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R. A. Vazquez

Publications and source records attributed to R. A. Vazquez.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2021

pyUPMASK: an improved unsupervised clustering algorithm

Aims. We present pyUPMASK, an unsupervised clustering method for stellar clusters that builds upon the original UPMASK package. Its general approach makes it plausible to be applied to analyses that deal with binary classes of any kind, as long as the fundamental hypotheses are met. The code is written entirely in Python and is made available through a public repository. Methods.The core of the algorithm follows the method developed in UPMASK but introducing several key enhancements. These enhancements not only make pyUPMASK more general, they also improve its performance considerably. Results. We thoroughly tested the performance of pyUPMASK on 600 synthetic clusters, affected by varying degrees of contamination by field stars. To assess the performance we employed six different statistical metrics that measure the accuracy of probabilistic classification. Conclusions. Our results show that pyUPMASK is better performant than UPMASK for every statistical performance metric, while still managing to be many times faster.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2020

Embedded clusters: upgrading visual and infrared photometric analysis with Gaia DR2 and ASteCA

Embedded clusters are groups of stars which have not dispersed yet the residual of the parental cloud where they were born so getting precise distances and properties of these groups turns out to be an essential task. We present results for five embedded clusters: [DBS2003]5, [DBS2003]60, [DBS2003]98, [DBS2003]116 and [DBS2003]117. Results come from a combination of deep CCD UBVI photometry suitable to identify blue faint stars and infrared information from available surveys. In turn photometry was linked with proper motions and parallaxes from Gaia DR2. Each object was treated in a multi-space using ASteCA, a code especially designed to perform an automatic data analysis and aimed at providing the fundamental parameters of star groups, in case they compose a real entity.

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2018

Transverse spectrum of bremsstrahlung in finite condensed media

A formalism is presented in which the radiation of photons off high energy electrons during a multiple scattering process with finite condensed media can be evaluated for a general interaction. We show that the arising Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal suppression for finite size targets saturates at some characteristic photon energy. Medium coherence effects in the photon dispersion relation can be also considered leading to a dielectric suppression or transition radiation effects in the soft part of the spectrum. The main results of our formulation are presented for a Debye screened interaction and its well-known Fokker-Planck approximation, showing that for finite size targets or for the angular distributions of the final particles the differences between both scenarios cannot be reconciled into a single redefinition of the medium transport parameter $(\hat{q})$. Our predictions are in very good agreement with the experimental data collected at SLAC.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2018

Thermal behavior, entanglement entropy and parton distributions

The apparent thermalization of the particles produced in hadronic collisions can be obtained by quantum entanglement of the partons of the initial state once a fast hard collision is produced. The scale of the hard collision is related to the thermal temperature. As the probability distribution of these events is of the form $np(n)$, as a consequence, the von Neumann entropy is larger than in the minimum bias case. The leading contribution to this entropy comes from the logarithm of the number of partons $n$, all with equal probability, making maximal the entropy. In addition there is another contribution related to the width of the parton multiplicity. Asymptotically, the entanglement entropy becomes the logarithm of $\sqrt{n}$, indicating that the number of microstates changes with energy from $n$ to $\sqrt{n}$.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2018

Thermal behavior and entanglement in Pb-Pb and p-p collisions

The thermalization of the particles produced in collisions of small size objects can be achieved by quantum entanglement of the partons of the initial state as it was analyzed recently in proton-proton collisions. We extend such study to Pb-Pb collisions and to different multiplicities of proton-proton collisions. We observe that, in all cases, the effective temperature is approximately proportional to the hard scale of the collision. We show that such relation between the thermalization temperature and the hard scale can be explained as a consequence of the clustering of the color sources. The fluctuations on the number of parton states decreases with multiplicity in Pb-Pb collisions as far as the width of the transverse momentum distributions decreases, contrary to the p-p case. We relate these fluctuations to the temperature time fluctuations by means of a Langevin equation for the white noise due to the quench of a hard parton collision.

hep-ph↗
arXiv2017

Multi-messenger Astronomy: a Bayesian approach

After the discovery of the gravitational waves and the observation of neutrinos of cosmic origin, we have entered a new and exciting era where cosmic rays, neutrinos, photons and gravitational waves will be used simultaneously to study the highest energy phenomena in the Universe. Here we present a fully Bayesian approach to the challenge of combining and comparing the wealth of measurements from existing and upcoming experimental facilities. We discuss the procedure from a theoretical point of view and using simulations, we also demonstrate the feasibility of the method by incorporating the use of information provided by different theoretical models and different experimental measurements.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2014

