order and disorder, or correlated
disorder, has also been investigated with some success. Here, we report
one-dimensional photonic-crystal lasing (that is, distributed feedback lasing)
with a cold atom cloud that simultaneously provides both gain and feedback. The
atoms are trapped in a one-dimensional lattice, producing a density modulation
that creates a strong Bragg reflection with a small angle of incidence. Pumping
the atoms with auxiliary beams induces four-wave mixing, which provides
parametric gain. The combination of both ingredients generates a mirrorless
parametric oscillation with a conical output emission, the apex angle of which
is tunable with the lattice periodicity
Nuclear matrix elements for neutrinoless double-beta decay and double-electron capture
A new generation of neutrinoless double beta decay experiments with improved
sensitivity is currently under design and construction. They will probe
inverted hierarchy region of the neutrino mass pattern. There is also a revived
interest to the resonant neutrinoless double-electron capture, which has also a
potential to probe lepton number conservation and to investigate the neutrino
nature and mass scale. The primary concern are the nuclear matrix elements.
Clearly, the accuracy of the determination of the effective Majorana neutrino
mass from the measured 0\nu\beta\beta-decay half-life is mainly determined by
our knowledge of the nuclear matrix elements. We review recent progress
achieved in the calculation of 0\nu\beta\beta and 0\nu ECEC nuclear matrix
elements within the quasiparticle random phase approximation. A considered
self-consistent approach allow to derive the pairing, residual interactions and
the two-nucleon short-range correlations from the same modern realistic
nucleon-nucleon potentials. The effect of nuclear deformation is taken into
account. A possibility to evaluate 0\nu\beta\beta-decay matrix elements
phenomenologically is discussed.Comment: 24 pages; 80 references. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap
with arXiv:1101.214
A tunable macroscopic quantum system based on two fractional vortices
We propose a tunable macroscopic quantum system based on two fractional
vortices. Our analysis shows that two coupled fractional vortices pinned at two
artificially created \kappa\ discontinuities of the Josephson phase in a long
Josephson junction can reach the quantum regime where coherent quantum
oscillations arise. For this purpose we map the dynamics of this system to that
of a single particle in a double-well potential. By tuning the \kappa\
discontinuities with injector currents we are able to control the parameters of
the effective double-well potential as well as to prepare a desired state of
the fractional vortex molecule. The values of the parameters derived from this
model suggest that an experimental realisation of this tunable macroscopic
quantum system is possible with today's technology.Comment: We updated our manuscript due to a change of the focus from qubit to
macroscopic quantum effect
Stellar laboratories: new Ge V and Ge VI oscillator strengths and their validation in the hot white dwarf RE 0503-289
State-of-the-art spectral analysis of hot stars by means of non-LTE
model-atmosphere techniques has arrived at a high level of sophistication. The
analysis of high-resolution and high-S/N spectra, however, is strongly
restricted by the lack of reliable atomic data for highly ionized species from
intermediate-mass metals to trans-iron elements. Especially data for the latter
has only been sparsely calculated. Many of their lines are identified in
spectra of extremely hot, hydrogen-deficient post-AGB stars. A reliable
determination of their abundances establishes crucial constraints for AGB
nucleosynthesis simulations and, thus, for stellar evolutionary theory.
In a previous analysis of the UV spectrum of RE 0503-289, spectral lines of
highly ionized Ga, Ge, As, Se, Kr, Mo, Sn, Te, I, and Xe were identified.
Individual abundance determinations are hampered by the lack of reliable
oscillator strengths. Most of these identified lines stem from Ge V. In
addition, we identified Ge VI lines for the first time. We calculated Ge V and
Ge VI oscillator strengths to consider their radiative and collisional
bound-bound transitions in detail in our non-LTE stellar-atmosphere models for
the analysis of the Ge IV - VI spectrum exhibited in high-resolution and
high-S/N UV spectra of RE 0503-289. We identify four Ge IV, 37 Ge V, and seven
Ge VI lines. Most of these are identified for the first time in any star. We
reproduce almost all Ge IV, Ge VI, and Ge VI lines in the observed spectrum of
RE 0503-289 (Teff = 70 kK, log g = 7.5) at log Ge = -3.8 +/- 0.3 (mass
fraction, about 650 times solar).
Reliable measurements and calculations of atomic data are a prerequisite for
stellar-atmosphere modeling. Our oscillator-strength calculations have allowed,
for the first time, Ge V and Ge VI lines to be successfully reproduced in a
white dwarf's spectrum and to determine its photospheric Ge abundance.Comment: 54 pages, 8 figure
Is there a link between overactive bladder and the metabolic syndrome in women? : A systematic review of observational studies
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.To conduct a systematic review to determine whether there is an association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) or overactive bladder (OAB) in women. We systematically reviewed English language observational studies on the effect of MetS (or component factors) on the presence of OAB or LUTS in women. We searched PubMed, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library with no date restrictions, checked reference lists and undertook citation searches in PubMed and Google Scholar. Studies were assessed for risk of bias. Because of heterogeneity, results were not pooled, but are reported narrativelyPeer reviewe
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