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At least 307 records · Page 17

Light pressure on a solid body immersed in a liquid medium

We have solved the problem about the force with which an electromagnetic pulse in a liquid (or gaseous) medium at rest affects a solid body (also at rest) immersed in it. We have shown that under certain conditions (relating to the characteristics of the medium and the pulse shape), the formula for the force exerted per unit area of a body surface is obtained from the Landau - Lifshitz equations for static fields in the same way as, according to Pitaevskii, the field stress tensor is obtained from the static field stress tensor with the dispersion taken into account. The formula for the force acting on the wall, from which an incident quasi-monochromatic plane wave with a given intensity is reflected, differs from the corresponding formula for the case when the body is in a vacuum by the factor {+-}n{sub 1}, where n{sub 1} is the refractive index, and the upper (lower) sign corresponds to a positive (negative) group velocity of the wave in the medium. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Random lasing in a nanocomposite medium

The characteristics of a random laser based on a nanocomposite medium consisting of a transparent dielectric and scattering doped nanocrystals are calculated. It is proposed to use ytterbium laser media with a high concentration of active ions as nanocrystals and to use gases, liquids, or solid dielectrics with a refractive index lower than that of nanocrystals as dielectric matrices for nanocrystals. Based on the concept of nonresonant distributed feedback due to the Rayleigh scattering, an expression is obtained for the minimum length of a nanocomposite laser medium at which the random lasing threshold is overcome. Expressions are found for the critical (maximum) and the optimal size of nanocrystals, as well as for the optimal relative refractive index of nanocomposites that corresponds not only to the maximum gain but also to the minimum of the medium threshold length at the optimal size of nanocrystals. It is shown that the optimal relative refractive index of a nanocomposite increases with increasing pump level, but is independent of the other nanocomposite parameters. (nanocomposites)

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Coherent light scattering of heterogeneous randomly rough films and effective medium in the theory of electromagnetic wave multiple scattering

We have developed a general formalism based on Green's functions to calculate the coherent electromagnetic field scattered by a random medium with rough boundaries. The approximate expression derived makes it possible to determine the effective permittivity, which is generalised for a layer of an inhomogeneous random medium with different types of particles and bounded with randomly rough interfaces. This effective permittivity describes the coherent propagation of an electromagnetic wave in a random medium with randomly rough boundaries. We have obtained an expression, which contains the Maxwell – Garnett formula at the low-frequency limit, and the Keller formula; the latter has been proved to be in good agreement with experiments for particles whose dimensions are larger than a wavelength. (coherent light scattering)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Enhancement of temporal contrast of high-power laser pulses in an anisotropic medium with cubic nonlinearity

We consider the methods for enhancing the temporal contrast of super-high-power laser pulses, based on the conversion of radiation polarisation in a medium with cubic nonlinearity. For a medium with weak birefringence and isotropic nonlinearity, we propose a new scheme to enhance the temporal contrast. For a medium with anisotropic nonlinearity, the efficiency of the temporal contrast optimisation is shown to depend not only on the spatial orientation of the crystal and B-integral, but also on the type of the crystal lattice symmetry. (extreme light fields and their applications)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Kinetics of an oxygen – iodine active medium with iodine atoms optically pumped on the {sup 2}P{sub 1/2} – {sup 2}P{sub 3/2} transition

The kinetics of the processes occurring in an O{sub 2} – I{sub 2} – He – H{sub 2}O gas flow in which photodissociation of molecular iodine at a wavelength close to 500 nm and excitation of atomic iodine on the {sup 2}P{sub 1/2} – {sup 2}P{sub 3/2} transition by narrow-band radiation near 1315 nm are implemented successively has been analysed. It is shown that implementation of these processes allows one to form an oxygen – iodine medium with a high degree of dissociation of molecular iodine and a relative content of singlet oxygen O{sub 2}(a{sup 1}Δ) exceeding 10%. Having formed a supersonic gas flow with a temperature ∼100 K from this medium, one can reach a small-signal gain of about 10{sup -2} cm{sup -1} on the {sup 2}P{sub 1/2} – {sup 2}P{sub 3/2} transition in iodine atoms. The specific power per unit flow cross section in the oxygen – iodine laser with this active medium may reach ∼100 W cm{sup -2}. (active media)