Composition analysis based on Bayesian methods

In this work we test the most widely used methods for fitting the composition fraction in data, namely maximum likelihood, $χ^2$, mean value of the distributions and mean value of the posterior probability function. We discuss the discrimination power of the four methods in different scenarios: signal to noise discrimination; two signals; and distributions of Xmax for mixed primary mass composition. We introduce a "distance" parameter, which can be used to estimate, as a rule of thumb, the precision of the discrimination. Finally, we conclude that the most reliable methods in all the studied scenarios are the maximum likelihood and the mean value of the posterior probability function.

astro-ph.IM↗
arXiv2012

Comments on the "Monoceros" affair

This is a brief note to comment on some recent papers addressing the Monoceros ring. In our view, nothing new was delivered on the matter: No new evidence or arguments are presented which lead to think that the over-densities in Monoceros must not be due to the flared thick disc of the Milky Way. Again, we restate that extrapolations are easily misleading and that a model of the Galaxy is not the Galaxy. Raising and discussing exciting possibilities is healthy. However, enthusiasm should not overtake and produce strong claims before thoroughly checking simpler and more sensible possibilities within their uncertainties. In particular, claiming that a reported structure, such as the Monoceros Ring, is not Galactic (an exciting scenario) should not be done without rejecting the possibility of being due to the well established warped and flared disc of the Milky Way (simpler).

astro-ph.GA↗
arXiv2010

A comprehensive study of shower to shower fluctuations

By means of Monte Carlo simulations of extensive air showers (EAS), we have performed a comprehensive study of the shower to shower fluctuations affecting the longitudinal and lateral development of EAS. We split the fluctuations into physical fluctuations and those induced by the thinning procedure customarily applied to simulate showers at EeV energies and above. We study the influence of thinning on the calculation of the shower to shower fluctuations in the simulations. For thinning levels larger than 10^(-5) - 10^(-6), the determination of the shower to shower fluctuations is hampered by the artificial fluctuations induced by the thinning procedure. However, we show that shower to shower fluctuations can still be approximately estimated, and we provide expressions to calculate them. The influence of fluctuations of the depth of first interaction on the determination of shower to shower fluctuations is also addressed.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2009

Characterisation of the electromagnetic component in ultra-high energy inclined air showers

Inclined air showers - those arriving at ground with zenith angle with respect to the vertical theta > 60 deg - are characterised by the dominance of the muonic component at ground which is accompanied by an electromagnetic halo produced mainly by muon decay and muon interactions. By means of Monte Carlo simulations we give a full characterisation of the particle densities at ground in ultra-high energy inclined showers as a function of primary energy and mass composition, as well as for different hadronic models assumed in the simulations. We also investigate the effect of intrinsic shower-to-shower fluctuations in the particle densities.

astro-ph.HE↗
arXiv2009

On the objective existence of physical processes: a physicist's philosophical view

Inspired by philosophical ideas of Boltzmann, which are briefly recalled, we provide strong support for the possibility and convenience of a realistic world picture, properly nuanced. The arguments have consequences for the interpretation of quantum mechanics, and for relevant concepts of quantum field and string theory, like monopoles and branes. Our view is illustrated with a cybernetic analogy and complemented with a summary of the basic philosophical concepts.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2008

Blue Straggler Stars in Galactic Open Clusters and the effect of field star contamination

We investigate the distribution of Blue Straggler stars in the field of three open star clusters. The main purpose is to highlight the crucial role played by general Galactic disk fore-/back-ground field stars, which are often located in the same region of the Color Magnitude Diagram as Blue Straggler stars. We analyze photometry taken from the literature of 3 open clusters of intermediate/old age rich in Blue Straggler stars, and which are projected in the direction of the Perseus arm, and study their spatial distribution and the Color Magnitude Diagram. As expected, we find that a large portion of the Blue Straggler population in these clusters are simply young field stars belonging to the spiral arm. This result has important consequences on the theories of the formation and statistics of Blue Straggler stars in different population environments: open clusters, globular clusters or dwarf galaxies. As previously emphasized by many authors, a detailed membership analysis is mandatory before comparing the Blue Straggler population in star clusters against theoretical models. Moreover, these sequences of young field stars (blue plumes) are potentially powerful tracers of Galactic structure which require further consideration.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2007

