22,034,675 research outputs found
Confirmation of the detection of B-modes in the Planck polarization maps
One of the main problems for extracting the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB)
from submm/mm observations is to correct for the Galactic components, mainly
synchrotron, free - free and thermal dust emission with the required accuracy.
Through a series of papers, it has been demonstrated that this task can be
fulfilled by means of simple neural networks with high confidence. The main
purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the CMB BB power spectrum detected
in the Planck 2015 polarization maps is present in the improved Planck 2017
maps with higher signal-to-noise ratio. Two features have been detected in the
EB power spectrum in the new data set, both with S/N 4 . The origin of
these features is most likely leakage from E to B with a level of about 1 per
cent. This leakage gives no significant contribution to the detected BB power
spectrum. The TB power spectrum is consistent with a zero signal. Altogether,
the BB power spectrum is not consistent with the 'canonical' tensor-to-scalar
models combined with gravitational lensing spectra. These results will give
additional strong arguments for support to the proposed polarization satellite
projects to follow up on the Planck mission .Comment: accepted for puplication in Astronomical Note
Kinetics of exciton photoluminescence in type-II semiconductor superlattices
The exciton decay rate at a rough interface in type-II semiconductor
superlattices is investigated. It is shown that the possibility of
recombination of indirect excitons at a plane interface essentially affects
kinetics of the exciton photoluminescence at a rough interface. This happens
because of strong correlation between the exciton recombination at the plane
interface and at the roughness. Expressions that relate the parameters of the
luminescence kinetics with statistical characteristics of the rough interface
are obtained. The mean height and length of roughnesses in GaAs/AlAs
superlattices are estimated from the experimental data.Comment: 3 PostScript figure
Reviewing science and technology in the context of the Biological Weapons Convention
There is evidence of the emergence of a consensus amongst a number of States Parties to the BWC and NGOs on the principle of changing the process of S&T review as part of the wider quinquennial review process of the BWC. However, there is little evidence of agreement on the details of what needs to be done, how, by whom and to what end. Wrestling with these questions will be essential if state parties wish to capitalise on the momentum that has built up around changing S&T reviews and convert this into an evolution of the practice. With the review conference less than a year away, thinking needs to begin sooner, rather than later
Using Evaluation to Improve and Promote America Reads
This report covers: Project Objectives; Collecting Data; Sample Instruments; Analyzing Data; and Using Evaluation Findings
An Estimation of the Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglow Apparent Optical Brightness Distribution Function
By using recent publicly available observational data obtained in conjunction
with the NASA Swift gamma-ray burst mission and a novel data analysis
technique, we have been able to make some rough estimates of the GRB afterglow
apparent optical brightness distribution function. The results suggest that 71%
of all burst afterglows have optical magnitudes with mR < 22.1 at 1000 seconds
after the burst onset, the dimmest detected object in the data sample. There is
a strong indication that the apparent optical magnitude distribution function
peaks at mR ~ 19.5. Such estimates may prove useful in guiding future plans to
improve GRB counterpart observation programs. The employed numerical techniques
might find application in a variety of other data analysis problems in which
the intrinsic distributions must be inferred from a heterogeneous sample.Comment: 15 pages including 2 tables and 7 figures, accepted for publication
in Ap
What works for Nutrition? Stories of success from Vietnam, Uganda and Kenya
This report discusses the drivers of progress in tackling multiple forms of malnutrition in these three countries: Vietnam, Uganda, and Kenya. It also identifies some of the challenges which pose as barriers to sustaining progress. Finally, it makes recommendations for key stakeholders such as governments of high burden countries, donor governments, development partners, and civil society, on their role to promote further success
The Intrinsically X-ray Weak Quasar PHL 1811. I. X-ray Observations and Spectral Energy Distribution
This is the first of two papers reporting observations and analysis of the
unusually bright (m_b=14.4), luminous (M_B=-25.5), nearby (z=0.192) narrow-line
quasar PHL 1811, focusing on the X-ray properties and the spectral energy
distribution. Two Chandra observations reveal a weak X-ray source with a steep
spectrum. Variability by a factor of 4 between the two observations separated
by 12 days suggest that the X-rays are not scattered emission. The XMM-Newton
spectra are modelled in the 0.3--5 keV band by a steep power law with \Gamma =
2.3\pm 0.1, and the upper limit on intrinsic absorption is 8.7 x 10^{20}
cm^{-2}. The spectral slopes are consistent with power law indices commonly
observed in NLS1s, and it appears that we observe the central engine X-rays
directly. Including two recent Swift ToO snapshots, a factor of ~5 variability
was observed among the five X-ray observations reported here. In contrast, the
UV photometry obtained by the XMM-Newton OM and Swift UVOT, and the HST
spectrum reveal no significant UV variability. The \alpha_{ox} inferred from
the Chandra and contemporaneous HST spectrum is -2.3 \pm 0.1, significantly
steeper than observed from other quasars of the same optical luminosity. The
steep, canonical X-ray spectra, lack of absorption, and significant X-ray
variability lead us to conclude that PHL 1811 is intrinsically X-ray weak. We
also discuss an accretion disk model, and the host galaxy of PHL 1811.Comment: 45 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
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