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Physics

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2008

Articles 31 - 49 of 49

Full-Text Articles in Astrophysics and Astronomy

On The Enhanced Cosmic-Ray Ionization Rate In The Diffuse Cloud Toward Ζ Persei, Gargi Shaw, Gary J. Ferland, R. Srianand, N. P. Abel, P. A. M. Van Hoof, P. C. Stancil Mar 2008

On The Enhanced Cosmic-Ray Ionization Rate In The Diffuse Cloud Toward Ζ Persei, Gargi Shaw, Gary J. Ferland, R. Srianand, N. P. Abel, P. A. M. Van Hoof, P. C. Stancil

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The spatial distribution of the cosmic-ray flux is important in understanding the interstellar medium (ISM) of the Galaxy. This distribution can be analyzed by studying different molecular species along different sight lines whose abundances are sensitive to the cosmic-ray ionization rate. Recently several groups have reported an enhanced cosmic-ray ionization rate (ζ=χCRζstandard) in diffuse clouds compared to the standard value, ζstandard (=2.5×10-17 s-1), measured toward dense molecular clouds. In an earlier work we reported an enhancement χCR=20 toward HD 185418. McCall et al. have reported χCR=48 toward ζ …

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Clouds Search For Variability In Brown Dwarf Atmospheres: Infrared Spectroscopic Time Series Of L/T Transition Brown Dwarfs, D. Stephens, B. Goldman, M. C. Cushing, M. S. Marley, E. Artigau, K. S. Baliyan, V. J. S. Bejar, J. A. Caballero, N. Chanover, M. Connelley, R. Doyon, T. Forveille, S. Ganesh, C. R. Gelino, H. B. Hammel, J. Holtzman, S. Joshi, U. C. Joshi, S. K. Leggett, M. C. Liu Feb 2008

Clouds Search For Variability In Brown Dwarf Atmospheres: Infrared Spectroscopic Time Series Of L/T Transition Brown Dwarfs, D. Stephens, B. Goldman, M. C. Cushing, M. S. Marley, E. Artigau, K. S. Baliyan, V. J. S. Bejar, J. A. Caballero, N. Chanover, M. Connelley, R. Doyon, T. Forveille, S. Ganesh, C. R. Gelino, H. B. Hammel, J. Holtzman, S. Joshi, U. C. Joshi, S. K. Leggett, M. C. Liu

Faculty Publications

L-type ultra-cool dwarfs and brown dwarfs have cloudy atmospheres that could host weather-like phenomena. The detection of photometric or spectral variability would provide insight into unresolved atmospheric heterogeneities, such as holes in a global cloud deck. Indeed, a number of ultra-cool dwarfs have been reported to vary. Additional time-resolved spectral observations of brown dwarfs offer the opportunity for further constraining and characterising atmospheric variability. Aims. It has been proposed that growth of heterogeneities in the global cloud deck may account for the L- to T-type transition when brown dwarf photospheres evolve from cloudy to clear conditions. Such a mechanism is …

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A Precise Measurement Of The Muon Neutrino–Nucleon Inclusive Charged Current Cross Section Off An Isoscalar Target In The Energy Range 2.5 < EV < 40 Gev By Nomad, Nomad Collaboration, Q. Wu, S. R. Mishra, A. Godley, Roberto Petti, S. Alekhin, P. Astier, D. Autiero, A. Baldisseri, M. Baldo-Ceolin, M. Banner, G. Bassompierre, K. Benslama, N. Besson, I. Bird, B. Blumenfeld, F. Bobisut, J. Bouchez, S. Boyd, A. Bueno, Et. Al. Feb 2008

A Precise Measurement Of The Muon Neutrino–Nucleon Inclusive Charged Current Cross Section Off An Isoscalar Target In The Energy Range 2.5 < EV < 40 Gev By Nomad, Nomad Collaboration, Q. Wu, S. R. Mishra, A. Godley, Roberto Petti, S. Alekhin, P. Astier, D. Autiero, A. Baldisseri, M. Baldo-Ceolin, M. Banner, G. Bassompierre, K. Benslama, N. Besson, I. Bird, B. Blumenfeld, F. Bobisut, J. Bouchez, S. Boyd, A. Bueno, Et. Al.

Faculty Publications

We present a measurement of the muon neutrino–nucleon inclusive charged current cross section, off an isoscalar target, in the neutrino energy range 2.5⩽Ev ⩽ 40GeV. The significance of this measurement is its precision, ±4% in 2.5⩽Ev ⩽ 10GeV, and ± 2.6% in 10⩽Ev ⩽ 40GeV regions, where significant uncertainties in previous experiments still exist, and its importance to the current and proposed long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments.