Spin in the Worldline Path Integral in 2+1 Dimensions

We construct a worldline path integral for the effective action and propagator of a Dirac field in 2+1 dimensions in an Abelian gauge field background. Integrating over an auxiliary gauge group variable we derive a worldline action depending only on $x(τ)$, the spacetime paths. We show that that action is a combination of a kinetic term plus a spin action. The first is proportional to $δ[\dot{x}^2(τ)- 1]$. The second agrees exactly with the spin action one should expect for a spin-1/2 field.

hep-th↗
arXiv2006

Spiral structure of the Third Galactic Quadrant and the solution to the Canis Major debate

With the discovery of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal (Ibata et al. 1994), a galaxy caught in the process of merging with the Milky Way, the hunt for other such accretion events has become a very active field of astrophysical research. The identification of a stellar ring-like structure in Monoceros, spanning more than 100 degrees (Newberg et al. 2002), and the detection of an overdensity of stars in the direction of the constellation of Canis Major (CMa, Martin et al. 2004), apparently associated to the ring, has led to the widespread belief that a second galaxy being cannibalised by the Milky Way had been found. In this scenario, the overdensity would be the remaining core of the disrupted galaxy and the ring would be the tidal debris left behind. However, unlike the Sagittarius dwarf, which is well below the Galactic plane and whose orbit, and thus tidal tail, is nearly perpendicular to the plane of the Milky Way, the putative CMa galaxy and ring are nearly co-planar with the Galactic disk. This severely complicates the interpretation of observations. In this letter, we show that our new description of the Milky Way leads to a completely different picture. We argue that the Norma-Cygnus spiral arm defines a distant stellar ring crossing Monoceros and the overdensity is simply a projection effect of looking along the nearby local arm. Our perspective sheds new light on a very poorly known region, the third Galactic quadrant (3GQ), where CMa is located.

astro-ph↗
arXiv2006

Investigation of the Nicole model

We study soliton solutions of the Nicole model - a non-linear four-dimensional field theory consisting of the CP^1 Lagrangian density to the non-integer power 3/2 - using an ansatz within toroidal coordinates, which is indicated by the conformal symmetry of the static equations of motion. We calculate the soliton energies numerically and find that they grow linearly with the topological charge (Hopf index). Further we prove this behaviour to hold exactly for the ansatz. On the other hand, for the full three-dimensional system without symmetry reduction we prove a sub-linear upper bound, analogously to the case of the Faddeev-Niemi model. It follows that symmetric solitons cannot be true minimizers of the energy for sufficiently large Hopf index, again in analogy to the Faddeev-Niemi model.

hep-th↗
arXiv2005

New tests and applications of the worldline path integral in the first order formalism

We present different non-perturbative calculations within the context of Migdal's representation for the propagator and effective action of quantum particles. We first calculate the exact propagators and effective actions for Dirac, scalar and Proca fields in the presence of constant electromagnetic fields, for an even-dimensional spacetime. Then we derive the propagator for a charged scalar field in a spacelike vortex (i.e., instanton) background, in a long-distance expansion, and the exact propagator for a massless Dirac field in 1+1 dimensions in an arbitrary background. Finally, we present an interpretation of the chiral anomaly in the present context, finding a condition that the paths must fulfil in order to have a non-vanishing anomaly.

hep-th↗
arXiv2005

Open clusters in the Third Galactic Quadrant. II. The intermediate age open clusters NGC 2425 and NGC 2635

We analyse CCD broad band (UBV(RI)c) photometric data obtained in the fields of the poorly studied open clusters NGC 2425 and NGC 2635. Both clusters are found to be of intermediate age thus increasing the population of open clusters known to be of the age of, or older than, the Hyades. More explicitly, we find that NGC 2425 is a 2.2 Gyr old cluster, probably of solar metallicity, located at 3.5 kpc from the Sun. NGC 2635 is a Hyades age (600 Myr) cluster located at a distance of 4.0 kpc from the Sun. Its Colour Magnitude Diagram reveals that it is extremely metal poor for its age and position, thus making it a very interesting object in the context of Galactic Disk chemical evolution models.

astro-ph↗