Articles
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01/07/2009--
01/07/2009
A simplicial $A_\infty$-operad acting on $R$-resolutions
We construct a combinatorial model of an A-infinity-operad which acts
simplicially on the cobar resolution (not just its total space) of a simplicial
set with respect to a ring R.
Tilman Bauer
Assaf Libman
12/09/2016--
12/09/2016
A Look Back at the Ehrenfest Classification. Translation and Commentary of Ehrenfest's 1933 paper introducing the notion of phase transitions of different order
A translation of Paul Ehrenfest's 1933 paper, entitled "Phase transitions in
the usual and generalized sense, classified according to the singularities of
the thermodynamic potential" is presented. Some historical commentary about the
paper's context is also given.
Tilman Sauer
06/14/2019--
06/14/2019
Einstein's Working Sheets and His Search For a Unified Field Theory
The Einstein Archives contain a considerable collection of calculations in
the form of working sheets and scratch paper, documenting Einstein's scientific
preoccupations during the last three decades of his life until his death in
1955. This paper provides a brief description of these documents and some
indications of what can be expected from a more thorough investigation of these
notes.
Tilman Sauer
08/23/2020--
08/23/2020
Einstein's Washington Manuscript on Unified Field Theory
In this note, we point attention to and briefly discuss a curious manuscript
of Einstein, composed in 1938 and entitled "Unified Field Theory," the only
such writing, published or unpublished, carrying this title without any further
specification. Apparently never intended for publication, the manuscript sheds
light both on Einstein's modus operandi as well as on the public role of
Einstein's later work on a unified field theory of gravitation and
electromagnetism.
Tilman Sauer
Tobias Schütz
08/11/2025--
08/11/2025
Topological Jacobi Forms
As a generalization of the ring spectrum of topological modular forms, we
construct a graded ring spectrum of topological Jacobi forms,
$\operatorname{TJF}_*$. This is constructed as the global sections of a sheaf
of $E_\infty$-ring spectra on the stacky universal elliptic curve using
circle-equivariant $\operatorname{TMF}$. Complete calculations of its homotopy
at odd primes and partial results at $p=2$ are given.
Tilman Bauer
Lennart Meier
04/15/2008--
04/15/2008
On the structure of tidal tails
We examine the longitudinal distribution of the stars escaping from a cluster
along tidal tails. Using both theory and simulations, we show that, even in the
case of a star cluster in a circular galactic orbit, when the tide is steady,
the distribution exhibits maxima at a distance of many tidal radii from the
cluster.
Andreas H. W. Küpper
Andrew Macleod
Douglas C. Heggie
09/08/2016--
04/26/2016
Photophoresis on particles hotter/colder than the ambient gas in the free molecular flow
Aerosol particles experience significant photophoretic forces at low
pressure. Previous work assumed the average particle temperature to be very
close to the gas temperature. This might not always be the case. If the
particle temperature or the thermal radiation field differs significantly from
the gas temperature (optically thin gases), given approximations overestimate
the photophoretic force by an order of magnitude on average with maximum errors
up to more than three magnitudes. We therefore developed a new general
approximation which on average only differs by 1 % from the true value.
C. Loesche
G. Wurm
T. Jankowski
M. Kuepper
10/03/2001--
10/03/2001
Sungrazing comets: Properties of nuclei and in-situ detectability of cometary ions at 1 AU
A one dimensional sublimation model for cometary nuclei is used to derive
size limits for the nuclei of sungrazing comets, and to estimate oxygen ion
fluxes at 1 AU from their evaporation. Given that none of the ~300 sungrazers
detected by the SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) was observed after
disappearing behind the sun, and that small nuclei with a radius of ~3.5m could
be observed, it is assumed that all SOHO sungrazers were completely destroyed.