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Lower Limit To The Scale Of An Effective Quantum Theory Of Gravitation, R. R. Caldwell, Daniel Grin Jan 2008

Lower Limit To The Scale Of An Effective Quantum Theory Of Gravitation, R. R. Caldwell, Daniel Grin

Dartmouth Scholarship

An effective quantum theory of gravitation in which gravity weakens at energies higher than ∼10−3  eV is one way to accommodate the apparent smallness of the cosmological constant. Such a theory predicts departures from the Newtonian inverse-square force law on distances below ∼0.05  mm. However, it is shown that this modification also leads to changes in the long-range behavior of gravity and is inconsistent with observed gravitational lenses.

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Dielectronic Recombination And Stability Of Warm Gas In Active Galactic Nuclei, Susmita Chakravorty, Ajit K. Kembhavi, Martin Elvis, Gary J. Ferland, N. R. Badnell Jan 2008

Dielectronic Recombination And Stability Of Warm Gas In Active Galactic Nuclei, Susmita Chakravorty, Ajit K. Kembhavi, Martin Elvis, Gary J. Ferland, N. R. Badnell

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Understanding the thermal equilibrium (stability) curve may offer insights into the nature of the warm absorbers often found in active galactic nuclei. Its shape is determined by factors such as the spectrum of the ionizing continuum and the chemical composition of the gas. We find that the stability curves obtained under the same set of the above-mentioned physical factors, but using recently derived dielectronic recombination rates, give significantly different results, especially in the regions corresponding to warm absorbers, leading to different physical predictions. Using the current rates we find a larger probability of having a thermally stable warm absorber at …

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Stochastic Hard-Sphere Dynamics For Hydrodynamics Of Non-Ideal Fluids, Alejandro Garcia, A. Donev, B. J. Alder Jan 2008

Stochastic Hard-Sphere Dynamics For Hydrodynamics Of Non-Ideal Fluids, Alejandro Garcia, A. Donev, B. J. Alder

Faculty Publications

A novel stochastic fluid model is proposed with a nonideal structure factor consistent with compressibility, and adjustable transport coefficients. This stochastic hard sphere dynamics (SHSD) algorithm is a modification of the direct simulation Monte Carlo algorithm and has several computational advantages over event-driven hard-sphere molecular dynamics. Surprisingly, SHSD results in an equation of state and a pair correlation function identical to that of a deterministic Hamiltonian system of penetrable spheres interacting with linear core pair potentials. The fluctuating hydrodynamic behavior of the SHSD fluid is verified for the Brownian motion of a nanoparticle suspended in a compressible solvent.

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Constraints On First-Light Ionizing Sources From Optical Depth Of The Cosmic Microwave Background, J Shull, Aparna Venkatesan Jan 2008

Constraints On First-Light Ionizing Sources From Optical Depth Of The Cosmic Microwave Background, J Shull, Aparna Venkatesan

Physics and Astronomy

We examine the constraints on high-redshift star formation, ultraviolet and X-ray preionization, and the epoch of reionization at redshift zr, inferred from the recent WMAP-5 measurement, τe = 0.084 ± 0.016, of the electron- scattering optical depth of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Half of this scattering can be accounted for by the optical depth, τe = 0.04-0.05, of a fully ionized intergalactic medium (IGM) at z ≤ zGP ≈ 6-7, consistent with Gunn-Peterson absorption in neutral hydrogen. The required additional optical depth, Δτe = 0.03 ± 0.02 atz > zGP, …

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Thermal Roots Of Correlation-Based Complexity, Philip Fraundorf Jan 2008

Thermal Roots Of Correlation-Based Complexity, Philip Fraundorf

Physics Faculty Works

Bayesian maxent lets one integrate thermal physics and information theory points of view in the quantitative study of complex systems. Since net surprisal (a free energy analog for measuring “departures from expected”) allows one to place second law constraints on mutual information (a multimoment measure of correlations), it makes a quantitative case for the role of reversible thermalization in the natural history of invention, and suggests multiscale strategies to monitor standing crop as well. It prompts one to track evolved complexity starting from live astrophysically observed processes, rather than only from evidence of past events. Various gradients and boundaries that …

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First Results From Ideal 2-D Mhd Reconstruction: Magnetopause Reconnection Event Seen By Cluster, W. L. Teh, B. U. O. Sonnerup Jan 2008

First Results From Ideal 2-D Mhd Reconstruction: Magnetopause Reconnection Event Seen By Cluster, W. L. Teh, B. U. O. Sonnerup

