Environmental Impact on the Southeast Limb of the Cygnus Loop

We analyze observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory of the southeast knot of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant. In this region, the blast wave propagates through an inhomogeneous environment. Extrinsic differences and subsequent multiple projections along the line of sight rather than intrinsic shock variations, such as fluid instabilities, account for the apparent complexity of the images. Interactions between the supernova blast wave and density enhancements of a large interstellar cloud can produce the morphological and spectral characteristics. Most of the X-ray flux arises in such interactions, not in the diffuse interior of the supernova remnant. Additional observations at optical and radio wavelengths support this account of the existing interstellar medium and its role in shaping the Cygnus Loop, and they demonstrate that the southeast knot is not a small cloud that the blast wave has engulfed. These data are consistent with rapid equilibration of electron and ion temperatures behind the shock front, and the current blast wave velocity v_{bw} approx 330 km/s. Most of this area does not show strong evidence for non-equilibrium ionization conditions, which may be a consequence of the high densities of the bright emission regions.Comment: To appear in ApJ, April 1, 200

Writhing Geometry at Finite Temperature: Random Walks and Geometric phases for Stiff Polymers

We study the geometry of a semiflexible polymer at finite temperatures. The writhe can be calculated from the properties of Gaussian random walks on the sphere. We calculate static and dynamic writhe correlation functions. The writhe of a polymer is analogous to geometric or Berry phases studied in optics and wave mechanics. Our results can be applied to confocal microscopy studies of stiff filaments and to simulations of short DNA loopsComment: 11 pages with 5 figures. Latex2

Time-Dependent Models for Dark Matter at the Galactic Center

The prospects of indirect detection of dark matter at the galactic center depend sensitively on the mass profile within the inner parsec. We calculate the distribution of dark matter on sub-parsec scales by integrating the time-dependent Fokker-Planck equation, including the effects of self-annihilations, scattering of dark matter particles by stars, and capture in the supermassive black hole. We consider a variety of initial dark matter distributions, including models with very high densities ("spikes") near the black hole, and models with "adiabatic compression" of the baryons. The annihilation signal after 10 Gyr is found to be substantially reduced from its initial value, but in dark matter models with an initial spike, order-of-magnitude enhancements can persist compared with the rate in spike-free models, with important implications for indirect dark matter searches with GLAST and Air Cherenkov Telescopes like HESS and CANGAROO.Comment: Four page

Distribution of sizes of erased loops for loop-erased random walks

We study the distribution of sizes of erased loops for loop-erased random walks on regular and fractal lattices. We show that for arbitrary graphs the probability $P(l)$ of generating a loop of perimeter $l$ is expressible in terms of the probability $P_{st}(l)$ of forming a loop of perimeter $l$ when a bond is added to a random spanning tree on the same graph by the simple relation $P(l)=P_{st}(l)/l$. On $d$-dimensional hypercubical lattices, $P(l)$ varies as $l^{-\sigma}$ for large $l$, where $\sigma=1+2/z$ for $1<d<4$, where z is the fractal dimension of the loop-erased walks on the graph. On recursively constructed fractals with $\tilde{d} < 2$ this relation is modified to $\sigma=1+2\bar{d}/{(\tilde{d}z)}$, where $\bar{d}$ is the hausdorff and $\tilde{d}$ is the spectral dimension of the fractal.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, 3 figure

Photoemission from Au and Cu into CdS

Many metal-semiconductor surface barrier rectifiers show photosensitivity for photon energies (hv) less than the semiconductor energy gap (E_g). Cases in the literature include metals evaporated or electrodeposited on elemental and III-V compound semiconductor surfaces. In these studies the source of the low-energy photocurrent, when hv < E_g, was shown to be the photoemission of carriers over the Schottky barrier between the metal film and the semiconductor. An extensive investigation has been reported for a series of metals, particularly Cu and Au, electroplated on n-type CdS with the conclusion that here also photoemission from the metal is responsible for most of the low-energy photovoltage. However, recent studies have questioned this conclusion for the CdS case. One study proposed that the origin of the low-energy photovoltaic response is electron photoexcitation from Cu impurities located in the CdS and within a diffusion length of the space charge region. Hole conduction probably in the 3d Cu levels was postulated for these samples, which had ≈ 30-ppm Cu. A second study interpreted the results as a p·n junction photovoltaic effect

Conduction Band Minima of Ga(As_(1−x)P_x)

Photoresponse of surface barriers on samples of Ga(As_(1−x_P_x) covering the range 0≤x≤1 has been measured. Thresholds corresponding to both direct and indirect band-to-band excitations within the semiconductor and also photoinjection from the metal have been identified. The threshold of the direct transition varies with composition from 1.37 eV in GaAs to 2.65 eV in GaP. The indirect transition was followed for x≳0.38 and again varied linearly from 2.2 eV in GaP to an extrapolated value in 1.62 eV in GaAs. The energy separation of the two conduction band minima in GaAs is in disagreement with previously reported values

Ionization of Rydberg atoms embedded in an ultracold plasma

We have studied the behavior of cold Rydberg atoms embedded in an ultracold plasma. We demonstrate that even deeply bound Rydberg atoms are completely ionized in such an environment, due to electron collisions. Using a fast pulse extraction of the electrons from the plasma we found that the number of excess positive charges, which is directly related to the electron temperature Te, is not strongly affected by the ionization of the Rydberg atoms. Assuming a Michie-King equilibrium distribution, in analogy with globular star cluster dynamics, we estimate Te. Without concluding on heating or cooling of the plasma by the Rydberg atoms, we discuss the range for changing the plasma temperature by adding Rydberg atoms.Comment: To be published in P.R.

Partially asymmetric exclusion models with quenched disorder

We consider the one-dimensional partially asymmetric exclusion process with random hopping rates, in which a fraction of particles (or sites) have a preferential jumping direction against the global drift. In this case the accumulated distance traveled by the particles, x, scales with the time, t, as x ~ t^{1/z}, with a dynamical exponent z > 0. Using extreme value statistics and an asymptotically exact strong disorder renormalization group method we analytically calculate, z_{pt}, for particlewise (pt) disorder, which is argued to be related to the dynamical exponent for sitewise (st) disorder as z_{st}=z_{pt}/2. In the symmetric situation with zero mean drift the particle diffusion is ultra-slow, logarithmic in time.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Neutrino magnetohydrodynamics

A new neutrino magnetohydrodynamics (NMHD) model is formulated, where the effects of the charged weak current on the electron-ion magnetohydrodynamic fluid are taken into account. The model incorporates in a systematic way the role of the Fermi neutrino weak force in magnetized plasmas. A fast neutrino-driven short wavelengths instability associated with the magnetosonic wave is derived. Such an instability should play a central role in strongly magnetized plasma as occurs in supernovae, where dense neutrino beams also exist. In addition, in the case of nonlinear or high frequency waves, the neutrino coupling is shown to be responsible for breaking the frozen-in magnetic field lines condition even in infinite conductivity plasmas. Simplified and ideal NMHD assumptions were adopted and analyzed in detail