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Modes of a nonlinear planar waveguide with a dielectric layer immersed in a hyperbolic medium

The guided waves of a symmetric planar waveguide formed by an isotropic dielectric placed in a hyperbolic medium and having a cubic-nonlinear response are studied theoretically. The optical axis of the hyperbolic medium is directed along the normal to the interfaces between the media. If the permittivity of the waveguide core exceeds the main permittivity for an extraordinary wave in the hyperbolic medium, then each TM mode is characterised by two cut-off frequencies. Dispersion relations for these modes are found in the case of focusing and defocusing core media. The number of the modes possible at a given frequency depends on the radiation intensity. It is shown that zero values of the mode propagation constants are possible in the waveguide, which corresponds to the formation of a standing wave between the boundaries of the waveguide. In addition, in the case of a defocusing waveguide layer, such stopped modes can be obtained with increasing field intensity. The dependences of the propagation constant and the width of the transverse distribution of the mode field on the radiation intensity are found and analysed. (integrated optics)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Investigation of the process of mixing reagents in the laser chamber of active medium generators of continuous-wave chemical lasers with promising nozzle arrays

It is shown that the use of a toothed nozzle array in the active medium generator (AMG) of continuous-wave chemical lasers (CWCLs) allows more efficient mixing of reagents to be achieved in the laser chamber than in an AMG with a slit nozzle array. The results of calculations of parameters of the active medium of a DF CWCL operating in the gain regime for the AMG with traditional and promising nozzle array designs are presented. A kinetic model of processes in the DF CWCL active medium is proposed, which allows obtaining a good agreement with the results of measurements of the small-signal gain. (paper)

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

ACCELERATION OF GALACTIC COSMIC RAYS IN THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM

Challenges have arisen to diffusive shock acceleration as the primary means to accelerate galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) in the interstellar medium. Diffusive shock acceleration is also under challenge in the heliosphere, where at least the simple application of diffusive shock acceleration cannot account for observations. In the heliosphere, a new acceleration mechanism has been invented-a pump mechanism, driven by ambient turbulence, in which particles are pumped up in energy out of a low-energy core particle population through a series of adiabatic compressions and expansions-that can account for observations not only at shocks but in quiet conditions in the solar wind and throughout the heliosheath. In this paper, the pump mechanism is applied to the acceleration of GCRs in the interstellar medium. With relatively straightforward assumptions about the magnetic field in the interstellar medium, and how GCRs propagate in this field, the pump mechanism yields (1) the overall shape of the GCR spectrum, a power law in particle kinetic energy, with a break at the so-called knee in the GCR spectrum to a slightly steeper power-law spectrum. (2) The rigidity dependence of the H/He ratio observed from the PAMELA satellite instrument.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DYNAMICAL FRICTION IN A GASEOUS MEDIUM WITH A LARGE-SCALE MAGNETIC FIELD

The dynamical friction force experienced by a massive gravitating body moving through a gaseous medium is modified by sufficiently strong large-scale magnetic fields. Using linear perturbation theory, we calculate the structure of the wake generated by, and the gravitational drag force on, a body traveling in a straight-line trajectory in a uniformly magnetized medium. The functional form of the drag force as a function of the Mach number ({identical_to} V{sub 0}/c{sub s} , where V{sub 0} is the velocity of the body and c{sub s} is the sound speed) depends on the strength of the magnetic field and on the angle between the velocity of the perturber and the direction of the magnetic field. In particular, the peak value of the drag force is not near Mach number {approx}1 for a perturber moving in a sufficiently magnetized medium. As a rule of thumb, we may state that for supersonic motion, magnetic fields act to suppress dynamical friction; for subsonic motion, they tend to enhance dynamical friction. For perturbers moving along the magnetic field lines, the drag force at some subsonic Mach numbers may be stronger than at supersonic velocities. We also mention the relevance of our findings to black hole coalescence in galactic nuclei.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