Dartmouth Scholarship

We have applied a new reconstruction method (Sonnerup and Teh, 2008), based on the ideal single-fluid MHD equations in a steady-state, two-dimensional geometry, to a reconnection event observed by the Cluster-3 (C3) space- craft on 5 July 2001, 06:23 UT, at the dawn-side Northern- Hemisphere magnetopause. The event has been previously studied by use of Grad-Shafranov (GS) reconstruction, per- formed in the deHoffmann-Teller frame, and using the as- sumption that the flow effects were either negligible or the flow was aligned with the magnetic field. Our new method allows the reconstruction to be performed in the frame of reference moving …

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Denaturation Transition Of Stretched Dna, Andreas Hanke, Martha G. Ochoa, Ralf Metzler Jan 2008

Denaturation Transition Of Stretched Dna, Andreas Hanke, Martha G. Ochoa, Ralf Metzler

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We generalize the Poland-Scheraga model to consider DNA denaturation in the presence of an external stretching force. We demonstrate the existence of a force-induced DNA denaturation transition and obtain the temperature-force phase diagram. The transition is determined by the loop exponent c, for which we find the new value c=4ν−1/2 such that the transition is second order with c=1.85DNA, corresponding to a lower melting temperature T(F), in agreement with single-molecule DNA stretching experiments.

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Search Of S3 Ligo Data For Gravitational Wave Signals From Spinning Black Hole And Neutron Star Binary Inspirals, B. P. Abbott, R. Grosso, Mario C. Diaz, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Cristina V. Torres Jan 2008

Search Of S3 Ligo Data For Gravitational Wave Signals From Spinning Black Hole And Neutron Star Binary Inspirals, B. P. Abbott, R. Grosso, Mario C. Diaz, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Cristina V. Torres

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We report on the methods and results of the first dedicated search for gravitational waves emitted during the inspiral of compact binaries with spinning component bodies. We analyze 788 hours of data collected during the third science run (S3) of the LIGO detectors. We searched for binary systems using a detection template family specially designed to capture the effects of the spin-induced precession of the orbital plane. We present details of the techniques developed to enable this search for spin-modulated gravitational waves, highlighting the differences between this and other recent searches for binaries with nonspinning components. The template bank we …

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Search For Gravitational Waves Associated With 39 Gamma-Ray Bursts Using Data From The Second, Third, And Fourth Ligo Runs, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, Mario C. Diaz, R. Grosso, Wm. R. Johnston, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Cristina V. Torres Jan 2008

Search For Gravitational Waves Associated With 39 Gamma-Ray Bursts Using Data From The Second, Third, And Fourth Ligo Runs, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, Mario C. Diaz, R. Grosso, Wm. R. Johnston, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Cristina V. Torres

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present the results of a search for short-duration gravitational-wave bursts associated with 39 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by gamma-ray satellite experiments during LIGO’s S2, S3, and S4 science runs. The search involves calculating the crosscorrelation between two interferometer data streams surrounding the GRB trigger time. We search for associated gravitational radiation from single GRBs, and also apply statistical tests to search for a gravitational-wave signature associated with the whole sample. For the sample examined, we find no evidence for the association of gravitational radiation with GRBs, either on a single-GRB basis or on a statistical basis. Simulating gravitational-wave bursts …

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All-Sky Search For Periodic Gravitational Waves In Ligo S4 Data, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, Mario C. Diaz, R. Grosso, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Cristina V. Torres Jan 2008

All-Sky Search For Periodic Gravitational Waves In Ligo S4 Data, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, Mario C. Diaz, R. Grosso, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Cristina V. Torres

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We report on an all-sky search with the LIGO detectors for periodic gravitational waves in the frequency range 50–1000 Hz and with the frequency’s time derivative in the range −1×10−8  Hz s−1 to zero. Data from the fourth LIGO science run (S4) have been used in this search. Three different semicoherent methods of transforming and summing strain power from short Fourier transforms (SFTs) of the calibrated data have been used. The first, known as StackSlide, averages normalized power from each SFT. A “weighted Hough” scheme is also developed and used, which also allows for a multi-interferometer search. The third method, …

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The Origin Of Molecular Hydrogen Emission In Cooling-Flow Filaments, Gary J. Ferland, A. C. Fabian, N. A. Hatch, R. M. Johnstone, R. L. Porter, P. A. M. Vanhoof, R. J. R. Williams Jan 2008

The Origin Of Molecular Hydrogen Emission In Cooling-Flow Filaments, Gary J. Ferland, A. C. Fabian, N. A. Hatch, R. M. Johnstone, R. L. Porter, P. A. M. Vanhoof, R. J. R. Williams