For the case that sublimation alone is sufficient for destruction, the model
yields an upper size limit as a function of nuclear density, albedo and
perihelion distance. If the density of the nuclei is that typical of porous ice
(600kg/m^3), the maximum size is 63m. These results confirm similar model
calculations by Weissman (1983). An analytical expression is derived that
approximates the model results well. We discuss possible modifications of our
results by different disruption mechanisms. While disruption by thermal stress
does not change the upper size limits significantly, they may be somewhat
increased by tidal disruption (up to 100m for a density of 600kg/m^3) dependent
on the isotropy of the sublimation process and the tensile strength of the
comet. Implications for the Kreutz family of sungrazers are discussed.
Oxygen ions from the sublimation of sungrazing comets form a tail. Fluxes
from this tail are sufficiently high to be measured at 1 AU by particle
detectors on spacecraft, but the duration of a tail crossing is only about half
an hour. Therefore the probability of a spacecraft actually encountering a tail
of an evaporating sungrazer is only of the order of two percent per year.
M. Iseli
M. Kueppers
W. Benz
P. Bochsler
12/04/2006--
12/04/2006
Determination of the light curve of the Rosetta target Asteroid (2867) Steins by the OSIRIS cameras onboard Rosetta
Context: In 2004 asteroid (2867) Steins has been selected as a flyby target
for the Rosetta mission. Determination of its spin period and the orientation
of its rotation axis are essential for optimization of the flyby planning. Aim:
Measurement of the rotation period and light curve of asteroid (2867) Steins at
a phase angle larger than achievable from ground based observations, providing
a high quality data set to contribute to the determination of the orientation
of the spin axis and of the pole direction. Methods: On March 11, 2006,
asteroid (2867) Steins was observed continuously for 24 hours with the
scientific camera system OSIRIS onboard Rosetta. The phase angle was 41.7
degrees, larger than the maximum phase angle of 30 degrees when Steins is
observed from Earth. A total of 238 images, covering four rotation periods
without interruption, were acquired. Results: The light curve of (2867) Steins
is double peaked with an amplitude of $\approx$ 0.23 mag. The rotation period
is 6.052 $\pm$ 0.007 hours. The continuous observations over four rotation
periods exclude the possibility of period ambiguities. There is no indication
of deviation from a principal axis rotation state. Assuming a slope parameter
of G = 0.15, the absolute visual magnitude of Steins is 13.05 $\pm$ 0.03.
M. Kueppers
S. Mottola
S. C. Lowry
M. F. A'Hearn
C. Barbieri
M. A. Barucci
S. Fornasier
O. Groussin
P. Gutierrez
S. F. Hviid
H. U. Keller
P. Lamy
06/24/2008--
06/24/2008
The Main Sequence of Star Clusters
A novel way of looking at the evolution of star clusters is presented. With a
dynamical temperature, given by the mean kinetic energy of the cluster stars,
and a dynamical luminosity, which is defined as the kinetic energy of the stars
leaving the cluster in analogy to the energy of photons emitted by a star, the
dissolution of star clusters is studied using a new dynamical
temperature-luminosity diagram for star clusters. The investigation contains a
parameter-space study of open clusters of up to N = 32768 single-mass stars
with different initial density distributions, half-mass radii, tidal conditions
and binary fractions. The clusters show a strong correlation between dynamical
temperature and dynamical luminosity and most of the investigated cluster
families share a common sequence in such a dynamical temperature-luminosity
diagram. Deviations from this sequence are analyzed and discussed. After core
collapse, the position of a cluster within this diagram can be defined by three
parameters: the mass, the tidal conditions and the binary fraction. Due to core
collapse all initial conditions are lost and the remaining stars adjust to the
given tidal conditions. Binaries as internal energy sources influence this
adjustment. A further finding concerns the Lagrange radii of star clusters:
Throughout the investigated parameter space nearly all clusters show a constant
half-mass radius for the time after core collapse until dissolution.
Furthermore, the ratio of half-mass radius to tidal radius evolves onto a
common sequence which only depends on the mass left in the cluster.
Andreas H. W. Kuepper
Pavel Kroupa
Holger Baumgardt
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