THE ORIGIN OF METALS IN THE CIRCUMGALACTIC MEDIUM OF MASSIVE GALAXIES AT z = 3

We present a detailed study of the metal-enriched circumgalactic medium (CGM) of a massive galaxy at z = 3 using results from 'ErisMC', a new cosmological hydrodynamic 'zoom-in' simulation of a disk galaxy with mass comparable to the Milky Way. The reference run adopts a blast wave scheme for supernova feedback that generates galactic outflows without explicit wind particles, a star formation recipe based on a high gas density threshold and high-temperature metal cooling. ErisMC's main progenitor at z = 3 resembles a 'Lyman break' galaxy of total mass M {sub vir} = 2.4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 11} M {sub Sun }, virial radius R {sub vir} = 48 kpc, and star formation rate 18 M {sub Sun} yr{sup -1}, and its metal-enriched CGM extends as far as 200 (physical) kpc from its center. Approximately 41%, 9%, and 50% of all gas-phase metals at z = 3 are locked in a hot (T > 3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 5} K), warm (3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 5} K > T > 3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 4} K), and cold (T < 3 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 4} K) medium, respectively. We identify three sources of heavy elements: (1) the main host, responsible for 60% of all the metals found within 3 R {sub vir}; (2) its satellite progenitors, which shed their metals before and during infall, and are responsible for 28% of all the metals within 3 R {sub vir}, and for only 5% of those beyond 3 R {sub vir}; and (3) nearby dwarfs, which give origin to 12% of all the metals within 3 R {sub vir} and 95% of those beyond 3 R {sub vir}. Late (z < 5) galactic 'superwinds'-the result of recent star formation in ErisMC-account for only 9% of all the metals observed beyond 2 R {sub vir}, the bulk having been released at redshifts 5 {approx}< z {approx}< 8 by early star formation and outflows. In the CGM, lower overdensities are typically enriched by 'older', colder metals. Heavy elements are accreted onto ErisMC along filaments via low-metallicity cold inflows and are ejected hot via galactic outflows at a few hundred km s{sup -1}. The outflow mass-loading factor is of order unity for the main halo, but can exceed a value of 10 for nearby dwarfs. We stress that our 'zoom-in' simulation focuses on the CGM of a single massive system and cannot describe the enrichment history of the intergalactic medium as a whole by a population of galaxies with different masses and star formation histories.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

AN EXPLANATION FOR THE DIFFERENT X-RAY TO OPTICAL COLUMN DENSITIES IN THE ENVIRONMENTS OF GAMMA RAY BURSTS: A PROGENITOR EMBEDDED IN A DENSE MEDIUM

We study the {approx}> 10 ratios in the X-ray to optical column densities inferred from afterglow spectra of gamma ray bursts (GRBs) due to gas surrounding their progenitors. We present time-evolving photoionization calculations for these afterglows and explore different conditions of their environment. We find that homogenous models of the environment (constant density) predict X-ray columns similar to those found in the optical spectra, with the bulk of the opacity being produced by neutral material at large distances from the burst. This result is independent of gas density or metallicity. Only models assuming a progenitor immersed in a dense ({approx}10{sup 2-4} cm{sup -3}) cloud of gas (with radius {approx}10 pc), with a strong, declining gradient of density for the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM) are able to account for the large X-ray to optical column density ratios. However, to avoid an unphysical correlation between the size of this cloud and the size of the ionization front produced by the GRB, the models also require that the circumburst medium is already ionized prior to the burst. The inferred cloud masses are {approx}< 10{sup 6} M{sub Sun }, even if low metallicities in the medium are assumed (Z {approx} 0.1 Z{sub Sun }). These cloud properties are consistent with those found in giant molecular clouds and our results support a scenario in which the progenitors reside within intense star formation regions of galaxies. Finally, we show that modeling over large samples of GRB afterglows may offer strong constraints on the range of properties in these clouds, and the host galaxy ISM.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