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

The optical filaments found in many cooling flows in galaxy clusters consist of low-density (∼103 cm−3) cool (∼103 K) gas surrounded by significant amounts of cosmic-ray and magnetic field energy. Their spectra show anomalously strong low-ionization and molecular emission lines when compared with Galactic molecular clouds exposed to ionizing radiation such as the Orion complex. Previous studies have shown that the spectra cannot be produced by O-star photoionization. Here, we calculate the physical conditions in dusty gas that is well shielded from external sources of ionizing photons and is energized either by cosmic rays or dissipative …

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Search For Gravitational Waves From Binary Inspirals In S3 And S4 Ligo Data, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, Mario C. Diaz, R. Grosso, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Cristina V. Torres Jan 2008

Search For Gravitational Waves From Binary Inspirals In S3 And S4 Ligo Data, B. P. Abbott, R. Abbott, Mario C. Diaz, R. Grosso, Soumya Mohanty, Soma Mukherjee, Cristina V. Torres

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications and Presentations

We report on a search for gravitational waves from the coalescence of compact binaries during the third and fourth LIGO science runs. The search focused on gravitational waves generated during the inspiral phase of the binary evolution. In our analysis, we considered three categories of compact binary systems, ordered by mass: (i) primordial black hole binaries with masses in the range 0.35M⊙

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Next-To-Leading Order Evolution Of Color Dipoles, Ian Balitsky, Giovanni A. Chirilli Jan 2008

Next-To-Leading Order Evolution Of Color Dipoles, Ian Balitsky, Giovanni A. Chirilli

Physics Faculty Publications

The small-x deep inelastic scattering in the saturation region is governed by the nonlinear evolution of Wilson-line operators. In the leading logarithmic approximation it is given by the Balitsky-Kovchegov equation for the evolution of color dipoles. In the next-to-leading order the Balitsky-Kovchegov equation gets contributions from quark and gluon loops as well as from the tree gluon diagrams with quadratic and cubic nonlinearities. We calculate the gluon contribution to the small-x evolution of Wilson lines (the quark part was obtained earlier).

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Time Reversal, Brian E. Anderson, Michele Griffa, Paul A. Johnson, Carene Larmat, Timothy J. Ulrich Jan 2008

Time Reversal, Brian E. Anderson, Michele Griffa, Paul A. Johnson, Carene Larmat, Timothy J. Ulrich

Faculty Publications

This article provides an historical overview of Time Reversal (TR), introduces its basic physics, addresses advantages and limitations, and describes some applications of this very active research area of acoustics. In the Geophysics Group at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, we conduct studies of TR of elastic waves in solids. Our work includes application of TR to nondestructive evaluation of materials, as well as to earthquake source characterization, and ground-based nuclear explosion monitoring. We emphasize the term elastic waves here to underscore that we include both compression and shear waves, in contrast to purely acoustic waves that are only compressional.

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Determining The Refractive Index In The Extreme Ultraviolet Using Kramers-Kronig On Thin-Film Scandium Oxide Transmission Data, David D. Allred, Jacqualine J. Butterfield Jan 2008

Determining The Refractive Index In The Extreme Ultraviolet Using Kramers-Kronig On Thin-Film Scandium Oxide Transmission Data, David D. Allred, Jacqualine J. Butterfield

Faculty Publications

Whereas the real part of the refractive index is dependent on both transmittance and reflectance, the imaginary part can be determined from transmittance data alone. It is possible to use Kramers-Kronig analysis to calculate the real part if the imaginary part is known over a sufficiently broad range. We show that the delta calculated from reflection and transmission data without taking into account roughness may underestimate the real part of the refractive index of the scandium oxide samples we are studying by up to 40% near 270 eV.

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Nanoscale Characterization Of Thin Film Coatings Using Annular Dark Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy, Guillermo Acosta, Richard Vanfleet, David D. Allred Jan 2008

Nanoscale Characterization Of Thin Film Coatings Using Annular Dark Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy, Guillermo Acosta, Richard Vanfleet, David D. Allred

Faculty Publications

When considering the optical performance of thin films in the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV), developing an accurate physical description of a thin film coating is necessary to be able to successfully model optical performance. With the short wavelengths of the EUV, film interfaces and sample roughness warrant special attention and care. The surfaces of thin film samples are routinely measured by Atomic Force Microscopy, from which roughness can be determined. However, characterizing the quality of interfaces below the surface is much more challenging. In a recent study of scandium oxide thin films, High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy and Annular Dark Field …

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