INFRARED SPECTROSCOPIC SURVEY OF THE QUIESCENT MEDIUM OF NEARBY CLOUDS. I. ICE FORMATION AND GRAIN GROWTH IN LUPUS

Infrared photometry and spectroscopy (1-25 μm) of background stars reddened by the Lupus molecular cloud complex are used to determine the properties of grains and the composition of ices before they are incorporated into circumstellar envelopes and disks. H{sub 2}O ices form at extinctions of A{sub K} = 0.25 ± 0.07 mag (A{sub V} = 2.1 ± 0.6). Such a low ice formation threshold is consistent with the absence of nearby hot stars. Overall, the Lupus clouds are in an early chemical phase. The abundance of H{sub 2}O ice (2.3 ± 0.1 × 10{sup –5} relative to N{sub H}) is typical for quiescent regions, but lower by a factor of three to four compared to dense envelopes of young stellar objects. The low solid CH{sub 3}OH abundance (<3%-8% relative to H{sub 2}O) indicates a low gas phase H/CO ratio, which is consistent with the observed incomplete CO freeze out. Furthermore it is found that the grains in Lupus experienced growth by coagulation. The mid-infrared (>5 μm) continuum extinction relative to A{sub K} increases as a function of A{sub K}. Most Lupus lines of sight are well fitted with empirically derived extinction curves corresponding to R{sub V} ∼ 3.5 (A{sub K} = 0.71) and R{sub V} ∼ 5.0 (A{sub K} = 1.47). For lines of sight with A{sub K} > 1.0 mag, the τ{sub 9.7}/A{sub K} ratio is a factor of two lower compared to the diffuse medium. Below 1.0 mag, values scatter between the dense and diffuse medium ratios. The absence of a gradual transition between diffuse and dense medium-type dust indicates that local conditions matter in the process that sets the τ{sub 9.7}/A{sub K} ratio. This process is likely related to grain growth by coagulation, as traced by the A{sub 7.4}/A{sub K} continuum extinction ratio, but not to ice mantle formation. Conversely, grains acquire ice mantles before the process of coagulation starts.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Long-term evolution of decaying magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in the multiphase interstellar medium

Supersonic turbulence in the interstellar medium (ISM) is believed to decay rapidly within a flow crossing time irrespective of the degree of magnetization. However, this general consensus of decaying magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence relies on local isothermal simulations, which are unable to take into account the roles of the global structures of magnetic fields and the ISM. Utilizing three-dimensional MHD simulations including interstellar cooling and heating, we investigate decaying MHD turbulence within cold neutral medium sheets embedded in a warm neutral medium. The early evolution of turbulent kinetic energy is consistent with previous results for decaying compressible MHD turbulence characterized by rapid energy decay with a power-law form of E∝t {sup –1} and by a short decay time compared with the flow crossing time. If initial magnetic fields are strong and perpendicular to the sheet, however, long-term evolution of the kinetic energy shows that a significant amount of turbulent energy (∼0.2E {sub 0}) still remains even after 10 flow crossing times for models with periodic boundary conditions. The decay rate is also greatly reduced as the field strength increases for such initial and boundary conditions, but not if the boundary conditions are those for a completely isolated sheet. We analyze velocity power spectra of the remaining turbulence to show that in-plane, incompressible motions parallel to the sheet dominate at later times.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

The COS-Halos survey: physical conditions and baryonic mass in the low-redshift circumgalactic medium

We analyze the physical conditions of the cool, photoionized (T ∼10{sup 4} K) circumgalactic medium (CGM) using the COS-Halos suite of gas column density measurements for 44 gaseous halos within 160 kpc of L ∼ L* galaxies at z ∼ 0.2. These data are well described by simple photoionization models, with the gas highly ionized (n {sub H} {sub II}/n {sub H} ≳ 99%) by the extragalactic ultraviolet background. Scaling by estimates for the virial radius, R {sub vir}, we show that the ionization state (tracked by the dimensionless ionization parameter, U) increases with distance from the host galaxy. The ionization parameters imply a decreasing volume density profile n {sub H} = (10{sup –4.2±0.25})(R/R {sub vir}){sup –0.8±0.3}. Our derived gas volume densities are several orders of magnitude lower than predictions from standard two-phase models with a cool medium in pressure equilibrium with a hot, coronal medium expected in virialized halos at this mass scale. Applying the ionization corrections to the H I column densities, we estimate a lower limit to the cool gas mass M{sub CGM}{sup cool}>6.5×10{sup 10} M {sub ☉} for the volume within R < R {sub vir}. Allowing for an additional warm-hot, O VI-traced phase, the CGM accounts for at least half of the baryons purported to be missing from dark matter halos at the 10{sup 12} M {sub ☉} scale.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

A submillimeter galaxy illuminating its circumgalactic medium: Lyα scattering in a cold, clumpy outflow

We report the detection at 850 μm of the central source in SSA22-LAB1, the archetypal 'Lyman-α Blob' (LAB), a 100 kpc scale radio-quiet emission-line nebula at z = 3.1. The flux density of the source, S {sub 850} = 4.6 ± 1.1 mJy, implies the presence of a galaxy or group of galaxies with a total luminosity of L {sub IR} ≈ 10{sup 12} L {sub ☉}. The position of an active source at the center of a ∼50 kpc radius ring of linearly polarized Lyα emission detected by Hayes et al. suggests that the central source is leaking Lyα photons preferentially in the plane of the sky, which undergo scattering in H I clouds at a large galactocentric radius. The Lyα morphology around the submillimeter detection is reminiscent of a biconical outflow, and the average Lyα line profiles of the two 'lobes' are dominated by a red peak, which is expected for a resonant line emerging from a medium with a bulk velocity gradient that is outflowing relative to the line center. Taken together, these observations provide compelling evidence that the central active galaxy (or galaxies) is responsible for a large fraction of the extended Lyα emission and morphology. Less clear is the history of the cold gas in the circumgalactic medium being traced by Lyα: is it mainly pristine material accreting into the halo that has not yet been processed through an interstellar medium (ISM), now being blown back as it encounters an outflow, or does it mainly comprise gas that has been swept-up within the ISM and expelled from the galaxy?.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Quasars probing quasars. VII. The pinnacle of the cool circumgalactic medium surrounds massive z ∼ 2 galaxies

We survey the incidence and absorption strength of the metal-line transitions C II 1334 and C IV 1548 from the circumgalactic medium (CGM) surrounding z ∼ 2 quasars, which act as signposts for massive dark matter halos M {sub halo} ≈ 10{sup 12.5} M {sub ☉}. On scales of the virial radius (r {sub vir} ≈ 160 kpc), we measure a high covering fraction f{sub C} = 0.73 ± 0.10 to strong C II 1334 absorption (rest equivalent width W {sub 1334} ≥ 0.2 Å), implying a massive reservoir of cool (T ∼ 10{sup 4} K) metal enriched gas. We conservatively estimate a metal mass exceeding 10{sup 8} M {sub ☉}. We propose that these metals trace enrichment of the incipient intragroup/intracluster medium that these halos eventually inhabit. This cool CGM around quasars is the pinnacle among galaxies observed at all epochs, as regards covering the fraction and average equivalent width of H I Lyα and low-ion metal absorption. We argue that the properties of this cool CGM primarily reflect the halo mass, and that other factors such as feedback, star-formation rate, and accretion from the intergalactic medium are secondary. We further estimate that the CGM of massive, z ∼ 2 galaxies accounts for the majority of strong Mg II absorption along random quasar sightlines. Last, we detect an excess of strong C IV 1548 absorption (W {sub 1548} ≥ 0.3 Å) over random incidence to the 1 Mpc physical impact parameter and measure the quasar-C IV cross-correlation function: ξ{sub C} {sub IV-Q}(r)=(r/r{sub 0}){sup −γ} with r{sub 0}=7.5{sub −1.4}{sup +2.8} h{sup −1} Mpc and γ=1.7{sub −0.2}{sup +0.1}. Consistent with previous work on larger scales, we infer that this highly ionized C IV gas traces massive (10{sup 12} M {sub ☉}) halos.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Thermal instability and multi-phase interstellar medium in the first galaxies

We examine the linear stability and nonlinear growth of the thermal instability in isobarically contracting background gas with various metallicities and far-UV (FUV) field strengths. Such a background medium can be expected for protogalactic clouds and shocked gas with metallicity Z/Z{sub ⊙}>10{sup −4}. When the H{sub 2} cooling is suppressed by FUV fields (G{sub 0}>10{sup −3}) or the metallicity is high enough (Z/Z{sub ⊙}>10{sup −3}), the interstellar medium (ISM) is thermally unstable in the temperature range 100–7000 K owing to the cooling by C ii and O i fine-structure lines. In this case, a bi-phasic medium with a bimodal density probability distribution is formed as a consequence of the thermal instability. The characteristic scales of the thermal instability become smaller with increasing metallicity. Comparisons of the nonlinear simulations with different resolution indicates that the maximum scale of the thermal instability should be resolved with more than 60 cells to follow runaway cooling driven by the thermal instability. Under sufficiently weak FUV fields and with low metallicity, the density range of the thermal instability shrinks owing to the dominance of H{sub 2} cooling. As the FUV intensity is reduced, the bi-phasic structure becomes less remarkable and eventually disappears. Our basic results suggest that, in early galaxies, (i) fragmentation by the nonlinear growth of thermal instability could determine the mass spectrum of star clusters for Z/Z{sub ⊙}≲0.04, and (ii) a thermally bistable turbulent ISM like our galaxy becomes ubiquitous for Z/Z{sub ⊙}≳0.04, although the threshold metallicity depends on conditions such as thermal pressure, FUV strength, and redshift.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Supernova feedback and the hot gas filling fraction of the interstellar medium

Supernovae (SNe), the most energetic stellar feedback mechanism, are crucial for regulating the interstellar medium (ISM) and launching galactic winds. We explore how supernova remnants (SNRs) create a multiphase medium by performing three-dimentional hydrodynamical simulations at various SN rates, S, and ISM average densities, n-bar . The evolution of an SNR in a self-consistently generated three-phase ISM is qualitatively different from that in a uniform or a two-phase warm/cold medium. By traveling faster and further in the low-density hot phase, the domain of an SNR increases by >10{sup 2.5}. Varying n-bar and S, we find that a steady state can only be achieved when the hot gas volume fraction f{sub V,hot}≲0.6±0.1. Above that level, overlapping SNRs render connecting topology of the hot gas, and the ISM is subjected to thermal runaway. Photoelectric heating (PEH) has a surprisingly strong impact on f{sub V,hot}. For n-bar ≳3 cm{sup −3}, a reasonable PEH rate is able to suppress the thermal runaway. Overall, we determine the critical SN rate for the onset of thermal runaway to be S{sub crit}=200( n-bar /1 cm{sup −3}){sup k}(E{sub SN}/10{sup 51} erg){sup −1} kpc{sup −3} Myr{sup −1}, where k = (1.2, 2.7) for n-bar ⩽1 and >1 cm{sup −3}, respectively. We present a fitting formula of the ISM pressure P( n-bar ,S), which can be used as an effective equation of state in cosmological simulations. Despite the five orders of magnitude span of ( n-bar ,S), the average Mach number varies little: M ≈ 0.5 ± 0.2, 1.2 ± 0.3, and 2.3 ± 0.9 for the hot, warm, and cold phases, respectively.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